Chapter 11

Dong-hoon, who had been silent until now, finally turned toward I-young with a frown.

“Why are you like this, I-young? At least tell us what’s going on.”

“Ha. You don’t need to know. Just let it go, okay?”

“Wait. Did your dad call last night? Is that why?”

“What? My dad called you?”

“Yeah. He asked where we were, so I said Gangwon-do.”

I-young ran her hand through her hair and sighed. So much for keeping the story straight.

“That’s it. I’m never traveling with you again.”

“Was it my fault? Don’t tell me that’s why you’re heading back now?”

Dong-hoon pressed his lips shut, eyes darting nervously.

“Come on, you know Dong-hoon’s slow on the uptake. Don’t be too hard on him, I-young,” Hye-sun said, trying to ease the tension.

I-young knew she was the one to blame for not warning them to keep quiet.

Even if she wanted to pin it on Dong-hoon, it was her fault.

She let out a long sigh and turned her gaze to the window.

“Ugh. I’m getting carsick. Feels like there’s no oxygen in here.”

Mi-joo, who always got motion sickness, groaned from the front passenger seat, clutching her stomach.

Startled, Tae-joo rummaged around and hooked a plastic bag over her ear.

After that brief commotion, silence settled inside the car again.

Dong-hoon stared quietly at I-young’s profile beside him and sighed faintly.

He couldn’t get last night’s image out of his head, the man who said he’d been on a blind date with her.

That man was nothing like him. Handsome, confident, established.

He, on the other hand, hadn’t even graduated yet.

Even after he did, it would take him years to build a stable career.

“Hey, Dong-hoon, move over. You’re squishing me.”

As she nudged his arm, her small, soft body brushed against him, and his face flushed instantly.

“T-then sit on my lap.”

Flustered, he stammered, and I-young shot him a glare.

“Are you insane? If I sit on your lap, my neck will be sticking out the sunroof!”

“I-young, come to the back. It’s roomier here,” said Cheol-min, who had been sitting alone in the rear cargo space.

With all the squabbling, they didn’t realize how quickly time passed until they finally reached Seoul.

“We’re here. Get out one by one. I’ll drop you guys off near the subway station,” Tae-joo called out, clearly done with all of them.

They each got out one by one, and I-young was the last to leave.

She waved to Tae-joo and started walking toward her apartment building.

The closer she got to home, the more her hands trembled.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Her father, Kang Ju-sik, stood like a statue in the living room, arms crossed.

At this hour, he should have been at the office, but he had postponed work just to wait for her return.

His presence was overwhelming. I-young flinched and instinctively took a step back.

She had rehearsed her apology countless times on the way home, but seeing him in person wiped her mind blank.

“Oh? You planning to run away?”

“Dad, I’m sorry. I lied. I went with my friends.”

Admitting everything right away was her only chance of survival.

“Is that so? Then when exactly did you part ways with Mr. Jung? Do you have any idea how much effort I put into arranging that match?”

“T-that’s…”

She hesitated, and Ju-sik lifted his phone, showing her Jung Jae-won’s number.

“Should I just call him and ask directly?”

“Dad, no, please. I’ll tell you everything. I swear I’ll tell the whole truth.”

She crawled forward on her knees, clutching his leg in desperation.

“Alright then. Let’s hear it from my daughter.”

He sat down on the sofa, and she sat across from him, nervous but resigned.

With one long exhale, she confessed everything from the blind date to her trip to Daegwallyeong. She left nothing out.

If she lied even a little, her father would call to confirm it immediately, and she knew it.

After hearing her out, Ju-sik leaned back on the sofa, quiet for a moment.

“Daughter, do you even know what kind of man Mr. Jung is?”

“H-how would I know?”

He shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“You really are my daughter. You only ever do the prettiest kinds of trouble.”

His voice softened slightly, and I-young dared to speak again.

“See? I’m too young to get married anyway. And I don’t want to. I’m not ready.”

“You think you’ll find someone better than him?”

“He already has a girlfriend. She was with him last night.”

That made Ju-sik’s brow crease.

“That can’t be right. Are you sure?”

“You think I’d lie about that? She was gorgeous, by the way.”

“There must be an explanation. If he went there for business, it was probably one of his employees.”

Come to think of it, Jae-won had mentioned being on a work trip.

Still.

“No, it’s true. I said she was his girlfriend, and he didn’t deny it.”

“Fine. I’ll find out the truth myself. But from now on, you’ll start working at a company. Stop wasting your time with those useless friends.”

“I already help out at your company.”

“That’s not enough. I mean a real company where you’ll learn properly. You need field experience.”

“So that means no more blind dates, right? Please tell me that’s what you mean.”

“Yes. As long as you start working seriously at the company I recommend.”

I-young’s eyes brightened a little.

Her father knew she had an artistic eye.

She was good at transforming spaces using art prints and art furniture, treating them like sculptural pieces.

This time, he intended to test her properly.

If she was going to make a mess of things, she might as well do it in the real world.

“Alright. I’ll take the job.”

“Good. But don’t you dare pull a stunt like this again.”

“I’m sorry. I won’t.”

“I’m heading out to see Madam Choi now. You go rest.”

“Okay. Have a good time.”

As he watched her retreat into her room, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

Rest while you can, my little troublemaker. You’ll need it soon enough.