Chapter 3

“Please kiss me just once!”

As these unexpected words burst from the mouth of a strange woman, Ho Rang’s face crumpled like a piece of wastepaper.

A woman he’d never seen before was asking for a kiss. It wasn't even a “I fell in love at first sight” or “I’ve liked you for a while,” but a blunt, reckless “Let’s kiss.” Ho Rang was so flabbergasted that he couldn’t even manage a laugh.

Seeing his expression instantly sour, Bo Bae gripped his tie even tighter, as if it were her only lifeline. At that same moment, Ho Rang let go of the hand that had been supporting her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

Bo Bae struggled, clinging to his tie to keep from falling, but eventually lost her balance and landed hard on her backside.

“Ouch!”

But the pain was fleeting. Her desperation outweighed the sting, and she scrambled to her feet, approaching Ho Rang again.

“A kiss is a bit much, right? I guess kissing a stranger is weird. I feel the same way, actually. Then how about a hug? Just once.”

Thick-skinned, Bo Bae spread her arms wide toward Ho Rang. He glared at her with eyes as cold as ice.

He knew the world was full of people who would do anything for a freebie, but he had never seen anyone like this in his entire life. She wasn't asking for money. She wanted a kiss? A hug?

Ho Rang didn’t want to waste another second on this ridiculous squabble and tried to walk past her.

“I’ve seen all kinds of crazy women, but this one...”

“You can think I’m crazy, I don't care. So please, just give me one hug, okay?”

Bo Bae clung to him relentlessly. Finally losing his patience, Ho Rang snapped at her.

“Are you out of your mind? Why on earth should I hug you when we just met today?”

“Maybe you don't know, but these days, even strangers hug. Have you heard of 'Free Hugs'?”

“I don’t engage in such unproductive behavior. And even if I did, I would never do it with you.”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why not with me?"

When Bo Bae asked with eyes full of disappointment, Ho Rang found it even more absurd.

He had saved a drowning person, and now she was demanding his bundle....no, demanding a kiss. What kind of woman was this?

“Don't you know 'Give and Take'?”

“Give and Take?”

“Isn't it a thief’s mindset to want something when you have nothing to offer in return?”

“……”

“If you understand, then move.”

As Ho Rang spoke coldly and tried to pass her, Bo Bae shouted.

“What if I have something to give?”

“What?”

It was the first time in her life she’d met a man who remained unaffected even though he was touched by her. That was why Bo Bae was desperate. She couldn't just let him go. She had to hold onto him somehow.

“You said 'Give and Take,' right? What if I give you something? Then can you do it with me? A kiss?”

Ho Rang found this equally ridiculous. The idea of someone giving something to him, a man who could have anything in the world. It was a classic case of 'ignorance is bliss' or rather, 'fools rush in.'

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because there is likely nothing in this world that you could possibly do for me.”

“Still, maybe there’s something I can do?”

“Look at me. What do you think you could possibly do for me?”

At those words, Bo Bae scanned the man.

A visual more stunning than a celebrity, an incredibly luxurious suit and watch, and even an entourage that appeared to be secretaries.

The man was right. It was obvious just by looking that he had everything, while Bo Bae had nothing.

“Do you see it now? The difference between you and me?”

Bo Bae nodded at his question, but she still couldn't let him go. She had to try everything until the very end.

“Then, perhaps on humanitarian grounds...?”

“Why should I?”

“With a heart for humanity...?”

“No.”

“If you could just kiss me once...”

“No! I won't! That will absolutely never happen, so don’t even act like you know me if we meet again! If we do cross paths, stay one meter...no, ten meters away!”

Ho Rang spoke coldly and turned away.

“I’ve seen all kinds of crazy women...”

Left alone, Bo Bae watched his retreating figure and muttered to herself.

“To think there was actually a man in this world I could have a 'spark' with.”

That fact was surprisingly welcome and amazing, but the reality was bleak. The only man in the world she could touch was rejecting her with his entire being.

“Fine. Who am I kidding with men? Romance is a curse! I’ll just live the way I’ve been living. A kiss scene? Whatever, I’ll just teach myself how to write one!”

Just as she sighed deeply and was about to turn around, she saw something sparkling on the ground.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Bo Bae picked up the object lying on the ground and examined it.

“Is this a tie pin?”

Come to think of it, she had been clinging to that man’s tie for dear life earlier. It must have fallen off then.

“Should I use this as an excuse to go after him?”

As she racked her brain while looking at the tie pin, her phone rang. It was a call from the café where she worked part-time.

“Yes, Manager. I’m on my way. I’m almost there. Oh, I see the café now. I’m arriving right now!”

After hanging up, Bo Bae paced restlessly, stomping her feet in agitation.

“If I leave now, I might never see that man again.”

However, if she didn't go now, she might get fired from her part-time job. Then, how would she handle her living expenses, phone bill, and the rent for her rooftop room?

“Damn it. Let’s focus on survival first.”

Shouldering her bag, Bo Bae began to run at full speed.

~~~~

“Are you alright, Sir?”

Secretary Yoon asked as they stepped into the elevator, cautiously reading Ho Rang’s mood.

He had been in a foul mood the entire way here as it was, and it seemed a strange woman had only made his temper worse.

“I am not alright. It seems just about anyone is allowed into this broadcasting station. Some crazy woman just latched onto me.”

“I will be more careful next time.”

When Secretary Yoon bowed his head like a criminal, Ho Rang slowly turned his gaze toward him.

“Why should you be more careful?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s not like you did anything wrong. Besides, that’s the job of the station’s security. There were ten guards out there, and they didn't even look over. A bunch of salary thieves.”

Ho Rang was the type who could let other things slide, but he couldn't stand seeing money being wasted. His motto was ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch.’

That was exactly why he had been so furious with that woman earlier. There is no free gift in this world, and one must give to receive, yet she had recklessly demanded a kiss. It was something that defied Ho Rang’s common sense.

Shaking his head, Ho Rang habitually reached for his tie, only to look down in shock.

It was gone. The pin that was supposed to be securing his tie had vanished! He was certain he had been fiddling with it in the car, so he must have lost it somewhere.

“We’ve arrived, Sir.”

“Secretary Yoon.”

As the elevator stopped, Ho Rang called his secretary in a low voice.

“Go find my tie pin. Right now.”

~~~~

“Cinderella left behind a glass slipper, and that man left behind a tie pin.”

Looking at the tie pin placed on the table, Bo Bae thought of Ho Rang.

“Who is he? Why was it perfectly fine when we touched?”

Her curiosity about the man wasn't just because of the kiss. It was because she felt a glimmer of hope that staying by his side might help her uncover the secret of her cursed body. If she could find the cause, she might be able to return to being an ordinary woman and live like everyone else, loving, dating, kissing, and... doing even deeper things.

As she was lost in these thoughts, the café door opened and customers walked in.

“Welcome....eek!”

It was the man she had seen at the broadcasting station and PD Jang! While she was glad to see the man again, she couldn't say the same for PD Jang.

“This is exactly why I didn't want to work part-time in front of the broadcasting station.”

She had avoided working here because she hated being nagged about why she wasn't writing, and it wounded her pride to hear that her scripts turned out that way because she was doing this. But, she had no choice if she wanted to make a living. Even this position had been hard to get.

She hoped someone else would take the order, but there was no one else at the counter. Bo Bae had no choice but to take the order while keeping her head down as much as possible.

“M-may I take your order?”

“One Americano, and what will you have?”

When PD Jang asked, Ho Rang replied in a businesslike tone.

“I’ll have a decaf Americano.”

“One Americano and one decaf, please.”

“Yes. That will be twelve thousand won for the two drinks.”

“Okay. Here’s the card... Huh? Aren't you Writer Na?”

Damn it. Of course, a PD would have a sharp eye for detail.

Bo Bae, who had been making a face, instantly masked her expression with a smile and lifted her head.

“Oh my! PD Jang. What brings you here?”

“What else brings someone to a café but to drink coffee? More importantly, what are you doing here, Writer Na?”

“Oh, I'm work....”

The moment she started to speak, Bo Bae’s eyes met Ho Rang’s. His indifferent gaze was fixed on her. She didn't want to admit in front of a man who claimed to have everything that she was working part-time because she lacked the money for living expenses and her rooftop room rent, so she made up an excuse.

“Ah, well. I was thinking of changing the female lead’s occupation to a barista, so I’ve been doing some research and studying. Haha.”

She looked at him with a forced laugh, but he turned his head away with an expressionless face, as if he had no interest.

“Oh, really? Then keep up the hard work with your research. I have a meeting.”

“Yes, PD.”

“Let’s go, Sir.”

Bo Bae grumbled as she glared at PD Jang and Ho Rang, who were settling into their seats.

“There are cafés all over this neighborhood. Why did they have to come here? But, what’s the relationship between them?”

Seeing them look over documents and talk, they seemed to be meeting for work, but the man didn't look like someone from the broadcasting station. That meant she might never see him again.

“What’s the point in wondering? I can just go find out.”

Bo Bae tucked the tie pin into her pocket and approached them under the pretense of wiping the tables.

“Filming starts soon. There shouldn't be any issues with filming at the shopping center, right?”

“It can proceed without a hitch.”

“Then, would it be possible to film at the hotel next to the shopping center as well?”

“It’s possible. In exchange.”

“In exchange?”

“The viewership ratings must reflect the level of sponsorship. I won't tolerate single-digit ratings like last time.”

At Ho Rang’s blunt words, PD Jang’s face crumpled. Even if there were plenty of production teams lined up hoping for sponsorship from Tae Seong Group, bringing up viewership ratings like this wounded his pride.

“It seems you don't know this industry very well, Sir. Ratings aren't something that comes easily just because I'm the one doing it. If ratings came just from spending a lot of money, every show would be hitting 20%.”

At PD Jang’s remark, Ho Rang smirked and asked.

“Do you think I just spent a lot of money?”

“Pardon?”

“I spent a lot, a very lot, an extreme amount of money.”

“Ah...”

Left with nothing to say, PD Jang could only bow and scrape to stay in Ho Rang’s good graces.

Meanwhile, Bo Bae’s ears had grown as large as an elephant's as she eavesdropped on their conversation. She had thought he was no ordinary person since he talked about 'give and take' and her having nothing to offer, but to think he was the President of Tae Seong Group.

Bo Bae now knew who he was, but she wasn't happy about it at all. She was already frustrated enough that she had nothing to offer him, but the President of Tae Seong Group? It felt like he had moved even further out of her reach.

“I felt like if I could just kiss him once, the script would practically write itself. Haaa.”

As she let out a deep sigh, something flashed through her mind.

“Ah, right. I have this, don't I?”

Bo Bae pulled the tie pin out of her pocket.

If a man who was the President of Tae Seong Group used such a worn-out tie pin, she had a feeling it was no ordinary item.

“Right. You liked 'give and take,' didn't you? If something goes out, something must come in.”

Bo Bae gripped the tie pin tightly and shot a meaningful smile towards Ho Rang.