It took every ounce of willpower for Dahye to steady herself. She held his gaze for a moment until she could no longer stand it and broke away, her hands shaking. “Is it not true, then?” she asked, her voice soft.
“What?”
“I saw in the news that you were engaged. It came as a complete shock to me. I thought what we had was … serious.”
“It was serious to me,” Hyukjoon said.
“But?”
“The engagement means nothing. That’s how it is with families like mine. For us, marriage is strictly business. If I’m being honest, it was arranged back when Seoyeon and I were children, and it was just … time, I guess.” He swayed as he grabbed Dahye’s hands, kissing them. She gently tugged herself out ofhis grip. “It doesn’t mean that I don’t love you. Nothing has changed my feelings for you.”
She couldn’t believe she had ever fallen for this. His simpering and whining—god, he was so pathetic. She blinked, and the image of Bobby’s body sprawled out on the floor swam hazily in her mind. Hyukjoon put his mouth to Dahye’s ear. “You look good.”
“Do I?”
“You’re my Amanda Seyfried.” He leaned in to kiss her, and Dahye let him despite her disgust. She could taste the alcohol on his breath. “Do you want to get out of here?” he whispered.
He didn’t see her as a threat. He thought she was clueless, stupid, easy to manipulate. He thought she believed every lie that had spilled from his mouth.
All bitches have a price.
“I’d love to,” Dahye said.
“There’s a hotel not far from—”
“We don’t need a hotel,” Dahye interrupted. “I moved out. I have my own place now.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” Hyukjoon said, grinning. He reached into his pocket. “Let me call a taxi.”
Dahye stopped him, placing a gentle hand on his forearm. “No need. There are plenty of taxis on the street over there.”
“Right,” Hyukjoon said. He wrapped his arm around her, squeezing tightly. “Let’s go.”
+
As soon as they walked through the front door, Hyukjoon abruptly stopped. He cocked his head as he looked around, his eyes wide. He had probably never been in a place like this in his entire life. Besides the air mattress in the bedroom, Dahye hadn’t bothered to get any other furniture.
“What do you think?” Dahye asked, knowing full well that it looked like shit.
“It’s …” Hyukjoon paused. “Charming,” he finally said.
Did he ever stop lying?
“It’s no Park Hyatt,” she said. “I moved in a few days ago. I’m still working on getting more stuff. A TV, couch, that kind of thing.”
He shrugged. They were interrupted by loud drips from the bathroom, and his eyes flickered toward the sound. “Sounds like you have a leaky faucet,” he said.
Dahye excused herself and walked to the bathroom. Eunhye sat in the middle of the floor, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her clothes clung to her like a second skin. She was accompanied by the now-familiar sound of water droplets falling from the vent in the wall onto the floor.
“You brought him,” Eunhye said softly.
“I did,” Dahye whispered.
“Give him what he deserves.”
Dahye nodded gravely.
After placing an old towel under the vent to muffle the noise, she returned to the living room. Hyukjoon was still standing in the same spot, looking out of place in the shabby little space. Noticing her, he stepped forward and crushed Dahye against his chest, kissing her hard. His tongue wormed its way into her mouth. She gagged and pushed him away.