My Brother's Friend Wasn't a Guy - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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14.

“Is that so?”
Cha Ji-hun let the remark pass without much thought.
If he himself knew Mun Kang-hyun’s face, then surely others could recognize him just as easily.
But it was the strange tension between the two of them that gnawed at his nerves.
‘No, it can’t be.’
He watched their receding figures and bit his lip.
Seo Se-jin was beloved by everyone. She was friendly with senior and junior members alike, yet no one had ever developed anything special with her.
That’s why it caught him off guard when a man who’d never been at Se-jin’s side for all four years of university suddenly appeared and claimed the spot beside her.
He’d thought that since she was dealing with the insurmountable loss of her family’s death, he could draw her close and comfort her, that her heart would then turn toward him. But everything had begun to unravel since that man showed up. Cha Ji-hun glared at Mun Kang-hyun’s back with a twisted gaze, then flinched.
Mun Kang-hyun had turned his head as if by accident, and their eyes met precisely.
At the rage burning in Cha Ji-hun’s eyes, Mun Kang-hyun’s mouth curved into something like a smirk. Then, as if to make a point, he draped his arm around Se-jin’s shoulder.
It was a gesture that screamed possession, or perhaps a warning to back off.
“Hah.”
Cha Ji-hun exhaled sharply. Something indescribable churned inside him.
“Professor Cha, is something the matter?”
“It’s nothing. Shall we go?”
Cha Ji-hun caught himself as he realized the senior university officials standing nearby and quickly schooled his expression.
For now, attending to them was the priority.

As they left the Gallery, Mun Kang-hyun naturally took Se-jin’s hand and led her toward the car. They drove to an elegant restaurant.
A massive tree grew in the center of the high-ceilinged building, and the fountain and garden surrounding it, harmonized with the music flowing through the restaurant, gave the impression of being in a forest.
“Welcome, and thank you for coming.”
A man who appeared to be the restaurant’s head chef greeted them as if he’d been waiting.
Se-jin was taken aback that the head chef himself had come out to receive them personally. Reading her expression, the chef smiled and spoke.
“It was Architect Mun Kang-hyun who designed this building. Thanks to him, our restaurant has been thriving.”
He led the two of them to the finest table, then excused himself to the kitchen, saying he’d like to show off his skills.
The expansive windows, the solid wood-toned interior design, and the gleaming lighting all stirred something in her chest.
“He designed this place?”
Watching Se-jin look around in disbelief, Mun Kang-hyun chuckled softly.
“Want me to guess what you’re thinking?”
At that, Se-jin’s eyes widened. Amused by her innocent expression, Mun Kang-hyun found himself smiling. A possessive streak stirred in him—the urge to keep that look for his eyes alone—but he kept it hidden and continued.
“You thought I only designed buildings like Cheongzukje, didn’t you?”
“No, that’s not—”
She tried to deny it, but she realized she had harbored exactly that preconception. From constantly visiting Cheongzukje, she’d pigeonholed his architectural style into traditional Korean and classical aesthetics.
Fortunately, Mun Kang-hyun didn’t press further, and the course dishes began arriving one by one. They were exquisite—a feast for both eye and palate.
Partway through the meal, Mun Kang-hyun spoke up suddenly.
“By the way, you never answered the question I asked earlier.”
“Oh, right. I didn’t know you had such a range of architectural styles——”
“Not that.”
Mun Kang-hyun’s expression shifted at once. When he propped his head on one arm, his body leaned toward Se-jin—a simple gesture that felt like a predator backing its prey into a corner.
“About spending every weekend at Cheongzukje.”
“Ah……”
Se-jin let out a strangled breath. She hadn’t actually forgotten that question. She’d simply wanted to gloss over it, to let it slide.
Confronted again with the question she’d been avoiding, Se-jin felt at a loss. Now that Lee Hwan, who had strictly monitored her outings and overnight stays, was gone, she didn’t know what was permissible anymore.
She didn’t know if this was all right, but she made her decision based on what her heart desired.
“Yes, I will.”
Honestly, her desire to be with Mun Kang-hyun had influenced her decision, but what truly swayed her was the chance to spend weekends away from her mother.
Being with her mother at home had become increasingly difficult.
“Good. Then starting next weekend.”
Watching Mun Kang-hyun smile until his eyes crinkled, Se-jin tilted her head slightly. Had Mun Kang-hyun always smiled so easily?

That smile, which maximized his handsome face, was decidedly bad for the heart.

***

Sunday afternoon. Cheon Eun-jung entered the place where she’d agreed to meet Mun Kang-hyun, muttering under her breath.
“I mean, you’d think he’d at least pick somewhere different.”
And no wonder—the meeting place was the same Hotel Sky Lounge where they’d had their blind date.
She could feel he hadn’t given the choice of venue even a moment’s thought, so she couldn’t help but grumble.
“You made it.”
Mun Kang-hyun, who’d arrived first, acknowledged her with a mechanical murmur. It was clear he felt no need for proper greetings—just words falling out as they came.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
She answered coolly, setting her handbag on the table before taking her seat. But something was odd: his gaze wasn’t directed at her at all.
When two people meet, it’s basic courtesy to make eye contact while talking. Yet his eyes were fixed, inexplicably, on the handbag sitting on the table.
That handbag happened to be Cheon Eun-jung’s most treasured designer piece.
“What—what are you doing?”
Seized by some inexplicable sense of alarm, she pulled the bag protectively toward herself.
Whether it was just her imagination or not, Mun Kang-hyun looked ready to snatch her bag away like some common street thug.
“Which brand is that, anyway?”
“Why the sudden interest in my handbag?”
She hid the bag behind her back, her face flushed with alarm.
“Suit yourself if you don’t want to say.”
He answered indifferently. For someone who’d been staring at the bag so intently, he didn’t seem particularly desperate to learn the brand name.
Now assured she wouldn’t have it stolen, she straightened awkwardly in her seat.
And then she had nothing to say.
“……”
“……”
After several minutes of silence, her throat felt constricted. It was uncomfortable how little they had to talk about.
Cheon Eun-jung clicked her tongue softly, unable to bear the silence any longer, and finally spoke.
“You have nothing to say? You could’ve at least gone over the basics beforehand—what we’ll do, how we’ll handle things, that sort of thing.”
Mun Kang-hyun then produced a document envelope and held it out to her.
“I’ve jotted down the essentials there.”
When she opened it, she found papers with something like a behavioral manual written out.
“What I need most is a smokescreen to throw my mother off the scent. Beyond that, I don’t much care what happens.”
In fact, he seemed to have written the manual mainly for Cheon Eun-jung’s convenience; he didn’t seem particularly bound by its contents.
“There’s nothing particularly difficult about it.”
Cheon Eun-jung nodded. Apart from the title of formally dating with marriage as the premise, there was nothing difficult about it.
All she needed to do was meet regularly and show her face at public events like corporate functions.
Dealing with Jin Ae-ran would be the hardest part, but even that didn’t seem difficult to her.
“The duration should be about six months. I think that should be enough.”
The timeframe for this charade was shorter than she’d expected. She pictured in her mind what she needed to accomplish within that period.
“When I need you, you have to come when I call.”
“Of course.”
Mun Kang-hyun nodded readily. With that, Cheon Eun-jung began thinking of clever ways to fool her parents and her older sister Cheon Mi-jin.
First, her parents were people convinced she would grow old and die a spinster. Her relationship with Mun Kang-hyun would shatter that belief.
The thought of showing off in front of her family put her in high spirits.
“And there’s one more request.”
Cheon Eun-jung voiced what she’d been thinking all along. Mun Kang-hyun gave a slight nod, inviting her to continue.
“Make it look like I dumped you.”
“That goes without saying.”
From the moment Mun Kang-hyun had proposed the contract dating arrangement, he’d never intended to harm Cheon Eun-jung.
Since it was his idea, he felt he should bear all the risks that followed. He had a clear objective, and once that was achieved, nothing else mattered.
That’s why he’d said “that goes without saying,” but Cheon Eun-jung looked taken aback.
“Wait, are you really Mun Kang-hyun? You’re agreeing to everything so readily—it’s suspicious.”
“Would you prefer I said no?”
“No! That’s not what I meant.”
What on earth was she trying to get at? Mun Kang-hyun regarded her with a cool, detached expression.
There was a reason their temperaments clashed so thoroughly.
“……”
“……”
Silence descended once more.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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