Unexpected Ch 5 part 3

The man she knew from her university days was one who would never open his heart to anyone else. Because of his handsome looks and his impressive family background, there was always a flock of people following him around. However, they usually only spoke of his looks or his family. None of them seemed to share a close bond or friendship with him.

Therefore, there were many people who also disliked him. Even though they would never reveal their hostility to him out in the open, they would often whisper behind his back, saying that he acted like he was a king around them.

Although she wasn’t overly fond of him, she realized that he never bothered her or made her uncomfortable. He merely did not hang out with the other students. Otherwise, he was faithful to his studies and received good grades.

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His dating life was also clean to the point that others would lament and wish that they had been given his face instead since he didn’t put it to good use. Actually, in the two years she’d attended university with him, she had never seen him associated with another woman.

No one expected the reason to be something like this. Because of his family status, everyone just assumed that he already had a fiancée that his family had chosen for him. People whispered that he didn’t speak to them because their status was so far from his. They even wondered if he was gay.

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Although he didn’t show it, he probably knew what everyone was saying about him.

But he still never defended himself because that might have been the only way he could hold onto his pride. Not only that, he probably never dated before, so he didn’t know how to express what he felt to others.

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“I didn’t know it back then, but it seems that it traumatized you, Sunbae.”

Whether it was a proposition or a confession, it definitely gave her a shock. She watched him turn around and leave as if he had something to do, and she was really glad she hadn’t been swayed back then.

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She merely shrugged it off as a strange incident that happened during graduation, some nonsense that was spit out by a handsome but crazy jerk. But now that she understood what he meant by ‘arrogant’ and ‘clumsy’, she felt a bit sorry for rejecting him so coldly.

“Definitely.”

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He didn’t hold back and answered bluntly. Hearing this, ChaYoung’s lips stretched into a smile as she chuckled.

“For a while, I thought that it was for the best. Because I wouldn’t be running into you at school anymore, I thought that I’d just forget about you. Out of sight, out of mind.”

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“Seeing as how you’re bringing this up now, it seems that you kept thinking about me. Your pride must have taken quite a blow.”

She joked as she laughed. She never expected him to have missed her all this time. If he did, she thought he would have contacted her at least once during the past several years.

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“Just like you said, at first, I thought it was because of my pride. So whenever I thought of you, I grew angry.”

Although she felt that it wasn’t fair to be hated for no reason, because she wasn’t harmed by it, she merely pouted.

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Seeing this, KunHyung shrugged.

“Thanks to you, I managed to put my all into my work. So there was that advantage.”

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“Then it seems that I am the one who got you the director’s position at your workplace.”

“And not because of my outstanding skills and talent?”

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“I think you have an outstanding talent for making people not want to acknowledge your skills.”

When she mumbled grumpily, his eyes narrowed in laughter. She tried to soothe her racing heart and took another gulp of liquor.

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“Anyways, after some time had passed, I met an old classmate one day when I had gone out to eat. He was so overly friendly with me, and I soon realized it was because he wanted to invite me to his wedding next week. At first, I was only planning on sending him some congratulatory money and be done with it. But he kept pestering me to attend in person. He said it would be good to show my face to the university juniors once in a while.”

“Don’t tell me, that was…”

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“You’re right. The wedding two years ago.”

No wonder. He never showed up to the alumni dinners but had unexpectedly attended the wedding of a classmate he wasn’t that close to.

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“I heard your name in the guest list, so I told him I’d go. I thought it would be an opportunity to ask you something I was curious about.”

Something he was curious about? Suddenly, a conversation rang in ChaYoung’s head.

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“Did you find someone?”

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“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about someone who treats you like you’re special.”

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She sifted through her memories, but that was the only thing that made sense. ChaYoung frowned.

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“You came just to ask something like that? To see if I had a special person?”

“I wondered about it for three years. It wasn’t a mere question to me.”

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“But it’s not a big deal…”

“Because I always wondered about who this person could be.”

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Back on graduation day, she could have just changed the subject and let him off easy, but she had sharply rejected him instead. The reason was… A part of her had wanted to hurt him. If someone was interested in her, they’d approach her bashfully and with sincerity. However, this man had a haughty gleam in his eyes as he asked her, ‘Do you want to try dating me?’. 

Not only was it embarrassing to receive such a proposition, but it also felt like he was doing her a favor by letting her date him. As if he expected her to go down on her knees and thank him for the gracious offer. At this thought, she was filled with displeasure.

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Therefore, she landed a blow by telling him it would never work with him. She didn’t like the way he spoke to people as if they were beneath him.

“I thought you just said it without much thought. Lightheartedly, as if you were asking me to fool around with you.”

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In the end, the one who had looked down on others and the one who had spoken without much thought had been her. She was the one who had made a decision after being blinded by prejudice and bias.

At the thought of bruising his pride, she was once again filled with regret. Because she had been protecting her own pride, she had been unable to look into the heart of someone else.

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“To be honest, I didn’t think you’d take it so hard…”

She was about to tell him that he was slightly at fault for this as well, but her voice faded away.

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Even though they weren’t close enough to share each others’ stories back then, she had been too immature to understand him and come to a different conclusion.

“When I heard you were coming, I attended a wedding of a distant former classmate.”

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While she had been lost in thought, he opened his mouth. She raised her eyes and looked at him.

“Just like my classmate said, you were there. I wanted to ask you. What it meant to treat someone like they were special. How does one do that? But even I thought that I’d sound like a crazy person if I asked you that, so I changed my question to ‘Did you find someone special who treats you like you’re special?’.”

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ChaYoung recalled that day and frowned. And the man who had been her answer was Kim SeungHoon of all people.

“When I heard that you did have a man like that, I think I felt a bit disappointed.”

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He tilted his head and chuckled.

“It was as if a screw had suddenly come loose. Why not me? I got angry and almost asked you how that guy was better than me. But I didn’t want to seem pathetic, so I swallowed the words that threatened to leave my throat and turned around.”

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His lips were still smiling.

“But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even though it wasn’t quite a happy memory…”

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“……”

“I began to look for a reason. There were a few words that popped into my head, but none of them seemed to stick. Because I didn’t think I was capable of feeling those kinds of things. But there was a part of me that wanted to act crazy and check. But then… I couldn’t do it. The fact that you were dating someone else held me back.”

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He quietly added, ‘That’s why I couldn’t go and see you.’

“Even though my patience is pretty flimsy, I began to endure it. Not being able to do something you want to do is quite painful. And that’s when I realized it. You were an incredibly special person to me.”

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The smile on his lips gradually disappeared. The moment ChaYoung saw the earnest look in his eyes, she realized why he was telling her all this. The drowsiness brought on by the liquor was suddenly dispelled, and she became alert.

“So when I saw you at the cafe, how do you think I felt?”

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She couldn’t help but recall that memory, and a faint sigh burst out of her lips. In the middle of that chaotic cafe, he of all people had been there.

It was an unexpected and almost unbelievable coincidence. She felt that she could understand why he had been so ridiculously angry when they met.

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Even though it felt like he was forcing her to see things from his perspective, it was strangely persuasive.

“And because of that, my words came out a bit jumbled.”

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She shrugged off the rest of her thoughts and lifted her head. Jumbled words? Had she missed something? She blinked at him. He frowned with displeasure and spoke in a louder tone than before.

“I have common sense. Do you think I truly wanted to ask if you wanted to try dating me?”

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Ah. She understood what he was saying and nodded her head as she lowered her eyes.

That’s right. Everything had been out of order back then. Because his words had been out of context, and he didn’t come off as a dignified person.

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So when he asked if she wanted to try dating him, it had gone through one ear and out the other. She didn’t think it would be something that would stay in his heart for so long.

“This is all very overwhelming.”

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She placed her glass down and gripped her temple. So much information had been given to her in such little time. She couldn’t think straight.

Starting from his childhood, everything he had told her was in chronological order, but that was not how she processed the information. The gaps in their relationship were slowly being filled, one after another. It wasn’t easy to understand everything all at once.

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And the most important part was that he had laid down his pride and told her everything about the trauma he had incurred. But just because she now knew that his awkward behavior had been sincere all along did not mean she suddenly liked him.

“Sunbae, I think…”

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What should she say? She mulled over this before opening her mouth.

“You might not actually like me. It might be that your pride refuses to take a hit. If we start dating, your interest in me might wither away very quickly.”

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If she hadn’t listened to all this, she would have gotten out of her seat and left this place a long time ago. But now that she listened to his sincere story, she found it difficult to just blurt out what was on her mind.

“Then we can try dating and see what happens.”

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But the words she had said with much difficulty were rendered useless as he gave her such a carefree answer. She was being very serious, but he seemed to view everything so flippantly. She felt discouraged. He spoke so confidently as if he were stating that two minus one was one.

“Not everyone starts dating so easily like you, Sunbae.”

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As he watched resentment bloom in her eyes, he answered back.

“I never said it was easy.”

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“Maybe from your perspective, but for most people, it comes off…”

She let out a sigh before continuing.

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“When you say something like, ‘Then we can try dating and see what happens’, the listener can’t feel any depth or sincerity in those words.”

His face grew grave as if he had come across a very serious problem. After thinking over it for a while, his deep eyes grew dark.

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Was this something that serious? As this thought flashed through her mind, he spoke up.

“Then you can teach me as we date.”

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She wasn’t sure what kind of expression formed on her face. She felt as if she were talking to a stubborn child throwing a tantrum, but his eyes looked sincere.

“……”

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When she didn’t say anything, he tilted his head at her and drew it closer to hers. He looked like a dog that craved its owner’s love. She had the sudden urge to sweep her hand through his hair and pet him.

“Why me?”

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She spoke up in a resigned voice.

The moment she saw his unbelievably determined gaze, she felt that she’d end up doing what he asked whether she wanted to or not.

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He was a man who seemed to find everything so easy. Therefore, she found it surprising that this had been deeply rooted in his head for seven years. She wondered what he thought of her all this time.

It was possible that because he was haughty and clumsy, he was awkward when it came to expressing himself properly.

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As she thought about this and that, she ultimately let out a hollow laugh. Even if he justified himself with an answer now, she felt that the game was already over. It seemed that the one in the easier position was not him. It was her.

“I thought I explained that.”

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He met her gaze and answered in a peaceful and steady voice. Meeting his eyes still felt awkward, so she slowly lowered her eyes.

However, the piercing silence was even more awkward. She could feel his relentless gaze on her. Realizing that she could no longer avoid this, she lifted her head.

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“I think I feel that this is all a bit unbelievable since it’s happening so quickly. It’s like suddenly being told I won the lottery.”

“That’s all?”

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He raised a brow. When she saw this, she let out another sigh. She felt that his narcissism would be the greatest obstacle between them.

“The megamillion lottery with a prize of 1.8 trillion won.”

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When she added this, the crooked brow slowly returned to its original place. He nodded as if he now understood what she meant.

“It is an unusual bout of good fortune.”

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“You have an unnatural talent for making someone want to rip apart that ‘unusual good fortune’. I don’t know if you know that. Even if the amount is 1.8 trillion won, the lottery ticket is still merely a scrap of paper.”

Although she said this, she did not plan on ripping apart the lottery ticket. This had nothing to do with his family status or his looks. She found it surprising that such a proud man had earnestly opened up to her even though his ego had taken such a hit. And she also found it fascinating that a few words she had blurted out so long ago had shaken him for so long.

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On the other hand, she had never dared to meet someone other than Kim SeungHoon. Now that she thought about it, why did she have to do that? She felt that it was unfair.

The one who was in the wrong was Kim SeungHoon, but the one who suffered was ChaYoung. Wallowing in self-pity wouldn’t do anything to Kim SeungHoon. While she was digging her own grave, that bastard would be smiling as he walked down the aisle at his wedding.

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Suddenly, something hot began to rush through her, causing her stomach to squirm. She’d be the one to suffer if she dredged up those horrible memories. She bit her lips as the tempting offer danced around her ears.

“I’m only asking to date. I’m not asking you to marry me or anything. Is there a reason why you need to think so hard about it?”

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He was right. It wasn’t like he was asking her to marry him right this minute. He was only asking her to casually date him, and there wasn’t any reason why she should reject his request.

It wasn’t like she found him disgusting or hateful. In fact, other people would consider her to be very lucky to be with such a marvelous man.

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But she still felt that it wouldn’t be wise to make such a decision so flippantly. She had dated Kim SeungHoon very carefully, but he had still betrayed her in the end. Through this, she realized that even if she did her best and was cautious, it wouldn’t guarantee a good ending.

More than anything, she could imagine her coworkers’ eyes sparkling with curiosity, unable to ask her outright. She found it better to be considered the person who did the dumping rather than being the person who was dumped.

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Either way, he had definitely helped her out this time. Although it was awkward, she did feel grateful for the consolation he had provided.

Maybe she should just try dating him…

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A small breath left her closed lips. Now that she had thought things through, her heart was at peace.

She raised her eyes and looked into his. She could see her reflection in his gaze. It was said that the simplest conclusion was often the truth. She could see that in his eyes right now.

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She didn’t want to acknowledge it, but this was truly a stroke of luck. Gazing into his eyes, she opened her mouth.

“For now, I feel that I would like to keep the lottery ticket in my hand. I’ll decide on whether I want to rip it up at a later time.”

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She waved her hand as if she was really holding a lottery ticket. She felt as if she were waving a red cape in front of a bull.

Although she had drawn a line in the sand, it felt like she was the one leading this decision. He looked at her with much interest.

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“In exchange, I have one condition.”

“What is it?”

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“We will be equals in this relationship.”

“Of course.”

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“Please do not go on another spending spree in front of me. I don’t want people to think that I’m seeing you for your money, and I don’t want to feel ashamed by the difference in our financial status. Therefore, we should both bear an equal amount of the cost when it comes to the both of us.”

“That’s fine with me.”

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“And… I never want to meet your family, Sunbae. Things like being splashed with water or being given an envelope full of money… I don’t want to take part in a soap opera.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. My parents aren’t the type of people to do things like that, and I don’t plan on telling my family about us. All we need to focus on is this relationship.”

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“Sounds good to me.”

“Then are we dating?”

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“Yes. We’ll try dating.”

“Then I better put my all into this.”

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He gave a quiet reply as he gave her a satisfied look. Unlike his composed voice, his eyes gleamed as if he had discovered a fun, new game.

She felt her heart grow strangely warm as if she were looking at a delighted young child. She shook her head at the thought. She had decided not to think too deeply into this, but she was already making this bigger than it was.

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Either way, he said he’s happy with it. As long as we’re both okay with this, it’s fine.

She decided to only focus on the satisfaction in his eyes. She was a bit tired from the liquor, and she was starting to grow hungry.

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