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Chapter 9
“Okay, I’ll get going now, oppa. Thanks for giving me a ride. Oh—by the way, we’re having a party at our hotel tomorrow. Do you want to come too?”
“It’s cold. Go inside.”
With that brief refusal, Ihyun pulled away.
Now that the car had gone quiet, he finally had time to think.
Marriage. She said it’s time to move it along.
It was the first time he’d heard of such a thing. Which meant this wasn’t something decided between the families.
If it had been, they would’ve brought it up before even asking if it was right to appear on some variety show.
The arranged marriage with Aseong Hotel, settled years ago, had been left untouched before any real procedures could begin.
There’s no immediate benefit for the company in holding a ceremony right now anyway.
The president of Shin Hae Construction had been drowning in work. Sure, the launch of a thirty-billion-won corporate headquarters project explained part of it, but there was another reason:
The relentless media plays.
Just when it seemed forgotten, another article would pop up every few months. Different topics, different voices—yet when you looked closely, all of them carried the same opinion.
Shin Hae Construction, declining.
Cheon Young Construction, surging ahead.
Even though Cheon Young had no real metrics where it surpassed Shin Hae, the articles twisted words so cleverly they gave the impression that Shin Hae was being overshadowed.
Ever since their chairman changed, it seems he’s chasing after some grand dream.
The man had staked his life on the construction company after failing to secure the group head seat. Naturally, Ihyun’s father wasn’t the type to let such provocation pass.
So marriage could wait.
If Shin Hae tied bonds with Aseong, the alliance would be unshakable enough that few could dare challenge them. But…
Father’s the kind who insists on proving his position by himself, until he’s satisfied.
Seen that way, Yuri’s words were easy to understand.
She’s saying it’s her own wish to move the marriage forward.
Ihyun recalled their recent dinner conversation:
“What do you think, oppa? About us, if we got married.”
“Well… Do I really need to say it out loud? You already know.”
He’d given an answer, but the intention behind her question wasn’t so easy to dismiss.
For whatever reason, she wanted to rush into marriage—even to the point of lying.
Uncomfortable.
He hadn’t thought of marriage in a long while, and just the thought now filled him with resistance.
A family bound purely by interest, the countless tedious gatherings he’d have to attend unwillingly…
Plenty of reasons to dislike it. But Ihyun felt the real unease came from somewhere deeper.
“……”
Is she still angry?
The image of Haerin flickered across his mind.
He couldn’t remember ever clearing up a misunderstanding in his life.
Few people had ever voiced their displeasure to him. And even when they did, none of them had been people worth repairing ties with.
Every one of them was someone I had nothing to gain from keeping around.
But this time was different.
When he recalled her voice asking for an apology, a strange restlessness stirred inside.
“……”
Ihyun let out a quiet sigh.
There’s no need to rush. Give her enough time, she’ll remember.
Explaining himself right away would be pointless if she didn’t recall it herself.
Whatever it was, he wasn’t willing to let it remain just a misunderstanding.
After all, how else do you meet someone like her?
He pressed down on the accelerator, the sedan gliding smoothly and quietly down the road.
Sunday afternoon.
Haerin had been on her feet since morning, unable to sit still.
Whenever her head grew too messy, she had a habit of throwing herself into chores.
This time it was understandable—after two years, she’d finally landed a schedule, and things had actually gone well. So why the mess in her head?
Because I’m getting roasted alive in the press, obviously.
The moment her appearance on Self-Made King of Cooking was confirmed, articles came pouring out like they’d been waiting.
“Yoo Haerin confirmed for Self-Made King of Cooking… the most baffling casting of all time.”
“Yoo Haerin’s variety challenge—PD Kim Sungjae, are you laundering her image or the show?”
“‘No filming without ○○ lunchbox,’ Yoo Haerin once demanded. How will she act in front of a star producer?”
That was just a sampling of what she remembered.
Most headlines were dripping with the word “abuse of power.”
That, I can tolerate. But some of them are so vicious, it’s too much.
She had expected backlash when resuming activities. She’d openly admitted to her past controversies. If she hadn’t been ready to take heat, she wouldn’t have agreed to the show at all.
Besides, she knew: criticism never lasted forever.
As long as I don’t wreck the program, people will forget once it’s over.
…At least, that’s what her brain said.
But knowing didn’t erase the sting of every word disguised as “critique.”
So she worked faster, almost feverishly.
Actually, this might be a good chance. Might as well turn the whole house upside down while I’m at it.
Since her father’s passing, she hadn’t done a proper full clean. And it showed.
When she opened the storage room, the state of it proved her right.
“God… this is a nightmare.”
Dust covered everything. Pulling her mask tight over her nose, Haerin rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
“Ugh! Why won’t this come out?!”
She tugged and yanked, but the broom wedged in the corner wouldn’t budge.
How the hell did he even get it in there?
It seemed the only solution was to snap it and throw it away.
“Forget it. That’s not urgent. I’ll deal with it later.”
Right now, there was something else she wanted gone.
Heading deeper into the storage, her eyes fell on a box sitting in the corner.
Her father’s box.
At first it had been a neat storage bin for necessities. But somewhere along the way, it became a dumping ground for odds and ends—the storage room’s storage box.
I don’t even know what’s in here anymore.
Bending down, she tugged it out carefully. After a shaky start, it slid all the way to the entrance.
“Let’s see what we’ve got.”
She sat cross-legged on the floor and opened it. What she found immediately made her shake her head.
“…Why would you put a shirt in here?”
It was the one she had bought him, telling him to wear something new for once. He’d never worn it. Now here it was, still in its packaging.
“You should’ve worn it. What were you saving it for…”
She dug deeper. Amid the junk, there were meaningful things too.
“An album?”
Her hand froze.
If she opened it, the cleaning would be forgotten, and she’d spend hours flipping through pages. Maybe later…
“……”
Just a peek. A really quick one.
Haerin pulled out the heavy album and opened it. The familiar brown leather cover was too tempting.
“Oh, right. That trip to the valley. We lost a watermelon that day…”
From the very first page, it was filled with photos hard to turn past.
Before I started child acting, Dad and I went everywhere together.
Her mother had fallen into a deep sleep before she even made it home from the hospital. Her father had filled the void alone—memories of this house’s living room, of strange and special adventures, all carefully recorded here.
As she turned the pages, her hands froze.
“…Huh?”
The album should’ve ended here, around when she was ten. That was when she’d been cast in a snack commercial and started her career, leaving no time for everyday photos.
But there was more.
She turned the next page—
“…Seriously?”
Every page was a scrapbook.
Newspapers, internet articles—anything about her, all carefully collected.
With each turn, Haerin watched herself grow older in headlines and photos.
“…If you liked seeing me act this much, Dad… then why not just say so?”
She set the album aside and went back to the box.
I’ll toss most of it. Just keep the few things worth holding onto.
This had started as a way to clear her mind, and she had to stay true to the purpose.
“…Done!”
By the time she finished, the sun had set.
Two full twenty-liter trash bags sat filled to the brim. Dusting off her hands, she felt a rush of relief.
“Finally feels fresh in here.”
She had gone overboard in places, but looking around now, she was glad she had.
“Oh, wait—the laundry.”
She’d hung it out yesterday and completely forgotten to bring it in.
Her heart sped up. She’d noticed the window rattling earlier…
“…Is it windy?”
CLANG!
The big glass doors to the terrace shook violently.
Stunned, Haerin ran toward the terrace.
Oh no—!
