TGMD 11

Chapter 11

The Whereabouts of the Bracelet

The fact that Do-kyung’s sudden appearances no longer surprised her showed just how deeply entangled she had become with him.

“Ah, maybe you need this more than popcorn.”

Do-kyung pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. Yoo-joo snatched it from him and wiped the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. She didn’t want him to see her crying pathetically for no reason.

But the strong scent of his cologne deeply embedded in the handkerchief only made her longing for the past grow stronger.

Meanwhile, the movie was gradually approaching its climax. As the conflict between the male and female protagonists reached its peak, Yoo-joo was almost completely absorbed in the screen.

Crunch.

Apparently, a great movie could still make your heart ache at exactly the same moments, even after watching it again.

Crunch, crunch.

The movie portrayed the man’s devoted love, but Yoo-joo was certain that the woman had actually loved him very deeply too.

That was why…

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

“Ah, seriously.”

The loud noise interrupting her serious viewing made Yoo-joo furrow her brows and turn to the side.

The sight of the man, who didn’t even seem to particularly like popcorn, chewing away with his cheeks stuffed full was rather ridiculous.

She almost laughed, but Yoo-joo managed to hold it back and lightly tapped Do-kyung.

“Excuse me, you’re being noisy.”

“I told you, it’s good. Try some.”

With an unabashed expression, Do-kyung held the popcorn container toward her again.

Annoyed, Yoo-joo took the container from him and placed it on the seat beside her, keeping it out of Do-kyung’s reach.

—How far would you go for the person you love?

—I’d gladly become a mad dog.

Do-kyung had called himself a mad dog.

If that was true, was he still a mad dog because he loved her?

Yoo-joo slowly turned her head away from the screen.

Their eyes met.

Perhaps he had been looking at her rather than the movie all along. Do-kyung’s dark eyes were fixed on her.

He reached out and gently wiped the still-wet corner of Yoo-joo’s eye with his finger.

Normally, she would have coldly brushed his hand away.

But for some reason, at that moment, she simply allowed him to touch her.

Eventually, the movie ended, and the lights in the theater came on.

The few remaining audience members all left, and soon only the two of them remained inside the theater.

Only then did Yoo-joo come back to her senses and avoid his gaze.

“How did you get here? This isn’t even a movie theater near your house.”

“I thought you’d come.”

Do-kyung’s answer was completely straightforward.

“Quite a coincidence, isn’t it? A twelve-year-old movie that has never been re-released is suddenly being shown exclusively at the theater in front of our company.”

“It definitely isn’t a coincidence. You know that too.”

He made no attempt to hide his scheme.

All of this had been an event Do-kyung had prepared for Yoo-joo.

Perhaps Yoo-joo herself had known from the beginning that this was his doing.

But she had desperately pretended not to know and walked into the theater anyway.

Why?

Because she thought he would come?

“You put on this whole show to get my attention.”

“……”

“So, how was the movie after all these years? Do you still like it?”

“I don’t know. Someone was eating popcorn so loudly that I couldn’t concentrate.”

She deliberately spoke more curtly, afraid that he would discover her true feelings.

But Do-kyung wasn’t the kind of person who would be discouraged by something like that.

“Then come again tomorrow. It’s showing tomorrow too.”

“Did you deliberately eat popcorn?”

To make her come here again tomorrow?

Yoo-joo let out a hollow laugh.

Only then did she understand his strange behavior—he normally didn’t even touch things like popcorn.

Honestly, Do-kyung always did things Yoo-joo could never predict.

“You’re really something, Senior.”

Just then, a theater employee came in to clean and looked startled when she saw Do-kyung and Yoo-joo still there.

Yoo-joo couldn’t stay and interfere with the employee’s work.

Having been given a reason to leave, she picked up her bag and walked past him.

Although he had said it wasn’t a coincidence, she intended to pretend that it was and part ways with him just like this.

“Meet me here tomorrow.”

Apparently, Do-kyung had other ideas.

He grabbed Yoo-joo by the wrist and spoke in a low voice.

“What are you going to do to bother me tomorrow?”

“I heard the churros here are good too.”

Yoo-joo didn’t even feel his answer deserved a response and tried to pull her hand away.

But Do-kyung didn’t loosen his grip.

He had usually let her go whenever she wanted.

Especially if that was what she wanted.

“Let go.”

“Write me one last review.”

He was apparently talking about that one-sided movie review she had written back then—one she had never even submitted to a teacher.

“To which teacher am I supposed to submit it this time?”

Yoo-joo asked sarcastically.

“If you write about how much you hate me, how sick and tired you are of me… Write it so passionately that it hurts me, and I’ll disappear just like you want. I won’t bother you anymore.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“It should tempt you. It’s your chance to hurt me as much as I hurt you.”

If she put into words all the reasons she hated him, she could easily fill several pages.

Of course, she could use words cruel enough to hurt him.

Even so, contrary to what Do-kyung said, Yoo-joo wasn’t particularly tempted.

“Then you write one too, Senior.”

Instead of answering honestly, she made a new proposal.

“It’s unfair that I’m always the only one writing. We’re not in the same club anymore, and that naive girl who used to obediently listen to everything you said isn’t here anymore.”

Just once, she wanted to receive a review written by him.

“If you write passionately about why I shouldn’t marry, I’ll reconsider this marriage too.”

“……”

The strength left Do-kyung’s hand.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yoo-joo pulled his hand away.

“Is that fair enough?”

Eun-kyo was lying absentmindedly on the bed, staring only at her phone.

As if she were waiting for someone’s reply.

Leaving her there, Ha-jin got out of bed and began getting dressed.

After buttoning up his shirt neatly, looking nothing like the disheveled man from the previous night, Ha-jin hesitated before saying goodbye.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I’m going to focus on my fiancée from now on.”

Only then did Eun-kyo’s eyes move away from her phone and toward Ha-jin.

So that was why he’d seemed unusually lacking in self-control yesterday.

He had been preparing for some kind of breakup.

This cowardly man had apparently been indulging in his own sentimental feelings all by himself.

“The wedding is coming up, and I can’t turn you into the other woman.”

Ha-jin mistook Eun-kyo’s thoughtful expression for regret and began offering one excuse after another.

She genuinely found him ridiculous.

When she laughed out loud, Ha-jin stared at her in confusion.

Eun-kyo simply said,

“Do whatever you want.”

It was almost absurdly simple.

Ha-jin was no longer particularly important to Eun-kyo.

Ever since Do-kyung appeared, all of Eun-kyo’s attention had been focused on him.

In the first place, she had started frequenting the club where she met Ha-jin because she wanted to catch the eye of Han Do-kyung, the eldest son of the Doseong family.

Not only were Do-kyung’s wealth and power far greater than Ha-jin’s, but, to put it bluntly, she was also more attracted to him as a man.

Standing beside Do-kyung, Ha-jin had withered like a flower that had long since passed its prime.

What was Ha-jin, anyway?

To Eun-kyo, he had been nothing more or less than an insurance policy.

“…What?”

Naturally, Ha-jin found it difficult to accept that fact. He frowned and asked again.

Eun-kyo also sat up from where she had been sprawled out.

“I said do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“I thought you liked me, Announcer So.”

“Should I cry or something? Do you like me, Prosecutor Ko?”

“……”

Eun-kyo slipped on her robe.

After he left, she intended to shower and go straight to work.

She couldn’t be late for a live broadcast just because she had broken up with a secret lover.

“I sincerely hope you make it safely to your wedding. I’m not the type to desperately cling to a man who’s leaving.”

Do-kyung hadn’t been the only one who had witnessed their rendezvous.

Just before leaving the secluded trail, Eun-kyo had hidden behind a tree and spotted Do-kyung and Yoo-joo sharing a passionate kiss.

The eldest son of the Doseong Group and the second daughter of the Yuha Group was certainly an unexpected pairing she had never considered.

But it didn’t really matter.

Yoo-joo would have to marry Ha-jin according to her family’s wishes anyway, and if Eun-kyo found an opening, it wasn’t necessarily a game she couldn’t win.

What hurt her pride, however, was seeing Do-kyung—who had never even spared her a glance—desperately seeking Yoo-joo’s affection.

There was clearly a past between the two of them that Eun-kyo knew nothing about.

Eun-kyo found herself thinking of Yoo-joo’s face again.

She was just another chaebol heiress with a good family background and pretty features.

The woman didn’t seem particularly special.

So what kind of charm did she possess that had managed to captivate the great Han Do-kyung?

Yoo-joo was washing her face with cold water when she suddenly stared intently into the mirror.

With all her makeup removed, she looked almost like a seventeen-year-old girl.

She wiped the water gathered on her chin with the back of her hand and picked up the phone beside her.

Overcome by an inexplicable sense of urgency, she pressed the call button.

[Yes, Director.]

“……”

But as soon as she heard Secretary Song Ji-min’s voice, only her lips moved. No words came out.

[Director? Is something wrong?]

“……”

Something that might have been a drop of water—or a tear—fell down her face.

[If you’re calling about Executive Director Han Do-kyung, whom you asked me about last time, please wait a little longer. Since he’s with Doseong, breaking through their security isn’t easy.]

Fortunately, quick-witted Secretary Song immediately understood the reason for the call.

[They seem to be protecting information about the eldest son even more carefully. But if you give me some time, I’ll find out somehow.]

“…Thank you, Secretary Song.”

Yoo-joo’s voice sounded even more pathetic than she had expected.

[Don’t mention it. I hope you have a peaceful night.]

After the call ended, Yoo-joo gripped the sink and bent forward.

The breath that had been trapped inside her finally escaped in ragged gasps.

She wanted to deny it, but the truth was undeniable.

Ever since meeting him again, he had been steadily taking up more and more space inside her.

It was ridiculous that even while pushing him away, a part of her was secretly afraid that he might actually go far away.

No.

Perhaps the truth was…

She had simply felt sorry for him.