Chapter 3
‘I love you’ and now ‘It was love at first sight’.
Hyunsoo was shocked by the words she had blurted out. Jae-ha also turned his head in surprise.
“What… did you just say?”
He looked at Hyunsoo as if he hadn’t heard her correctly.
Why did I say something like that?
But the words were already out. She’d shouted it too loudly to take it back. Hyunsoo tried to summon the power of positive thinking.
At least I managed to stop him from leaving.
Of course, she didn’t mean it, it was the first time in her life she had said such words. Pushing aside her embarrassment, Hyunsoo looked directly into Jae-ha’s eyes.
“You heard me.”
“So you’re saying that was meant for me?”
“Yes.”
Jae-ha’s lips parted slightly in disbelief. A sigh escaped along with a bitter laugh.
“Are you joking?”
If only it were a joke. Hyunsoo thought she’d prefer this whole situation to be a joke.
“I’m not joking.”
“You’re saying that seriously?”
Jae-ha looked even more baffled. But the more surprised he got, the calmer Hyunsoo became. Though the situation had spiraled unintentionally, she felt like she could turn it around.
“Yes.”
“Let’s stop with the jokes.”
Jae-ha frowned, clearly irritated. Hyunsoo slowly took a step closer.
“Why do you think it’s a joke?”
“Then what is it, if it’s not?”
Hyunsoo spoke clearly and firmly.
“It’s how I really feel.”
“But as far as I know, we just met today.”
“Not for me. I saw you before.”
“And where exactly do you think you saw me?”
His piercing gaze demanded an answer. Hyunsoo didn’t look away as she replied.
“About a month ago, you gave a career lecture at Hanil University.”
“No way.”
“I was there too.”
“……!”
“I’m an English major at Hanil University. A lot of students from other departments attended that day, and I was one of them.”
“Ah.”
Jae-ha let out a short sound—part sigh, part realization.
“So for me, that was the first time I saw you.”
Jae-ha rubbed his forehead with his palm, looking like he was getting a headache.
“So you’re saying you’ve been in love—or rather, interested, since that day?”
It seemed he couldn’t bring himself to call Hyunsoo’s feelings ‘love.’
Well, anyone would be surprised if I said I’ve been in love since seeing him once from afar.
But Hyunsoo had no intention of stopping this lie. She felt sorry for him, but this was about her life.
“Yes. I looked up the articles you’d written afterward. The more I read, the stronger my feelings grew.”
“Ha!”
Jae-ha let out another exasperated sigh, his expression deeply troubled.
Watching someone ten years older squirm like this wasn’t pleasant for Hyunsoo either.
I’m sorry.
She apologized silently and continued.
“You said I’d gain nothing from this marriage. But that’s not true. I’d gain you, Mr. Jae-ha.”
“……”
“And you also said I should marry someone I love.”
“……”
“I want to marry you, Mr. Jae-ha.”
Seeing Hyunsoo’s unwavering expression, Jae-ha pressed his fingers to his temple like it was throbbing.
“I want to marry you. I really do.”
Hoo!
Jae-ha let out a loud sigh, no longer bothering to hide it. Then, gathering himself, he calmly began to reason with her.
“Miss Yoo Hyunsoo, this isn’t love.”
“……”
“At your age, it’s easy to mistake admiration for love.”
But Hyunsoo didn’t back down. For a cornered mouse, the only way out was forward.
“When I found out you were my match, I thought it was fate.”
Fate.
Even Hyunsoo was surprised by the words coming out of her mouth—talk of love, fate… things she’d never said before. Never even thought of.
“Fate? Says who?”
Jae-ha seemed more shaken by the word ‘fate’ than ‘love.’ Hyunsoo answered even more calmly.
“Meeting like this—it’s fate.”
Jae-ha was speechless, unable to respond. It was no surprise, having a twenty-year-old girl confess love and talk about fate would leave anyone stunned.
But Hyunsoo didn’t stop there. She delivered the final blow.
“Please marry me. You don’t have to love me. I’m not asking for love. Just marriage—please, just marry me.”
***
They said she was quiet and well-mannered. That she had been properly taught etiquette from a young age and was unusually mature for her age.
That was the information Jae-ha had heard about Hyunsoo from his grandfather, Chairman Kwon, before the matchmaking meeting.
“Ha!”
An incredulous sigh escaped Jae-ha’s lips as he drove swiftly. The Hyunsoo he had just met was nothing like what he’d been told.
Her first impression had been quiet and kind. She even seemed more mature than others her age. But then came that sudden, aggressive love confession, it was incredibly bold.
Now what?
Hyunsoo’s confession had completely thrown off Jae-ha’s plans. He had intended to talk her out of the matchmaking by pointing out her young age.
That way, Chairman Kwon would accept it too. After all, how could anyone be expected to marry someone who didn’t want the match?
But Hyunsoo had declared her love and strongly expressed her desire to marry him.
He could still see her earnest, pleading eyes. It really looked like she was in love with him.
“Sigh…”
It wasn’t the first time a woman had confessed to him. With his good looks and solid family background, he had received countless confessions since he was young. But never one as desperate and heartfelt as this.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her face. That desperation, like someone drowning and grasping for even a single straw, was etched into his memory.
“Jae-ha, you’re already back?”
As Jae-ha stepped into the house, his mother, Seol-joo, approached him with a limp in one leg.
“Yes.”
He answered briefly, his face showing the weight of fatigue.
“Your grandfather is waiting for you in his room.”
“Of course he is.”
Jae-ha replied sarcastically and began walking toward Chairman Kwon’s room. Seol-joo followed and whispered a hint.
“He’s in a really good mood right now. So be nice to him, okay?”
“……”
The reason for Chairman Kwon’s good mood.
Even without hearing it, even without seeing him, Jae-ha knew why. His head throbbed again.
“Grandfather, it’s Jae-ha.”
“Come in.”
Once he got permission, Jae-ha opened the door and stepped inside. Chairman Kwon, sitting on the heated floor, gestured for him to sit. Jae-ha sat cross-legged in front of him, and the chairman began to speak.
“They called. Said they really liked you.”
How could they not, after hearing Hyunsoo’s passionate confession?
“……”
“They said if we’re okay with it, we should set a date.”
“Grandfather.”
“Considering your departure date, it’d be best to set it sometime this month.”
“Grandfather.”
“We’ll have to discuss that with your mother.”
Chairman Kwon completely ignored Jae-ha’s calls. It was clear from his expression that he already knew what Jae-ha was about to say.
In the end, Jae-ha scowled and raised his voice.
“Grandfather!”
Chairman Kwon shouted back, not backing down.
“Shut up, you brat! Then don’t go as a foreign correspondent or whatever it is! It doesn’t have to be you, why must you go to such dangerous places?”
The root of the conflict between Jae-ha and his grandfather had always been the foreign correspondent assignment scheduled two months later. Chairman Kwon couldn’t bear to send his only blood relative into regions plagued with terrorism and conflict, even for the sake of journalism.
But Jae-ha was firm in his decision. Eventually, Chairman Kwon gave him an ultimatum, if he insisted on going, he must get married and continue the family line first. Otherwise, he’d have to give up the assignment.
However, Jae-ha had inherited his grandfather’s stubbornness, and the threat didn’t work on him. Which led them to this point.
“The girl I met today was just a child. I can’t marry someone that young.”
“I like the girl, but it doesn’t have to be her. Marry someone else. Though if we start looking for a new bride now, it’ll take more time.”
“I want to marry someone I choose, not be forced into it. You know this is unreasonable too, Grandfather.”
“You’re the third-generation only son. If you insist on going to such dangerous places, we need some insurance.”
“I’m not going there to die. I’m going there to report.”
“You never know what’ll happen. No one expected your father to pass away so young either.”
It was the same argument, like a broken record. They’d fought over it countless times, but neither side showed any sign of giving in.
“Please change your mind. I’m not getting married.”
As Jae-ha stood up to leave, Chairman Kwon shouted behind him.
“If you go without getting married, on your own terms!”
“And if I do?”
Jae-ha turned around, glaring directly at his grandfather.
“I’ll strike you from the family registry.”
“What did you say?”
Jae-ha asked again, as if he’d misheard. Chairman Kwon exhaled sharply through his nose and continued with terrifying determination.
“Not just you, your mother too. I’ll cut both of you off!”
“……!”
Jae-ha’s face twisted in anguish.
