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Chapter 21
Jae-seok slowly opened his eyes, still gently stroking the naked woman cradled in his arms. The hotel room, with blackout curtains blocking every ray of sunlight, was dark despite it being morning.
When Jae-seok turned on the lights with the remote, he saw the woman lying beside him.
“Ah…”
That small exclamation was his first word upon recognizing the face of the woman he had taken out from the nightclub room after indulging in the night.
“She looks like Seo Hyun-jung.”
He found it strange that every one-night stand seemed to have some feature reminiscent of Hyun-jung. Amused by his own peculiar taste, Jae-seok headed to the bathroom.
After washing himself with hot water, he came out to find the naked woman rushing toward him and wrapping herself around him. Feeling uncomfortable at her warmth, he pushed her away.
Even so, she followed him with a smiling face.
“Oppa, did you sleep well?”
The high-pitched, cutesy voice wasn’t unpleasant, but having already tasted her once, he didn’t feel particularly interested. He roughly wiped off the water, ignored drying his hair, and picked up his scattered clothes. The woman jumped in surprise.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. You should go too.”
“What, leaving just like this?”
“And?”
“We had such a good time yesterday… don’t you remember? We could at least have breakfast together…”
“Just because we slept together once, do you think we’re dating?”
“Hah, who said we’d date right away? Still, since we met, we should keep in touch and get to know each other.”
The way she twisted her body, pretending to be shy, felt awkward. Jae-seok briefly imagined how it would feel if the woman before him were Hyun-jung—it seemed rather satisfying, and a small smirk formed on his lips. Seeing his reaction as a positive sign, the woman clapped her hands in delight.
“Oh! So you liked it too, oppa?”
Thinking he had her completely, and noticing she had no intention of letting go, Jae-seok chose the easiest method.
“If we sleep together a second time, are you planning to marry me?”
He pulled out three one-million-won checks from his wallet, pinching them between his index and middle fingers, and extended them toward her. The woman glared at him fiercely. But Jae-seok didn’t flinch.
“Thinking ‘what kind of guy is this?’ inside, right? Here you go. I don’t usually like loose women.”
“What? Loose?”
“Considering you followed me to the hotel just ten minutes after meeting, I’d say that’s pretty loose. Take it, quick.”
The woman’s eyes lit up at the sight of the checks, clearly eager to take them. But her pride made her hesitate. Jae-seok, unbothered, tossed the checks across the bed.
“I have a fiancée.”
“……”
“You’re just a pastime.”
The girls who stuffed themselves into VIP rooms at clubs were predictable—they wanted to latch onto a man and live a comfortable life. Those girls never interested Jae-seok.
As he left the room, the woman’s loud shouts echoed from behind the closed door. There seemed to be a few choice curses mixed in, but he didn’t care.
Once in the hotel lobby, a valet brought his car.
Getting in, the new leather smell tickled his nose. Although the car was a hastily bought replacement after his previous one was totaled in an accident, it was still decent.
“Suddenly thinking of Hyun-jung.”
Seo Hyun-jung, someone he had longed for. The desire for what he couldn’t have. For some reason, Hyun-jung was the one he couldn’t let go.
After coming to Seoul from Gangwon-do, he used busyness as an excuse not to look for her. The truth was, he avoided seeing her too often, fearing her memory might return.
Still, he felt that starting fresh while she had no memories might be good and wanted to observe her more closely.
“Anyway, there’s nothing to do at the company…”
Though he held the title of Executive Director, he had no real work at the company. Moreover, he was the type to act immediately whenever he remembered something.
“Hyun-jung, Sir is leaving.”
Jae-seok steered the car out of the hotel.
‘As soon as she’s discharged, both families agreed to set a date. That’s how it is.’
‘Yes, Hyun-jung. Listen to your father. Director Jo has been worried about you so much that he hasn’t been able to focus on work recently. Keeping you by his side seems to calm him. Fortunately, your family also approves.’
Her parents had suddenly visited at night to announce her marriage. Perhaps they didn’t realize how uncomfortable this made her.
‘It’s not easy for us either, doing this to you when your memories haven’t fully returned. But Director Jo must be married to stabilize things at home. Everything will work out for you in the end. He must marry before the chairman passes away and before subsidiaries are separated. Do you understand?’
‘……’
‘Why no answer?’
When she didn’t immediately agree to marry as Yeong-wook wanted, his voice grew louder. Eventually, his face flushed, and he approached Hyun-jung threateningly.
Instinctively shrinking back, Hyun-jung watched as Myeong-hee stepped in and hugged Yeong-wook from behind.
Though she had no memories, Yeong-wook must have been a violent and authoritarian father. It wasn’t particularly shocking.
‘Honestly, mom feels a bit sorry toward that family. Director Jo waited over three years because you wanted to marry right after graduation. Asking him to wait even longer because you lost your memory seems selfish. This is your choice; you have to take responsibility.’
‘I’ve told you many times he’s not the kind to listen nicely! Just do it! We won’t force you into anything bad; we’re your parents!’
‘Honey, Hyun-jung is sick. You can’t just throw a tantrum and expect it to work.’
Sighing, Myeong-hee hurriedly pushed Yeong-wook out of the hospital room. She looked at Hyun-jung with concern and hugged her tightly.
‘Your father wasn’t always like that. He worries because of your injury and fears the marriage might fail, so don’t worry too much.’
‘Thanks for worrying, mom. You can leave now.’
Her parents must have heard she had asked Jae-seok for a bit more time when he visited earlier. A few days ago, they might have thought he had genuine concerns about marriage. But hearing that Taegun had saved her last night immediately provoked harsh words toward Jae-seok.
“Coward.”
Who really saved her? She remembered that Jae-seok had been there in the emergency room, so she had no doubts. Yet, why did she want to trust Taegun?
After her parents’ brief visit, Hyun-jung couldn’t easily sleep. Thoughts ran through her mind, and she struggled to resist the urge to contact Taegun even at dawn.
Eventually, she clutched the phone Taegun had given her and fell asleep, dreaming about how to message him.
Upon waking, she sent the questions she wanted to ask Taegun, carefully and at an appropriate time.
[Hello, this is Hyun-jung. When you rescued me, my leg was stuck under the car, right? The ambulance hadn’t arrived yet. How did you manage to get me out?]
She had only seen Taegun twice but could tell he was a working professional from the suit under his coat. She decided to wait patiently for his reply.
“Phew… why am I so nervous?”
Though it wasn’t her first time texting, her heart raced as she pressed send.
“Oh!”
It wasn’t too early in the morning, but before lunch, her hesitation seemed pointless—the reply came almost instantly, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling.
[I lifted the crushed car body with a golf club, and Secretary Kim got you out.]
“What… how did he reply so fast? Like he already knew what I’d ask.”
A golf club? Could it really lift a crushed car body? Even with great strength, could it be possible?
Judging by his large frame, he seemed strong, but it sounded like something out of a movie.
