Chapter 55.1

T/N: Huge thanks to HarukaAnzai, Thomas Meier, Chai Saetern, Randall Dexter, Thad Rudd, Skonkz, Jon Couchois, Katravy Anmar, and Swah Jian Wen for recently becoming patrons!

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Jung So-rim frowned and looked at the road.

But the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

So she asked him about it.

"Is the man wearing grey sweatpants? He should be about 180 cm tall."

"Uh? Right. Do you know who that is?"

"...Ah. Hyunwoo-nim. I'm really sorry, but could you wait somewhere other than the stop in front of me? I'll be there soon. I will contact you in a moment."

Jung So-rim hung up the phone.

And then she went back the way she just came.

With each step she took, her thoughts became more and more complicated.

The man who was probably following her was most likely to be her boyfriend.

There was a bit of an argument between them because of today's outing.

Her boyfriend was suspicious of her cheating because of the previous night out and her KakaoTalk texts.

He was wondering what was going on with the big hand that suddenly got attached to her these days.

Was it true that the last time she slept outside, she really slept at a friend's house?

Why did she use KakaoTalk so often?

Jung So-rim could not completely clear away all of his doubts.

And she had never really cheated on him, but she did something similar.

And...

She couldn't reveal the full truth to him, and so an odd feeling grew in her heart.

She couldn't prove her innocence, so she got angry instead.

It was inevitable since if she apologized, she would have to tell him everything.

She couldn't do that.

She would let this situation go on for a little longer.

'Yes, just for one year.'

If she could continue her relationship with Lee Hyun-woo, she could solve the marriage finances as well as the housing problem.

So she wasn't entirely doing the wrong thing.

It wasn't like she was going to meet Lee Hyeon-woo to enjoy a good time alone.

That really wasn't the case.

Wasn't she already engaged to her boyfriend?

"What are you doing here?"

She found him.

Behind a tree that was not too far away, her boyfriend was hiding.

It was an ugly and unappealing sight.

'Compared to Hyeon-Woo, who was always relaxed and well-mannered... No! What am I thinking...?'

Jeong So-rim quickly shook her head to get rid of the stray thoughts that arose within her mind.

Now was not the time to be thinking like that.

She deliberately made her expression stiff.

She felt sorry for her boyfriend, but she hid her guilt with anger.

"Hey, Sorim."

"Are you following me right now? Are you wondering if I'm going to meet with the president or what? It seems that you don't completely trust me anymore?"

"No, it's not like that. Think about it from my perspective too. The girl who didn't like to wear clothes like that… As a boyfriend..."

"Ah. Shouldn't I be wearing clothes like this? Do you just want me to go around dressed dirty all day?"

"That's not what I mean!"

"Or what then!? After all, Oppa doesn't trust me anymore, so you're acting like this!"

A violent fight ensued on the pavement.

The 10-year-long couple squealed and fought, careless about the fact that there were people around them.

And by the end of the argument…

Jeong So-rim declared—

"Oppa, we've been dating for 10 years. You still don't really have faith in me, right? Let's stay apart for a while. I need some time to think this over. It's not that we're breaking up, so don't think overthink things. But I really want some time away. I'm fed up with what you're doing right now."

She had no choice but to say it in that way.

To be honest, she had nothing more to say since she was about to meet Lee Hyun-woo.

She had trust in her boyfriend's ability to overcome this.

They were each other's first love.

It had been 10 years since they met.

Jung So-rim firmly believed that he could endure such hardships.

"Please wait a moment! Sorim!"

"I'm leaving. Older brother can stay in the house. I'll be at my mother's house for a while. Goodbye for now."

Her boyfriend grabbed Jeong So-rim's arm.

Jung So-rim swung her arm roughly and shook his hand off.

Jung So-rim, who was wearing her shoes, made click-clacking sounds as she walked away.

Her boyfriend, with his arms stretched behind her, stared blankly at her like a pathetic hero watching his party members leave him.

"I'm sorry. Did I take too long?"

She finally made it to the meet-up place.

Jung So-rim climbed into the passenger seat of his black sports car and bowed her head slightly in apology.

She was honestly feeling a little out of it.

But what could she do?

She knew that to make money she had to work, and since she was working now, she had to bottle up her feelings.

"No. You weren't any trouble, it's fine. What was he troubling you over?"

"Ah, right. That is my boyfriend. He found out about the last time I stayed over and chatted with you by text. He was suspicious."

"Oops, so what happened? Is everything okay? Are you just going to leave it like this?"

"Yes. We just fought... It will be fine after a while."

It wasn't a story she wanted to discuss with him.

But because Lee Hyeon-woo had witnessed her fight with her boyfriend, the topic inevitably came up.

Jeong So-rim's complexion darkened and her head bowed down even further.

It was because she was still full of guilt for her boyfriend.

At that moment, Lee Hyun-woo slowly turned and leaned into the passenger seat.

And then he gently hugged Jung So-rim.

"...!"

"Don't worry too much about it. It seems like your boyfriend likes you to the point of following you. So, wouldn't it be better to just enjoy the present moment instead of thinking about the bad? Besides, I'm your boyfriend while you're out with me, right? Take care of me."

"Ah... l guess..."

Jeong So-rim was surprised by his sudden hug, but she didn't push Lee Hyun-woo away.

It was thanks to the notion that the second-generation Hyunwoo was her boyfriend while they were out together.

"Then, shall we move off?"

Inside the black sports car, the two had much to speak about.

Among the topics brought up, where they were to go today was also included.

"A Korea TV big-shot meeting?"

"Yes. I don't know if Sorim knows this or not... But there are quite a few famous hyungs on Korea TV. Actually, I was planning to go on a date with Sorim today, with just the two of us. But my older brothers kept inviting me, so I had no choice but to participate. Will that be a problem for you at all?"

"Huh? No. It's okay, it's okay. It's good if there are a lot of older people. That way I can get some exposure for my stream too."

She was being sincere.

Since it was a place where the big shots gathered, wouldn't it be the dream outing for any streamer?

If she could get to know other big hands there, besides Lee Hyun-woo, she could potentially procure another source of income.

Of course, they probably wouldn't gift as much money as Lee Hyun-woo did.

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