Chapter 89
One week later
“What? You want to know about the boy that night?”
I accidentally raised my voice a little.
Yuna was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed neatly, calmly sipping her tea as if my reaction ant nothing to her.
“Yes.”
I swallowed hard.
“…May I know why, Chairwoman?”
She set the cup down slowly and lifted her gaze to .
“I’m just curious about him.”
I went speechless.
Since when did Seo Yuna, who never bothered to concern herself with other people, suddenly beco interested in a stranger she’d t only once by chance?
“I want a full background check,” she continued. “His na, his family background, his education. I want to know where he lives and who he associates with.”
Each word landed heavily on my chest, one after another.
“…Chairwoman,” I said carefully, forcing my voice to stay calm, “he is just an ordinary civilian. He helped you out of goodwill. Digging into his personal life might be—”
“Unnecessary?” Yuna cut in, her eyes sharpening slightly. “No. It becos necessary when I decide it is necessary.”
She paused for a brief mont, her fingers resting against the rim of the cup.
“And besides,” she added, her voice lowering just a fraction, “he makes —”
She stopped.
For a split second, sothing unreadable crossed her face.
“Nothing. Just look into him. I want the report on my desk within three days. I do not like waiting.”
“But Chairwoman, I think we should not—”
“Is there any problem?”
Her gaze hardened.
I stopped imdiately.
“…Nothing,” I said, bowing my head slightly. “I understand. I will do as you said.”
She gave a small nod and reached for her tea again, already done with the conversation.
I turned and walked toward the door.
Only when it closed behind did I finally release the breath I had been holding.
Out of all the people in this city… why did it have to be him?
No. No, I shouldn’t overthink this.
Maybe it’s nothing.
She probably just wanted to thank him properly. That must be it. Yes. That had to be the only reason. There was no way Yuna had any other interest beyond that.
_____
Three days later
The report lay neatly inside a thin black folder.
I stood in front of Yuna’s desk, hands clasped behind my back. On the surface, everything looked calm. Inside, my chest felt tight.
Yuna reached for the folder and opened it without a word.
Her eyes moved slowly as she read. One page. Then another.
I watched her closely.
At first, there was nothing.
But then—
Her fingers paused.
Her gaze lingered on one page longer than the others.
And then she—
She… smiled?
Seo Yuna… smiling?
My stomach dropped.
It had been a long ti since I last saw that expression on her face. No. More than that. I could not rember the last ti she had smiled like this for soone.
What exactly did she see in that file?
An uneasy feeling crept into my chest.
She closed the folder and leaned back in her chair, eyes lifting to the ceiling as if she was thinking through sothing.
After a brief pause, she reached into her drawer. When she looked at again, there was an envelope in her hand. She extended it toward .
“Chairwoman?”
“Deliver this letter to him.”
For a second, I thought I misheard her.
“Do not alarm him,” she added. “And do not explain anything unnecessary. Just give him the envelope.”
I nodded, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Yes, Chairwoman.”
She seed satisfied and dismissed with a small gesture.
I bowed and left her office.
The mont I reached my own office, I closed the door behind . I could not bring myself to sit down. I just stood there, staring at nothing, my thoughts running in every possible direction.
Why was Yuna acting like this?
She had never shown this kind of interest in anyone before. There had to be a reason. Or maybe there was not. I tried to convince myself that this was nothing more than a formal gesture.
But what if it was not?
What if, without realizing it, I was about to pull Haemin into sothing he never asked for?
The thought made my chest tighten.
If anything happened to him because of this… I would never be able to forgive myself.
But what choice did I have now? I still needed to carry out her order. I closed my eyes and took a slow breath, forcing myself to calm down.
No. I could not afford to overreact like this. This was not who I was. I had always been rational and composed.
And yet, whenever it ca to Haemin, every certainty I had started to shake. In the end, I straightened my posture, picked up my coat, and left.
.
The mont I stepped into his university building, I could feel the atmosphere shift. Everyone started to turn their eyes toward .
I ignored all of it.
My eyes searched for only one person.
When I found him inside the lecture hall, my steps slowed.
He looked up in surprise when his na was called.
Our eyes t.
For a brief mont, he seed caught off guard, clearly not understanding why soone like was standing there.
I walked toward him, carefully restraining my emotions. But being this close to him, it was harder than I expected.
I smiled gently, hiding everything I felt, and held out the envelope.
“This is for you.”
That was all I said.
I turned and left before I allowed myself to do sothing reckless—
.
A few days later, Haemin ca to the building.
I was completely shocked when I heard from Yuna that she had already put Haemin’s na on the visitor list and told to escort him to her.
I led him through the lobby in silence, my steps were calm, but my thoughts were racing. I kept my expression professional, but inside, anxiety continued to tighten its grip on .
Why did he even agree to co?
I scolded him silently, frustration mixing with worry.
Why would you accept an invitation from soone like her so easily? Do you have any idea who she is?
I stopped in front of the private lounge.
“This is it,” I said, forcing my voice to sound neutral.
He nodded politely.
“Thank you for leading here.”
The mont he stepped inside, the door closed behind him.
And I was left outside. But I could not stay still.
I checked the ti more tis than I could count.
My mind kept spiraling, replaying every possible scenario. Why did Yuna invite him here? What was she trying to confirm? Had Haemin done sothing that pissed her off?
Not long after, the door finally opened.
Haemin stepped out.
He looked fine, but slightly confused.
I let out a long breath.
So that was it?
Maybe I had overthought everything. Maybe Yuna truly only wanted to thank him properly.
But the relief did not last long.
Later that evening, Yuna had told that she invited him again two days from now.
Again!?
That word almost slipped out of my mouth when I heard her say it. But I controlled myself and just nodded in understanding. I left her office, my thoughts in complete disarray.
Two days later, Haemin ca again.
This ti, the eting lasted much longer than before.
Once again, I waited outside, unable to concentrate on anything else. When he finally ca out, his expression was more complicated than before.
That was when I could no longer stand it. I took a deep breath and walked straight toward Yuna’s office.
I knocked once and entered.
“Chairwoman—”
My voice stopped.
Yuna was standing by the glass wall, her back partially turned to , looking out over the city skyline. The light spilled across her face, softening her features.
And she was smiling. It was warm. Gentle. Almost… affectionate.
For a mont, I forgot how to breathe.
So she was capable of making an expression like that.
Despite being the sa gender, I found myself captivated. She had always been beautiful, undeniably so. But right now, with that unguarded expression, she looked breathtaking.
What unsettled more was that she did not even notice my presence. She was completely lost in her own thoughts.
What had they talked about for her to look like this?
A sudden thought struck . Hasn’t she been different lately?
For the past few weeks, she had barely listened when I explained sothing to her. In etings, her focus seed to drifted, and her responses were always delayed. Even when she sat at her desk, her eyes would sotis go distant, as if her mind was sowhere else entirely.
And when did all of this start?
My heart sank.
Was it not right after the accident? Right after she t Haemin?
A cold realization crept into my chest.
No.
I imdiately pushed the thought away. Out of all possibilities, that could not be it.
There was no way Yuna had developed feelings for Haemin, right?
I refused to imagine it.
But the possibility beca reality a few days later.
_____
“I’m already married to him, Harin.”
The file slipped from my hand and fell onto the floor. For a second, I thought my ears had betrayed .
“Chairwoman… you’re joking, right?”
She walked to her desk and calmly handed the docunt.
I stared at the paper, refusing to process what was printed there.
“Yun—Chairwoman, what is the aning of this?”
She leaned back against the edge of her desk, completely calm.
“As you can see, this is the marriage docunt signed by both of us. From today onward, he is my husband.”
I nearly lost my footing and had to grip the edge of the table to steady myself.
“Chairwoman… I don’t understand. Why would you suddenly—why him?
Yuna sighed softly.
“Because I fell in love with him the first ti I saw him.”
The words struck harder than anything else she had said.
“…Chairwoman,” I said slowly, forcing myself to stay calm, “have you truly thought this through? My little bro—… that boy is younger than you…”
Yuna’s gaze didn’t waver.
“I do not care about his age. And he does not care about mine either.”
“But you should have consulted first,” I said, unable to stop myself anymore. “Does he truly understand what he has gotten himself into? Does he know what kind of world you live in?”
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Her voice cut through mine, sharp and absolute.
“I did not ask for your opinion. I’m just informing you.”
Silence filled the room. I was really frustrated right now, but I couldn’t say anything without it sounding like I was going against her.
“Harin.”
Her voice softened.
I looked up instinctively.
She was smiling at . Gently.
“Don’t you think… as my friend, you should be happy for ? That I finally have soone to share my life with…”
“…I’m sorry, Chairwoman.” I said imdiately, bowing my head. “I spoke out of line. Please forgive .
I will make sure no one catches a glimpse of any of this. I will ensure his identity is protected, and that no one dares to use him against you.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
I bowed deeply.
“If there is nothing else, Chairwoman, I will excuse myself.”
_____
That night, I sat alone in my apartnt.
A glass of wine rested in my hand, untouched for a long ti before I finally took a sip.
I let out a quiet sighed.
How did things end up like this?
And Haemin… I never thought he would be fine with soone older than him. If I had known before, for sure I would have—
I stopped myself.
No. That’s not right.
Haemin would never look at that way. He once said he liked when he was little, but I am certain he only ant it as a sister. Nothing more than that.
I leaned back against the sofa and closed my eyes.
[Don’t you think… as my friend, you should be happy for ? That I finally have soone to share my life with…]
That was the first ti in years Yuna had called her friend so sincerely. It was also the first ti I saw her look genuinely happy. For her to smile like that because of Haemin… it seed like she truly loved him. Now, I felt guilty for even thinking about taking that happiness away from her.
Throughout her life, people had feared her.
She beca like that because she had to.
Because it was the only way to survive at the top.
And now, when there was finally soone who looked at her without fear and did not care about her title, is that not a good thing? Is that not what I always wished for her?
I took another sip of wine.
Even though I was certain Yuna would protect him and fulfill her responsibilities as his wife, still…
I rubbed my forehead tiredly. It seems like I am being hard on myself again. I let out a small, bitter laugh at myself. All these years, every decision I made was only for one reason. To make sure Haemin could live his life happily.
Am I being hypocritical right now? I keep telling myself I care about his happiness, yet this is the happiness he chose on his own.
So why can’t I just accept it?
Yuna said Haemin agreed to this willingly, did she not?
I smiled faintly and opened the laptop in front of .
“Haemin… you’ve grown up, haven’t you?”
[Are you sure you want to delete this docunt?]
If this is really what you want.
If you walked into this with your own choice.
If you are smiling right now the way she is.
Then I will support you with all my heart and wish you happiness.
Another sigh escaped as I stared at the screen.
I hope I will not regret not stopping this now.
[Yes]
Spoiler
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Na: Yoo Harin
Age: 29 years old
Height: 5’9” (176 cm)
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