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Chapter 14
“Oh, Z Entertainment.”
As he nodded, thinking of Yujeong, Seoyoon quietly sat down in the empty seat. It was clearly the chair where his father’s chief secretary had left his coat, but Seoyoon didn’t seem to care at all and calmly claimed the spot.
“I noticed you’ve been alone this whole time. I’m here by myself too.”
“I see. But I’m not alone—I’m with someone.”
He responded with a gentle smile that clearly meant no, but Seoyoon didn’t budge. Instead, she waved her hand as if to cool herself.
“Oh, am I drunk? It’s hot.”
Acting as if she felt warm, Seoyoon took off her jacket and crossed her arms to push her chest together. Wearing only a small cropped tank top underneath, her appearance made him even more uncomfortable.
“…”
“My throat’s dry. Do you mind if I have some wine?”
He showed no reaction at all to her thin smile. Thinking she was just drunk, none of it struck him as strange. Without hesitation, Seoyoon lifted the wine glass he had never even touched and drank from it.
“Ah.”
Just when it seemed she would simply drink quietly, she spilled the wine down her white tank top. Whether it was intentional or an accident didn’t matter to him. What bothered him was the attention it drew from nearby people.
Expressionless, Gogyul stood up and draped the jacket Seoyoon had taken off earlier back over her shoulders.
“You seem very drunk. Is there anyone I can call for you?”
Family, or at least someone from her company—he asked as his heart began to beat faster. It made no sense, but part of him wondered if the name he wanted to hear might somehow come out of her mouth.
“Oh… um, no. If I call my mom, she’ll scold me.”
“Anyone else you can contact?”
“Well… I have an older sister. But she really hates me.”
Her sudden confession surprised him, but he quietly returned to his seat.
“I see.”
“Actually, my sister is the CEO of Soulmate, Chae Yujeong.”
His eyes widened slightly. The name he wanted to hear had come out—leaving him flustered. He quickly composed himself and pretended not to know Yujeong very well.
“You probably wouldn’t know her. My sister. She’s bullied me my whole life. Even today… snf…”
Watching Seoyoon sniffle, he quietly handed her a tissue. She dabbed her eyes and continued to ramble about things he never asked.
“But I thought you said your name was Ha Seoyoon earlier. Are you and CEO Chae cousins?”
Hearing his puzzled tone, Seoyoon shook her head with the saddest eyes imaginable.
“I don’t like saying this, but… she’s my stepfather’s daughter. She already hated me, and now my father is considering me as his successor, so… we’re practically competing for the seat of CEO at Z Entertainment.”
Just as she planned, the moment she mentioned that her stepsister Yujeong bullied her, she felt his indifferent gaze shift toward her.
“So CEO Chae wants to be the successor of Z Entertainment.”
“Yes. So she tries to catch my weaknesses whenever she can. These days, I can’t even sleep without sleeping pills or alcohol. Sniff sniff…”
The more he listened, the more the Yujeong he knew sounded nothing like what Seoyoon was describing. Yujeong, who always gave everything to her people—could she really be cold to her stepsister simply because she didn’t see her as family?
“Then it must be uncomfortable to contact CEO Chae at this hour.”
“She’s probably grinding her teeth at work right now. She’d never come even if I called. I’m so dizzy right now… I don’t think I can go home alone…”
Seoyoon blinked slowly at him, clearly sending a signal. Whether it worked or not, he simply gave an unreadable smile and nodded.
“In that case, maybe you should rest at the hotel before heading home.”
“R–really?”
Seoyoon fluttered her eyelashes and tucked her hair behind her ear. She didn’t look drunk at all, but he wanted to hear more about Yujeong, so he pretended to go along with her.
“How about we move somewhere else? I heard the suite rooms here have an amazing night view.”
Seoyoon completely misread his gaze as a signal and grew even bolder.
“That would be difficult. I’m here with someone.”
“Oh.”
Her eyes shifted toward the black coat placed earlier. It looked like a man’s coat, so she didn’t openly panic, but the mention of company clearly bothered her.
“I’ve personally met CEO Chae a few times. I wonder what she’s like around family. Could you tell me more about her?”
When he politely asked more about Yujeong, Seoyoon hesitated.
“Oh, you must know my sister well?”
“I know her a bit through business. Not quite partners yet.”
“Hm. Then I suppose I should be honest with you. Haa. My sister is… a very greedy person.”
When he asked why she thought so, she immediately launched into her own narrative.
“She claims she wants to be CEO because of a will left by her late mother, but honestly, she just hates when I get anything. She’s greedy. She probably approached you on purpose too. She’s calculating like that.”
From her story, he was certain something was off. Yujeong approaching him on purpose? Their first encounter made that impossible—the one who broke the wine glass that day wasn’t Yujeong… it was him. Their relationship began entirely because of his meddling.
“I see.”
Seoyoon continued telling stories, beginning with how she “lost her mother to Yujeong” in high school, then rambling about every petty detail. When he glanced at the time, she stopped talking as if waiting for that very moment and smiled suggestively.
“We can finish the rest in a suite… just the two of us.”
Watching her push her chest together and blink seductively, he gave his first cold smile.
“I appreciate the offer, but you’re not my type. I’ll be leaving now.”
When Yujeong stepped out of her office, she was startled to see Gogyul standing by the door. She quickly looked around—judging by the dim lights, some employees were still working.
“What are you doing here at this hour without even calling?”
“I did call. You didn’t answer. You seemed busy, so I waited. Maybe that was meddlesome?”
His eyes drifted to the phone in her hand, and she looked down too. Seeing the missed-call notification, she offered an awkward smile.
“Ahem… I must’ve forgotten I put it on silent. I was dealing with something personal earlier, so my work got delayed.”
Her gaze moved between the somber office and the man who did not belong in such a bleak setting. His presence alone lit up the room—he was breathtaking.
‘Of course… he’s the only one who can fix this situation.’
Lost in a daze, she blinked as he approached her with a soft smile. He gently tugged her collar, swaying it playfully, and smiled with crescent-shaped eyes.
“Since I came all the way here… could I at least have a cup of coffee, CEO?”
If there were real fox spirits in the world, Yujeong thought they would look exactly like him. She grabbed the office door handle.
“Well, since you’re here, have a cup before you go.”
Click.
The door to the CEO’s office shut, and Yujeong’s expression changed instantly.
“Seriously, why did you suddenly come all the way here?”
She stared at him as if demanding to know what scheme he was plotting. The thought of employees getting their hopes up again because of his unexpected appearance made her feel hopeless.
“It seems my sudden visit made you uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure how to apologize.”
Seeing her frown, he gave a playful smile. She grabbed her hair in frustration.
“No… it’s just, since this is the office, I’d like it if you let me know beforehand.”
“I waited and waited, but you never called. I got impatient.”
Her eyes widened at the unexpected words.
“What do you mean…?”
“I thought you’d try a little harder to persuade me. I guess I panicked because I’ve never dealt with someone like you before.”
She stared into his eyes, trying desperately to figure out what he meant, but found nothing. He was a genius actor, after all. And she had no special ability to read minds.
‘Is he teasing me?’
Even so, she couldn’t look away. Hope bubbled up again from deep inside. She had only felt this kind of excitement once—when convincing Seola.
“So what are you trying to say? Do you want me to chase after you again and embarrass myself trying to persuade you like last time?”
Doing everything she could to hide her emotions, she asked. Gogyul gave a playful smile and tilted his head.
“Could you?”
When she stared in disbelief, he shrugged lightly.
“If you say you want to, I won’t stop you.”
“…What exactly do you want me to do?”
“How about having lunch with me tomorrow? We have important things to discuss.”
