My Brother's Friend Wasn't a Guy - Chapter 37

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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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37.

“Yes, I understand, ma’am.”
The devoted secretary withdrew, and Jin Ae-ran lingered at the window, unable to tear herself away.
It was a clear sign of how turbulent her thoughts had become.

***

Kang Hyun had been wrestling with doubt ever since meeting Do Hyun-su.
Lee Jin knew everything, yet she had not let on to him—and he could not settle on what that silence meant.
‘Should I just tell her everything?’
If I confess it all and ask her to stay by my side, would you do it?
But before he could resolve his turmoil, an inconvenient matter arose: a dispute between local residents broke out during construction.
It seemed only Kang Hyun, as the company representative, could settle it by visiting the site.
Being tied down at the construction site would make escape difficult, so Kang Hyun assigned someone to his mother—the person of greatest concern. Her movements would be transmitted to his phone in real time.
Yet his mother, cunning as a seasoned fox, watched him from above, beyond his reach.
“Ma’am, Kang Hyun just departed for the site where the complaint has arisen.”
Hearing the secretary’s report, Jin Ae-ran rose from her seat, sensing the moment had finally come.
“Proceed as I instructed before. Make absolutely certain that word of my outside activities does not leak.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jin Ae-ran knew her son’s nature well. Just as she monitored his every move, so too would he do the same to her.
The more one struggled to evade surveillance, the more one drew attention—so she chose deception instead.
In place of her usual escort driver, Secretary Kim would drive; and instead of her own car, they prepared another vehicle.
Part of her wondered if such precautions were necessary, but stubborn as she was, Jin Ae-ran had made it her nature to pursue her goals by any means required.
Moving inconspicuously in this manner, she arrived at Lee Jin’s Pottery Workshop. Fortunately, someone was inside.
Jin Ae-ran instructed the secretary to wait in the car and stepped into the workshop.
The doorbell chimed, and a woman emerged with a welcoming smile.
“Hello. I’m sorry, but classes aren’t being held right now—”
Lee Jin’s expression froze as she realized this was not an ordinary customer.
The woman’s refined, elegant attire seemed too elaborate for a pottery workshop visitor; something about her struck Lee Jin as unusual.
Moreover, in that cool, composed face, Lee Jin glimpsed Kang Hyun. There was something in this woman’s expression—when she was not smiling—that bore a striking resemblance to him.
Sure enough, the woman introduced herself with these words:
“I’m Kang Hyun’s mother. Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Oh, yes. Just a moment—let me wash my hands quickly. They’re quite dirty.”
“Of course.”
As Lee Jin hurried away, Jin Ae-ran let out a soft, exhaled breath.
Her son’s taste. That damned taste of his. Facing Lee Jin’s features, she understood it perfectly.
The girl was the complete opposite of Cheon Eun-jeong—delicate, possessing an innate fragility that stirred one’s protective instincts, with a refined and lovely face.
Comparing that face to Cheon Eun-jeong’s made it painfully clear she had been duped from the start. Her son had never intended to make things work with Cheon Eun-jeong, and marriage was never part of his plan.
The contrast was so stark that Jin Ae-ran’s heart grew heavier still.
Lee Jin returned and set down refreshments before Jin Ae-ran.
“I haven’t been holding classes lately, so I’m afraid what I’ve prepared is meager.”
“That’s quite all right.”
Without touching the refreshments before her, Jin Ae-ran scrutinized the young woman across from her with careful attention.
Pale and small-featured; large, round eyes; long, delicate lashes and full lips—her appearance was doll-like and perfectly proportioned, radiating an air of quiet virtue.
To put it more crudely: the sort of face that men found utterly captivating.
Her thinness was a minor flaw, though years of professional pottery work had made her quite skilled at managing social interactions.
Had they met under different circumstances, Jin Ae-ran might have allowed herself at least a measure of approval.
But the lack of makeup and the plain cardigan and skirt made the gulf between them painfully obvious.
This settled the matter for Jin Ae-ran—it was not worth reconsidering.
“You may have guessed why I came here today, but it’s because of our Kang Hyun.”
“Yes.”
Lee Jin answered calmly, like someone who had long since prepared herself for this very day.
“I want Kang Hyun to marry a woman who matches his station.”
The ‘woman who matches his station’ of whom Jin Ae-ran spoke was not Lee Jin. Lee Jin understood this and acknowledged it without objection.
“Yes, I understand what you’re saying.”
Seeing that the conversation flowed more smoothly than expected, Jin Ae-ran raised one eyebrow slightly.
She had assumed Lee Jin might cling desperately, unwilling to let go—as one with nothing to her name would do.
“I’m glad we understand each other. If we drag this out, it may become harder to separate cleanly, so I hope you’ll settle things promptly.”
Lee Jin’s face went pale at those words. She chewed her lip several times before speaking.
“There’s a contract between Kang Hyun and me regarding pottery. I need to complete the work and hand it over, which will take about a month, so I’ll settle things then.”
A pottery contract. Jin Ae-ran exhaled sharply, exasperated. Hearing of her son’s machinations laid out like this left a bitter taste. But if she cut him off abruptly now, he’d spiral.
Severing things gradually might be the better approach.
“Fine. One month—I can wait that long. But you must keep to that timeline.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Lee Jin felt as though her throat was tightening under the weight of Jin Ae-ran’s presence.
Though her tone remained gracious and proper, her eyes held that distinctive arrogance only those at the summit possessed—a gaze that looked down on everything. That look made her feel infinitely small.
The phantom words came to her: *Who do you think you are?* As if she could hear them spoken aloud.
*It was always going to end. This is just where it ends.* Lee Jin forced herself to remain composed.
But the moment Jin Ae-ran withdrew an envelope from her handbag and extended it, the composure she’d fought so hard to maintain shattered into pieces.
“W-what is this?”
“Take it. I’m not so tactless as to make such a request without delicacy.”
“No. I won’t take it.”
Lee Jin refused without even opening the envelope. The thought of her time with Kang Hyun being reduced to currency sickened her.
What they’d had wasn’t transactional. Her decision to leave had been made for his sake, not in pursuit of anything in return.
Seeing Lee Jin shake her head stubbornly, Jin Ae-ran let out a weary breath.
She hadn’t expected her to accept it outright, but to refuse so emphatically? Did she think Jin Ae-ran enjoyed playing the villain?
The envelope had been offered with cold calculation. If Lee Jin accepted it, Jin Ae-ran would have grounds to prevent her from ever coming back around.
“I need you to take it so I can have peace of mind. So please, accept it.”
Jin Ae-ran rose, leaving the envelope behind, brushing aside Lee Jin’s objections entirely. Her manner was forceful, brooking no refusal.
“And please don’t misunderstand—this is just a precaution. There won’t be any talk of Kang Hyun getting you pregnant or anything like that, will there? Even if such a thing were to happen, it’s not something we’d accept, so I trust you’ll be thorough with contraception on your end. Well, I’m sure you’re handling it properly. And my visit here today is to remain secret from Kang Hyun. I trust you’ll act wisely.”
At the mention of pregnancy, Lee Jin’s face drained of all color.
Humiliation made her hands tremble, her eyes burning red, but she did not cry.
Jin Ae-ran caught a glimpse of Lee Jin’s shoulders shaking faintly, then left the Pottery Workshop.
She should have felt relief, yet oddly, only oppression remained. *A peculiar girl,* Jin Ae-ran thought, frowning at how much more ruthless she felt in comparison.
Had the girl been the greedy, flighty sort, Jin Ae-ran wouldn’t have had to contend with this gnawing sense of guilt.
Jin Ae-ran clicked her tongue and cast the thought aside, telling herself it was finished.

After she left, Lee Jin sat in a daze for a long while.
Her father, who had died when she was young, had been so absent that he hardly counted as anyone to lean on or remember.
It was the absence of her brother, Lee Hwan, who had filled that role, that cut deepest into her chest.
Left without a soul to confide in, her own helplessness felt pitiful and desolate. Lee Jin steadied her trembling hands, fighting not to fall apart.
She drew deep breaths in and out, trying by any means to reclaim some equilibrium.
Then her eyes fell on the envelope lying abandoned on the table.
She opened it with a twisted smile. Two checks fell out.
Two checks for two hundred million won—a sum she’d never seen before.
A bitter laugh escaped between her lips.

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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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