Deal Breaker - Chapter 47
Was this finally the payoff for constantly being asked when he’d hand out wedding invitations? The news that Son Joohwan was getting married was a relief.
That was one less rival who might try to take Noh Hyeji away from him. This wasn’t some obsession over his Guide, it was concern over his own standing in the industry.
Before he met Hyeji, Kanghyeon had been in a neck-and-neck rivalry for first place. Now he was the undisputed strongest mental-type Esper alive. Back then, he couldn’t even fully utilize a tenth of his abilities without collapsing. Now, as long as Hyeji was by his side, his power was practically limitless.
“Han Kanghyeon, guess you’re next in line for wedding invitations?”
Seated classmates who had just received their invitations turned their attention on him. This was exactly why he’d never wanted to come.
“How about becoming the second Esper-Guide couple from our batch?”
At the suggestion that he and Hyeji should get together, Kanghyeon shook his head. He glanced at Iyeon across the table, sending her a sharp warning not to say anything unnecessary.
“Our contract explicitly bans romance or marriage.”
“Why would you do that? Hyeji-ssi’s an incredible Guide. You should hold on to her for life.”
Wasn’t trapping a Guide through marriage disgusting?
But he couldn’t exactly say that to a classmate who had married his Guide, so Kanghyeon just smiled and let it slide.
“Oh, by the way. Borodin’s out for your blood. Every time he sees a Korean Esper, he…”
Right on cue at 1 p.m., his S-Class secretary called with a ‘rescue’ phone call. He used a fabricated excuse to extricate himself from his classmates and headed out, only to run into Iyeon, who was smoking in the designated area outside the building.
“Smoke after a meal?”
Kanghyeon shook his head.
“I need to go.”
“Already?”
Before Iyeon could hold him back with more idle chatter, his car pulled up in front of the restaurant. As he said his goodbyes, she muttered something only he could hear.
“Every time I see Hyeji-ssi, I get this complicated feeling.”
Kanghyeon turned, puzzled.
“That young student I once tested ended up tied to a bastard like you…”
“She bought a Han River-view apartment in Seongsu not long ago.”
“Sounds like a happy ending, then.”
Iyeon’s sullen expression broke into a bright smile as she flashed him a thumbs-up. Somehow, she was just as annoying cheerful as she was glum.
“Yeah, I told her to milk you for all you’re worth since you’ve got money.”
“And I’m the bad guy?”
He tossed the retort over his shoulder at Iyeon, then turned back. Just as Hyeji stepped out of the car and their eyes met.
‘Young student?’
In that instant, Kanghyeon realized something. The woman before him was neither young nor a student anymore. Noh Hyeji wasn’t a child pretending to be an adult.
The wide, searching eyes that once tried—and failed—to hide wonder and fear were gone, replaced by a steady gaze that met his calmly. The face that once masked anxiety with blunt stoicism now radiated poise and quiet confidence.
The girl who used to totter nervously in high heels, making him worry with every step, was gone too. The woman walking toward him clicked along in heels with effortless grace. The ill-fitting look, as if she’d stolen her sister’s suit, had vanished as well. The confident expression and composed posture paired perfectly with her refined attire, making it seem as if she’d always carried herself with this maturity.
“Sir, it’s time to leave.”
The woman opened the backseat door and spoke to him.
Hyeji never announced her changes. Without a word, her hairstyle changed, then her makeup and wardrobe, and finally her speech.
In the six years she’d been by his side, Noh Hyeji had quietly become a woman. Without saying a thing.
Kanghyeon gazed at her for a long moment and murmured,
“You’re blaming me for the fact that a kid grew up.”
“That sounds kind of wrong. Like a bad guy’s bad excuse.”
“Stop writing novels.”
With another curt remark in place of a goodbye, Kanghyeon got in the car along with a male classmate who’d asked for a ride to the nearest subway station.
Even then, he found himself staring at Hyeji in the passenger seat, but there were no polite questions like “Did you enjoy the gathering?” or “Was the lunch good?”
As the car pulled away, she continued gazing out the window, not sparing him a glance. Watching her silently, Kanghyeon suddenly blurted,
“Secretary Noh, was it good? Eating naengmyeon all by yourself, leaving me behind?”
“No.”
“See?”
The driver watched their mood again nervously and quietly interjected.
“Miss Hyeji didn’t have lunch. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
At that, Kanghyeon’s face darkened.
“Did you drink last night?”
“No.”
He’d thought of picking up some hangover medicine, but she denied it. Then why was she suddenly covering her mouth and opening the window? He asked if she wanted him to stop the car, but she shook her head, resting her forehead against the window frame instead.
She didn’t look well, so Kanghyeon said nothing more.
