RB - 16

16. The Gray Man with Many Shadows

Inside Jung-hyuk’s sedan, Seo-yeon felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had surely said enough for Ethan to get the message, delivering a clear “give and take” to Jung-hyuk. 

Seated in the passenger seat, she stared straight ahead. 

The dimly lit streets were awash with bright neon lights that blurred her vision. A soft exclamation escaped her lips. 

“The lights are shimmering… so beautiful. Like flower petals.” 

“Did you get LASIK surgery?” 

“How did you know? It was a while ago—over five years now.” 

“That’s not shimmering flower petals; it’s a light halo effect.” 

That guy is seriously strange, Seo-yeon thought, forcing her gaping mouth shut as she glared at Jung-hyuk. 

The way he shattered her poetic reverie confirmed it—he was undoubtedly a science major. 

Jung-hyuk twisted his lips into a smirk and chuckled faintly. 

“Shin Jung-hyuk, laughing alone at your own jokes makes you look completely lame, you know?” 

“Ah, sorry.” 

Seo-yeon furrowed her brow in deep thought, unable to suppress her curiosity any longer. Turning to Jung-hyuk, she asked: 

“This is purely out of curiosity—it has nothing to do with my life, but I’m just wondering. You know how people get curious about celebrities when they’re rumored to be dating someone?” 

“Why are you beating around the bush like this? Just ask.” 

“…Do you happen to be into sadistic stuff? Do you have handcuffs or whips at home? Is that what you meant by being ‘exceptional’?” 

As she spoke, Seo-yeon recalled a steamy bed scene from Fifty Shades of Grey, which she had watched on Netflix recently. She swallowed hard. 

Though she had dismissed it as trash—”How could they even call that a movie?”—she had still watched it all the way to the end, fidgeting her toes anxiously while calculating when Bi-ryu would return home from his evening self-study session. 

Come to think of it, Jung-hyuk—the incubus, the nightmare. 

He was dangerously thrilling, eerily charming, much like “that gray man with many shadows.” Reflexively, Seo-yeon buttoned her blouse all the way up, her thin fabric suddenly feeling like a chastity belt under her firm fingers. 

Jung-hyuk laughed incredulously and teased her. 

“You didn’t hold back with Ethan earlier, saying sex is the best stress reliever. And now? Handcuffs and whips?” 

“I saw it in a movie. There are men like that—gray men with many shadows.” 

Seo-yeon awkwardly scratched the back of her head and unnecessarily pointed out the turn the GPS was already guiding him toward. “Uh, turn right there.” 

Before long, Jung-hyuk’s sedan slid smoothly into the parking lot of Seo-yeon’s apartment complex. 

“Miss Han, who works so hard—if you’re feeling frustrated, feel free to let me know anytime. Didn’t Ethan say it himself? That I’m an exceptional playboy. Think of it like sports. Swimming, golf, even American football—I excel at everything.” 

Jung-hyuk smirked wickedly, tilting his head back to expose his masculine Adam’s apple, sharp and defined in Seo-yeon’s line of sight. 

“Touch here,” he said, his voice low and deliberate. “Stroke it slowly, then unbutton my shirt. After that, I’ll take care of the rest—you just wait quietly for your turn.” 

“…My turn?” 

He traced the outline of her delicate face with his finger as he replied. 

“Your body will sway like waves.” 

“…Waves?” 

“Because of the vibrations my penis will create between your legs, Han Seo-yeon. You’ll see the ocean.” 

Tsk, this pervert. Regretting her unnecessary question, Seo-yeon quickly got out of the car. 

Bam! She slammed the door shut and walked slowly toward her building. Suddenly, she raised a hand to her lips. 

Her mouth was curved upward, the corners of her lips lifted high. Her body froze mid-step as two realizations hit her. 

First, she was undeniably enjoying the time she spent with Jung-hyuk. 

Second, betrayal had wrapped its tendrils tightly around her entire being.

She quickened her pace anxiously, cold sweat trickling down her back. 

The peaceful space of her small apartment, where Bi-ryu waited—her safest refuge. She needed to hide there, away from the dangerous allure Jung-hyuk offered. 

She couldn’t afford to step into his world, not even for a moment. If she let her guard down, she would sink without a trace. 

Under Jung-hyuk’s control, she would melt away, offering no resistance. 

The next morning, in a small meeting room at JB Company. 

Seo-yeon had called Jin-hyuk under the pretense of sharing work updates, but her real intentions were different. 

A series of recent events weighed on her mind. 

Jin-hyuk had clearly given her a green light, and Seo-yeon felt an urgent need to manage the situation—to “regulate traffic,” so to speak. 

“So… um, Jin-hyuk, who is ‘Her Majesty’?” 

Finally, Seo-yeon threw out the question she had been hesitating over, delivering it like a fastball. 

The contact saved as “Her Majesty” on Jin-hyuk’s phone was undoubtedly his girlfriend—or so Seo-yeon was certain, and she had good reason to believe it. 

In the handful of meetings they had attended together, Jin-hyuk had quietly muted his phone whenever Director Jung called. 

But when “Her Majesty” called, he never rejected it. He would apologize—”Excuse me”—and hurriedly leave the meeting room. 

His voice, soft and tender as he answered with a simple “Hello,” dripped with honey-like affection. 

Jin-hyuk turned to Seo-yeon with a puzzled expression, his tone betraying his confusion. 

“Why are you suddenly asking this…?” 

“Oh, you mentioned before that your ideal type is an older woman. I was thinking of setting you up on a blind date, but I wanted to check if ‘Her Majesty’ is your girlfriend.” 

Seo-yeon opted for an indirect approach—a somewhat cowardly strategy, yes, but one that left her an escape route. 

Confronting him directly—”How dare you give me the green light when you already have a girlfriend?”—would only lead to mutual embarrassment. Instead, subtly hinting—”I know you have a girlfriend, Jin-hyuk”—seemed more appropriate. 

Jin-hyuk saw right through her intentions. With a resigned swallow, he pulled out his phone from his pocket. 

Tak. Placing it on the table, he dialed “Her Majesty”—on speakerphone, no less. 

Panicking, Seo-yeon waved her hands frantically and rose from her seat. She needed to escape. 

There was nothing more awkward than intruding on a lover’s relationship. 

“Say hello to my queen.” 

The serene strains of classical music filled the meeting room as the call connected. Seo-yeon blurted out urgently: 

“What are you doing? Why should I talk to your girlfriend… Hnn!” 

“Hello?” 

Just then, a clear and resonant voice came through the phone. Seo-yeon clamped both hands over her mouth. 

“Mom, it’s me. Did you eat well?” 

“My lovely son, I had bibimbap with wild vegetables today. Hospital food, but it was exquisite. Oh, and my numbers have improved significantly this time.” 

“Yes, I heard from Dr. Kim. You’ll get even better. I’m in a meeting now, so I’ll call you back later.” 

Beep. 

Jin-hyuk stared silently at Seo-yeon. His gaze was firm, almost demanding. 

‘Is this answer sufficient?’ 

Fumbling nervously with the hem of her blouse, Seo-yeon stammered: 

“Ah, you’re such a devoted son! Wow, calling your mom ‘Her Majesty’—how impressive. Your mother must be incredibly beautiful. It makes perfect sense that she’s your queen.” 

Her praise was awkward, overly exaggerated. Glancing at Jin-hyuk’s expression, she instinctively shrank back. 

It was a resolute look she had never seen from him before.

It was Jin-hyuk’s smile that had made him appear as the “refined kind of handsome” until now. His sharp nose, defined jawline, and piercing eyes had been softened by his usual warmth. 

But with every trace of a smile erased, Jin-hyuk was more than enough to make Seo-yeon shrink back. Of course, she deserved it—she had overstepped, after all. 

After a long pause, Jin-hyuk finally spoke. His voice was icy, unfamiliar even to her ears. 

“She’s my stepmother. And we look nothing alike.” 

Oh my, another sudden reveal of personal family matters. Seo-yeon absorbed the sensitive information in one blow: 

Jin-hyuk’s “stepmother” was bedridden, worrying over some undisclosed “numbers.” 

Seo-yeon apologized in a voice barely above a whisper. 

“I’ve gone and pried into your personal life like some nosy background check. I’m the worst. I’m really sorry.” 

“Are you truly sorry?” 

Was she really that sorry? Seo-yeon hesitated but looked up anyway, only to flinch at the coldness in Jin-hyuk’s gaze. 

“Yes, I am. Asking such personal questions in a meeting room—it’s something I’d call workplace harassment if it were done to me. I have no excuse.” 

She spilled out her confession like a rosary of sins. 

“Then treat me to dinner. The TF team has a budget for outings, right? This time, buy me alcohol instead of coffee.” 

How could she refuse? Seo-yeon nodded vigorously, and only then did Jin-hyuk return to his usual polite smile. 

After sweating profusely in the meeting room, Seo-yeon collapsed into her chair once outside. After a brief moment of thought, she pulled out her phone and began typing a message with steady hands. 

It was a follow-up text to the director of the orphanage. 

—”Director, about what we discussed last time… Has there been any contact from the ‘Finding My Roots’ foundation? It’s already been half a year. I apologize for rushing you again. Bi-ryu and I will visit soon.” 

She had intended to follow up with the director several times before but had always lacked the courage to do so, postponing it repeatedly. Today, oddly enough, it was thanks to “Shin Jin-hyuk” that she found the resolve. 

Even someone like Jin-hyuk—a well-grown adult who seemed to have received nothing but love—had an unspoken family story! 

Feeling a sudden surge of hope and courage, Seo-yeon tilted her head slightly and gazed past the partition at Jin-hyuk. 

It wasn’t a base emotion of finding comfort in others’ misfortunes. Rather, she felt a strange sense of calm, as though her own upbringing in an orphanage was becoming “ordinary.” 

It was only natural to feel grateful to Jin-hyuk—for flawlessly handling tasks as a partner despite being new to the job, and for sharing his family story in a way that somehow gave her courage. 

She even felt compelled to speak to the mother he revered as “Her Majesty.” 

“How did you raise such an amazing son?”