My Brother's Friend Wasn't a Guy - Chapter 3

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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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3.

“A… a different proposal?”
Lee Jin couldn’t understand why her heart had suddenly sunk.
“Well, it’s just that I was hoping you might say something else.”
“That can’t be. I had no idea what you were going to say.”
“Fair enough. Never mind.”
Kang Hyun smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders.
Slippery. Impossible to read.
Lee Jin glanced at his face, then moved past him to finish organizing the studio.
Kang Hyun’s handsome features and athletic build were the kind that drew attention even from a distance, and he’d been popular with female students throughout his school years.
He must have received confessions from underclassmen and upperclassmen alike—more than five that she knew of, anyway, which meant there were probably more she didn’t.
Yet she’d never once seen him dating anyone.
She knew there had been odd rumors about him because he was always attached to her brother Lee Hwan, though she remembered Lee Hwan swearing up and down about it, practically bouncing off the walls in denial.
“Why am I even thinking about this?”
Who he dated was none of her concern.
To her, he was her brother’s friend, and now that Lee Hwan was gone, he was someone with whom she could share memories of her brother—closer to family than to a stranger.
Lee Jin let out a soft laugh and shook off the strange undercurrent from earlier.

***

The next day, Baek Jin-hee, a high school friend of Lee Jin’s, stopped by the studio.
She came by once a week to help Lee Jin with tasks that were difficult to handle alone—a considerate friend.
“What? Kang Hyun proposed work to you?”
“Yeah. The pay is good, so I’m thinking it over.”
“Do it. Definitely do it.”
Watching her nod enthusiastically, Lee Jin couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“You always push me into things involving me and Kang Hyun, no matter what.”
“Come on, I’ve always had good instincts. I’m telling you, I can feel something here?”
“You’ve been saying that for seven years now.”
“Well, anyway!”
Baek Jin-hee had a cheerful and bright disposition.
Often a contrast to Lee Jin’s composed nature, but Lee Jin always appreciated the energy that emanated from her.
“But it really doesn’t seem to be true, does it?”
“Hm? What doesn’t?”
“That rumor about Kang Hyun being the third-generation heir to Munseong Group.”
Because he was popular, various rumors about Kang Hyun had circulated through school. Among them was the story that he was a wealthy heir.
“You still believed that?”
Lee Jin asked teasingly, and Jin-hee bristled.
“Hey, plenty of people actually believed it!”
That was true then. But at some point, oddly enough, the rumor had died down as if cold water had been thrown on it.
“An architect suits you much better than a tycoon’s heir anyway.”
Jin-hee said with a sheepish grin. Her habit of twisting everything to her advantage seemed incurable.
“Baek Jin-hee. I told you—Kang Hyun and I aren’t like that.”
Lee Jin raised her voice, and Jin-hee launched into an excuse.
“Wouldn’t work be easier if you weren’t like that? You haven’t made any pieces in ages. You used to submit to art festivals and ceramics biennales.”
…….
Lee Jin had been a ceramicist before she opened the studio. Once, she’d had ambitious dreams as an artist.
Now, managing the studio, she wasn’t able to pursue those dreams properly.
To build a reputation as a ceramicist, one had to create consistently.
But these days, teaching classes at the studio left her no time for her own work.
“You’re right about that.”
When Lee Jin admitted it plainly, Baek Jin-hee beamed and patted her shoulder.
“This unnie is always right.”
I give up, Lee Jin thought, and let out a small laugh. Still, thanks to Baek Jin-hee, she’d laughed a lot today.
It felt like the shadow left behind by Lee Hwan’s death moved closer and then drifted away in an endless, daily cycle.

***

The next afternoon brought a rare gap in the schedule. As Lee Jin wandered through the Workshop wondering how to fill the empty hours, a text arrived.

―Busy right now?

It was from Kang Hyun. Lee Jin replied with a puzzled frown.

―No. No appointments today, so I should be done early.
―Perfect. Come somewhere with me. I’m heading over now.

Lee Jin went rigid, phone still in hand. No reply came to mind immediately.
‘What’s this about, suddenly?’
Kang Hyun had never texted her like this before.

―Where are we going?

She sent the message back, but no answer came.
‘Is he already on his way, too busy to reply?’
Her guess was right.
Minutes later, Kang Hyun’s car pulled up in front of the Workshop. Lee Jin exhaled sharply, grabbed her bag, and stepped outside.
As she locked the studio door, Kang Hyun climbed out of the vehicle and approached.
The weather was unusually beautiful that day, and the sight of him in a perfectly tailored suit felt like a scene lifted straight from a fashion magazine.
“Sorry for the sudden notice. When you said you had no appointments today, I got impatient.”
His suit was immaculate, not a wrinkle in sight, and his shoes gleamed without a speck of dust. He always dressed impeccably, but today he seemed even more polished than usual.
“You were busy too, weren’t you?”
“There was an event at the office, but it’s all wrapped up.”
He smiled and opened the passenger door for her. Lee Jin nodded and climbed in.
She had no way of confirming whether his claim was true, so she said nothing.
But had she known he’d left before the event ended, she couldn’t have maintained such a serene expression.
Kang Hyun chuckled as he settled into the driver’s seat and pulled onto the road. The car wound its way out of Seoul and into the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
“This place…?”
Lee Jin’s eyes widened as she gazed out the window.
“That’s right. This is the Hanok I designed.”
Lee Jin was taken aback. The building was far grander than she’d imagined. Even from a distance, the roofline alone made it look like a palace.
The car glided into the underground parking garage. They parked and made their way back to ground level.
A vast lawn of green grass met their eyes first, dotted with various plants.
When Kang Hyun said “Hanok,” Lee Jin had pictured an old traditional house—the kind of modest structure you saw around the countryside.
But looking at this estate, it was clear her mental image had simply been too small.
“Go further back and there’s a bamboo grove. That’s why I named it Cheongjeokje.”
“You really designed this yourself?”
Lee Jin looked back and forth between the landscape of Cheongjeokje and Kang Hyun, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.
“Why? Doesn’t it seem real?”
Kang Hyun laughed, amused by her reaction.
This was a space he’d poured five years of devotion into creating.
It wasn’t merely traditional Korean architecture—he’d merged it with modern design, wrestling endlessly with spatial efficiency and flow.
The house retained the distinctive curved tile roofs of traditional Hanok while using floor-to-ceiling glass to create an open, expansive feeling.
It honored the joinery techniques of classical Korean building while embracing the minimalism and practicality of contemporary architecture.
“I thought that once you saw this place, you’d be more inclined to accept my proposal.”
They crossed the lawn on stepping stones and reached the main building. Inside, an even more breathtaking sight unfolded.
The inner courtyard of the U-shaped structure held an artificial pond. Open the doors and you stepped right out onto it.
A cloud bridge arced over the water, and the area was beautifully landscaped with various plants.
Benches for viewing the scenery and soft lighting circling the pond made her suddenly curious about how it would look at night.
The two of them explored the building’s various corners.
In one direction, a long wooden-floored corridor stretched out; in another, a traditional daecheong maru connected to the outside via stepping stones.
Walking a full circuit brought them to the main living room overlooking the pond. The maze-like interweaving of spaces was a pleasure to explore.
“I need ceramics to make this space truly beautiful.”
There was something almost bewitching in the gleam of his eyes and the tilt of his body as he spoke.
Her heart stirred as if refusing his proposal would spell disaster.
Honestly, Lee Jin had already resolved to accept his offer. But seeing the space in person tilted the scales completely.
“All right. I’ll do it. I’ll take on the job you’re asking for.”

***

While the two of them were admiring the Cheongjeokje, Jin Ae-ran, who was attending the Munseong Group’s founding anniversary celebration, turned to her secretary with a question.
“Secretary Kim, where is Kang Hyun? I don’t see him anywhere.”
“He was at the venue a moment ago, but let me check on his whereabouts.”
Jin Ae-ran watched her secretary’s retreating figure and exhaled softly. Her mood had soured—her third son, Kang Hyun, was a grown man now, yet he still managed to trouble her.
A short while later, Secretary Kim returned.
“It appears he’s quietly slipped away from the event.”
Jin Ae-ran’s voice came quiet and measured.
“That thoughtless fool…….”

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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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