TIN 40

“…”

I instinctively hunched my shoulders. Both his voice and the content felt too ticklish. Being called pretty wasn’t particularly embarrassing, but I still hadn’t developed immunity to his breath next to my ear.

“So hold your head up.”

His hand moved up my arm and gently massaged my nape. He seemed to think I was acting timidly out of intimidation, not realizing I had shrunk inward because of him. Or maybe he knew and was pretending not to as he fiddled with me.

“The clothes suit you well too. You know that, right?”

There was no need to answer his gentle whisper. It was probably just empty flattery anyway.

Before the party, Joo Do-hwa had personally prepared my clothes and shoes, insisting we needed to match the dress code. An unfamiliar employee had styled my hair, and Henry had picked out a watch for my wrist. All I did was put on what I was given and stand blankly in front of Joo Do-hwa.

The suit was similar to Joo Do-hwa’s, but fit subtly differently. The trouser hem was slightly short, and it clung to my body in a ticklish way. The fabric was nice so it wasn’t uncomfortable, but it felt a bit burdensome on me.

That wasn’t all. After spraying cologne at the end, a sweet scent lingered around my nose. It was the cologne Joo Do-hwa had gifted me before, saying it was the most similar to his pheromones.

“I was worried you’d be too thin…but maybe it’s because your frame is so straight.”

His hand moved from my nape to my shoulder. I understood why Joo Do-hwa had smiled with satisfaction, having dressed me from head to toe according to his tastes. Well, I wasn’t sure if that explained his continuously excited expression.

“It was fun dressing you up.”

His gentle words were no different from a child absorbed in playing with dolls. He never even glanced at dolls as a child, so why did he develop this hobby as an adult?

“Let’s buy you a few more outfits later. If you don’t like department stores, I’ll call a designer for you.”

“I have plenty of clothes at home, why bother?”

I shook my head in refusal, but Joo Do-hwa didn’t listen to me. He simply wrapped his arm around my waist instead of touching my shoulder. Then he whispered softly in my ear.

“Because I want to buy them for you.”

“…”

What was with him today…why was he being so clingy?

He was being overly affectionate, as if we were lovers, closer than usual. His behavior, sticking close and whispering, must have looked very intimate to others. Perhaps because of this, the gazes that had been following us became increasingly blatant as more time passed.

“We could buy swimwear again too.”

His playful remark didn’t even make me laugh. It wasn’t like he was teasing anyone. I went swimming once and look what happened to me.

“Alright, I get it, so back off a bit.”

“Why?”

“People are staring.”

“Ah.”

Joo Do-hwa reacted as if he understood, curling his lips. Then he snorted and calmly replied.

“They’ll stare even if I move away.”

His attitude suggested he was used to that kind of thing. Someone like Joo Do-hwa might be unfazed by attention, but the problem was that such interest wasn’t directed solely on him.

“If you came with me, you should expect this much.”

I understood. It was natural for anyone accompanying Joo Do-hwa to attract attention. Especially if it was someone whose face wasn’t even known, let alone if I were the real thing. To some, I’d be an object of curiosity, to others, of envy.

“And who’s to blame for how you look?”

Instead of widening the distance, he firmly held my waist as if showing off. Earlier he had pretended to worry, telling me to speak up if it was difficult, but now he seemed to have no intention of being considerate. The way he kept pressing against me, it seemed like he was deliberately trying to draw more attention to us.

“The richer they are, the more they like pretty things.”

“…”

As soon as I heard what sounded like a compliment, I realized, Wow, he’s really using me as bait. No matter how precious he pretended I was, the fact that I was just a stand-in didn’t change.

It was a simple train of thought. If I were the real ‘hyung,’ he wouldn’t expose me like this. He wouldn’t dress me up and display me like a trophy, or throw me into the midst of so many gazes. So rationally speaking, all of this must be a well-orchestrated play by Joo Do-hwa.

And probably, this wasn’t the first time he had brought someone to a party like this.

“…Still, move away for now.”

When I asked again, this time Joo Do-hwa obediently backed off. It felt more like he was indulging me once rather than actually listening to my request. The newly realized facts weren’t unpleasant, but instead made me nervous as they reminded me of someone.

“Hey.”

I casually began, touching around my neck. It had been a while since I wore a tie that went around the neck, as we used clip-on ties at Oceans. Even though it wasn’t particularly tight, once I became aware of it, it felt rather constricting.

“Is that person coming today too?”

“That person?”

Joo Do-hwa tilted his head. How should I put this? I had told him to move away, but now that the distance had widened, I felt hesitant to speak up.

Left with no other choice, I lightly tugged at his collar, and he leaned in, bringing his ear close.

“Your father, I mean.”

The one who killed ‘hyung.’ I wondered if the target of his revenge was also scheduled to attend. Although I wasn’t mentally prepared to meet Chairman Joo yet, if that was the case, I was planning to at least take a deep breath before doing so.

“He won’t be coming today.”

However, contrary to my tension, Joo Do-hwa answered without any particular emotion. Since he was still at eye level, I could clearly see the slight sneer that appeared on his lips.

“He doesn’t usually come to these kids’ parties.”

Now that I looked, everyone seemed to be around Joo Do-hwa’s age. They weren’t exactly children, but there was no one of the Chairman’s age here.

“If he had heard the news about Yoon Ji-soo, he might have come…but it seems that that’s not the case yet either.”

His golden eyes carefully scanned the hall. Looking around with him, I couldn’t find any blue-eyed woman. Having given up the chance to escape to attend this, it seemed likely that I’d come up empty-handed at this rate.

“Well, seeing as the host hasn’t arrived yet either, I guess we’ll have to wait.”

Joo Do-hwa smiled slightly and straightened his posture. Unlike my anxious state, he appeared relaxed and at ease throughout the party. As if Yoon Ji-soo didn’t matter at all.

“Want to eat something? You must be hungry. Let’s wait while eating.”

Joo Do-hwa placed his hand on my back and moved in the direction of the food. I wasn’t hungry, but if we had time to spare, it seemed good to eat something. Plus, as befitting a party, the quality of the food prepared was quite good.

“Try not to drink alcohol if possible. It would be troublesome if something strange was mixed in.”

I had no intention of drinking alcohol even if nothing strange was mixed in. I did want to drink some water, but unfortunately, it seemed I couldn’t get any unless I asked a waiter. Not wanting to draw attention for something like that, I swallowed dryly and asked Joo Do-hwa, “By the way, who’s the host of this party?”

“You came without knowing that?”

“I know it’s a financial company.”

A smile flitted across Joo Do-hwa’s face. He seemed to think, You’re asking quite quickly.

“It’s a party hosted by Jaekyung Finance.”

“…What?”

I had no chance to ask him further. As soon as I opened my mouth, I heard murmuring voices from the entrance. Reflexively turning my head, I saw someone entering.

“Perfect timing. The host is here.”

Joo Do-hwa’s dispassionate words barely registered. All I could see was the man making his way through the crowd. His broadly smiling face, his polite handshake, and even his courteous voice.

“Thank you all for coming. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

The man with an overall neat appearance was an alpha who at a glance gave off a diligent and reliable impression befitting the financial sector. True to his alpha nature, his clean-cut face was without a wrinkle, and his broad smile was even to the point of being jovial. If there was one thing that stood out, it was the dark circles under his eyes, but even those were just another element that made him appear like a workaholic.

“Haha, now that I’m here…”

But I knew that the reason for the darkness under his eyes was due to his sensitive nature. I also knew that the reason he wore glasses was to deliberately create a stern impression and that in reality, far from being diligent, he was a guy with nasty hobbies.

“From now on…”

“…”

Our eyes met. Despite the not-so-close distance, I could clearly see his eyes widen. And even see his lips quiver.

“Bada?”

Ah, déjà vu.

The guests, including Joo Do-hwa, turned to look at me. I furrowed my brow slightly, swallowing a small sigh. I had my suspicions when I heard it was the financial sector, but I never imagined we’d meet in a place like this.

“…Kei.”