{KOREAN-ENGLISH}
"Hubby," Joon So Min smiled softly, leaning against Lee Seo Jun in the car.
Seo Jun was driving home, unable to drop her at her place in her drunken state. He glanced at her sleeping form, surprised she'd woken even briefly.
"So Min," he called gently.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and glared.
"I hate you!" she snapped.
"Why?" he asked calmly, still focused on the road.
"Because you don't like me," her voice faltered, dull and vulnerable.
"I do. I like you a lot, So Min," he admitted quietly.
Before long, she had drifted back to sleep, softly snoring. Seo Jun chuckled, took off his suit jacket from the back seat, and carefully draped it over her.
⸻
"Where's So Min?" Hye Sua asked Lee Min Jun anxiously.
"She's with Lee Seo Jun," he answered, noticing Hye Sua's relieved sigh.
"Where should I go?" Lee Min Jun asked.
Hye Sua hesitated. She was too tipsy to face her mother and aunt at home, especially after they'd unexpectedly come to visit. She feared their scolding.
"Can you... drop me somewhere else?" she asked quietly.
"I can take you home, but you're not in any state to walk."
"A nearby hotel will do," she said.
Lee Min Jun nodded, understanding. He felt responsible to look after her.
⸻
At the hotel, the receptionist's eyes sparkled behind her polite mask.
"Sorry, no rooms available," she said.
Hye Sua's face fell.
Suddenly, the receptionist nervously smiled and asked, "Sir, could I take a picture with you?"
Others nearby joined in, crowding Lee Min Jun.
"Is she your girlfriend?" a girl asked boldly.
"I thought you'd date me,I sent you messages!" another whined.
"Did he reply?" one girl snapped rudely at her friend.
"Run!" Hye Sua whispered urgently.
Lee Min Jun grabbed Hye Sua's hand and they bolted through the crowd, panting as they got into the car.
Hye Sua laughed breathlessly.
"I used to be one of them. I wonder how I'm sitting here without suffocating or begging you to marry me. After all, you're a K-playboy."
Lee Min Jun glanced at her and smiled, quickly looking away when she caught him.
Did he like her?
"Where will I stay now?" Hye Sua asked, her voice softer.
"You can stay at my place. It's big, with plenty of rooms," Lee Min Jun offered.
She smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
⸻
On the phone, Joon So Min called Hye Sua.
"Sua," she said groggily, holding her head.
"Do you remember last night?" Hye Sua asked.
"What happened?" Joon So Min rubbed her temples, still disoriented.
Suddenly, someone knocked.
Joon So Min's eyes widened.
"Madam, breakfast is ready. Sir has left for work," the maid announced, bowing politely.
"Thank you," Joon So Min replied, her mind swirling.
Locked in her room, she stared into the bathroom mirror and whispered,
"So Min, you humiliated yourself."
Memories flooded back,calling Seo Jun "hubby," almost confessing her feelings. Did he really care for her? He fought for her. All those emotions tangled inside her.
⸻
Joon So Min asked the maid for a hangover drink and ate heartily.
Suddenly, an nari appeared, eyes cold.
"Who are you?" An nari spat.
Joon So Min's heart skipped. Why today of all days?
"I'm Joon So Min," she replied quietly.
"You? You're that girl?" An nari sneered.
"Where is Seo Jun?" she demanded.
"He's left for work," the maid answered, trembling.
"What are you doing here?" An nari asked, contempt dripping.
"I was just about to leave," Joon So Min said, stepping back, not wanting trouble.
An nari smirked.
"I wonder where Seo Jun found you."
"What do you mean?" Joon So Min challenged.
"You're not his type," An nari hissed.
"And you are? Why else would he come to me if you were so much better?" Joon So Min shot back, eyes blazing.
⸻
The tension crackled in the air.
Two women, worlds apart, clashed silently,shadows locked in a battle for the heart of one man.