Chapter 127: Young-eun’s Resolve and Confusion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Young-eun’s Resolve and Confusion
The broadcast ended without a hitch.
Well, except for the fact that Young-eun looked like she was in a terrible state throughout the entire filming.
“Great work, everyone. The chemistry on Star Friends was top-notch today. Are you sure you guys haven't done this before?”
The MC, Kim Dong-wook, approached me and the other guests to strike up a conversation.
The PD also gave a thumbs-up.
If it was this well-received, I figured I could consider it a success.
“Excuse me, Jae-ho. Here, take this. It’s my business card.”
Once the cameras were off, Lee Da-jung held out a red business card to me.
Even though I could clearly feel Young-eun’s piercing glare from behind, Lee Da-jung spoke with total nonchalance.
“Give me a call sometime.”
With that, she vanished as quickly as she had appeared.
“Let’s go.”
Young-eun led the way, her voice heavy with gloom.
Anyone could tell she was in a foul mood.
‘She hasn’t been able to focus on the broadcast for a while now. She seems off...’
I had a hunch about the cause.
It was what happened with Lee Da-jung during the break. Anyone could see her behavior had turned strange right after that.
“Noona, are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not mad, are you?”
“I’m fine.”
Short, clipped answers.
A low, sunken voice.
She looked like she could explode at any second.
That atmosphere persisted until we got into Chief Park’s car.
“How was today?”
“It was fun. The recording was interesting, and it was cool to see the broadcasting station.”
The moment I answered, I winced.
Did I just step on a landmine?
“Sigh.”
Young-eun let out a heavy sigh.
“I’ll have to rethink going on broadcasts with you in the future.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Her expression made it far too difficult to press for answers, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Let’s do PT today.”
“Is your schedule okay? Didn’t you say you couldn't because of your appointments?”
“It’s fine. Right, Chief Park?”
At Young-eun’s words—which felt like they were accompanied by laser beams shooting from her eyes—Chief Park, who had been watching the situation through the rearview mirror, gave an awkward laugh.
“Of course. There are no more schedules for today. Haha.”
“See?”
“Alright. I get it.”
PT wasn't a problem. In fact, if it helped lighten Young-eun’s mood, nothing could be better.
“Please take us to Jae-ho’s place.”
“To his house, miss?”
“Yes.”
His house?
“You want to do PT at my place?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s unusual.”
“Why?”
“You always insisted on doing it at the gym.”
“I did, but today is different.”
Young-eun’s mind was a mess.
From the moment she saw Jae-ho with Lee Da-jung, countless thoughts had been swirling in her head.
‘Why were they together?’
‘What were they doing?’
‘He said he rejected her offer, so why did he take her card?’
She tried to cut off the imagination and focus on the broadcast, but it was impossible. The intrusive thoughts kept tormenting her.
Unable to focus on her work, all she could see was the image of Jae-ho and Lee Da-jung together.
In her mind, Jae-ho was kindly teaching Lee Da-jung PT with a sweet voice.
‘Just a little more here...’
‘Jae-ho, your hands are being quite naughty, aren't they?’
‘Shall we go a bit deeper?’
‘Why? Are you that curious about this spot?’
‘I was just wondering what kind of moans a singer makes.’
The two people in her imagination, about to intertwine their bodies, suddenly turned to look at Young-eun, the creator of the fantasy.
‘Oh my, is the loser still here?’
‘Noona, what’s up? Haven’t you left yet?’
Her clenched fists turned white. This wasn't like her.
‘What is "like me" anyway?’
She was confused. Her ego, which she always maintained around others, kept crumbling whenever it involved this one man.
Even now, she felt so alienated from herself, unable to focus on work and constantly distracted by these thoughts.
She had no idea how to resolve these feelings. It was the first time she had ever felt this way.
There had been countless men who threw themselves at her, and just as many whom she had rejected.
But not once.
Not once had Young-eun ever been the one to cling to someone.
Because of that, she didn't know what to do in this situation to make Jae-ho look only at her.
Should she have been more aggressive?
She had always appealed with her wealth and her looks. And it had always worked. There was no one more beautiful or wealthier than her.
But Lee Da-jung...
‘She’s the representative gumiho of the entertainment industry, the one who makes even the most famous male celebrities lose their minds.’
Young-eun had never imagined she could lose a man she wanted to another woman. That made her even more vulnerable. Because she had never experienced it, she had no immunity.
Once the wings of her imagination took flight, they only grew larger, one thought leading to the next.
Jealousy and envy.
The sense of crisis that she might lose the man she was targeting.
That unknown territory was more than enough to make Young-eun anxious.
She gnawed on her lip. The broadcast barely registered in her mind. She didn't even know how it ended.
Even when Jae-ho sat next to her in the car, and even when he spoke to Chief Park on the way, she didn't realize what she was saying or why she was saying it.
Young-eun was currently drowning, trapped in the imagination she had created.
The one who pulled her out of that deepening quagmire was...
“Noona?”
It was Jae-ho.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“You’re not sick, are you? You seem like you can’t focus on what I’m saying.”
“No, I’m not.”
It would have been better if she were actually sick. At least her mind would be at ease.
She couldn't look directly at Jae-ho, who was holding her shoulder.
Why am I being like this?
She had looked at Jae-ho’s face countless times before. When she was leading him, she would even lock eyes with him on purpose to seduce him.
And yet, she was feeling shy now?
‘Yoo Young-eun, get a grip.’
She bit her lip and looked at Jae-ho’s face.
She began to see things she hadn't consciously noticed before.
His features might seem ordinary at a glance, but he was overflowing with charm. His perfect body, the defined muscles, the sharp lines, the atmosphere he exuded, and his voice.
And even that strangely sweet scent.
On top of that, she felt a warm emotion from the way he was looking over her, worried.
“Oh?”
Young-eun liked Jae-ho’s abilities. She was drawn to his skill and the confidence that came with it. She thought that if he utilized those talents well, he could be of great help to her.
She had a strange conviction that a man like him, who possessed a definitive weapon of his own unlike other dull men, would succeed.
That was why she first took an interest in him. It was an interest in his potential.
Through that, she realized his true value and began to think he was a truly decent person.
She had even reached the point of thinking that, setting aside corporate arranged marriages, it wouldn't be bad to spend her life with this man.
But it wasn't that she had particularly liked his looks. He had a very average face, after all.
And yet.
‘Why does he look so handsome?’
Young-eun rubbed her eyes. Jae-ho’s face seemed to be glowing.
Even after rubbing her eyes, it remained the same.
Sparkle, sparkle.
A faint halo was shining around his face.
Young-eun was so dazed that she didn't even realize it was just the ceiling light Chief Park had turned on.
She had always known he had a good body. But this was the first time it felt so vivid, so visceral.
“D-don’t come any closer.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, just... give me a moment of space.”
Young-eun placed a hand over her heart.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was racing like a runaway train. She even thought that if Chief Park hadn't been there, she didn't know what she might have done.
‘Get it together. You’ve made up your mind.’
She wanted to make him hers, no matter what. So that no other women would dare to hover around him.
She felt that if she pulled away, other women would keep sliding into the gap. Just like the Lee Da-jung in her imagination who had been clinging to Jae-ho’s side.
At that thought, Young-eun suddenly grabbed Jae-ho’s arm.
“No. Don’t pull away.”
“You’re really not yourself today, Noona.”
“...”
In the meantime, the car arrived at Jae-ho’s house.
“Miss, we have arrived.”
“This is...”
“It is Mr. Jae-ho’s house. You told me to come here, Miss.”
“Right. Wait here. I’ll just be getting my PT.”
“Understood.”
Chief Park bowed his head.
She entered the house with Jae-ho.
The dark house was flooded with light as the fluorescent lamps flickered on.
Jae-ho, who had been leading the way in silence, turned back to look at her.
“Noona.”
“Yeah?”
“You didn't come here for PT, did you?”
At those words, Young-eun felt a sudden illusion as if she had been stripped naked.
“Were you that jealous? Of me being with another woman?”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“It was the same with Hyun-kyung last time, and today too... and even when I’m with Ye-seul and Miju...”
“You’re making it too obvious.”
Jae-ho took a step closer. Young-eun reflexively backed away.
“And you didn't need to come all the way to my house just for PT, right?”
“...”
“Let’s be honest, Noona.”
I had suspected it, but I didn't expect Young-eun to be the one to approach me first.
Suggesting we do the broadcast together, putting pressure on Hyun-kyung... I knew it was because she had feelings for me. It was obvious.
But perhaps because of her position as a third-generation chaebol and a celebrity, she hadn't approached me more than necessary.
Then, she declared she would receive PT at my house. This was her own way of making a move.
I had to respond in kind.
My heart was already boiling like a pot. Heat burst out randomly like steam exploding from a tightly sealed lid.
Thump, thump, thump!
The sound of my racing heart was loud enough for her to hear.
It was the same for Young-eun. The heat from her frantically beating heart began to warm the house.
“What about you?” Young-eun asked.
For her, it was a question squeezed out from the depths of her pride. If Jae-ho didn't say he liked her, she would reject him first. Because a woman of the Jeil Group must never be dumped by anyone.
Young-eun’s body trembled as she spoke. She was afraid to hear what Jae-ho would say next.
What if he said he didn't like her? Could she handle it? Would she cry?
Based on his attitude so far, it seemed like he had feelings... but what if it was just her delusion?
Countless thoughts crossed her mind in that brief moment.
Her emotions welled up, unlike her usual self. But she endured it. She couldn't cry until she heard his answer. No, even if she heard a humiliating answer, she must not cry.
A member of the Jeil Group must never show weakness.
“What about me?”
“Yeah.”
“How I feel about you, Noona?”
For her, it must have been the longest three seconds in the world.
After locking eyes with Young-eun for a moment, Jae-ho slowly opened his mouth.
“I like you, Noona.”
“Haa...”
Her legs gave out. At that single sentence from Jae-ho, her strength vanished. She couldn't say anything.
She just let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank god.”
Because it wasn't just a delusion.
“I haven't heard your answer yet, Noona.”
Jae-ho asked, meeting her eyes.
“Do I really have to say it out loud?”
“Of course. I just said it, didn't I?”
“...”
“What do you think of me, Noona?”
“I... I... l-l...”
“L?”
“Look out! Don't you dare go looking at other women.”
“Are you dodging the question?”
Why did he keep asking things like this? Her head was throbbing. Her heart, pounding like a racing car engine, felt like it was attached to her brain.
“I l-l... I like you. I like you, Jae-ho.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. The emotions that had been surging within her gathered into a single drop.
“Me too.”
I saw it. In that moment, she wasn't a chaebol or a celebrity.
The woman, Yoo Young-eun, was looking at me.
‘Sorry, Noona. I already have a lot of other women.’
But I couldn't exactly quit the gym, could I?