Chapter Twenty-Three: The Surprise Is

After listening to her daughter's account, Esther finally felt relieved, though her feelings were mixed. She was glad to learn that Jinyuan and that celebrity truly had nothing going on, yet she couldn't help but worry that her daughter and Jinyuan genuinely had something between them.

Rachel observed her mother's expression, puzzled. Strangely enough, she had expected her mother to fly into a rage, but instead, Esther looked more worried for her than angry with her.

Esther rarely spoke to her with such gentleness—even if she was genuinely concerned, she always maintained an indifferent façade. So this expression was anything but normal.

Esther glanced at her daughter, who was furtively sneaking glances at her, and couldn't help but smile.

"You two are simply messing around," she said, though her tone was unexpectedly tender, tinged with warmth. "Now, tell me, how did you end up together with Jinyuan?"

Rachel couldn't help but feel something was off. This was a scandal, after all—yet her mother appeared almost pleased.

"It started because I wanted to spite you," she said after a brief hesitation. Studying Esther's reaction and finding no sign of disapproval, she continued, "But later... later I found myself gradually developing feelings for him."

Esther listened to her daughter's confession, almost amused. Rachel was so young, and yet Jinyuan was going along with this folly? She furrowed her brows and told her daughter, "For now, I won't interfere with you and Jinyuan, but don't you find his behavior rather odd?"

Jinyuan was thirty now; her own daughter only seventeen. He'd been tempered by years in society—how could he be so reckless with a young girl? Moreover, it was Jinyuan who had leaked information about Jintan in the first place. Esther pondered for a moment, then called Choi Dongwook. Even if they weren't married, in business they were both minor shareholders in Empire Group, and it was only prudent to keep track of developments.

When she finally got through, the response was vague—only that there had been frequent fluctuations lately.

Rachel didn't understand any of this, but seeing her mother so serious, she began to worry that she really had been deceived. But what was there to deceive her about? She was the one who had initiated things with Jinyuan in the first place. Aside from feelings, she had nothing to be taken advantage of, and as for love—if not her, there would be someone else. Jinyuan wasn't lacking in admirers. So, soon enough, she brushed the worry aside.

Jinyuan, on the other hand, was so busy he barely had a moment to himself. Rachel called him several times in the following days, his voice always weary and apologetic, telling her he didn't have time to be with her. She hadn't meant to demand his attention, but his words left her feeling both sour and oddly comforted.

Things at school had been strange these last two days as well. Ever since the news broke, Jintan hadn't shown up. The whole school was abuzz with gossip, though Lee Bona, who had long known the truth, was only surprised to hear that Rachel and Jinyuan were truly together.

Choi the troublemaker was as lively as ever. After English class, Rachel went to wash her hands, and on her way back, he suddenly appeared, leaning nonchalantly against the wall, mischief glinting in his eyes as he mocked, "If the younger brother doesn't work out, you move on to the older one? I wonder if it’ll be any safer this time."

His words were sharp, but not truly malicious, so Rachel smiled calmly. "Think there's no hope for me and my brother? Maybe wait to mock me until after my marriage falls apart."

Choi was left speechless.

Marriage falling apart... What a thing to say.

Though Rachel appeared unfazed, Choi Youngdo's words had indeed affected her. She didn't care what others thought, yet she couldn't help but worry.

Occasionally, a text would come through—Jinyuan reminding her to focus on her studies for now, not to quarrel with her mother, as if she were the one always causing trouble.

Rachel flung her phone onto the bed in frustration, opened her laptop, and searched for news—but there was nothing.

But Han Ji-eun happened to be online.

[Enzi, who wants to be a bride: Lacey, little sister~]
[Lacey: You’re ready to get married?]

Rachel was startled by her friend's username.

[Enzi, who wants to be a bride: ...Actually, I’m already married.]

...

[Lacey: ...Nothing left to say.]

[Enzi, who wants to be a bride: o(>﹏

Rachel truly hadn't known about Han Ji-eun's marriage. She'd heard that Ji-eun had moved in with Lee Youngjae for the sake of a house, but they'd never discussed it in detail. Recently, Rachel had been preoccupied with Jinyuan, and Ji-eun hadn’t reached out either—presumably busy with her own romance.

They planned to meet that afternoon at Han Ji-eun’s villa. Esther was surprised to learn her daughter was seeing friends again—how had she suddenly become so sociable? Yet seeing Rachel excitedly picking out clothes and shoes, even accepting her suggestions without throwing a tantrum, Esther was suddenly filled with happiness.

Rachel skipped class to meet Han Ji-eun that afternoon—using heartbreak as her excuse, she ditched school openly.

It was almost comical; even her teachers at school thought her circumstances were tragic. Her fiancé, first entangled with a maid’s daughter, then seen hugging a man on the street—her competition was now not only the other half of all women, but half of all men, too. The consensus was that high society was impossible to navigate. Rachel had often wanted to laugh and tell them: you’re all overthinking it, your imaginations are running wild.

She drove to Han Ji-eun’s house, the address sent to her mobile. Guided by her GPS, she arrived at a beautiful villa, its gardens impeccably kept—even in late autumn, the seasonal flowers bloomed.

Han Ji-eun and Lee Youngjae waited for her at the door, bickering sweetly. Rachel’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued; she was dying to know how they ended up together.

But just as she parked, her attention was drawn to a man stepping out of the villa.

Jinyuan, dressed in casual attire from her family’s shop—slim jeans accentuating his long legs, a loose beige sweater, chestnut hair glinting in the sunlight. That gentle smile on his face... he was breathtaking.

Rachel was literally struck motionless.

"You two..." she stammered, looking at Han Ji-eun and Lee Youngjae, who were grinning from ear to ear. Surely, this was a setup.

"Today, Jinyuan suggested we all get together," Lee Youngjae explained, throwing an arm around Han Ji-eun. "That’s why Ji-eun got in touch with you."

Jinyuan looked at her with a soft smile, saying nothing. But even so, Rachel felt something new and vibrant blossoming between them.

"Come inside," Jinyuan said, seeing her stand there dazed, and ushered her in. Rachel had thought it was just going to be a casual chat with Han Ji-eun, so she wore jeans, a sweater, and sneakers.

"From behind, they really look like a perfect match," Lee Youngjae remarked.

Han Ji-eun shot him a glance, then turned back to watch the pair ahead. Jinyuan was looking down at Rachel, Rachel gazing up at him, their surroundings practically awash in pink bubbles. The atmosphere was impossibly sweet.

"Are you saying they don’t match face to face?" she retorted, frowning at her new husband as she followed them inside.

Jinyuan appeared entirely unaffected by the rumors. That night, the group had a wonderful time, and perhaps because she was so happy, Rachel drank a bit too much. Her cheeks were flushed, and with her hair pinned up against the warmth, she looked radiant as she confided in Han Ji-eun.

"You really like her, don’t you?" Lee Youngjae teased.

Jinyuan smiled faintly and finally nodded. "Yes."

Lee Youngjae pressed, "So, do you plan to tell her about your dismissal?"

Watching the cheerful girl across the room, Jinyuan hesitated, but answered, "Why wouldn’t I?"

He showed none of the dejection one might expect from someone cast out of his family—instead, he seemed relaxed, even calculating.

For him, everything was only just beginning.

In stark contrast to the joyful atmosphere on this side, things were far less harmonious with Hwang Tae-kyung.

Cha Eun-sang, head wrapped in bandages, was apologizing to Hwang Tae-kyung, close to tears. She hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. She’d just wanted to apologize to him in his room, but accidentally knocked over a shelf, saw his collectibles, and somehow ended up with a head wound, a trip to the hospital, and her name in the news.

Hwang Tae-kyung was enraged. "You might as well change your name to 'Headline'! Every day you land us on the front page! The almighty headline!"

He could no longer be bothered about her hugging a man in public, but now there was a new scandal: "Go Minam and Hwang Tae-kyung at odds—Go Minam injured by Hwang Tae-kyung."

It was beyond ridiculous.

But the storm wasn’t over. Tae-kyung immediately received a call.

Manager Ahn said, "You’ve had far too many negative news stories lately—and so has Uhey. We’ve decided that you and Uhey will appear together on 'We Got Married.' It should help smooth things over and improve your public image a bit."

"What!" Tae-kyung was stunned.

Pairing him with Uhey on the show? They might as well rename it 'We Got in a Fight' or 'Everyone’s Just Being Petty'—that would be more accurate!

Fuming, Tae-kyung flung his notebook aside and stormed off, leaving a bewildered Eun-sang and a downcast Kang Shin-woo behind.