Chapter 21
Don’t Forget. You’re My Fiancée
The next day.
So-hye left her house around noon.
Her steps led her to the modern café.
She had decided to tell Man-seok today that she was quitting the café.
She had spent the previous day mulling it over, wondering if she had made the decision too hastily, but in the end, her conclusion was clear: there was nowhere left to retreat.
‘It feels strange now that I’m actually quitting.’
There had been as many painful, exhausting days as there were joyful ones during her time at the café. She had worked there for five years.
Above all, no matter how she thanked Man-seok, it seemed she could never repay him for everything he had done.
Her heart felt heavy, and her steps were no lighter.
After hesitating for a moment, So-hye descended the café stairs.
The door, made of wood, was dented and broken in the middle—likely smashed when yesterday’s workers came in.
Just seeing it brought back the memory of yesterday’s shocking incident, making her frown involuntarily.
‘I have to make sure to compensate for that later.’
She opened the door and entered the café.
No staff had arrived yet, probably because it was still before working hours.
“You’re here.”
Man-seok came out just then, noticing her presence.
“Hello, sir.”
“Come in.”
So-hye bit her lower lip hard to stop the tears from coming, and followed him into the room.
Man-seok offered her a seat and tea, then remained silent for a while.
In the heavy atmosphere, all So-hye could do was wait quietly.
“I…”
Finally, Man-seok spoke.
“The day you first came here, I decided that Ho-won would act as your father in his place.”
So-hye’s eyes trembled slightly.
Baek Ho-won.
Hearing her father’s name after such a long time made her chest ache.
“I may not have been enough, but I did my best to make sure you could settle in here comfortably. I just didn’t want you to struggle.”
“I know, sir. I know how much you’ve taken care of me…”
Her voice trembled as she struggled to speak.
The kindness Man-seok had shown her over the past five years was countless.
He had paid off her father’s gambling debts to ‘buy’ her, yet he had given her proper compensation and even made her work environment comfortable.
Thanks to him, unlike other café girls, she didn’t have to work other tasks—she could focus solely on dancing.
Whenever she faced financial difficulties, he somehow knew and helped her.
The debts weren’t even recorded in any ledger, so she didn’t even know how much she owed.
“I’ll quit the café, but I’ll pay off the debt every month. I’ll tell Mr. Shin that as well…”
“No, So-hye. That’s not what I want to talk about right now.”
Man-seok shook his head and looked at her.
Though sunlight filled the room, his face seemed shadowed and heavy.
“I’m saying this because… wherever you go after leaving here, I hope you’re happy.”
There’s someone who cherishes you this much. Don’t forget that feeling.
Tears she had tried to hold back poured down her cheeks.
She quickly wiped them with her sleeve, but more kept coming.
Seeing her like that tore at Man-seok’s heart.
“Remember, there are people who want to protect you… and who still do.”
People who want to protect me.
Among them were Man-seok, Woo-geon, Kyung-rim… and maybe even my father.
Her heart trembled deeply as emotions surged.
At that moment, the thought she had been trying to suppress burst out.
She wanted to know the truth.
“Please… tell me one thing.”
So-hye choked back her rising tears and spoke with difficulty.
“My father… did he sell me here because of gambling debts?”
Man-seok remained silent for a moment.
He seemed to be weighing how much he could say and where to stop.
“Please… tell me the truth.”
With her desperate plea, a heavy sigh escaped him.
“…Alright.”
Man-seok decided to tell her this one truth.
Breaking the promise he had made to a friend he vowed to protect until the grave.
“That guy isn’t the type to gamble.”
“Really…? So it’s true, he didn’t sell me because of debt?”
“Yes. I swear it with everything I have.”
“Then… why? Why did he leave me here?”
But that was all Man-seok could say.
“That… I don’t know.”
The rest was too dangerous for So-hye to know.
“I don’t know how long the café will last, but I’ll try to keep in touch with you. You should update me about your life too.”
“Yes… I will. Thank you… truly, truly, thank you.”
So-hye bowed deeply to Man-seok.
Her tears fell to the floor, soaking even Man-seok’s heart.
When she finally left the café, he sighed heavily and lowered his eyes.
“You asked me to hide everything…”
Underneath his eyelids, his eyes betrayed the guilt and sorrow he felt for his friend.
“What kind of state of mind made you leave her here, Ho-won?”
That harsh boy…
A jumble of emotions made his eyes burn.
He rubbed them, but all it did was make the memories sharper.
Man-seok still remembered vividly the day So-hye first came here.
That cold winter day, the fragile girl led in by Ho-won, his long-time friend.
“I’m sorry… I have no one else I can trust to leave my daughter with.”
After years with no contact, Ho-won showed up and said absurd things: that he was about to die, that staying with him would endanger his daughter…
‘What on earth have you been doing? Why are you “dying”?’
‘I can’t explain in detail. This is the only way to save So-hye.’
Man-seok should have realized it when he saw Ho-won’s twisted expression.
Where he was going, what he was doing…
The truths So-hye would later learn were things he could never tell her.
‘Even if she finds out something, don’t tell her anything.’
‘Why go this far?’
‘Because I couldn’t give up.’
‘…’
‘Even so, it’s better she resents me than follows the same path I do.’
The fiery emotion that had filled Ho-won’s eyes now flowed from Man-seok’s.
Just live.
Live…
The desperate wish dissipated with tears.
So-hye didn’t meet any other staff before leaving.
The news about her and Woo-geon had probably spread anyway.
It was just as well—she couldn’t explain everything.
Even after working here so long… leaving was so sudden.
A mix of emptiness and regret made her sigh.
Her thoughts about her father were still in disarray.
“Ah…”
Then, as she reached the first floor and looked up, she froze.
Woo-geon was standing not far from the café.
“Sir…”
He took long strides to stand before her.
“Did we say our goodbyes properly?”
“Yes. But… why are you here?”
“I had a word with the boss first.”
School had ended early today, so he wanted to quickly settle matters related to So-hye.
Pointing to the entrance, So-hye said,
“Then go in. The boss is inside.”
Her face filled his vision.
Had she been crying?
Her large eyes were faintly red.
Leaving a familiar place must not have been easy.
He cared, but for now, he had to pretend not to notice.
“No. We’ll do that later. I have other things to take care of today.”
“What things?”
“Bringing the things you’ll need for your house.”
So-hye suddenly remembered that she would be living with Woo-geon.
Her heart pounded heavily.
“Go ahead.”
“Yes…”
So-hye matched her steps with Woo-geon.
With each step, the heaviness in her legs gradually lifted.
Yet, a strange unease accompanied it.
People’s gazes lingered unusually long on her today, unlike before.
‘Why are people staring at us so much?’
She glanced sideways and saw a stranger locking eyes with her.
He quickly looked away and hurried on.
Other women passing by whispered while watching them, and shopgirls across the department store also stared.
The attention, more blatant than what she had faced on stage, flustered her.
Woo-geon noticed it too and murmured softly.
“It seems yesterday’s news spread fast.”
“Yesterday’s news? Oh…”
So-hye realized why people were staring.
The fiancée of Shin Woo-geon, a teacher at Songil High and a world-renowned scholar, had appeared. The rumor spread like wildfire in a single day.
So-hye had been overwhelmed with everything that had happened and had momentarily forgotten how famous Woo-geon was in Gyeongseong.
He seemed unfazed by all the stares and said calmly,
“Don’t be so embarrassed. You’ll face countless stares like this from now on.”
Even so… how could she remain calm with so many people staring?
Her embarrassment didn’t end there.
“Ah…”
Woo-geon firmly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.
It was as if he wanted to mark his presence on her.
He whispered near her ear, his breath like a soft voice:
“Don’t forget. You’re my fiancée.”
“…”
“That’s the way I’ve chosen to protect you.”
The sticky warmth clung to her heart.
Her pulse raced, and So-hye lowered her head to hide her flushed face.
Caught off guard by Woo-geon’s sudden closeness, she had no choice but to keep her feelings hidden.
“I… I will.”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll be with you.”
His words steadied her trembling heart against the gazes of others.
“Don’t worry. I’ll act the part boldly, as shamelessly as I must.”
Even if it’s a pretense, she had to be his fiancée perfectly in front of people.
If she ruined the shelter he had created for her, she would endanger both herself and him.
So-hye naturally matched her steps with his and walked proudly ahead.
The fake engagement could last a year… or just a month.
Until then, she could stay by his side, closest to him.
But it also meant…
‘When this ends, I won’t be able to be near him.’
A broken engagement couldn’t return them to normal intimacy.
Just thinking about it made her chest ache and her breath catch.
‘No. Don’t be greedy. Even now, this is more than enough.’
She rested her head on Woo-geon’s shoulder.
She sensed people looking, but he tightened his arm slightly around her.
Together, they walked as a perfect couple down the crowded street.
Letting the rumors become truth was now someone else’s concern.
So-hye stared blankly at her cramped house.
She had planned to gather her things to move to Woo-geon’s house.
“There’s… really nothing to take.”
The dilapidated house could collapse at any moment. There was nothing worth taking.
Only her worn-out shirt and pants for her disguise, a pair of tattered shoes, and the skirt and jeogori she wore now.
She wrapped them in a single cloth bundle, feeling embarrassed at how little she owned.
The decayed blanket was too heavy and rotted to carry—it would just be a nuisance.
Holding the small bundle in one hand, she realized how heavy the burden of poverty had been.
“Stop with the useless sentimentality. I need to stay sharp from now on.”
Pulling herself together, So-hye stepped outside with her bundle.
Woo-geon, waiting outside, noticed it in her hand.
Embarrassed, she hid it behind her back.
“All packed. Let’s go.”
Fortunately, Woo-geon didn’t comment and turned toward their destination.
They stepped onto the main road and boarded a tram together.
So-hye, who usually walked everywhere to save the fare, found the tram strange and fascinating.
Through the window, the scenery passed quickly, and she watched with sparkling eyes, as if tasting the new world ahead.
The cool breeze teased her face, carrying a faint floral scent that only Woo-geon, sitting next to her, could perceive.
The tram stopped at their destination.
“Take my hand.”
Woo-geon, having stepped off first, held out his hand.
Hesitating, So-hye placed her small hand in his large one.
Even after stepping onto the ground, their hands remained intertwined.
“This way.”
In public, Woo-geon deliberately held her hand.
Though it wasn’t their first time holding hands, this time it meant something different.
Her pounding heartbeat transmitted through their palms, making it hard for her to hold properly.
Finally, they arrived at Woo-geon’s house.
Opening the tall gate, they entered and saw a large mansion blending traditional and Western-style architecture.
It truly resembled a whale’s back.
A middle-aged woman appeared with the household staff.
Sunsim.
“What… is this…”
Her thick regional accent choked her words.
With her large build and stern face, she looked intimidating.
So-hye instinctively shrank back. Woo-geon introduced her first.
“This is Sunsim, the head housekeeper. She manages all household matters. Tell her anything you need.”
Then, he introduced So-hye to Sunsim.
“This lady is the fiancée I mentioned yesterday.”
“Goodness! So it’s really true…!”
Her eyes widened further in astonishment.
When Woo-geon said he was bringing his fiancée, she thought he was joking. But seeing her in reality, she was completely stunned.
Woo-geon loosened the tie around his neck and said,
“We’ll greet properly later. For now, please show her to her room.”
“Yes, sir. Please, this way.”
Sunsim still looked confused but led the way.
So-hye paused and glanced back once.
Woo-geon’s unwavering gaze met hers, and in a low voice, he said,
“I’ll come to the room shortly.”
To someone, it sounded like a sweet whisper.
“Yes… I’ll be waiting.”
But for them, it marked the beginning of their plan for survival.
