My Brother's Friend Wasn't a Guy - Chapter 30

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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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30.

If Seo Ijin wanted Cheong Juk Jae—the place he’d promised to lobby his grandfather for—what was he supposed to do?
It was a possibility that had never entered Mun Ganghyun’s mind.
He’d wanted his retired grandfather to spend his twilight years in comfort there. He’d called it a bribe, but in truth, he’d built it out of concern for the old man’s wellbeing.
So Cheong Juk Jae was off the table. Still, if she wanted it, he could build her something similar.
Since he seemed to have won at least some measure of her affection, he could begin construction soon enough.
If he finished it by next year and they moved in after the wedding, there would be so much to prepare. Mun Ganghyun made his calculations in solitude.
In any case, construction didn’t happen overnight—planning was necessary. The truly important things—a proposal, for instance—ought to come first, but he glossed over that detail.
His logic was simple: arrange the tasks in chronological order, and the construction came before everything else.
“Tell me more about the details.”
“Hmm? I’d like the windows to be large, and if possible, I’d love it to be two stories…”
Seo Ijin, caught between wakefulness and drowsiness, spoke in scattered fragments of whatever came to mind.
As he listened to her words, Mun Ganghyun sketched architectural plans in his mind.
At the same time, a beautiful future shared with her unfolded like a blueprint before his eyes.

***

Cha Jihun was deeply unsettled these days.

“What? Seo Ijin. You’re really dating him?”
“Yes, we decided to start dating not long ago.”

Words he’d heard at Seo Ijin’s birthday party kept surfacing in his mind.
He’d learned that Mun Ganghyun and Seo Ijin had known each other before, but that knowledge didn’t make this situation any easier to accept. He’d invested too much effort and time to simply give up now.
Since there was little he could actually do about it, his insides felt like they were burning, his stomach churning with bitterness.
After the birthday party, his days had fallen into a pattern: drinking himself to sleep every night. His life had grown hollow, and concentration at work was nearly impossible.
‘I suppose I should just let it go.’
He knew that was the right thing to do, but human hearts don’t cut clean like radishes—that was the problem.
As he heaved a long sigh, Director Park Changin, who’d been in the middle of a meeting, lifted his glasses and asked.
“Professor Cha, is something troubling you?”
“Oh, no. There’s nothing troubling me.”
In truth, Cha Jihun had momentarily forgotten that someone else was even in the room with him. Unable to admit that directly, he simply made excuses and forced out a laugh.
Park Changin, ever the genial director, chuckled and then said something as if a forgotten thought had just come back to him.
“Speaking of which—the architect I saw at that gallery exhibition the other day.”
“Ah, you mean Mun Ganghyun?”
Cha Jihun had already been grinding his teeth at the mere thought of Mun Ganghyun, so his voice came out sharper than intended.
The director had mentioned before that Mun Ganghyun’s face seemed familiar to him. His interest now only irritated and rankled Cha Jihun.
But he couldn’t let it show, so he clenched his teeth and forced his lips into a smile. Then the director said something entirely unexpected.
“That architect is apparently the third son of the Mun Seong Group. I kept feeling like I’d seen him somewhere before, and I think it was at some social function.”
“I’m sorry—what did you say?”
The sudden mention of the Mun Seong Group left Cha Jihun staring at Director Park Changin with wide, shocked eyes.
“I’m not sure why someone from a chaebol family would hide that fact. If he’s already established his reputation in architecture, there’d be no reason to conceal it, would there?”
“Could you elaborate on that?”
Cha Jihun pressed for more details. Director Park Changin then began to share what he knew.
Of course, the source of that information was Do Hyunsu, whom he’d met to conclude an MOU.
“I can’t say for certain whether it’s true, but apparently there’s talk that he’s about to become engaged to another chaebol heiress.”
At those words, light returned to Cha Jihun’s dimming eyes. A greedy gleam appeared in them, as if he’d spotted prey crawling into his reach.
“An engagement?”
“Well, these strategic marriages between chaebol families happen all the time, don’t they.”
“Of course.”
Cha Jihun agreed readily enough, but his mind was a tangled mess of competing thoughts.
Whether Mun Ganghyun became engaged or not was of little concern to him. His attention was fixed solely on Seo Ijin.
Seo Ijin, who had nothing and no impressive connections, would have been easy prey—a convenient plaything to enjoy before his engagement.
Now that Cha Jihun understood that Mun Ganghyun concealed something rotten beneath his arrogant facade, a cold smirk twisted his lips.
He might possess the enormous status and position of the Mun Seong Group—something Cha Jihun could never rival—but ironically, that very fact had given him an opportunity. A chance to have Seo Ijin.
Cha Jihun swore to himself that he would not let this opportunity slip away.

***

Jin Aeran summoned Cheon Eunjeong under the pretense of treating her to something delicious.
Meeting with Cheon Eunjeong served purposes beyond merely deepening their intimacy—it was also a means of gathering information.
Her son, though he was, had never opened up to her about himself, so it was far easier to learn what she needed from Cheon Eunjeong.
“Mother!”
Cheon Eunjeong approached with a radiant smile. Jin Aeran, who had arrived a little early at the reserved restaurant, greeted her warmly.
“You’re here.”
“Yes, I was so excited when you said you’d treat me to something delicious.”
“If there’s anything you want to eat, just say the word. I’ll buy whatever you like.”
“Wow, that’s wonderful.”
Cheon Eunjeong laughed cheerfully and opened the menu. Even seeing her again, Jin Aeran found her a charming young woman.
Though the Osan Group couldn’t match the Mun Seong Group, when it came to Mun Ganghyun, she could easily accommodate that gap.
The two women placed their orders and fell into warm, pleasant conversation.
“Things are going well between you and Mun Ganghyun, aren’t they? He’s my son, but I’m always worried about what he’ll do next.”
“Don’t worry. We saw each other just a few days ago.”
“Really? You met him a few days ago?”
Jin Aeran’s face brightened.
That he, who so rarely showed interest in women, had been consistently meeting Cheon Eunjeong seemed nothing short of admirable and gratifying.
Cheon Eunjeong watched Jin Aeran’s delight and suppressed a bitter smile. It wasn’t exactly a lie, so she felt no need for pangs of conscience.
A few days ago she’d visited his office, and Seo Ijin had been there too, but regardless, they had met.
And that Mun Ganghyun—he had no conscience at all. Cold, arrogant, utterly insufferable, yet he’d seduced that innocent, beautiful, kindhearted girl.
Cheon Eunjeong frowned as she recalled the image of Mun Ganghyun and Seo Ijin sitting side by side that day.
She wanted to call Seo Ijin right then and there and tell her to find someone better, anyone better than him.
Seo Iwhan would have done that. Since Iwhan wasn’t here anymore, shouldn’t I be the one to do it? Lost in thought, Cheon Eunjeong missed what Jin Aeran had just said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“Nothing much, really.”
Yet Jin Aeran felt a strange, sudden flicker of something amiss.
It wasn’t that Cheon Eunjeong wasn’t paying attention to the conversation—Jin Aeran wasn’t so particular that she couldn’t overlook that.
It was simply that a question had struck her out of nowhere. Did Mun Ganghyun truly like this girl? That fleeting thought set all of Jin Aeran’s senses on alert.
While she couldn’t know her grown son’s romantic taste perfectly, intuition was something she possessed.
The confidence and cheerfulness that radiated from Cheon Eunjeong pleased her, but when she asked herself whether her son would feel the same, something seemed off.
So Jin Aeran studied the young woman across from her once more, carefully. Her impeccably groomed appearance and tastefully coordinated outfit exuded refinement.
She wore a tweed-style pink dress, and looking at it, something came to mind.
The luxury handbag Mun Ganghyun had purchased at the department store. After he left, Jin Aeran had asked a staff member to find out what design he’d bought.
It was a bag that would have paired perfectly with the dress Cheon Eunjeong was wearing now.
A woman who loved luxury goods and the latest trends—why would she carry a different bag today instead of the recent gift she’d received?
It was mere speculation, but she found it increasingly difficult to suppress the chain of imagination. So Jin Aeran spoke impulsively.
“I ran into Mun Ganghyun at the department store the other day. It looked like he’d bought a gift for you—he was so embarrassed when I caught him.”
“Really?”
Cheon Eunjeong’s pupils wavered slightly. Jin Aeran didn’t miss it and pressed further.
“I think it was a wallet. Am I right?”
“Oh, yes. A wallet. Mun Ganghyun suddenly gave me a wallet as a gift.”
Jin Aeran lifted the corners of her lips just before they could harden into a grimace, forcing a smile.
“I’d like to see how good my son’s taste is. I know it’s presumptuous of me, but would you mind showing me the gift?”
“Oh… that is… how do I put this. I haven’t brought it with me today because I’m being so careful with the gift from Mun Ganghyun. Could I show you next time?”
“Of course, go ahead. It can’t be helped.”
Jin Aeran laughed while looking at Cheon Eunjeong’s apologetic tone, but beneath the surface, her mind churned.
‘This is it, isn’t it?’

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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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