Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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“……”
Nam Da-un regretted coming here now.
First of all, he didn’t like the clothes he was wearing.
Well, Sara told him to come, and that’s why he wore what she told him to, but… it was a suit-like outfit, and the color was a deep wine red.
What was the reason for making him wear such a color?
No, well, he could understand the intention.
It must have been to make it easier to identify allies.
Most of the people here were meeting for the first time anyway.
And it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear a school uniform to a party.
But even so, wasn’t this outfit a bit over the top?
Maybe she matched it with his eye color?
If that was the case, the symbolism was excellent, but… making all the boys here wear red seemed a bit excessive.
“……”
Moreover, Nam Da-un didn’t have anyone to talk to here.
If he had to name someone, there was Sara.
But Sara was the star of this party.
Although he hadn’t been around for a long time, Nam Da-un had lived in a fairly wealthy household before, so he knew that the star of such a party would be extremely busy.
If he tried to get involved, he would only cause misunderstandings.
And it wasn’t like he had any intention of making new friends here, so Nam Da-un was just sipping his drink quietly in a corner.
However, it wasn’t as though ‘no one’ talked to him.
Nam Da-un was a popular person by nature.
“Hello, senior?”
He received greetings like this several times.
Of course, none of these conversations ever went deep.
After a few obligatory introductions and exchanges of pleasantries, the conversations would run out, and they would move on elsewhere.
After repeating this a few times, he found himself with no one else to talk to—
“Hello, senior.”
—Or so he thought.
Right, they were still here.
The ones who spoke to Nam Da-un were Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah.
Both were wearing dresses in shades of red.
They looked great, but…
From these two, he got a similar feeling to Sara.
Something fundamentally attractive, yet there was an air about them that didn’t quite make them seem like women.
It was purely Nam Da-un’s intuition, though.
Well, he wasn’t in the mood for romance anyway.
If he were, he would have gotten a girlfriend long ago.
It wasn’t like he’d never received confessions.
“Oh, you finally have some time, I see.”
Nam Da-un responded casually to them, saying something that would have made Ye Sara grab the back of her neck in frustration if she had heard.
“Ah, I… I’m sorry.”
Yoo Ha-neul quickly apologized, and Nam Da-un shrugged.
“No, no need to apologize.”
He had somewhat expected this.
He had thought that at least they’d be able to exchange a few words… but Ye Sara, who he had observed from afar, looked even busier than he imagined.
At first, she was dealing with people who obviously seemed wealthy, then disappeared for a while, probably to take a break, and then reappeared with a flushed face, running around and hiding here and there in a rather ridiculous manner.
Then, as if she wasn’t feeling well, she disappeared again with Shin So-hee.
In the meantime, Nam Da-un noticed Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah disappearing one by one as well.
When they returned, both seemed to be in much better spirits.
“……”
For some reason, it seemed like all of this had something to do with Ye Sara.
But he decided not to think too deeply about it.
Delving any further would probably become really annoying.
“Well, coming to places like this isn’t all bad, after all.”
Just a moment ago, he was thinking he shouldn’t have come, but out of courtesy, he said this.
“Well… And there seems to be someone who looks like they really didn’t want to come.”
At Nam Da-un’s nod, Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah turned to look in the direction he gestured towards, both furrowing their brows slightly, as if they had seen something unpleasant.
As expected, they were making that face.
The person they were looking at was none other than Yoon Da-ho.
Yes, despite their strained relationship and lack of interaction, surprisingly, they were still engaged.
Since they hadn’t officially announced a breakup, it made sense.
After all, this wasn’t a marriage they could simply end, nor could they just let it fizzle out.
It wasn’t like a legal marriage, but more of a personal agreement between families.
So, unless both parties agreed, they were still engaged.
Though, the significance of that seemed rather questionable…
“The person behind him…?”
Yoon Da-ho wasn’t alone, of course.
He would never have come here of his own accord.
Behind Yoon Da-ho stood an elderly man.
Though old, he didn’t seem hunched or frail.
His body was fairly well-built, as if kept in shape through regular exercise, with a neatly trimmed beard and a slicked-back hairstyle with a sharp 2:8 parting.
If it weren’t for his white hair, he could easily pass for someone ten years younger.
“That’s the former chairman of the Homyeong Group. His grandfather.”
Lee Soo-ah whispered, referring to ‘that person’ as Yoon Da-ho.
Nam Da-un looked at the two with mild interest.
They had arrived long after the party had started.
Given that the former chairman had dragged his grandson along, they should have met Sara first, but since she had disappeared, they were left standing there awkwardly.
From this, Nam Da-un could infer a few things.
First, this engagement was likely a unilateral decision made by Choi Na-kyung.
At least the people from the Eugene Group didn’t seem to think highly of the couple.
They responded when spoken to but never initiated conversation.
Second, the Homyeong Group approved of this marriage.
At least, the former chairman did.
He knew what kind of situation it would create and still showed up here.
Yoon Da-ho wore a constant expression of discomfort and irritation, but he didn’t openly complain, probably because he was afraid of his grandfather.
“……They haven’t broken off the engagement yet, have they?”
Nam Da-un and Lee Soo-ah both nodded.
In fact, it was practically as if they had already broken up.
Choi Na-kyung had disappeared, and most others would oppose the marriage.
Since important shares of the Eugene Group could end up in Yoon Da-ho’s family, their reaction was natural.
“Are they looking for Sara?”
“Probably.”
In response to Yoo Ha-neul’s question, Lee Soo-ah answered again.
But it seemed their guess was wrong.
The former chairman of the Homyeong Group, who had been glancing around, locked eyes in their direction.
Then, he gave a gentle push to Yoon Da-ho’s shoulder.
“……Huh?”
Yoo Ha-neul let out a surprised sound, as if startled by something.
From the outside, it seemed like she was flustered by the approach of such a prominent figure, but Nam Da-un thought differently.
He had probably noticed the same thing Yoo Ha-neul had.
When the former chairman pushed Yoon Da-ho’s shoulder, Yoon Da-ho flinched in surprise.
Then, he grimaced, as if trying to endure pain.
Nam Da-un recognized that reaction well.
It was similar to how people reacted when they were injured during soccer practice or when sore muscles were pressed too hard the day after intense exercise.
However, Nam Da-un had never heard of Yoon Da-ho working out.
Ah, maybe that was it.
He remembered Yoo Ha-neul having a similar reaction the last time Yoon Da-ho had visited during club activities.
Although, back then, it was probably just something she had noticed with her keen eyes, not something as overt as this.
While he was lost in thought, Yoon Da-ho and the former chairman of the Homyeong Group walked up to Yoo Ha-neul, Lee Soo-ah, and Nam Da-un.
“How are you all doing?”
The former chairman greeted them in a light, almost joking tone, with a bright smile on his face.
It was quite a skill to maintain such an expression in this atmosphere, Nam Da-un thought.
“You’re the close friends of my grandson’s fiancée, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
There was no way Yoon Da-ho had talked about them.
He must have gathered information in some other way.
The former chairman’s gaze lingered on Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah before settling on Nam Da-un for a while.
…He could guess what the man was thinking, and it made him feel very uncomfortable.
After staring at him for a moment, the former chairman shifted his gaze back to Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah.
“My grandson arrived late to the party. I suppose he should apologize to the star of the party. Do you know where Sara is?”
Without asking their names or introducing himself, he posed the question.
“……”
Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah didn’t know, and neither did Nam Da-un.
Even if he did know, he wouldn’t have wanted to tell him.