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Chapter 23
Han-gyeol took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped Somang’s hands.
The only thing that had touched her was Min-chan’s hand, yet he wiped each of her fingers so thoroughly, as if she’d gotten something filthy on them.
“How did you know?”
“Is that what matters?”
After wiping her hands clean, Han-gyeol started walking toward Min-chan.
At the same time, the hiking backpack Min-chan had been holding suddenly ended up on Han-gyeol’s shoulder.
“Let’s go down.”
Han-gyeol was about to naturally wrap his arm around Somang’s shoulder like usual, but Min-chan stepped in between them.
“This is a company workshop, Team Leader.”
Min-chan’s tone was sharp, as if warning them that too many eyes were watching.
“I don’t think that’s something I should be hearing from you.”
Han-gyeol pointed at the two of them who had been holding hands a moment ago, pretending to date.
“So, Baek Somang—how long were you planning on doing this?”
“Well… until you felt sick to your stomach, obviously.”
At her honest answer, Han-gyeol flicked her forehead.
“Ow!”
Somang covered her forehead with both hands and glared at him.
“And that means you can just grab anybody’s hand and even try to spend the night out?”
Just to mess with me?
Han-gyeol sighed, then took a bottle of frozen sports drink from his bag and pressed it gently to her forehead.
No wonder his backpack looked unusually big—he’d packed all sorts of snacks. Mostly the ones Somang practically lived on when she was a senior in high school.
“I wasn’t trying to spend the night with Min-chan!”
Somang glanced anxiously at Min-chan with her eyes opened wide.
“You weren’t reacting at all, so I just blurted it out.”
“So that’s why you wandered around alone until late at night? Without a hint of fear?”
Han-gyeol opened the drink and handed it to her.
Somang accepted it out of habit and gulped it down before speaking.
“And how did you know that? Did you follow me?”
“Yeah. I knew the fake dating thing from the moment you said you got a boyfriend while eating ice cream.”
“So from the very beginning! Then why did you keep pretending you didn’t know?”
Han-gyeol used the handkerchief again, wiping the moisture around her lips.
Somang, as if used to this kind of thing, tilted her head this way and that to make it easier for him.
“Isn’t that what you wanted me to do?”
“Yes, but… this isn’t what I meant.”
She wanted to see him get desperate and beg.
Seeing her pout, Han-gyeol burst into a short laugh.
“I swear, my insides are about to flip. Stop it.”
“Lies. Your face looks completely peaceful. Aren’t you getting way too shameless?”
Min-chan, who had been watching them quietly, let out a hollow laugh.
Seriously, what were these two doing?
Their hearts clearly pointed at each other, yet whenever it came to Han-gyeol, Somang still believed she was the only one with a crush, lowering her gaze sadly.
A long-ingrained habit of one-sided love didn’t leave room to notice the other person’s feelings.
Min-chan grabbed his bag, preparing to head down the mountain. It was almost time to gather.
“Let’s go down now.”
A late-summer afternoon with the sun slipping away.
At the large outdoor barbecue area, the sizzling smell of cooking meat filled the air.
Employees chatted excitedly—some saying they lost track of time taking photos, some asking who on earth found the robot vacuum.
Somang snatched the grill tongs from Min-chan, who had been cooking the meat.
“Min-chan, thank you for helping me this whole time. If I’d known he figured it out from the start, you wouldn’t have had to come today. I’m sorry.”
The meat on Somang’s plate—placed by Min-chan—was untouched.
“Eat first.”
Meat outdoors was usually amazing, but today it tasted like nothing.
As she ate half-heartedly, the highlight event of the workshop began on the small stage set up in the center.
“Now, we’ll begin the prize giveaway!”
Normally she would have run straight to the front, eagerly waiting for her turn, but not today.
Eunjung and Dahee weren’t beside her bouncing with excitement, and she’d been too busy pretending to date Han-gyeol to even look for the prize coupons.
Everything felt empty.
Despite her mood, the professional MC kept the atmosphere lively.
Before long, the event reached the final prize.
“And now—the robot vacuum!”
Loud sound effects boomed through the venue.
“This is a three-million-won model! A cutting-edge AI cleaner with a foldable robotic arm. We were told it was hidden somewhere extremely hard to find!”
This product—full of flashy descriptions—was Clover Electronics’ new pride.
Although its launch was indefinitely postponed due to the appliance explosion incident, the device’s performance was overwhelmingly praised and had become a hot topic among employees.
“If you found it, please come up to the stage!”
Drumroll.
The person stepping onto the stage was none other than Yu Han-gyeol.
“When did he even find that?”
Min-chan openly showed his displeasure.
“Good for him, I guess.”
Somang felt the exact same.
She’d nearly died pretending to date someone just to tease him, and he’d calmly found a robot vacuum in the meantime.
How annoyingly capable.
Irritated by the whole showy awarding ceremony, Somang turned her head away.
Why did you keep pretending not to know?
Isn’t that what you wanted me to do?
So… because I wanted it, he ignored the fake dating and even said he’d marry me?
What kind of person is like that?
A sudden wave of embarrassment and hurt wrapped around her.
And that sulky feeling stayed with her even after they arrived back in Seoul late at night.
Because Han-gyeol insisted they carpool, she ended up in his car even though she didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
She wanted to sit in the backseat as protest, but the precious robot vacuum was carefully placed there.
So she settled for turning her back toward him in the passenger seat.
“…”
“…”
The suffocating silence—where even a swallow sounded loud—was broken by Han-gyeol.
“So, does your heart race when you’re with Park Min-chan?”
“T-That’s a secret. And people die if their heart doesn’t beat.”
Somang snapped her head around.
Her heart racing because of Min-chan? As if.
Being with him was calm, peaceful even—like a still lake.
But being with Han-gyeol felt like someone was pelting her heart with stones, one after another, until she couldn’t think straight.
Even so—
“Marriage is something two people should do because they like each other. Not because someone’s being pushed into it.”
Han-gyeol’s forehead wrinkled at her words.
“Who said anything about being pushed?”
“Then do you like me? Do you love me? Do you go crazy if you don’t see me for even a day? Or does your heart feel like it’s about to explode when you’re near me?”
At this point, she truly didn’t know anymore.
Was it right to get married just because she liked him? What was he thinking?
“That’s all it takes for you?”
Thump.
A direct hit—no hesitation. Her mind went blank.
But before she could recover, he landed the second blow.
“And if you took my first time, of course we have to get married.”
Don’t even think of running.
His darkened eyes seemed to say exactly that.
“J-Just f-from a k-kiss, that’s—”
Somang barely managed to steady her pounding heart.
“Just?”
“How old do you think I am? You can’t just say something like that over a… a simple peck. It wasn’t even a real kiss.”
Han-gyeol looked stunned, then dangerously amused.
“When did Baek Somang get so grown up?”
Feeling like she might be swallowed whole by that gaze, Somang forced herself to act composed.
“I’m not a kid who follows you around because I like you anymore. So if you really like me, then try seducing me.”
Even though her heart was beating violently.
“Then I’ll… think positively about marriage.”
