However, the place turned out to be unexpected. When he heard it was a formal meeting, he’d assumed they’d at least go to a restaurant, but the location Executive Director Maeng took Seung-hyeon to was just a nearby café. Was it to avoid suspicion that he had some ulterior motive? Eun-jae found it a little odd but didn’t think much of it—unlike Seon-woo, whose reaction seemed completely different. A low grinding noise came from his direction, and Eun-jae heard him muttering through clenched teeth.
“The other party is Maeng’s kid, and this is the kind of place he brings him to? Just what kind of—”
His already intense, striking features now stiffened with irritation, and the pressure he gave off was enough to make anyone uneasy. Eun-jae could sense people around them subtly steering clear of Seon-woo, and he instinctively edged away from him too. In moments like this, pretending not to know him was the best strategy.
As they stepped into the café, the scene was almost identical to the one when Gwak Seon-woo had been on a similar meeting. Executive Director Maeng sat at a table, grinning proudly as he introduced Seung-hyeon to someone. The woman seated there had a neat, attractive appearance—so much so that it was hard to believe she was Maeng’s daughter or relative. Given how smug he looked, it sort of made sense.
Eun-jae instinctively glanced over at Seon-woo. The man who had been seething moments ago now wore a composed expression. Sitting at a table close enough to see Seung-hyeon yet far enough not to be noticed, Seon-woo handed Eun-jae his card and told him to order whatever he wanted. Of course, the rich guy move.
Eun-jae went all in—he ordered a Java Chip Frappuccino with an extra 1,500 won worth of Java chips, added an extra shot, made it a venti, then topped it off with two slices of cake and five cookies. It was a shame it wasn’t a restaurant, but he’d at least make that shameless executive squirm this way.
But Seon-woo, glancing at his phone as if he’d gotten a payment alert, didn’t even flinch. He turned back, his expression unchanged, eyes fixed on Seung-hyeon’s table like he was watching a silent drama unfold.
Sipping the sugar-loaded frappuccino that was so sweet it almost numbed her tongue, Eun-jae mumbled,
“Doesn’t this feel more like a blind date than a formal matchmaking meeting?”
“Looks like he deliberately set the mood that way.”
His voice was calm and cool—completely opposite of how grumbly he’d been in the car earlier. Judging by the way he’d been acting, he’d half-expected him to storm into the café, rip off Maeng’s wig, and drag Seung-hyeon out of there. His current restraint was surprising.
How was this going to end? Were they really just going to sit here nibbling on cake until it was over?
But Eun-jae’s concern turned out to be pointless just five minutes later.
“I arranged this meeting with you in mind, Team Leader Gwak. You’re thirty now, aren’t you? It’s about time you settled down. You can’t just bury yourself in work forever. And as it happens, my niece is right around your age. When I brought it up to the Chairman, he was supportive too—”
“If this was what you had in mind, you should’ve told me in advance, Director.”
“Heh heh, is that really such a big deal?”
His face wore a pleasant smile, but his voice was icy enough to drop the room’s temperature. Eun-jae was curious to see how Seung-hyeon would respond.
He wouldn’t deny that Seung-hyeon was a kind-hearted person at his core. That was a separate matter from him being infuriating. But did that mean he was indecisive? Easily swayed by others?
Was he the kind of person to get swayed easily? Definitely not. Brushing off a setup like this was nothing for someone like him. What was weighing on his mind, though, was likely the Chairman behind Executive Director Maeng—and Seung-hyeon’s own position.
“I’m sorry, but I think just being here is already disrespectful to your niece. I should be heading back.”
“Hey now, sit down!”
Executive Director Maeng’s face hardened as he raised his voice. His niece, sitting next to him and across from Seung-hyeon, shot him a look of pure disgust. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time he’d dragged someone unwilling into a matchmaking setup—he’d done the same when it was Seon-woo. Was this his twisted idea of a tradition or something?
“Team Leader Gwak, how long do you plan on leeching off Director Gwak? You won’t be able to build your own future unless you start a family—your cousin—”
“I don’t see how the Director has anything to do with this.”
Seung-hyeon cut him off, his voice stripped of even a trace of politeness. Seon-woo, too, had gone pale, his fingertips pressed white against the table. The tension was like watching a bomb seconds before it exploded—worrying, but thrilling in a way.
Of course. There was no way he was going to just let this go. How long could Gwak Seon-woo hold back? Three minutes?
“Team Leader Gwak, I wasn’t going to say this, but let’s be honest. Without me, do you think someone like you would even get a match like this?”
Never mind—three seconds.
Seon-woo shot up from his seat and strode straight over to the table where Seung-hyeon was sitting. Eun-jae glanced around. He wasn’t the only one watching—everyone nearby had gone quiet, their attention locked on the unfolding scene. So, it wasn’t just him finding this all extremely entertaining.
But these people didn’t know. They didn’t know that the terrifyingly handsome man who had just stormed over was actually the boyfriend of the man being humiliated right now. Which meant none of them could possibly enjoy this as much as Eun-jae could.
“Gwak Seung-hyeon. Get up.”
“Director, I didn’t come here knowingly—”
“I know. Now get up.”
Like a scene straight out of a drama, Seon-woo pulled Seung-hyeon to his feet with commanding force, then glared down Executive Director Maeng. Oh? Is this when he rips the wig off? But—whether it was fortunate or a little disappointing—Seon-woo didn’t go that far.
“Executive Director Maeng, we’ll be having a word later.”
With that, Seon-woo led Seung-hyeon straight out of the café. Just moments ago, Seung-hyeon had been holding his own like a fierce tiger—but now, dragged by the hand, he looked like a wounded kitten, his expression meek and pitiful. Seriously. Shameless.
Well, he’d expected things to blow up eventually… but they really just left him there alone?
Eun-jae let out an incredulous sigh, but hey, he’d gotten quite a show. That was worth something. Besides, he now had five cookies piled up in front of him—ones he usually considered too expensive to splurge on. So, not exactly a loss.
Ignoring the curious stares now aimed at him, Eun-jae took a long, exaggerated swig of his sugary frappuccino like it was booze.
***
His mind was in shambles. When Seo Eun-jae called him shouting, “Team Leader is at a matchmaking meeting!” it felt like the top of his skull had blown off. And when he found out it had all been orchestrated by the Chairman, he wasn’t even angry anymore—just completely and utterly drained. Thankfully, Executive Director Maeng had taken his time, which allowed Seon-woo to catch up to Seung-hyeon in time. Thankfully again, he’d managed to extract him without too much trouble. Granted, he’d ended up abandoning Eun-jae in the process, so he’d need to apologize and probably bribe him with something later.
The real problem, as always, was the Chairman. Seon-woo had thought he’d perfectly convinced the old man why he himself would never marry—but to think he’d simply shift his target to Seung-hyeon? The moment he dropped Seung-hyeon off at home, Seon-woo had driven straight to the Chairman’s main residence.
And this time, he made an even bigger scene than he had when he’d declared he wouldn’t be getting married himself. With a loud, unwavering stance of “I am absolutely against Gwak Seung-hyeon getting married!”, Seon-woo pressed the issue until the Chairman finally raised both hands in surrender.
“Don’t you dare try to arrange a marriage for that bastard Gwak Seung-hyeon again!”
“Why the hell not? I thought things were going well between you two—so why are you blocking the boy’s path to marriage?”
“I’m not getting married, so what makes you think I’d let him get married without a problem? I just can’t allow it!”
Playing the part of someone who still hadn’t completely let go of his grudge against Seung-hyeon, Seon-woo performed a heartfelt act—pretending to be tormented, questioning whether the Chairman was planning to hand down KG Group to that guy just because he wanted grandkids, and ending with a dramatic ultimatum: if he dared to marry Seung-hyeon off, he’d never see Seon-woo again. With that, the old man had no choice but to back down.
Seon-woo finally got the words he wanted to hear: “I still hope you’ll forgive Seung-hyeon one day… but if that’s what you want, I won’t arrange any more matches for him.”
With that victory in hand, Seon-woo returned straight to the home where Seung-hyeon was waiting. There might still be other wild cards besides the Chairman, so he’d need to lock things down on all fronts. Then—and only then—he could finally be free from the hell that was marriage talk.
Trying to calm his frazzled nerves, Seon-woo opened the front door and stepped inside. Just thinking about how flustered Seung-hyeon must’ve been from the sudden ambush made his heart ache. After all, Seung-hyeon had already been upset just hearing that Seon-woo had been dragged to a blind date himself. Seon-woo didn’t want to burden him with more anger or tension. He was probably sitting there all deflated… In that case, Seon-woo would comfort him, tell him there was no need to feel that way, and then—
“…What the hell is this?”
Noooooooooo por que no tengo dinerooooo, hora de esperar al viernes