DA 18

“So that’s how it is? I thought you guys knew each other. Man, I still get heart palpitations thinking about you bringing that driver. It’s a good thing Wings Apparel handled the aftermath so smoothly. If it wasn’t for them, you would have had another weird article online…”

Of course, the conversation got off track. Yong-sik kept on babbling.

He wasn’t so talkative when they met for the first time when Seong-chan was twenty. Did all his energy go into his mouth when he got older? Not that he was that old.

Seong-chan glared at Yong-sik with an annoyed expression and then decided to ignore him.

Despite his teasing, Seong-chan trusted and relied on Yong-sik like an older brother.

Of course, he wanted to kill him when Yong-sik accepted the sponsorship offer from the CEO of Wings Apparel without consulting him…

But in the end it was probably the best decision Yong-sik could have made as CEO of The Dragons. Seong-chan knew that. Nevertheless, Yong-sik was the one who reached out to him when he was struggling. He was the one who stayed by his side during his three-year hiatus and believed in him.

Well, there was another person who believed in him and supported him wholeheartedly……

Lost in thought, he was brought back to reality by Yong-sik’s voice.

“Hey, you have to tell that… person about you and the CEO of Wings Apparel, right?” 

Although he was alone in the waiting room, Yong-sik looked around carefully when he mentioned ‘that person’. Seong-chan, who understood who he was talking about, said, “Ah, why?”

Yong-sik looked at him, surprised by his casual answer.

“You want to keep it a secret?”

“Well, for now?”

“Why hide it when everyone will find out eventually! It’s better for that person to hear it from you first. What if things get messy later-“

“Just leave it. I’ll take care of it. Mind your own business.”

He sounded like a teenager, insisting on handling things himself and telling Yong-sik not to interfere.

Yong-sik retorted, “You better handle it well or I won’t leave you alone!” He clenched his fist in frustration. It was clear that this was not a new problem.

Seong-chan ignored him and continued to look away. Yong-sik clicked his tongue and sighed in defeat.

“Ugh, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but don’t keep it a secret for too long. Handle it properly so there are no misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Yong-sik frowned at his dismissive answer. But as if he was used to it, he quickly changed the subject to the upcoming press conference.

Don’t be too expressionless and rude, smile and speak nicely, be patient even if you’re annoyed, blah, blah, blah. 

It was the same lecture Seong-chan had heard countless times from Yong-sik.

“Yeah, yeah. I know.”

Seong-chan nodded mechanically.

After the upcoming tournament in a few days, this ridiculous charade of a contract marriage with Cha Su-jeong would be over.

***

‘Ice Princess.’

That was the nickname that seventeen-year-old Ju Seong-chan first heard about Cha Su-jeong.

It wasn’t common to hear about a student from another school, especially her nickname, right after the start of high school. Especially in a co-ed school where potential romantic interests were plentiful. Why would he care about some distant all-girls school?

Cha Su-jeong.

The eldest daughter of the Cha Seong family. Always at the top of her class. Beautiful, but with an icy demeanor.

Those who dared to approach her were often ignored, earning her the nickname ‘Ice Princess’. The fact that she was unaware of this nickname was ironic.

The stories about this ice princess, which he wasn’t really interested in, reached Seong-chan’s ears again and again thanks to the people around him.

“Oh, the Ice Princess from Cheongil Girls’ High School? I’ve seen her.”

“Is she really that pretty?”

“Dude, don’t even ask. She’s fucking gorgeous. She’s a bit of a bitch, as they say, but damn, she’s beautiful.”

“Seriously, that beautiful?”

“Yeah, Kim Jin-soo, this bastard fell in love with her at first sight and asked for her number, but was totally rejected. Idiot.”

“Hey, why do you tell everyone that?”

“That’s hilarious. Dude, even someone with Ju Seong-chan’s looks would have a hard time with her. Our Jin-soo is delusional.”

“Exactly. He confessed without thinking and was completely shut down. How embarrassing.”

“You motherfuckers. Just wait! Are you going to stop or not? I said stop!”

“Wahahaha!“

“Run, run!”

“Yaaaah!“

Just as Su-jeong was famous as the ‘pretty girl’ of the neighboring school, Seong-chan was a celebrity in his own right, constantly the subject of gossip. He was always surrounded by people vying for his attention, and as typical teenage boys, their main topic of conversation was girls.

But Seong-chan wasn’t interested in that.

He was surrounded by girls, and pretty girls often approached him first.

‘Ice Princess? What is that, a cheesy online novel? So cringe.’

He just cringed at the childish nickname.

But that feeling of dislike, of rejection, was fleeting. 

It was one of those days when he woke up early, as if the sun had risen in the west. He didn’t want to face those uncomfortable faces at breakfast, so he skipped it and headed out. The sky was unusually clear that day, and the weather was beautiful.

As he turned onto the main road where the school gate was visible, a girl in a different uniform passed right in front of him.

She had long, straight hair down to her waist, a simple headband, a neat skirt that reached to her knees, and a pale face.

She had a cold, expressionless face.

As he caught a whiff of a scent, he wasn’t sure if it was from the flowers planted by the school gate or the girl’s shampoo. He heard voices nearby.

“Ya, did you see that?”

“Wow, holy shit… she’s fucking gorgeous.”

It was a group of male students whispering to each other. And Seong-chan knew instinctively. The girl who had caught his attention was the Ice Princess he had heard so much about.

‘Well, she’s not bad.’

Better than he expected.

That was his first impression of Cha Su-jeong.

But that was it. Nothing more.

His initial dislike of the nickname ‘Ice Princess’ had lessened, but that was all.

He soon forgot about it.

As long as Seong-chan didn’t come to school early, their paths wouldn’t cross. The days passed uneventfully.

‘Huh?’

A few months later, the girl he had almost forgotten reappeared. It was the day before summer vacation, just as the scorching heat began.

Like their first meeting, their second meeting was also due to an unexpected circumstance.

Seong-chan had fallen asleep in the storage room of the school gym and woke up long after school had ended. It was drizzling outside. Her housekeeper had packed an umbrella for him that morning, predicting rain in the afternoon. Thanks to it, Seong-chan left school without getting rained on.

He ran into the girl at a bus stop near the school.

Cha Su-jeong, was it? Seong-chan remembered her name easily.

He stared at her for a moment and then noticed that she was soaked.

‘…….’

Then he noticed her clothes.

Her thin summer uniform, clinging to her skin, slightly transparent from the rain. And… the pink bra visible under her shirt.

He swore he hadn’t meant to look. It just caught his eye. It was an instinctive reaction, a quick glance before his mind could even process it.

The only problem was that his gaze stayed a few seconds too long. When his eyes met the woman who felt his gaze, a panicked Seong-chan immediately held out his umbrella.

“H-here, take this.”

He even stuttered, which was unlike him.

Before she could react, he pushed the umbrella into her hand and ran into the rain all the way home. As a result, he ended up with a bad summer cold.

It was all very unlike him.

That night, Cha Su-jeong appeared in his dream.