Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: That's Not It.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sangjin's eyes rolled around wildly.
'What? This situation...? Is my brother secretly dating Yoo Jihyun?'
Just in case, Sangjin glanced at his brother.
Looking at that utterly clueless, dumb face, he was absolutely certain they weren't dating.
Sangjin had always been quick to read social situations since he was a kid.
It took him just three seconds to scan the scene and gather the intel.
One, there was someone here who absolutely shouldn't be.
Two, she was wearing the world's most comfortable outfit topped with an apron.
Three, her expression screamed 'the rightful wife here to catch her cheating husband.'
The puzzle pieces clicked together. There was no law saying Jo Ayoung had to live in this apartment.
The moving noises from next door today? That was Yoo Jihyun.
And that apron. Faint traces of red pepper powder and broth stains. She'd been cooking.
For whom? Obviously for his brother.
Sangjin grasped the situation in an instant.
'Oh man... If you wanted to eat together, you should've just called. Who pulls off surprises like this these days?'
That's when Woojin stepped forward and asked,
"So what's this explanation you're talking about out of nowhere? Why are you even here?"
"!!!"
Woojin's cold remark deflated Yoo Jihyun's momentum completely.
'R-right... What was I even going to say?'
She'd planned it all alone, jumped to conclusions alone, and demanded explanations alone.
Yoo Jihyun's face crumpled into a pout.
How was she supposed to face Woojin now...?
Just as she was about to apologize and leave,
"...S-sorry... "
Sangjin jumped in and shouted urgently.
"Sister-in-law! L-let me explain!"
From the circumstances, Yoo Jihyun clearly liked his brother.
He didn't know the full story, but she'd even moved in next door.
But she was going about it all wrong.
Way too aggressive. She was a total mo-sol, no doubt.
Truth be told, Sangjin quite liked Yoo Jihyun.
Pretty, strong, loaded with cash.
Eileen Benedict? Who didn't know that woman was a big deal?
But she was overkill.
Someone like Yoo Jihyun would make the perfect sister-in-law.
Even if not, DH Group was the umbrella the Woojin brothers needed.
Sangjin had a gut feeling that letting Yoo Jihyun leave now would make things awkward forever.
That's why he'd deliberately used the word 'sister-in-law' to stop her in her tracks.
'Alright, Yoo Jihyun. This time, I'll help you out.'
Jo Ayoung, who'd overheard, tilted her head.
"Sister-in-law? Are you the president's girlfriend?"
Sangjin inwardly cheered.
'Nice one, Jo Ayoung. Perfect timing.'
See? Yoo Jihyun's lips were twitching upward.
"This is Jo Ayoung. She's our newest hire at Woosang Shop, starting today."
He couldn't say he'd looked her up beforehand, so Yoo Jihyun just listened quietly.
"......"
"We were planning a welcome dinner for the new employee, but it turns out Jo Ayoung has some young siblings, right?"
Yoo Jihyun's expression softened bit by bit.
"How could we eat delicious food just among ourselves while leaving her kids out? So my brother said, 'Since we're at it, let's all eat together with Jo Ayoung's siblings!' and ordered delivery here. Right? Assistant Jo?"
Jo Ayoung stepped forward, looking bewildered.
"Ah, yes! That's right. I'm just an employee. Sorry for making it seem misleading."
Jo Ayoung seemed to have misunderstood something too, but right now, that misunderstanding was a huge help.
As Sangjin's explanation wrapped up, Yoo Jihyun's face melted like snow in spring.
Then she realized what a fool she'd made of herself and flushed red.
Woojin had his reasons, yet she'd barged in on wild assumptions. It was mortifying.
Especially since she and Woojin weren't even dating.
So Yoo Jihyun stammered out a flimsy excuse.
"Ahem, ahem. Oh... I see. I had no idea. I sensed an Awakener's aura and thought it was dangerous. Y-you know, it's my duty to protect Mr. Woojin's safety..."
Her hastily made-up excuse dragged on.
But Sangjin graciously accepted it.
"Oh, of course! That makes total sense!"
Jo Ayoung quickly realized Yoo Jihyun meant her as the Awakener.
Flagged as the villain, Jo Ayoung waved her hands frantically.
"M-me?? I'm not a bad Awakener! It's a misunderstanding! Why would I hurt the president?!"
Yoo Jihyun bowed her head deeply.
Thanks to Sangjin, she'd salvaged the situation, but to think she'd been jealous all alone...
She wanted to crawl into a hole.
"S-sorry. It was my mistake."
"No, no. It's understandable why sister-in-law would misunderstand. The situation looked exactly like that."
Sangjin joked lightly to smooth things over. But the real problem came next.
Yoo Jihyun mumbled with a woeful look.
"I had no idea... I made dinner thinking we'd all eat together for my housewarming—you, Mr. Woojin, and Mr. Sangjin... Then I felt a weird aura and... Sorry for causing a scene."
Her shoulders slumped.
Sangjin felt awkward.
He'd already pieced together that she'd cooked from the clues.
But his stomach was stuffed full of chicken, pizza, and cola.
He was holding back a burp all the way down to his diaphragm even now.
But...
'Gotta eat this one, right...?'
Then the oblivious Woojin spoke up.
"Why make a fuss over that? Just save it and reheat it later... Gah?!"
Sangjin's elbow slammed into Woojin's side.
"Oh yeah! Bro! You barely ate any chicken earlier, right? You're hungry, aren't you? You said yesterday you were sick of delivery and wanted home-cooked food!"
Sangjin glared and signaled his brother.
'Shut up and go eat.'
Woojin read his little brother's eyes.
'Eat?'
Sangjin nodded vigorously.
Woojin had no idea what was going on, but he decided to play along.
"Huh? Oh... yeah. Eating chicken all week made me crave real food. My stomach feels heavy."
Sangjin drove the nail in.
"See? Sister-in-law?!"
Whoosh—
Color bloomed on Yoo Jihyun's face.
It was like a wilted flower bursting back to life.
"Really? You haven't been eating properly?"
"We're healthy guys in our twenties—we're hungry no matter how much we eat! Right, bro?"
"Uh... y-yeah."
"Oh! Perfect timing! Let's go then. I'll reheat the stew!"
Yoo Jihyun dashed excitedly into 1104.
The brothers stood at the door, eyeing each other.
"...Hey, are you insane? My stomach's about to burst. Why do we have to go eat more?"
"Bro. Human potential is limitless. If your brain thinks you want to eat, space will open up. And you said you wanted home-cooked food? Just eat it this once. Her effort's commendable, isn't it?"
"...What effort? You're weird. Ah, why's she cooking up a storm anyway? What's her deal this time—what's she gonna ask for now?"
Was he clueless, or did the thought never even cross his mind?
'That's not it, bro. People don't cook like that just to ask a favor.'
In the end, the brothers loosened their belts a notch and entered 1104.
As Sangjin stepped into Yoo Jihyun's place, he made a vow.
'If you end up marrying my brother someday, I'll bring up this day forever, sister-in-law.'
Maybe she'd hook him up with a car as thanks?
Thus, Kim Sangjin became the worldly, calculating cupid of love.
The Benedict family private jet took off from Washington D.C.
Inside the cabin, gliding leisurely above the clouds, Eileen was deep in thought.
'I boasted I'd study dating...'
But actually trying, she had no clue where to start.
Dating had never been in her life. Only conquest, domination, and ruling.
The flight to Korea was about 15 hours. She couldn't waste this precious time.
That's what her capable secretary was for.
"Catherine."
At Eileen's call, Secretary Catherine approached immediately.
"Yes, miss."
"What's the most effective way for me to overcome my current situation?"
Catherine pondered briefly.
The miss's situation: a supranational heiress needing to seduce an 'ordinary Korean man.'
Catherine offered a smooth solution.
"Dramas, undoubtedly."
"Dramas?"
"Yes. K-dramas are booming worldwide right now. They're the best medium for Korean sensibilities and views on romance. I hear they often depict romances between ordinary people and chaebols or powerhouses."
Eileen's eyes sparkled.
"Hmm... That makes sense."
"Since Kim Woojin is Korean too, studying love and dating through K-dramas should help you understand and win him over."
"Good. Excellent advice. Well done, Catherine."
"Thank you."
A proud smile crossed Catherine's face.
Eileen immediately pulled out her tablet and logged into a streaming service.
Her pretty, slender fingers typed keywords into the search bar one by one.
[Chaebol woman] [Ordinary man] [Love] [Dating] [Marriage] [Conquest] [Power] [Romance] [Skirt hem]...
'Hmm, no more keywords coming to mind. This should suffice.'
She hit search without hesitation.
Dozens of drama posters flooded the screen.
'The most viewed ones must be the most universal.'
Eileen sorted by 'most popular.'
Top-ranked titles popped up.
1. Wife's Temptation
2. War of the Married Couple
3. The Ladies of Penthouse
4. My Woman's Man
.
.
.
If a Korean had been beside Eileen, they'd have yelled, 'Nooo... that's not it!!' to stop her.
These were so-called 'makjang' dramas—the spiciest essence of K-content.
But Eileen, who'd lived her life on the elite track, had no way of knowing.
"These titles... so provocative and primal. Do Koreans like this stuff?"
Catherine was in the same boat.
"Love is war, isn't it?"
Eileen nodded.
"Indeed, even classic literature agrees."
Eileen picked the most sensational title.
And hit play.
Thus began 15 hours of misguided dating lessons.
14 hours later.
Just before landing at Incheon Airport.
A suffocating tension filled the cabin.
The actors' raw dialogue blared through the speakers.
[Did you sleep with her? You slept with her?! Did you?!]
[Yes! I did! So what! He's giving us money! I love you! With that money, we can live well together! Why don't you get it?!]
[You crazy bastard! Is that what you call an excuse?!]
Splash—!
The heroine on screen doused the man's face with water.
Clear droplets ran down his face.
Eileen's shoulders twitched.
"Hah...!"
Thump thump—
Her heart pounded.
'Heavens... Is this really how Koreans date?'
Her blue eyes widened in shock.
She couldn't look away for a second. How could a drama pack such devastating power?
The love she knew was tame: holding hands on walks, reciting poetry.
But this was different.
Betrayal, schemes, assassinations, hit-and-runs, secret births, amnesia, obsessive revenge with a new face.
No less cutthroat than politics—more so.
Human desires, possessiveness, inner darkness.
Foolish betrayal for a moment's pleasure.
Yet stubbornly clinging to love, hurtling toward ruin.
What on earth is love that it drives people this far?
Then Eileen realized.
'If Kim Woojin, my man... ended up in that situation with Yoo Jihyun?'
Bubble bubble—
Her stomach churned.
She couldn't recall the last time such primal rage surged up.
'Fascinating...'
The emotions she'd felt for Kim Woojin—that boiling conquest and possessiveness—were right there in the drama.
"Catherine."
"...Yes, miss."
Catherine stared at the tablet, equally entranced.
She'd binge-watched the makjang marathon beside Eileen for 14 hours straight.
"Korean romance... is war."
"Yes... A battle where lives are on the line. But it's what you excel at most, miss."
"Heh heh heh, indeed."
Eileen savored the heroine's line.
– I'll destroy you.
How beautiful and intense a confession.
"A fruitful flight. I used the time very well."
"Agreed, miss."
Catherine had never had a flight pass so quickly.
Eileen turned off the tablet with a resolute expression.
"Just being nice isn't enough. Conflict, trials, crises—these are the keys to shaking Kim Woojin's heart."
[Miss. We will soon land at Incheon Airport.]
The captain's announcement came.
Eileen gazed at the Korean land outside the window and curled her lips.
Her eyes blazed.
"Heh heh heh... I can't wait to see Kim Woojin again."
Her reflection in the plane window oddly overlapped with a makjang drama's all-powerful villainess.