WW | Chapter 49

“Ha, whatever.”

After ten minutes of agonizing, Yul finally typed words into the search bar of the portal site. It felt a bit like snooping, which left her uneasy, but she figured she needed to know something about the client.

LK

Just typing those two letters brought up a slew of related searches: LK Financial, LK Construction, Paradiso Entertainment, and LK Honorary Chairman Kang Jinseok Death, LK President Yoo Jeongtae, Stock Manipulation, and more.

“Ah, he passed away.”

Yul murmured to herself as her gaze stopped at the search suggestion about Kang Jinseok’s death. She hadn’t realized that Kang Jinseok, the former chairman of LK and Yoonjo’s father, had passed away last year. Maybe she’d come across it in some online news headline but hadn’t bothered to click since it didn’t interest her. Although LK had rapidly risen in prominence in the past two or three years, it hadn’t been such a major corporation before, so the former chairman’s death didn’t make big headlines.

Feeling oddly unsettled, Yul read the obituary for the late Chairman Kang Jinseok. It was strange seeing the death of someone she knew reported in an article. Especially since she’d met him in person once, a long time ago—a fact even Yoonjo didn’t know.

Yoonjo had always disparaged her father as a gangster running a shady business, but she never went into detail about what he actually did. That part never particularly bothered Yul. Knowing Yoonjo had a strained relationship with her father, Yul had understood her reluctance to talk about him. Similarly, Kang Jinseok hadn’t volunteered much about himself when he’d met Yul. Whether he was trying to hide a dark past or not, his public profile didn’t even have a proper photo, making it impossible to find much unless someone deliberately searched for him.

LK Construction Executive Director Kang Yoonjo

Unlike his father, Yoonjo’s photo appeared boldly in the search results. His youthful face had matured, now exuding a sharp and sophisticated aura. Even his meticulously crafted smile was so attractive that anyone would be drawn to it. The commenters idolizing him in the articles probably didn’t realize his pictures didn’t even do him justice.

“Korea University, Department of Architecture, dropout?”

Reading through his profile, Yul absentmindedly bit her fingernail in disbelief. She had known he’d taken a leave of absence during their fifth-year spring, after their breakup, but she hadn’t expected he’d drop out entirely. She’d assumed he’d return and graduate after she did. They were strangers now, but understanding how close he’d been to graduating only to quit, she couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened.

“Merlin University, Business Administration, dropout too. So he did study abroad.”

Yul muttered to herself, not even realizing she was still nibbling her fingernail. Memories of their bitter breakup resurfaced, weighing heavily on her heart. Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, she continued scrolling through the information.

“Joined LK as an executive director.”

The records showed that Yoonjo had returned to Korea four years ago, right before LK rose to its current prominence, and joined LK Construction. There were more speculative pieces about him, but Yul avoided reading them, closing the browser.

Having grasped the basics of his background, Yul thought their breakup had been inevitable after all. Despite despising his own roots, the gap between them had always been vast from the start. They’d just been too absorbed in each other to think about it deeply. In the end, his choice was never going to be her.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded on the door. Yul quickly closed the browser and looked up.

“Hey, Seomun Team Leader, I heard the news.”

Jieun leaned against the doorframe, holding a tumbler in one hand. This wasn’t the Jieun she’d met in high school; this was Yoo Jieun, her college classmate. Yul, Yoonjo, Jieun, and Hyungtae—sometimes even Sunbae Minjae—had formed a close-knit group during college. At first, Yul had avoided Jieun because of her shared name with a high school acquaintance, but now she couldn’t imagine life without her. Jieun had become her best friend.

Although they had majored in the same field, Jieun had realized early on she lacked talent in architectural design and switched to spatial design. She now worked at Space Maru as the interior design team leader.

“Come inside; people might overhear.”

Judging by Jieun’s skeptical look, Yul guessed she was here to talk about Yoonjo. It seemed the office had been buzzing with gossip about his visit the other day, so it was no surprise Jieun had heard about it too.

Setting her tumbler on Yul’s desk with a sharp clink, Jieun wasted no time interrogating her.

“Is it true? Yoonjo’s an executive director at LK?”

“True.”

“And he’s the one who requested the design?”

“Also true.”

“Seriously, what’s up with our president? How could he assign you this project, knowing everything about you and Yoonjo? What’s so special about one house?”

“The estimate alone is 6 billion won.”

Yul answered matter-of-factly, glancing up at Jieun. Even with just preliminary data, the project’s scale exceeded her expectations.

“A 750-square-meter plot, with a total floor area of 1,800 square meters, four floors combining aboveground and underground. Even with a floor area ratio of 100% and a building coverage ratio of 50%, it’s massive. Plus, it’s a full-service job—design, construction, supervision, interior design, and landscaping. Payment in advance.”

Based on similar cases, the project might even go up to 8 billion won. Yul couldn’t fathom why Kang Yoonjo had placed such an extravagant order, but it was shaping up to be Space Maru’s biggest project this year. After the formal meeting with the client, Jieun’s team would also join once the design phase was complete.

“Wow. No wonder the president turned a blind eye. But why didn’t Yoonjo use his own company?”

“They don’t have architects specializing in private residences.”

“Still… Why’s he building a house all of a sudden?”

“It’s for his newlywed home.”

“…That bastard.”

Jieun immediately cursed, her frustration spilling out. This was her one bad habit since childhood—blurting out timely but inappropriate swears. Though it wasn’t aimed at people, some found her crudeness off-putting. Yul, however, appreciated Jieun’s candid nature, knowing she had a kind heart beneath her rough words.

“Isn’t Kang Yoonjo a psycho? How could he ask you to design his newlywed home?”

“I’d like to know that myself.”

Yul’s phone buzzed, signaling an incoming call.

Client Kang Yoonjo

The name displayed on the screen. Taking a deep breath, Yul answered the call while signaling Jieun to wait with a raised finger.

“Yes, this is Seomun Yul.”

“I’m in front of the main entrance on the first floor.”

“Understood.”

The call was curt and businesslike. Yul packed her belongings into her bag, preparing to step out. As she stood and grabbed her coat, Jieun’s suspicious eyes followed her.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m meeting the client to visit the site. He’s downstairs.”

“The client… is Yoonjo? Was that the same guy speaking so politely?”

“Yeah.”

“What are you two playing at? That was so awkward it’s hilarious.”

Jieun burst into laughter, clapping her hands. Ignoring her, Yul slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out.

Their formal speech felt strange even to Yul. She’d insisted on professionalism to avoid mixing personal feelings with work, and Yoonjo had agreed, adhering strictly to the arrangement. But years of casual speech couldn’t be undone overnight, leaving their conversations stilted. If Jieun could sense it, there was no denying it.

“Yul-ah.”

Jieun called out, stopping Yul at the door. Her expression softened for a moment before she beamed brightly.

“Never mind. Come to my place this weekend for dinner. Hyungtae says he misses you.”

“Okay.”

Yul could guess what Jieun had initially wanted to ask: whether she was okay meeting Yoonjo again. But instead, Jieun had chosen to keep it to herself. “Yoo Jieun the kid” deserved a retraction.

“Send Yoonjo my warmest regards—and this, too.”

Jieun grinned mischievously, flipping her middle finger. Shaking her head, Yul sighed and left the room.

Yoonjo was waiting outside his car. Leaning against the glass brick façade with one hand on the wall, he appeared lost in thought. His pose was so striking that Yul found herself momentarily speechless.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Yul approached, breaking the silence. Yoonjo turned toward her with a polite smile.

“No, not long.”

“Shall we go?”

Opening the car door for her, Yoonjo gestured for her to get in. Despite her discomfort at his courtesy, Yul climbed in without a word. As she buckled her seatbelt, she caught the faint scent of his car—no longer the fresh aroma he used to have but a mix of refined cologne and a trace of cigarette smoke.