Chapter 82. Lee Dohyun (12)

She pulled two tickets out of her bag—the ones she had received from CEO Park Seungjoo.

“Did CEO Park Seungjoo give you those?”

“Yeah. He did. But the longer I held onto them, the more uncomfortable I felt. I figured it’s better to use them quickly… You don’t mind, do you?”

She trailed off, watching his reaction carefully. She knew Jaeheon didn’t like Park Seungjoo. She hadn’t planned to bring it up—but of course, his intuition was annoyingly sharp.

“No, I’m happy you asked me. Honestly, I thought you’d go with Kim Haeda or someone.”

“Haeda… hmm, he probably doesn’t like jazz.”

‘Now that he mentions it, what were Haeda’s musical tastes…?’

In any case, he seemed more like the type for EDM clubs than jazz performances.

“Sunbae, when something like this happens, say ‘I wanted to go with you’. Just to make me feel good.”

“Ah… that’s not exactly a lie either. From the beginning…”

“Why are you being so agreeable today?”

Jaeheon chuckled softly as he gripped the wheel. Just before pulling out of the parking lot, he reached over and gently covered her eyes with his hand.

Then, without even giving her time to be startled—he pressed his lips to hers.

Not a deep kiss—just a soft touch. She could still taste the milk candy she’d eaten earlier.

The storm inside her chest began to calm.

***

“Hey… Lee Dohyun. Why didn’t you say anything?”

As he stared after Jaeheon’s car, Woo Jaecheol’s voice came from behind. Dohyun turned around, his expression now casual.

“Huh? Say what?”

His bright, carefree smile made one of Jaecheol’s eyes twitch slightly.

“That was Jung Eunkyo just now, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Dude, seriously. Everyone’s kinda confused.”

“Jaecheol, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dohyun glanced toward the road where Jaeheon’s car had disappeared and exhaled slowly.

Maybe it was the humidity, but the smoke felt heavier than usual—like thick steam distorting the air.

“People break up sometimes. Still, you seemed like a married couple during the time you were together.”

“People break up sometimes. Still, you seemed like a married couple during the time you were together.”

He knew Jaecheol meant no harm. He just hated awkward silence and always tried to smooth things over.

Still, Dohyun couldn’t help but feel a wave of irritation.

He laughed dryly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The smoke brushed his lashes, making his eyes water slightly.

“Are you saying Eunkyo and I broke up?”

“Didn’t you?”

“Just because she got in my brother’s car, you’re jumping to conclusions? Jaecheol… what are you even imagining, huh?”

“Huh? Your brother? That guy was your brother?”

Dohyun ground out his cigarette in the waist-high ashtray and smiled.

“Eunkyo was a little drunk, so she called my brother. I wanted to keep drinking. I guess her friend was worried. Nice of them, right?”

He casually patted Jaecheol’s shoulder as he said it. Jaecheol, caught off guard, turned bright red and laughed awkwardly.

He glanced at the others, then quickly apologized, genuinely. He always admitted things easily, doubted easily, spoke easily.

So easy it was frustrating.

“But what’s this rumor about you having a kid? Who the hell spread that crap? You just let it go? You should’ve reported it to the police. No way, this is serious.”

Jaecheol, now fired up, started ranting about tracking down the person spreading false rumors, even bragging that he’d mobilize everyone he knew to help.

All Dohyun did was smile and praise him for being reliable.

Back inside the venue, Dohyun raised a fresh drink while looking at the seat Eunkyo had occupied.

Jaecheol, now feeling some sense of duty, was telling everyone things like,

“Dohyun’s brother has a sweet ride.”

It would spread quickly—fast enough to reach Eunkyo’s ears without Dohyun ever having to get his hands dirty.

On the still-pristine plate—untouched food, just as she left it—sat a name tag.

Jung Eunkyo.

Seeing it filled him with overwhelming regret.