The Textbook of a Lover - Chapter 15

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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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15.
“Who was that man yesterday? Your boyfriend, I mean? I nearly fainted when you suddenly said you had one.”
Do-ah laughed awkwardly and replied.
“We haven’t been dating long, and honestly, I just didn’t have the chance to mention it before. I wasn’t trying to hide it deliberately.”
“When did you start dating?”
“Where did you meet?”
“How old is he?”
The rapid-fire questions made it hard to think straight.
When should I say we met?
I can’t exactly tell them I met him in the department store headquarters lobby while he was causing a scene.
Do-ah finally understood why dating practice was necessary. If their stories about each other had this many holes, the fake would be exposed in seconds.
“That car your boyfriend drove yesterday was absolutely incredible, by the way. It’s my dream car, and I’ve never seen one in person before. So, um, could you maybe ask if I could just test-drive it once……?”
“Stop talking nonsense and get back to work.”
“Team lead, it’s not work hours yet.”
“That’s exactly why you never get anywhere, Go. The early bird catches the worm. You start work early, you succeed early!”
Even the male employee they rarely spoke to was suddenly being addressed in a friendly tone.
Do-ah felt completely drained.
Just as she let out a light sigh, thinking the chaos was finally over, her gaze locked directly with Na-hee’s across the room.
Leaning against the partition, Na-hee had been watching the whole scene, her eyes filled with malice.
The moment Do-ah looked at her, Na-hee’s sharp gaze softened into a bright smile.
“If your boyfriend came to pick you up, shouldn’t you have introduced him to us? He came all the way here, after all.”
“Right, show us. We’re curious about Do-ah’s boyfriend.”
“Have him introduce himself!”
Voices of agreement echoed from around the office. Do-ah shook her head.
“He’s very shy.”
“That didn’t stop him from picking you up at your workplace, though.”
Na-hee seemed to be looking for any opening to attack.
“What does he do for work? He’s young but drives a car like that—must be something unusual? Or maybe he’s quite a bit older?”
If she told them he was Kyung-jun’s boss, they’d lose consciousness.
But Do-ah, saving that for later, deflected vaguely.
“It’s personal. I’d rather not discuss things like that.”
“Oh, my apologies. I suppose I was prying too much. I’ve just heard there are a lot of scammers out there these days using fancy foreign cars to trick people. I was only wondering……”
Hye-jung, who had been listening quietly, shot back at Na-hee.
“Na-hee! The more I listen, the ruder you sound. How would you feel if someone asked you such things?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Do-ah, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable by asking about your private life.”
Na-hee lowered her guard at the words of the higher-ranking employee.
Grateful for Hye-jung’s kindness, Do-ah bowed slightly to her and sat down.
Even so, she found the situation absurd and let out a hollow laugh.
A scammer using a foreign car?
Don’t worry. If it’s fraud, I’ve been swindled by my boyfriend so thoroughly it’s disgusting, so I’m not falling for it again.
Do-ah smiled coldly and turned on her monitor.
* * *
“Did you notice Na-hee seemed to have some kind of grudge against Do-ah? Telling her to watch out for scammers was pretty harsh.”
“Yeah. She wasn’t just venting.”
“Now I’m suspicious of everything Na-hee said. That whole thing about Do-ah stalking her boyfriend and stealing him.”
“You’re right. Do-ah doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
Na-hee had been about to enter the office when she heard the voices from inside and stopped in her tracks.
Tsk, these people change their minds like soup boils.
No matter how much she thought about it, nothing made sense.
Do-ah with a boyfriend.
That shy, awkward girl who had only had eyes for Woo Kyung-jun since university—how long had it been since she’d broken up with him before she got a new boyfriend?
And on top of that, had she really found a man driving a Bentley?
That wasn’t all that bothered her.
“Isn’t that Yoon Cha-kyung, the managing director?”
Yesterday, Kyung-jun had stared intently at the car Do-ah had arrived in before saying that.
Actually, Na-hee had seen Do-ah talking with Cha-kyung in the Hyunsin Department Store lobby not long ago.
Yoon Cha-kyung, managing director.
The heir to Hyunsin Department Store, part of the royal family of the company—he was someone ordinary people like her rarely had the chance to meet.
So naturally, she’d assumed the two were together for business reasons or had simply bumped into each other by chance.
But now that man had come to pick Do-ah up? It made no sense. Kyung-jun must have been seeing things.
“What, are you Mongolian or something? How can you see someone inside a car from this distance?”
“Sir, my eyesight is 2.0 in both eyes. I see well in the dark too. Do you happen to know Director Yoon’s car registration?”
“How would I know that? Stop joking around. You’re tired—just go home.”
As expected, Kyung-jun only received sarcasm from his superior and deflated.
But even if it wasn’t Yoon Cha-kyung, the mere fact that Do-ah had a boyfriend driving a luxury foreign car was hard to believe.
She didn’t even want to imagine it.
“It’s not just anyone—it’s Do-ah, Do-ah. That backward, awkward girl who grew up in an orphanage working part-time jobs, never bothering to dress herself up.”
Even if the man had been ugly or had other flaws, the thought of Do-ah dating someone richer than Kyung-jun was unbearable.
Just then, footsteps echoed from inside the office, and the door in front of Na-hee swung open.
“Oh, N-Na-hee?”
“What are you doing out here?”
Na-hee, who had been lingering outside thanks to all the gossip, answered casually.
“I was about to go in and ran into everyone. But where are you all going?”
“It’s already lunch time. We’re going to eat.”
The employee who said this glanced at his colleagues’ expressions, then asked Na-hee hesitantly.
“Um, would you like to…… come with us? For lunch?”
Na-hee internally laughed at the clear reluctance written across their faces.
When I mentioned I was dating a client company employee, you all clung to me hoping something would rub off, but now that Do-ah has a boyfriend, you’re avoiding me again?
Na-hee didn’t care. She planned to make an impact on this Hyunsin Department Store project and transfer to a better company anyway.
These people were nothing but stepping stones for her to use.
“No, thank you. My stomach’s been upset, so I’m going to rest in the office. Enjoy your meal.”
Leaving behind those who seemed relieved, Na-hee entered the office.
It was completely empty—everyone had gone out to eat.
Na-hee wandered around the office and made her way toward Do-ah’s desk.
As she scanned the desk with a scornful gaze, she noticed that the cheap snow globe Kyung-jun had given as a gift was gone, replaced by an unfamiliar flower pot.
‘Unemployed Woo Kyung-jun was one thing, but Woo Kyung-jun the major corporation employee doesn’t match your station. And a man driving a foreign car suited you? There’s definitely something. Definitely.’
Convinced that she could never allow Do-ah to be with a man better than herself, Na-hee was about to look away from the desk when a business card beneath the glass top caught her eye.
[
Role-Playing Professional Agency PARTNER
Parents, friends, lovers—we perfectly deliver every role you request.
TEL. 010―XXXX―XXXX
E―MAIL. [email protected]]
Why would an ordinary office worker need a business card from an agency like this?
‘Could it be…… Do-ah?’
Na-hee’s hand trembled as she opened her phone’s camera.
Click—
A single business card neatly tucked under the glass of Do-ah’s desk appeared in the lens.
Na-hee quickly ducked into a bathroom stall, breathing shakily as she dialed the number printed on the card.
— Yes, this is the Role-Playing Professional Agency “Partner.”

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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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