Chapter 34
As the car drove along the road, Yeonho's phone buzzed with a new text from Han Jiseok. The message said he would be away for a few days — possibly weeks, maybe even months.
It struck Yeonho as strange. Just a few days ago, Jiseok had been watching him like a hawk, tracking his every move and constantly bringing up the time he'd run away from the old man. He'd even grown openly jealous of Woo Gyeongjae.
Still, this was excellent news. Yeonho was already busy planning how to disrupt the novel's original events before his and Hana's upcoming birthdays.
With Jiseok's watchful gaze gone for now, he could finally breathe and move freely — no distractions, no overbearing, possessive old man hovering over his shoulder.
The car eventually pulled over to the side of the road. From the vehicle parked ahead, Min-hyuk stepped out first and opened the door for Hana, acting the perfect gentleman. Yeonho climbed out next, followed by the rest of the staff from the van behind them.
They entered the restaurant. It was pleasant enough — not overly fancy, but far from shabby.
Soft jazz played in the background, and there was even a small, neatly arranged bar area. The place was farther from the city center than Yeonho had expected; it was probably chosen specifically so Min-hyuk wouldn't be followed by paparazzi.
The group walked inside, found their seats, and ordered lunch.
Naturally, Yeonho was seated at a separate table with the assistants and bodyguards, but he made sure he had a clear view of both Min-hyuk and Hana as they ate together.
'Look at them… she's absolutely loving every second of this,'
He thought dryly, picking up his fork to eat his steak and rice.
As their meal went on, Hana would blush and smile softly, and every time Min-hyuk leaned in closer to speak to her, her cheeks would turn even pinker.
They were completely wrapped up in their own little world, and Yeonho found himself growing steadily more annoyed as he watched.
Once lunch was over, they left the restaurant and headed straight to a high-end boutique.
To Yeonho, it felt like pure torture. He was so restless he could barely digest his food — he was half-convinced he'd end up with indigestion or worse — but he pushed through it.
He grew physically tired from walking around nonstop, dragged from one section to the next all because of Hana. But what bothered him most was that he still hadn't figured out a way to break up their little date.
Hours passed, and he still had no solid plan. He was far too busy running around doing his job as Hana's stylist to think of anything else.
Before he knew it, the clock had struck seven in the evening, and Hana showed no signs of being done. Yeonho was so exhausted he could barely stand; he felt like slapping her or throwing her into a headlock just to make her stop.
'She's getting on my last nerve… My poor feet hurts so bad...'
If this wasn't all part of the original novel's plot and his own plan to manipulate events, he would have turned around and left a long time ago. He couldn't care less about the so-called "female lead."
Inside the large luxury boutique, a handful of designers and seamstresses stood lined up in front of Hana. She sat comfortably on a plush sofa, with Min-hyuk right beside her. Yeonho lingered in the corner, watching them with half-lidded, bored eyes.
"I'd like you to create new versions of the designs I want," Hana said. "My stylist put together a catalog for me."
Her assistant held up several thick folders, then handed them out to every designer and seamstress present.
They contained the top five designs Yeonho himself had selected for Hana.
"My stylist has an excellent eye for fashion," Hana continued with a proud smile.
"I want you to reimagine these and create something new. Let's see if you can come up with something that can even compare to his work."
"Understood," one of the senior designers replied.
"We'll bring out mannequins, pins, and fabric right away to draft examples in front of you."
The assistant passed around the catalogs, and as soon as everyone had them, the team got to work, moving around the large space as they brainstormed ideas.
Hana watched them with interest, while Yeonho stayed where he was, his patience wearing thinner by the second.
After ten minutes, the room was filled with quiet activity — people sorting fabrics, cutting materials, and pinning them onto mannequins to form rough outlines.
The space was large enough that no one was bumping into each other, but as Yeonho's gaze drifted across the room, he noticed something happening in the far left corner.
A man and a woman, both members of the design team, seemed to be arguing quietly.
Curious, Yeonho walked over toward them, unaware that Min-hyuk's eyes had followed his movements the entire time. He stopped right in front of the pair and spoke in a serious tone.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
Both of them flinched, turning to him with startled looks.
"I-It's nothing, sir!"
"Y-Yes… we were just talking about… how to improve the design, that's all," the woman stammered, avoiding eye contact.
"Right… that's exactly it," the man added quickly.
Yeonho didn't buy it for a second, their nervous expressions told a completely different story.
"Tell me the truth," he said, glancing at their work area. The fabric on their mannequin was a mess, barely even pinned together properly.
"What are you hiding?"
The pair shifted awkwardly, trying to block something behind their backs. Yeonho stepped closer, reaching out.
"Let me see..."
They exchanged a nervous glance, then slowly pulled out what they'd been hiding. In the woman's hand was a sealed pink envelope.
Yeonho took it from her and read the words written across the front:
"To Choi Hana. Meet me, or these photos will be sent straight to your father."
He raised an eyebrow and opened it, curiously. The first photo showed Hana slipping something into Gyeongjae's drink — captured from a different angle than the ones Yeonho had seen before.
A slow, wicked grin almost spread across his face, but he quickly smoothed his expression back into a neutral mask as an idea formed in his head.
"Where did you get these?" he asked.
The man cleared his throat before answering.
"A strange woman gave it to us a little while ago. She was standing outside the boutique.
I went to ask what she wanted, and she handed this over, saying it was meant for Miss Choi."
"A woman? Did you get her name?"
The man shook his head as the woman leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper, her shoulders hunching.
"What should we do, sir? Should we give this to Miss Choi directly? It looks quite important."
"I'll handle this," Yeonho said firmly.
"Now get back to work. I'm sure you don't want to keep Miss Choi waiting, do you?"
"N-No, sir. We'll get right to it."
The pair bowed quickly and hurried back to their tasks.
Yeonho walked back toward his corner, barely managing to suppress his excitement. This was exactly the opportunity he'd been waiting for.
He pulled out his phone, holding it discreetly so no one would notice, and snapped a few photos of Hana and Min-hyuk sitting close together, looking far too comfortable with each other.
'Oh, I know he won't like this… Hahaha.'
He turned slightly, shielding the screen, and took clear photos of every picture inside the envelope too. After a few quick taps, he sent the whole set to Gyeongjae.
"Sent," he muttered to himself.
"I know you won't just sit and watch, big guy. You've always been hot-headed, after all."
This was perfect. Gyeongjae wouldn't ignore the images — not when they showed Min-hyuk getting close to Hana, and not when Yeonho held proof of what she'd done to him.
Brimming with quiet excitement, Yeonho walked straight over to Hana.
"Miss Choi, can we talk for a moment? It's something important."
Hana looked up, setting down her drink, and stood up, assuming it was a work matter.
"What is it?"
"Some of the staff received this from a woman outside. She told them it had to be handed directly to you."
He held out the pink envelope. Hana took it, her brow furrowing as she read the message on the front.
When she pulled out the photos and looked at them, her eyes went wide with shock. Her mouth fell open, and all the color drained from her face.
"…No, this is… How? Who gave these to you?"
Hana's voice was shaking, and Yeonho watched her terrified expression with satisfaction.
"They said it was a woman, Miss Choi."
He leaned in slightly, acting confused.
"Are they really that bad? Wait… isn't that Mr. Woo in these? He's one of the man chasing after you right? What are these photos exactly, Mr. Choi?"
"Shhh… don't talk so loud!"
Hana whispered, flipping through the images one by one. But Yeonho kept pushing, keeping his voice low enough only for her to hear.
"What were you doing to Mr. Woo's drink, Miss Choi? Is that medicine? It looks like you were doing something you shouldn't–"
"Just be quiet for a second! I'm trying to think… this is terrible…"
Hana shut him off, shook her head, her hands trembling as she tried to pull herself together.
Yeonho leaned closer, putting on a mask of gentle concern.
"They said it was a woman. Do you know anyone who would send you something like this?"
Hana froze, her face going completely blank. She knew immediately who it was — Seungjo's ex-girlfriend. It was obvious, and Yeonho knew it too.
Watching the change on her expression was good.
'Go on. Ruin your own little date, Hana.'
"That woman… no, this can't be happening…"
She gripped the photos tighter, struggling to hide her panic.
"Miss Choi, I think you should get rid of those before someone else sees them, don't you?"
"…Right. I should get rid of these—!"
"Get rid of what? Am I missing something here?"
Hana jumped, spinning around to find Min-hyuk standing right behind her. She hadn't heard him approach, but Yeonho had noticed long before, and had stayed quiet.
"Min-hyuk! I didn't realize you were there…"
Hana quickly hid the envelope behind her back, her whole body stiff in surprise. She glanced at Yeonho, silently begging him to take it, and he happily obliged, taking it smoothly from her hands with a hidden smirk.
'Idiot.'
She was far too trusting for her own good.
"You look pale. Is everything alright?" Min-hyuk reached out to press the back of his hand to her forehead, but she quickly stepped back and stopped him.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired," she forced a smile, resting her palm against her cheek.
"Maybe we should wrap this up for today then. You should go home and rest." He offered his hand to her, but she shook her head in disagreement.
"I'm fine, really—"
The rejection made the corner of Min-Hyuk's smile twitch, he was about to press further when Yeonho spoke up first, leaning toward Hana, lowering his voice into a whisper.
"Miss Choi, don't you think you should deal with the woman who sent this first?"
"But I'm not done here yet, and Min-hyuk is still here—" she whispered back.
Min-hyuk's eyes narrowed, he stepped between them, turning suspicious.
"What are you two whispering about? You're acting strange, Hana. What's going on?"
"It's really nothing, just work. My father just texted me — he says I need to head back to the office right away, it's urgent."
Min-hyuk glanced over at the designers still working steadily on the new dress designs.
"What about all of this?"
"It's alright, Yeonho knows exactly what to do. He can oversee everything." She placed a hand lightly on Yeonho's shoulder, smiling first at him, then at Min-hyuk.
Min-hyuk didn't seem pleased with that arrangement, and shot Yeonho a look but Yeonho responded with a polite, slightly too-wide smile.
"Don't worry, Miss Choi. Everything is completely under my control." His eyes stared at Min-hyuk's eyes, and there was a clear, unspoken meaning behind his words.
Min-hyuk felt there was something off about the sudden shift in attitude, but he brushed it aside for now — Hana was more important.
Hana checked her watch, then called over her assistant.
"I really should get going, Min-hyuk. You can stay if you like, since you know a lot about fashion as a model. Could you stay and help oversee things for me? I promise I'll make it up to you later."
Yeonho almost laughed. Just a few hours earlier, Min-hyuk had joked about not being able to make it to their date — and now Hana was the one cutting it short.
"Right then, that's settled. I'm leaving now. Yeonho, I'm leaving everything in your hands."
Hana turned and walked toward the exit in hurry, her assistant following close behind. All the staff bowed respectfully until she was completely out of the boutique.
As soon as the door clicked shut, the heavy, tense atmosphere in the room lifted, and everyone let out quiet breaths of relief.
Yeonho watched the designers and stylists return to their work, then felt Min-hyuk step up beside him.
"Hey," Min-hyuk called out, his voice low and curious. "Is Hana hiding something from me?"
Yeonho turned to face him, smiling.
Now that Hana was gone and there was no one else around Min-Hyuk, he could finally start putting his plan into motion.
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