{KOREAN-ENGLISH}
The evening sparkled with gold lights and polite laughter, but Joon So Min's heart felt heavy beneath her graceful smile. Her white dress shimmered under the chandeliers, her hair neatly tied, every strand in place but inside, her thoughts were a mess.
She sat beside Chairman Lee Han Gyeol, the most powerful man in the room, and probably in the country. People watched her from across the hall curious, calculating, assessing.
"So Min," the chairman said warmly. "You're more beautiful than Su Ho described."
She bowed her head slightly. "You're too kind, sir."
He laughed gently and sipped his wine. "I like you. You're quiet but not weak. A woman like that brings stability to a household."
His words felt like praise, yet So Min didn't feel proud. Her stomach twisted,she wasn't really Seo Jun's girlfriend. It was all fake. A lie everyone had swallowed whole.
Across the room, Lee Seo Jun's eyes found hers. He gave her a small nod of reassurance, as if silently saying, You're doing well. And strangely, it helped.
"Eat something, child. You'll faint with all this attention," Han Gyeol said, placing a hand gently over hers. She nodded and picked up her fork. Even the smallest gesture mattered here.
⸻
Meanwhile, not far away, Lee Min Jun whispered to Jeong and Chang Seung.
"She's pretty, but she's no heiress."
"Shut up, Min Jun," Jeong said without even turning. "She's here because Seo Jun brought her. That's all that matters."
"But why is father so taken by her? She's just—"
"A good woman," Jeong snapped. "Unlike those girls you chase."
Chang Seung laughed. "Min Jun, you always say the wrong thing at the right time."
"Because I'm not fake like the rest of you," Min Jun shrugged. "I say what people think."
Jeong rolled her eyes and turned to look back at So Min, who was now smiling politely at one of the foreign guests.
⸻
Later in the night, Park Su Ho pulled So Min aside gently.
"You handled yourself well today," she said softly. "Don't let the whispers bother you."
So Min blinked. "Whispers?"
Su Ho smiled knowingly. "You think people at these gatherings don't talk? They always talk. About everyone. But you,you made them quiet tonight."
So Min didn't know how to respond. She simply nodded and bowed slightly.
"Seo Jun... he's changed since meeting you," Su Ho added.
So Min blinked again, unsure what she meant. The woman smiled and walked away, leaving her thoughts spinning even more.
⸻
Outside the hall, on the balcony, Lee Seo Jun stood staring up at the moon. When So Min joined him quietly, he didn't look surprised.
"You looked uncomfortable inside," he said.
"It's your world... I don't fit in," she replied honestly.
He looked at her, his eyes deep with something unreadable.
"You fit more than you think."
So Min turned to him. "Seo Jun... do you ever wish we weren't pretending?"
He was quiet.
The silence dragged.
Then: "Every day."
Her breath caught.
"I didn't want to lie, So Min. But I had no choice," he said, finally turning to face her.
"Me neither," she whispered.
"But sometimes," he added slowly, "I forget we're pretending."
Their eyes met.
The music from inside drifted softly out the windows. But out here, it was quiet,painfully quiet.
So Min blinked fast. "I should go check on Dae."
Seo Jun stepped forward. "I'll drive you."
She shook her head. "Not tonight. You should stay with your family."
He wanted to say something more. But he didn't.
She left.
And for the first time that night, her smile disappeared the moment she turned away.
Seo Jun watched her go,his hand tightening slightly into a fist, as if trying to hold on to something that had already slipped through his fingers.