Chapter 24
I might never get another chance to eat it if not today.
It would be impossible to eat a whole cake alone, so sharing half with Kim Ji-han would be perfect. When would Ji-han ever get to try such an expensive cake? It was also a good opportunity to show off.
Moreover, thanks to having tucked away the invitation with the intention of returning it to Do-heon later, it was safely nestled in my bag right now.
Seeing how everything was falling into place, it must be a sign that I should go.
“I’m going.”
Having made his decision, Cheong-yeon headed straight to the bus stop, thinking that nothing would go wrong if he just entered the exhibition hall, quickly picked up the cake, and left.
“Could it be, Mr. Yoo Cheong-yeon?”
Nothing would go wrong, my ass.
He had just shown his invitation at the entrance, picked up the cake from the cafeteria inside the exhibition hall, and was about to leave. That’s when he ran smack into the insufferable Museum Director Jeon Jun-ho right in front of the exit.
Even though Cheong-yeon immediately pulled down the brim of his baseball cap to cover his face and lowered his head, Jun-ho somehow recognized him in that brief moment and greeted him.
Damn, this is bad.
A chill ran up his spine. Swallowing a curse, Cheong-yeon abruptly lifted his head as if he hadn’t lowered it at all and put on a fake smile.
“Director. It’s been a while.”
“It is you, right? Mr. Cheong-yeon. At first, I almost walked past thinking it wasn’t you.”
Jun-ho spoke in an uncharacteristically friendly voice.
“But what brings you here? This is a private exhibition, so you wouldn’t have been able to enter without an invitation today.”
His gaze lingered on the bakery package Cheong-yeon was holding.
“Ah, well…”
“Ms. Mi-jung. Park Mi-jung?”
Before Cheong-yeon could answer, Jun-ho called over an employee who was standing at a distance. An employee wearing impressively high-heeled shoes quickly ran over and stood before Jun-ho.
“You called, Director?”
“Did I tell you to carefully check visitors when they enter, or did I not?”
“…You did.”
“I even emphasized it when I called you separately on Monday, so why is someone who wasn’t invited walking around in here?”
His unpleasant personality hadn’t changed. It was hard to believe he had momentarily pretended to be decent during their greeting; Jun-ho was now tearing into his employee with fire in his eyes.
He’s probably saying this for me to hear. What a twisted personality, Cheong-yeon clicked his tongue inwardly.
“But I’m sure we checked for invitations at the entrance…”
“I brought an invitation.”
Cheong-yeon cut off the employee’s words as he pulled out the invitation from his bag. Jun-ho’s sharp gaze then turned toward Cheong-yeon.
“Really? How did you get one, Mr. Yoo Cheong-yeon?”
He asked as if he’d heard a lie, then took the invitation from Cheong-yeon’s hand.
“Grandmother gave it to me as a gift.”
“Grandmother?”
“Director, I mean, Do-heon’s grandmother.”
Jun-ho frowned after confirming that Cheong-yeon had indeed brought a proper invitation. He made no effort to hide his hostility and contempt toward Cheong-yeon.
“Weren’t you two divorced? Yet you still talk as if Director Moon Do-heon is your spouse.”
Ah, so the news of the divorce had already reached them. Well, it wouldn’t make sense for people in these circles to be completely unaware. Besides, Jun-ho had a significant personal interest in Do-heon, so he probably welcomed the divorce news with open arms.
His feeling that Jun-ho was treating him more disrespectfully than before wasn’t just his imagination. Previously, perhaps because he held the title of Do-heon’s husband, Jun-ho hadn’t been this rude.
Now that he was divorced, Jun-ho seemed to view him as nothing more than a pathetic Recessive Omega with no ties, not even bothering to hide his nasty personality.
“How I address Do-heon is my business. You’ve always had a lot of interest in him, haven’t you, Director?”
“Of course. Since you two got married, everyone has been wondering how many months it would take before divorce talks started.”
That was something he already knew without being told. This very sentiment had been chanted like a mantra for three years to his face, not just by complete strangers like Jun-ho, but even by people in the same family.
Sneering comments about how long Moon Do-heon, who had impulsively married a Recessive Omega with no notable family or educational background because he disliked the Dominant Omega chosen by the family, would maintain his marriage.
Cheong-yeon wracked his brain for a retort, but suddenly lost his will to fight. He judged it to be a wasteful battle with nothing to gain.
After all, he wasn’t likely to cross paths with Jun-ho again. The longer he engaged in this verbal sparring, the more fodder he would provide for them to gossip about behind his back, so Cheong-yeon ignored him and turned to leave.
Or rather, he tried to.
“By the way, where do you buy a hat like that? You must be… struggling a lot these days. Looking at how you came all the way here dressed like that, trying to steal away with just a cake like a thief.”
Only then did Cheong-yeon become conscious of his attire and looked down at himself. Even at a glance, it wasn’t a style that would fit in at an art museum like this.
To make matters worse, his jeans weren’t just torn—they had gaping holes from his thighs all the way down past his knees, making it truly the worst OOTD possible.
Ah, why did I wear these clothes of all things? And in front of Jeon Jun-ho! Cheong-yeon screamed internally. He shouldn’t have readily worn what his boss had given him for free.
“You’re right. I’ve been struggling a lot lately. And I’m really hungry too.”
“Does Director Moon Do-heon know you’re going around like this?”
“Yes. He knows very well. Do-heon is very worried about me. But why does that matter? We’re divorced anyway.”
“It’s not a pleasant sight to see someone still hanging around after being divorced. Do you even have any reason to come here anymore? You look like you can’t even afford to buy a cake with your own money.”
He’s just telling the truth with a smile on his face, so I have nothing to say. Cheong-yeon tried to calm his boiling insides and forced a smile.
“Anyway, if you’re interested in Do-heon, why don’t you make a move now?”
“What did you say?”
“Do-heon probably doesn’t even know your name anyway…”
Cheong-yeon muttered as if talking to himself and turned his head. At that, the corner of Jun-ho’s mouth, which had been maintaining a subtly unpleasant smile, twitched.
“Are you saying that for me to hear?”
Do-heon is still his trigger button. Cheong-yeon, who had already forgotten his goal of leaving as quickly as possible, now had his face filled with all sorts of sarcasm and mockery.
“Oh, you heard that? Your hearing must be sharp from working in such a quiet place.”
“…Hah.”
At Cheong-yeon’s sarcasm, the expression of the employee standing behind them turned somewhat pale. The person directly involved, Jun-ho, calmly wrinkled his nose and slowly looked Cheong-yeon up and down.
“This kind of provocation would have angered me in the past… but now I only feel pity. Since you’ve already visited, please take the cake and enjoy it.”
Ah, why is he suddenly pretending to be decent again? It feels like I’m losing.
Cheong-yeon stared at Jun-ho’s lips as they delivered these calm words. His tone genuinely sounded like he was pitying Cheong-yeon, which fueled his irritation.
Damn it, I shouldn’t have come. What’s so special about a three-hundred-thousand-won cake? Was it really worth facing that unappetizing person to pick it up?
“Yes. I was about to leave long ago if you hadn’t stopped me.”
“It will get cold after sunset, so you should hurry along. And make sure to mend your pants before wearing them next time.”
As expected, the wealthy don’t know how to respect fashion diversity. Even someone like Jeon Jun-ho was saying things similar to what Moon Do-heon would say.
Cheong-yeon nodded and turned his body toward the exit. Somehow, he felt dejected, as if he had gotten entangled unnecessarily.
“When did you arrive?”
As he was taking a heavy step forward with the mindset of a baseball team that had suffered a crushing defeat this season, a familiar voice flowed into his ears.
Cheong-yeon turned around, thinking, “It couldn’t be.” And just as he had expected from the voice, Do-heon was standing there.
It was unclear when he had entered the exhibition hall, but he was approaching Cheong-yeon with his characteristically straightforward gait, devoid of any superfluous movement.
Jun-ho, seemingly unaware that Do-heon had arrived, wore a surprised expression.
“Director Moon Do-heon.”
Then, as if by reflex, he rushed forward to greet Do-heon. Do-heon, who returned the greeting with just a brief nod, came to stand in front of Cheong-yeon.
“You’re later than I expected.”
“Me?”
Cheong-yeon pointed to himself and tilted his head.
Did we agree to meet? Why is he acting so confidently like he knows me? Or is he talking to the director, not to me?
“Ah, Jeon Jun-ho…”
As he muttered to himself in embarrassment, Do-heon’s head turned precisely toward Cheong-yeon.
“Who is Jeon Jun-ho?”
After asking that, Do-heon now gestured with his chin at Jun-ho and the employee standing next to Cheong-yeon. He was asking which one of them was Jeon Jun-ho.
Is he really asking because he doesn’t know…? Even if they weren’t close, they must have crossed paths quite often.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
