# Chapter 66
“What?”
D.S’s eyes widened. Her pupils stared intently at Seeun, who was chatting with Heesu as if they were close friends. Though partially hidden by her long, loose sleeves, something vine-like could be faintly seen wrapping around her wrist.
“…Isn’t that Jin Heesu’s partner?”
When seen separately, she hadn’t noticed, but now that they were standing together, they seemed to have coordinated their outfits in similar tones, giving off the impression they were a pair.
“She said her name is Lee Seeun, and she told me she came with her oppa…”
“We don’t have anyone like that in our family. I’ve never even seen her face before.”
D.S answered quickly and hid behind a wide pillar. Iyeon, who had followed her at the alert, took out his phone. The message recipient was Hyegang.
Can you look up a 20-year-old girl named Lee Se
“Hey.”
“Ah! You scared me!”
His nimble fingers stopped mid-sentence, jerking as if having a spasm. Sano, who had suddenly appeared behind him, was staring at Iyeon like the grim reaper. For whatever reason, he still seemed extremely displeased.
“Mr. Jung. No matter how hungry you are, it’s problematic to have your entire meal here.”
Sua poked her head out from beside Sano’s massive frame. In response to her gentle, teasing joke, Iyeon grumbled, “That’s not what I’m doing.” Despite appearing like something from a horror movie, Sano had arrived at an appropriate time.
“You came at the right moment. Have you found anything useful?”
“I dropped some hints, but I’m not sure. No one seemed particularly interested.”
Sua sighed, cupping her cheek.
“They just kept asking about Sano-ssi.”
“Even when I said we were just friends, they kept insisting that it’s time for me to get married too. I was sweating bullets. I don’t know what these people are hearing…” Sua shook her head in disgust, looking genuinely repulsed, which prompted Iyeon to ask teasingly:
“You’re a face-con, aren’t you, Boss?”
“Well, Sano-ssi is handsome, but he’s a bit different from my type.”
“With looks like his, isn’t he above personal preference?”
“Oh please. I prefer faces like ‘Family Honor Dried Yellow Corvina.'”
Unlike Sano, whose features were distinct and strong, ‘Family Honor Dried Yellow Corvina’ had an androgynous, dazzling beauty. They’re completely opposite types. Iyeon reluctantly agreed.
“What’s ‘Family Honor Dried Yellow Corvina’? You like fish?”
At D.S’s confused question, Sua gazed distantly into space.
“There’s this handsome person. I haven’t been able to meet him since then…”
Like I’d ever go back to a place that wouldn’t even let me do the tutorial because of face preferences. It’s terrifying.
“Anyway, I didn’t get much out of it. Dealing with those people felt like handling relatives during holidays…”
“Je Sano, what about you? Did you see anything?”
At those words, Sano rolled his dark, downcast eyes to look at Iyeon.
“You.”
“…Huh?”
“I saw you.”
He’s even learned to creatively rephrase “hanging around” like that. Je Sano has certainly improved his social skills.
From the looks of it, he hadn’t gained much information either. It was natural, considering he had been sticking close to Sua the whole time.
Well, for a couple who stayed so close together, the atmosphere between them… Wait, why am I even caring about this? Iyeon suddenly came to his senses with a start. What does it matter to me if Sano and Sua have a thing going on? No, why did I even ask Sua-ssi about Je Sano’s looks in the first place? What was I trying to probe? Why was I probing?
“Iyeon-ssi? What’s wrong?”
Sua stepped closer to Iyeon with a puzzled look. Iyeon jumped back as if burned, his face suddenly illuminated by the chandelier’s light as he emerged from the shadows.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just thinking about something else.”
“Your face looks really strange.”
“Does it? Maybe my face is itchy.”
Iyeon rubbed his face roughly. As his harsh scrubbing turned his pale cheeks increasingly red, Sano grabbed his wrist.
“Why are you acting crazy?”
Iyeon instinctively pulled his arm away from the sudden warmth. Sano’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at his hand that had been pushed away so quickly.
“Ah, that’s not the important thing.”
Only after a bout of futile gesturing did Iyeon regain his composure. It seemed he was the only one who had gained any clues here.
“I’ve never heard the name Lee Seeun before.”
That was Sua’s first comment after hearing Iyeon’s explanation. She folded her arms with a thoughtful “Hmm.”
“I consider myself fairly well-connected, but this is suspicious.”
A certain amount of money was needed to buy the bracelet. Even if her family wasn’t wealthy, if a young lady of only 20 had that kind of money, rumors would certainly circulate.
“But the fact that she appeared with Jin Heesu…”
“That’s… a bit unexpected. Your sister doesn’t know anything about this, right?”
At Sua’s question, D.S sighed.
“I only contact home when I meet Mirae. Even then, it’s only with the nanny.”
Even if the woman named Seeun wasn’t the password itself, she might be a hint to the password. The priority was to make contact with her first.
“Is there a problem with the nanny?”
“No, it’s just…”
Iyeon, who had been responding without much thought, suddenly paused. That voice…
“…Deokseon noona?”
Heesu, who was standing next to Iyeon, was looking at them with even more surprised eyes.
“W-what? Director, what brings you here?”
“I just… saw you.”
Heesu gestured toward Iyeon with his chin. Oh no. Only then did Iyeon realize that his body had moved out from behind the pillar’s shadow. Seeun was gone, and Heesu was alone.
“But Iyeon-ssi, why are you… Je Sano? No, Deokseon noona…”
“I’m leaving.”
D.S quickly turned her back. It was Sua who stopped Heesu as he tried to catch D.S with a “Wait.” It was a small gesture of responsibility as the person who had drawn D.S into this situation. While Heesu was detained by Sua, D.S safely escaped from the hall.
“I asked Iyeon-ssi to come.”
“Sua?”
Heesu murmured with a slightly bewildered expression. He seemed a bit dazed from unexpectedly meeting so many people at once.
“Then the handsome male friend Sua said she brought…”
The ellipsis held a lot of meaning. Me? Is he insulting me right now? Iyeon blinked, uncertain.
“……”
A crack appeared in Sua’s gently smiling face. She clearly wanted to deny it immediately, but admirably restrained herself. Her emotions were so transparent—enduring the presentation of an unsuitable candidate for the greater good—that even Iyeon, standing nearby, felt a little hurt.
“Anyway, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
Leaving behind the dejected Iyeon and the blank-faced Sano, Sua skillfully continued her conversation with Heesu. As they naturally turned their backs, Iyeon and Sano quietly moved away. Nice one, boss. Iyeon inwardly chattered as he scanned the hall, checking if Seeun was still around.
“Short permed hair, wearing a mini dress with a large flower pattern.”
Iyeon described Seeun’s appearance to Sano as he looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Had she already left? Maybe if they went out to the corridor…
“Hey, you guys!”
Just then, someone tapped his shoulder. Who is it? I’m busy. Iyeon turned around with a slightly furrowed brow, and his eyes widened. It was a familiar face—well-groomed hair and attire, a somewhat swaggering posture, and an oily smile.
It was the club guy, one of Subin’s companions from the club.
Though surprised at the unexpected figure, Iyeon quickly understood. A man who had led the atmosphere among Subin’s companions. As the leader of a group of wealthy young men, with enough money to casually buy expensive drinks for strangers, it was perhaps natural for the club guy to be invited here.
The club guy brightened upon seeing Iyeon and Sano. Whether it’s an ‘insider’ thing or not, he was as friendly as if they were old friends, despite having only met for about 15 minutes.
“Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Fine.”
After saying that much, Iyeon hesitated momentarily. Come to think of it, they hadn’t even properly introduced themselves. The quick-witted club guy extended his hand.
“I’m Park Hyeongseok.”
“Jung Iyeon.”
Since Sano was predictably ignoring Hyeongseok, Iyeon smiled and shook his hand without pause to prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward.
“Did you get home okay that day? You bought us drinks, but we left without saying goodbye.”
“No worries. Everyone was, well, distracted then. I should have noticed when the usual event didn’t happen… I didn’t expect the club to close so suddenly the next day.”
Hyeongseok shrugged, appearing unbothered.
“Do you know how Subin noona is doing?”
“Ah, right. I heard she’s hospitalized. They say there’s nothing wrong with her, but strangely, she won’t wake up.”
