Jaejoong excused himself on the pretext of a phone call. His curiosity was killing him. He doubted that Su Jin called a taxi because he didn’t see her using her phone. Outside the restaurant, his doubt was confirmed. Su Jin was still standing there.

He approached her and said with a mocking tone of voice, “I guess you were stood up by the taxi driver,” and then laughed loudly.

“Ha Ha, Hilarious. Please leave me alone.” 

“Listen, I’m not pleased with this marriage either so stop making me feel guilty. We can either live as strangers or friends. If you want, we can try to make this marriage work”

Su Jin remained silent, taken aback by his unexpected proposal. She wasn't sure how to respond, caught off guard by his sudden openness.

“What? You are hesitating? Is it because of your boyfriend or did you break up with him already?”

“Hein? What are you talking about? Since when did I have a boyfriend without even knowing it myself?”

"Stop playing dumb. Two years ago, I saw the picture... The handsome man," he said, smirking. "Are you still together, or did you break up?" he pressed, his tone teasing.

Su Jin wondered what he was talking about but genuinely had no idea what he was referring to. “I’m not in the mood to joke, and I've already told you, I don’t have a boyfriend. And please, stop worrying about your precious reputation. Just a reminder, I have an image to maintain too," she shot back, her frustration growing.

He chuckled at her sarcasm. "Enough with the banter. Let's go. I'll drop you off at home."

“No, thank you. I’m waiting for a cab.”

"Sure, you'll wait for your imaginary taxi. I can't leave my wife alone here," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“For your information, I’m not your wife-”

"Yet. Not my wife yet. It's just a matter of time. Ah, give me your phone so I can give you my number,"

Su Jin hesitated for a moment before handing him her phone. As he glanced at the screen, his expression shifted to one of shock. "Do you usually change your lock screen picture?" he asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

She shook her head and said, “No, I have had the same picture for three years. Why?”

He ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt. Two years ago, the picture he had seen was of her brother, but he hadn't recognized him at the time.

Su Jin was looking at him, wondering what was happening. After a few seconds, the realization dawned on her, and she couldn't help but burst into laughter. (the correlation between his question about her boyfriend and the lock screen picture)

Jaejoong blushed in and then handed her the phone back. “Here, I saved my number in your phone and yours in mine. And let's go, I'll take you home. I need to know where you live”

Su Jin didn’t want to argue, so she quietly followed him to his car. The only words she uttered were to give him direction to her home. The ride home was silent.

When they arrived, he said, “When I’m free to meet, I will call you.”

She nodded. “Okay, goodnight.” She said softly as she gathered her things to exit the car.

“Yeah, Goodnight.” 

The next day, Su Jin woke up to the sound of her brother's voice, gently trying to rouse her from sleep.

"How did you get in?" she mumbled groggily, still half-asleep.

“You gave me your passcode, silly.”

She got out of bed, stretching her body and yawning. “Why did you come so early?”

"Did you leave with Kim Jaejoong yesterday?" her brother asked.

Su Jin's brows furrowed in confusion. "Yes, why?"

In response, he handed her the morning newspaper. "Here," he said simply, gesturing for her to take it.

When she flipped open the newspaper, she saw a prominent picture of herself engaged in conversation with Jaejoong, accompanied by the headline, ‘Balmain and Lee Su Jin, a new collaboration?’

She sighed and reached for her phone, which was buzzing incessantly with missed calls from her manager and even the CEO of her agency.

“I bet our parents are happy that the rumors have started. Although, I'm sure they were hoping for dating rumors instead of this”

“I’m sorry, baby. I really did my best yesterday to convince them but you know that when father says something, there is no turning back.”

She sat next to him on the bed and said, “Yes, I know. And thank you, oppa, for being here with me.”

“It’s nothing, Jin. Do you want me to cheer you up?”

She laughed and nodded. He then took the newspaper and said

“You look good together. You can be the iest couple in Asia or the world. Here, see it for yourself.”

Su Jin laughed at her brother’s comment. "Oppa, you're ridiculous,"

“Go call your agency. I bet they are going crazy with all the calls they are receiving.”  her brother suggested.

When she called her agency, and informed them that there was no collaboration with Balmain in the works. It had merely been a friendly meeting, nothing more than that. Nothing more, nothing less. The agency released a statement right away to clarify the rumors. 

A few days later, Su Jin went to MK’s headquarters. She was there to visit her brother and best friend but also to return her shares to her father. She went to her father’s office, where she found her parents and brother talking. When her mother saw her, she was so happy.

“Su Jin-ah, why don’t you answer my calls? I’ve missed you, my darling.” She then hugged her. Su Jin missed her mother too.

When they finished their little chat, she bowed to her father and sat down next to her brother. It was an awkward silence. No one spoke until Chang Wook broke the silence. “Jin, I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Yes, I called you but I think you were in a meeting.”

He nodded and said, “Let’s grab this opportunity to have a nice meal together. What do you think?”

“It’s okay, oppa. I just came to deposit these files.” She pushed the large envelop toward her father.

He took it right away to see what was inside. When he saw that she was really handing her shares back, he got angry and they had a small fight before she left.

That night, Su Jin was at her apartment with Minju and Hana, talking and laughing together when her phone suddenly started ringing. She didn’t expect a call from Kim Jaejoong. She hesitantly answered. After a few words, she hung up.

“Yah, what did he say?”

“Why did you only talk for two minutes?” 

Without answering their questions, Su Jin went to open the front door. Jaejoong was standing there, wearing casual clothes - a pair of jeans, a shirt and a casual jacket. She has never seen him in this look. She kind of like it.

“You can come in. I’m with Minju and a friend, Hana.” 

He bowed to her and greeted Minju. “Sorry for coming by without notice. I didn’t know you were with friends.”

Minju waved her hands, “Ani, it’s okay. You can stay. We are leaving.”

“No, it’s already late. You can’t just leave right now. I’m sorry for coming at this time. I was really busy earlier.”

Hana said, “It’s okay. I brought my car. You can talk comfortably.” They bid goodbye and left. 

“What do you want to drink, Jaejoong-si?”

He shook his head and said, “Do you want to go out? Get some fresh air?”

“Sure, just give me two minutes to change my clothes,” she said heading to her bedroom.

“Ani, it’s okay. Let’s just go.” She was wearing sweatpants and a shirt. She only only managed to slip on her shoes.

After a few minutes in the car, they arrived at Han River and started their walk, the cold breeze brushing their cheeks. The silence started to feel awkward. No one could initiate a conversation until Jaejoong finally broke the ice.

“How was your day?”

“Good, enjoying my holidays. How about you?”

“It was tiring. So many problems at work…Hmm, I heard you had an argument with your father today. Are you okay?” 

She bowed her head, starting to feel uneasy. “Who told you about it?”

“It’s not important. Are you okay? You don’t regret your decision?” 

“I’m okay. Did my brother call you?” Su Jin was getting angry.

“No, he didn’t. My father told me about it. I’m trying to start a conversation but look at your response.”

“Sorry. I don’t regret my decision. It’s true that I liked working there, but my relationship with my father isn’t that great right now, so…”

“Let’s talk about something else. Did you see the rumor the other day?”

“Yes, of course. Did you happen to notice the presence of the paparazzi?”

He simply shook his head and grinned. Trying to lighten the mood, he added, "The parents seemed to think we looked good together in that picture. What do you think?”

“I guess the only ones pleased with the rumors are our families.” 

“You didn’t ask if I liked the picture.” He raised his eyebrows but inside, he was cursing himself for acting like the type of person he didn’t like.

She huffed in irritation, “We are here to discuss the marriage, right?” 

“Ah, yes. When do you think we should make our relationship public to the media?”

"I'm not sure. Maybe once they find some evidence... I hope they never do."

"Alright, let's find a bench so we can talk more comfortably."

Before they could sit down, a group of girls approached them.

“OMG, this is really Lee Su Jin unnie.” The model smiled and bowed her head to greet them.

“We really love you. You are beautiful.”

“Can we take pictures with you?”

“Thank you so much. Yes, of course.”

One by one, the girls eagerly snapped pictures with Su Jin, their curiosity piqued by Kim Jaejoong's presence. They wondered who he was.

As they bid farewell to the girls, Jaejoong noticed they were still looking at them and mischievously suggested, "Let's give them a little something to talk about!" He smirked, leaving Su Jin dumbfounded. Drawing closer, he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Blushing, she protested, "Yah, what are you doing?"

"Stay still. They're taking pictures," he replied, holding her hand despite her attempts to free herself.

"I want to go home. We never agreed to this," she expressed, her tone filled with frustration.

Jaejoong's expression changed instantly upon hearing her words. He had tried his best to be nice, but it seemed futile. "Do you think I'm enjoying this? You should understand that this is suffocating for me too. Delaying the announcement won't make our parents call off the wedding. You're deluding yourself. They'll only make it known to the world that it's an arranged marriage. So please, wake up."

A week passed, and both Su Jin’s agency and Kim Jaejoong chose to remain silent on the rumors. Despite journalists surrounding the Kim Corporation’s building, no statements were released.

The model and the young businessman attempted to meet frequently, but the atmosphere was tense, with minimal conversation. After their day at Han River, things became even more awkward. Jaejoong ceased his attempts to be amicable, openly showing how much he despises her, while Su Jin responded with cold shoulder. However, he continued to fulfill his betrothed duties with material gestures, offering her gifts in the manner expected of a fiancé, though she found this insincere. When they went out, they exaggerated displays of affection, knowing they were under paparazzi surveillance.

Su Jin talked to her two celebrity friends, Jay Park and Kim Woo Bin. She told them everything so they wouldn’t be disappointed when they see the news. She begged them not to tell anyone about the arrange marriage. 

One morning, Seoul woke up to news of Lee Su Jin dating. Dispatch released a series of pictures confirming her relationship.

Before leaving his home, Jaejoong read the news and couldn’t help but smirk.

Dispatch catches Lee Su Jin and Kim Jaejoong on several dates this week.