Chapter : 12
“Guess I’ll just have to wear it roughly.”
She doubted how well she could actually wear this outfit. In the end, she gave up, neatly folded the clothes she had worn, and headed outside.
As she came out of the bathroom, she ran into Jo Taeseo. He, too, seemed to have just finished showering, his hair wet and loose, and wearing only a towel around his shoulders with no shirt on.
Neither of them had expected this situation, so an awkward silence settled.
Her gaze suddenly landed on Jo Taeseo’s freshly washed hair. Until a moment ago, he had combed it neatly back. Now, with it down, the atmosphere was indescribably strange.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, and she had always thought of him as having a strong build. Seeing him bare-chested, it was clear he must have exercised regularly—his body was really impressive.
People were like that. Things you didn’t notice before suddenly become impossible to ignore once your attention is drawn to them.
Seeing his bare upper body involuntarily focused all her attention there. Feeling awkward, Eunu coughed lightly. Jo Taeseo glanced at her indifferently and then went back into the room.
“Really… awkward…”
Left alone in the living room, Eunu shifted her gaze around, feeling uncomfortable. She had never been alone with a man like this before and didn’t know what to do.
Being in an unfamiliar place with Jo Taeseo was very uncomfortable.
Her previous bravado about getting pregnant had been almost purely stubbornness. It was the only option, and there was nothing else she could do.
“Come here.”
After a short while, Jo Taeseo came back to the living room and called her. She went over and saw him taking something out of the fridge.
“Eat.”
He placed a plate with a sandwich and salad on the table. She realized she hadn’t eaten anything all day.
She wasn’t usually the type to eat just for hunger, but seeing food in front of her made her feel hungry.
She pulled out a chair and sat at the table. But the plate was only for one. Confused, she looked at Jo Taeseo, who then pulled out a protein drink from the fridge and sat across from her.
“What, not eating?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll eat well.”
She couldn’t ask anything further, watching him open the protein drink. While Jo Taeseo drank, Eunu took the neatly placed fork and picked up some salad.
The salad was fresh, lightly seasoned with olive oil, and clean-tasting. It reminded her of the salads she had grown tired of in America.
Back then, her meals mostly consisted of leftover wilted salads from the family. Dressings were rare, and the vegetables often smelled bad.
Sometimes, she would get a dry piece of bread and a withered slice of cheese as a rare treat after surviving a terrible night.
“Jeong Eunu.”
The pain would only end by dawn. When left alone, she clung to the edge of her fading consciousness and thanked the sky.
“Jeong Eunu?”
At that time, she was thankful that it was herself in that place, not Eunu. The choice they had made to switch identities that day seemed wise even years later.
But now, thinking maybe she could have chosen to escape that hell sooner, she regretted that Eunu might have survived if they had acted faster.
“Jeong Eunu!”
Jo Taeseo forcibly brought Eunu back to reality. She realized she had been crying only when she looked up at his serious expression.
“Why are you crying?”
Tears fell from her large eyes before she could even finish the salad. She guessed it was because of Gi Seokhyun, but it didn’t seem to be the only reason.
She wasn’t the type to show her feelings openly. Perhaps all the things she had endured alone had finally erupted. Jo Taeseo thought that this reaction made her seem more human.
He didn’t know how to comfort a crying woman. He had no idea what to do, and thought it might be better to quietly step aside.
“Have you ever wanted someone desperately?”
Her watery eyes looked at him. Her hand, which had paused mid-fork, could no longer move.
Until now, she had never addressed him directly with such words. The sound of “director” from Eunu’s mouth felt strange and pleasantly surprising. The woman, usually fragile like a puppet swaying on a tightrope, now seemed more human.
“Well… not really.”
He had never felt a strong longing for anyone. He never experienced the common first love. He didn’t expect much from people, so there was never anyone to feel affection for.
The women approaching him were always pursuing the same goals. Naturally, Eunu was one of them. To Jo Taeseo, she was just a temporary shield—a shallow one at that. That’s why he didn’t invest effort or interest.
No matter how she was treated or what reason she had for marrying him, it didn’t matter. Yet, his hardened heart slowly disarmed before Eunu’s tears.
“Then I guess you have nothing to lose.”
“Then I guess you have nothing to lose.”
Her calm words struck strangely deep. People like him were always said to be ruthless and cold-blooded. Even his parents thought the same.
“Maybe.”
Admitting it plainly wasn’t bad. Everyone had their own values, and Eunu had no intention of judging him.
Jo Taeseo disliked being pushed around and lived according to his nature.
If he were skilled at seduction, things might have been different. Otherwise, she might just be used and discarded. People’s hearts were unpredictable.
“How do you catch a man who has nothing to lose?”
Her question about how to hold onto him made his mind complicated. If she had lied and said she liked him, it would have been easier.
“How can I make you marry me?”
She had decided to marry him in place of the deceased Eunu. That decision was the basis for her plan to bring down Hyeonjin Construction. But if the marriage didn’t happen, her revenge plan might remain just a dream.
“What can you do for me?”
He asked while squeezing the protein drink. He wanted to know what she could give in return for marriage.
“Anything, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“You have anything to give?”
If it didn’t sound belittling, it was strange. For the first time, she felt he was asking her sincerely.
She saw unexpected kindness in the cold, harsh man. She thought about what she could give him through marriage but realized she had nothing. Only her small, fragile body.
“As you know, I have nothing.”
Everything on her body belonged to Chairman Jeong. Even the life she lived disguised as Eunu wasn’t hers.
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