So that’s what he meant…… It seems Hyun-nam was conscious of the date I had with Beomwoo last time.
Until just now, Haejin had tried to erase the memories from his past life and make an effort to face him, thinking, ‘Am I viewing Hyun-nam too negatively because of prejudice?’
But seeing him immediately become conscious and wary of Beomwoo like this made that prejudice try to come alive again.
I didn’t want to react at all, but since we were alone, it was difficult to ignore him completely.
Haejin gave an evasive answer.
“Just… well. An ordinary date…….”
“Hah, as expected. That guy wouldn’t have done something like this for you, right?”
When Haejin answered vaguely, Hyun-nam’s face lit up as if he had known it.
It was noticeable how his expression changed completely, perhaps because he had been tense while subtly asking about the date with Beomwoo.
I had just answered vaguely because I didn’t want to answer, but Hyun-nam seemed to think I answered that way because the date with Beomwoo wasn’t very satisfying, and he shrugged his shoulders.
“That guy has always been like that since way back. Self-centered, selfish, and full of greed. The way you never know what he’s thinking is creepy.”
“…….”
Hyun-nam launched into gossip about Beomwoo as if he had been waiting for this.
Haejin never liked listening to gossip about others in the first place, and especially when the subject of the gossip was my former crush and ex-husband.
Even if they are half-brothers, they are still family.
I found him, who felt competitive even over such trivial things, and Hyun-nam, who excitedly spread gossip, unpleasant.
I didn’t even want to respond, but if I stayed quiet, it might seem like I was agreeing with the gossip.
I didn’t want to appear that way.
But if I strongly denied it, it might seem strange, so Haejin put down the tea he was drinking and vaguely denied it in a non-committal way.
“Well……, B-Beomwoo was kind too…….”
“That guy? Kind?”
When Haejin spoke, Hyun-nam let out a breath as if exasperated.
It was a reaction as if he had heard something absurd.
In many of the behaviors I’ve seen, Beomwoo was indeed far from being described as kind.
He didn’t have bad intentions, but ‘kind’ is usually a modifier for warm-hearted people.
But since Hyun-nam held ill feelings toward Beomwoo, it could sound like nonsense to him.
However, the fact that he transparently revealed his animosity toward Beomwoo, even mocking me for saying otherwise, made me feel awkward for no reason.
It was clear that even if I defended Beomwoo more, he would just sneer like that, so it felt pointless to say anything.
As Haejin closed his mouth and swallowed his words, Hyun-nam seemed to finally notice he had been too sarcastic and managed his expression back to a friendly one as he spoke to me.
“You really seem like a pure person, Haejin.”
“…….”
In this context, is calling me ‘pure’ a compliment, or is it a roundabout way of saying how stupid I must be to see Beomwoo as kind?
Given the conversation we just had, it seemed like the latter meaning, but this was a date where he was trying to win my favor.
It could also genuinely mean I’m a good-natured person, so Haejin tried not to take it sarcastically and forced a faint smile as he replied.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
“That’s why I don’t want to hand you over.”
“Huh? Hand over what……?”
“I see too many people trying to take advantage of a good person like you, Haejin.”
Just when I thought he might change the subject, Hyun-nam subtly steered the conversation again.
He didn’t specify who ‘the people trying to take advantage’ were, but given the context, it could only refer to Beomwoo.
His words sounded genuinely concerned, as if saying, ‘How will you survive in this harsh world being so naive?’
But considering Hyun-nam, who had no real feelings for me yet forced this date to demand his own chance, it was simply infuriating.
And ‘hand over’? I was never anyone’s possession to begin with. Unless you count my past life……
It was absurd, but it was hard to point out each thing and argue.
I wanted to sharply retort, but since he spoke subtly and indirectly, it was obvious he would innocently play dumb.
Speaking up would only put me at a disadvantage.
As Haejin thought this and just smiled awkwardly, Hyun-nam seemed to think I took it in a good way and smiled softly again as he spoke to me.
“If you choose me, I’ll show you a world you’ve never experienced, just like today. Not just a contractual husband and wife, but special experiences like this.”
“…….”
Out of nowhere, Hyun-nam emphasized that he was wealthy, gentlemanly, and romantic.
It wasn’t strange for him to appeal that choosing him would be better, given the limited time.
However, no matter how I thought about it, Haejin couldn’t bring himself to take his words positively.
For one, due to my past life experiences, I have not the slightest intention of marrying any of these brothers.
And did he forget we were just gossiping……? Did he take my lack of response as agreement?
Moreover, if wealth alone could sway me, as mentioned before, the other brothers have the same conditions, so I would have viewed this marriage positively from the start.
No matter how hard Haejin tried to see Hyun-nam in a good light, he only appeared as someone who, while perhaps kind, deeply disliked Beomwoo and was filled with inferiority.
No matter how much I hated him, he was my ex-husband in my past life.
Even if the yacht date was romantic and glamorous, I was only bothered by the fact that he badmouthed Beomwoo.
Why do I keep thinking about Beomwoo even when there’s someone else right in front of me?
Haejin secretly swallowed a sigh and took a sip of his tea.
****
The second date was over as well.
After finishing the second date, Hyun-nam did text saying he enjoyed it, but Haejin thought his duty was done and didn’t reply.
My only obligation was the date itself, so I’ve now done everything I needed to do for him.
Now, only the final hurdle remained for Haejin.
The third date.
The meeting with the second brother.
“……I can’t even imagine it.”
Haejin was getting ready to go out again today, muttering softly with worry about what might happen.
In the case of the other brothers, I knew their personalities through memories from my past life.
Beomwoo, of course, and while I didn’t know Hyun-nam well, I had also seen his hostile attitude toward Beomwoo in my past life, so I was relatively less flustered when he was gossiping.
But regarding the second brother, Gu Jeong-yeon—no matter how much I searched my past life memories, I had no particular information about him.
All I knew was what I heard before the marriage: that he dabbled in drugs, was an artist, a free spirit?
He seemed to show a promiscuous lifestyle left and right, like a stereotypical immature chaebol son.
Within the family, he was the black sheep, and among the brothers, Jeong-yeon’s free-spirited nature wasn’t seen as a threat to the succession, so they didn’t pay him much mind.
Because of this, he rarely attended family gatherings, and when he didn’t, everyone would just click their tongues and say, ‘There he goes again,’ without caring.
So there were even fewer points of contact.
Since it was just a date to fill a quota, I didn’t need to pay him attention, but since we were meeting one-on-one, I couldn’t help but be concerned.
……Still, it’s the last day.
Since the support I receive from Beomwoo hasn’t ended yet, they might find another pretext to make such demands, but I’ll just have to handle that better than now when the time comes.
So with the mindset of just getting through this one, Haejin finished preparing and left the house at the appointed time.
Unlike the other brothers, the date with Jeong-yeon was set for the evening.
The other brothers, as if precious of the single day they were given, wanted to meet from early morning and spend the whole day together, which was different.
For me, sharing just an evening meal was much more comfortable than being with someone I had no feelings for all day, so it was fortunate.
As the sun set and evening approached, I finished preparing and came out.
Right on time, a flashy sports car approached from a distance with a fierce engine roar.
Since it was the same car parked in front of my house last time, I could only guess whose it was.
The sports car stopped in front of Haejin.
The door didn’t open, but since the sports car had its roof down, I could see Jeong-yeon at a glance, wearing sunglasses and holding the steering wheel.
Dressed in flashy clothes, with his bleached long hair tied back and wearing sunglasses, he looked ready to head to a resort immediately.
The entrance, so different from the other brothers, left Haejin a bit flustered as he stood still.
Jeong-yeon checked his wristwatch and then greeted me casually.
“You’re out early. I’m on time too.”
Jeong-yeon’s speech was curiously blunt.
Come to think of it, he had also been somewhat informal before.
I wondered when we became close enough for him to use informal speech, but thinking positively, it might be his way of lightly expressing familiarity.
Haejin erased the negative impression and smiled faintly as he replied.
“I haven’t been out long either.”
“That’s good. Get in quick. Let’s go get dinner.”
“…….”
Jeong-yeon gestured toward the passenger seat with his chin.
It meant I should get in there.
I didn’t expect or want full-service escort from start to finish—that would have been burdensome anyway—but he was clearly different from the other brothers, who oozed regret if they didn’t open car doors for me or do everything.
They had picked fights and demanded equal opportunities, and this date was obtained that way……
Oddly, it felt like he was acting as if I should be the one feeling regretful.
But maybe this is better than Hyun-nam’s excessive consideration, which became an emotional burden.
We’ll just have dinner and part quickly……
I just need to endure a little.
Thinking it was fortunate we were meeting late, Haejin got into his car.