Chapter 26. Justification
“Lee Jun, please.”
Even at Yooa’s soft plea—begging him to stop if he didn’t intend to completely embarrass her—Lee Jun played dumb.
Even when she lightly shook her right hand, he didn’t budge. Instead, he gently placed his hand on her cheek, tilting her face this way and that to examine her.
“I didn’t do it.”
Chairman Kang dropped his gaze to his rice bowl, embarrassed by his grandson’s behavior.
When had his grandson ever been so affectionate? He had never once spoken or acted like that toward him.
“Of course not. You shouldn’t.”
Lee Jun, clearly wanting to say this all along, didn’t even lift his spoon despite the food in front of him.
“What?”
“Please don’t call Yooa here alone unless I’m with her. Even if it’s just for a nice meal.”
“Lee Jun.”
Yooa called out in a sharp voice that made the room tense. She shook her head slightly.
Don’t do that, her smiling lips silently mouthed. But Lee Jun pretended not to notice.
He became especially sensitive just imagining the kinds of rebukes or humiliation Yooa might have endured without him there.
“Otherwise, I might misunderstand you every time, Grandpa. And I don’t want that.”
“Haha.”
Chairman Kang gave a big laugh as he looked at Lee Jun, who was boldly standing up to him.
His grandson, who normally never showed emotion except in work matters, now bared his teeth like he was ready to bite when it came to Yooa. It was reassuring—but also a little saddening.
“Yooa, seeing that rascal act like this, do you still think I should go? It’s not too late, you know. Just tell me what you want instead. A gift would be better. That… that guy… sigh.”
Despite his deep sighs, Chairman Kang wasn’t going to change his mind.
Yooa, quietly observing the tension between the two, picked up the kelp chips and placed the dish in front of the chairman. She also pushed a soup bowl in front of Lee Jun and said:
“The soup’s refreshing and tasty. Try it.”
“…”
Lee Jun was quick to notice.
“Please eat too, Grandfather.”
He would know she had deliberately switched to calling Chairman Kang “Grandfather” instead of “Chairman.”
When Yooa flashed a bright smile, the tense atmosphere at the table melted away as if nothing had happened.
“Please eat. I was too rash.”
“Let’s eat. The meal was prepared with care—it’d be a waste to let it get cold.”
Clink. Only the sound of cutlery and dishes clashing filled the air.
When Yooa turned her head to the right and smiled with her eyes, Lee Jun silently picked up a side dish and placed it in her bowl.
In the following days, a constant stream of people and trucks came in and out of the empty lot from morning till late at night. Green fences, like those seen in parks, were installed.
Yooa was busy handing out drinks to the guests who had come all the way there.
“Ha… Lee Jun, seriously…”
He must be a hopeless lunatic.
She appreciated the concern, but this was excessive—like a runaway train.
Tall trees were transplanted to ensure privacy. To avoid stressing the trees with a soil change, five 10-ton trucks delivered nothing but dirt.
“Dust is flying everywhere. I told you to stay inside.”
Lee Jun, looking more handsome than usual, walked over in the morning.
Supervising a construction site was such a hassle.
Yet he came by every morning before work to check on the progress, and again at lunchtime to give further instructions.
“I just wanted to offer you something to drink.”
It wasn’t a small project, so there was plenty of noise and dust. While there were no complaints—since the surrounding properties were all owned by TaeGyeom Group—the dust clouds were another issue.
“Who could stop your stubbornness? You never listen.”
“Says the one to talk.”
Though Lee Jun claimed it was for Yooa’s safety and peace of mind, Yooa knew the real reason.
He wanted to preemptively block his aunt, Joohee, from coming.
The day he declared he would build a fence and “free-range” Yooa only in places he deemed safe, she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop him.
But she hadn’t expected it to move so quickly.
“Secretary Kang, let’s deliver drinks in shifts—once in the morning, once in the afternoon. Snacks too. Let’s take turns.”
Seeing Yooa rushing around to personally hand out drinks to over a dozen people bothered him.
Yooa, who had barely been able to manage even a hot drink for herself, agreed with the idea. It was a relief.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”
Now that the pressure was off, Yooa noticed Lee Jun’s intense gaze.
As she set down the tray and brushed her hands off, he paced in front of her and said:
“I’m appealing to you.”
“…What?”
“I’m saying, look at me once more instead of spending your time worrying about everyone else.”
“Oh…”
Dating Lee Jun—who was once her husband—felt strange.
A fluttery feeling tickled her stomach, like butterflies flapping their wings.
She bit her lip slightly as she looked at Lee Jun, who wanted her attention, and quickly scanned the surroundings.
The landscaping crew, the fence installers, the security personnel checking blind spots through CCTV, and those discussing ways to block unauthorized entry—everyone was busy.
“What’s wrong?”
Was it all too overwhelming?
He had tried to minimize the construction period by starting everything at once.
Seeing Yooa’s stiff expression, Lee Jun furrowed his brow.
Maybe he’d overstepped.
But if he didn’t do this much, he wouldn’t be able to focus at work. He’d already written Yooa’s name in the signature box several times by mistake.
“Yooa.”
Thud.
Just as he opened his mouth to call her name, she leaned in and their teeth accidentally collided.
“Ow…”
Both of them covered their mouths with their hands, wincing.
Lee Jun quickly cupped her face with both hands.
“Are you okay? Let me see.”
Even though Yooa insisted she was fine, he kept checking her teeth with a serious look. Then, their eyes met—and they burst into laughter at the same time.
“Were you trying to kiss me? Is that why you charged in like that with such a scary face?”
“…I don’t know.”
She had stood on tiptoes to reach him, but didn’t expect him to lower his head too.
Her front teeth still felt sore. Apparently, so did his—he rubbed his jaw and licked his front teeth.
When their eyes met again, Yooa quickly turned her head away.
“Your face is red, Yooa.”
“It’s… It’s just hot. The sun’s really strong today.”
“Really? I thought you were embarrassed because you got caught wanting to kiss me.”
“Lee Jun!”
Despite the little commotion, the two teased, comforted, and embraced each other.
Lee Jun gently pressed her cheek and asked if they should see a dentist.
Ever since Chairman Kang’s liver transplant, Lee Jun had become especially concerned about health.
“If I say no, are you going to call Dr. Lee, your family physician?”
“Yup. I was just about to ask him to come.”
Before she could stop him, Lee Jun already had his phone to his ear.
Hearing the call signal, Yooa snatched it from his hand and rapidly hit the end call button.
What was she supposed to do with this man?
She let out a deep sigh, then slipped her arm through his.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“My teeth hurt. Remember how you couldn’t even eat porridge when you were sick as a kid, but you loved the green tea ice cream I snuck in for you?”
They may have failed to kiss, but she still wanted to give him something he liked.
Yooa smiled brightly, holding Lee Jun’s arm tightly.
“I’ll buy you some.”
