sweet romance

chapter 4

NEXT DAY

SEOUN'S MANSION

Seoun was busy on her phone when her mother called her to come downstairs for dinner.

"Seoun, you know your father died when you were still young, leaving us with his small company. But you built it into something great, even creating other branches from it. I'm proud of you. However, I want you to have a life outside this company and all the chaos that comes with dealing with clients."

"Mom, what are you trying to say?"

"Seoun, I want you to go back to Cliff. He is decent, good-looking, and respectful."

"But, Mom—"

Before she could finish speaking, a loud commotion from outside distracted her. Her mother immediately called one of the house helps and asked what was happening outside.

The house help replied, "Ma'am, Mr. Cliff is outside causing trouble because the security guard refused to let him in."

Immediately, her mother asked the house help to call the security guard.

The house help left to get him.

"Seoun, didn't you hear what she just said? And you're this calm... You're even smiling to yourself."

Just then, the security guard walked into the dining room, interrupting her.

"Ma'am, you sent for me?"

"Yes, I did. Why didn't you allow him in?"

"Who, Ma'am?"

"Are you stupid or dumb? My son-in-law, of course."

Immediately, Seoun picked up her phone and quietly smiled, leaving her food untouched.

"Ma'am, Miss Seoun instructed me never to allow Mr. Cliff into the house again. She also said that if I disobeyed her order, I would lose my job and never be employed by her again. I was only carrying out her instructions, Ma'am."

With that, he bowed respectfully, though fear was evident on his face.

"Seoun, is this true?"

Instead of answering her mother, Seoun looked at the security guard and said,

"Whenever Cliff comes to this house again, call the police. Report him for trespassing, breach of contract, harassment of his ex-wife, and disturbing the peace. Do whatever you have to do to get the police here. Even if you have to tell them it's me who called, do it. In fact, just tell them it's me. They won't ask any more questions."

"Yes, Ma'am. I will do exactly as you instructed."

The security guard bowed once more before leaving.

Her shocked mother stared at Seoun in disbelief.

"Who is the ex-wife you're talking about?"

Seoun didn't reply. Instead, she continued typing on her phone, which only irritated her mother even more.

Certainly! I corrected the grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure while preserving your storyline. I also changed Mrs. Idres to Mrs. Hye-jin, a refined Korean name that suits an elegant, wealthy woman who hides her true nature. I also gave Seoun's fake boyfriend the Korean name Ji-hoon.

FEW HOURS LATER – AT THE CLUB

Seoun was dancing and shouting as though nothing was bothering her. She was obviously enjoying herself when she noticed Cliff walking in through the entrance.

Immediately, she grabbed a man's hand and placed it on her waist. She intertwined her fingers with his, the way couples hold hands while dancing and talking.

"Please pretend to be my boyfriend," she whispered. "I'll pay you."

The man, still in shock, didn't even have time to respond before Cliff shoved him aside. Cliff grabbed Seoun's hand and forcefully dragged her away, causing everyone in the club to freeze in shock at the amount of force he used.

"Seoun, what do you think you're doing in a club? And who is that guy?"

"So, that's the man you dumped me for? That broke guy who isn't even up to half my standard, let alone worthy of being with you?"

Immediately, Seoun yelled at him.

"Hey, Cliff! I will not let you insult my boyfriend."

Cliff burst into laughter, drawing the attention of everyone in the club.

Trying to compose himself like a gentleman, Cliff looked at Seoun, but before he could say anything, she spoke again.

"You're nothing but a scumbag. You only take from people but never give anything in return. You never gave me anything. Even the first pendant you ever gave me was bought with my own money, yet I treasured it."

Just then, the man she had asked to pretend to be her boyfriend walked over.

"Babe, who is he?"

Before Seoun could answer, Cliff punched him in the face.

Within seconds, several men dressed in black rushed in and pinned Cliff to the ground, preventing him from throwing another punch.

Cliff struggled against them.

"Seoun! Since when did you start having bodyguards around you?"

"Tell them to let me go. Let's go home and settle our differences. Let's just pretend none of this ever happened."

Seoun didn't answer immediately. Instead, she smiled.

One of the bodyguards slapped Cliff across the face.

"You just punched our boss, and you still have the guts to yell at his woman? You're going to regret the day you ever crossed her."

Immediately, the bodyguards began beating him while two others held him down so he couldn't fight back.

Seoun and Jihoon quietly left the club and headed to her mansion.

During the drive, neither of them said a single word.

SEOUN'S MANSION

"Welcome home, Ma'am."

The butler immediately took Seoun's handbag.

"Ma'am, what would you like me to prepare for you?"

Before Seoun could answer, Jihoon interrupted.

"There's no need. I'll prepare something for her."

He then asked where the kitchen was, since it was his first time in the mansion.

However, before he could take another step, he was stopped by Seoun's mother, Mrs. Hyejin.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm Ji-hoon... your daughter's—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Seoun quickly interrupted.

"He's my boyfriend," she declared confidently. "And my soon-to-be fiancé."

"What?!" her mother exclaimed, her eyes widening in complete shock.

"Mom, I just got back. Ji-hoon and I will be in my room."

Without waiting for another question, Seoun grabbed Ji-hoon's hand and dragged him upstairs.

Seoun's Room

The moment they stepped inside, Seoun released his hand and turned to face him.

"I'm Seoun," she said calmly. "And I want you to become my husband... and the father of my unborn child."

Ji-hoon's brows furrowed as he stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you insane?" he asked. "Wait... you're pregnant?"

"Yes," Seoun replied without hesitation. "I'm pregnant, but I don't know who the father of my child is. I won't tell you how it happened. It was just a one-night stand. I was never supposed to get pregnant, but I can't bring myself to get rid of the baby."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"And Cliff doesn't know about the pregnancy, so you don't have to worry. You're safe."

Silence filled the room.

Ji-hoon stood frozen, his mind refusing to process what he had just heard. His eyes widened, his lips parted, but no words came out. Countless questions raced through his head at once. Was this woman serious? Had she truly just asked a complete stranger to marry her and claim another man's unborn child as his own?

For the first time in years, Ji-hoon was utterly speechless.