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“Jinkyung, you can tell him everything you know well.”
Kang-joon’s leisurely remark made Jinkyung blink. Did I hear that right?
“So, what you just said, Mr. Seo Kang-joon, means... you want me to tell you, on my own, and well?”
“Only about Joo Sehee.”
“Ah, yes. So, only about Sehee, not me.”
What this man meant was: figure out the useful information yourself and briefly tell him. Ugh, I can’t even force a laugh. The saying “a leopard can’t change its spots” definitely applies here. He’s always been someone who rules and gives orders from above, and seeing him treat people like that even in a private setting... Still, how can he take my well-intentioned words and treat them like orders from a boss? His looks are incredible, but his personality is a bit off.
“Is there anything you’re curious about regarding Sehee?”
“No.”
Barely resisting the urge to ask, “Do you even love our Sehee?”, Jinkyung gently asked again.
“Then, is there anything you’d like to hear?”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
At Kang-joon’s sharp retort, Jinkyung’s eyelids fluttered. He’s right, it is the same thing, but does he have to say it like that? She wanted to just give up, but she was the one who had offered to tell him anything. Besides, her brother had made an absurd mistake, and the two C-brand bags Sehee bought at the department store were charged to this man’s black card. The conclusion was that she had to speak well, no matter what, but she didn’t know what to say. Helpless, Jinkyung decided to be honest.
“I’m not very quick-witted, so could you please just pinpoint what you want to ask?”
Thankfully, Kang-joon readily accepted Jinkyung’s request.
“Do you wish for me to marry Sehee? Or do you wish for me to give up for Sehee’s sake?”
“Of course I wish for you to marry her!”
“Then, for me, who wishes to marry Sehee, do you have any advice as a friend?”
Advice. Only then did something come to Jinkyung’s mind, and she opened her mouth.
“Sehee has immense pride and is incredibly suspicious. She’s so cautious she’ll knock on a stone bridge dozens of times before crossing, and she despises receiving help. That’s because she grew up in an environment where she had no choice but to develop a self-defensive personality from a young age.”
Even as she spoke, Jinkyung suddenly worried. Could this man, who was born a third-generation chaebol, truly understand Joo Sehee? Even I sometimes find Sehee’s caution frustrating.
“What I want to say is that if you want to marry Sehee, you need immense patience and endurance. She’s frustratingly cautious and thinks a lot, so everything takes a long time for her. Because that’s how Sehee has lived her life until now.”
“As you can see, I have an abundance of patience and endurance.”
At the arrogant reply from a man who seemed to have no patience or endurance, Jinkyung almost snorted. He didn’t seem to know how he appeared, but she decided to let it go for now.
“Then, do you know about Sehee’s past? Her parents, aunt, and so on.”
“I know everything.”
Kang-joon answered so indifferently and calmly about something that made everyone in the neighborhood frown. As if it were nothing. Jinkyung liked that.
“Then do you also know that Sehee has a big trauma?”
“I don’t know that.”
“It’s my personal opinion, but I think Sehee’s biggest reason for rejecting marriage is her trauma. The words Sehee hates hearing most are that she resembles her mother, and if she marries you, Mr. Kang-joon, Sehee would become even worse than her mother.”
Hesitating for a moment, Jinkyung stood up and whispered in Kang-joon’s ear. Not only did she try to steal her twin sister’s husband, but she also had a child with him, that dirty... B***.* She repeated exactly what the neighborhood people had said to describe Sehee’s mother. But instead of frowning, Kang-joon’s face remained emotionless. No empathy, no aversion. How can he love when he’s so emotionally dry? Grumbling internally, Jinkyung sat down again and continued.
“Sehee’s aunt spread bad rumors in the neighborhood, and Sehee had a very hard time. She wanted to move, but she had no money. Wherever she went, people would whisper that she was the dirty b****’s daughter, and they would avoid her because she was ‘dirty.’ Sehee silently endured that for over 10 years. That’s why Sehee is sensitive to public attention and absolutely hates being conspicuous.”
“...”
“Other people, who know nothing, will say things like, ‘Why is she so arrogantly rejecting a chaebol’s proposal?’ and ‘Why is she acting selfishly, not thinking about the child?’“
Jinkyung suddenly stopped speaking. She had thought the same until now. But as she spoke as if she were Sehee, she finally understood Sehee’s feelings.
“But if Sehee marries you, Mr. Seo Kang-joon, she’ll become worse than her own mother. Not only will the attention of the entire Korean public be on Sehee and the child, but Sehee’s past will also be dug up. Because her husband is Seo Kang-joon.”
“...”
“In that situation, the label she barely managed to remove would naturally be passed on to her child.”
Kang-joon, who had been listening indifferently until now, finally wore an expression of deep thought.
“In conclusion, marrying Mr. Seo Kang-joon means cautious Sehee will have many risks to accept and traumas to overcome. Overcoming trauma is a battle one fights alone.”
After understanding Sehee, Jinkyung felt confused belatedly. Was what I was saying now right? Was I not deterring Sehee’s marriage, but rather encouraging it? Especially to the cold man in front of her who seemed to lack emotion. Jinkyung felt a lump in her throat and asked with a trembling voice,
“How much do you love Sehee, Mr. Seo Kang-joon?”
“More than myself. Enough to break old convictions and do crazy things I never would have done.”
Kang-joon answered immediately, as if there was no need to ponder. In a low, even tone, with cold, deep eyes, and still an emotionless face. Yet, a deep love for Sehee was palpable. Just then, the two came out from the terrace. Kang-joon stood up calmly, as if nothing had happened, and approached Sehee. At that moment, Jinkyung noticed a surprising change in Seo Kang-joon. The man’s habitually indifferent face softened, and warmth spread in his cold eyes. Even his low voice, whispering like a secret as he put his arm around Sehee’s shoulder, was tender.
“You were standing outside for 11 minutes, weren’t you tired?”
Jinkyung’s mouth dropped slightly open. When did he start keeping track of time, anyway?
“I won’t just ‘something happen’ from standing a little.”
Sehee, grumbling but with a shy smile, had a completely disarmed expression. Joo Sehee, who disliked and guarded against others, was completely open. Only then did Jinkyung also smile quietly. Only Jinwoo had a face that looked like he’d given up on the world.
“Hey, Oppa, cheer up, will ya? Why do you look like death on such a good day? Smile.”
Regardless of his clueless sister poking his side and whispering, Jinwoo looked at Sehee and Kang-joon resentfully. His heart had dropped when Joo Sehee shed tears on the terrace, and her revelation of pregnancy had put an end to his long-cherished, pure love for her. The identity of the man, finally revealed, was also shocking. The successor of the insurmountable Hanshin family. That alone was enough to drive him crazy, but Sehee had made a cruel request.
‘If I end up marrying Kang-joon, can you walk me down the aisle?’
Jinwoo couldn’t bring himself to refuse Sehee’s request, made in a watery voice, saying she considered him family. Should I take on the lead male role in a melodrama now? He felt like he could act the part tragically and sorrowfully.
________________________________________
The dimly lit emergency exit. For an hour, a man hid, looking out the small window, his eyes strained as he watched the foreign car stop in front of the villa entrance. Seeing them talk in front of the car, fortunately, it seemed the man wouldn’t follow her home today. He had been anxious because the person who proposed the deal had explicitly stated that it couldn’t go past this week.
“She’s here, so get ready.”
“But hyung, you’ll still pay us if we fail, right?”
“You bastard! If we fail, there’ll be nothing, you hear me?”
“Oh, then I’m not doing it. What we’re about to do is a real crime, we could go to jail.”
“That’s why we have to succeed. It’s not 200 million won, it’s 2 billion won.”
The main culprit who planned today’s crime was a man Secretary Jeong had scouted under Chairwoman Jo’s orders and moved into the apartment above Sehee’s. A troublesome good-for-nothing who had nothing but a noble appearance, and who lived by scamming women.
“If we just secure the video and threaten her with it, she’ll never be able to report us. Even if she reports it, we can just say it was consensual. I’ve endured so much disrespect, acting friendly where there are CCTVs. Just in case, I even prepared drugs.”
“Still, something feels off.”
“Hey, I told you she was that kind of woman anyway. Who’s going to believe a woman like that? If she whines too much, just give her some money.”
According to the information received from their contact, the woman was “that kind of woman.” Someone who hooks up with a chaebol for living expenses, similar to themselves. But this time, she seemed to have hooked a good one; the class of the man dropping her off at the villa was no joke.
“She looked classy in the picture, but I guess she’s the opposite type when it comes to having fun?”
Only then did his younger brother snicker. In truth, this wasn’t their first crime, so neither man was particularly worried. It was just that they were committing at the woman’s house something they often did in clubs or hotels, like robbers. Rather than worry, it heightened their excitement.
“But hyung, she really looks just like her picture, right?”
“Dude, she’s even better in real life. Don’t worry.”
The man who had opened and then slightly closed the emergency exit door lowered his voice.
“The elevator’s moving. The moment you hear the door open, dart out and cover the woman’s mouth first.”
It was 1 minute before the two men committed the crime.
________________________________________
Perhaps because she had a long chat with Jinkyung, Sehee dozed off in the car. When Sehee opened her eyes, Kang-joon was just pulling up to the villa entrance.
“I was wondering how to wake you up, but I’m grateful you opened your eyes first.”
“You’re grateful for everything.”
Indeed. Kang-joon added softly, turning off the engine.
“I couldn’t ask earlier, but did you cry on the terrace? Your eyes seemed wet.”
“Oh, that? I just did a little tear-acting in front of Jinwoo Oppa.”
In truth, the tears Sehee shed in front of Jinwoo were genuine. She felt Jinwoo wouldn’t give up unless she did something like that. She pushed him away with harsh words, but she considered Jinwoo like her real brother. And she didn’t want to lose Jinwoo because of those feelings. But if she said she really cried, she didn’t know what Kang-joon would do to Jinwoo, so she had no choice but to pretend it was acting.
“To make Kim Jinwoo give up on his long-standing crush, Joo Sehee?”
Sehee’s eyes widened as if asking how he knew that. But Kang-joon had no intention of telling her about his past encounters with Kim Jinwoo. It was all just petty male jealousy. Regardless, Kang-joon was satisfied with today’s outcome. In exchange for taking a punch from Kim Jinwoo, Joo Sehee must have properly drawn a line with him.
“So, you made him give up completely?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know Joo Sehee had a talent for acting.”
“I even played Seo Kang-joon’s fake wife; what can’t I do?”
Resisting the urge to embrace Sehee, who blinked her long eyelashes coyly, Kang-joon got out of the car. As he opened her door, Sehee stepped out of the passenger seat, yawning softly and mumbling,
“I think I’ll just collapse onto the bed and sleep as soon as I get in.”
“You seem very tired; hurry up and go rest.”
She expected her to say okay and turn around. Instead, Sehee stood facing him, looking up at Kang-joon intently.
“Why don’t you ever say you want to come over to my place first, Kang-joon?”
“Well, that’s because if I go into Joo Sehee’s house, I don’t think I’d want to leave. I’m not confident I could make you sleep soundly. There are countless reasons, do you want me to tell you more?”
Kang-joon’s answer finally made Sehee laugh too. After a moment of smiling at each other, Sehee spoke again with a serious expression.
“I gave Aunt my final declaration of war today, and I’ll settle things with her next week.”
Sehee, with her long eyelashes cast down shyly, whispered,
“So, what I mean is... after I settle things with Aunt, I might have a big announcement for you, Kang-joon.”
And then she planted a surprise kiss on Kang-joon’s cheek.
________________________________________
By the time Cha Kang-joon came to his senses, Sehee was already walking away. Kang-joon chuckled, leaning against his car again today, watching. His woman, carrying their child, getting smaller and smaller, until she disappeared from his sight. Soon, the lights in that house would come on, and her small face would shimmer beyond the terrace. Fixing his gaze on Sehee’s house, Kang-joon called Director Yoon.
“I’ll be at the office in 30 minutes, prepare for the meeting.”
Kang-joon’s eyes narrowed as he listened to Director Yoon’s explanation. It had been four minutes and a minute more, but the lights in Joo Sehee’s house hadn’t come on. Was the elevator broken? Was she too tired to even turn on the lights and just collapsed into bed? Or was there a power outage at home? Even so, there was one thing Joo Sehee never forgot once she entered her home. Himself, waiting for her to show her face beyond the terrace. Because he was the one who created that habit for the tender-hearted Joo Sehee, who, even when she completely hid her true feelings and pushed him away, would eventually show her face. So Kang-joon had to confirm.
“Director Yoon, I’ll call you back.”
As Joo Sehee said, he was indeed a coward with a safety obsession. At least when it came to matters related to Joo Sehee.
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