II - 48

Regretting his decision to go exercise today, I-jun gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Do you drink celery juice every morning? You were the one who told me to prepare it.”

“Is the juice the issue here? I’m asking why you went to the main house.”

His tone was sharp, pressing for an answer.

He hadn’t intended to sound so harsh, but he lost control of his emotions. Once spoken, words couldn’t be taken back.

Nor could the coldness in his eyes.

“I don’t want to answer.”

“What happened there?”

Her evasive behavior confirmed that something had indeed occurred.

He shouldn’t have gone exercising. Skipping a single workout wouldn’t have caused the world to collapse.

“There are times when I don’t feel like talking. Right now is one of them.”

“I clearly told you—I can’t protect you when I’m not around.”

I-jun grew suspicious of her constant avoidance and grabbed her chin.

“Look at me. Why did you go to the main house without me?!”

Only one person came to mind as someone who might trouble her there—his sister-in-law, Yoo Jin, who had always disapproved of her as part of the family, ever since their first meeting and even after their honeymoon.

“You don’t need to protect me.”

The grip on her chin was so strong it felt like it might pop out of place.

But it also made her realize just how angry he was.

“I’m not a child, and this isn’t a battlefield.”

“My goodwill? You’re the one rejecting it. Let’s get that straight.”

I-jun’s voice rose.

She swallowed hard, trying to avoid his piercing gaze, but his relentless stare left her no escape.

If she couldn’t avoid him, she had no choice but to confront him with her own emotions.

I-ryeong lifted her tingling chin and met his eyes squarely.

“Fine. Whatever happens in the main house is my fault, so don’t make a fuss over it.”

She tried to gently brush his hand away but ended up swatting it forcefully. Her knuckles stung, but she endured it.

“…Alright. Hurry up and get ready for work.”

His expression turned icy, matching the chill in his tone.

He couldn’t miss how her entire body radiated displeasure. But apologizing now wouldn’t fix what had already been done.

He should have prevented this situation from the start.

He had told her repeatedly there was no need to go to the main house, yet she had gone anyway—it was her doing.

As he endlessly blamed her in his mind, trying to process his anger, it refused to subside.

I-jun wracked his brain, searching for a way to resolve this tension.

Then he remembered something special he had prepared.

He had planned to give her a gift later, but now seemed like the only option. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself.

A brief silence fell between them, slightly easing the earlier tension.

I-ryeong fidgeted with the collar wrapped around her neck and began to move toward the walk-in closet to change.

“We’ll have breakfast at the hotel today. You too.”

“We have to go to work.”

Stopping by the hotel before heading to the office would leave them short on time.

“The world won’t end if we’re late for work.”

His voice was calmer than before, and she lowered her tone accordingly.

“I’ll arrive on time.”

“It’s fine to be late once in a while.”

I-jun had never been late to work in the years he’d been commuting to headquarters.

As the CEO’s son and a member of the chaebol family, he avoided flaunting his status and instead paid even stricter attention to punctuality than his employees.

“If you stop nitpicking my words, we’ll make it to the office on time.”

“No thanks.”

His attempt to lift her mood with a hotel breakfast failed against her firm refusal, marking the failure of his first plan.

“What’s this?”

“Cream. It’s supposed to help bruises fade quickly.”

While jogging around the neighborhood for exercise, he had gone all the way to the next town to find a pharmacy open early in the morning.

“I should’ve shown more restraint, but I lost control like an animal, didn’t I?”

The red bite marks visible even in the early morning light had been bothering him.

“They say it’ll fade in a few days. Applying it is better than nothing, so use it often.”

He handed her the cream and left the room.

Alone in the bedroom, I-ryeong’s face burned hot with embarrassment. The fact that he had gone out of his way to get it made her want to hide in a hole—it was mortifying enough to overshadow even Yoo Jin’s taunts.

She removed the constricting turtleneck and changed into lighter clothing. On her bare neck, she carefully applied a thin layer of the cream he had given her.

“When did he even have time to prepare this…”

After meticulously applying the cream, she tied a delicate twilly scarf around her neck in a bow.

Finishing her preparations quickly, she stepped into the living room, only to find I-jun already gone. Exiting the annex, she crossed the garden.

The gate, which would usually be open for commuting, was closed.

“Uh...”

After staring at the gate for a while, she changed direction and headed toward the garage.

The spacious area housed the family’s cars lined up neatly in a row.

“Did you find me here?”

“How did you know I’d be here?”

She wanted to say that she had simply been drawn there, following her instincts, but held back and instead gazed at him.

“Are you coming closer?”

He gestured for her to approach. Without much suspicion, I-ryeong walked closer as he beckoned.

“We’ll commute in this car today.”

“This car? What do you mean?”

Puzzled, she watched as I-jun handed her the keys.

“It’s yours.”

“Mine? I can’t accept this, I-jun.”

Accepting it made her feel like she truly was “sold” for money, just as Yoo Jin had insinuated, leaving her deeply unsettled.

“There’s no such thing as ‘can’t’ in Dogok-dong.”

His tone was firm, as if rejection didn’t exist in his dictionary.

“It’s yours, so accept it happily. That’s all there is to it.”

I-ryeong hesitated, fiddling with the keys in her hand, momentarily forgetting her intention to return them as she gave him a faint smile.

---

As the season transitioned into early summer, more than a month had passed since I-jun moved to his private office on the floor above.

“If June is this hot, how are we supposed to survive July?”

“July? What about August? Or September?”

During lunchtime, the marketing team members gathered in the company cafeteria, complaining about the rising temperatures just before the rainy season began.

“At least we’re not going out for fieldwork. If we were out in this weather, it’d be a death sentence.”

“I prayed for summer during winter, but now that it’s here, I’m already wishing for winter again. Why does this always happen?”

“People are so fickle. No, we’re more like animals—why can’t we adapt to the seasons?”

The team members busily ate while continuing their lively chatter.

“It’s all because we’ve been spoiled by modern conveniences. Take away air conditioners and heaters, and we’d manage just fine.”

“I’m already dreading going home tonight. It’s so muggy in the evenings.”

Amidst the group, I-ryeong nodded along, chiming in occasionally without fully engaging in their complaints about the weather—it didn’t bother her as much as it did them.

“When it’s hot like this, doesn’t Southeast Asian food sound good?”

“Oh, so you’re thinking about it too, Manager Yoon? I was just craving some myself.”

“What about som tam? It’s perfect when you’ve lost your appetite.”

This time, she couldn’t quite relate to their conversation. She was curious about the dishes they mentioned.

Her only overseas trip had been her honeymoon with I-jun.

“What about you, I-ryeong? Doesn’t it sound good?”

“If there’s a variety of food, I’m all for it.”

I-ryeong grinned, twitching her nose playfully.

The cafeteria menu was diverse and excellent. Rumor had it that the meal plans were curated by a renowned nutritionist who previously worked in high-end settings—even the meals served in Dogok-dong were impressive.

“Then, why don’t you ask your husband? Whenever he looks at you, it’s like honey drips from his eyes. Surely, he’d grant your wish?”

All eyes turned to I-ryeong, sparkling with hope like children making a wish.

“My... husband?”

Mentioning I-jun flustered her more than their expectant gazes. Her eyelids trembled, and the spoon in her hand shook uncontrollably.

“He’s one of the most powerful people in the company. If the person he loves most wants something, wouldn’t he immediately make it happen?”

What were they even talking about? Her ears rang, and she felt as though her soul had left her body.

I-ryeong wiggled her toes inside her sharp stiletto heels, trying to regain her composure.

Hearing the word “love” from him was something she had longed for, and the fluttering feeling refused to settle.

Feeling the heat rise to her face, she fanned herself repeatedly with her hand.

“I-ryeong, your face is so red. Did you take that seriously? It was just a joke! Were you really that shocked?”

“She’s so cute—it’s no wonder the big shot snatched her up quickly. The Vice President should see I-ryeong’s expression right now.”

The team burst into laughter, apologizing while teasing her further. They joked about how easy it was to fool her and how fun it was to tease her.

Realizing it was all a joke, I-ryeong’s face grew even redder, resembling a perfectly ripe persimmon, tempting enough to burst.

Their playful teasing didn’t bother her. She preferred this closeness over growing distant from the team after marrying Vice President Seo I-jun. Their casual treatment of her felt comforting.

After the commotion, the table settled back into eating.

I-ryeong bowed her head and focused on her meal. Determined to visit the rooftop garden after finishing, she quickened her pace with her chopsticks.

As the conversation lulled, the surrounding noise became more noticeable.

Especially the whispers, seemingly meant for someone nearby, seeped into her ears.

“Wait, is the rumor about an affair in the company true?”

Affair? Her chopsticks froze mid-air.

I-ryeong pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, trying to calm herself.

“They say it’s true. Apparently, it involves a high-ranking executive—but who knows? Maybe the other party is just an ordinary employee.”

“How dare they show up at work after committing adultery? Are they insane?”

“Think about it. Only someone shameless would commit adultery in the first place.”

Her heart began pounding violently.

She tried to swallow the saliva she forced herself to produce, but her tightened throat refused to cooperate.

It’s not about me. She tried to reassure herself, taking deep breaths, but it was no use.