Chapter 5

A woman stood on the shoulder of the highway, stomping her feet and looking like she was about to cry.

That familiar khaki parka, that short hair that looked soft to the touch, those red cheeks shining under the headlights.

“Cha Dong-hoon! I told you, I broke up with the blind date guy! I’m not lying, the bus broke down! I’m on the highway to Daegwallyeong right now! It’s freezing, I’m going to turn into an ice ghost! Are you gonna take responsibility if I do? Huh? Sure, you’re probably sitting all warm and cozy at Palace Hotel! Fine, stay there! I’ll crawl my way over if I have to!”

Ha. That lunatic again.

The fearless woman storming down the highway by herself could only be one person, CEO Kang’s precious daughter, the tenant from room 1004.

Unbelievable.

The nights in Daegwallyeong were freezing, the temperature likely below minus nine degrees.

And yet she was walking on foot?

Jae-won couldn’t help but let out a faint laugh.

She reminded him of his hopeless younger sisters.

“Sir, isn’t that the woman we saw earlier at the hotel?”

Ji-soo’s sharp eyes had caught her instantly.

“Looks that way.”

He sighed as he watched I-young’s tiny figure trudging forward.

He could already guess what she was thinking.

Since traffic was at a standstill, she probably thought it would be faster to walk than wait for another vehicle.

Meanwhile, CEO Kang likely still believed his daughter was safely with him.

If she weren’t his client’s daughter, he would have ignored her and driven on.

But life had a way of throwing curveballs.

If that girl got into an accident walking alone on a highway at night, how could he ever face CEO Kang again?

Looked like he was stuck cleaning up after a woman who wasn’t his problem.

With a resigned breath, Jae-won glanced at Ji-soo.

“Take the wheel.”

He stepped out of the car and walked quickly toward the shoulder.

* * *

“Ah!”

Startled, I-young screamed when someone grabbed her shoulder.

“What are you doing out here?”

Those dark eyes pierced right through her.

Why was he here?

“Wait… Did you follow me?”

She stepped back in alarm.

“I didn’t.”

“T-then why are you here? Did you take the same bus? I didn’t see you. Were you hiding?”

“Stop talking nonsense and come with me.”

“W-where are we going?”

She looked up at him nervously.

“You said you’re heading to Palace Hotel, right?”

“Y-yes? How did you know that?”

“Your voice carries. Anyone within fifty meters could’ve heard you.”

Well, she had gotten a little loud earlier.

“I’m on my way there too.”

“So this is… a coincidence?”

“Come on.”

I-young followed his broad back, her boots crunching in the snow.

“Are you coming or not?”

He nodded toward an SUV parked by the roadside.

Looking closer, she noticed a woman sitting behind the wheel.

“As you can see, I’m on a business trip. Decide.”

“So you’re really going to Palace Hotel?”

“Yes.”

What were the chances?

It seemed unreal, but she had no choice but to believe it.

“Then promise you won’t tell my dad.”

He said nothing and opened the driver’s side door.

The woman at the wheel slid over to the passenger seat.

Seeing that, I-young hurried to climb into the back.

“E-excuse me, and thank you for the ride.”

Tch. So he already had a girlfriend, huh?

She looked at the tall, elegant woman beside him and sighed inwardly.

Her dad sure had a strange sense of judgment, setting her up with a guy who was already taken.

Watching the two of them together, she had to admit, they looked good.

She pouted, running a hand through her short hair.

When their eyes met in the rearview mirror, she froze.

That sharp, beast-like gaze made her shrink back.

She’d never once felt intimidated by a man before, but this was new.

“Oh, right.”

Worried that Dong-hoon might be looking for her, she quickly pulled out her phone and made a call.

As soon as it connected, his voice boomed through the speaker.

“Kang I-young!”

“Hey, Dong-hoon.”

“Where are you? Do you even know how worried I was? You were supposed to be on a blind date, not out here freezing on the highway!”

“Relax, I’m in a car now. I’ll be there soon. Don’t come out, just wait for me.”

“Kang I-young, you are dead when you get here. You almost gave me a heart attack. I swear, you’ll be the reason I die young!”

“Why are you so worked up? Is it… that time of the month?”

“What? You little brat, how can you say that! Yeah, it is! So what!”

“Heh. I’ll bring you pads. Just wait.”

“Be careful. I’ll be waiting.”

“Okay, hanging up now.”

When the call ended, she glanced up at the mirror again.

Their eyes met once more, his expression icy enough to freeze her solid.

She quickly looked down, avoiding his gaze.

“Ugh… cold.”

That look could’ve frozen her faster than the weather outside.

Jae-won reached forward and turned up the heater.

Ji-soo gave him a small sideways glance as warm air filled the back seat.

The car crawled forward slowly through the jammed traffic, inching along the snow-covered road.

Feeling stifled, Jae-won rolled the window down.

Cold air rushed in.

“Cough, cough!”

I-young started coughing from the back seat.

He closed the window immediately.

He could feel Ji-soo’s curious gaze but ignored it, keeping his eyes fixed on the road.

After a while, the traffic eased slightly.

In the rearview mirror, he saw I-young nodding off, lulled by the warm air.

Unbelievable.

He turned up the volume on the classical music so she could sleep more comfortably.

“Sir, how do you know her?”

Ji-soo asked quietly, checking that I-young was asleep.

Jae-won answered curtly, “She’s CEO Kang Ju-sik’s daughter from Human Interior.”

“Ah… I see.”

Ji-soo fell silent again, lost in thought.

Jae-won had no intention of continuing the conversation.

He was only wondering how CEO Kang would react if he knew what was happening right now.

And who on earth was that “that day” guy she’d mentioned earlier on the phone?

If CEO Kang found out, he’d have every right to accuse someone of fraud.

“You know my daughter, right? I-young. She’s graceful, just like her mother was.”

That’s what CEO Kang had said.

Reality couldn’t be more different.

A faint laugh escaped him, drawing a quick glance from Ji-soo.

He didn’t explain.

Instead, he glanced through the mirror at the peacefully sleeping girl in the back seat.

She looked cute when she was quiet.

He followed the flow of traffic as it finally began to clear.

“Wake up, Kang I-young.”

Maybe it was because she was younger than his youngest brother, or maybe it was because everything she did was absurd, but somehow, it felt natural to speak to her informally.

“Huh? We’re already here?”

Apparently, the feeling was mutual. She sounded perfectly comfortable.

“You sure can sleep anywhere.”

“Guess I dozed off. Wow, this place is amazing!”

I-young pressed her face to the window, eyes wide with awe.

The snow-covered landscape spread endlessly around them.

It really was beautiful.

Seeing her bright, childlike excitement, Jae-won found himself smiling faintly.

“Thank you, Mr. Jung. Have a great trip, you two. Oh, and you look great together.”

Cheerfully saying her piece, she grabbed her backpack and hopped out of the car.

He didn’t even want to know what kind of misunderstanding she was having now.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he turned to Ji-soo.

“Aren’t you getting out?”

“Ah, yes.”