Deal Breaker - Chapter 45
* * *
Just as she was about to enter the restaurant where the gathering was being held, Iyeon spotted someone stepping out of a foreign car that had just pulled up, and their eyes met. She changed direction and headed toward them.
“Hyeji-ssi, hi. It’s been a while.”
“Hello.”
Hyeji, stepping out of the car and greeting her, caught Iyeon’s eye with her outfit.
“Hyeji-ssi, it’s spring.”
It was still mid-March, the cold lingering harshly, yet her light apricot skirt and white blouse were the picture of spring. But…
Huh, that trench coat…?
The beige trench coat Hyeji wore looked familiar. Iyeon recalled running into Kanghyeon at the Center not long ago. She’d tried not to bother the busy man, just giving a quick greeting and passing by, only for him to follow her outside the building and say something unexpected.
“Looks good.”
“You’re insane. Do you like me or something?”
“Why would I like you? Careful, I could sue you for defamation.”
It turned out he’d been complimenting the brand-new trench coat she was wearing. It was an exceptionally well-designed piece, even for that brand. Still, for him to ask where she bought it—again and again—was strange.
“You’re the one wearing this? You know this is a women’s coat, right? Is this… a hidden taste of yours?”
“Jeong Iyeon, has that poison gas you inhaled ten years ago finally made it to your brain?”
“I just mean, you’ve never cared about women’s clothes before, so why suddenly…?”
They’d met at the training institute and spent four years in the same special unit, sharing blood and battlefields. There was no way Iyeon wouldn’t know this man inside and out.
Han Kanghyeon couldn’t care less if someone was draped head to toe in designer labels or wearing a sack of rice. But if someone shivered from the cold, he’d unthinkingly offer them his ten-million-won jacket. In short, he was polite but not interested in others.
And yet now he’s calling this coat pretty? Asking where I bought it? What, did he fall for someone?
And now Hyeji was wearing that same coat in a different color. That woman’s your Guide? She shot a probing look at Kanghyeon as he stepped out of the car, but either he didn’t notice or was pretending not to, showing no reaction.
‘What is this? What’s going on between them?’
The curiosity was maddening. If she went inside without answers, the expensive, delicious meal would go down the wrong pipe, and if she choked to death, the research project she was leading would crash. This was a matter of national interest and taxpayer money. Therefore…
“Hyeji-ssi, you should come too.”
Iyeon invited Hyeji to join the alumni gathering. Naturally, Hyeji declined.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“No, come on. We’re all so stagnant we’re practically a cesspool. People love it when someone new comes.”
“If you describe yourselves as a cesspool, no one will want to come.”
Kanghyeon, standing beside Hyeji, made a dry remark, but Iyeon ignored him smoothly and linked her arm with Hyeji’s. It looked friendly, but it was practically a restraint.
“Besides, the others bring their partners too.”
Hyeji looked up at Kanghyeon with pleading eyes.
“Come along.”
“…What?”
She had expected him to refuse, but instead, he told her to go. He even nudged her forward. Hyeji was bewildered.
“It’s just a meal.”
‘And weren’t you just wishing for this gathering to get canceled? What, are you trying to share your suffering to double it? In other words, you can’t be the only one who’s miserable?’
No way. Being dragged along between the two of them, Hyeji planted her feet firmly on the ground.
“I’m really grateful, but I actually had plans for lunch.”
“…You have an appointment?”
“Not exactly. But since last night I’ve been craving mul-naengmyeon…”
This was an Italian restaurant.
“To the point I couldn’t even sleep…”
There was no excuse for dragging along someone who claimed they couldn’t sleep from craving cold noodles.
“And I found out there’s a famous place nearby…”
They couldn’t just change the restaurant for the entire gathering on the spot. Reluctantly, Iyeon let go of her arm.
“Then enjoy your lunch and have a good time.”
Hyeji bowed quickly and darted back to Kanghyeon’s waiting car.
“…Well then, enjoy your noodles.”
Iyeon’s voice as she bid farewell sounded almost dazed. Kanghyeon, watching his secretary pretend to make a phone call in the passenger seat, gave her a look that clearly said, ‘What the hell was that?’
Naengmyeon?
That’s quite a unique excuse, slippery little Noh Hyeji.
Mul-naengmyeon?
So you won’t even bother to try hiding your lies from me now, huh.
This wasn’t the first time. Hyeji’s lies were always so obvious, so cute, that he’d never minded them. But today, they felt annoying.
“By the way, what’s your deal?”
As they climbed to the restaurant’s second floor, Jeong Iyeon’s interrogation began.
