Chapter 46. The Bruise Below Her Collar (2)

Cha Jaeheon had exceeded expectations at the gallery party. Without showing any signs of discontent, he escorted Sera and remained courteous throughout. Outwardly, he was the very picture of a loving fiancé.

So, if you were to ask whether Sera had developed any fondness for Cha Jaeheon, it was quite the opposite. The fact that a man capable of such manners had previously treated her so poorly made her feel even more attached to him.

In any case, having Cha Jaeheon by her side had proven to be a wise decision. Soon, the rumors surrounding them shifted in Sera’s favor. Whereas before people claimed she was the one relentlessly chasing after Cha Jaeheon, the new story was that after a fierce battle of love, they had finally found happiness together.

“Everyone’s imagination is running wild—they’ve got so much time on their hands.”

Sera snorted, but she couldn’t deny that the rumor of her growing close to Cha Jaeheon was far better than the one claiming she was stalking him. Besides, it was somewhat amusing. The fact that she was receiving the respect she had long craved just by being close to him was, in a way, acceptable.

— Hey Sera, it’s Kyungjin.

Even one of the formerly haughty ‘gold spoon’ types who had blatantly ignored Sera in the past called her personally.

— I was wondering if you could make it this Saturday. I’ve rented a bistro in Cheongdam. Are you free?

It appeared to be one of those gatherings of rich women from chaebol families that the original Sera had been invited to several times. In recent years, such invitations had ceased altogether, so the renewed contact now seemed rather suspicious.

“Yeah, I don’t have any plans that day. I’ll come.”

Still, Sera expressed her willingness to attend, planning to observe how things would unfold.

***

“Sera, you’re here?”

“Come on in!”

Contrary to Sera’s initial wariness, the women at the gathering welcomed her warmly. It was only then that Sera realized their true intention—belatedly trying to establish a friendship.

It must be because of Cha Jaeheon.

Sera found it amusing how much interest people had in someone else’s fiancé. But then again, when she recalled what kind of man Cha Jaeheon was, she could understand why. After all, hadn’t she herself been stunned the first time she laid eyes on him?

“Sera, you’ve gotten even prettier, haven’t you?”

“Seriously, I heard you’ve been busy, but you look great. Which dermatologist do you go to?”

“I just follow my mother to hers. If you want, I can give you the number.”

“That would be amazing! Thanks.”

There was no hostility as she had feared, but that didn’t mean she could let her guard down. Sera kept her words to a minimum while blending in just enough. Thankfully, thanks to the excuse of her partial memory loss, no one seemed to find her changed demeanor strange.

“Did you hear? Chairman Goo’s third son has returned to Korea.”

“I heard he did drugs in the U.S. Is that true?”

“He’s not that much of a mess—just smoked a little weed and has a bad drinking habit, I think?”

Most of the conversation was idle gossip, but occasionally, business or investment-related topics popped up. Since Sera’s only source of information had been Secretary Baek, she listened carefully while pretending not to care.

“Seonkyung! Over here.”

Just as the atmosphere was in full swing, Lee Seonkyung appeared. She stiffened upon spotting Sera but quickly regained her composure, flashing a bright smile as she approached.

“Sera!”

“Hey.”

Without hesitation, Lee Seonkyung took the seat next to Sera as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her enthusiasm seemed genuine.

“I didn’t know you were coming today. You haven’t been answering my calls… Are you still mad at me?”

Her joy was short-lived as she soon lowered her gaze, looking slightly hurt. This was probably the first time she had been ignored for so long, and it must have unsettled her.

The original Shin Sera might have clung to Lee Seonkyung because she had no one else, but that wasn’t the case anymore. Sera intended to drift even further apart from her. However, rather than making it obvious, she simply gave Seonkyung the answer she wanted.

“Sorry, I’ve been too busy to keep in touch.”

“That’s a relief, but… I still felt hurt. It felt like I was the only one who considered us friends.”

“I see. I’ll make sure to keep in touch from now on.”

Lee Seonkyung nodded earnestly, as if she truly wanted to mend their relationship. Sera found that strange. If they were to meet, Seonkyung would usually take every opportunity to subtly put her down. So why was she acting so desperate now?

With so many alternatives around her, why cling so stubbornly to one friend?

Just as Sera was mulling over the question, someone steered the conversation in an unexpected direction.

“Seonkyung, I totally get why you’re close with Sera now. I think we all misunderstood her.”

“Misunderstood?”

The woman who had invited Sera to the gathering, Kim Kyungjin, rested her chin on her hand with a sly smile. Then, she playfully scrunched her nose at Sera.

“She’s got a great personality, and she’s fun. How did we not notice before? We’ve decided we’re going to hang out more often. Right, Sera?”

Feeling a little dazed, Sera nodded. She hadn’t even had any deep conversations with them—so what exactly had made them like her so much?

“…That’s right. Sera’s really fun and kind.”

Lee Seonkyung hesitated for a split second but quickly smiled, nodding in agreement. Then, she linked arms with Sera in an exaggeratedly playful manner.

“But still, I’m the one who’s closest to Sera. You all know that, right?”

“Oh, come on. You’re not a kid. But still, I have to admit, Seonkyung’s pretty cute.”

Sera glanced between Lee Seonkyung and the other woman. On the surface, the mood was warm and friendly, but there was an underlying tension. Just then, someone brought up an unexpected topic.

“Sera, you know Vice President Lee Rowoon, right? Does he have a girlfriend?”

‘Why are you asking me that?’

Instead of showing her irritation, Sera simply shrugged.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think he’s seeing anyone right now.”

“Really?”

“No way. Yoo Jieun, do you like him or something?”

“What? No! I was just curious. I heard he’s the top pick for every matchmaking agency, but he turns them all down. I just wondered why he’s so guarded…”

Sera recalled Lee Rowoon with a slightly sour feeling. There was no denying he was a competent and attractive man, but was he really the type to warrant such an excited reaction?

‘¿Well, his sharp-tongued attitude was occasionally kind of cute… Wait. What? Cute?’

Sera startled herself with the direction of her own thoughts.