Sunjae

I stared blankly at my home office monitor, the glowing screen blurring as my mind replayed the scene from yesterday for the hundredth time. From her desperate kiss to the chaotic screaming match with her ex-boyfriend, my head refused to let go of a single detail.

Finally accepting that I couldn’t focus on my work, I let out a quiet sigh and leaned back, staring at the wall.

“What an incredibly impulsive woman.”

My mouth moved involuntarily, testing the syllables aloud. “Kim Juri. Lee Juri.”

My drifting thoughts were abruptly cut short when my phone buzzed with a text notification from Taeho.

“Don’t forget to attend the blind date today. Even if you have no intention of marrying her.”

A second later, he sent the restaurant's location tag.

Sighing, I glanced at the digital clock on my desk. I only had an hour left. Dragging a hand through my hair, I shut down my monitor, walked out of the office, and stepped into the living room. My eyes immediately landed on my car keys resting on the coffee table.

I glanced down at my wristwatch and crossed my arms. She was late. Sighing, I decided to order a glass of wine as I stared out the window and down at the city lights that illuminated the night sky.

Soon, I heard heels gently click on the ground and turned my head.

“You’re late,” I said.

Chaewon smiled softly and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. She looked completely different than the last time I saw her last year. This time, her hair was cut into a sleek, razor-sharp bob that perfectly framed her jawline.

The sharp cut highlighted her eyes. Her eyes were just as narrow and striking as my own, but lacked any of my cold indifference. Instead, they gleamed with a familiar, glittering mischief, as if she already knew the exact hand my grandfather was trying to play by forcing this blind date.

She was dressed effortlessly in an exclusive piece from Elyvion’s latest luxury collection, the structured, tailored silhouette screaming old money. It was precisely the kind of impeccable look a chaebol heiress would wear to a high-stakes arranged marriage meeting.

“Missed me that much, Sunjae?” she asked, her voice filled with an amused, playful tone as she slid into the seat opposite me.

She gracefully picked up the menu and read through it. I almost smirked; it wasn’t like she was reading intently because she always ordered the same thing.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” she asked, her gaze drifting over the top of the pages.

I crossed my arms and leaned back into my seat, “I’m not here to eat, Chaewon. I’m sure you know that too.”

She closed the menu with a loud thud, and her lips curled into a wider, playful smile.

“Why? Because of the arranged marriage?”, her mischievous eyes locking with mine as she rested her chin on her hand. “You can give up on the cold act, Sunjae. I’m not backing out from this one.”

With long, elegant fingers, she snapped her fingers, immediately summoning the waitress.

This was probably one of her restaurants.

“I’ll have the Tournedos Rossini, medium-rare,” she said without even glancing down at the pages, “and a glass of the '82 Bordeaux. Like his,” she said, without breaking eye contact with me.

The gears of my mind turned, trying to calculate her next move. For as long as I had known Choi Chaewon, she had always been stubborn, relentless, and completely unwilling to stop until she got exactly what she wanted. This blind date was the tenth one she had orchestrated behind my back, and the only one I had actually shown up to. That alone proved the terrifying extent of her persistence.

And with the Daehan and Hwaon brand collaboration coming up, she basically struck corporate gold.

The waitress turned to me, “What would you like to order, sir?” she asked. However, before I could decline the offer, Chaewon interjected.

“He’ll have the same thing. I believe. Right, Sunjae?”

I didn’t say anything and held her gaze as the waitress nodded and took our menus.

“I’m sure Chairman Lee already explained why this marriage is important. So let’s cut straight to the point. Are you going to marry me?” she asked, her voice sharp as her gaze.

I sighed and cocked my head, “You must be the happiest person on earth to finally come close to getting what you want.” Her eyes narrowed as I continued, “However, I’ve already found my match.”

She folded her arms, “A match? Are you listening to yourself right now?”

I smirked, “Listen, Chaewon, I didn’t attend this date because I’m accepting this marriage; I came here to decline it. So you can stop organizing these dates.”

She paused momentarily as she stared at me before breaking out into a graceful laugh, her delicate hands covering her mouth as the melodious sound of laughter echoed in the restaurant.

“You’re hilarious, Sunjae.” Her melodious laugh halted. “You do realize that this marriage also seals your title as successor, right?”

“Chaewon. I’ve already weighed the damage my rejection will bring. However, I believe it’ll bring more benefits to the company if I secure a partner who doesn’t use our marriage as a bargaining chip for corporate control.”

Her playful smile faded as she realized I was ahead of her in the business game; I wasn’t just rejecting her out of emotion, I had already analyzed the math and truly found a better strategic partner.

She leaned forward with a serious expression," So, who did you decide to marry? The eldest daughter of SM Tech? Or perhaps the youngest daughter of the Ho Corporation?"

By then, the food arrived, but she didn’t pay the waitress any attention. Her eyes remained locked onto mine, her hands clenching tightly into fists on the table.

“Enjoy your meal,” the waitress said after pouring her wine and refilling mine. She then bowed and left.

Glancing down at the dishes between us, I immediately organized the utensils and re-folded the napkin out of habit.

“None of them. You’ll get to meet her at the time of the wedding.” I said as I stood up, “Don’t worry about paying, I have that covered.” I knew she would order the Tournedos Rossini for herself and me.

People never change, even after all these years.

I then left as her gaze followed me, her jaw slightly ajar in disbelief at the fact that this was probably the shortest date she had ever been on.

Juri

I aggressively ruffled my hair, groaning out loud in pure embarrassment. Even though a whole day had already passed, the embarrassment of what I had done refused to fade.

“Why on earth did I kiss him like a desperate fool?” I mumbled to myself, burying my face in my hands.

The absolute worst part was his reaction…or lack of one. I grabbed a pillow, pressed it over my face, and kicked my feet against the cushions in frustration.

Still… beneath all the humiliation, a wave of gratitude washed over me. I was incredibly thankful that he had played along with the kiss.

What happens now? Will he think I’m a fool and change his mind about the proposal? No, Mr. Lee didn’t look like the type to mix personal matters with work.

It was already late at night, and I had yet to hear a single word from him. I sighed heavily, rubbing my temples. What on earth was I thinking? He didn’t even have my personal number anyway, since he always communicated with me through Mrs. Min.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed against the coffee table.

My heart jumped straight into my throat, my entire body flinching at the sound.

It was an unknown number.

Gulping, I reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the phone from the coffee table. I hesitated for a second before hitting answer and pressing it to my ear.

“Hello, Ms. Kim?”

A deep, firm voice echoed on the other end of the line, and my heart raced violently. It was Mr. Lee.

I immediately scrambled to my feet, standing straight out of sheer instinct. “H-Hello, Mr. Lee?” I stuttered.

The line fell silent for a heavy moment before he spoke up again.

“So you recognized my voice right away.”

My eyes widened in horror. Gosh, why do I keep finding new ways to embarrass myself in front of him?!

“I…um. So about yesterday…” Dang it, I kept stumbling over my words. Get your act together, Juri!

“We need to talk about that,” he said smoothly, “Are you free?”

I nodded vigorously before instantly shaking my head, completely forgetting that he couldn’t actually see me through the screen. Realizing my mistake, I quickly replied.

“Yes, I am free.”

“Good. I’m outside your apartment building.”

My jaw dropped. I dashed across the living room and peered through the window. And of course, his car was visible down in the parking lot.

My mind started spiraling. I was in my PJs!