CEB - 26

26. Shall We Go Home and Rest for a Bit?

“So, when do you plan to get married?”

Changsoo asked Min-hyuk during the meal.

To avoid appearing intimidated by his wealthy future son-in-law, he deliberately lowered his voice.

“Yes, we’re planning to hold the wedding this coming Friday.”

“Hmm~ That’s awfully fast. It’s not even the weekend!”

Changsoo intentionally acted as though he disapproved, prompting Hye-sook to secretly pinch his thigh.

“Ow~ Not so hard!”

Changsoo rubbed his sore thigh and shot a glare at Hye-sook.

“We’ll make it work. Don’t worry about a thing. Everything will be arranged smoothly.”

Hye-sook reassured Min-hyuk, ignoring Changsoo’s earlier comment.

“Yes, I really need your help. If we don’t marry by next Friday, there won’t be a wedding at all.”

Min-hyuk’s words left Hye-sook and Changsoo baffled.

What did he mean, no wedding if it didn’t happen by next Friday?

They couldn’t understand their prospective son-in-law’s reasoning.

“My late father expressed in his will that I must marry within the week.”

Min-hyuk decided it was best to briefly explain why they were rushing the marriage.

If Dan-jung’s parents opposed the union, delays could arise.

“Oh my~ In that case, we absolutely must comply.”

“Of course, of course, we’ll make sure it happens.”

Changsoo and Hye-sook nodded excessively, agreeing with Min-hyuk.

“In that case, we should probably have the meeting between families on Monday.”

Dan-jung cautiously interjected after observing the situation.

“The meeting between families?”

The thought of meeting their future in-laws made Hye-sook nervous.

She also had no idea what to wear for the occasion, which added to her unease.

At that moment, Min-hyuk pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit.

“It’s modest, but please use it to help with the wedding preparations.”

“Oh my~ You shouldn’t have...”

Despite her words, Hye-sook eagerly accepted the envelope.

Dan-jung held back a sigh as she watched her parents’ behavior.

________________________________________

During the meal, Min-hyuk observed Dan-jung, who seemed neglected by her parents.

Delicious dishes like meat and seafood were placed in front of him, while only kimchi sat before Dan-jung.

So, Min-hyuk picked up some bulgogi and placed it on Dan-jung’s rice.

He felt uneasy eating all the good food himself.

Naturally, Hye-sook and Changsoo’s gazes turned toward Min-hyuk.

“The bulgogi is delicious. Eat more.”

But Min-hyuk ignored Dan-jung’s parents and focused solely on her.

“Thank you.”

Dan-jung awkwardly ate the bulgogi Min-hyuk had placed on her rice.

Her mother must have splurged on expensive meat—it tasted incredible.

However, tears began to well up in Dan-jung’s eyes as she chewed.

‘What am I supposed to do if I cry in this situation?’

She discreetly wiped away her tears and tried to stop them from flowing.

Truthfully, she was deeply moved by Min-hyuk’s thoughtfulness.

It was something she’d never experienced before.

Neither her father, mother, grandmother, nor relatives had ever paid attention to what she ate.

The tastiest dishes always went to her younger brother, leaving her with scraps.

“This is delicious too. And this is good as well.”

Yet Min-hyuk kept placing delicious dishes onto Dan-jung’s rice.

He was so busy taking care of her that his own plate barely diminished.

“Are you heading straight home? Or staying overnight?”

Unable to bear the sight, Hye-sook transferred some tasty dishes to Dan-jung’s side and asked.

There was no point risking Dan-jung’s disapproval over something trivial.

“Yes, I have an appointment, so I need to go.”

Dan-jung avoided mentioning that she was meeting her future mother-in-law.

Fortunately, Min-hyuk refrained from elaborating further.

With lunch over, Dan-jung and Min-hyuk headed back to Seoul.

Though it was the weekend and traffic could’ve been heavy, the roads were surprisingly clear, allowing them to arrive early.

“My dinner appointment with Mother is in about two hours. Would you like to rest at home for a bit?”

Min-hyuk checked with Dan-jung, noticing she seemed somewhat uncomfortable as they arrived in Seoul.

“Is that alright? I would like to rest for a bit.”

“Then let’s do that. The appointment place isn’t far from home.”

Min-hyuk didn’t mention the location, but it was his family home, about 30 minutes away.

If they rested for an hour and then left, the timing would work out perfectly.

However, there was a slight misunderstanding between them.

Dan-jung assumed they were going to her officetel, while Min-hyuk naturally thought of his own home where they would eventually live together.

As Min-hyuk had assumed, they arrived at his house.

________________________________________

“President Min, we’ve arrived.”

At Secretary Im’s words, Dan-jung looked outside the car window.

She had suspected along the way, but their destination wasn’t her officetel.

“President Min, this isn’t our home.”

“It is our home.”

“What? Why are we here?”

“Let’s rest here before heading to my family home.”

“Eh? Your family home?”

Dan-jung was flustered to learn they were at Min-hyuk’s house and that they were visiting his family home.

Moreover, she wanted to rest comfortably at home for an hour, but she hadn’t expected “home” to refer to this house.

“Then let’s go in.”

Min-hyuk opened his car door, and Secretary Im quickly opened Dan-jung’s door.

‘Now that we’re already here, I can’t say I want to go back... Besides, this will eventually be my home anyway.’

Resigned, Dan-jung followed Min-hyuk inside.

Once again, she marveled at how his house resembled a palace.

“Then rest. I’m going to take a quick shower.”

Min-hyuk, feeling sticky from the lingering heat, began unbuttoning his shirt as he spoke.

When three or four buttons came undone, Dan-jung’s heart began racing again.

For some reason, memories of last night’s passionate kisses flooded her mind.

‘This is ridiculous. Am I possessed by the ghost of someone desperate for a kiss?’

As Min-hyuk disappeared into the bathroom, exuding sexiness, Dan-jung’s face flushed as she plopped onto the sofa.

But she couldn’t sit comfortably for fear of wrinkling her new dress.

Awkwardly perched, Dan-jung was stuck in limbo when Min-hyuk suddenly emerged from the shower.

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“No, it’s not that... I’m just worried about wrinkling my dress. I have to meet your mother later, after all.”

Dan-jung resolved to protect her new outfit from wrinkles, recalling the crumpled state of her dress the previous night.

“Hmm~ How about changing into something temporarily? You can wear just my top again, like last night.”

“Ah.”

Dan-jung couldn’t tell if Min-hyuk was teasing or serious, but her face reddened with embarrassment.

“Just a moment.”

Min-hyuk entered his walk-in closet and returned with the longest cotton t-shirt he owned.

“Let’s make you comfortable for a bit.”

“But...”

“Since I saw everything last night, there’s no reason to feel shy.”

Min-hyuk handed her the t-shirt without showing any interest in her missing bottoms.

“Yes, okay.”

Flustered, Dan-jung reluctantly accepted the t-shirt.

Though it was somewhat embarrassing, she didn’t want to sit stiffly for an hour in her current state.

“You can change in that room over there.”

Min-hyuk pointed with his index finger, and Dan-jung hurried into the dressing room to change.

“Hmm~”

As she emerged, Min-hyuk’s gaze instinctively traveled from her slender ankles to her voluptuous thighs.

His heart began pounding once again.

Even though he’d seen her like this the previous night, his body reacted involuntarily.

And right now, Dan-jung looked so sexy he wanted to rip off her t-shirt.

Min-hyuk hadn’t anticipated being this aroused just from seeing a woman’s bare legs in broad daylight.

No matter how much he claimed to have awakened to women, reacting like an uncontrollable beast was unexpected.

He despised himself for feeling this way but still couldn’t tear his eyes away from Dan-jung.

‘Why is he staring at me like that?’

Being in Min-hyuk’s house, nearly undressed, made Dan-jung’s whole body tense up.

His blatant gaze was overwhelming.

At least last night, she’d had wine to loosen up.

Now, fully sober, she couldn’t dare entertain thoughts of seducing him.

“I’ll leave you to rest. I need to visit the hotel for a bit.”

Just as Dan-jung’s body began to burn with sensual tension, Min-hyuk suddenly announced.

“Now?”

“I’ll be back in time, so don’t worry. If you’d like, you can rest in the bedroom.”

With that, Min-hyuk left, despite not being dressed for work.

If he stayed any longer, he feared he might pounce on Dan-jung.

“Secretary Im, let’s head to the office.”

“Understood.”

As Secretary Im started the car, he glanced at Min-hyuk’s casual attire in the rearview mirror and tilted his head in confusion.

He’d never seen Min-hyuk come to work dressed so casually since becoming his secretary.

‘I thought he said he’d leave for his family home at 6 PM...’

Moreover, if he went to the hotel now, it wouldn’t leave enough time to reach his family home.

“Um... President Min, has the time for visiting your family home changed?”

“No.”

“Then, unless you leave the hotel immediately after arriving, it’ll be difficult to make it to your family home on time.”

“Ten minutes will be enough.”

Lost in thought, Min-hyuk stared blankly out the window.

But his mind was preoccupied with the image of Dan-jung’s smooth legs peeking out from beneath the fluttering t-shirt.

________________________________________

After parting ways with Min-hee, Hye-mi sat in her car, crumpling the shopping bags in frustration.

Soon, she grew irritated with herself for acting hysterically over a man.

“What on earth am I doing?”

Why did she lose her composure whenever Min-hyuk was involved? She found herself pathetic.

“Still, I want him.”

Since childhood, Hye-mi had always gotten what she wanted.

The one thing she couldn’t obtain was Min-hyuk’s heart.

Growing up with everyone’s love and attention, this was the first time she’d encountered a man indifferent to her.

At first, his indifference intrigued her. The challenge of making him fall for her seemed fun.

But while she fell deeper for him, Min-hyuk remained unchanged.

He was still utterly indifferent.

Through Min-hyuk, Hye-mi experienced failure for the first time in her life.

Her chosen escape was indulging in the attention of Si-woo, who adored her, and fleeing to Paris.

But the longing for what she couldn’t have tormented her endlessly.

No matter how many other men she met, they all felt insignificant.

With resolve, Hye-mi pulled out her phone and called Si-woo.

“It’s me. I’ll accept your condition. But spread a rumor—make it seem like you’re in love with that woman.”

If she couldn’t have Min-hyuk’s heart, she didn’t want Dan-jung to have it either.

A woman like that didn’t deserve to possess what she couldn’t.