A Madman in Love

Who else would be drawn to a flame like a moth?

The moment Suin saw Yoo Ahjin eagerly clinging to Seo Jaehee, her mood plummeted.

Her scalp felt hot, as if she were standing under the blazing sun, and her irritation flared uncontrollably.@@novelbin@@

Irrationally, she turned her frustration toward Jaehee.

"You said I’m the only woman in your life! Why are you letting Yoo Ahjin cling to you like that?"

She couldn’t see his expression clearly from her vantage point, only the back of his head. But the mere fact that he allowed Yoo Ahjin’s hand to linger on his cast was enough to make her want to curse him.

"Push her away! Right now!"

It was a basic rule: don’t give people like Yoo Ahjin any room to wiggle in.

If she were closer, she might have smacked him out of sheer annoyance.

Why? She didn’t know.

All she knew was that she hated it.

She hated seeing him with Yoo Ahjin.

Even though he wasn’t hers. Even though she had spent so much effort avoiding him.

"Why are you gulping down your coffee so fast?"

Baek Ihyeon’s voice interrupted her fuming thoughts as he noticed her downing her iced Americano in quick, aggressive sips.

Startled, Suin tore her gaze away from Jaehee’s figure and tried to smile it off, setting her empty cup on the table.

"I have to get back upstairs."

"You still have some time. Look, most people are just now clocking in."

Ihyeon’s gaze began to drift toward the window.

Before he could spot Jaehee and Yoo Ahjin, Suin abruptly stood up.

"I need to sort out the meeting minutes. Let’s go."

"Uh, okay."

Sensing something off, Ihyeon glanced back and forth between Suin and the window but ultimately followed her lead.

As they left the cafeteria, Suin’s thoughts remained tethered to the break garden.

The harder you try to forget something, the more you think about it.

The more you try not to see something, the more you want to look.

And then…

"Suin."

At the elevator hall, Ihyeon suddenly stopped and lightly tapped the space between her eyebrows with his long, delicate fingers.

"Why are you frowning so much? Did something upset you?"

"Huh?"

Only then did Suin realize she had been furrowing her brow.

Quickly smoothing out her expression, she gave an awkward smile.

"I was just thinking about work."

"All you think about is work, even while walking. Take it easy."

"Yeah, I will."

And yet…

For someone who insisted she felt nothing, she couldn’t suppress the emotions that had taken root.

Anger was an emotion, after all.

The heat bubbling up from her chest climbed to her throat, pressing against her mind until it felt ready to burst.

The dull ache in her head, the sharpened sensitivity—it was definitely anger.

But why was she so mad?

Was she angry at someone? Or was she angry at her own feelings?

***

Seo Jaehee arrived at work after enduring the over-the-top care of Kwon Jongin, who had stormed into his hotel room early in the morning to button his shirt, help him into his jacket, and generally make a fuss.

"Please be careful, Executive Director."

Kwon Jongin was taking his assignment to look after Jaehee far too seriously.

It had been like this all weekend.

The moment Suin had told him to "take care of the Executive Director," Jongin had rushed to the hotel and practically moved in, staying by Jaehee’s side to the point of annoyance.

And the sheer volume of room service Jongin had consumed…

Jaehee wanted to kick him out but restrained himself. He didn’t want to trouble Suin by creating unnecessary issues, especially knowing she had been sick.

So, after enduring a weekend of excessive attention, Jaehee returned to work on Monday—only to find that Suin wasn’t at her desk.

Her computer was on, but her seat was empty.

"Where the hell did Lee Suin wander off to as soon as she got in?"

He left Jongin behind in the secretary’s office and went to find her.

His first destination was the break garden.

If she was with Baek Ihyeon again today, he was prepared to flip the table.

The garden was relatively quiet, with only a few employees scattered about. Jaehee’s sharp eyes scanned the space, searching for her.

And then—

"Eek!"

A shrill, dolphin-like squeal echoed from somewhere nearby.

"Seo Jaehee!"

Jaehee stared at Yoo Ahjin blankly, but even he couldn’t stop himself from flinching for a moment.

In her white dress and flowing hair, running toward him with fervent enthusiasm, she resembled a ghost bride. And ghosts were terrifying.

"It’s really you, Jaehee!"

Stopping in front of him, Ahjin grabbed his arm and began bouncing up and down like a shrimp on a hot griddle.

"It’s been so long! I missed you so much, Jaehee!"

Her eyes glistened with emotion, her voice trembling with joy. But in stark contrast, Jaehee remained indifferent.

Without so much as a twitch, he lowered his gaze slightly and parted his dry lips.

"Who are you?"

Ahjin froze.

"It’s me, Ahjin... Yoo Ahjin."

"Yoo Ahjin?"

"Yes…"

"Do I know you?"

Jaehee genuinely didn’t recognize her. It was as if her existence had never been stored in his hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memories.

"Seo Jaehee... You really don’t remember me?"

"I don’t."

Ahjin was stunned.

Clinging to his arm, she refused to accept this reality.

This couldn’t be happening.

There was no way Seo Jaehee wouldn’t recognize her. She was the queen bee of Hyesung High School, after all.

"Stop joking around. We’ve known each other for years… We’re old classmates, even friends!"

"Classmates?"

"Yes! We went to school together after middle school. We were even desk partners a few times in elementary school… And I confessed my feelings to you."

"You did?"

As Ahjin’s desperate explanation continued, Jaehee remained the epitome of apathy.

While his lips gave a lackluster recap of her words, his eyes were busy scanning the garden.

"Do you remember how I used to hang out with Suin all the time?"

"Lee Suin?"

That got his attention.

The moment Suin’s name came up, he turned to face her properly for the first time.

Ahjin’s stomach churned under his now-interested gaze, and bitterness rose in her throat.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to maintain eye contact, though her fists clenched at her sides.

"We were best friends. Don’t you remember seeing Suin and me together all the time?"

"I remember Lee Suin."

Of course, he does.

Ahjin barely managed to stifle the sigh that welled up from deep within her chest.

She didn’t want to hurt herself further with pointless questions, so she clamped her mouth shut. But then her gaze fell on Jaehee’s right hand.

"Jaehee, why is your hand in a cast? Did you get hurt?"

Her voice rose in alarm as she reached for his arm, but Jaehee didn’t even acknowledge her concern. Instead, he abruptly began walking away, heading out of the garden.

Ahjin had no choice but to chase after him in quick, hurried steps.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Lee Suin."

Jaehee strode into the lobby without missing a beat, asking as he went, "Have you seen her?"

"...No."

Ahjin stopped in her tracks, her disappointment palpable.

But Jaehee didn’t even glance back, his long strides carrying him further away.

The sting of being dismissed like this was sharp.

It was humiliating.

Just like ten years ago.

"I like you, Seo Jaehee."

Ahjin had harbored feelings for Jaehee since elementary school.

He was everything she wanted—handsome, confident, and, most importantly, the heir to a conglomerate. If she could date him, she’d be the envy of everyone, even Lee Suin.

But she never got the chance to act on her feelings.

Jaehee never allowed anyone to get close.

"Let’s date."

It wasn’t until their second year of high school that she finally gathered the courage to confess.

Her feelings had grown alongside her, and the fear of losing him to Suin had spurred her into action.

"I only love Lee Suin."

Jaehee’s response had been cruelly blunt.

He had a way of crushing confessions into the mud.

"You could’ve just said no. Did you really have to go that far?"

"I needed to make it clear so you wouldn’t get any ideas."

Ahjin had cried so much that day.

Her heart felt like it had been ripped to shreds, the pain far beyond mere disappointment.

But more than Jaehee’s rejection, it was Suin’s existence that truly destroyed her.

No matter how passionately Jaehee declared his love, Suin never seemed to care. She lived in her own world, unaffected by his devotion.

Ahjin wanted to bring Suin down, to shatter her cool confidence. But she couldn’t win in looks, grades, or anything else.

So, she resorted to sabotage.

"Suin, friendship is more important than love, right? If you ever had to choose, you’d pick friendship, wouldn’t you?"

"Of course, I’d choose friendship."

"Then help me out. I really like Seo Jaehee."

If she couldn’t have him, neither could Suin.

Driven by that petty jealousy, Ahjin manipulated Suin into building a wall between herself and Jaehee.

Suin, loyal to her friends, had gone along with it.

Now, trembling with the same humiliation she had felt back then, Ahjin gritted her teeth.

Even after all this time, Jaehee treated her like she was invisible, like she didn’t matter.

Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she called out bitterly, "Has it only ever been Lee Suin for you?"

Jaehee, who had been striding forward with purpose, suddenly stopped.

His sharp gaze cut through the air, landing on the second-floor glass railing.

"...?"

Curious, Ahjin followed his line of sight.

There, on the second-floor corridor, was Lee Suin, walking alongside Baek Ihyeon, their shoulders close.

Ah.

A sly smile curved Ahjin’s lips as she watched the three of them align like opposing lines on a battlefield.

Maybe this time, I can use Baek Ihyeon to my advantage.