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It was Dojun’s voice, low, calm, and laced with a languidness.
He had already wrapped his arms around Haejoo and turned off the phone’s flashlight.
“......!”
Every hair on Haejoo’s body stood on end.
It was as if time had stopped, and she even forgot that it was night.
She felt his breath on her nape. Her senses, heightened in an instant, sent a strange tension down her spine to her fingertips.
“I think there’s a power outage.”
Dojun’s arms had already burrowed deep into her embrace.
There was no space left between the two bodies pressed so closely together.
A subtle groan escaped him in that instant.
As his quickened breath stirred the back of Haejoo’s neck, Dojun replied, “It’s been like this since I got here.”
Whenever Dojun wasn’t home, Haejoo always slept with the lights on. Even though she was an adult now, the darkness where she couldn’t see an inch ahead was still terrifying.
The painful memory of being trapped in the narrow bathroom was due to the despair that she might not escape this darkness even in death.
“This is different from our promise.”
“I don’t want you to lie in front of the public because of me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want Lee Haejoo to feel nervous every night because of me.”
“......!”
“I’m sorry to you, but the truth is, I’ve been welcoming the power outages lately.”
Haejoo couldn’t intentionally cause a power outage.
However, there was an anticipation that bloomed beneath the fear she felt in the deep darkness.
It was like an unspoken rule that when the power went out, Dojun would appear before Haejoo.
“At least put on a t-shirt.”
“It’s hot.”
“If you keep doing this, it’s a bit...”
Dojun raised his upper body and looked down at Haejoo, who was flustered.
Then, he wrapped his arms around her small frame again.
“I’ll look forward to your next interview too.”
“......!”
“Although I don’t know if I’ll have any patience left by then.”
Having someone next to her was a very unfamiliar experience for Haejoo.
It was different from when her father had hugged her as a child.
Dojun wasn’t her father.
He was a charming man and husband who unknowingly made her act like a sly fox.
Dojun’s embrace that enveloped Haejoo was as vast and dazzling as the sea. He held her small frame as if looking at the sun that had briefly hidden in the night sky, holding his breath.
Now, even without the lights, it was okay.
Haejoo, using the night as an excuse, raised both hands and wrapped them around his broad back.
She didn’t know how much time passed like that.
Haejoo, who had been closing her eyes tensely, woke up to find the space beside her empty; it was morning.
“I didn’t hear the alarm.”
These days, if she missed Dojun before he left for work, it was hard to run into him.
She hurriedly went downstairs and found him in the kitchen with the light on.
“What are you doing there?”
“Making breakfast.”
“Because of yesterday’s interview?”
“It might be fun to just go with the flow.”
What Dojun had prepared was a simple meal of toasted bread and fried eggs. It looked edible, even if a bit clumsy.
“Let’s eat.”
Haejoo, on her way to the table, noticed a large suitcase placed by the front door.
Pointing at the suitcase as he pulled out a chair for her, she asked, “Where are you going?”
“If things go well, I might be able to go on a business trip to Hong Kong tonight.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“At least a month?”
“A whole month?”
“Instead of establishing a new overseas branch, I think it would be better to acquire a global bank in Hong Kong.”
Currently, the Jino Group was operating a subsidiary called Jino Investment & Finance.
Thanks to the well-established foundation in the domestic market, it was unshaken by most adversities.
“Aren’t you expanding things too much?”
“There’s also a way to nurture it well and resell it.”
“......!”
Dojun’s business acumen was at a level that made one’s jaw drop.
Even in the securities industry, there were comments that he was leading the trends.
“If it takes a month...”
“Someone will come today to install a backup generator.”
“A backup generator?”
“With the new housing complex being built, there’s a lot of construction, so power outages are frequent.”
“Ah.”
“If we install a backup generator, the chances of a power outage when you’re alone will decrease.”
Anyone couldn’t just act like a sly fox.
For a timid Type A fox, the influence of the environment couldn’t be ignored.
Yesterday, she had slept in the same bed as Dojun. After just one night, the space beside her already felt empty without him.
Telling him not to go would be unreasonable, but letting him go coolly was something her narrow heart wouldn’t allow.
If he absolutely had to go, he would have to step all over her.
“Have a safe trip.”
“You’re not feeling sad?”
“We’re just a couple in name only anyway.”
“That name will soon be engraved in your bones, so just wait.”
Dojun’s words, close to a prophecy, struck Haejoo’s heart.
Just then, Secretary Song arrived, and he finished his meal hastily and stood up.
“I’ll head out first.”
She didn’t know that such a short greeting could leave such a long lingering feeling.
Since they weren’t an ordinary couple, Haejoo had to be satisfied with just nodding.
“What is what...”
Dojun was someone she couldn’t quite figure out.
Sometimes he would rush at her as if he would do something right away, but on nights like last night, he showed extreme patience.
And today.
Without any particular gestures, he picked up his suitcase and left the house.
Leaving her with a deadline of one month.
________________________________________
Kyung-ae was living in a neighborhood known as a wealthy area even in the Philippines.
Of course, this wasn’t her own home.
Driven to desperation, she had found a job as a live-in housekeeper for an American family.
“Ugh, I’m going to die.”
The lady of the house couldn’t stand seeing Kyung-ae idle.
Not only did she make her clean the floors all day, but she also assigned her various chores late into the night.
The money she received for this was at the level of a local’s salary, incomparable to Korean wages.
“I’m dying, I’m dying.”
Late at night, the couple of the house were leisurely watching a movie.
It happened to be a movie starring Haejoo, which was gaining popularity even overseas.
They constantly admired Haejoo’s mysterious aura.
Kyung-ae, who had actually given birth to such a daughter, only finished cleaning the bathroom late at night.
“I’m going to go rest now.”
“There’s a lot to do tomorrow, so wake up early.”
Kyung-ae turned away, giving a silent jeer to the cold-hearted woman of the house.
She secretly went to the kitchen, stole a can of beer, and went to her room.
The room Kyung-ae was in didn’t even have air conditioning. She turned on an old fan, opened the beer can, and gulped it down in one go.
“Ugh, my fate! Why did that bitch Yura have to cheat?”
Life hadn’t been easy even when she lived with her son-in-law.
She had to be careful not to offend him, but at least she lived in a house with air conditioning.
Now, she couldn’t even return to Korea, which was despairing.
“If I had known this would happen, should I have been nicer to Haejoo?”
Her deceased husband was a brilliant man who had graduated from a prestigious university despite coming from a poor family.
She had met him at a drinking party her friend had invited him to, and a one-night stand had resulted in Yura.
Only later did she learn that he had a deep first love.
What annoyed her even more was that her husband had never forgotten his first love and had longed for her his entire life.
Kyung-ae, who was naturally jealous, picked fights with her husband over every little thing.
“My fate...”
Having a family unexpectedly, he had worked relentlessly.
Knowing that Kyung-ae was a spendthrift, her husband hadn’t given her control of the finances, and she only barely received enough for monthly living expenses. Kyung-ae’s heart had festered.
The neighborhood people, unaware of these circumstances, openly gossiped about how her husband was too good for her.
Around the time she decided to divorce, her second child, Haejoo, was conceived.
Having grown irreconcilably distant as a couple, they reluctantly had to continue living together.
Haejoo, unfortunately, was born looking exactly like her handsome husband.
From the moment she was born, her husband doted on her so much that Yura, who was Kyung-ae’s spitting image, became the unwanted child. This was the same at her husband’s family home, leading to a big fight and a severed relationship.
After the divorce, when her husband died and she brought Haejoo, everyone praised her beauty. Kyung-ae hated hearing that so much.
Seeing Haejoo was like seeing her deceased husband, so she treated her harshly.
“Should I apologize to Haejoo now and ask for her help?”
As her worries grew, she finally decided to call Yura after much deliberation. It had been exactly three weeks since her call with Choi Young-sook.
The phone rang without an answer, and just as she was about to hang up, she heard Yura’s barely audible voice.
-Mom, why?
“Why does your voice sound so weak?”
-I really can’t work here anymore.
“What are you doing?”
-Just working in a greenhouse. It’s so hot and really... I feel like I’m going to die.
Yura sobbed.
-They said I have to go out in the scorching sun tomorrow and pick watermelons.
“Hey, run away.”
-What?
“I said run away.”
-What if I get caught again?
“Go to Haejoo.”
-I can’t! Don’t you know who she’s living with now?
“Who is she living with?”
Frustrated by Kyung-ae’s ignorance, Yura hit her chest.
-Haejoo is living with President Park’s second son!
“No, why?”
Kyung-ae’s mind went blank at the unexpected news. She frowned unsightly and listened to Yura’s words.
-Haejoo registered her marriage a long time ago, remember?
“Yes! With President Park’s eldest son.”
-It seems the marriage registration was with President Park’s second son.
“What?”
-Apparently, it caused a huge commotion in Korea.
“That can’t be.”
-You didn’t know either, did you, Mom?
At the time, Kyung-ae had heard that President Park wanted to hold a posthumous wedding for his sick son if he died.
She immediately went to President Park and begged him to clear her debts in exchange for marrying Haejoo to his son.
He had initially scolded her, but when she insisted on sending Haejoo, he reluctantly agreed.
The day Haejoo came back after registering the marriage, she stayed locked in her room all day.
Yet, Kyung-ae offered no comfort.
“I thought it was with the eldest son of that family.”
-Her agency explained that the two were deeply in love and had been living together for three years.
“They’re lying.”
-But that man also announced that he loves Haejoo!
“Is there something I don’t know?”
No matter how she thought about it, there was no connection between President Park’s second son and Haejoo in Kyung-ae’s mind.
The talk of love, as far as Kyung-ae knew, was a clear lie.
“Have you talked to Haejoo?”
-I contacted Haejoo’s agency, and they treated me like I was the worst person in the world.
“Then it’ll be even harder to meet her, right?”
-She’s not the Haejoo we used to know, Mom.
Kyung-ae also found it difficult to hold on like this.
While tearing at her hair, unable to think straight, a clever idea came to mind.
“Do exactly as I tell you from now on.”
After all, Haejoo was her daughter too.
She might be successful now, but her inherent roots couldn’t be ignored.
A little while later, Kyung-ae, having finished her call with Yura, immediately fell into a deep sleep.
________________________________________
Haejoo spent busy days.
Before the full-fledged movie filming began, she handled the delayed CF and photoshoot schedules.
In her spare moments, she gathered with the other actors at Director Kwak’s company practice room. As the role of Sohee was a crucial one, she had to communicate closely with Park PD, who was in charge of acting guidance.
Yoonji also applied herself quite diligently. On days when they didn’t gather, she underwent rigorous acting training at her agency’s practice room.
However, she still didn’t quite meet Director Kwak’s expectations.
In the end, Director Kwak decided to reduce the importance of Young-in’s role and informed Yoonji.
“If that’s the director’s opinion, there’s nothing I can do.”
After the other actors had left, only Haejoo and Yoonji remained in the practice room.
They had to rehearse a scene where the two confronted each other.
But Yoonji just sat powerlessly on the floor.
“Sunbaenim, the next scene...”
“Could we do it tomorrow? I don’t have any energy today.”
“Please don’t be too disheartened.”
Haejoo gathered her bag, ready to leave the practice room.
Yoonji, who had been watching her, asked casually, as if talking to herself, “What’s it like living in the same house with someone you’re not even dating?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not trying to pick a fight, I’m genuinely curious.”
“That person and I, for a whole three years...”
“I know it’s just a marriage of convenience.”
Haejoo’s face hardened.
“But you’ve changed lately.”
“Me?”
“Just looking at your expression, our movie looks like a romance.”
“......!”
Yoonji got up and brushed off her clothes.
“Be careful in front of the director. He pretends not to notice, but he sees everything.”
Recently, Haejoo had been deliberately avoiding Jinhan.
Even after Yoonji left the practice room, Haejoo sat alone, lost in thought.
“Noona, shall we go if you’re done?”
“Yeah.”
As soon as Haejoo got into the van, Hyun-sung brought up an important matter.
“We rented accommodation in Jeju Island today.”
“Really?”
“The director asked if you’d like to go down first and get adjusted.”
“What about the other actors?”
“They said they’ll finalize their schedules and go within this week.”
Then Haejoo had to go too.
As it was a highly anticipated movie, she planned to go down first and fully focus on the role of Sohee.
“Let’s go too.”
“Then I’ll prepare the plane tickets.”
Haejoo returned to her empty house.
She tried calling Dojun, but he didn’t answer.
The only contact she had with him was a brief call before he boarded his flight yesterday, saying he had business in New York.
[I’m going down to Jeju Island this week.]
In the end, Dojun couldn’t come to Korea even after more than a month.
Satisfied with occasionally chatting with him, Haejoo took out her suitcase.
________________________________________
Dojun successfully acquired the global bank. He achieved a great outcome after implementing ruthless strategies with M&A experts.
This news was widely covered even in domestic economic news.
On his way back to Korea.
Dojun was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the plane the whole time, unaware that his phone had died.
Only after getting off the plane and on his way home did he read the message Haejoo had sent.
[I’m going to Jeju Island now. I’ll leave the accommodation address in a message.]
Belatedly, a fire ignited in Dojun’s heart.
The message had been sent just 15 minutes ago, and he urgently pressed Secretary Song.
“We need to go quickly.”
“Yes, President!”
He tried calling Haejoo, but she didn’t answer.
As soon as the car stopped in front of the house, Dojun was greeted by a dark house.
A sense of emptiness washed over him.
Secretary Song approached him from behind as he stood in the entrance, breathing heavily.
“Shall we go to the airport now, President?”
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