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Chapter 07
Overstepping Fake Lover
The car drove smoothly.
If it weren’t for the occasional navigation voice, it would have been complete silence.
*”You have arrived at your destination. Ending guidance.”*
The car stopped in front of an apartment entrance that looked somewhat dated.
Inhyuk unbuckled his seatbelt and waited for a moment.
“Sleeping well.”
He chuckled softly as he watched Haeyun sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat.
She had been sitting upright with tension visible, having gotten into the car, but eventually succumbed to drowsiness.
She’d tried quite hard not to fall asleep, but couldn’t overcome the overwhelming fatigue.
“Yoon Haeyun-ssi.”
Inhyuk waited about ten more minutes.
Haeyun wasn’t even stirring in her sleep, and it seemed like if left alone, she’d spend hours in the car.
He had no choice but to gently shake her shoulder.
“We’ve arrived.”
Haeyun’s composed forehead crinkled.
Just as Inhyuk was about to remove his hand from her shoulder, thinking she was waking up—
“Mmm, just a little more… I’m so sleepy…”
Haeyun clasped her hand over Inhyuk’s.
Her soft hand traveled up to his wrist and caressed it.
Eventually, she turned her head and pressed her face against his hand.
At the natural physical contact, Inhyuk’s eyebrow twitched.
She seemed to be mistaking him for someone else in her sleep…
The person Haeyun was thinking of was surely Mingyu, right?
Inhyuk felt a slight displeasure at the fact that he was receiving the actions Haeyun used to do with her boyfriend in her sleep.
Just as he was about to pull his captured hand away—
“Grandpa. Today I really…”
Grandpa?
Inhyuk’s arm, which had been pulling back, stopped abruptly.
Haeyun bit her lower lip tightly and gripped his wrist firmly.
She’d been so, so tired, and just like always, she wanted to act spoiled with Taesu.
“It was hard. So much…”
Her cheek pressed against the back of his hand, bulging out.
Her soft, fair cheek rubbed against the back of his hand with visible veins.
She turned her body sideways completely, resting her face freely against his large hand.
At that moment, Haeyun felt a strange sensation.
The warmth was too vivid for a dream.
The skin was soft too.
Taesu had been old, with rough, dry skin.
As that thought reached her, her tightly closed eyelids slowly lifted.
Through her blurry vision, she blinked and raised her head.
“…Huh…?”
Her dazed eyes gradually focused.
As her hazy vision cleared, what she saw was Inhyuk.
Haeyun alternated her gaze between his face and the hand resting on her shoulder.
After freezing to process the situation, Haeyun urgently pushed his arm away and pressed her back against the car door.
“Wh-what is this?”
Haeyun flinched back, fully on guard.
As she widened her eyes with tension, Inhyuk’s brow furrowed.
She’d pushed him so hard that the back of his head tapped against the window.
“I wonder too, what it could be.”
Inhyuk raised his hand and showed it to her.
“I was waking you up because we’d arrived at your place.”
Only then did Haeyun check outside the car. She saw her familiar apartment building.
“One moment you’re comforting yourself with me without permission, and now you’re treating me like a pervert. What exactly is this situation?”
At his calm explanation, Haeyun swallowed hard.
Only then did she understand what had happened.
In her sleep, she’d mistaken the hand waking her for Taesu.
Her grandfather had always woken her by gently stroking her shoulder or back like that.
“I’m, I’m so sorry…”
Haeyun bowed her head deeply and slowly slid back to her seat.
“I was mistaken. I thought you were my grandfather.”
Her face, flushed bright red, wouldn’t calm down easily.
Haeyun felt like she wanted to hide in a mouse hole if there was one right now.
She pressed the back of her hand against her heated cheek to cool it and hastily grabbed the car door handle.
“Thank you for the ride! Please get home safely!”
Just as she hurriedly opened the door and stepped one foot outside—
“I’ll contact you.”
Haeyun, half-risen, turned back to look at Inhyuk.
“Can I ask just one thing?”
“You can ask several.”
Haeyun left the door wide open and sat back down.
“Why are you asking me to marry you?”
“I need to.”
“There’s a great benefit I’ll gain from this marriage. And it would be the same for you, Yoon Haeyun-ssi.”
Haeyun had somewhat expected this.
No matter how much Giseop had proposed it, there was no way he’d suggest marriage with someone like her, who was at a clear disadvantage in terms of conditions, without any benefit to herself.
The problem was that hearing it directly felt strange.
It wasn’t that marriage based only on conditions was bad.
It was just that being on the receiving end of such a proposal wasn’t pleasant at all.
“So if you can just get the benefits, anyone would do?”
“How is that ‘anyone’? You’re the only one who can provide those benefits.”
Inhyuk curled the corners of his mouth upward.
“You wouldn’t call someone that special ‘anyone.'”
It was a benefit only Haeyun could provide.
Because she was the only woman Giseop acknowledged.
“The reason you said you couldn’t marry me—your boyfriend problem—has been resolved.”
Haeyun frowned as she recalled Mingyu, whom she’d momentarily forgotten.
“As for the Hong Siyeon matter, let’s draw up a contract.”
“Excuse me? A contract?”
“If Hong Siyeon-ssi and I were in that kind of unsavory relationship, I’ll not only agree to an immediate divorce but also help with an annulment lawsuit.”
“…”
“And I’ll give you 1 billion won in the form of alimony.”
Haeyun’s eyes widened in surprise.
“And even though I can’t tell you now, I will reveal my relationship with Hong Siyeon-ssi to you the moment we get married.”
At that moment, Haeyun became convinced that Inhyuk and Siyeon weren’t entangled in some romantic affair.
Look at that confident attitude. A businessman putting money on the line—it was clear.
“So, shall we proceed with the marriage?”
Inhyuk had intended to refrain from bringing up marriage today, out of consideration for her.
But Haeyun had started the conversation first.
He thought it was for the best.
Because dragging things out didn’t suit Inhyuk’s temperament.
He could wait for her to answer.
Since what he wanted was now within reach, this much was nothing.
A little more time passed.
Haeyun’s lips moved heavily.
“But… I don’t love Inhyuk-ssi?”
“…Excuse me?”
Love?
At the absurd remark, Inhyuk’s smooth forehead creased.
“Who gets married like this?”
“Some do, based solely on conditions.”
As Haeyun stared intently, Inhyuk raised his chin.
“I’m Do Inhyuk.”
That statement contained many things.
His background, appearance, wealth—everything.
Haeyun thought for a moment, then tilted her head.
“So what?”
But such things were just empty words to Haeyun.
Haeyun wasn’t particularly a romantic. Still, she fell on the ordinary side of the spectrum.
There are people who marry solely for conditions.
But Haeyun didn’t only consider conditions.
Even if it wasn’t the fiery, passionate love that movie protagonists share, she believed that marriage should at least have a quiet kind of love.
She was sure that wasn’t asking for too much.
“Actually, I find Do Inhyuk-ssi’s background burdensome.”
He’d thrown out the ridiculous statement “I’m Do Inhyuk” without even changing his expression.
She’d thought he might turn red with embarrassment like last time, but this time was different.
Instead, he looked genuinely confused.
“Then I’ll take that as my answer being properly conveyed.”
Haeyun hoped that this uncomfortable meeting with Inhyuk would truly be the last one today.
“Then let’s start with dating.”
“…Excuse me?”
She thought he was joking.
But his expression was too serious for that.
She tilted her head.
“Do you like me?”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll start making an effort from today.”
“Is that something you can do through effort?”
“There’s nothing that can’t be done.”
Haeyun’s brow furrowed.
Was he joking?
Should she laugh now?
She seriously contemplated this pointless dilemma.
In that gap, Inhyuk moved a little closer toward the passenger seat.
“I’m willing to cater to Yoon Haeyun-ssi’s tastes.”
His face, leaning over the passenger seat backrest, grew closer and closer.
Haeyun’s fingers, resting on her lap, twitched.
Suddenly, a loud ringtone blared.
Startled, she frantically rummaged through her bag.
Inhyuk, who had been close to Haeyun, narrowed his eyes and then lowered his gaze to the phone she was holding.
[Team Leader Lee]
It was the management team leader.
Haeyun quickly answered the call.
—Haeyun-ssi! Are you with Actress Siyeon right now?
A loud voice boomed from the other end of the phone.
Inhyuk’s straight brows furrowed upon hearing the conversation.
“Uh… no? What’s the matter?”
—Check the internet right now! It’s chaos out there!
Haeyun quickly ended the call and opened her browser.
There was no need to search.
When she typed Hong Siyeon’s three-character name, articles flooded the screen.
