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Chapter 2
Bae Seong-hoon remained silent.
But soon, he smiled slightly, just like Joo-young, and pressed the end button on the phone call.
Seong-hoon leaned back in his chair.
“You’re not telling me this just in case I don’t know my own family members. And the fact that I’m the CEO of Seongwoon Hotel is something you could find with a simple internet search.”
“…….”
“If you’re an hour late, shouldn’t you at least have done your research thoroughly, Choi Joo-young?”
Joo-young’s lips twitched as Seong-hoon continued speaking without a hint of hesitation.
“Of course. Someone who’s an hour late to an appointment wouldn’t exactly be diligent.”
Seong-hoon muttered this to himself as he picked up the fork and knife, cutting a bite-sized piece from the steak brought out as the main dish.
“Did you come late on purpose, Choi Joo-young?”
Seong-hoon wasn’t done. He continued, clearly enjoying stirring the conversation.
“Should I take this attitude as a sign that you have no intention of getting married?”
That was the correct answer.
Even before this blind date, which she was forced into by her father, Joo-young had no intention of marrying anyone.
Love? That was just an illusion.
Something intangible that people put names to and worship as if it mattered, though it could neither be touched nor felt.
“I don’t really attach much meaning to past relationships, so I won’t waste my breath explaining. But if you want, I can summarize it in a document and send it to you.”
“…….”
“Now, I think it’s my turn to ask questions.”
Before she could even answer, Seong-hoon moved on to the next topic.
Her answer wasn’t really important to him; he didn’t need to wait for the obvious response.
“My name’s Choi Joo-young, age thirty. CEO of CS Department Store. Any educational background or connections? Let’s skip that—it’s meaningless to talk about.”
He stabbed the cut piece of steak with his fork. The medium-rare meat yielded softly, like tofu.
“Anything unusual?”
“…….”
“Your family’s a joke.”
At that final remark hitting her sensitive spot, Joo-young clenched her jaw.
Her teeth ground together with a faint creak, but Seong-hoon didn’t seem to care; he continued to poke at her nerves.
“You have no siblings, but apparently a woman ten years older than you is living as your father’s concubine?”
“Hey, Bae Seong-hoon.”
“I won’t talk about your mother; that’s a sensitive topic. I do have a bit of consideration, you know.”
He wouldn’t say it, but he knew everything.
Joo-young clenched her fists under the table.
Everyone in this world might know her family’s disgrace, but Seong-hoon was the first to say it so openly to her face.
“From what I’ve heard, you’ve never had any men in your life. If you’ve never even been with a man at your age, I should know in advance.”
Seong-hoon tilted his head, his half-lidded eyes glinting with an odd light.
“No matter how considerate I might be, I’m not teaching an inexperienced child about bed matters at this age.”
Joo-young’s hand trembled slightly as she clenched her fist.
The more she knew him, the more he knew her. That was the only disadvantage to her.
‘This kind of mockery… I’m used to it by now.’
If she were ten, when her father first brought the concubine home, she might have felt something. But at thirty, Joo-young no longer showed emotion over such things.
“I’ll pass on that kind of consideration.”
“What a shame. If you had asked, I would’ve been willing to teach you slowly.”
Knock, knock—at that moment, someone knocked, and the sliding door opened slightly. An employee asked from outside,
“Excuse me. The meal is ready; may I set it for you?”
“Go ahead.”
With Seong-hoon’s permission, the door opened fully.
Normally, each course would arrive in sequence on the table, but all dishes were brought at once on a trolley.
Joo-young motioned the employee to stop, preventing them from placing the appetizer.
“The food’s fine; just bring the wine.”
“Yes, understood.”
The employee cleared the appetizer plates and brought the wine that had been paired.
Through the line of wine bottles, Joo-young could see Bae Seong-hoon. He was calmly eating his steak, looking entirely unbothered. Somehow, it felt like she had already lost.
“Then, enjoy your meal.”
The employee carried the dishes back on the trolley, bowing before leaving.
The sliding door shut with a soft thud.
Seong-hoon’s gaze landed on the wine glass placed in front of Joo-young. His once intimidating eyes now looked languid.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Not some petty power play?”
Seong-hoon lightly held the stem of his wine glass, swirling the red liquid.
“Don’t be stubborn; just drink. It’s hard to get a reservation here. The food didn’t do anything wrong.”
It sounded as if Joo-young could never secure this restaurant on her own. Treating her as inferior, Seong-hoon made her laugh quietly.
“Sorry, I don’t like Korean food.”
“…….”
“Didn’t you check that? You just reserved a place on your own.”
Feeling an unexplained thirst, Joo-young gulped down the wine.
The low-alcohol wine didn’t burn her throat, but the bitter taste lingered on her tongue. She never planned to stay at this blind date until the end, and this was enough.
Joo-young stood up.
“Bae Seong-hoon, you have a chance to eat, so enjoy. I’m busy, so I’ll leave.”
But she paused after a few steps, remembering something she hadn’t told him.
“By the way, I won’t roll around in bed with you, but since you’re curious, I’ll tell you.”
Joo-young opened the sliding door, turning her head.
Their eyes met.
“No need to teach me.”
“…….”
“I’d be better than you anyway.”
It happened in an instant.
The languid pupils flickered with subtle curiosity.
A week had passed since the blind date.
During that time, Joo-young erased all information about Bae Seong-hoon from her mind. There would be no further dealings with him, so keeping it was unnecessary.
Joo-young was always like this.
She distinguished between what was necessary and unnecessary, putting all her effort into obtaining what mattered and never wasting a second on the rest.
In that sense, tonight’s dinner was unnecessary.
“Oh, long time no see, Joo-young?”
Before entering the room she was guided to, she stopped by the restroom to wash her hands. Go Hye-na had just entered, turning on the faucet and speaking first.
Go Hye-na.
Her father, Chairman Choi Kwon-yong’s concubine.
“So, have you decided to openly ignore people now?”
Joo-young didn’t respond this time either. She knew very well by now that engaging with Hye-na would only ruin her mood.
“Hey!”
When Joo-young didn’t react, Hye-na turned off the faucet with a clack and crossed her arms.
“Shouldn’t you at least pretend to listen when an adult is talking?”
…Heh.
Joo-young chuckled.
Hye-na frowned and brushed her hair back.
“Look at you. What’s so funny?”
“It’s funny. It’s just you and me here; where’s the adult?”
“What?”
“Living off someone else, and yet calling yourself an adult.”
Joo-young grabbed a few tissues, dried her hands, and faced Hye-na.
“Get a grip, Go Hye-na. You’re just a concubine, not officially on the family register.”
“…….”
“If you want to act like an adult, start by walking on your own two feet first.”
Joo-young watched Hye-na’s expression contort in real-time and started walking away.
Just as she was about to leave the restroom,
“Choi Joo-young!”
Hye-na shouted.
“The chairman planned a surprise and didn’t want to tell you, but seeing you now makes me want to spoil the surprise myself.”
Click, click.
Hye-na’s sharp heels approached, and she leaned her face close to Joo-young’s, smiling brightly with her eyes narrowed.
“The summer villa on Oido that you love so much… the chairman is giving it to me.”
