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His gentle gaze seemed to softly whisper to Tae-ryeong, telling her to use him to her heart’s content, that he would gladly be used, and that she alone was allowed to. Tae-ryeong suddenly wondered, When did my husband start looking at me this way? She didn’t know. She had been too busy constantly ignoring, guarding, and doubting him to ever truly look at her husband. Caught in a wave of distant emotions, Tae-ryeong cautiously asked, “Will you really do anything?”
Kang-joon slowly nodded, his eyes unwavering. In truth, Tae-ryeong had intended to make a mischievous request. She was about to ask him to kiss her and to sweetly whisper that he loved her. She thought that whatever she did, he would be fine. That he wouldn’t get hurt, that he would remain calm. Because, after all, Seo Kang-joon didn’t love her. But looking at his kind eyes, she couldn’t do it. Tae-ryeong sighed softly and whispered, “Can you just hold me for a moment?”
For now, that would be enough. Her husband pulled Tae-ryeong into his arms and said with a hint of a smile, “What’s so hard about a hug? Why all the dramatic hesitation?”
How many times do I have to tell you? Everything about you is difficult for me. Annoyed, she tried to pull away from his embrace, but ended up burying herself deeper into his arms. And then, his low voice descended over her head.
“Just stay in my arms a little longer.”
So Tae-ryeong didn’t know that Kang-joon’s gaze was fixed on Madam Jo and her husband, who were observing them.
“I want to walk.”
At her words, Kang-joon reluctantly released Tae-ryeong from his embrace. The arms that had held her with lightning speed now let go in slow motion. When Tae-ryeong quietly looked up, Kang-joon chuckled.
“Because I held you for such a short time, it felt insufficient.”
“What’s insufficient? You hold me all night when we sleep,” Tae-ryeong said, as if she didn’t understand, and Kang-joon’s expression grew serious.
“The way I hold you then and the way I hold you now feel different.”
Every night, Kang-joon desperately tried to hypnotize himself into believing that the one in his arms was a soft, warm doll. Only then could he control the beast roaring within his body, desperate to break free. In conclusion, holding his wife at night wasn’t really holding her. It was like a long, arduous spiritual discipline. Of course, his wife wouldn’t know that. Just then, they heard Yeon-suk calling.
________________________________________
Madam Jo and her husband said they had an urgent matter and needed to leave. Tae-ryeong and Kang-joon saw them off on behalf of Chairman Seo and Yeon-suk. When they arrived at the garage, Madam Jo spoke in a soft voice, “Tae-ryeong, why don’t you come with us in our car? It’s hard for family to gather like this when you’re busy managing the company.”
It was clearly ill-intentioned. But Tae-ryeong had no valid reason to refuse Madam Jo’s suggestion.
“I’ll...”
Suddenly, Kang-joon took Tae-ryeong’s hand, pulled her behind him, and interrupted, “Grandfather and Mother want to spend more time with Tae-ryeong. They dote on her so much that even I, their son, feel jealous. Let’s have a meal together sometime when you’re free.”
Perhaps it was because he had declared he would be a good husband today. Kang-joon was now overtly protecting Tae-ryeong and openly showing his feelings. It made even Tae-ryeong, who was watching, nervous.
“Then Kang-joon, we have some family matters to discuss, so could you excuse us for a moment?”
Tae-ryeong gently tugged on Kang-joon’s hand as he was about to say something else. She looked at his half-closed eyes and subtly shook her head. Only then did Kang-joon reluctantly open his mouth.
“Grandfather and Mother are waiting, so come back within 10 minutes. If you’re late, I’ll come get you.”
He was speaking to Tae-ryeong, but Kang-joon’s gaze was fixed on Madam Jo, as if Madam Jo might harm Tae-ryeong. Once Kang-joon disappeared, Madam Jo glared at Tae-ryeong with dagger eyes for a moment. After a fleeting moment, Madam Jo suddenly raised her hand.
“Darling, what if her face gets hurt?!”
Startled, Young-guk quickly grabbed Madam Jo’s hand.
“Are you worrying about this right now?”
“Oh, nonsense. I’m just worried that Chairman and CEO Seo might notice if there’s a scratch on her face. And your hand will hurt too. So let’s just talk, okay?”
Madam Jo, panting angrily, snapped at Tae-ryeong. “I told you to get along appropriately, and it seems you just waited for the opportunity and pounced, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mother.”
“Who are you calling an idiot?! It’s obvious Seo Kang-joon is head over heels for you! And he’s using his family as a shield to protect you! Did you tell him about our deal too?”
Tae-ryeong sneered inwardly. She knew this would happen. She must have felt uneasy when Tae-ryeong actually got along well after being told to get along appropriately.
“I kept the secret, and I’m just doing what you told me to do, which is to get along appropriately.”
“You kept the secret, and Seo Kang-joon is still doting on you like that?”
“He wasn’t like this before, but I think it’s because he saw you assaulting me in the office. He knows I wasn’t feeling well that day.”
Tae-ryeong spoke subtly, implying it was Madam Jo’s fault, not hers. Madam Jo, glancing at Young-guk, nonchalantly changed the subject.
“Then tell me, how did you try to get along appropriately?”
“I tried to look pretty, acted affectionately, showed a little aegyo, and also asserted my pride a bit.”
She had actually acted the opposite with her husband, but Tae-ryeong calmly lied. If she could just infuriate Madam Jo by acting innocently and falsely.
“Following your advice, I thought about and acted based on my sister’s past behaviors. Now I understand why my sister was so popular with men. I never thought even the cold Kang-joon would open his heart to me.”
A strange sense of satisfaction welled up within her as she saw Madam Jo’s eyes filled with venom and her trembling lips.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it right now...!”
Madam Jo suddenly approached and roughly grabbed Tae-ryeong’s hair.
“You slept with Seo Kang-joon, didn’t you? You seduced him with that body, just like your mother, didn’t you?”
It hurt so much, like her scalp was being peeled off. But Tae-ryeong bit her lower lip hard, trying to numb herself to the pain.
“I slept in the same bed, but what you’re imagining didn’t happen.”
At that, Young-guk quickly approached and pulled away Madam Jo’s hand that was clutching Tae-ryeong’s hair.
“Good grief, why are you doing this to a child who’s doing well? Let’s acknowledge what’s true.”
“...What did you say?”
“That child wouldn’t be able to do this. Only Tae-ryeong can respect elders and be so charming, making her well-liked. Is that all? She manages the company incredibly well, and Mr. Seo has fallen for us as intended. What’s the problem?”
Young-guk continued, as if trying to appease Madam Jo. “We both heard Chairman Seo say he wants to do everything for his beloved granddaughter-in-law. And he also said he wants to support me, knowing my difficult situation these days.”
“So, what are you trying to say?”
“For that child, who loves to play and be free, this position would be more like a prison. I don’t see the need to dangerously change things.”
Madam Jo glared savagely, making him flinch, but Young-guk didn’t give up.
“If things go on like this, it’ll be good for her and good for us. Ahem, we can also make things good for Tae-ryeong.”
Tae-ryeong looked at Young-guk with a disgusted expression. She despised him for trying to gain his own advantage even at this moment.
“Or, let’s just postpone it until the Chairman supports me. What if we change things when the atmosphere is good and it gets exposed? It’ll be a blessing if we don’t end up divorced, let alone gaining points with Chairman Seo.”
Madam Jo, who had been trembling with rage, quickly regained her composure. Then, she smiled elegantly at Tae-ryeong, as if nothing had happened.
“If you had accepted my proposal without playing coy, your mother wouldn’t have been so angry. Now that you have strong support, reconsider, Tae-ryeong.”
Madam Jo took another step closer and hugged Tae-ryeong affectionately. “If you accept my proposal, I plan to visit your mother’s grave. Won’t I have a lot to tell her? That her daughter, who inherited dirty blood, did the same thing as you. That she’s as vulgar as her mother.”
But the whisper in her ear was terribly cruel. “Since you took my husband from me, I’ll take even a daughter like yours away from you. I’ll make sure you can’t see your daughter even in death, just as you couldn’t see her alive. Please, my daughter, do that so I can say those words.”
________________________________________
Left alone in the garage, Tae-ryeong stood blankly, unaware that the time Kang-joon had given her had long passed. She had pretended to be calm and composed, but in reality, Madam Jo’s words had shredded her heart. The facade she had stubbornly worn finally peeled away. Madam Jo knew Tae-ryeong’s weaknesses too well: her mother, who died giving birth to her, whom she resented and hated, yet longed for; and herself, who pitied her mother but hated being told she resembled her more than anything. Her vision blurred, her eyes stung, and then tears began to well up. The first tears she had shed since becoming an adult burst forth like a flood. Tae-ryeong lowered her head, large tears falling, and mumbled, “...I’m different from Mom.”
She was living this fiercely to prove it. Not loving, but full of venom, only accumulating money and aiming for revenge. Just then, she heard the sound of a man’s shoes. As the sound grew closer, she roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but it was already too late. Her eyes were red, her cheeks were soaked, and her entire body was trembling. Even though her head was bowed, the gaze on her face was insistent.
“...Don’t look.”
A casual, informal address slipped out of Tae-ryeong’s mouth. A gloomy, venomous, utterly distorted wax doll with no charm whatsoever. It was her true self, stripped of the elegant and proper Yoo Tae-ryeong facade.
“...Don’t ask anything either.”
Her husband quietly approached and gently pulled Tae-ryeong into his arms.
“...Don’t hug me either!”
She tried to push his firm chest with her small hands, but she was already in her husband’s embrace.
“You have to let me hug you; that way I won’t see your face.”
His low voice was subtly mischievous. The moment she flared up and lifted her head, her eyes met her husband’s, who was looking down at her. Something exploded in her chest at his unchanged, tender gaze despite her disheveled state. Tears flowed down again. Everything about this man right now—his gaze, his expression, his tone, his aura—felt impossibly like love.
“Do you really not want anything from me?”
Her husband’s large hand gently brushed her eyes, wiping away her tears.
“I said I’d do anything for you, that I’d gladly let you use me.”
The distance that had opened up between them closed, their bodies pressed together seamlessly once more. And his lips approached. His warm lips touched her cheek, moving along the flowing tears. She knew she should refuse and push him away, but she couldn’t. This man, his embrace, his comfort. She desperately needed them now.
“Please don’t do this to me. What if I act truly wicked and selfish?”
Overwhelmed by the sincerity this man showed, Tae-ryeong closed her eyes. But soft kisses rained down on her closed eyelids.
“I’ll forgive and accept anything, so try it. Then maybe you’ll understand my sincerity.”
“I’m not curious about your sincerity.”
You’re also full of revenge, just like me.
“Don’t be curious. I’ll make you know, just stay by my side.”
It was the first time. Regardless of the purpose, someone had desired her so desperately. Even her grandmother, the only family Tae-ryeong desperately tried to protect, would sigh when alone. Loving her granddaughter, yet hating her granddaughter who had taken her daughter’s life. Suppressed sobs finally burst out of her mouth. As always, her husband was a master of timing. At this moment, Tae-ryeong was barely holding on, her emotions scattered and her mind shattered. And her husband precisely infiltrated that soft, vulnerable gap. She no longer had the strength to resist this man, who was so tender it brought tears to her eyes. Looking at her husband through her wet, long eyelashes, Tae-ryeong whispered, “Just be gentle with me.”
Their parting was inevitable, but she wanted to be greedy for a short time. For this man, for his love.
“Only look at me with those eyes, and only love me.”
Even if it was just acting, she wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by this man. Like now, when he was confusing her. Because he, who was perfect at everything, would also be excellent at acting in love. For the time they had together, she wanted him to be like that.
“Can you do that?”
Kang-joon’s composure vanished because of his wife, who clung to him pitifully with a gaze that made his heart ache.
“Why doesn’t she know?”
He mumbled, slowly reaching out to his wife.
“I’m already only gentle with you.”
With an animalistic intuition, he sensed that his wife, in front of him now, was speaking her truth, not acting.
“I only see you.”
He took her stubborn chin and looked deeply into her eyes, making her long eyelashes flutter.
“And I’m already in love.”
With you. He added the last words, wiping away the tear clinging pitifully to the tip of her long eyelashes with his lips.
So that love.
“Now it’s just you.”
He spoke that heart-pounding name into his wife’s ear for the first time.
“...Joo Se-hee.”
The real name of the woman he loved.
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