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Chapter 7
This was insane.
Haerin hastily straightened her posture.
No mistake—neat gray knit layered over a shirt, casual but refined.
It was definitely Shin Ihyun.
Her mind spun furiously.
Why… is Shin Ihyun in the Cooking King meeting room?
A weekday evening news anchor had no business being in an entertainment division conference room on the weekend.
Before the silence grew unbearable, her phone vibrated in her hand.
“Hello?”
“Haerin, I forgot to mention—have you arrived at the meeting room? Another cast member’s already there.”
“…Ah. Yes.”
“The schedule’s tight, so I arranged the meeting together. You’ll all be working side by side anyway.”
“Yes, of course…”
“You’ll recognize him right away—STB News anchor Shin Ihyun. Why don’t you two get acquainted? I’ll be there in five minutes!”
If only the call had come a minute earlier. At least she could’ve prepared herself.
Suppressing a groan, Haerin replied,
“Sure. I know who he is. We’ll… get to know each other. Yes.”
Ending the call, she prayed for Sungjae’s swift return.
Please, hurry back.
Across the table, a pair of sharp, cool eyes had been fixed on her the entire time.
Haerin deliberately ignored them, walked to the table, and pulled out a chair.
“…”
The situation was mortifying. But—
Think logically.
She replayed what happened:
I reached for the door, but he opened it first.
Which meant—he had been about to leave.
If so, there was no reason for this uncomfortable encounter to drag on.
“Haah…”
Still, the irony stung.
Who would’ve thought I’d dread being in the same room as Shin Ihyun?
Just yesterday she’d still been a fan. The day before that, meeting him had made her genuinely happy.
Rrrr…
The soft roll of a chair broke her thoughts.
She glanced up.
…Why wasn’t he leaving?
That annoyingly flawless face now sat right across from her.
He even reached out to grab a coffee from another seat—proving he’d originally been sitting there all along.
So why change spots?
Her composure was fraying fast. Finally, she spoke.
“…Weren’t you on your way out?”
“I was.”
“…?”
“But you said we should get close.”
“When did I—?”
Then she remembered the call just moments ago.
“Oh. That wasn’t serious. Just… politeness.”
He was an anchor. Shouldn’t he know better than to take every word so literally?
“Whatever the intent,” he said evenly,
“If you said it, we should get close.”
Anyone else, she’d welcome. It was smart—knowing someone beforehand made filming easier.
But this man? No thanks.
Yesterday’s incident at the café still gnawed at her.
Holding her irritation back, she said,
“You really don’t need to force it. Just be comfortable.”
“I am comfortable.”
“…”
“What’s your hobby, Ms. Yoo Haerin?”
She almost laughed.
“Anchor-nim. I’m saying, if you don’t want to be friends, there’s no need. Plenty of people do shows without being close.”
“Did I ever say I didn’t want to?”
“…?”
“Not once.”
Her patience thinned.
“You don’t have to say it. It’s obvious.”
“No. You don’t know me, Ms. Yoo.”
She bit down her frustration.
Does he think not saying it makes it untrue?
“Don’t you remember yesterday?”
Their eyes met briefly before he murmured,
“If it’s about what I said… then I truly don’t see why you’d think that way.”
Her blood boiled.
And then—
“You don’t know me, do you, Ms. Yoo?”
“…What?”
Her anger dissolved into bewilderment.
“Of course I do.”
“Then who am I?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
“You’re an anchor. STB News.”
“And what else?”
“…What else?”
She hesitated before offering carefully,
“…Ah, Shin Hae Group? Your father’s the CEO of Shin Hae Construction. That’s what you mean, right?”
“Why would you bring that up?”
His expression darkened, though not in anger—something unreadable flickered there.
What…?
Uneasy, she averted her gaze.
There was no right answer here.
“But what does it matter whether I know who you are—”
Bang!
The door slammed open.
“Sorry I’m late! You two weren’t waiting long, were you? Oh—already talking? Getting to know each other?”
“You’re here.”
“Hello, PD-nim.”
Sungjae’s entrance snapped the tension in two.
“Please, let’s sit together. It’ll be easier this way.”
Before Haerin could move, Ihyun was already sliding into the chair at her side.
“Normally, we’d meet individually. But we’re short on time—we need to lock the cast fast.”
Sungjae folded his hands, apologetic.
“Thanks for your understanding.”
Haerin, still processing, thought,
So… Shin Ihyun is really part of this variety show?
She’d never once heard of him doing anything outside the news.
Right on cue, Sungjae asked,
“Anchors usually don’t appear on variety. Thank you for accepting. We needed someone reliable to ground the format.”
“Yes,” Ihyun replied simply.
“I contacted him the same way I contacted you, Haerin. Honestly, I’m grateful you both agreed. Securing either of you felt impossible.”
The meeting moved on to details.
“This show will highlight local specialties—half cooking, half entertainment. Ihyun-ssi, you’ll focus on hosting. Don’t worry about image—it’ll be handled.”
Then Sungjae turned to her.
“And you, Haerin? What do you think?”
“Oh—this is a great opportunity for me.”
She hesitated, then added,
“But I was surprised. The scale feels huge… especially since Anchor-nim is involved.”
“It is big. Saturday prime-time means we’ll be up against a powerhouse rival show. We need impact.”
A competitive slot. That explained the star-studded cast.
“But why me?” she asked carefully.
Sungjae chuckled, rubbing the papers in his hands.
“Well… truth is, I’ve been a fan of yours for years.”
“…You have?”
“I pushed hard for this. You’ve been on break from acting, and I thought this would be perfect. Twelve episodes—not too heavy, not too short.”
She had expected other reasons—buzz, marketing ploys, maybe even controversy.
But fan? That caught her off guard.
Haerin signed on. Self-Made Cooking King was now official.
With polite farewells, she and Ihyun left the building together.
Thanks to Sungjae’s arrangement, both had parked in the underground lot.
“…”
The elevator ride down was suffocatingly awkward.
Every second dragged with Ihyun at her side.
At last, his voice cut through.
“Do you really not know me?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Are you pretending, or do you truly not?”
Her brow twitched.
“Why would I pretend? I told you already, and you denied both answers.”
“…”
“…”
Their gazes met—then Ihyun looked away.
“Disappointing.”
…What?
Ding.
The elevator reached the basement.
“Aren’t you getting off?”
“I am, but—”
Before she could finish, he strode out ahead.
By the time she stepped off, his crisp figure was already moving farther away.
What the hell was that?
“Disappointing”?
If anything, that was her line.
I should be the one saying that. That I was stupid enough to admire someone like him.
She exhaled a furious sigh.
She had tried to let it go, knowing she’d see him again.
But no. She needed answers.
Why is he acting this way?
She hurried after him. By chance, their cars were parked in the same section.
Fine. My horoscope did say today would be lucky.
The “romance drama” part had been dead wrong, but still.
“Excuse me, Anchor-nim!”
Just as Ihyun was about to get into his car, Haerin called out.
