Chapter 110: Real Lovers
TL: Aniea
-Wow, CEO-nim, you’re so pretty!
-Unnie, I think I might really fall for you!
-How can you pull off a medieval-style dress like this?
Not only the people who were doing her makeup but also the security team waiting nearby all admired Kim Eun-ha’s full makeup look.
Even Kim Eun-ha herself nodded at the reflection in the mirror. In a way, it was an expected outcome.
That’s why she was curious.
How would Kang Woo-ju react?
‘...He’ll probably say something like “It suits you well enough.”’
She could already picture Kang Woo-ju’s expression.
After spending all those years together, she knew better than anyone that he was very reserved in these matters.
He often said things like “cute”, “cool”, or “it suits you well”. But “pretty” was one word Kang Woo-ju rarely used.
Unless it was to much younger kids or in a situation where he was practically forced to say it, it was a word hard to hear from him.
Whether consciously or unconsciously. It felt like his own way of drawing a line.
That’s why.
Kim Eun-ha ended up flustered.
-You’re pretty.
It was something she’d heard hundreds, thousands of times throughout her life. She’d heard it so much that now it barely registered.
That’s how it should’ve been.
So why was her heart pounding like this?
-The prettiest in the world.
In today’s world, such a clumsy phrase is hard to even dig up intentionally.
Like picking stars from the sky.
Or saying the moon is so beautiful.
Any of those sentences now feel too outdated, but in the end, isn’t the point all about the “wrapping”?
Even if you give a friend a piece of bread, handing it over in a plastic bag versus putting it in a shopping bag makes a world of difference.
‘...Maybe those things aren’t that important after all.’
Kim Eun-ha found herself thinking that without meaning to. They say what matters is the heart, but who knew the day would come when such idealistic excuses would resonate with her?
‘He must’ve just said it to be polite, right?’
To be honest, she had pressured Kang Woo-ju into a fixed answer. It was a kind of emotional bait, one might say.
She skipped all the early scenes on purpose to make an impression and walked out wearing the main dress first.
She pushed herself too hard, annoyed at Kang Woo-ju, who hadn’t even realized she’d come out because he was looking at another woman.
‘...Calm down, Kim Eun-ha.’
Thump, thump, thump, thump-
First, she had to calm her wildly beating heart. That troublemaker never listened to her brain no matter how hard it ordered it to.
“What’s gotten into you? Giving out compliments and all.”
Good. That sounded natural.
Her voice wasn’t shaky.
The response time was decent.
If Kang Woo-ju just shrugged his shoulders and brushed it off with his usual light smile, this incident would be settled as a minor event.
“Hmmm.”
But something felt off.
“Well.”
Kang Woo-ju’s expression was serious.
“I was just being honest.”
No matter how she looked at it, this didn’t feel like a polite gesture...
“You’re still pretty, even now.”
“─────!!!”
Kang Woo-ju suddenly leaned in like someone trying to get a closer look. Kim Eun-ha let out a silent scream in her heart.
She was extremely thankful she didn’t say it out loud, but she still didn’t know how to react.
‘Come to think of it....’
Only then did she notice Kang Woo-ju’s outfit. Of course, he had also changed for the final rehearsal.
A splendid uniform with a black base embroidered in gold. It was even more stunning because Kim Eun-ha had poured her personal taste into the design.
‘...He looks way too good in that!’
She almost lost her mind like a teenage girl, squealing in excitement. It was such a striking image that it was hard to hold back.
That’s how overwhelming Kang Woo-ju’s uniform look was. It was like awakening a fetish she didn’t even know she had.
Saying things he normally wouldn’t in that appearance? That was beyond cheating.
‘...At this rate, I might end up confessing first.’
The reason an incident hadn’t occurred yet was because the patience she had built up over her lifetime had reached an almost transcendental level.
She desperately tried to steady her breathing. She squeezed her overloaded brain for a way to navigate this situation smoothly.
“A-hem! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Saying things you never say? Don’t tell me you’re harboring some strange impure thoughts about me?”
“Uh... am I?”
What do you mean, “am I”!?
You should’ve denied it immediately!
Whether he knew how she felt or not, Kang Woo-ju closed his eyes and fell into thought. His expression was so serious, one might think he was playing a game of Go.
Even though Kim Eun-ha knew it was just a teasing joke, she still felt a dizzying sensation.
She could feel her skin heating up in real time. It probably really was.
‘...This is kind of serious.’
WEEEEEOOOOO-!!
A siren blared inside Kim Eun-ha’s head. If she stayed like this and got caught blushing, the scene would look strange no matter how you framed it.
If another blow came now, her reason might not be able to hold out.
“Eun-ha unnie!”
“......!!”
Just then, a voice of salvation called out from somewhere. As if the person had been reading her mind, the timing was impeccable.
Of course, it was none other than Kang Han-na. She stood on the stage, calling out to Kim Eun-ha with an innocent, clueless expression.
The fact that it was a fake expression was something only Kim Eun-ha at that moment could pick up on.
“Unnie! Let’s take a picture before our makeup gets ruined by sweat. Come up on stage with oppa!”
“...Okay.”
Kim Eun-ha nodded with a slightly awkward expression. She hadn’t expected to be saved like this. Maybe good deeds really do bring blessings.
Thanks to that, she pulled herself together, both physically and mentally, and turned around with a relaxed smile back on her face.
“Woo-ju ssi. Shall we go up too?”
“...Let’s do that.”
Kang Woo-ju, snapping out of his thoughts, looked at her with a slightly dazed expression before slowly stepping forward.
***
“All right~ say cheese. One, two!”
Click-!
While the photo was being taken, my eyes were mechanically fixed on the camera lens, but in truth, all I could see on my retina was Kim Eun-ha’s dress.
The impact of the first impression was inevitable, but by now I should have gotten used to it. For some reason, though, I kept glancing her way, and it was becoming a problem.
‘...Now I’m even noticing other people.’
This was the biggest issue.
Come to think of it, Kim Eun-ha didn’t just look beautiful to me. She was so stunning that even women, let alone men, found themselves falling for her.
As a result, she had everyone's attention regardless of age or gender. But what really bothered me were the blatantly obvious gazes from the men.
Of course, I say “blatant” from my own perspective. They did their best to be subtle, I suppose.
But those instinctive side glances, driven by male nature, were something even they couldn’t fully control.
Every time I noticed it, a clear and undeniable emotion surged within me.
‘...Wait, am I jealous right now?’
Hmm-
A low hum escaped me without thinking. It was getting harder to ignore the feelings rising within me.
Well, Kim Eun-ha had been openly fanning the flames lately, so the fact that I’d held out this long as a man was impressive in itself.
‘There’s no way I wouldn’t notice.’
Over the past few days, Kim Eun-ha’s attempts at seduction had become blatantly obvious. If I hadn’t picked up on it, I’d deserve to be called a eunuch.
Sure, I had a rough time in my school years, but I was still someone who had been in the thick of the jungle.
We were young men and women in our early twenties, at our prime. And our department was basically filled with the most attractive people in the country.
‘Everyone was pretty free.’
No one said it out loud, but about seven out of ten changed partners monthly. In extreme cases, it happened weekly.
Professors, seniors, classmates. No matter the category, even someone as marked as me had received something like a few confessions.
Of course, because of my family situation, it never led to actual dating, but that didn’t mean I was blind.
After a few years in that kind of environment, your sense of awareness sharpens whether you like it or not.
‘Eun-ha ssi definitely has romantic feelings for me.’
Probability-wise, about 99.9%.
I couldn’t say for certain what had caused her to develop feelings for me, but the outcome seemed almost undeniable.
‘I feel the same way.’
As surprising as it may be, I also have feelings for Kim Eun-ha. More than just a business relationship, I truly want us to become a couple.
Our feelings for each other align.
But reality holds us back.
‘...A romantic relationship is too unstable.’
A contract, on the other hand, is clean.
It’s simply a “transaction.”
You give and take based on mutual interest, and that’s all.
In terms of our current arrangement, I play the role of a showroom boyfriend to block her from being forced into a strategic marriage.
In return, Kim Eun-ha actively uses her wealth and connections to create an environment where “Kang Woo-ju” can pursue acting freely.
‘But if we were to become a real couple....’
All the conditions flip.
As her boyfriend, it becomes my “natural duty” to fend off her potential suitors, while her obligations disappear.
Of course, Kim Eun-ha wouldn’t just abandon me outright, but it’s unclear whether she would remain as actively involved as she is now.
More than anything, she tends to be possessive, and her trust in people isn’t particularly high.
An actor is, by nature, someone who must be loved by the public. But could “Kim Eun-ha, the girlfriend”, really accept that?
‘That’s far too optimistic.’
The truth is, even now, every aspect of my livelihood, including my family’s, is dependent on Kim Eun-ha.
That means, if she wished to, she could control my entire life as she pleases. A single whim from her could throw everything into jeopardy.
‘Of course, as long as we both have feelings, it won’t matter...’
But love is finite.
And, more than anything, it is fickle.
Sometimes, even a careless joke from your partner can destroy a relationship.
And other times, feelings just fade for no reason at all, simply with the passage of time.
All humans are, in the end, just pretending to be “rational”. We’re cursed beings who can never fully break free from instinct.
‘Once we cross that line, there’s no turning back.’
For now, it’s fine.
Up to this point, it’s still just a fleeting incident.
In a way, maybe I’m being too calculating. But I’ve become too worn down by reality to believe in pure love.
If I want to stay with Kim Eun-ha for a long time, I need to keep my distance. We must stay far enough apart not to be swept away by each other’s emotions.
I know this.
Better than anyone, I know it.
“...Hm!? Woo-ju ssi?”
As I took off my jacket and draped it over her shoulders, Kim Eun-ha turned around in surprise. That genuinely flustered look on her face was unbelievably cute.
“You’ll catch a cold like that.”
“In this weather, that’s a bit....”
She trailed off mid-sentence.
She glanced back and forth between my face and the jacket on her shoulders, and perhaps realizing the meaning behind it, she lowered her head deeply.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she slowly reached out and pulled the jacket closed, hiding the exposed line of her collarbones and shoulders.
“...Th-thank you.”
“...Don’t mention it.”
Kim Eun-ha, acting bashful, so unlike her. Where had that confident version of her from moments ago gone? Thanks to that, I ended up feeling embarrassed too.
Yeah, this is all Kim Eun-ha’s fault.
...Everything, honestly, is her fault.
*****
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