Chapter 3

“Have you ever seen your father joke about something like this?”

“I don’t want to. I said I don’t want to. A blind date out of nowhere?”

“You little brat, how can you look at your father with those big, pretty eyes? Save that kind of cuteness for your future husband. And what did you do to your hair? Do you know how much men like long hair? You look like a tomboy now.”

“Dad!”

“Tsk tsk. I wonder which poor guy will end up marrying you.”

Ju-sik clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief.

Her mother had passed away giving birth to her, and from then on, I-young and her father had lived relying on each other.

For I-young, the idea of marriage barely even existed.

Even though she lived on her own now, she still planned to take care of her father when the time came.

But it seemed her father wanted to marry her off as quickly as possible.

‘Seriously, I’m not even that old yet.’

And today, of all days?

That was just too much.

Instead of getting angry, she decided to try her secret weapon: acting cute.

“Daaad, please? I’m going on a trip with my friends tonight. You can’t just spring a blind date on me like this. Please, can’t I go after the trip?”

“You know what happens when your father gets angry. Don’t give me that nonsense.”

Her eyes wavered.

Not even her best puppy eyes were working today.

“Isn’t this just too much? This is completely unfair and cruel.”

“Making your old father work himself to death isn’t cruel? I can’t even face Madam Choi anymore. She said she refuses to live with me until you get married, so what am I supposed to do? This time, I’m not giving in.”

Madam Choi.

Right, she existed too.

Her father, CEO Kang Ju-sik, had met Madam Choi when his company took on a café interior project.

After several meetings to fix minor issues, the two of them ended up falling for each other.

When I-young had announced she was moving out after graduation, he had been strongly against it. But two months ago, he suddenly helped her rent an officetel without complaint.

It all made sense now. That woman had something to do with it.

“Did Madam Choi really say that? That she won’t live with you until I get married?”

“That’s right. So go on the blind date. And if you refuse, I’ll cut off your allowance completely.”

So Madam Choi was just an excuse. It was clear her father had made up his mind.

Well, just because she went on a blind date didn’t mean she had to marry anyone.

And honestly, she couldn’t afford to lose her allowance.

“Fine. I’ll go.”

Her voice came out weak and defeated.

“Good. Dress properly and make yourself look nice. You might look cute to me, but I can’t guarantee how you’ll look to Mr. Jung.”

Mr. Jung.

That couldn’t possibly be his first name.

Even the sound of it rubbed her the wrong way.

Please don’t tell me he’s bald or pot-bellied.

She shook her head, trying to clear the thought.

Whoever he was, she just needed to drink a cup of tea, smile politely, and leave.

Then she could head straight to Daegwallyeong to meet her friends.

Nothing wrong with that plan.

* * *

Stepping out of the taxi, I-young took a deep breath and marched into the hotel with a serious face.

Step, step.

Ah…

She froze in front of a large mirror.

In her parka, jeans, and big travel backpack, she looked more like a soldier on a mission than someone on a blind date.

Anyone could tell her outfit was completely inappropriate.

She had dressed for her trip, planning to leave right after the meeting, but now she wondered if she had gone too far.

No, stay strong. Don’t lose your nerve.

Just get through this blind date quickly and leave.

She smoothed down her short hair and continued walking toward the lounge.

Inside, she glanced around, trying to picture what this Mr. Jung might look like.

He wasn’t here yet, apparently.

She took out her phone and sent a message to the number her father had given her.

[ I arrived first. I’m at the second table by the window. ]

After sending the message, she sat down and waited.

All she had to do now was wait for the man to show up.

Bzzz, bzzz.

Messages from her group chat with her friends kept piling up nonstop.

* * *

Bzzz.

The phone on the table buzzed briefly.

Jae-won picked it up and read the message.

“The second table by the window…”

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

Of course.

He had only agreed to this blind date because he couldn’t turn down CEO Kang’s request.

But it was obvious the other party wasn’t particularly enthusiastic either.

The woman in the khaki parka and large backpack looked more ready for winter training than a date.

Glancing down at his own suit, Jae-won couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

Still, he should at least meet her properly.

He stood and walked toward the table by the window.

As he drew closer, her face came into focus.

CEO Kang’s precious daughter looked every bit the spoiled princess type.

Light makeup, short curly hair, soft white skin that looked as smooth as cotton, and round cheeks that made her look even younger.

How was this girl supposed to match with him?

He would’ve preferred CEO Kang to tell him to adopt a child instead.

The woman was still tapping away on her phone, texting endlessly, even as he reached her table.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Stopping right in front of her, he said her name in a low voice.

“Miss Kang I-young?”

The woman looked up, her small lips parting as she spoke.

“…Mr. Jung?”

So she didn’t even know his full name.

“Yes, I’m Mr. Jung.”

Pretending not to notice her uneasy gaze, he took the seat across from her.

But something about her face felt familiar.

Where had he seen her before?

He tilted his head slightly, studying her.

* * *

Oh no… he’s the blind date?

Her mind spun.

First, she was shocked that Mr. Jung wasn’t bald or overweight.

Second, she realized he was the landlord of her officetel.

She should’ve asked her father for details.

Bzzz, bzzz.

Even now, her phone kept lighting up with messages from her friends.

She flipped it face-down quickly and looked straight at him.

His black eyes pierced through her, intense and unreadable.

That unbelievably handsome face was completely expressionless.

‘He doesn’t recognize me?’

“Is there a problem?”

One of his eyebrows arched slightly.

His voice was deep, calm, and commanding. It made her shrink back.

“N-no. There’s no problem at all.”

Forcing an awkward smile, she quickly picked up the water glass in front of her and took a sip.

‘He doesn’t recognize me just because I cut my hair? We met this morning! How bad can his memory be?’

Jae-won stroked his chin, his sharp eyes still fixed on her.

From his expression, it was clear he had no idea she was the tenant from room 1004.

Maybe his eyesight was terrible. That would explain it.

“I’m Jung Jae-won.”

He crossed one long leg over the other, his voice low and steady.

“Ah, yes.”

Jung Jae-won.

Hearing the name directly felt different than when she had heard “Mr. Jung.”

Maybe it was because it was the same name as the CEO of Won Interior.

“But you don’t look like you came here for a serious blind date.”

He gave a short, dry laugh as his gaze swept over her outfit.

Her cheeks flushed red as she lowered her eyes.

Now that she saw how neatly dressed he was, she felt a twinge of guilt.

“I heard you’re twenty-six?”

Maybe because of her casual clothes, he didn’t even bother speaking politely anymore.

Still, she didn’t really mind.

The less formal things were, the faster this would end.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You look a lot like your father.”

Oh wow, that crossed a line.

“You know my dad?”

Her tone turned slightly defensive without meaning to.

“I used to work under CEO Kang. I run my own company now, but I owe him a lot.”

“Ah… so you’re like my dad’s friend?”

She nodded.

‘Wow, I didn’t know my dad had such wide connections.’

‘A Gangnam building owner used to work for him? That’s kind of impressive.’

But then, silence fell.

Why wasn’t he saying anything?

Did calling him Dad’s friend offend him somehow?

His quiet, unreadable expression gave off a sense that he wasn’t pleased.