Chapter 4

“…”

Hajun had clearly heard what she said, yet he only looked at her without saying a word.

Thinking that maybe she hadn’t managed to keep the conversation going because she had been too stiff during dinner, Eunjae gripped the hem of her dress tightly with both hands, unable to even properly show how nervous she was.

The longer she looked at the man standing there in silence with an indifferent expression, the more anxious she became.

Eventually, she spoke first.

“If you’re still bothered by being late today, it’s really okay. I’m not foolish enough to blame a busy person for something like that. And, ah…”

She wanted to speak clearly, but her voice trembled and her words gradually trailed off.

Eunjae felt so embarrassed that she wanted to cry.

“I-I really enjoyed dinner too. It was delicious. I had a wonderful time…”

A faint, breathy chuckle escaped Hajun’s lips as he listened to her.

Slipping a hand into his pants pocket, he looked at Eunjae, who instantly clammed up like a closed seashell.

“You’re a good liar.”

“Huh?”

“You barely touched your food.”

“…”

“And we didn’t have a single proper conversation during dinner, yet you say you had a wonderful time.”

“Ah, that’s…”

“You couldn’t even look me in the eye properly, yet you’re saying you like me.”

“…”

“Miss Lee Eunjae, you must be the type who falls in love very quickly.”

Since he had no idea they had met before, his reaction was understandable.

Still, his sharp tone made Eunjae shrink into herself even more.

“I have no intention of getting married.”

“…”

“I treated you to dinner today as an apology for making you wait so long.”

“…Um, then why don’t you want to get married…?”

And if that was the case, why had he come to the blind date in the first place?

The confusion was written plainly across Eunjae’s face.

As if there was no need for a lengthy explanation, Hajun gave a simple answer.

“Because I don’t need to get married.”

* * *

‘Because I don’t need to get married.’

There was a lot implied in Hajun’s words.

Her older brother Dojae, who had become greedy after receiving management rights from Seongchan and was recklessly expanding into business after business.

Taeon Hotel, whose stock value was gradually falling because of it.

And herself, someone who knew nothing but ceramics.

Hajun was the kind of man whose accomplishments were featured in business magazines and the news.

His confidence that he didn’t need something like a political marriage almost seemed natural.

Eunjae slowly opened her eyes after squeezing them shut.

Seongchan was in the final stages of pancreatic cancer.

He always said his greatest wish was to see his daughter wearing a wedding dress.

Eunjae desperately wanted to show her father herself getting married.

And more than anything, if the groom were Hajun, she couldn’t imagine being happier.

Now that she had calmed down a little, she could think more rationally.

But…

“Haah… Like an idiot, I couldn’t say anything back then.”

After saying those words, Hajun had left the room.

His secretary came in shortly afterward and presented her with a bouquet and a bottle of wine, saying they were gifts carrying Hajun’s sentiments.

It had also been the secretary who contacted her to explain that Hajun would be late.

So of course she knew the secretary had probably prepared the gifts as well.

Still, if Hajun hadn’t given permission, the secretary couldn’t have done it on his own.

So she treasured the gifts as though they truly reflected Hajun’s feelings.

“I worked up the courage to tell him I liked him… Was I too forward?”

The disappointment left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Eunjae gently stroked the soft petals of the bouquet resting carefully on the passenger seat.

Then she suddenly remembered how bleak her father’s hospital room looked.

Fresh flowers weren’t suitable for hospitals.

Maybe she should buy something else instead.

With that thought, Eunjae turned the steering wheel and headed toward the hospital.

* * *

Holding an armful of beautiful artificial flowers that looked almost real, Eunjae knocked on the door of her father’s hospital room.

“Come in.”

The voice of one of Seongchan’s secretaries came from inside.

Eunjae entered the VVIP room with a bright smile, and Seongchan, lying in bed, welcomed her with surprised eyes.

“Our Eunjae is here. Did you just come back from your blind date?”

Despite his gaunt appearance, Seongchan smiled warmly at her.

“What’s with the flowers? Ah, they’re artificial flowers?”

“You aren’t supposed to bring fresh flowers to hospitals. But I thought they might help brighten your mood.”

“My daughter is the best.”

“Right?”

“Of course. These flowers are beautiful, just like our Eunjae.”

What a daughter fool.

“Put them in a pretty vase for me.”

When she handed the bouquet of artificial flowers to Secretary Han, he smiled and bowed his head.

He seemed happy to see his boss smiling again after such a long time.

“I think I’ll be able to go through chemotherapy with a smile now.”

“Oh, come on. They’re only flowers.”

Seeing her father so happy over a simple bouquet of artificial flowers made Eunjae’s nose sting.

“I’m going to buy you even better things and prettier things from now on. So you need to get better quickly.”

“Of course. If I’m going to walk you down the aisle at your wedding, I’d better recover as soon as possible.”

As though he had been waiting for the opportunity, Seongchan struggled to sit up and asked,

“So, how was the blind date?”

Eunjae hesitated, unsure how to explain it.

She didn’t want to crush the hopeful look in his eyes, so she decided to choose her words carefully.

“I liked him.”

Only then did the tension leave Seongchan’s face.

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“…I want to get married as soon as possible, Dad.”

The truth was, after graduating from her ceramics school in Germany, she had originally planned to stay there for several more years.

But the moment she heard that Seongchan had terminal pancreatic cancer, she returned to Korea.

Seongchan had grown much weaker and thinner.

More than anything, he wanted Eunjae to build a stable family and have someone by her side.

Since she understood his feelings, she had made a significant decision of her own.

“Or are you already sad about sending me off?”

“That’s how every father with a daughter feels.”

“Then because you’ll miss me, you need to live a very long time. I’ll give you adorable grandchildren, so live a long, long life while watching them grow up.”

Remembering the doctor’s words that he might not even survive the year, Eunjae felt tears welling up.

Still, she deliberately smiled brighter and hooked her pinky finger around Seongchan’s.

* * *

Outside the president’s office at Kwonil Construction, Hajun’s secretary knocked on the door in his place.

After receiving permission to enter, the secretary opened the door.

Hajun straightened his clothes once more before entering.

He gave a respectful nod to his father, President Seo Taeguk, who was sitting behind his desk flipping through documents.

“You called for me?”

“Yes. Sit down.”

As soon as Hajun sat on the sofa, the office secretary brought over two cups of tea.

After taking a sip, Taeguk spoke first.

“Hahyuk is setting a wedding date soon.”

Seo Hahyuk was Hajun’s cousin and the eldest grandson of Kwonil Group.

As an executive director at Kwonil Electronics, he was technically Hajun’s rival in the succession battle.

Chairman Seo of Kwonil Electronics, the founder of Kwonil Group and Hajun’s grandfather, had made his position clear.

Only those who married would be considered true candidates for succession.

Since there had been no news of Hahyuk’s marriage, Hajun had been able to put off marriage somewhat casually.

But it seemed that was no longer possible.

His father had said nothing during breakfast.

Apparently, he had called him here specifically to discuss this.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over Hajun, and he lightly frowned.

“Once he’s married, he’ll immediately become a vice president and inherit some of the Chairman’s shares.”

Because he wasn’t the eldest son, Taeguk had never inherited Kwonil Electronics from Chairman Seo.

At the very least, he wanted his son’s abilities to be recognized.

That was why he always demanded better results and greater accomplishments from Hajun than from Hahyuk.

Hajun excelled wherever he went, standing above everyone else.

He was Taeguk’s greatest source of pride.

Taeguk never doubted that Hajun would defeat Hahyuk and inherit Kwonil Electronics.

And Hajun felt the same.

If they stood on equal footing, he was confident in his management abilities above anyone else.

“Once you get married, you’ll be transferred to Electronics as well.”

It was pressure to make a decision about marriage as quickly as possible, regardless of who the bride might be.

“Show the Chairman what you’re capable of there. Make it absolutely clear that compared to you, Hahyuk isn’t even worth mentioning.”

Every word assumed that Hajun would marry.

“So tell me. What did you think of Taeon Hotel’s youngest daughter that you met yesterday?”