Chapter Eleven: The Rival in Love Is...

Gulp~~ "Unnie..."

Rachel Liu really didn’t want to admit that this woman was older than her.

“What on earth happened?”

She had thought it was nothing serious, but as soon as Han Ji-eun began to speak, Kim Won realized the problem was enormous.

Han Ji-eun stammered as she explained: when she first arrived in Korea, she found her card had not a single cent. Worse still, when she returned home, the house was locked. She went to the property department to inquire and nearly fainted—the house had been sold!

Her grand welcome back to Seoul was this disaster. It was more than she could bear.

Now, they were sitting in the lobby of the hotel where Kim Won was staying. People passing by glanced at them curiously. Kim Won, helpless, said, “Let’s go upstairs and talk.”

Jun Hyun-joo stood off to the side, a little embarrassed. She and Kim Won had broken up, and she had absolutely no way to interject in this situation. Besides, she wasn’t familiar with any of them; it seemed they knew each other from Beijing. This Han Ji-eun was just an ordinary girl.

“I’ll leave now,” Jun Hyun-joo said.

Kim Won nodded. “I’ll walk you out.”

At this point, it was best for Jun Hyun-joo not to get involved, so Kim Won escorted her out. Since they had broken up, meeting repeatedly would only deepen their wounds.

That once-confusing affection between them had unknowingly become a burden.

The two walked side by side. Han Ji-eun, dabbing at her tears with a tissue, asked Rachel Liu, “Who’s that woman? There’s something odd about her.”

Rachel Liu wasn’t bothered. “She’s Kim Won’s ex-girlfriend.”

Honestly, she thought Jun Hyun-joo wasn’t bad.

Han Ji-eun was startled, looking at her in admiration. “You really have an open heart!”

It was clear the praise was genuine, but…

Rachel Liu gazed at her silently. Wasn’t it time to focus on her own problems?

Kim Won saw Jun Hyun-joo off and noticed she was wearing the bone wish necklace he had given her. He hadn’t seen her wear it before—what a pity.

…

When Kim Won returned, Han Ji-eun and Rachel Liu were still in the lobby, talking. From afar, he observed Rachel Liu comforting Han Ji-eun and couldn’t help but smile. The roles were completely reversed. He strode over. “I’ll take you both upstairs.”

Han Ji-eun had run into Kim Won by chance. She had no cash and was simply resting in the hotel lobby nearby, only to bump into him. Though Kim Won was speaking with the other woman at the time, she waved to him from outside and he came out to her. For that alone, Han Ji-eun wanted to give him ninety points!

Once they were in the room, Kim Won set down Han Ji-eun’s luggage and asked, “What happened?”

He wasn’t familiar with Han Ji-eun, so seeing her on the verge of tears, he first called Rachel.

Han Ji-eun recounted the entire story: her good friend had told her she’d won a trip to China in a lottery, but upon returning, her card was empty and her house had been sold.

Kim Won’s expression grew grave; this was a serious fraud case. But Rachel Liu, at this moment, just wanted to throttle Han Ji-eun’s misplaced trust.

Kim Won said nothing, but Rachel Liu couldn’t hold back. As soon as Han Ji-eun finished, she snapped, “Did you get your head caught in a door? How much is your house worth, and you let someone find the deed just like that? Why didn’t you take your bank card with you? Why do they know your password? I really admire you!”

She was a different person from the gentle comforter moments before.

Rachel Liu had always been this way. At school, she wasn’t popular—not only because she was aloof, but also because her words could be venomous.

After hearing this, Han Ji-eun felt even worse.

“She’s my best friend. We’ve always been together since high school and college. We—”

“Enough,” Rachel Liu interrupted. “Was she really your friend? She left you homeless with this scam! If you hadn’t run into me and my brother, where would you sleep tonight? Under a bridge?”

“Rachel!” Kim Won stopped her. “You’re being too harsh.”

Kim Won was not someone who spoiled others. He treated Rachel Liu like a sister—caring for her, but also feeling responsible to correct her when she was wrong.

Rachel Liu’s face turned cold and she fell silent.

In truth, she was anxious. To her, Han Ji-eun’s mistake was… idiotic! Lower than a rookie mistake.

She was overwhelmed by a feeling of disappointment, but once she calmed down, she realized she cared about Han Ji-eun more than she would if she herself were deceived.

Kim Won, seeing Rachel Liu calm down, asked Han Ji-eun, “Did you call your friend?”

Han Ji-eun nodded. “I did.”

“What did they say?”

“… Hee-jin said she’s pregnant and needs money. Her family never supported them being together.”

Kim Won was speechless. There aren’t many people this naïve anymore.

Rachel Liu couldn’t help herself. “Your bank card must have had tens of millions won, right?” (Ten million won equals ten thousand yuan.)

Han Ji-eun murmured, “Seventy or eighty million won, I guess.”

Rachel Liu nearly exploded. “Isn’t that enough to have a baby? She had to sell your house too?”

Han Ji-eun was frustrated. The friend she trusted most, who promised to take care of her home, had left her in this mess.

“Where is your house?” Kim Won asked, seeing Rachel Liu was about to lose it again.

Han Ji-eun replied, “In the Full House villa district.”

Villa district… villa district… villa district…

Seeing Rachel Liu about to erupt again, Han Ji-eun decisively looked to Kim Won.

Big brother, help! Your sister is too fierce.

After hearing Han Ji-eun’s words, even Kim Won couldn’t help but think—this was truly foolish.

But… it was a matter of trusting a friend. Kim Won had no right to blame her.

He said, “Since you can still reach your friend by phone, don’t alarm them. Try to get their address and report to the police.”

Han Ji-eun hesitated. “Isn’t that… not good?”

“What could possibly be bad about it!” Rachel Liu finally snapped. If Han Ji-eun didn’t agree, Rachel Liu might pounce on her.

Just as the two were about to break their friendship, Han Ji-eun, crying, said, “I’ll do it.”

Her sister was really fierce.

She cast a sorrowful glance at Kim Won.

Big brother, you need to keep your sister in check.

—

With Kim Won and Rachel Liu’s help, Han Ji-eun stayed at the hotel for now. She was practically in debt. Though she’d withdrawn the last of her money from the bank, it wasn’t much, and she’d already borrowed money while in Beijing.

Just thinking about it hurt.

In the afternoon, she went back to the property department to ask again. They understood her situation, but the house had already been sold and registered; it was unlikely to be returned. The only way was to sue her treacherous friend for compensation.

Han Ji-eun knew her friend’s style—she’d likely already spent the money. Still, she held on to hope and called Hee-jin.

Now, her friend simply turned off her phone.

Han Ji-eun sat on the bed, feeling miserable. She was someone who trusted others easily. Many said she was foolish, but she wasn’t. Her bank card password was her birthday, which Hee-jin knew, because she had only one password. It was easy to guess, and all her documents were left at home.

…

Hee-jin was her only friend from high school till now.

They had fretted over studies together, held hands going to the restroom, passed secret notes, quarreled and reconciled… So many precious memories, now reduced to this.

Rachel Liu blamed and scolded her, but Han Ji-eun knew that sharp-tongued yet kind-hearted sister truly cared about her.

—

But the feeling was like being betrayed by the one closest to you—utterly agonizing.

She rarely had friends. After her parents died, she lived alone at home. Hee-jin knew the money in her bank card and the house were all she had.

Han Ji-eun was lost in grief when the doorbell rang. She opened it and found Rachel Liu had returned.

“You… why are you back?”

Han Ji-eun looked at Rachel Liu, feeling her sister’s aura was overwhelming.

Rachel Liu sighed. “Shopping wore me out, so I came up to rest.”

Kim Won followed behind, suppressing a laugh. She was so contrary.

After lending Han Ji-eun money, they’d wanted her to calm down alone, so they left. But Rachel Liu wasn’t at ease and, feeling embarrassed, wandered the streets for a long time. She saw Han Ji-eun return to the hotel after her errands and followed her up.

Honestly, even she could hardly believe she’d come back.

“I was too worked up earlier,” the proud girl said. “Anyway, she’s your friend. You decide what to do.”

Despite her words, she was worried for her friend.

After all, Han Ji-eun had always accompanied her. Although Han Ji-eun didn’t know Rachel Liu was “Lacey” online… Thinking of this, Rachel Liu remembered her SNS name was Lacey, and Han Ji-eun hadn’t noticed at all. She really couldn’t expect much from her friend’s intelligence.

“It’s fine,” Han Ji-eun smiled softly. Her eyes were swollen, but her smile was heartfelt. “I’ll go find Hee-jin and see. I want to try one last time.”

Rachel Liu remembered Kim Won’s earlier advice, determined not to lose her temper again. “Alright, we’ll take you there. If anything happens, call me.”

Rachel Liu and Kim Won drove Han Ji-eun to Hee-jin’s neighborhood. Han Ji-eun refused to let them go any further, wanting to preserve her dignity. She didn’t want them to see her so humiliated.

So Kim Won drove Rachel Liu back to the city.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked, driving steadily, glancing at her.

Rachel Liu thought for a moment. “Let’s get a drink. It’s so hot.”

Kim Won was free anyway. He’d just returned and planned to rest for a day. Family matters were weighing on him, so he went with her to a café in a nearby mall.

As soon as they entered, they saw Kim Tan.

And Cha Eun-sang.

Rachel Liu had been smiling, but her expression changed instantly. Kim Won was about to leave, but Kim Tan called out.

“Brother.”

When Kim Won returned, he had gone to the hotel, and when Kim Tan went to find him, he wasn’t there. Now, Kim Won and Rachel Liu were together in a café.

A café… Were they really on a date?

Kim Won stopped, and Rachel Liu had no choice but to stay as well. The four stood facing each other, tension palpable.

Rachel Liu couldn’t help but glance at Cha Eun-sang.

Plump, average height, not pretty. So ordinary she could be overlooked at a glance. Why did Kim Tan treasure her so much?

Jealousy ignited within her again.

Under such scrutiny, Cha Eun-sang shrank slightly behind Kim Tan.

She knew Rachel Liu was Kim Tan’s fiancée. Back in California, this proud girl had revealed her identity, which made Cha Eun-sang decide to keep her distance and let Kim Tan take responsibility for his fiancée. But after Rachel Liu left, Kim Tan’s kindness left her in a dilemma.

Now, she finally knew Kim Tan was the second son of Empire Group, and saw the gap between them. She had spent these days in worry and contemplation.

Meeting Rachel Liu again, she felt a little guilty.