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Dojun’s heart began to race.
Though he held her down with his large frame, his soul was already crying out.
The crazy bastard Haejoo spoke of was clearly him.
It felt like scales were growing all over his body.
He naturally assumed Haejoo wouldn’t know, but she knew the crazy things Dojun had done.
“Do you know that man’s name?”
Haejoo closed her eyes and chuckled softly.
Squirming, she lifted her head and gazed at Dojun with a wistful look.
Her clear, transparent eyes held a quiet light in front of him.
Now, Haejoo was within reach, just an arm’s length away.
“Crazy bastard.”
“……!”
“That man’s name. That’s all I know.”
“…….”
“I felt like I was the only fool, so I tried to put on a brave face.”
“Those words……”
“Who would be my man? My sister told me about him.”
At the time, Dojun was hell-bent on protecting Haejoo, even while being called a reckless madman.
He felt that if even he didn’t do this, she would really die.
“So that’s what it was.”
When he heard Haejoo had left, he thought he would never see her again.
Even though he tried to comfort himself by saying it was for the best, forgetting Haejoo was impossible.
The more he struggled, the more it ached.
He regretted not confessing back then, thinking he should have at least tried. On the other hand, he remembered praying for her to just stay alive.
“Dojun-ssi must have had it good, having dated.”
Haejoo nodded off after a few glasses of champagne. Even that image looked small and fragile.
Dojun, having put down his glass, quietly stood up. He supported Haejoo’s head and gently helped her lean against the sofa.
“I’ve always…… done it. Dating, I mean.”
Her soft breathing tickled Dojun’s ear. Just looking at her face, flushed with a rosy hue, felt like he had gained everything.
Haejoo didn’t hear Dojun’s soliloquy.
The outing during the day must have been tiring, as she had fallen into a deep sleep.
“I know it’s a foolish question, but I want to ask again.”
“…….”
“Back then, if that crazy bastard had appeared in front of you, could you have liked him?”
It was a question without an answer.
Resigned, he poured the remaining champagne and drank it.
He was about to get up and clean up when Haejoo stirred.
She mumbled as if talking in her sleep.
“If you had confessed……”
How desperate must she have been back then to consider a crazy man she didn’t even know a hero?
No one protected Haejoo. Her so-called family exploited her, threatened her, and drove her to the edge.
For her sake, only that crazy bastard raged.
Thanks to the accident Dojun caused, the settlement money CEO Park paid was substantial.
He didn’t care if he was cursed at, as long as Haejoo was safe.
“Let’s not break up, Haejoo-ya.”
He was desperate.
He prayed and prayed again that he would never be separated from Haejoo again.
Divorce after a year was never an option for Dojun from the start.
Difficult obstacles were expected, but compared to the years he had waited while grinding his teeth, it was nothing.
“I’ll take you to bed.”
Dojun effortlessly lifted Haejoo in his arms.
As her body floated up, she struggled in surprise. The more she did, the tighter he held her.
He climbed the stairs more slowly than ever.
So that Haejoo wouldn’t be surprised, hoping this time would pass even a little slower.
But soon, he faced the closed door. After pulling the doorknob, he walked to the bed and slowly lowered her.
“Sleep well.”
It was just past three in the afternoon. Dojun was also about to leave the room, thinking of resting for work tomorrow.
Haejoo, who had just barely opened her eyes, asked in a languid voice.
“Why did it take three years?”
“Hmm?”
“Dojun-ssi, you said that you waited for three years. I was wondering why it had to be three years.”
It was a question Dojun didn’t want to answer.
Because he had endured dirty work without hesitation to get to his current position.
Even now, there were many groups waiting to bite at him. If he relaxed his guard even a little, the success he had built up until now could turn into a bubble overnight.
“Because I wanted to become someone I wouldn’t be ashamed of in front of you.”
There was a time when he would let his fists fly to protect Haejoo. Since that was all he knew how to do, he had tarnished his father CEO Park’s reputation.
His only real skill was related to money.
He would occasionally dabble in stocks, but CEO Park would become furious, calling it gambling.
Given these circumstances, in his ignorant days, he had even dismissed his own skills as shameful.
“Uh-huh?”
Haejoo, still under the influence of alcohol, was drowsy and half-asleep.
It didn’t seem like she had understood Dojun’s answer, but he continued speaking.
“I wanted to appear confidently in front of you. That’s all.”
These days, rumors about him being the son of a loan shark still subtly circulated. He was certain that if it weren’t for his current success, he wouldn’t have been able to help Haejoo.
“Sleep quickly.”
Dojun closed the door and lay down on the sofa on the first floor.
As he watched the leaves in the garden swaying in the wind, his phone rang.
It was Secretary Song.
“What’s the matter?”
-I apologize for bothering you while you’re resting. There’s an invitation you declined before, and I was hoping you might reconsider.
“Are there only one or two gatherings asking me to come?”
-This is a gathering that the CEO really should attend.
Dojun rubbed his dry face with the hand holding the phone to his ear. It wasn’t just once or twice that women had flocked to him at any gathering, causing him trouble.
They weren’t the type to be cautious just because Dojun was married.
At times like this, it was better to avoid social gatherings.
“Didn’t we notify them that I wouldn’t be attending?”
-We did, but they contacted us again.
“Where is it?”
-It’s the L Luxury Brand Charity Fashion Show. There’s also a party planned after the fashion show.
“Hoo.”
-It seems very important people have been invited.
“……”
-For example, actress Lee Haejoo?
Dojun sat up abruptly.
He remembered Jinhan taking Haejoo away after lunch today, using that fashion show as an excuse.
“Haejoo is also attending.”
-The organizers seem to need some buzz, so they were hoping the two of you could come as a married couple.
The internet was still buzzing with talk about Haejoo and Dojun.
Aside from the suspicious types, they were referred to as the ultimate visual couple.
Dojun’s profile picture on the introduction of the CEO of Jino Group played a part in this.
What if these two were invited to an official event?
They could portray themselves as a more affectionate couple than anyone else.
“Okay. Let’s attend.”
The fashion show was on Friday evening.
It seemed like it would be worth seeing if well-known tycoons and fashionistas gathered.
After the call, he lay down on the sofa.
Lost in thought, Dojun took a nap.
As he closed his eyes, the word “hero” that Haejoo had murmured in her sleep made his heart swell.
He wondered what was so great about it, but then a raw emotion rose up and tickled him.
Haejoo was beyond that wall. Holding onto a hero she didn’t even know.
As he closed his eyes, a breeze blew into his chest.
It was as warm as if it would soon bloom into a flower, and he fell asleep without realizing it.
Some time passed, and when he opened his eyes again, it was already dusk.
“CEO, dinner is ready.”
“You’ve worked hard. I’ll take care of cleaning up, so you can go.”
“Madam is throwing up right now.”
“Is that so?”
Dojun hurried upstairs to the second floor.
Just as the housekeeper had said, Haejoo was retching in the bathroom.
“It’s me. I’m coming in.”
“Don’t come in!”
Haejoo quickly flushed the toilet.
Her body couldn’t handle alcohol well, so even this small amount was too much.
She had drunk it out of anger at Dojun’s talk about women, and this was the result.
“Are you okay?”
Dojun had entered the bathroom.
He helped Haejoo up and first checked her pale complexion.
“Don’t ever think about drinking again.”
“I won’t.”
Haejoo felt resentful. On top of getting sick from the alcohol, her unfairness piled up like a mountain.
“Ah, I’m dizzy.”
“Does your head hurt?”
“I’m not at all sober, and I have a headache too.”
“Wait here, I’ll go buy some medicine.”
To go to a pharmacy from Dojun’s house, he had to drive for 15 minutes.
He took his car keys and left the house, while Haejoo returned to bed.
“I’m probably the only one who got drunk after drinking champagne.”
Being weak to alcohol, Haejoo didn’t even touch it at important events.
Because of this, awkward situations had repeatedly occurred after she became an actress.
Each time, Jinhan had stepped in to protect her, allowing her to overcome the crisis.
“This is a big problem. Minhee-ssi will probably contact me tomorrow about the outfits.”
Haejoo only remembered up to the part where she had talked to Dojun about the crazy bastard.
She was frustrated by her poor memory, which had been erased by alcohol and sleep.
Even so, the confession about the ‘woman’ Dojun had mentioned made her feel increasingly suffocated the more she thought about it.
“Annoying.”
How many had he met? There must have been some amazing women among those who had passed through him.
Did he really love her? Could he possibly still have lingering feelings……
“That’s it. I’m going to live recklessly from now on too. Of course, after a year.”
More than half of her beautiful twenties were about to be tied up and flown away whole due to marriage.
She knew she shouldn’t feel this way, but it was hard to stop the gloomy feeling.
She kept falling into complicated thoughts.
Then, just as she was falling into a light sleep, Dojun returned, breathing heavily.
“Take your medicine.”
He abruptly lifted Haejoo’s body.
Still drunk with sleep, she trembled at his rough touch.
“And you were thinking of drinking while in this state?”
“Who was the one who cheated…….”
Dojun silently opened the cap of the liquid medicine and tore open the package of the pills he had bought. He handed her the water glass first and then grumbled with a stern look.
“It was just something I said, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
It was a very insincere explanation.
However, her pride wouldn’t allow her to show her displeasure.
“Okay.”
“Believe me, I haven’t done anything shameful that you’re thinking of.”
She really wanted to believe him. For the sake of their future too.
If his words were a lie, talk about his private life would soon become the talk of the town.
“Thank you for the medicine.”
Haejoo swallowed the pills. She took a sip of water, but it felt uncomfortable, like it was stuck in her throat.
She couldn’t tell if the medicine was stuck or if her heart was aching.
“Have you eaten?”
“I don’t feel like it right now.”
“Then rest.”
Dojun left, and Haejoo quickly fell asleep.
She heard someone trying to wake her up in the middle, but she couldn’t get up.
When she opened her eyes, the weekend night had passed.
The lingering hangover and body aches made her feel terrible.
“Ah, what should I do.”
She must have become weak from being stressed by various things lately. On top of that, she had drunk alcohol, so she had fallen ill.
It seemed she would be sick all day.
“Lee Haejoo, wake up.”
Dojun, dressed in a suit, came to Haejoo’s room.
He sat her up, looking haggard from the night, and placed the tray he had brought in front of her.
It was porridge.
“I’ll just take care of urgent business and come back soon.”
“You don’t have to. I just have a hangover, that’s all.”
“Let’s go to the hospital later.”
Dojun, leaving those words, went to work.
Haejoo took a few spoonfuls of porridge and put down the tray.
She had no appetite at all.
Just when she desperately wanted to sleep, the phone rang. It was Minhee.
“Yes, Minhee-ssi.”
-Unnie, what’s wrong with your voice?
“I think I have the flu. I feel a bit tired.”
-Oh my, really? Should I send Hyun-sung?
“No, it’s okay. I just need to rest.”
-You won’t be able to come to the office to see the outfits today then. Shall I come over in the afternoon?
“I’m sorry, but if it’s not urgent, could we see them tomorrow?”
-I’ll tell the director that.
“Okay, please.”
The housekeeper took the tray away. Haejoo burrowed under the covers and tried to sleep while looking out the window.
Countless dreams passed through Haejoo’s consciousness.
How much time had passed? She woke up to a familiar voice.
“Haejoo-ssi, can you see me?”
It was Jinhan.
Hyun-sung was with him.
“How did you get here?”
“I came on a whim, and the housekeeper happened to open the door.”
“You didn’t have to come.”
“For someone who doesn’t even show it when they’re quite sick to be lying down like this, it speaks volumes. Let’s go to the hospital first.”
Jinhan and Hyun-sung supported Haejoo and helped her sit up.
“It’s not bad enough to go to the hospital.”
“Look in the mirror. See what state you’re in.”
Even a slight touch made her skin ache and hurt. She seemed to have a bad case of the flu, so she had no choice but to get medical attention.
“Dojun-ssi will be here.”
“What time do you think someone who’s gone to work will come?”
“Still……”
“What is this? Your body is burning up!”
When she woke up, she was so dizzy she could barely keep her balance.
Even if it wasn’t for that damn alcohol, Haejoo’s body was already aching enough.
“Let me carry you on my back.”
“No, I can walk.”
Hyun-sung brought a thin outer garment and draped it over Haejoo’s shoulders.
As they supported her on both sides and went down the stairs, her legs gave out.
“This won’t do.”
Jinhan pulled Haejoo into his arms.
Just as he was about to hold her sideways, Dojun walked in.
“Take that hand off her.”
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