10:38 pm.
Hyun-Shik was driving home after spending some time at a local bar. He recalled his and Ji-Eun's conversation over dinner with an easy smile on his face.
Everything will work out in the end, he thought. Everything will work out...
That night, he had decided to come clean with his intentions and had told Ji-Eun all about his relationship with his girlfriend and why they had decided to keep it secret. Ji-Eun, in all her poise and calmness, listened to him and did not react negatively as he thought she would. She did ask some questions, but they were nothing he couldn't handle.
All she asked was, "How are you going to handle the situation with your girlfriend then? If you agree to get married to me?"
The truth was, he had already sat down with Bae Yuri a day ago and they were able to discuss, albeit hesitant, their situation, Song Corp.'s standing, and Ji-Eun's offer to help him out with everything. He explained the pros and cons to her and tried to convince her that the pros of their situation far outweighed everything else.
In the end, Yuri came to a compromise with Hyun-Shik. She agreed to stay with him and wait for two years. Hyun-Shik couldn't believe it at first. But Bae Yuri had made up her mind then and there and told him, "I will do it for you."
Hyun-Shik covered his mouth, hiding the smile that was lowly getting wider. He drove a little faster, his emotions sweeping over him.
Is luck finally coming to me?
He couldn't believe the tenacity of the women in his life. His mother arranged his and Ji-Eun's fateful meeting. His girlfriend decided to cling faithfully to him without reservation. And Chung Ji-Eun who extended a helping hand out to a stranger like him.
These women... were all too good to be true.
Near the end of their dinner earlier, Ji-Eun nodded to Hyun-Shik and told him, "Thank you for telling me the truth. We'll just have to figure out the rest after we inform our parents."
Hyun-Shik inwardly agreed, finally relieved. "You're right. Let's-"
"Hyun-Shik," she said, cutting him off mid-speech. "Maybe it's best we just tell the elders what's on the surface of our arrangement."
He could only nod, thinking of the same thing.
"Also," she added, her expression changing ever so slightly. "I feel that I just have to get this out of the way or else, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Hyun-Shik looked at her questioningly.
"It doesn't matter to me if you continue your relationship with Bae Yuri," she said in a serious tone. "As long as you watch your propriety, I will be willing to help you and your company in whatever way I can. I just..."
He was shocked and his expression showed it.
"I'll be real here," she sighed. "I'm a woman too, so even though I don't know how your girlfriend is taking this, I feel that I should apologize to her for the situation that I put her in. At first, I didn't really know anything about your relationship. I just looked into it after you..."
She rubbed her temple and decided to cut it short instead.
"Anyway, just know that I would step away from this agreement if she changes her mind before we get married, Hyun-Shik."
He continued to stare at her, not knowing what to say.
"It's going to be two long years of trying to live with each other..." She leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her. "We just need to be sure of ourselves before we proceed."
After that, they paid for their dinner and went their separate ways. Her secretary, Oh Jaehyun, picked her up to take her home, while he decided to kill some time at a local bar near the restaurant. He felt he needed some time to himself before he submitted himself to his parents' ministrations.
Having thought of his parents, he decided to drive over and stay at their house instead of the family villa where he had lived alone for some time. He arrived at his parents' house late that night, so he thought to just wait until the morning to tell them about what happened.
Finally, something is working out for this family. He greeted their caretaker good evening, handing over his coat. It's been really hard for Mother and Father.
Before he went to bed that night, he sent his girlfriend a quick message, relaying the good news to her.
At the other end of line, however, Bae Yuri just looked at her phone and smiled inauspiciously.