Chapter 44. Play Along (2)

Translator: Lili

She blurted out the name without much thought, and even to her own ears, it sounded out of place. He was simply the only person she was making an effort to warm up to these days. Jaeheon raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

“So, was Rowoon the reason for the broken engagement?”

‘Me? With Lee Rowoon?’

The mere thought disgusted her, but instead of showing it, Sera simply smiled.

“Hmm, well, Rowoon is better than you in many ways. Not just in personality, but also in looks and style… and as a man, well.”

Sera deliberately let her gaze trail from Jaeheon’s head to toe. His expression subtly stiffened, as if he were irritated but too proud to respond to such a childish provocation.

“Plus, if I secure Rowoon, I can live comfortably in Sungwon for life. Unlike someone who resorts to petty tactics just because of a broken engagement.”

Jaeheon remained silent, but his once smooth forehead creased ever so slightly. He seemed to be holding back a response, perhaps unwilling to contradict himself right after calling her childish.

As expected, nothing gets under someone’s skin like pure immaturity.

A shameless sense of victory welled up inside her, and Sera struggled to keep the corners of her lips from twitching upward.

***

After the brief formal event, the cocktail party began. Instead of parting ways immediately, the two decided to stay together a little longer.

‘If we disappear the moment the event ends, people will start whispering that I dragged you here by force.’

‘That wouldn’t be too far from the truth.’

‘Since when has the great Director Cha ever been swayed by my threats?’

Regardless of how it had happened, Sera had achieved what she wanted, and she leisurely observed the people around her with satisfaction. Jaeheon, noticing that her gaze never once landed on him, unconsciously furrowed his brows.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Seonkyung. She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

Caught off guard, Jaeheon didn’t bother to hide his confusion. Seeing his reaction, Sera leaned in, exuding a sweet fragrance that drifted between them.

“You kept staring at her.”

“…”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

Jaeheon had indeed been looking at Seonkyung.

Throughout the event, she had been glancing at him repeatedly, making it hard to ignore. When he finally met her gaze with an expression that clearly told her to stop, she instead smiled shyly and tilted her head, as if embarrassed.

As expected of Shin Sera’s friend—another strange woman.

That was the extent of Jaeheon’s thoughts on Seonkyung. However, it seemed Sera had misinterpreted his attitude as romantic interest. Since it was an absurd misunderstanding, he didn’t feel the need to correct her.

“She’s objectively beautiful and charming. It’s only natural you’d be interested.”

Taking his silence as confirmation, Sera moved even closer. Their arms brushed against each other, and the silky strands of her hair momentarily clouded his vision. His expression subtly hardened at the undeniable physical presence of the woman beside him.

“Even as her friend, I’d say she’s a good catch.”

She was pretty, had excellent credentials, and even had a sweet personality—at least on the surface. To any outsider, Seonkyung would seem like the perfect woman. Sure, her true nature wasn’t as innocent as she pretended to be, but everyone had their flaws.

Throughout the entire event, Jaeheon had been aware of Seonkyung’s presence. Even though Sera was right next to him with her eyes wide open, he had still glanced her way.

A cold-blooded man who hadn’t spared the original Shin Sera a single glance in the original story had now been captivated by the heroine in an instant. As expected, the female lead was truly on another level.