Chapter 71: A Break and a Breakthrough

I was stunned.

This actually worked.

That was my honest reaction when I saw Bae Ji An’s name among the final hires as the new year began. After two months of training, the fresh-faced recruits started real work in spring. I wasn’t her direct supervisor, but we ended up seated close by.

“Please take care of me, sunbae-nim!”

Ji An bowed to me, slightly nervous. Up close, she truly looked like a heroine. The same visual jolt I felt seeing Do Yoon hit me again. I caught myself staring.

They’d look incredible together.

For a fleeting moment, I felt guilty about Do Yoon, far across the ocean, then shook it off. Both he and Ji An would have no shortage of suitors—did they really need to end up together?

Probably not?

To hide my unease, I forced a wide grin.

“Nice to meet you.”

Ji An flinched, murmured a quick “Hup,” bowed again, and scurried off. At lunch, her direct supervisor, Ah Young, asked me.

“Did you say something to Ji An?”

“Huh? Like what?”

“She came back from greeting you, saying she messed up somehow… said your expression was scary.”

“…I just greeted her.”

Ah Young tilted her head, but Kwak Sun Woo chimed in dramatically.

“Ha, Ji An’s already on the power player’s bad side!”

“Stop saying stuff like that.”

“But she remembered you. Said you glared at her during the interview.”

“…That’s just my face.”

“Odd, you don’t seem the glaring type. Did she mess up or something?”

As Ah Young mused, I saw Sun Woo revving up for more nonsense. If he didn’t know about my engagement to Ju Ria, he’d probably have joked about me and Ji An.

Catching my glare, he started humming and looked away. Even a loose cannon like him knew where to draw the line.

But that line was about to crumble. August, when my fake engagement with Ju Ria was set to end, was fast approaching. After much preparation, Ju Ria suggested inviting my family to her place.

“I’m about to drop a bomb. It’d be weird if my family started something at your place, right?”

“…Probably.”

“Should we leave out your grandfather?”

“I’ll try, but he’ll probably insist.”

“I’ll have an ambulance on standby.”

“That bad?”

“You’d say it’s not enough if you saw my family’s reactions.”

A strange camaraderie and tension hung between us, like we were gearing up for battle. Ju Ria spoke first.

“We lasted a long time, huh?”

“Yeah.”

After a pause, I said.

“Live happily.”

She grinned.

“You too.”

Under the guise of a “major announcement,” we crafted meticulous invitations. It felt slightly wrong to deceive both families, but it had to be done.

As expected, Grandfather insisted on attending, likely assuming good news since Ju Ria said she had something to say in person. He loved family harmony and wouldn’t miss it.

The result was a massive family gathering: from Haewon, Grandfather, Father, Mother; from Koryo Ilbo, President Ju, Ju Ria’s parents, and her brother. Seung Hee, thankfully, was absent due to work.

Appetizers were served amid warm pleasantries. As the main course arrived, Grandfather, impatient, prodded us.

“When are you sharing the good news?”

Ju Ria and I exchanged a nod. She took a deep breath, her smile vanishing, and addressed everyone.

“Thank you for coming despite your busy schedules. What I have to say requires me to face you and apologize directly, so I sent the invitations.”

“Hmm…?”

Mother, sensing an unexpected tone, shook her head in disbelief. Others reacted similarly. Ju Ria’s mother poked her, confused.

Ju Ria declared in a low voice.

“…I cannot marry Seung Hyun.”

A deathly silence fell over the table. Even President Choi Young Gil, startled, put down his utensils and asked.

“What?”

“Because I deceived Seung Hyun. I love women.”

“What?”

As Grandfather echoed, the Koryo Ilbo side paled. President Ju glared at her.

“Are you insane?”

Unfazed, Ju Ria stood, bowed 90 degrees to our side, and spoke.

“I sincerely apologize to Seung Hyun and his family. When my family learned of my orientation, they tried to marry me off to anyone. I used Seung Hyun, knowing he once liked me. Seeing him genuinely happy made me feel guilty, but I wanted to protect my life from crumbling. I’m selfish.”

Her brutally honest confession brought an even heavier silence. Despite our rehearsals, the atmosphere was so intense my hands trembled under the table.

I glanced at Grandfather. Thankfully, no signs of collapse yet.

Father reacted first.

“So you’re… a lesbian?”

“No, sir, it’s a misunderstanding. She’s just acting crazy…”

Ju Ria’s father tried to laugh it off, but their ashen faces confirmed her words. Mother, sitting beside me, stared in disbelief.

“My God, there’s a limit to ruining someone’s son…”

Her face cycled from pale to flushed. Ju Ria bowed her head.

“I humbly accept responsibility for my and my family’s wrongs and will take any punishment.”

Then she stepped away from the table, knelt before me, and said.

“I’m sorry.”

“What…”

I was speechless, floored by her acting. This wasn’t in the plan. But because I was genuinely shocked, I looked like a guy blindsided by his fiancée of five years.

The Ju family paled further. Ju Ria’s mother hissed to her son.

“…Get her out of here. Lock her up.”

Her brother moved, but Mother, regaining her composure, spoke.

“We’ll handle this through lawyers.”

“Madam—”

“Who’s your madam? Even in an arranged marriage, there’s a line!”

Grandfather, face stern, stood slowly with his cane. The engagement was effectively dead. The Ju family shot up, alarmed. President Ju stammered.

“Chairman, please, let’s talk…”

But Grandfather, ignoring him, looked only at me.

“Seung Hyun, let’s go.”

Before leaving, I pulled Ju Ria up from her knees. A dreadful silence enveloped the elders—too stunned for anger. I dragged her to my car for escape. In the passenger seat, she spoke slowly.

“…Why drag me out?”

Looking closely, she was trembling slightly, aged a decade in ten minutes. Staring ahead, I said.

“…Honestly? I thought you’d get hit if you stayed.”

“…Thanks.”

“You got hotel money, right?”

“Yup. Why I wore pants with big pockets.”

Her quip, even now, was so her. I asked.

“Why go that far? The acting was too much.”

“You had to look shocked to seem like a victim. Why were you so calm?”

She exhaled like cigarette smoke.

“Do whatever you want now. Make a scene and take what you can, or play generous and take what you can.”

“You okay?”

She grinned, refreshed.

“Thanks to you, today’s the most satisfying day of my life. Thank you.”

A strange feeling hit me.

If the original Choi Seung Hyun and Ju Ria had married, would she have mourned his death?

Whether they married or not, they wouldn’t have been as good friends as we are now. I nodded.

“Thanks to you too.”