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As Yuna waited, chewing gum noisily, her mind was noisy with the words Seok-hyun had spoken a few days ago. He had said it nonchalantly, but Yuna couldn't just brush it off with a "I see." When they had met just the day before, he hadn't mentioned anything about deciding to sponsor someone or going to Japan together.
Whenever Yuna became intoxicated with the delusion that she was a special person, Go Seok-hyun would drop her into the abyss like this. A reminder not to misunderstand. That she was merely a friend and a business partner.
If it were simply a feeling of disappointment that he hadn't told her in advance, it wouldn't bother her this much. It wasn't the first or second time Go Seok-hyun had acted without a word. However, once she learned the identity of the violinist he decided to sponsor, she couldn't stay still.
It was a woman he had met at the formal meeting for his Hyung, Go Seung-woo. Something about her being in a complicated relationship with Yoo Da-ae? He had decided to sponsor her and take her to Japan immediately after hearing her play once at that meeting.
“Hong Yuna?”
Yuna had been watching the two people walking toward them even before Seok-hyun spotted her. Would it be an exaggeration to say they looked like newlyweds returning from a honeymoon? They weren't even walking pressed against each other, yet they looked strangely intimate.
Go Seok-hyun was a man with a firm sense of personal boundaries. He was famous for being kind to everyone but allowing no one into his private sphere, yet that rule didn't seem to apply to that woman. That was what tormented Yuna. Just why—how great was this so-called violin talent?
“Where is Secretary Jung?”
“I came instead. Is that not allowed?”
Yuna answered crookedly, biting her inner lip. She was guilty of having forcibly snatched the car keys from Secretary Jung, who had told her she shouldn't.
“You must have had a hard time getting here.”
Unexpectedly, Go Seok-hyun didn't get angry. Yuna felt a momentary sense of relief, but she soon realized that was practically treating her like a secretary, and her face flushed. Then, her eyes met the woman standing next to Go Seok-hyun.
“…Is this the person? The violin?”
She tried to speak calmly, but because her anger and feelings of disappointment were a tangled mess, her voice didn't sound good. Moreover, the indifferent attitude of the woman standing there without much expression fueled the anxiety Yuna had been harboring in her heart.
Yoo Hee-jin. She was said to be a talented violinist active in a renowned American symphony orchestra. That pedigree alone would have been enough to capture the hearts of the Go family, who loved classical music, but she was even strikingly beautiful. She possessed an untouchable elegance that made Yuna feel even more pathetic for rushing to the airport out of mere jealousy.
“I'm Hong Yuna. I'm the Head of Department for VONA's offline headquarters.”
Yuna tried to ignore her sense of self-loathing as she offered a handshake to Yoo Hee-jin. A voice inside her, sharp as a needle, pierced her painfully. *Think about why Go Seok-hyun wants to sponsor this woman.*
“I am Yoo Hee-jin.”
As she shook hands with the calmly greeting Yoo Hee-jin, Yuna subtly tightened her grip. In her mind, she wanted to make it clear that since their families were engaged, she shouldn't even dare to look at Go Seok-hyun. But if she did that, it was certain she would earn Go Seok-hyun's hatred.
She hated Go Seok-hyun for making her so childish.
✾ ✾ ✾
“It's late, so I'll take you straight to the hotel.”
Without bothering to introduce Hee-jin, Seok-hyun took the car keys from Yuna's hand. The fact that Yuna had come to the airport to greet him instead of Secretary Jung was not an important issue to him at all.
“Go Seok-hyun.”
Feeling ignored, Yuna tried to stop him, but when she met his gaze—which seemed to ask if there was a problem—she found herself speechless. Having brushed off Hong Yuna with a single look, Seok-hyun led the way, and Hee-jin silently followed behind him.
As Seok-hyun loaded Hee-jin's suitcase into the trunk, Yuna approached him and crossed her arms with a crooked posture.
“You should have told me if the itinerary was this long.”
“Was there a problem?”
Seok-hyun tilted his head as if it were strange. He had handled all the important matters beforehand. He knew there were no problems because he had worked while receiving real-time reports through Secretary Jung even while staying in Japan.
“Who said there was a problem with the company? Are you really that oblivious, or are you just pretending not to know?”
“I wonder. Why are you so angry?”
His attitude was one of complete lack of understanding as to why she was angry. No, Go Seok-hyun was not that stupid. He knew exactly why she was angry, why she had come to the airport without being told, and why she was wary of Yoo Hee-jin. However, because he truly believed that Hong Yuna had nothing to do with this trip to Japan, he couldn't empathize.
“Couldn't you have shown me some respect?”
“If anything, I feel like you're the one not respecting me right now.”
“What?”
“Forcing your emotions on me and trying to interfere in my business. How long am I supposed to put up with this?”
“Th-that’s…!”
Yuna's body stiffened; she hadn't expected Go Seok-hyun to mention her emotions.
“Lower your voice.”
Though the sun had set, there were quite a few people around since it was Saturday. Yuna's venomous voice was enough to draw attention. When Seok-hyun's expression soured, Yuna looked around. From people glancing sideways to those staring openly with intrigued faces.
“If you came as the Head of Department, talk about work. If you came as a friend, how about helping me load the luggage?”
“…….”
Yuna, whose face had turned beet-red as if she had been insulted, clenched her fists and fumed, but soon let out a deep sigh and grabbed Seok-hyun's suitcase.
“Carry it together.”
Seok-hyun, who had been watching her silently, grabbed the bottom and lifted it with her. He deliberately avoided looking at her reddened eyes.
✾ ✾ ✾
While heading to Yuna's house after dropping Hee-jin off at the hotel, an awkward silence filled the car. Perhaps the awkwardness was something only Yuna felt. Seok-hyun, who was driving, seemed lost in his own thoughts. Yuna suppressed her frustration and spoke.
“Was the trip to Japan productive?”
“Hmm. It's going as planned.”
Seok-hyun smiled, recalling the look of sheer astonishment on Hee-jin's face when he told her he would act as her management agency as well. It was an expression that clearly showed she had thought personal sponsorship was merely something like lending a violin. That was likely why an expensive violin had been a burden to her.
“It's interesting that she doesn't know her own value.”
“…Is she that valuable? I didn't see any top-tier competition wins in her record.”
“She narrowly missed out. Well, there are still opportunities, so she can start participating now.”
International competitions usually have an age limit of 30, so Yoo Hee-jin could still participate a few more times. Seok-hyun believed that if Hee-jin prepared for a competition under professional care, she would certainly win.
“You're valuing her quite highly.”
“You'll know once you hear her. Even if you don't know music, you won't need to understand it with your head.”
It was agonizing for Yuna to see Seok-hyun sounding so proud. Pride is a feeling one has toward oneself or something related to oneself. It felt as though Yoo Hee-jin was already an inseparable existence to Go Seok-hyun.
Of course, it was clear he viewed her as a 'subject of sponsorship.' But was that really all? Could he not see such a talented, brilliantly shining, beautiful woman as a romantic interest?
“She was pretty.”
“She has star quality. She's someone who shines even more when she holds a violin.”
As if the violin were a part of her body. Or perhaps a buff item, as they say in games. Seok-hyun had thought the same thing when he saw Yoo Hee-jin as a child. The two were so linked as a set that it was impossible to imagine Yoo Hee-jin without a violin.
Recalling how her eyes had changed when she played the Lord Wilton, he still felt a thrill. Yuna did not miss the way Seok-hyun's grip tightened on the steering wheel. Yuna felt as if she was discovering for the first time that Go Seok-hyun was a man so full of vitality and passion.
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