“#023 Do you think he’s different from your boyfriend?”
“She’s pretty.”
“Yeah, so pretty.”
“I’m being amazed by her everyday.”
The day of the research institute’s company outing.
The men gathered in front of the bus, stealing glances at Kang Bada. It was because her casual outfit was something they rarely saw.
She was already a goddess-like presence, but seeing her in a fresh, casual attire was another level of novelty.
“That side looks good too.”
“Hmm, it’s quite impressive.”
“It gives off a completely different vibe from Bada-ssi.”
If Kang Bada gave off the refined, noble household heir vibe, then Gosomi had an image of a cute girl who just came to the countryside.
While Kang Bada used to be the sole focus, the dynamics subtly changed with the addition of Gosomi.
Compared to Kang Bada, who didn’t actively participate in private gatherings, Gosomi was lively and had a good personality. They had quite a lot of conversations even during drinking sessions.
“It seems difficult to approach Bada-ssi. Not just because of her looks, but even when she smiles and talks, it feels like there’s a barrier.”
“There are also many seniors who confessed and got rejected.”
“You all should be careful too. It’ll be tough if you go too far.”
“But she have boyfriend now.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to be even more careful.”
From that moment, the men’s minds became complicated. It was clear to anyone that Kang Bada was on the level of a celebrity. So, what kind of person would date her?
“A third-generation chaebol?”
“That’s a given.”
“Could it be a celebrity?”
“If that were the case, wouldn’t they avoid public appearances like this? Even if it’s because of scandals, the agency would oppose it.”
They thought about various possibilities, but they couldn’t come up with a definite answer. The only thing that was certain was that the person who arrived wasn’t earlier than the appointed time.
Although there were still about 10 minutes left until departure, the person wasn’t even in sight. It seemed like they weren’t someone who was particularly relaxed.
“More than that, I’m craving coffee. Normally, by this time, I would have had two cups in the lab.”
“Did no one bring any?”
“I brought instant coffee, but there’s nowhere to boil water nearby. Should I go to the school building?”
“Nah, I want something refreshing. Let’s stop by a coffee shop on the way… Huh?”
Vroom-!
The sound of an engine revving caught everyone’s attention. Since everyone else had already arrived, the only one left was Kang Bada’s boyfriend. Curiosity filled their eyes.
“…See? A third-generation chaebol is a given.”
“I don’t know what it is, but it definitely looks expensive.”
“Porsche 911. You can assume it costs around 200 million.”
“He’s driving something more expensive than our entire lease.”
The car came to a stop.
Kim Ha-neul opened the door and got out.
At that moment, screams erupted from the side.
“Is that Bada-ssi’s boyfriend!?”
“Wow, what a style. Is he a model?”
“No wonder she rejects all the blind dates!”
The female researchers, who were already halfway there from the moment the car appeared, had their excitement skyrocket when they saw Kim Ha-neul.
His casual yet clean outfit suited the MT situation perfectly. Above all, his ‘similar look’ that matched Kang Bada made him even more noticeable.
“…This is the worst.”
“It’s like a dirty world.”
“Surely his… you know… is small.”
“Yeah, that’s the balance.”
After getting out of the car, Kim Ha-neul exchanged greetings with people next to Kang Bada and naturally caught the attention of the men.
When their eyes met, he lightly nodded and unexpectedly opened the passenger seat door, taking out a lot of coffee.
“He’s got some sense.”
“I want coffee too…”
“Hey! Don’t go over there!”
“What’s wrong with going over there? He’s not even your type, so why are you making a fuss? It’s not like we’re kids.”
“Still, hey! Oh!?”
At that moment, Kim Ha-neul suddenly asked for understanding from the people around him. Immediately after, he approached the men with both hands full of coffee.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Ha-neul. You must be Jincheol, Junhwan, and Juheon, right?”
“Huh, how did you know our names…?”
“We’ve only seen each other in pictures, but now we can finally talk. Bada-ssi told me about you. She said you’re all kind people who always help her.”
“Cough-! Is that so?”
As Kim Ha-neul accurately knew the names and faces of the researchers, their guard was softened. It seemed like he had planned this, as he offered them the coffee.
“I already placed the order, but it seems like the boss is handling everything alone this morning. Thanks to that, we ended up being later than expected. I apologize.”
With a clean apology, Kim Ha-neul shared the coffee. The researchers unconsciously brought the straw to their lips.
Since the coffee was like oil to them, they couldn’t help but be sensitive to the taste. If they thought it wouldn’t matter what kind of coffee it was, they were mistaken…
“Could this be ‘Art 21’ by any chance?”
“As expected, you recognized it right away.”
“…In this crazy world.”
When the first person who took a sip of the coffee addictively coughed, people looked at him with mixed expressions of curiosity.
“What is it?”
“It’s a famous hand-drip coffee shop. The menu changes every day, and they use high-quality specialty beans that are freshly imported…”
“Simply put.”
“It’s 24,000 won for a cup.”
“…In this crazy world.”
After the concise explanation, everyone brought the straw to their lips, and their expressions softened at the unique and delightful taste that filled their mouths.
“This kind of flavor can come from coffee…”
“It’s so expensive…”
“I wanted to express my gratitude to all of you in some way, so I prepared this. I’m glad you liked it.”
Kim Ha-neul flashed a refreshing smile. There wasn’t a trace of hostility to be found. Eventually, even the men burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, a little further away, Gosomi tried her best to hide her discomfort as she watched him.
“What’s this, it was real?”
Gosomi was always observant of Kang Bada’s actions. More accurately, she was ‘guarded.’ She couldn’t help but notice the distance hidden beneath her smiling face whenever she talked. How arrogantly she boasted about herself.
But recently, Kang Bada’s atmosphere seemed oddly different. The person who used to only focus on research now frequently checked her phone and even laughed from time to time.
A genuine smile that was clearly different from the polite smile she put on when dealing with others. Gosomi was curious about the man who made Kang Bada smile like that, despite her arrogance.
‘I thought he wouldn’t be ordinary.’
He wasn’t even the main character of a drama, yet he appeared with a flashy sports car.
He had good looks and impeccable style. And his way of speaking wasn’t bad either. With just a cup of coffee, he easily captivated the researchers at the lab.
“Gosomi, don’t you drink coffee?”
“I have a bit of an upset stomach…”
“Oh, speaking of which, Gosomi, you and I have a similar cycle. Did you bring enough sanitary pads?”
“Yes, I’m fine!”
Ignoring the oblivious lab employee who approached them, Gosomi tightly bit her lip. She saw Kang Bada and Kim Ha-neul happily chatting at the end of her gaze.
“Do those two make a good couple?”
“…I guess so.”
‘I was curious about who Kang Bada would date. And when I saw him, I got the feeling that he would be just like that. I’m so envious.’
“…”
She wanted to shut her mouth that was blabbering away according to her own whims, but if she did, then the carefully constructed image she had built up would crumble.
Gosomi forced herself to maintain a smiling expression and suppressed her emotions. If it had come to this, she had no choice but to go with Plan B.
“Well, all men are the same anyway.”
Gosomi had confidence that she could bring down anyone, regardless of who they were. Whether the person was handsome or a chaebol, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was a little effort and a good sense of timing. And Gosomi had confidence that she could handle both.
“Do you think he’d be any different as your boyfriend?”
Gosomi’s field of view was filled with the two people who were smiling brightly.
…
“Wow! We finally arrived!”
“Oh, wow. It’s cleaner than I expected.”
“Let’s start by unloading our luggage together!”
The people who got off the charter bus began to move bustlingly. Kang Bada and Kim Ha-neul, who had come in a separate car, also moved quickly.
“The food goes inside.”
“This box would be good here.”
“Ha-neul-ssi, what’s this?”
“Hmm. We have a sports competition in the afternoon, so I think we’ll need it soon. Give it here. I’ll move it all at once.”
Among them, Kim Ha-neul stood out. He skillfully directed people as if he had planned the entire team outing himself.
“Why are you so skilled at this?”
“I was the class president in college.”
“That’s unexpected. Don’t you dislike that kind of thing?”
“If you want to receive a scholarship, you have to impress the professors with your grades. Increasing your connections through leadership positions is just one way to do it.”
“…You’re really true to yourself, Ha-neul-ssi.”
Kang Bada moved her luggage, nodding her head slightly. With Kim Ha-neul’s skillful guidance, the luggage was quickly organized, and they continued with their lunch.
“I’m glad we have Ha-neul-ssi.”
“Seriously… When a moth the size of a palm came into my room, I thought my heart was going to stop.”
“But he handled it without even changing his expression, just like that, poof! Even though he’s someone else’s boyfriend, he can still look so cool. Is that what attracted Badagssi to her?”
Kim Ha-neul, who had established himself as the problem-solver in just a few hours. As praise poured in, Kang Bada smiled happily and played along.
“But where did these two meet?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah. I was curious about where unni, who spent all day in the lab, met someone like him. Ah, maybe through social media?”
Just as Gosomi was timing her entry, she slipped in. Everyone around perked up their ears as an interesting topic arose.
“Does Bada-ssi use social media too?”
“Yeah. She has over a million followers!”
“Wow, that’s more than most celebrities!”
“Even though I have way fewer followers than unni, I still get a lot of troublesome messages. They even offer me money every month to date them.”
Gulp-
Unbeknownst to herself, Kang Bada gulped. It was a very subtle movement that no one else noticed, but Gosomi, who had been watching only her, didn’t miss it.
‘Hmm, could it be…’
It was just a light jab.
But Kang Bada’s reaction was suspicious.
Sensing her target, Gosomi opened her mouth again.
“Bada unni, do you not have that kind of thing?”
“I don’t even look at messages.”
“Heh, I see. Then, where did Unni meet, Ha-neul oppa?”
“…Well.”
Kang Bada glanced around awkwardly, as if indicating her discomfort. Gosomi’s lips twisted upon confirming it.
The intuition she had built up all this time was giving her confidence. The relationship between Kang Bada and Kim Ha-neul was not normal. Now, all she had to do was expose it…
“I met her at an orphanage.”
At that moment, Kim Ha-neul stepped forward.
Casually, he took hold of Kang Bada’s hand and continued speaking with an unwavering expression.
“I volunteer at the orphanage every weekend. And one day, guess who just happened to walk through the front gate?”
“Unni wouldn’t have had the time for that…”
“She made time for it.”
“Oh, really?”
Gosomi, who sensed that things were going awry, attempted to tackle the situation but was swiftly blocked.
Kim Ha-neul discreetly placed the hand she was holding onto the desk, catching the attention of the researchers, who eagerly urged him to continue the story.
“The moment I saw him, I thought, ‘This is the person.’ But she didn’t open up to me easily.”
“Bada-ssi has a tough shell, you know. How did you manage to break through?”
“They say that sincerity finds a way, right? We started running into each other at the orphanage from that day on, and I waited until she opened her heart to me.”
“Awwww! How sweet!”
Amidst her words, Gosomi’s gaze remained fixed on Kang Bada. It was the unmistakable sight of a woman deeply in love.
Click-
A slight movement of her fingers, fidgeting with her ring. The researchers, delighted by the timing, burst into laughter and chatter.
“…This topic won’t work.”
Although there was something suspicious, pushing further would only make her appear strange. For now, it was crucial to halt the researchers’ growing favorability. Naturally, preparations had been made for such a situation.
“If you’re finished with your meal, shall we get up now?”
“Huh? Already?”
“I thought we could proceed with the sports competition to maintain our schedule. How about that?”
“Yeah, it would be inconvenient if it gets postponed.”
Someone spoke with a casual tone in response to Gosomi’s words. He was one of the male researchers in the lab, Park Seungmin, who had fallen into Gosomi’s trap.
With an ideal height of 183cm and well-defined muscles visible beneath his t-shirt, all eyes were on him as he stood up.
‘I need to calm down a bit first’
This sports competition was in a partner format, where men and women were paired up to compete. Park Seungmin, who had promised himself a gift, was determined to do his best as Kim Ha-neul’s partner.
“Ha-neul, are you okay with me as your partner?”
“Of course.”
Kim Ha-neul nodded calmly in response to Park Seungmin’s gaze. Their eyes met in the air.
‘Let’s see how long you can keep smiling.’
Gosomi subtly grabbed Park Seungmin’s arm and smiled.
* * *
After finishing their meal.
Kang Bada and Kim Ha-neul left their seats first. They whispered to each other in hushed voices, only audible to themselves.
“As expected.”
“How did you know?”
“It’s a kind of pattern. If we were to compare it to a novel, it would be a cliché.”
Pfft-
Almost as if on cue, Kang Bada chuckled softly at the novel metaphor. She looked at Kim Ha-neul and slowly spoke.
“If it’s cliché, then we have to win, right?”
“Of course.”
“But Park Seungmin, he’s not someone to be taken lightly either. I heard he participates in the Strongman Triathlon as a hobby.”
Rumors had circulated that he was part of the sports club until before college. While it wasn’t to say that Kim Ha-neul was lacking, it was clear that he wouldn’t be an easy opponent.
“Bada-ssi, do you know why I’ve never had a single red mark on my ID even though I got involved in various incidents during my school days?”
“Hmm?”
“The sports teachers went all out to protect me, saying I had to become a national representative.”
What does that mean?
Kang Bada, who was pondering over Kim Ha-neul’s words for a moment, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“I’ve never lost a single time since I was born. At least when it comes to sports.”
Even though it was a story that could be brushed off as a boastful joke, Kang Bada couldn’t say anything in response. Kim Ha-neul exuded confidence in her eyes.
‘…Ugh, this is getting dangerous.’
Kang Bada tightly bit her lip.
She was already trapped in a bean pod.
