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Chapter 34
Someone You Can’t Help but Love
“Ms. Kim Arin.”
As Arin hurried out of the room as if she were running away, Taewook stepped in front of her and blocked her path.
Startled by his sudden appearance, Arin pressed a hand to her chest.
“Ah, you scared me! What was that?”
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Home?”
At Taewook’s questioning tone, Arin’s expression twisted.
Letting out a long sigh, she looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
“You must have it rough too, CEO.”
“What do you mean?”
“People lose their minds more over things they do unintentionally.”
“……”
“Even I, as another woman, could get swept away. I can only imagine how much harder it is for you.”
As if trying to shake something from her mind, Arin hurriedly shook her head.
Noticing how strange she seemed, Taewook frowned.
“Secretary Lee.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please give her one of our agency access cards.”
“Ah, yes.”
At his request, Sangwoo quickly opened his desk drawer and handed over an access card.
Taewook took it and held it out to Arin.
Looking at it suspiciously, she asked,
“What’s this? You acted like you weren’t going to give me one.”
“It’s a case of fighting fire with fire.”
“Fighting what now?”
“There’s something like that. Anyway, I look forward to working with you.”
“I have no idea what that means, but do you know how suspicious this feels?”
The playful curve of Taewook’s lips only made her feel worse.
Seeing him smile even as she frowned, an uneasy feeling kept creeping over her.
Finally, with a defeated sigh, Arin snatched the card from his hand.
“If possible, please stop by our agency every day and spend some time with Gyeoul.”
“……”
“So there won’t be any idiots sniffing around her for other reasons.”
“That sounded an awful lot like you’re turning me into a barricade to protect Han Gyeoul, but I’m busy, so I’ll let it slide.”
“……”
“I’m definitely getting double the compensation later.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Even with his easy agreement, Arin still looked unconvinced.
After staring at him one last time, she nodded casually.
“Alright, I’m heading out then. See you later.”
Taewook watched as Arin pulled her cap lower and hurried toward the elevator.
Then he turned to Sangwoo.
“By the way, didn’t Ms. Kim Arin say she came here to see me today?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. I think it was because of those photos collected by Hankook Ilbo this time, but…”
Even Sangwoo trailed off, unable to understand what Arin had really wanted.
Taewook narrowed his eyes.
Then, as if remembering something, he said,
“Oh, and about those photos—find out who took them.”
“The photos from Hankook Ilbo?”
“Yes. I think we need to figure out why they were trying so hard to capture shots like that.”
“……”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re here, Prosecutor.”
As Won entered the office, Chief Im jumped to his feet and greeted him.
Won gave him a slight nod and headed straight for his desk.
Something about Won’s face seemed shadowed.
Concerned, Lee Moon approached him.
“Did something happen while you were out today?”
“…No. Nothing happened.”
“Prosecutor.”
“It’s true. I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
“On your mind?”
Won didn’t answer.
His gaze fell silently upon the file labeled The Jo Hyungdong Serial Murder Case sitting on his desk.
“Prosecutor.”
Only after Lee Moon called him again did Won look up.
Seeing the expectant look on his subordinate’s face, Won awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
“To be honest, it just left a bitter taste.”
“…Pardon?”
“I went to see the serial killer’s family today. More specifically, his son.”
“……”
“They told me he hardly comes home anymore since his elderly mother passed away. But the neighbor who told me that…”
“……”
“Well, that neighbor said that if the man really was involved in the case, they hoped he wouldn’t be arrested in their apartment complex.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Lee Moon frowned.
Watching his expression, Won let out a hollow laugh.
“They said if a murderer got arrested in their apartment building, property values would go down.”
“Property values?”
“Well, everyone wants to protect what belongs to them, so I understand it in a way. But it still felt bitter.”
“……”
“That’s all it was. Nothing particularly happened.”
“…Do you believe that man is the culprit?”
At Lee Moon’s question, Won’s fingers stopped tapping the file.
After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly.
“I simply don’t want to leave even the slightest doubt surrounding Yeoreum’s case.”
“You’re only coming now?”
“Were you with Kim Arin?”
“She said she came because she wanted to ask Taewook something, but then she suddenly rushed out. Did you see her?”
“Yeah, I ran into her outside.”
I stared at Taewook as he removed his coat and hung it in the wardrobe.
When he turned around, he caught me staring and raised an eyebrow.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“Hmm, don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Me?”
He frowned as if genuinely confused.
After thinking for a moment, he walked over to the sofa where I sat.
“I can’t think of anything.”
“I heard you might get caught up in a dating rumor with Arin.”
“Oh.”
Taewook reacted as if it were nothing and sat down diagonally across from me.
Even now, he looked completely relaxed.
“So, are you jealous?”
“Me?”
“Isn’t that why you asked?”
“You’ve gotten even more shameless.”
“I consider it one of my charms.”
I had nothing to say to that.
As I leaned back into the sofa with a displeased expression, Taewook continued smiling.
“You don’t have to worry about something like that. I figured this might happen eventually, so I hired a dedicated photographer while you were still in the hospital.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means no one can write baseless speculation from a single lucky photo.”
“……”
“We’ve been documenting every interaction between you and me ourselves.”
“……”
“It wasn’t something we could keep up forever, but the timing worked out.”
“Taewook, you’re a lot more calculating than I thought.”
“Thank you.”
Whether he was dense or shameless, I couldn’t tell.
He felt very different from when we first met.
Puffing out my cheeks, I asked,
“Was this really your personality all along?”
“Why?”
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Haven’t you changed too?”
This time, I was the one caught off guard.
Maybe, just like Arin had said, I hadn’t realized how much I’d been imitating my sister.
“…When someone goes through something that big, it changes them.”
“……”
“That’s all.”
Feeling oddly guilty, I started rambling excuses.
The smile never left his face.
“What? Why are you smiling? You’re making me feel weird.”
“Because I’m happy.”
“Taewook.”
“Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask. Are you still interested in doing Director Lee Hyukjin’s project?”
Just as I was about to remind him of the line between us, he abruptly changed the subject.
Was it too much of a stretch to think he had noticed what I was about to say?
Letting out a quiet sigh, I brushed my hair back and nodded.
“…Of course. I really want that role.”
“You know acting isn’t your only problem, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your image.”
“My image?”
“If you want that role, you’ll need to change the image the public has of you.”
I frowned.
My image…
“The female lead in that project is bright and energetic. Someone who stays cheerful and strong even in difficult situations.”
“……”
“But what kind of image do the public have of you right now?”
His words were brief, but I understood exactly what he meant.
A bitter feeling settled in my chest.
Seeing my silence, Taewook continued.
“We got an offer for a pilot variety show being planned as a Lunar New Year special.”
“A variety show?”
“I’m thinking of using it to change your image.”
“……”
“Of course, I’m not forcing you. The choice is yours.”
“…What kind of program is it?”
Taewook’s eyes locked onto mine.
Something about the way he looked at me made my heart race.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
“A newlywed couple observation show.”
“You’re unbelievable. Seriously.”
Arin pouted as she stared at Won through the car window.
She had left JT looking as though she were heading straight home, yet her car had naturally found its way to the Prosecutors’ Office.
She had confidently declared that she would keep bothering him, so why was she hesitating so much now?
With a frustrated sigh, she buried her head against the steering wheel.
You’d better get yourself together. This is your last chance.
She had acted as though she could give up at any moment.
But the truth was that Yura’s words had terrified her.
In the end, she couldn’t even bring herself to show her face to Won because of that single sentence.
You’re beautiful.
Kim Arin, you’re beautiful.
Today, after hearing those words from Yeoreum, she finally understood.
Why Won had loved Han Yeoreum so deeply.
She was a woman who was impossible not to love.
Even before she truly began, a crushing sense of defeat washed over her.
Could she really do it?
Could she truly erase Han Yeoreum and claim even a corner of his heart?
Knock, knock.
The sound of tapping on her window made Arin jerk her head up.
Outside stood Won, wearing a gray coat and smiling as he waved.
“Ms. Arin, is that really—… Are you okay?”
Concern immediately creased his face.
Looking at him, certainty finally settled within the chaos of her thoughts.
Just as he couldn’t help but love Yeoreum,
she couldn’t help but love him.
