Find Her

Wouldn't it be better if he just invited Tan and Nana over to his mother's place for dinner? He could propose to Nana in the presence of Tan, his mother, and Jin-A.

But what if Jin-A decided to mention Min-Jung? That would ruin his chances with Nana, no doubt. And what if he went on to engage Nana and his mother and Jin-A decided to hurt her? That was a bad idea; it would do more harm than good.

But wouldn't it be better if he used Min-Jung as the sacrifice for Nana? He smiled at the idea. He knew his mother was ruthless, and Jin-A tended to be that way. He could keep Nana away from his mother and Jin-A for the time being and present Min-Jung as his fiancee. That way, they would deal mercilessly with Min-Jung, and she would dump him herself.

That way, he would know the extent of their cruelty and shield Nana from them. And he would also have enough time to convince Tan to take Jin-A off his hands.

He would have to tell Tan to keep the information about Nana to himself until everything was over.

He would join them for dinner and insist on marrying his girlfriend, Min-Jung. He smiled at his brilliance; not everyone would be smart enough to get out of his pickle.

**********

How had he found out so soon? Min-Jung wondered as she looked at him. What was she supposed to say to him? This would ruin everything.

Before she could answer, her phone started vibrating. She had been avoiding her boss' call all day, but right now, she was grateful for the distraction. She quickly answered the call and excused herself. If anyone could answer her questions right now, it was her boss.

"Why the heck have you been ignoring my calls?" He called out angrily.

"I'm sorry. I've been busy; what was the call about?" She asked curiously.

"I need you to come into the office tomorrow to meet Mr. Kim. I need to resolve this whole thing once and for all," He said, making her gasp in shock.

"Resolve what? Why do I have to come to your office? I resigned already," She protested.

"He claims you aren't the one that came to his house. I've tried defending you, but he insisted someone else was at his place," He explained.

Min-Jung swallowed nervously. It was one or the other, "You showed him my picture?" She asked weakly.

"Yes, I did."

"How could you do that without seeking my consent?" She asked angrily.

"Are you ok? What is wrong with showing him a picture of someone he spent a week with? Or is there something I need to know?" Her boss retorted.

If the company ever found out someone else took her place, she would be in serious trouble. She closed her eyes weakly. Everything was going haywire, all because of that stupid Ji-Tae.

She had to confess to either Tan or her boss. One of them would have to cover for her. It had to be Tan because she couldn't afford to pay the company for damages.

"Not at all, sir. I'll resolve everything with him, don't worry about it," She said as she hung up the call.

She walked back to join Tan, who was already sitting in the living room waiting for her.

"Yes, I used to work there, but I resigned already," She said quietly.

That explained it then; her boss had sent him the picture of the wrong Min-Jung. "Is Ji-Tae aware?" He asked her curiously.

"No, I resigned, so he doesn't get to know about it," She said, not meeting his eyes. He felt sorry for her; he could tell she was ashamed.

"He won't hear it from me either; you have nothing to worry about," he said, trying to make her relax. Maybe she could tell him about the whereabouts of her colleague and namesake.

"What about Min-Jung, your colleague?" He asked, watching her.

"Min-Jung? My colleague?" She asked in confusion before it dawned on her that he thought it was a case of mistaken identity.

"Yes, the one that was sent to me. Her name is Min-Jung too," He said when he realized she hadn't asked him how he knew about her job. That must mean she knew he had hired a girlfriend, right?

"I have no colleague by that name that I know of. However, I was the one who was sent to you," She said, closing her eyes.

"You? But you weren't the one that came!" He exclaimed.

"I had to travel with Ji-Tae, so I couldn't make it. I paid someone else to come in my place," She explained. She couldn't tell him about Nana; if she did so, then she was doomed in every way.

Not only would Nana be mad at her for breaking her promise, but she would also have to explain why she sent Ji-Tae's girlfriend, who happened to be her best friend, in her place. This wasn't how she had envisioned everything. Tan wasn't even supposed to find out anything through her.

Everything was going haywire, she couldn't pinpoint the moment her plans started falling apart, but she blamed Ji-Tae for everything. She couldn't tell Tan the complete truth; she would say some and leave out some.

"So, who is she? Where is she?" He asked in frustration getting up from his seat.

"I don't know her. She's a stranger," Min-Jung lied.

"What? Did you send a total stranger to my home? Someone you don't know? What if she had been a thief or a murderer?" He shouted angrily, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think things through. I was just desperate," She said, bursting into tears and wringing her hands nervously.

"Is your boss aware of this? Does he know you sent a total stranger to me?" He asked without looking at her. He wasn't going to allow her to emotionally blackmail him with her tears. 

"No, he doesn't know. Please don't tell him. Please," She cried, going on her knees.

"For someone I met today, you seem to be asking for too many favors already. And I wouldn't say I like it one bit. Find her. Help me find that lady. That's the only way I will forgive you," He said, storming out of the room.

Min-Jung got up; she was in real trouble this time. She had managed to fall into her trap. No one would forgive her, not even Ji-Tae, if they found out what she had done. She quickly left the house.