Chapter 42

As soon as the elevator continued to ascend, Gyeong-Eun looked at Seok-Woo. "You could have waited a moment for him to mention who the new owner of that hotel he was talking about is," she said, listening to their conversation.

Seok-Woo turned towards her and replied, "I did it because who knows what would have happened if we stayed longer." In reality, he just wanted to stop talking to avoid revealing the name, which was his.

Gyeong-Eun stared at him for a moment, then opened her mouth to say, "Seok-Woo... thank you for stepping in for me." Her words were genuine, though there was still a hint of coldness in her voice.

Seok-Woo was glad to hear from her and responded, "You're welcome," with a light smile on his face, then turned back to face the front.

Not long after that, the elevator stopped, indicating that they had arrived at their destination.

The two walked out of the elevator and proceeded to the restaurant that Gyeong-Eun had reserved for them.

Upon arrival, the receptionist greeted them and asked if they had a reservation.

Gyeong-Eun informed the receptionist, and someone came to guide them to their table.

As they walked, Seok-Woo noticed people with wine on their tables and smelled the food. However, he knew it was pricey.

The waiter led them to their table, where they took their seats.

Shortly after, Seok-Woo was about to ask for the menu, but he was stopped as Gyeong-Eun had already ordered for him, the same as for herself.

Seok-Woo then patiently waited for their meal to arrive, but the silence felt too awkward for him. Observing that others were engaged in conversation while they remained silent, he decided to initiate a conversation with Gyeong-Eun.

"Professor... How did I do in class today?" Seok-Woo asked her, to which her eyes moved to him. She didn't answer immediately but instead said, "Call me Noona when we're not at the university," to reduce the formality.

Seok-Woo nodded, taking note of her request, and then she responded to his question. "Well, your performance in class tonight was great. Keep it up because I'll expect more from you," she said with seriousness in her eyes.

She would be altering some questions for the class specifically for him, to assess his performance more closely.

Seok-Woo felt a chill as he looked at her, sweating inwardly as he thought, "Well, I need to keep up with studying in advance if I don't want to get an earful from her."

After a brief wait, their food arrived at the table. The waiters placed their meals and added some final touches, creating a spectacle.

Once they finished, the waiters left them to eat. Seok-Woo and Gyeong-Eun dined in silence, neither initiating conversation.

The only audible sounds at the table were the movements of utensils. As the courses continued, Gyeong-Eun observed Seok-Woo holding his glass of wine.

Taking the initiative, she lifted her own glass. "Let's cheers, Seok-Woo," she proposed, meeting his gaze. He didn't hesitate to respond. "Cheers," they said together as their glasses clinked and they drank.

As time passed and they consumed a few glasses of wine, it was almost time for the final course of the meal. Seok-Woo expected the atmosphere to remain unchanged, but Gyeong-Eun surprised him with her next question.

"I've heard about the scene you and someone made at campus. Got a girlfriend or something?" she inquired, causing Seok-Woo to choke on his drink.

After recovering, he faced Gyeong-Eun, seeking clarification. "What do you mean?" he asked.

In response, Gyeong-Eun pulled out her phone and scrolled through it before stopping and showing Seok-Woo the evidence.

"Here it is. I'm sure you recognize yourself," she stated, displaying a photo capturing the moment he and Sunhwi kissed.

Speechless, Seok-Woo hadn't anticipated someone capturing that moment on camera. "How... did you get this?" he managed to ask as Gyeong-Eun withdrew her phone.

"From a student, if you must know. But I won't reveal my source," Gyeong-Eun replied cryptically, hinting at her extensive network of connections.

Curious, she probed further. "Who's that girl I met at your house before... Sung-Hee, was it?" she asked, studying his reaction.

"I wonder how she'd react if she saw this..." Gyeong-Eun mused stoically, with a hint of teasing in her tone.

She hoped to elicit a reaction from Seok-Woo, but instead, he smirked, prompting her to reassess her perception of him.

Seok-Woo assured Gyeong-Eun with a confident tone, yet a subtle tension lingered beneath his words. "My relationship with Sung-Hee is purely platonic. It wouldn't faze her," he claimed, hiding his certainty of Sung-Hee's potential jealousy.

Maintaining his composure, Seok-Woo met Gyeong-Eun's discerning gaze head-on, determined to convey sincerity. As she smoothly shifted the conversation, he remained upright, exuding assurance in his words.

Transitioning gracefully, Gyeong-Eun shifted her focus to Seok-Woo's recent encounter, her voice tinged with intrigue. "Is that so..." she pondered, seamlessly delving into a new topic.

Curious about his recent skirmish, she inquired about his tactics. "How did you handle the thugs from last night?" Her genuine interest sparked by the details of his ordeal.

Seok-Woo, meeting her gaze with a mix of curiosity and caution, probed her motives. "Why the interest?" he asked, seeking clarity.

Undeterred, Gyeong-Eun offered a simple explanation, her tone casual yet inquisitive. "Just curious," she replied, idly tracing her wine glass with her fingers.

Seok-Woo listened, deciding it wasn't something to dwell on, and proceeded to tell her.

He mentioned that he gained his combat skills in the military, to which Gyeong-Eun nodded. He continued, recounting the experiences he had during that time.

Unsurprisingly, the Modifiers he possessed also aided him in that moment. As always, he kept this fact to himself.

But he expected Gyeong-Eun to continue, and this time, her question shocked him.

"Then why did you refuse to become part of the special forces?" Seok-Woo looked at her, silently pondering.

"This woman... is more well-connected than I thought," he mused to himself as he stared at her. Despite his surprise, he decided to answer her question first.

"Well, I didn't want to spend more time there. It's just not my type of environment," Seok-Woo replied, then turned the question back to her.

"Then... Noona, how did you get this information?" he inquired, folding his hands and awaiting her response.

Once again, she refused to divulge her sources. Undeterred, Seok-Woo pressed on. "Do you enjoy snooping into people's backgrounds?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

While she didn't particularly enjoy it, she admitted to doing it when she felt the need to understand someone, despite its ethical implications.

Gyeong-Eun continued to eat, ignoring his probing questions. However, before she could take another bite, Seok-Woo spoke up again. "What if I did the same to you? What if I tried to uncover your background?"

Her expression shifted as she fixed her gaze on him, her brow furrowing in surprise. She hadn't expected him to suggest such a thing. As she met his eyes, she realized he was seriously considering it, which filled her with a sense of apprehension.

If he were to obtain that information about her past, it would implicate not only her but also her friends.

Gyeong-Eun resolved not to play such games with Seok-Woo again, realizing she didn't know him as well as she thought. Playing with fire would only come back to haunt her more than she could anticipate. Who knows what he might do if he gained access to that knowledge.

Thus, she decided to apologize to him, hoping to dissuade him from considering investigating her background any further.

"I'm sorry for doing that. I won't do it again," Gyeong-Eun said genuinely, her tone devoid of its usual coldness. She hoped her apology would deter him from pursuing his plans.

Seok-Woo hadn't expected her to apologize, so he responded, "Are you sure? If you're sincere, then I won't delve any further." He said it with a smirk, causing Gyeong-Eun to mentally sigh in relief. However, Seok-Woo concealed the fact that he might still investigate her background in the future despite knowing her deepest secret, although he lacked the means to do so currently.

After their exchange, the two lapsed into silence once more, focusing on finishing their meal without exchanging words.

Seok-Woo found the food unsatisfying, despite its high quality. He preferred larger portions over luxurious ones.

Eventually, they finished their meal, and both Gyeong-Eun and Seok-Woo stood up as the bill had been settled. They made their way to the elevator, with Seok-Woo pressing the button for their destination.

As the elevator doors closed, the two stood silently beside each other. Gyeong-Eun couldn't help but think, "My plan didn't go well. I made a stupid mistake by revealing that information." She was referring to the details she had learned from a source about Seok-Woo's recommendation for the special forces.

She glanced at him and then thought to herself, "I was intending to tease him a little bit, but due to the atmosphere, I can't."

As she contemplated, Seok-Woo, on the other hand, was pondering about her. "If she did a detailed background check, then... Does she know that I have numerous properties under my name?"

"If so... then she would have asked me about it, but seeing that she didn't then... It's a relief. It would be very hard or impossible for me to tell her where and how I got them." Seok-Woo turned his head towards her, and their eyes met.

Gyeong-Eun looked at him with a raised brow, wondering whether he had something to ask or not. But seeing him look away from her, she crossed her arms, feeling inexplicably annoyed.

Seok-Woo and Gyeong-Eun got off the elevator as its doors opened. They proceeded to the parking space, but someone shouted.

"MS. GYEONG-EUN!" The loud shout caused them to pause their steps and look at the person who called out.

They saw a disheveled man, with a pretty boy face, holding a bottle of alcohol, staggering towards them, heavily intoxicated and barely able to stand.

Seok-Woo glanced at Gyeong-Eun to see if she knew this person. Sensing his inquiry, she clarified, "This man... I've rejected him several times before," to which Seok-Woo nodded.

As the man approached, Seok-Woo positioned himself in front of Gyeong-Eun, ready to react if the situation turned unpredictable.

Examining the drunk man closely, Seok-Woo noticed the smell of alcohol emanating from him and observed his expensive designer clothes.

The drunk man, with a slurred speech, addressed Gyeong-Eun, "You choose this man over me? He's nothing special compared to me!" His volume gradually increased, unsettling Gyeong-Eun.

"I'm richer, more handsome, and a better person than him!" He shouted, causing Seok-Woo to smirk inwardly. "A better person? What a joke," he thought to himself.

"You're still persistent despite my numerous refusals. This is why I don't feel anything towards you, not one bit," Gyeong-Eun said, causing the drunk man to sulk, refusing to accept reality and thinking she was playing hard to get.

The drunk man looked at Seok-Woo, then back at her, and then said, "If you're really taken by someone, then show me if you're really taken," demanding a response. Gyeong-Eun listened, thinking he was misunderstanding her relationship with Seok-Woo.

"He isn't my b—" Gyeong-Eun stopped mid-sentence, taken aback by Seok-Woo's sudden action.

Seok-Woo swiftly wrapped his arm around Gyeong-Eun's waist, surprising her and causing the drunk man to sulk even more.

"Sorry, but could you please not interrupt us anymore?" Seok-Woo said firmly to the drunk man as he looked down on him, maintaining his hold on Gyeong-Eun's waist.