Episode 2. That Man's First Love
by 루시엘 · 2026-10-26
Chapter 2. The Man's First Love
“A man who cannot forget someone who will never return, and a woman who has become that man's girlfriend.”
“That person can no longer come back.”
Seo Do-hyeok's voice was low and calm.
As if he were talking about something that had ended long ago.
But Yoon Ha-ni could tell.
There was something more than simple lingering feelings in those words.
The words that he cannot return.
It was different from saying he had forgotten.
If someone has forgotten, there is no need to say they cannot return.
Ha-ni carefully looked at Do-hyeok.
“……I'm sorry.”
Do-hyeok turned his head.
“What for?”
“I shouldn't have asked.”
“It's okay.”
It was that phrase again.
It's okay.
Ha-ni strangely disliked those words.
She had also said it was okay whenever she was struggling, but hearing someone else say it made her want to ask something more.
Whether they were really okay.
Or if they were just pretending to be okay.
But the two were not lovers.
Only a day had passed since they signed the contract.
There was no reason for Ha-ni to be curious about his past.
“Then can I go now?”
Ha-ni asked.
Do-hyeok looked at her for a moment before nodding his head.
“I will take you home.”
“It's okay. I can take the subway.”
“The contract states that I can assist with your return after the official schedule is over.”
“……Was there such a clause?”
“You read it, didn't you?”
“I did read it, but I don't remember this kind of detail.”
Do-hyeok opened the car door.
“Get in, Yoon Ha-ni.”
Ha-ni let out a small sigh.
“You're really a man who doesn't understand.”
“I can hear you.”
“That was meant to be heard.”
A very faint smile spread across Do-hyeok's lips.
Ha-ni paused for a moment at the sight.
This man.
It sometimes made people feel awkward every time she smiled.
Don't smile like that with such a handsome face.
No, being handsome is one thing.
She was just someone who was being paid to play the role of a girlfriend.
Hani shook her head and got into the car.
But then it happened.
“Hani.”
Do-hyuk called as he sat in the driver's seat.
“Yes?”
“I apologize for what happened at the dinner today.”
Hani looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because my mother asked a personal question. You might have felt uncomfortable.”
It was an unexpected remark.
Hani was momentarily at a loss for words.
Even though he was blunt, he didn't seem like someone who would treat her carelessly.
“It's okay.”
Hani smiled.
“I signed the contract too. I have to endure it to some extent.”
Do-hyuk looked at her for a moment.
“That doesn't mean you have to endure everything.”
Hani kept those words in her heart.
He was a strange person.
Cold and indifferent, yet sometimes he said such kind words.
Hani still didn't realize that was more dangerous.
About ten minutes after the car started moving.
Hani was looking out the window when she cautiously opened her mouth.
“Seo Do-hyuk.”
“Yes.”
“About what your mother mentioned earlier.”
Do-hyuk's hand paused briefly on the steering wheel.
“What story are you talking about?”
“The story of the person I loved in the past.”
The car fell silent.
Hani hurriedly added to her words.
“Ah, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Just….”
“Are you curious?”
“Yes?”
“I asked if you were curious about what kind of person I loved.”
Hani bit her lip.
Honestly, she was curious.
But the moment she answered that she was curious, she felt like she was showing interest in the private life of her contract partner.
“A little.”
In the end, she answered honestly.
“Why?”
Do-hyeok asked.
Hani thought for a moment.
“Just because. It's a bit surprising that you, too, have loved someone like that.”
“Do I look like someone who can't love?”
“Yes.”
Hani answered too quickly.
Do-hyeok turned his head.
“...You're quite honest.”
“No, that's not it!”
Hani hurriedly waved her hand.
“I just meant that was my first impression. I think differently now.”
“How so?”
“Um... .”
Hani glanced at him slightly.
“You seem to care about people more than I expected.”
Do-hyeok said nothing.
Hani felt awkward and turned her gaze out the window.
“I just think so.”
After a while, Do-hyeok opened his mouth.
“That person was my first love.”
Hani slowly turned her head.
Do-hyeok's gaze was still directed ahead.
“It was a long time ago. I can no longer meet them.”
“...Did you break up?”
“You can think of it that way.”
So it's okay to think that way.
Hani felt uneasy about those words.
When talking about someone they've broken up with, people usually say they broke up.
But Do-hyeok said he could no longer meet them.
As if he could never contact that person again.
“You must have liked them a lot.”
Hani said cautiously.
Do-hyeok did not answer for a while.
And he spoke very softly.
“At that time, that person was my everything.”
Hani held her breath.
Those words were more painful than she expected.
Having someone who was everything to you.
That person no longer being by your side.
Hani felt she could understand that loneliness a little.
After her mother left, someone who had been everything to her also disappeared.
She absentmindedly fiddled with her fingers.
“Then... do you still like me?”
Do-hyeok did not answer.
The traffic light turned red.
The car stopped.
Do-hyeok looked at the windshield and said.
“There are feelings that are hard to explain with just the word 'like.'”
Hani felt she could understand that statement.
A person you want to forget but can't forget.
A person you want to see but can't see.
A person who remains in a corner of your heart even as time passes.
“I see.”
Hani replied softly.
“Then I won't ask anymore.”
Do-hyeok looked at her.
“Why?”
“Just... because you look sad.”
In that moment, Do-hyeok couldn't say anything.
The words that he looked sad.
He hadn't heard such words for a long time.
People asked him if he was doing well, if work was going well, when he would get married.
But no one told him he looked sad.
He stared at Hani for a while.
And then slowly turned his gaze away.
“Yoon Hani, you are quite a strange person.”
“What?”
“When we first met, you were so particular, and now you care about other people's feelings.”
Hani pouted her lips.
“I’m originally a bit strange.”
“It seems that way.”
“No, you should be complimenting me!”
Do-hyeok chuckled softly.
This time, Hani clearly saw it.
The fact that he really smiled.
And she thought that somehow that smile would linger in her memory for a long time.
When they arrived in front of Hani's house, it was just past ten o'clock at night.
“You can get off here.”
Hani unbuckled her seatbelt.
“Thank you for today.”
“You need to come to the office by ten o'clock tomorrow morning.”
“What?”
“It's the first task according to the contract.”
Hani opened her eyes wide.
“Do I have to go to work tomorrow too?”
“Of course. You signed a work contract in addition to the contract relationship.”
“Ah… right.”
Hani touched her forehead.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t just entered a contract relationship.
She had officially decided to start working.
Moreover, it was a job as an assistant in the CEO's office, something she had never done before.
“Um, I can do well, right?”
Hani asked quietly.
Do-hyuk looked at her.
“The experience written on your application isn’t a lie, right?”
“Of course not!”
“Then you will do well.”
Hani looked at him for a moment.
It was a simple statement.
But strangely, it eased her mind.
It felt like someone believed in her.
It had been a long time.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hani got out of the car.
Just as she was about to close the door, Do-hyuk called out to her.
“Yoon Hani.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
Hani paused.
And then she smiled brightly.
“You too, Seo Do-hyuk!”
The door closed.
Hani watched the car drive away for a while.
Then she slowly walked into the building.
Today had been strange.
She suddenly got a job, started a contract relationship, and even learned about the past of a man living in a completely different world from hers.
But more than anything, there was something even stranger.
It was that she kept recalling the image of Seo Do-hyuk smiling.
Hani cupped her cheeks with both hands.
“No, Yoon Hani.”
She muttered to herself.
“Get a grip. That person is not your boyfriend.”
He was just her boyfriend in name only due to the contract.
It was a relationship that would end in three months.
So she shouldn’t give her heart away.
Hani made that resolution as she went up to her home.
However, that night, as she lay in bed, she checked her mobile phone several times.
What if a message had come in?
Of course, there were no messages.
Hani chuckled softly.
“I’m crazy.”
And she put her phone down.
It was then.
The phone vibrated.
A strange message appeared on the screen.
Seo Do-hyeok
Please dress warmly when you come to work tomorrow. They say the temperature will drop significantly from the morning.
Hani stared at the screen for a while.
And she smiled without realizing it.
Yoon Hani
Yes! Please be careful not to catch a cold, Seo Do-hyeok.
A reply came a moment later.
Seo Do-hyeok
Thank you.
That was all.
Hani placed her mobile phone on her chest.
It was just an insignificant message.
It could simply be a greeting sent to a business associate.
But why does it feel so good?
Hani pulled the blanket up to her head.
“Ah... this is really a big deal.”
She wasn't in love yet.
It was just a little concerning.
That was really all.
At the same time.
Seo Do-hyeok was sitting in his study at home.
On the desk lay an old photograph.
In the photo, a young Do-hyeok stood side by side with a woman.
The woman was smiling brightly.
Do-hyeok brushed the edge of the photo with his fingertips.
“...It's been a while.”
He murmured softly.
At that moment, a knock was heard from outside the door.
“Young master.”
The housekeeper spoke cautiously.
“Your mother called.”
“What is it about?”
“She said she has something to ask about Yoon Hani, who came with you today.”
Do-hyeok flipped the photo over.
“Please tell her I will talk about it tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
The footsteps faded away.
Do-hyeok looked at the photo again.
Hani's smiling face came to mind.
The way she had held his hand with a tense expression at the restaurant today.
The voice that carefully asked about first love in the car.
And the expression that said she looked sad.
It was strange.
She was just a contract partner.
Why does her face keep coming to mind?
Do-hyeok put the photo in the drawer.
And he turned off the light.
The next morning.
Hani faced an unexpected sight as soon as she arrived at the company.
People were gathered in the lobby.
Employees were whispering in low voices.
“That person is Seo Yu-jin.”
“Wasn't she the representative's fiancée?”
“But I heard the representative brought his girlfriend yesterday?”
“Is that true? Who is she?”
Hani stopped in her tracks.
A bad feeling crept in.
And that feeling was accurate.
Yu-jin, who was standing in the middle of the lobby, spotted Hani.
“Oh my, Hani.”
Yu-jin approached with an elegant smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Ah... yes. Hello.”
“I hardly slept at all yesterday.”
Hani felt flustered.
“Why?”
Yu-jin quietly gazed at Hani's face.
“I really didn't expect Dohyeok to bring a girlfriend.”
Hani awkwardly smiled.
“Ah... I see.”
“But Hani.”
Yu-jin took a step closer.
“Do you really know what kind of person Dohyeok is before dating him?”
Hani's smile faded.
Yu-jin spoke in a gentle voice.
“He is someone who can't easily forget the person he loves. Once he gives his heart, he holds on for a long time.”
Hani couldn't say anything.
“So please don’t let it become serious, even if just a little.”
Yu-jin's smile deepened slightly.
“Because only you will get hurt.”
That sounded like advice.
But Hani could tell.
Yu-jin wasn't saying this out of concern for her.
She was hoping that Hani wouldn't give her heart to Dohyeok.
Hani paused for a moment before speaking.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Yu-jin's eyebrows moved slightly.
Hani smiled and added.
“But I'll take care of my own feelings.”
With that, Hani walked towards the elevator.
It was a voice so firm that even she was surprised.
But as soon as the elevator doors closed, Hani let out a long breath.
“Wow... that's scary.”
At that moment, the elevator doors opened again.
Seo Do-hyeok entered.
Hani was startled.
“Representative!”
Do-hyeok looked at Hani's face.
“What happened?”
“No, nothing happened.”
Do-hyeok looked at Hani for a moment.
“You said you’re not good at lying.”
“...What?”
“It's the same now.”
Hani pressed her lips tightly together.
Do-hyeok did not ask further.
Instead, he pressed the elevator button.
After a moment, he quietly said.
“Don't worry about what Yujin said.”
Hani turned her head.
“How did you know, Representative?”
“Because I can guess.”
“Then that person...”
Hani stopped speaking.
Do-hyeok looked at her.
“If you're curious, you can ask.”
Hani hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Does Seo Yujin like you, Representative?”
Do-hyeok did not answer.
The elevator arrived at the 18th floor.
Just before the doors opened, he spoke.
“Yujin loves the future she wants, not me.”
Hani pondered over those words.
And only after Do-hyeok got off first did she slowly step out of the elevator.
It was then.
Do-hyeok's secretary rushed over.
“Representative, there's a big problem.”
“What is it?”
The secretary handed over a mobile phone.
On the screen was a photo.
A picture of Do-hyeok and Hani entering a restaurant last night.
And their hands clasped together.
Below the photo was a provocative headline.
〈HONEY TABLE's Seo Do-hyeok, overturns chaebol engagement rumors and is dating a beautiful ordinary woman?〉
The smile vanished from Hani's face.
“...What is this?”
Do-hyeok slowly turned his phone back while looking at the screen.
His expression was calm.
But his gaze was cold and settled.
“Find out who leaked the photo.”
“Yes, sir.”
The secretary stepped back.
Hani asked in a trembling voice.
“Seo Do-hyeok, is this... okay?”
Do-hyeok looked at her.
“I will make it okay.”
“But what if people recognize me? What if my friends see it? What if my family sees it?”
“I will protect you within the limits I promised.”
Hani bit her lip.
It was something not written in the contract.
The moment their fake relationship was exposed to the world, their relationship was no longer a secret just between the two of them.
And for the first time, Hani realized.
That the price of a contractual relationship was not just money.
Do-hyeok spoke quietly.
“Yoon Hani.”
“......Yes.”
“From now on, you need to stay by my side.”
Hani looked up at him.
“Why?”
Do-hyeok looked at the clasped hands of the two people in the photo.
And answered softly.
“Because we need to make people believe that we are truly in love.”
Hani's heart sank.
The contractual relationship had only just begun.
But already, the whole world had started to watch their romance.
And that afternoon.
Hani received a text from an unknown number on her phone.
Is this Yoon Hani?
If you continue to see Seo Do-hyeok, you will regret it.
Hani held her breath while looking at the screen.
Soon, another message arrived.
Don't you really want to know why that man lost the person he loved?
Hani's fingertips grew cold.
The man's past was not over yet.
And someone did not want Hani to step into that past.
I