TIN 29

Yuna’s movements as she put the cigarette in her mouth were disturbingly natural. She ignited the lighter hidden inside the cigarette pack and took a deep drag, her cheeks hollowing out. Puffing out the smoke, a familiar scent that reminded me of Lingling’s wafted through the air.

“What? Is it ugly? Ugly, you say? The way you’re talking…”

The face that had been beaming with smiles just moments ago was now devoid of any laughter. Perhaps because her hair had become disheveled in the meantime, she mumbled as she chewed on the cigarette’s end, looking haggard.

“Of course, you wouldn’t understand, since you have everything. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth…”

Yuna muttered incoherently to herself, her words slurred. She wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular, clearly just trying to vent her frustration out in the open.

“You were at least cute when you were young…”

Her eyes, tinged with blue, were filled with irritation. In reality, it was closer to a deeper loathing and disgust. It was the same expression I had dismissed as just a figment of my imagination earlier.

“Damn it…Phew.”

After venting her anger for a while, Yuna eventually began to smoke the cigarette with a vacant expression on her face. Her gaze, staring blankly into the air, was that of someone who had poured out all their emotions and felt disillusioned. The nicotine in the cigarette seemed to be affecting her as well.

“…”

I watched Yuna silently, wondering if she had forgotten I was even here. Those emotions were too raw to be displayed in front of someone, especially someone whom they had just met.

However, Yuna tilted her cigarette toward me as soon as our eyes came into contact.

“Want one?”

“…No, thank you.”

I didn’t smoke, and I certainly didn’t want any drugs. I also wasn’t brave enough to boldly ask for a cigarette from someone this angry.

“You’re suffering too, stuck with that weirdo.”

Puffing out another cloud of smoke, Yuna tapped the ash from her cigarette into the wine glass. Even though she had said the new wine was precious, she had barely taken two sips of it.

Yuna stubbed out the fully smoked cigarette butt on the table and pulled out a fresh one.

“Feel free to relax around me. After all, you’re a fake too.”

After I heard her say that, I instinctively sealed my lips shut. The sudden mention of “fake” had caught me off guard.

“He probably paid you to come and impersonate his hyung again, didn’t he?”

Hyung? What was she muttering about…The disgust in her voice was nearly palpable. Apparently, Yuna had a rough idea of the arrangement between Joo Do-hwa and myself. And perhaps this wasn’t the first time she had come across a situation like this.

“How old are you really? At best, you only look a couple years younger than him…Twenty? Twenty-one? Surely not even younger than that?”

Yuna examined my face with her sharp eyes. Her gaze had a similar languid quality to Joo Do-hwa’s. She seemed to notice the resemblance right away. Since I had no reason to lie, I honestly revealed my age.

“I’m twenty-five.”

“Oh, come on, you don’t have to act…”

Yuna was about to wave her hand dismissively but paused as if thinking it over. The smile on her lips gradually faded as well. Raising her eyebrows slightly, she asked again.

“…Really?”

No response was necessary. Simply maintaining eye contact was enough to distort Yuna’s expression.

“Should I address you more formally again?”

“Feel free to use whatever is comfortable for you.”

I didn’t really care how she addressed me, regardless of her age. If anything, the fact that she asked about using honorifics was more surprising to me.

“Where did you work before?”

“I worked at Oceans.”

“Ah, Oceans…”

Yuna made a strange expression. I wondered why, but before I could inquire further, the next question was fired.

“What’s your name?”

“…”

How should I respond to this…

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

She surprisingly backed off, even though I had only paused briefly. It seemed this question wasn’t meant to demand a full answer from the start. Perhaps she was just trying to lighten the mood with a random question.

“Don’t be so guarded around me. I know it’s hard to see me as friendly since I’m his fiancée, but you’re the one who should be more careful, not me.”

She seemed to have interpreted my reaction as a form of jealousy and distrust. Initially, I was nothing to Yuna, but it looked like she added that last part to prove her own innocence.

“I don’t want to marry some weirdo who still plays with dolls at that age.”

“Plays with dolls.” What a scathing description. Just as Theo said, there were probably rumors circulating among the upper class that Joo Do-hwa treated people like living dolls.

“It would be a relief if you could convince Joo Do-hwa to call off the engagement.”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to get married quickly?”

I asked, not to challenge Yuna, but out of genuine curiosity. After all, Yuna had seemed to be pushing for the marriage just moments earlier.

Yuna’s response was simple.

“That’s so I can get a share.”

The cigarette’s ember burned brightly as Yuna took an irritated drag.

“Didn’t you hear what that jerk said? The shipping route was given to my father, and the distribution rights will go to Gold Road. If I can’t marry into the 4HAE, I can’t inherit from Gold Road. That old bastard won’t be giving me anything.”

Not Joo Do-hwa, but 4HAE. Her words revealed that their engagement was a business deal between two companies. Joo Do-hwa’s gentle, subtle dismissals—those words had truly struck a nerve with Yuna.

“That bastard Joo Do-hwa is just acting according to his personality. That annoying brat, he has nothing to do with me.”

Now I could properly understand Yuna’s earlier reaction. It wasn’t just anger, but a mix of inferiority complex and frustration.

“It’s better to call off the engagement if you’re not going to get married soon. There’s no need to drag out this sham of an engagement.”

“…”

“But you know as well as I do that Gold Road can’t look down on 4HAE, right?”

4HAE Group was the top conglomerate in the country, while Gold Road was just a liquor company at best. The reason their engagement was arranged in the first place likely had to do with Yuna being born with the “dominant” title.

“That brat has to be the one to call off the engagement first. And it has to be his fault, no exceptions.”

Yuna’s clouded gaze suddenly sparked. She dropped the now-shortened cigarette into the wine glass and abruptly lifted her head to look at me.

“So you should try to seduce Joo Do-hwa.”

“…”

“And then dump him. Just like that, boom.”

I was usually unfazed, but the glint in her eyes made me flinch instinctively. She didn’t seem intoxicated, but the intensity of her desperation was almost to the point of appearing manic.

“If that guy falls for you, he’ll probably pay me to call off the engagement. I have no intention of refusing that. I’ll just gladly accept it, ‘Thank you very much.'”

Yuna extended both hands, miming a deep bow. In essence, since she couldn’t be the one to break the engagement off first, she was just waiting to reap the benefits if given the opportunity.

“That’s not going to happen.”

I couldn’t help but refute her, and Yuna’s face contorted. I added reluctantly while maintaining eye contact with her.

“Even if he did fall for me…”

How would Joo Do-hwa react to hearing this? It was a ridiculous hypothetical, but the truth of the matter was that the next condition was truly nonsensical.

“The marriage would be with you, Yuna-nim.”

“Yuna.”

“…Not to call off the engagement, but for me to separately see Yuna-ssi.”

Break off a political marriage just to start a romance? Joo Do-hwa didn’t strike me as the type to engage in such a grand romance. He was born an aristocrat, accustomed to obtaining whatever he desired.

“So it won’t work the way you suggested, Yuna-ssi.”

I didn’t say that even if I tried to seduce him, he wouldn’t fall for it. Judging by Yuna’s current state, she would probably just urge me to do my best.

“…”

Yuna pressed her lips together and glared daggers at me with a terrifying gaze. I thought she was about to start cursing, but surprisingly, she didn’t say a word.

After a long silence, Yuna muttered softly, her expression now blank, unlike before.

“…I thought it would turn out this way.”

“…”

“But it seems the human heart isn’t quite like that.”

I didn’t understand the meaning behind her words. Yuna then curled her lips into a faint smile.

“Wanna make a bet?”

“A bet?”

I blinked in surprise. It was an unexpected reaction, and the challenge in her question was overwhelming. Especially with the confident smile on Yuna’s face.

“Whether Joo Do-hwa will marry me as is, or he’ll call off the engagement for you.”

It was clear she had heard my previous comments and had no intention of conceding her opinion. Instead, Yuna mockingly scoffed at my argument.

“He’s a dominant Alpha. You know how intense an Alpha’s obsession can be, right? Unless he kills his fiancée, he won’t just let her go and run into someone else’s arms.”

I was momentarily at a loss for words. Yuna seemed to have a surprisingly accurate grasp of Joo Do-hwa’s true nature. By her logic, the one truly in danger would be her, but Yuna just snorted dismissively as if she couldn’t care less.

“Look, he’s still bringing a replacement for the one he couldn’t forget.”

“…”

“And if that one finds someone to love…”

“W-Wait a minute.”

Yuna raised her eyebrow. It wasn’t because she was annoyed that I had interrupted her, but rather, she seemed to be prompting me to continue speaking. Reflecting on Yuna’s previous words, I asked hesitantly.

“…Who died?”