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“Since we’ll be spending our entire lives together, I thought it’d be good to check if our preferences align beforehand.”
For a moment, Seok-kyung was at a loss for words.
Joo-eun’s suggestion of intimacy shocked him, but he could vaguely sense her intentions.
He knew the rumors—how their divorce had been smoother and quicker because there were no children involved.
Though she called it a lifelong partnership, Joo-eun clearly wanted some form of guarantee.
Suddenly, this marriage that he felt nothing for became utterly repulsive.
“If our preferences don’t match, are you planning to divorce?”
“What?”
Seok-kyung’s question startled Joo-eun, who looked at him with wide eyes.
“Or maybe cheat?”
“What kind of talk is that, Mr. Baek?”
“If neither, then why bring this up now? Is it just because you want to sleep with me?”
His mocking tone wiped the smile off her face.
“And if it is? If I want to sleep with you, will you come in?”
“No.”
Seok-kyung gave a bitter smile and stepped back from the door. Without another word, he turned and left.
The loud slam of the door echoed behind him, but he didn’t care.
In truth, even if Joo-eun called another man to satisfy her desires, it wouldn’t matter to him.
All he wanted right now was to hold Eun-chae in his arms.
---
Eun-chae hadn’t slept a wink all night.
Despite the plush mattress and top-tier bedding, she tossed and turned, unable to rest. Her mother’s snoring beside her went unnoticed as her mind wandered elsewhere.
Namely, Seok-kyung and Joo-eun.
The thought of them somewhere in this hotel—no doubt in the presidential suite—engaging in passionate lovemaking consumed her thoughts.
The memory of Seok-kyung’s tongue exploring her lips and intimate places now haunted her, imagining it doing the same to another woman. The thought made her chest tighten.
She pictured his large member, which had once pressed against her thigh, now pleasuring someone else. Her stomach churned at the idea.
And the thought of him whispering sweet nothings into another woman’s ear drove her mad.
“I love you, Joo-eun.”
Or perhaps,
“I love you, Ha Joo-eun.”
Hundreds of scenarios played out in her mind, each one more unbearable than the last.
What hurt most was knowing that she would hear those words of love from him—not her.
He was my man.
The man I love.
Tears welled up, streaming down her cheeks. She quickly buried her face in the pillow, pulling the blanket over herself to hide from her sleeping mother.
After a sleepless night, she woke early, her face hollow and pale. Leaving her slumbering mother behind, she headed to work before dawn.
Why did the day have to be so bright and clear? It only deepened her gloom.
Everyone seemed happy except her. The world bathed in pink felt suffocatingly hateful.
Arriving at the office building, she barely caught the elevator doors before they closed.
But inside…
“Ah, Ms. Lee Eun-chae!”
Secretary Won and Seok-kyung were already there.
Why now?
Biting her lip, Eun-chae froze in place.
Unlike her, Seok-kyung appeared well-rested, his usual radiant and lively self. But as he turned to look at her, the image of Joo-eun moaning in his arms flashed in her mind.
She imagined him sweating, panting heavily as he held Joo-eun close.
“Aren’t you getting on?”
“Ah, I forgot I need to buy coffee. You two go ahead.”
She quickly bowed and turned away.
Of course, the excuse about forgetting coffee was a lie. Someone as frugal as her would never buy coffee outside when she could save money by bringing her own.
Still, she did need to buy something today—lunch. Just like last night, she planned to settle for a convenience store meal again.
Thankfully, she remembered just in time.
At the convenience store, she sighed deeply while browsing the lunchboxes. With no appetite, she ended up buying a small carton of milk instead.
If only she could throw everything away and disappear.
---
Clearly, she’s misunderstanding.
Seok-kyung understood all too well how his presence with Joo-eun at the hotel might appear to Eun-chae. Yet, he had explicitly told her it was merely a political marriage.
But then again, Eun-chae wasn’t in a position to care about his marriage.
Right? We’re already divorced.
Still, he knew the problem lay in his own actions—holding her despite claiming otherwise. He had carelessly fastened the wrong buttons of reunion.
“Why is this my fault?”
“Huh?”
Secretary Won turned around, startled by Seok-kyung’s muttered words.
Leaning against the back of the elevator, Seok-kyung shrugged without answering.
It was Eun-chae who had first demanded a divorce, citing another man. Whether that man truly existed was questionable, but her harsh treatment of him stemmed from her own doing.
Her accusations of betrayal leading to their divorce clashed with her resentment toward him for embracing another woman. It felt hypocritical.
Even so...
He couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Like a tiny fuzzball on an otherwise pristine suit, her dazed expression and accusing eyes irritated him endlessly.
He also had questions for her.
Why had she been at that hotel so late? If she’d been with another man, he might’ve lost control.
[Come to the rooftop. We need to talk.]
As soon as he arrived at the office, Seok-kyung sent Eun-chae a message. He intended to explain that nothing happened with Joo-eun—it wasn’t an excuse; it was the truth.
[I’m busy.]
Reading her reply, Seok-kyung clenched his jaw.
Busy? There were still 15 minutes until work officially started. What could possibly make her busy?
[It’s not work time yet.]
[Still busy. If you have something to say, text me.]
No, this wasn’t a conversation for texts.
He needed to see her face, confirm she believed him, and watch her relax. More importantly, he needed to know why she was at the hotel—and whether another man was involved.
Renowned for his composure, Seok-kyung found himself growing increasingly anxious over Eun-chae’s curt messages.
[Then let’s meet after work.]
[I have plans tonight.]
Plans? What plans?
[What plans? Cancel them.]
[Even I have a personal life.]
[Are you in a position to refuse me?]
“Hmph!”
Seok-kyung snorted, sitting down in his chair.
How dare she tell him to make an appointment?
He abruptly stood and stormed out. Secretary Won jumped up, bewildered.
“Is there something you need, CEO?”
“I’m leaving.”
“What? Leaving? But you just arrived…”
Ignoring him, Seok-kyung exited the office.
Behind him, Secretary Won bumped his thigh against the desk corner, wincing.
“There are many meetings scheduled from this morning through the afternoon, CEO.”
“Postpone them to tomorrow.”
“But tomorrow is also packed with—”
“I’ll attend them all somehow. Reschedule everything for tomorrow.”
“Yes… sir.”
Secretary Won gulped, shrinking back nervously.
“Uh, where are you going?”
“Home.”
With that short reply, Seok-kyung closed the elevator doors.
Placed in his office by Cha Yeo-sa herself, Secretary Won was notoriously timid. Though competent at his job, Seok-kyung disliked how he reported every move back to his mother.
“Eun-chae working here must remain absolutely secret from Mother. Understand?”
“W-why would I... tell Madam Vice Chairwoman such a thing?”
“If I hear Mother knows about this, you won’t be safe.”
Under Seok-kyung’s stern command and thinly veiled threat, Secretary Won had stammered and nodded vigorously, hiccupping in his panic.
As the elevator reached the lobby, Seok-kyung couldn’t believe his eyes.
There, in the corner, was Eun-chae—the same Eun-chae who had coldly texted him—laughing and drinking coffee with Hyun-woo.
Laughing? How could she laugh right now?
And with Hyun-woo, no less. When rumors spread about Hyun-woo being a handsome manager known for his charm, Seok-kyung had brushed it off.
But seeing Eun-chae so close to him, laughing and exchanging lingering glances, grated on his nerves.
Did other men find her beautiful too? Wait—what was he thinking? Was he admitting he found Eun-chae beautiful?
Confused, conflicted, and frustrated, Seok-kyung gritted his teeth and hurried past them, pretending not to notice.
Outside, the chauffeur cleaning the car gawked as Seok-kyung approached.
“Where are you going, sir?”
“Give me the keys.”
“Huh?”
“The keys—I said give them to me.”
“Ah, yes, here.”
Fumbling in his pocket, the chauffeur handed over the keys. Seok-kyung took them and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“You can leave.”
With that brief dismissal, he started the engine and sped off.
Eun-chae, you’ll regret ever crossing me.
A flicker of fire ignited in his icy gaze.
---
“Be careful on your way down.”
“...”
“Uncle will be waiting at the terminal, so meet him safely.”
“...”
“Got it?”
Eun-chae asked her unresponsive mother again.
Her mother shot her a sharp glare before boarding the bus.
Collapsing into a seat, she glanced at Eun-chae waving from outside the window, then turned away.
Still, Eun-chae stood there, watching the bus until it departed the terminal.
Though she had left a note saying “Check out by noon,” her mother ignored it completely and extended the stay by another day.
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