Chapter 14
While Do-hoon was busy blaming himself, Eun-ha quickly straightened her clothes.
She fastened the undone buttons of her blouse, smoothed down her skirt, and patted out the wrinkles.
She also composed her face in an instant. As if wondering when she had even teared up, she quickly schooled her expression and calmly took a portable tissue from her bag to wipe the corners of her mouth.
It was as if what Do-hoon had just seen was a mirage; in a flash, she was neatly put together, staring out the window.
Was she refusing to even look my way?
Even if she pretended otherwise, Do-hoon was starting to be able to recognize that this was the face of someone deeply hurt.
And rightfully so. It made sense her pride was wounded. He had practically mauled her without any explanation, before or after.
Thinking that he had unintentionally hurt her made him feel bad. Precisely because he hadn’t meant to, he felt even worse.
“If I made you feel bad, I apologize.”
Do-hoon apologized sincerely. Only then did Eun-ha turn her head to look at him.
“It wasn’t intentional.”
As soon as he said it, it sounded like an excuse. It even seemed like he was making the same excuse every time. Back at the hotel, after covering her body with red kiss marks, he had said something similar.
Do-hoon made a frustrated face and scowled, then Eun-ha spoke.
“It’s fine.”
“…….”
He would have preferred it if she had shown resentment or anger, but Eun-ha didn’t.
Hiding her expression behind a pale face, she answered as if it were nothing.
She was like a haughty little female kitten, pretending to be aloof while all her nerves were on edge.
“Well, I’m glad then.”
Do-hoon considered comforting her further but decided against it. It seemed like that would hurt her pride even more.
And Eun-ha was also relieved that Do-hoon didn’t probe deeper.
Truthfully, she didn’t really resent him. She was just angry at herself.
After all, she was the one who had yielded to him and accepted the kiss.
In fact, it was also true that she had enjoyed kissing him.
Unable to overcome the instinctual heat rising in her body, she had even wished he would do more.
When she first decided to propose the contract marriage, she hadn’t anticipated a situation like this.
She never thought she’d be so swayed by him even before getting married…
But she couldn’t back out now. She had no other options.
“Don’t meet with Seong-woo from now on.”
While Eun-ha was lost in her complicated feelings, Do-hoon drove the point home.
“Do you still suspect the relationship between Oppa and me?”
Putting everything else aside, him suspecting her relationship with Seong-woo was truly upsetting. She felt so sorry towards Seong-woo too.
“I don’t believe men and women can be just friends. I think it’s better to avoid unnecessary tension for each other.”
It wasn’t absolutely necessary to cut things off to that extent, but he simply didn’t want to be bothered by it.
Even if it was Seong-woo’s one-sided love, Eun-ha also seemed to have quite affectionate feelings for Seong-woo. For some reason, Do-hoon didn’t think he could just stand by and watch that.
“And the family atmosphere wouldn’t permit that sort of thing either,” Do-hoon added. It was true; nothing good would come of the family finding out.
Even if the parties involved were just meeting comfortably, rumors could spread unpredictably, and that would only make things harder for Eun-ha.
“…I understand.”
Seeing Do-hoon take this stance, Eun-ha acquiesced. If the person she was marrying disliked it, there probably wasn’t a woman who would stubbornly insist on keeping a male friend.
Besides, thinking about it, this wasn’t just any marriage; it was a contract marriage to become the daughter-in-law of a chaebol family. Of course, it was right to be cautious in every action.
They were already at each other’s throats, so there was no need to openly hand them ammunition.
She just felt terribly sorry already, thinking about how she would break the news to Seong-woo.
She was also concerned that her relationship with Seong-woo, which had been close, might deteriorate because of her.
“Then, I… have one request too.”
“A request?”
“I hope you won’t fight with Seong-woo Oppa because of me.”
Seong-woo would undoubtedly oppose this marriage to the end. In the process, he might clash with Do-hoon again.
It was natural they would have disagreements since they thought differently, but she was asking him to try his best.
“I’ll try.”
“Thank you.”
Eun-ha felt fortunate that Do-hoon would even promise that much.
It was a slight relief, she supposed.
“Right, I’m thinking the formal family meeting should be around next Saturday.”
“Okay…”
“Since we’re doing this, it’s better for both of us to get it over with quickly.”
“I’ll check my mother’s schedule.”
“Alright, I’ll take you home.”
Just as Do-hoon, having finished what he had to say, turned on the navigation to register her address, Eun-ha hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Um, I’ll go to the hospital.”
“The hospital?”
Worried Do-hoon might misunderstand, Eun-ha quickly added.
“Once we’re married, I don’t think I’ll be able to visit my dad as often, so I’ve been going frequently lately.”
“I see, alright.”
Do-hoon nodded and set the destination to Jeil Hospital. Then he smoothly pressed the accelerator.
The car sped coolly through the city, but the silence flowing inside the car was just awkward.
Sitting quietly, the memory of their raw kiss swirled in her head, making her cheeks burn persistently.
And why wouldn’t her pounding heart calm down?
If this continued, she felt she would either suffocate or he would notice her trembling heart.
Thinking she had to say something, she started with a word of thanks.
“Thank you for moving my dad’s hospital room. I’m very grateful.”
It was something she had wanted to thank him for multiple times, but she couldn’t bring herself to contact him, putting it off with various excuses.
“Thanks to you, my dad seems to be a bit more comfortable.”
Naturally, the facilities of a general ward and a VIP ward were different. She could stay with him because of that too.
Moreover, she could communicate with the medical staff frequently, making it easy to check on her father’s current condition.
All this time, her stepmother, Chan-sook, had only paid lip service to caring for her father, never lifting a finger.
Even though there was a chance, however miraculous, that her father could wake up, she didn’t seem to consider that possibility at all.
On the contrary, she tried to save money by saying hospital bills were too high, even stopping treatments and moving him to a shared room, preventing him from receiving proper care.
Watching that and being unable to do anything had been heartbreaking, so she was happy that she could now do something for her father.
“It was a condition of the marriage, so no need to thank me. Don’t worry about the hospital bills either.”
“Still, thank you.”
At her firm tone, Do-hoon glanced at Eun-ha.
He felt her stubbornness, insisting on repeating her thanks even though it wasn’t necessary.
Meanwhile, the car had already arrived at the Jeil Hospital parking lot.
Feeling a brief relief that she didn’t have to feel awkward anymore, Eun-ha said goodbye to Do-hoon.
“Thank you for the ride.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Huh?”
As she was about to get out of the car, Eun-ha stopped and looked back at Do-hoon in confusion. Do-hoon had already gotten out after saying just that. Eun-ha hurriedly followed.
“Since we’re here, I think it’s only right I pay my respects to your father.”
Do-hoon, who had already walked up to Eun-ha, explained his action. Flustered, Eun-ha froze on the spot for a moment.
“Even if he’s lying down, he’d want to know who his daughter is marrying.”
This was completely unexpected. That Do-hoon would think of her father first…
She thought since it was a contract marriage and her father was in a coma, it wasn’t necessary to formally greet him.
Of course, after marriage, she had stipulated visiting her father once a month as a condition, but that was merely a ploy to avoid the family discovering the contract marriage later on.
And she also needed something to tell her father if he ever woke up.
If her father woke up, she wanted to tell him, like everyone else knew, that she married Do-hoon for love. She didn’t want to worry her father needlessly.
She thought that for that, there should at least be some record of Do-hoon visiting her father.
Not knowing how much time she would have once married, it would also be a regular opportunity for her to see her father, killing two birds with one stone.
But now, he was looking after Eun-pyo separately from that promise, which inevitably confused Eun-ha.
Even Chan-sook treated Eun-pyo as if he were dead and hadn’t visited in over a month.
Was it because she had been guarding her father alone all this time, with no one else visiting? At Do-hoon’s simple remark about greeting her father, her heart ached strangely.
It was probably just a formal courtesy, but she felt pathetic for being swayed by something like this, yet it was an emotion she couldn’t help feeling.
“Why?”
Do-hoon asked as Eun-ha stood still without a word.
“Is it uncomfortable that I’m visiting without notice, and so late?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Then?”
“It’s a contract marriage… You don’t have to go this far.”
Eun-ha quickly composed her emotions and spoke with a nonchalant face.
“The hospital bills and visiting once a month after marriage, that’s enough.”
Eun-ha meant it sincerely. If he just kept the terms she had laid out, she wanted for nothing more.
But Do-hoon scrunched his face as if he found it absurd.
“Don’t make a perfectly decent person look like a scoundrel.”
“…….”
“Even if it’s a contract marriage, I intend to observe the courtesies between husband and wife.”
Do-hoon recalled the demands she had set as marriage conditions and spoke firmly.
“Visiting your father is something I thought I should do, even if you hadn’t listed it as a requirement. Greeting him now is in the same vein.”
At Do-hoon’s words, Eun-ha closed her mouth. His words felt sincere.
“Do you need more explanation?”
“…No.”
Eun-ha shook her head slightly.
Some people didn’t even treat him as a person just because he was bedridden, so who would refuse someone willing to take the time to pay their respects?
“Then, let’s go in.”
