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“Why do you keep going to that house?”
Just how much did she know?
Seok-kyung felt a chill run down his spine as Madam Cha seemed to know his every move.
“If you need a woman, find someone else—or just hold onto Joo-eun! Why are you sowing your seed in the wrong place?”
“Mother!”
“What if she deliberately gets pregnant? Could you even handle that?”
Seok-kyung gritted his teeth.
Even if it was his ex-wife, if a child were born now—after his marriage to Joo-eun—the scandal would be as clear as day.
“Cut ties immediately. If not, the only one who’ll be humiliated is her.”
“......”
“Isn’t it better to just leave things as they were? Do you think you’re Romeo and Juliet? Once the wedding’s over, you two will just be adulterers.”
Every word from Madam Cha weighed heavily on Seok-kyung’s chest.
“So if you don’t want to turn her into a homewrecker, end it now. Dragging it out won’t do any good.”
“We’re not in that kind of relationship.”
Seok-kyung barely managed to respond.
He couldn’t let himself be swayed by her words. If he did, she’d truly turn Eun-chae into that kind of woman.
“Oh, she said the same thing. That she and you are nothing to each other.”
Good. You did well, Eun-chae.
“And yet she took the money without hesitation. Does she have no shame? Just how much would it take for her to disappear from your life?”
Madam Cha tapped Seok-kyung’s cheek with her finger.
“A hundred million? A billion? Ten billion? Or maybe a small subsidiary to shut her up?”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Really?”
“Just leave her alone.”
Seok-kyung clenched his fists.
“I’ll marry Joo-eun as you wish and live happily ever after. You don’t need to worry about Lee Eun-chae.”
Fury bubbled in his throat—anger toward his mother for pushing him to this extreme, and anger toward himself for yielding to her.
Madam Cha’s lips curled into a soft smile as she watched him.
“Good. That’s my son.”
“......”
“Go on. I heard there’s a rat scurrying around the company? Find it and crush it before it tarnishes your reputation. Understood?”
“Yes.”
After bowing to his parents, Seok-kyung left the family home.
In the end, he’d found out where Eun-chae got the money—but in doing so, he’d practically lost her.
Their relationship was something that had to end eventually.
Holding her out of betrayal, anger, and some indescribable emotion—it was time to stop.
For her sake. And for his.
Once in his car, Seok-kyung called the head of the audit team.
“Yes, CEO.”
“Drop this audit. Pretend it never happened.”
“What? But if we sweep this under the rug, employees will start suspecting each other. Loyalty to the company will plummet.”
The audit team leader stood his ground.
“Is something wrong? Is there something you’re concerned about?”
“No. If that’s the case, then discreetly request investigative cooperation from the police.”
“The police?”
“Ask them to look into the call logs and bank transactions of everyone in the planning team. But—”
Seok-kyung hesitated before speaking again.
“Exclude Lee Eun-chae from the investigation.”
“What? But she’s the most likely suspect, isn’t she?”
“Are you picking and choosing who to suspect now?”
“What do you mean...?”
“Lee Eun-chae is my ex-wife.”
“......What?”
A sharp inhale came through the receiver. The audit team leader’s hiccup broke the silence.
“Y-Your ex-wife? Hic—Really?”
“Yes. I vouch for Lee Eun-chae’s credibility. Focus on the other team members.”
“Y-Yes, hic—understood.”
“Team Leader.”
“Yes?”
The audit team leader, about to hang up, jumped at Seok-kyung’s call.
“The fact that Lee Eun-chae is my ex-wife does not leave the audit team. Understood?”
“Y-Yes! Of course!”
Only after hearing the firm confirmation did Seok-kyung hang up and slump back into his seat.
Exhaustion washed over him.
He’d never intended to reveal Eun-chae’s identity to the company like this.
No matter how much he emphasized secrecy to the audit team leader, it was only a matter of time before the truth spread throughout the company.
And when that day came, Eun-chae would quit immediately.
The inevitable end of their relationship weighed heavily on Seok-kyung.
________________________________________
The company’s atmosphere grew increasingly gloomy.
The planning department, in particular, felt like a battlefield—tense, hostile, with employees eyeing each other suspiciously. The once-harmonious environment had vanished, replaced by frequent clashes where even the slightest provocation led to vicious arguments.
As the audit results were delayed, the situation worsened. Some even speculated that the audit team knew the culprit but was deliberately keeping quiet.
“Isn’t it weird?”
During lunch, Yang, the assistant manager, spoke up while sipping coffee.
“Right when Eun-chae suddenly starts spending like she won the lottery, this happens?”
At her words, several employees turned their gazes toward Eun-chae.
“Right? Eun-chae, what do you think?”
Eun-chae, who had been talking with Hyun-jung, glanced at Yang before looking away.
“Didn’t you hear me? I asked what you think.”
“I don’t have any thoughts.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s nonsense.”
“Hmph. Really?”
Yang snorted, and the employees around her began whispering among themselves.
“Don’t mind her. She’s always been like this.”
“I’m not.”
“I don’t get why she’s acting like this when the real culprit hasn’t even been caught yet.”
“Right.”
Eun-chae forced herself to ignore the stares and returned to her seat.
“Wow, you’d have to be shameless to pull off being a spy.”
“With that pretty face, stealing secrets must’ve been easy.”
“To repay the company that took her in with betrayal—how impressive.”
“She’s not saying anything because she’s guilty, right?”
As employees passed by, they threw sharp remarks her way.
Eun-chae bit her lip, suppressing the anger boiling inside her.
Yang was clearly behind this—spreading rumors about her. That she’d seduced Seok-kyung, that even Hyun-woo had fallen for her pretty face, that she’d do anything for money...
None of it had anything to do with the industrial spy case, yet the gossip swirled around her.
Still, she endured.
Seok-kyung had given her an alibi—the audit team wouldn’t suspect her.
Once the real culprit was caught, all these misunderstandings would be resolved.
Whoever it was must be sweating bullets by now.
“Lee Eun-chae, go return this.”
Yang slammed a camera borrowed from the production team onto Eun-chae’s desk. Other equipment was piled on the meeting table, which Yang pointed at.
“Right now.”
There was more equipment than before—it would take multiple trips for one person.
It was clearly spiteful, but Eun-chae said nothing and stood up.
“How is she supposed to carry all this alone?”
Team Leader Park pushed back his chair and stood.
“Everyone, grab one thing. If we all help, it’ll be done in one trip.”
“No, I can do it—”
“Don’t you have other work? Let’s finish this quickly. Come on, everyone.”
At Team Leader Park’s words, Hyun-woo was the first to roll up his sleeves and lift the heaviest item.
Reluctantly, Yang scowled and picked up the lightest piece before heading out.
“See? We finished in one go because we all helped.”
Team Leader Park dusted off his hands.
“Yeah, yeah. Teamwork is just wonderful.”
Yang sneered.
Though Team Leader Park meant well, Eun-chae wondered if this would only make things harder for her in the long run.
As she walked away from the murmuring employees, she spotted Joo-eun waiting by the elevator.
Joo-eun, likely here to see Seok-kyung, smiled brightly when she noticed Eun-chae.
Her light, fluttery sky-blue dress made her delicate frame appear even more fragile, giving her a fresh, innocent aura.
“We meet again?”
“Guess so.”
Eun-chae answered reluctantly, praying none of her coworkers recognized Joo-eun.
But someone did—none other than Yang.
“Oh my, aren’t you ballerina Ha Joo-eun? The one marrying our CEO soon...?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
Joo-eun smiled warmly.
“Oh my! I’m such a fan! I’ve been waiting for your next performance in Korea.”
“Thank you.”
Used to fans, Joo-eun remained composed.
“But how do you know Eun-chae?”
Oh no...
Eun-chae hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Should she just say they were schoolmates? Would Joo-eun find that strange? She couldn’t mention her past with Seok-kyung...
As thoughts raced through her mind—
“We went to high school together.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. Eun-chae majored in piano, and I was in ballet.”
“Eun-chae studied piano?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? She was quite the famous pianist.”
“Really?”
As the team’s attention turned to Eun-chae, she shut her eyes tightly.
“What, does no one know she’s Seok-kyung’s ex-wife either?”
Joo-eun casually dropped the bombshell.
Damn it.
Eun-chae felt like the sky had collapsed beneath her feet.
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