Chapter 19. The Quarrel (1)
‘Professor’s girlfriend?’
The thought naturally popped into Jin Yu-ri’s mind the moment she spotted the man and woman walking side by side. A wave of regret-tinged disappointment rippled through her heart.
‘So he already has a girlfriend...’
She’d heard the rumors plenty of times. Before taking up his post as a research professor at Jeil High School, what kind of life Lee Dojin had led. As the heir to Daemyeong Group, she’d picked up bits and pieces here and there, and after actually meeting him, she’d gone out of her way to dig deeper.
His reputation was solid—friendly, sociable, easygoing. But when it came to his relationships with women... well, he was living up to his looks, to put it mildly. He’d always had some fame to begin with, so eyewitness accounts weren’t hard to find. He was frequently spotted with stunning beauties who could make your eyes pop, day or night, and the partners changed often.
Those sightings lent credence to the speculation that his engagement to Han Se-ra was little more than for show. So before she’d met him as her professor, Jin Yu-ri’s impression of Lee Dojin had been overwhelmingly negative.
An undeniable fact. Though only up until she got to know him properly, of course.
‘Professor isn’t like that.’
To be more precise, it wasn’t that he was only like that.
At eighteen years old, still mentally immature, Jin Yu-ri hadn’t truly grasped that people were multifaceted until she met Lee Dojin. She learned that you couldn’t judge someone by a single trait. The rumors painted him as a playboy, and that was close to the truth... but at the same time, the Lee Dojin she’d seen and experienced firsthand was a genuinely good person.
Then again, the feelings she harbored for him were multifaceted too. A passionate professor who taught his students with utmost sincerity. Someone so good-natured that just watching him lifted your spirits. The faint, inexplicable fear she’d once felt around him. Lee Sea’s brother, the rival she saw him as. The son of the heroes she admired, Lee Si-hyeok and Jeong Se-bin. The benefactor who’d introduced her to Charlotte Tate without holding back any support he could offer.
And beyond all that... the emotion that now took up the biggest share.
Two and a half months since March. Short in time, perhaps, but dense in intensity—the period she’d spent getting to know Lee Dojin had filled her with those feelings and thoughts. The total weight of her heart toward him had grown immense, and right now, in this moment.
“Ah...”
Jin Yu-ri deeply realized that there were sides of Lee Dojin she didn’t know. In a word, seeing him actually walking with his girlfriend—something she’d only heard about—hit her hard.
And there was something else that flustered her even more.
‘Don’t they look alike?’
Jin Yu-ri tilted her head slightly, glancing to the side. Lee Sea hadn’t noticed her gaze, still staring intently ahead. Jin Yu-ri checked where Lee Sea was looking again.
And reached a clear conclusion.
‘They really do.’
Lee Sea beside her. The unfamiliar adult woman beside Lee Dojin. The two... looked remarkably similar.
Not perfectly like twins, but describing the woman’s appearance demanded that kind of phrasing. She was “Lee Sea type.”
‘She’s gotten really pretty...’
Aside from the surprise, admiration bubbled up unexpectedly. Lee Sea didn’t fuss much with her looks, yet she was tacitly acknowledged as the prettiest girl at Jeil High. Even now, her features, expressions, speech, build, and overall vibe exuded a unique charm.
She’d been cute since starting at Jeil Middle School, but she’d only grown prettier with time—something Jin Yu-ri had quietly noted. Still, seeing her blossom this beautifully was unexpected.
Which also meant the mysterious woman walking beside Lee Dojin possessed an equally captivating appearance.
‘But up close, they’re a bit different.’
The street was dim, and they were far off, so it wasn’t crystal clear, but their features and builds were strikingly similar. The woman looked a few years more mature, but that was within margin of error. Their expressions and auras, though? Night and day.
‘She seems way nicer.’
Gentle, warm, approachable. Shorter than Lee Dojin by a good margin, yet she gave off older-sister vibes.
And right then.
“...”
Lee Sea whipped her head around, looking toward Jin Yu-ri. There was no way she’d overheard the silent critique, but Jin Yu-ri flinched anyway. Lee Sea tore her gaze away and strode forward briskly.
‘What’s she planning?’
Puzzled but following, Jin Yu-ri trailed her. Across the road, Lee Dojin and his girlfriend were walking. As they drew level position-wise, Lee Sea... suddenly crossed at the crosswalk.
By now, Jin Yu-ri caught on to her intent. She whispered softly to her silent friend, careful not to make a sound.
“What’re you gonna do if you see them?”
“...”
Lee Sea didn’t answer, just shot her a look: Follow quietly if you’re coming.
Jin Yu-ri, who’d only suggested it out of politeness and common sense, nodded silently. She was just as curious.
They tailed their targets stealthily. About fifty meters separated the groups. No voices carried from ahead—either they weren’t talking, or the distance swallowed the sound.
Jin Yu-ri’s heart churned with complexity as she crept along. She was still fuming from wasting hours on a wild goose chase thanks to Lee Sea, and now this unexpected sight of Lee Dojin with his girlfriend. Spying on them, no less.
‘What is this...’
If he broke off his engagement, she could be the new fiancée or whatever; if she became Lee Sea’s sister-in-law, what to call each other—looking back, it was all delusional fantasy. For now, the woman closest to that sister-in-law spot was walking arm-in-arm with Lee Dojin up ahead.
Not that she’d give up—far from it—but the disappointment stung anyway...
That’s when it started.
‘Huh...?’
Jin Yu-ri’s ears perked at the faint sound. Lee Sea’s stoic expression shifted too.
“---!”
“---- --.”
The voices drifted faintly on the wind from afar. Words indistinct, but the tone was clear.
‘...Are they fighting?’
Lee Dojin and his girlfriend. Their voices... were rising.
“We’ve been spotted.”
Seo Yeon-hee’s sudden words cut through our murmured chat. I ramped my senses to max.
‘Spotted’ was rarely good news for us.
Who could it be? Charlotte Tate? Arnaud Duré? Andrey Ilyin? Han Tae-gang? Or someone else?
I ran through candidates in my head when Seo Yeon-hee spoke again, voice thick with embarrassment.
“No, not that.”
“Then what?”
“On the opposite sidewalk... Sea’s there.”
“Ah...”
“And that Jin Yu-ri girl next to her. Don’t turn around. Act natural.”
The wariness evaporated, replaced by dread. Why was Sea here? And Jin Yu-ri?
As instructed, I kept facing forward but focused my senses across the street. There they were—two girls, Sea and Jin Yu-ri, standing still, watching us. Then they walked on, crossed the street, and headed our way.
Not approaching for a greeting. Keeping distance, just tailing us.
Seo Yeon-hee let out a long sigh.
“What do we do now...?”
“...”
I mulled it over in silence. We’d discussed contingencies for running into Sea unexpectedly.
Plan A: Casual greeting. Simplest, but I wasn’t keen.
Plan B: Make it clear it wasn’t romantic. Tough sell—Sea wouldn’t buy it.
And last...
“Let’s go with Plan C.”
“What...?”
She sounded stunned at my whisper. Her face screamed anything but that.
But I pressed firmly.
“You’ve been in that form a while. Perfect time to switch.”
“...That’s the goal, huh?”
“Won’t deny it... but it’s the best option right now.”
I answered honestly. Honestly, her looking like Sea had bugged me.
Seeing my resolve, she relented.
“Sigh... Fine, let’s do it?”
“Count to three in your head, then start.”
One, two, three.
And right after.
“No matter how I think about it, something’s off.”
“Ha... What now?”
“You really don’t know?”
“We wrapped that up earlier. It was settled, so why bring it up again? I don’t get it.”
“Guess you thought it was settled. Not me. It’s not just now—it’s always been like this.”
“Please... can we just talk about now and save the past for later?”
“Calling it ‘the past’ already shows you don’t wanna talk.”
“Isn’t this us talking right now?”
“No. When one side won’t even listen, how’s that a conversation?”
“I’m listening. And I wanna share my side too.”
“So it’s all my fault? I’m the bad one—”
“Never said that.”
“You’re saying it now!”
Seo Yeon-hee and I... launched into a fierce argument.
Acting, of course. Our backup for if Sea spotted us. The most effective, extreme Plan C.
Simple: Fight loud enough for Sea to hear, then Seo Yeon-hee switches identities.
Damn, she’s good at this...
Her face flushed red, eyes glistening with tears. Even knowing it was fake, her expression—raw emotion, teary-eyed fury—was flawless.
After some back-and-forth, I signaled her with my eyes.
Do it.
That...?
Yeah. It’s enough. Hurry.
...Can’t we stop here? This works.
I shook my head firmly at her pleading look.
If we do it, do it right. Quick.
You... you’re gonna regret this later.
Her resentful glare upward. And then...
Slap—!
My cheek burned. Eyes brimming with tears, she slapped me hard and declared coldly.
“We’re done as of today. Keep acting like that, and you’ll be stuck with your sister forever... Figure it out yourself.”
She stormed off alone. I stood there, rubbing my stinging cheek, wondering.
Was that line just acting? Probably. Yeah, had to be.
Forcing the doubt away, I sensed eyes on my back. Sea and Jin Yu-ri frozen in shock, staring blankly.
A deep wave of existential doubt hit me. Is this really how I have to live...?
Right now, only one thought swirled in Lee Sea’s mind.
The woman striding away fast. Moments ago, her brother’s girlfriend—but now, the one who’d slapped him and unleashed sharp insults, ending it all.
‘Is she insane...?’
She needed to make that crazy woman pay for her verbal abuse and violence. That was it. Nothing else.