Chapter 4

People say a handsome face always pays for itself and they were right.

She tried to succeed in business entertainment but ended up succeeding in a one night stand instead.

Chae-eun grunted as she pulled her dress zipper up.

“Why isn’t this going up…”

She only murmured that quietly yet a voice answered from the bed.

“Want me to help?”

“Aahh!”

She screamed from being too startled. Thanks to that the zipper shot up completely.

The man who woke up rested his head lazily on his arm and looked at her.

She wanted to die from shame. She wanted to hide anywhere but there was nowhere small enough to crawl into.

“You’re awake?”

She chose to bluff.

Act like she was fine, act like she was still a professional and asked him with a straight face.

She screamed earlier like a terrified child so this double personality was ridiculous.

“That was the best sleep I’ve had in a while. Are you preparing to run away?”

“Run away. No, I have a schedule…”

“At six in the morning?”

He checked the phone by his pillow and spoke in a low voice. She knew he caught her lying and awkwardly cleared her throat to change the subject.

“You clearly said yesterday you’d proceed with the contract with VOUME Planning.”

“You remember everything huh.”

“Not everything.”

She avoided his heated gaze.

“Thank you for the opportunity for VOUME Planning. Then I’ll leave now.”

“Leave?”

“I’ll get going.”

She bowed properly then walked out of the hotel room trying her best to look calm.

Whether that was lucky or disappointing, the man did not stop her.

“Ugh this feels disgusting…”

Inside the elevator she grimaced at the semen smell still coming from her whole body.

And between her legs where he rubbed himself she still felt sore so she leaned back against the wall like melted liquid.

* * *

She went home showered immediately and threw the dress into the trash.

“That was my favorite…”

She was sad but there was no choice. That outfit would always remind her of a perverted one night stand dark past.

She had zero time to rest. Her group chat was exploding with chaos and she needed to send apologies. Then she had to rush to the hospital where her father was admitted.

She felt nowhere near sober so she gave up on driving and took a taxi. She could not remember how much she drank. There had to be more than one bottle after that second one opened, her memories cut off.

“He said he couldn’t drink. Total lie. He drinks like a monster.”

Maybe that was J Group’s smokescreen to test her. A trick to see how she handled things.

Either way she listened to her boss and went for a cheap tactic instead of relying on skill. She let herself fall for that shallow strategy.

She arrived at the hospital and finally ran her fingers through her dry hair while entering the ward section.

After getting directions she found her father’s room. He had a thick cast on his leg and was lying in a private room.

“Dad!”

Even while watching his shocked daughter run in, Chairman Kang Il-chan asked about the contract first.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone? The contract. What happened to the contract.”

“Is that important right now? Look at you. You’re hurt.”

She had no right to say that after leaving her injured father to go have perverted sex with a stranger but she puffed herself up anyway.

The process was awful but the result was success. She let him wait for the news a bit longer and her father pressed with an anxious face.

“I asked what happened. You little brat.”

“Dad. I’m the one who went.”

She added with a proud smile. I obviously got it and made a V sign. Chairman Kang widened his eyes and clapped.

If not for the cast he would have jumped around.

“Both of the executives involved were rushed to surgery so I was so worried.”

Executives plural. She did not quite understand but she was just happy she could deliver the good news.

She placed the grilled fish lunchbox she bought on the way on the table then moved closer to the bed.

“Is your leg okay? You had an accident on the way to the meeting, right?”

“I can’t believe it either. Of all people I got into an accident with Executive Director Cha Gye-oh.”

“Executive Director Cha Gye-oh?”

Executive Director Cha Gye-oh was perfectly fine at the meeting yesterday. She tilted her head confused and her father laughed big while pointing at the wall.

“We’re admitted side by side in the next room.”

“Admitted. But yesterday he was…”

“Oh that must have been Executive Director Cha Jae-oh. He was just assigned to the Korean HQ from the US. What was he like.”

Her head started spinning. It felt like her hangover was coming back.

Cha Jae-oh. Cha Gye-oh.

Why was everything so confusing.

The person she met yesterday was definitely Cha Gye-oh. Her boss said so. Yet now a different name.

Which meant the real Executive Director Cha Gye-oh and her father had the accident and both sent replacements.

“So I didn’t meet Executive Director Cha Gye-oh yesterday.”

“Not Cha Gye-oh. Cha Jae-oh. The son of Chairman Cha Seung-jo of J Group. You signed a contract without even knowing who he was.”

“If both were injured you could have just met at the hospital. Why did you send me?”

“You’re really going to talk like that to your injured father. We were conscious but had to get treatment. We only learned of the situation this morning.”

Suddenly she felt extremely wronged.

If they had just met each other here, there would have been no humiliating one night stand, she would have gone to her glorious birthday party instead.

A humiliating one night stand instead of her big party.

She only remembered the name halfway because she was obsessed with leaving early.

Cha Jae-oh. Cha Gye-oh… Why the hell do their names have to be that similar!

“What’s that?”

“Grilled atka mackerel. You like this.”

“The breakfast here was awful. This is why having a daughter is good.”

He gestured to give him a piece.

Still dizzy with chaotic thoughts she obediently brought the lunchbox to him.

“Now this is real food.”

Watching him eat did not feel rewarding at all. Not when she slept with the wrong man and even confused his identity.

“Is there more?”

“Oh. Yeah there’s one more.”

“No wait…”

Halfway through eating he suddenly grabbed his phone and typed something.

“You’re eating, why are you on your phone?”

“I’m calling Executive Director Cha Gye-oh to come eat. And we can talk about the contract.”

“What. Right now.”

“You should get familiar too. You’ll run into him often while working there.”

She leapt like a calf sitting on a stove. Her chaotic head felt like it was being hit with cold water.

She felt guilty for having sex with a stranger while her father was injured. Even though he was not the man she thought he was still. She was terrified her father would read her guilty face.

He looked at his daughter suddenly jumping up and shook his head.

“You can’t just call people without telling me.”

“So you want me to eat this delicious food alone.”

“Please do.”

Before long someone knocked then the door opened.

“Chairman. I was about to cry because breakfast tasted terrible…”

A man with a cast on his arm resting on his shoulder entered the room.

Chairman Kang greeted him calling him Executive Director Cha.

She never imagined she would see the Executive Director she desperately cried out for last night this soon again.

“Who is she?”

“Say hello. This is Director Kang Chae-eun. My daughter.”

“Your daughter.”

The real Cha Gye-oh looked shocked and approached her.

He had a similar build to Cha Jae-oh because they were brothers but the atmosphere was different.

Unlike the slightly sharp and dangerous younger brother Cha Jae-oh, the older brother Cha Gye-oh gave off a pure smart boy vibe like a model student who never dated.

He looked early to mid thirties and handsome enough anywhere but after spending a night with the insanely gorgeous Cha Jae-oh Cha Gye-oh’s features barely registered.

“You’re supposed to shake right hands but mine is like this right now.”

“Yes hello Executive Director Cha Gye-oh.”

She shook with her left hand.

Unlike when she held the fake Cha Gye-oh’s hand she felt absolutely nothing.

If she felt another spark here she’d really be insane.