Chapter 17: The Thorn in His Side

“In-hyuk, if you send me what you’ve investigated so far, I’ll organize it and wrap it up.”

Seo Da-rae spoke while looking at the laptop, then lifted her head when no answer came. In-hyuk sat across from her, lost in thought as he stared out the window. The watered-down Americano in front of him suggested he had been that way for a while.

“In-hyuk?”

“Yeah. Sorry, what did you say?”

“What’s wrong?”

At her question, Kang In-hyuk shook his head slightly. He picked up his Americano belatedly, saw the ice had all melted, and set it back down. He said it was nothing, but his expression didn’t improve. Seo Da-rae closed the laptop and stretched her arms. Right now, In-hyuk mattered more than the assignment.

“You don’t look good.”

“Is that so.”

Kang In-hyuk wiped his cheeks, but his expression didn’t change. He was thinking about lunch with Yoon Tae-seo’s family.

The sudden encounter had left an impression, enough to disrupt In-hyuk’s peaceful routine. They had been friendly in front of the adults, then turned prickly the moment they were alone.

Yoon Tae-seo’s gaze and attitude toward him felt like thorns under his fingertips. They were irritating to touch but invisible. Ignoring them only made it worse, a constant prick against his nerves.

“I didn’t know I was meeting you today, and I felt the same. I don’t know what our parents were thinking when they set this up, but anyway, they just tried to match the atmosphere as our parents. I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable for the adults by pretending we’re on bad terms for no reason.”

“The fact that your parents like me is an issue, and if I become an omega, it’s also a problem for our parents who want to match us up. Yeah, that’s there.”

With that said, he blatantly set up a blind date right in front of Kang In-hyuk. He was clearly saying he had no feelings for him.

His insides, once transparently visible, were now impenetrable. Was he trying to escape that situation under the pretext of a blind date, or was there another reason?

Still, worrying the person right in front of him by thinking about Yoon Tae-seo was too much. Seo Da-rae kept staring, and Kang In-hyuk chuckled.

“There’s really nothing.”

“Maybe…”

Seo Da-rae hesitated, as if about to mention a name, then closed her mouth and said it was nothing. There was no need to bring up Yoon Tae-seo here.

“Since it seems like we can’t focus, should we go back home and finish the rest separately?”

Seo Da-rae asked. Kang In-hyuk lowered his gaze to his laptop. He had searched here and there, but nothing was organized, so it wouldn’t be resolved quickly.

“Let’s do that.”

As Seo Da-rae nodded and started packing, Kang In-hyuk suddenly called out.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

“No, it’s okay. I can take the subway and be there soon.”

“How can you say it’s soon? You have to take the subway and then catch a bus down.”

“You don’t know how efficient it is to study every time, do you?”

Seo Da-rae laughed it off and dodged his suggestion. It felt guilty to take up his time again when he drove her home, and it was a burden on her budget even if she pretended otherwise.

“Da-rae.”

Seo Da-rae had packed all her bags, but Kang In-hyuk still looked unsettled. He glanced up from his open laptop. Noticing his sinking gaze, Seo Da-rae quietly pulled back her teasing hand.

“Are you still rejecting my offer?”

“Well…”

What In-hyuk had suggested was that she stay at his place while attending university. He had brought it up now and then for a while.

“The school you’re attending is too far away. Besides, I often visit my hometown, so it’s convenient for you to study there, saving time on commuting.”

“In-hyuk, I’m really fine. I knew the school was far when I applied. And I’m not wasting time commuting; I’m using it efficiently, so you don’t need to worry.”

“What about me?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t I worry about you until you get home?”

As Kang In-hyuk shifted the focus onto himself, Seo Da-rae couldn’t hide her surprise. She always claimed to be fine, but when he asked about his own feelings, she couldn’t avoid it.

“Every day, I worry if you got home safely, if something happened, if someone is following you. Do you think I don’t care?”

“In-hyuk.”

“It’s not that you’re weak. It’s just… you’re too beautiful, so weird things keep happening.”

Seo Da-rae had nothing to say. She had heard him say this several times before. There had even been times when Kang In-hyuk chased away alphas who followed her after catching her scent. With him so protective, she couldn’t claim everything was fine anymore.

Truth be told, she would have preferred a school closer to home. It would have been easier to focus on her studies without squeezing in time for part-time jobs. But she had hesitated to rely on Kang In-hyuk too much, and her resolve to refuse was slowly weakening.

“I’ll make sure no one else comes, so come to my place. I won’t hold you back after graduation.”

“I’ll think about it.”

In the end, Seo Da-rae gave him an opening instead of rejecting him outright.

“You’re considering that too?”

Kang In-hyuk had been waiting for her answer to his confession, but she kept postponing, asking for time to think. She felt like she was giving him the same answer again, so she couldn’t meet his gaze.

She liked Kang In-hyuk too. Her heart had raced when he confessed. How could she dislike him? But it wasn’t simple. There were many differences between them, and many obstacles.

“Well, it’s better this way. From the day we start dating, we can live together.”

“What do you mean?”

When Kang In-hyuk lightened the mood, Seo Da-rae felt relieved and smiled.

“Let’s get up now.”

Kang In-hyuk nodded and quickly tidied his laptop and books. Seo Da-rae, already finished packing, helped him and handed him his pen. To anyone watching, they looked like affectionate lovers. Their gazes held a mutual fondness. It was strange that they weren’t officially dating yet.

“Oh, wait a moment.”

As Kang In-hyuk was about to lift his bag, his phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket. When he checked the caller, his expression stiffened. Just from his reaction, Seo Da-rae could guess who it was without asking. Sensing his gaze, she lowered herself back down from her half-raised seat.

– Yes, what’s the matter?

A woman’s voice came through the phone, likely Kang In-hyuk’s mother.

– I’m alone. What’s going on?

Seo Da-rae shrugged slightly at Kang In-hyuk’s brief glance. Even though it was just a phone call, she found herself shrinking, as if trying to make herself less visible. Kang In-hyuk was fine and told her not to worry, but his parents were still intimidating and burdensome to her. The fact that they saw her as a thorn in their side only made it worse.

Even though Kang In-hyuk reassured her, it was hard for Seo Da-rae not to feel uneasy about not being accepted by his parents. Still, when their eyes met, she pretended to smile as if everything was fine.

That was how she lived. Even if she felt rotten inside, she didn’t show it. It was the only way to protect her self-esteem.

“I envy Yoon Tae-seo in moments like this.”

She couldn’t help but envy Yoon Tae-seo’s confidence, the way he believed the world revolved around him. Looking at Kang In-hyuk, who couldn’t receive his parents’ love, made her own world seem dismal.

“Is it for Se-heon hyung?”

Unaware of Seo Da-rae’s thoughts, Kang In-hyuk focused on the call.

“Why would I go to hyung? Father has a secretary.”

Kang In-hyuk said reluctantly, but his mother kept talking. He gave Seo Da-rae an apologetic look but didn’t hang up. The tone suggested his mother was asking him to do something.

– Sigh, okay, I got it. I just need to take it to hyung, right?

Even as he sighed and reluctantly accepted, Seo Da-rae couldn’t hide her bitter feelings. Even if she voiced her displeasure, she would lose to his parents in the end, and their relationship would eventually end. That was why she hesitated.

Still…

“Hey, In-hyuk.”

‘My feelings for In-hyuk that I couldn’t give up kept bubbling up.’

****

“The approval documents end here. The canceled meeting has been rescheduled for next week.”

Kang Se-heon rolled his pen absentmindedly as he listened to his secretary’s report. A month-long meeting had been pushed back because of the other party’s urgent circumstances. It threw off his evening plans.

“I’ll take you home.”

Se-heon offered as he finished his work.

“Hmm…”

Kang Se-heon set down his pen and rubbed his chin. At the mention of going home, someone’s face naturally came to mind. The cat that woke him in the morning and asked for sushi… Was he softening up?

“Let’s stop by the sushi restaurant on the way.”

“Will you be dining in? I’ll make a reservation then.”

“Rather, ask them to prepare two servings for takeout.”

“Understood.”

It was just buying food on the way home, nothing more. And perhaps the canceled meeting was a stroke of luck for Tae-seo.

As Kang Se-heon picked up his coat to head home, his secretary handed him a phone.

“It’s President Kang Soo-hak.”

He was like a little father to Kang Se-heon, responsible for KH Mart.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Our Guide to the Second World

CapableDevotedGuideverse

Read Now →
Not interested