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Psst! We're moving!
Taeryeong recalled what she had said throughout her shower.
“From now on, when it’s just the two of us, will you call me Joo Se-hee?”
She admitted it was an impulsive remark, but she didn’t regret it. She desperately wanted to hear the name Joo Se-hee, called by her husband, even just one more time. She didn’t want to forget his gaze, his expression, his voice when he called her name. She didn’t want it to fade with the passage of time. Even if it was a selfish desire of her own, she still wanted it. Turning off the shower knob, Taeryeong murmured weakly, “Only 4 days left.”
The last moments she would spend with Seo Kang-joon. And finally, tomorrow was the day they were to leave on their trip together. All Taeryeong did for that trip was choose the dress she would wear that day. She didn’t ask where they were going or what they would do there. She wanted to do whatever Kang-joon wanted, and everything was fine with her. That was the last consideration she could offer her husband. No matter what she did, the end was already set. So, she wanted to laugh to her heart’s content, be happy, and love honestly. Until the very last moment, she hoped she would look very pretty to him.
“It’s not difficult.”
So, she could do it. Taeryeong whispered to herself repeatedly, as if making a promise, and left the bathroom.
________________________________________
Her husband always showered later than her. But today, he finished first and sat on the sofa, staring intently at Taeryeong. Their eyes had met countless times, but why did her heart always pound so much, and her mouth feel so dry? Thirsty, Taeryeong headed to the kitchen. Kang-joon followed her, sauntering. After drinking a glass of cool water, Taeryeong turned around and flinched. It was because Kang-joon was standing too close behind her.
“Do you want some water too, Kang-joon?”
At Taeryeong’s question, Kang-joon silently shook his head. Why was her husband acting like this? A question arose, but Taeryeong left the kitchen again and walked down the hallway. But again, Kang-joon slowly followed her with his characteristic steps. It bothered her, but Taeryeong pretended not to notice and kept walking, wanting to see what he would do. This time, she headed to the dressing room where the scale was. She remembered eating diligently after finding out why her husband wasn’t holding her. Had she reached her target weight? In truth, her weight no longer mattered to Taeryeong. Regardless of her weight, she wanted to be held by her husband tonight. They didn’t have much time left. So Taeryeong wanted it, and she hoped her husband would too. Her husband’s gaze, standing at the entrance and looking at her sideways, was persistent. The more he stared, the more Taeryeong deliberately stepped onto the scale slowly. She closed her eyes, exhaled deeply, then slowly opened her eyes wider and wider. ...88 kilograms? Just as she thought the scale was broken, the number suddenly shot up higher. Kang-joon had climbed onto the scale with her, hugging her from behind.
“Don’t be so desperate to gain weight.”
“...”
“I’ll be satisfied if you eat comfortably without worrying about your weight.”
In Kang-joon’s arms, Taeryeong sighed softly. Did she look that way to him too? Of course, she admitted she was quite desperate now. But no matter how she thought about it, this method was the most certain. A way to deeply engrave the man Seo Kang-joon into her entire body and heart. Taeryeong actually wanted to ask Kang-joon, “Why won’t you hold me because of my weight? You don’t know that we don’t have much time left.” Suddenly feeling sad, Taeryeong twisted in his arms and quietly looked up at Kang-joon.
“If I don’t reach my target weight...”
Her voice was small, barely audible. Taeryeong whispered into Kang-joon’s ear as he indifferently lowered his face.
“You won’t hold me.”
Shyly yet sorrowfully, she continued,
“But I want to be held by you, Kang-joon. If you’re okay with it.”
When Taeryeong paused, Kang-joon also fell silent.
“...Tonight.”
At his wife’s final whisper, his brain seemed to stop and his heart sank. His black eyes, instantly flushed with heat, gazed at Taeryeong. Her clear eyes, neat face, and innocent expression that knew nothing of pretense. Yet, it was so breathlessly alluring that he desperately wanted to give in. But if he held her tonight, they might not be able to go on their trip tomorrow. He felt that he wouldn’t be able to stop once he started, given how much he had endured. So, he had to resist his wife’s temptation again today. Instead of answering, Kang-joon took a step back. Anxiety was evident in his wife’s eyes as she stared at him. She seemed strangely agitated too. Why? With only one day left, what was the rush? What was going through that small head of hers? But without revealing anything, Kang-joon smiled calmly.
“We might not be able to go on our trip tomorrow.”
“...”
“Would that be okay?”
Instead of answering, Taeryeong brushed past Kang-joon, sending a cold gust of wind. Why did her wife’s back, which always seemed so delicate and small, suddenly feel scary? It must be because he had committed a sin. Because he was foolishly doubting his wife due to unnecessary anxieties. Kang-joon quickly approached and hugged Taeryeong from behind.
“Are you perhaps angry?”
He felt ridiculous for doubting her, like a husband with Othello syndrome. She said she loved him, she smiled beautifully, she said she would agree to anything. She even allowed him to call her Joo Se-hee. Such a person wouldn’t prepare to leave him. Kang-joon walked with Taeryeong held in his arms as she tried to walk without answering. When she stopped, he stopped with her.
“Let me go. I can’t walk properly because of you, Kang-joon.”
Despite his wife’s scolding, Kang-joon absolutely refused to let go. Even if they had to walk awkwardly, like one body. Eventually, Taeryeong gave up walking and spoke with a sigh from within his arms.
“I know, I understand completely. But I can’t help but feel embarrassed.”
She felt as if her clumsy seduction had been rejected. She felt like she was the only one being sneaky. How could she not be embarrassed? Taeryeong’s small, murmuring additions were adorable. This woman, who knew nothing of coquetry or pretense, her honesty, her innocence, drove him crazy. His heart warmed, and Kang-joon quickly admitted his mistake.
“I admit it’s all my fault. Should I get on my knees and beg?”
Because he was so suspicious, because he was like a beast.
“I’m not angry.”
“How can I make you forgive me?”
“...I told you I’m not angry.”
Seeing her shorten her words, she was truly angry, Joo Se-hee. Kang-joon barely suppressed the urge for the corners of his mouth to turn up and asked calmly,
“Are we having a marital spat right now?”
“That’s ridiculous! No, we’re not!”
Kang-joon silently kissed his wife’s fair neck as she bristled. Her delicate shoulders flinched and rose, but she didn’t try to escape his embrace. It felt like a signal for more, so Kang-joon rained small kisses on his wife’s neck and shoulders. Her faint struggles gradually turned into chirping laughter. Now he seemed to understand. How to appease his angry wife. For big mistakes, he should kneel and beg forgiveness verbally. For small mistakes, he should do it physically, with affection, just like now. It was a moment of wise realization. His chest swelled with pride because his wife was now laughing, saying it tickled. It was like he had acquired a new skill as a married man.
“I’ve calmed down, so let me go. I’m too weak from laughing so much.”
Instead of answering, Kang-joon lifted Taeryeong up and made her stand on his feet. Of course, he had her delicate waist tightly encircled with his strong arms.
“I’ll escort you to the bedroom, wife.”
With each step, Kang-joon didn’t forget to kiss Taeryeong’s neck and shoulders. Taeryeong’s clear laughter echoed through the hallway, and it resonated in Kang-joon’s heart as well.
________________________________________
Deep in the night, Young-guk was drinking whiskey alone in his study. The conclusion he reached every time he recalled the lunch invitation at the Han-shin main house was always one:
“It has to be that girl.”
Capturing the heart of the Han-shin successor and gaining favor with Chairman Seo. His own daughter, who knew nothing but how to play and spend money, could never do what that girl did. But his wife, Young-hee, was still confident.
‘Don’t worry, I can perfectly control our daughter. She’s a hundred out of a hundred when she’s told to do something, even if she doesn’t do it herself.’
He recalled the woman from 29 years ago, with a face identical to Young-hee’s but an entirely different aura. She was ignorant but not vulgar, and possessed a neat, clean sexiness. It was fortunate she was hidden away in the countryside, or else men would have noticed her long ago. Both that woman and that girl had something that captivated men.
“Blood doesn’t lie.”
That day, Young-guk saw it. The obsessive emotion that the Han-shin successor cunningly hid within his cold eyes, half-mad with infatuation for that girl. Now, Young-guk’s vice-presidency at Inno Group, which was only a title, was also precarious. Rather than worrying about that position, it would be better to take charge of one of the Han-shin Group’s well-performing subsidiaries. Han-shin Motors was taken by Seo Kang-joon, so Han-shin Construction or Han-shin Electronics seemed good too. Just thinking about it brought a contented smile to his face. Suddenly, he remembered the girl who hadn’t immediately taken the offer. Her neat yet stubborn gaze. He thought she had only inherited her birth mother’s sexiness, but it seemed she had inherited her stubbornness too. That woman was also incredibly stubborn. If she hadn’t grown up in the countryside, it wouldn’t have been easy to deceive her. She only came into his arms after he showed her the divorce papers he had jokingly prepared. Young-guk chuckled.
“She has nothing, yet she plays hard to get. If I offer it one more time, she’ll give in, pretending she couldn’t refuse.”
It was easy to persuade his immature daughter, whose heart had already left this marriage. Now he only needed to persuade that girl, but Young-guk had to choose. That girl, or his old wife. Like oil and water, the two could never mix or coexist. And, of course, Young-guk’s choice right now was the girl, whose usefulness was twice as high. He could persuade his wife to divorce temporarily and then reconcile after achieving their goals. Though he doubted they would ever reconcile later.
________________________________________
They left early in the morning, but the road was heavily congested. The car exited the outer ring road and drove on the highway for a long time. Until then, Taeryeong quietly gazed out the window. Kang-joon, who occasionally glanced at the silent Taeryeong while driving, spoke first.
“Aren’t you curious where we’re going? Or about today’s schedule?”
“Anywhere is fine, and anything we do is fine with me.”
Had she answered too submissively? As Kang-joon stared intently, as if trying to discern her true feelings, Taeryeong smiled sweetly.
“It’s about going and doing things together with you, Kang-joon.”
A four-day, three-night trip that he personally prepared for her. Of course, she wouldn’t dislike it. That was Taeryeong’s true feeling. Kang-joon, who had been staring at Taeryeong, quietly took her hand. He interlocked their fingers and played with her hand as he calmly began to speak.
“There’s a nice place in Gangwon Province. Quiet, comfortable, and private because it’s surrounded.”
“That sounds good.”
“There’s no bathroom and no chairs to sit on either.”
“That’s good too.”
“And we might sweat profusely under the scorching sun.”
“Still good.”
At her consistent answers, Kang-joon raised an eyebrow and muttered,
“You’d say yes even if I told you to go to hell.”
“How did you know? For this trip, I’m going to say yes to everything you suggest, Kang-joon.”
Taeryeong’s eyes widened, and she laughed innocently, which finally made Kang-joon chuckle too. In that moment, Taeryeong was simply happy. Just looking at this man, just being with him, just breathing the same air as him. After a three-and-a-half-hour drive, they arrived at a villa. It seemed quite old but was a picturesque place by a lake.
“Go change your clothes and come out. Oh, will it take long?”
Taeryeong seemed to understand Kang-joon’s intention. Bride, wedding dress, wedding ceremony. Of course, he would think it would take a long time to prepare.
“I just need to shower and change, so it’ll take about 30 minutes.”
“That fast?”
“You said my bare face is pretty. Or, should I put on makeup?”
Taeryeong smiled at Kang-joon, who quickly said no, and went into the room. She lightly showered, then just dried her hair and let it fall naturally. She didn’t put on makeup, only lightly applied sunscreen. She wasn’t Yoo Taeryeong today. For this trip, she wanted to be with her husband as Joo Se-hee. Taeryeong, dressed in the dress, stared at herself in the mirror. Her clear, makeup-free face, her jet-black hair falling naturally to her waist without any styling. A pure white, knee-length bustier-style long dress without any embellishments. Taeryeong knew herself well. That she was most natural and beautiful when she wasn’t made up.
“Will Kang-joon say I’m pretty?”
She hoped she would look very pretty to him. So she wished this appearance would be deeply imprinted on her husband. With a fervent wish in her heart, Taeryeong slowly opened the door and walked out. In the middle of the living room, she saw a tall back in a navy suit.
“Kang-joon?”
What was it about this that made her heart pound just calling her husband’s name? When Taeryeong called softly, Kang-joon slowly turned around, his eyes and expression indifferent. But after fully turning, he stared intently at Taeryeong with narrowed eyes. Silently, for a long time, as if captivated.
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