Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Why Is Hyorin Here?
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What? Why was Hyorin here?
No, more importantly... did she just hear what Jessica said?
Judging by Hyorin's shocked expression, it seemed like she definitely had.
I started feeling a bit uneasy, wondering if she'd gotten the wrong idea. Then—
Whoosh!
"Ah, she misunderstood..."
Her turning around and walking out like that made it clear she had.
Whatever Jessica's intentions were, clearing up the misunderstanding was the top priority.
I turned to follow Hyorin right away, but—
Grab.
Jessica grabbed the hem of my clothes, and I failed.
Given the situation, I tried to shake off her hand somehow.
"I'm sorry, but something urgent came up, so I need to go."
"I-I still haven't gotten an answer! Do you have a girlfriend?"
I'd been caught off guard when she asked suddenly earlier and hadn't answered properly, but I didn't want to leave any room for hope even in this situation.
"I'm married."
"Wha— married?"
"Yes, so can I go now?"
"Oh..."
Jessica said nothing more after hearing I was married.
She just stared at me blankly, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
I didn't say anything else, just gave a greeting and left the waiting room. I picked up the bag Hyorin had dropped and hurried after her.
Slam!
As I stepped out into the hallway, I saw people bustling about preparing for the artist exhibition.
I scanned them all, but the one person who mattered—Hyorin—was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did she go?"
I needed to tell her it was a misunderstanding.
She couldn't be left thinking that and getting upset. I hurried to find her.
But no matter where I looked, there wasn't even a shadow of Hyorin.
Sigh.
"Where on earth did she go?"
Had she been so shocked by that scene that she'd left the gallery entirely?
If so, I had no way to track her down.
Zip.
I opened the bag she'd left behind, and sure enough, her phone and wallet were both inside.
The thought of her wandering outside without a thing on her made me worry even more.
But rushing out blindly wouldn't work.
I wanted to bolt out there a dozen times over to find her, but the timing was terrible.
The artist exhibition would start in ten minutes.
As the main attraction, I couldn't just leave.
In the end, all I could do was...
Grab.
Wait for Hyorin to come back.
"Of all the timings..."
Blaming the timing felt off, though. It was weird that she'd overheard Jessica in the first place.
She'd said she was coming late, so why was she here early?
If she'd let me know she was coming, I would've called ahead.
"Ah, did she maybe plan a surprise?"
Thinking of Hyorin sneaking up carefully to surprise me made it hurt even more.
Click.
Just then, the office door opened, and Director Go Yunmi stepped out, preparations complete.
"Huh? You're already out here?"
"Ah, yes."
I couldn't exactly say I'd been wandering around looking for Hyorin.
She glanced at the bag in my hand and asked,
"What's that?"
"Oh, this?"
Sigh.
No need to get into the details.
"Ah, I was just going to drop it off in the office."
"It doesn't look like yours, Kanghyeok. Hm, leave it in the office, then."
"Yes."
"Hand it over. I'll take care of it. You go get ready to greet the guests."
"No, I'll do it."
"Guests arrive in five minutes. I can handle this much."
"Haha, I'll..."
Snikt.
The director's already stern face grew even more menacing.
"Take your leisure elsewhere. Artist Lee, go greet the guests."
"...Yes."
What could I do when she put it like that?
"Yes, thank you then."
I handed over the bag, and she said coolly,
"Get to the entrance quick. It's starting soon—don't make a bad impression on the guests."
"Yes, got it."
I started toward the entrance, but...
Sigh.
I glanced back once more.
She waved me off impatiently, as if to say hurry up.
In the end, I could only give a bitter smile and head to the entrance.
The artist exhibition went off without a hitch.
Everything prepared was shown off perfectly in the smoothly progressing event, without a single mistake.
Over 90% of the exhibited works even sold out during the event.
Of course, more than half were bought by that enigmatic figure, President Yoon.
"Hm..."
But even amid the successful event, the awkwardness lingered.
The source of that awkwardness was none other than Jessica, the culprit behind today's incident.
Sigh.
"Could you sign this, please?"
She'd bought one of my pieces and brought it over for a signature.
Since she'd purchased my work, signing it was only right, but for some reason, I didn't want to.
Scribble scribble.
"Thank you so much for purchasing the piece."
Jessica didn't respond, just stared piercingly at my face.
Then she asked,
"You're really married?"
"Yes."
"No, I just mean... you seem too young to be married already."
Did she think I was lying about something like that?
"I really am married."
With a completely serious expression, Jessica frowned slightly and replied,
"I guess it's true."
"I'm not the type to have the luxury to lie about something like this."
"I don't think you're lying. I'm just... disappointed. And curious—who snagged such a handsome guy?"
Handsome guy? Snagged?
Her words crossed a line, and I furrowed my brow.
"Even as a joke, you should watch what you say."
She'd only seen me today for the first time, hadn't she?
Plus, with that unpleasant incident before, I couldn't view her favorably.
I'd spoken a bit harshly, but Jessica wasn't one to back down.
"If I was rude, I apologize. But I really do like you, Painter Lee Kanghyeok. Well, since you're married, there's nothing to be done."
It might've been easier if she'd been shameless about it.
Her apology made it hard to push back harder.
I worried if my reaction was just causing more misunderstanding.
"Thank you for the kind words. Next guest is waiting, so..."
"Ah, sorry. I'll look around some more then."
If only she'd just leave.
Well, she had bought a piece, so...
"Yes, please do."
Nod.
Jessica left, and the next waiting guest stepped up.
My mind was a mess, but I had to greet guests, so I looked up with a smile.
"Hello. Thank you for your interest in my work... Huh?"
It was none other than Jungeun Park standing there.
"Hey, what brings you here?"
"Dude, I've been standing behind you forever. Didn't you see me? I even waved."
Ah...
I'd been so focused on Jessica that I hadn't noticed Jungeun there.
"Sorry, I've been distracted."
Step.
He approached and teased,
"Well, you're a handsome guy, so it happens."
Nod.
At "handsome guy," my face hardened as I asked,
"You heard?"
"Yeah, a bit. That woman was something else. So bold, straight-up saying she liked you. I was shocked."
"Even after I said I'm married, she kept going."
"Well, some people don't take marriage that seriously."
"No way."
Jungeun's words sent a chill down my spine.
Surely Jessica wasn't like that.
"Well, for you, it's obviously only Hyorin, but just in case, don't say anything."
Sigh.
My expression darkened at that.
Seeing the change, Jungeun tilted his head.
"What's with the face? Did you already tell her?"
Shake shake.
"Then why the long face?"
He clearly hadn't expected it at all.
Of course—he wouldn't imagine Hyorin witnessing the confession scene.
"Hyorin saw."
"Saw what?"
"Before the exhibition started, in the waiting room—that woman asking if I had a girlfriend."
"...Crazy."
That was exactly what I wanted to say.
"No way you got caught in something innocent like that."
I hadn't done anything wrong, but it sure felt like I had.
"So what did Hyorin say?"
"She bolted the second she heard. Left her bag with her phone and wallet."
"H-Hyorin ran away? So what happened to her?"
"That's..."
I nervously licked my dry lips and explained.
"What do you mean 'what happened.' The exhibition started, so here I am."
Smack!
Jungeun slapped his forehead.
"You're killing me. You just let her go like that?"
"Let her? I chased after, but she vanished too fast."
"Same difference."
He sighed in frustration and asked,
"No answer on her phone? Oh, right, she left it. Man, headache."
Seeing him more upset than me made me feel bad for worrying him.
"You know Hyorin. She'll be fine."
"With her personality, yeah. But where'd she go?"
If I knew, would I be this anxious?
"No idea. I'll wait till the exhibition ends, then go look if she doesn't come back."
I hoped she'd return before then, but this being the first time, I was a little worried.
But I couldn't leave right now anyway.
"I'll at least go search—"
It was then.
"Excuse me, could I have a quick word with the artist?"
Sigh.
Cutting off Jungeun was none other than Jessica.
Jungeun glared at her irritably, but she ignored him and handed me her business card.
"This is my card. If you ever come to the States or need investment advice, contact me here. For Painter Lee Kanghyeok's matters, I'll handle it personally as the president."
Confident tone, that smile.
As I'd explained earlier, the business card was probably just an excuse.
Maybe that's why I tried not to take it.
But...
Sigh.
Someone else took it for me.
And with a smiling face, she read the name on the card.
"You're President Jessica of Jessie Investments, right?"
Sigh.
Jessica raised an eyebrow at the sudden intruder and asked,
"Who are you?"
Hyorin, holding the card, smiled brightly and replied—loud enough for Jessica to hear, bold as could be.
"Ah, sorry, I haven't introduced myself. Hello, I'm Min Hyorin.
Smile.
"Painter Lee Kanghyeok's wife."
Hyorin was back.