Love Class

Chapter 5

Eunchae entered the elevator looking tense. Yiheon followed her in, standing at the control panel.

One slender finger tapped the button for the top floor of the hotel.

Eunchae gulped, her body stiff. Even her pursed lips felt dry.

Unconsciously, she pulled Yiheon’s jacket more tightly around her shoulders.

When she raised her head, her eyes reached the glossy walls of the elevator. She quickly withdrew her gaze, but Yiheon didn’t seem to care.

As the tension rose inside the elevator, it arrived at their destination. The doors opened with a cheerful ding.

“Let’s go,” he said.

“Right...”

Yiheon took the lead, and Eunchae followed.

The two of them walked down the corridor, Eunchae slightly lagging behind. She stared at his back.

“I am actually quite interested in the idea of a marriage that doesn’t require love—and in which both parties get what they need.”

The conversation she’d just had with him came back to her.

It was an exchange of sorts that had interested him, but she had already shown him all her cards.

He had already confirmed to her that she couldn’t be of the slightest use to him. She had no idea what else she had to offer him.

“Eunchae,” he said.

She looked up from her thoughts.

“Come in.”

He stood at the door. She had fallen quite a ways behind. He was gesturing lightly, like he was calling to a dog.

How much more obvious can he make it that he only sees me as a kid? She almost felt as though she was back in high school, and he was inviting her into the teacher’s office.

“Right...”

She nearly said, “Yes, Mr. Cha,” like in the old days.

She skipped closer to him, and he smoothly held open the door.

With a nod, she stepped inside.

The door clicked shut and light flooded the room. She was greeted by the sight of a suite. He went in ahead of her, and she quickly fell in behind him, marveling as she went.

“Sit for a moment.” He gestured toward the living room sofa with his chin, then disappeared further in. He was treating her like she was a guest at his house.

His every movement made it clear he came to this place often. This wasn’t surprising—he was rich enough for a suite that cost several million won a night to mean nothing to him.

Eunchae, on the other hand, was busily taking in her new environment.

The place felt uncomfortable, like poorly fitting clothes.

“Did somebody hit you?” he asked, bringing over a bottle of liquor.

Eunchae flinched and raised her chin in the air.

“I noticed a bruise on your chin,” he said, sitting next to her and pointing to it.

She quickly hid the right side of her chin.

It had happened a week ago. She had said she didn’t want to go on the blind date and gotten a blow as her reward.

She had used makeup, then lowered her hair to cover up the bruise twice over, but apparently, he’d still noticed.

“Don’t worry. It’s not noticeable unless you look very carefully.”

Eunchae’s heart raced. The person who had hit her was the one in the wrong, but she grew ashamed, as though an embarrassing secret had been exposed.

“Oh... right,” she muttered, lowering her arm with pretend nonchalance and turning away.

Yiheon gripped her chin, forcing her to face him. He said firmly, “I’d rather you cried, instead of pretending you didn’t feel anything.”

She didn’t respond.

“I start to sympathize when I see pitiful people. We might need to sign a contract. I can’t have emotions like that involved.”

Eunchae’s gaze wavered.

She tensed for a moment, but soon gathered herself.

Her expression hardened as she carefully raised her hand and put it around Yiheon’s, which held her chin.

“I’m... not that pitiful,” she stated, looking into his eyes.

He returned the gaze, and soon took his hand away, leaning back on the sofa.

“Is that right?” he asked.

“Yes.”

She nodded emphatically, her round head bobbing up and down. Her light brown, almond-shaped eyes were sturdy.

I don’t know whether to call you cute or pitiable, he thought.

He frowned for a moment.

“Do you like to drink?” she asked, twisting toward him and awkwardly changing the subject.

He kept his eyes on the general area of her bruise for a moment, then said, “I don’t hate it. You seem to be able to hold your drink, too.”

“I wouldn’t really know.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“So all work and no play, even in college?” he asked.

“Probably...”

“Just what I would expect of the school’s top student,” he praised. It was so unlike him that she laughed.

Despite claiming he didn’t want emotions involved in the contract, it was clear he sympathized with her.

While she despised sympathy of any kind, perhaps she could accept it, if it was from him. She was in no position to refuse, no matter how cheap the compassion.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked.

“You’re kind.”

“Is that why you called me ‘Cha Yiheon’ earlier?”

He flicked lightly at her bangs with his forefinger.

“Ow!”

She shrank back instinctively from the attack, her eyes wide, and her sparse bangs fluttered in the air. It had been such a light gesture that she felt embarrassed for overreacting.

“I... didn’t want you to think I was a child. It would probably be off-putting,” she said, straightening up and smiling awkwardly.

Cha Yiheon.

That had been the sweetest way she could make herself sound while saying his name.

Now that the desperation was behind her, what she had done embarrassed her like nothing else.

“One year,” he said.

She had been crinkling her nose from shame when she heard the words and cocked her head.

One year?

Only after his next words was she able to guess its meaning.

“Any longer than that, and you will certainly be off-putting.”

Yiheon had said in the lounge that he wanted a contract, not a marriage. Does the year refer to the length of the contract, then?

“What do I do during that time?” she asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. You will be my cute wife, I suppose. Do you like spending money? Spend as much as you like. If there’s something you want to do, then do it. It doesn’t matter what.”

Surely there was more to it. It was too good to be true.

Seeing the incredulous look in her eyes, he gave a short laugh.

“If you play the part of ‘being in love with me’ to perfection, I don’t care what you do in that time.” He was getting down to business, and his face had gone cold. “But I want you to shatter this marriage after the year is up.”

“What...?”

“That’s all I want from you. For you to ruin the marriage completely.”

She blinked slowly.

She wasn’t sure what he could gain out of such a thing.

“Do you agree?” he asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

She still couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it wasn’t like she had any other choice.

“Yes...” she said.

“Think carefully. Your choice will turn your life upside down.”

“I was ready for that the moment I decided to show up for this blind date.”

“Is that right?” he asked languidly.

She nodded, her expression still tense.

“Ready, huh? I’m wondering how ready you are right now, Eunchae.”

She gulped, staring into his eyes.

“Eunchae.”

No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t hide her trembling. He gave a slanted smile.

“Have you ever kissed?” he asked.

“What?”

“Ever kissed anyone?”

“Of course I...”

Her eyes wandered away, staring off into space.

“O-of course...”

Of course I haven’t. She couldn’t say it, however, and hesitated.

“You’re smart, but you’re really just a child, aren’t you?”

Her attitude had already served as more than an answer.

Feeling a burst of indignation, she said, “I know I’ll be good at it if I try.”

Yiheon wasn’t entirely wrong, of course, but it didn’t feel right to be written off as a child just because she had never kissed. I mean, a kiss is just that, a kiss.

“I mean it,” she insisted.

Her eyes glimmered as she looked at him, her lips pursed with determination.

“It seems that a kiss is like a new type of math problem to you, Eunchae.”

His stern eyes relaxed. He was generous enough to smile at the “child” he was holding in contempt.

“Well, it’s no big deal,” she replied.

“Oh?”

“Yes...” She balled her fists, her eyes wide and daring him to prove her wrong.

He blinked slowly. Then, still gazing at her quietly, he gestured with his chin.

“Then get up here.”

Her gaze suddenly became uncertain, heart palpitating like mad.

“I’ll teach you,” he said.