Chapter 41………………………………………….
“Uh, but I need to—”
She lightly tapped his shoulder and tried to put strength into her legs to get up.
“Just stay like this for a moment.”
At his husky voice, thick with sleep, Seoyoung pressed her lips tightly together. She stiffened her body, trying to touch him as little as possible.
As time passed, it became stifling and uncomfortable. When she tried to move, her chest brushed lightly against his, making her freeze in place.
Does he really not feel anything, even like this?
She tilted her head slightly and looked up at him.
Unlike her racing heart, Hyukjin lay there peacefully with his eyes closed. Seeing him like that, Seoyoung recalled what had happened the day before.
I guess I’m the only one reacting like this.
She came to the conclusion that no matter what she did, Hyukjin would never misunderstand her.
The only one feeling embarrassed was herself. He wouldn’t feel a thing toward her—not even a trace.
Still, the relationship between the two men, which she’d thought she was fine with, strangely weighed on her mind.
It wasn’t something she’d been unaware of, but after witnessing their intimacy yesterday, the reality felt unbearably suffocating.
Seoyoung pressed against his chest and pushed herself up.
The hand that had been holding her head and back dropped limply to the bed.
“Aren’t you going to work?”
Hyukjin’s eyes slowly opened, still heavy with sleep as he looked up at her.
Blinking a few times, he turned his head to check the clock.
“…Damn.”
His eyes widened, and only then did he sit up.
Pushing back the hair that had fallen onto his forehead, he let out a short sigh.
“I have to go. But before that, we need to talk.”
He grabbed Seoyoung’s wrist as she turned away.
She looked down at the hand holding her wrist for a moment, then slowly lifted her gaze.
It seemed sleep had fully left him now—his eyes were clearer than before.
She didn’t need to hear it to know what he wanted to talk about.
Swallowing dryly, Seoyoung feigned ignorance.
“Talk about what? I’m a bit busy right now—can’t we do this later?”
She wasn’t about to say that she already knew about his relationship, nor did she want to hear it directly from his mouth.
She just wanted to let everything pass as if nothing had happened.
On the drive home last night, she’d regretted her actions quite a bit.
She should have knocked and waited.
If she had, she wouldn’t have had to see it with her own eyes.
They wouldn’t have been uncomfortable about being discovered, either.
But the water had already been spilled.
If I pretend I don’t know until the end, maybe this will just blow over.
Seeing the uncertainty flicker in her eyes, Hyukjin’s gaze sharpened.
As if trying to read her thoughts, his piercing look made Seoyoung quickly avert her eyes.
If she kept looking, she felt like he might see straight through her.
“I have an early meeting this morning, so I’ll be going first.”
Shaking off his hand, she hurried into the dressing room.
A short while later, fully ready for work, Seoyoung left the bedroom with nothing more than a silent nod.
Leaning back against the headboard, Hyukjin watched the door close quietly, then pushed his fallen hair back and let out a long sigh.
“She’s completely misunderstood.”
She was so clearly avoiding him that she wouldn’t even let him bring it up.
“This won’t do. I’ve been too lenient.”
When it was because of her that he’d been losing sleep every night.
It was absurd—infuriating, even.
Trying to be considerate only to end up misunderstood like this—it was ridiculous.
What annoyed him even more was that Minwoo’s prediction had been right.
Now that Seoyoung, who knew nothing about men and was full of misunderstandings, had grown even bolder, he needed to make it clear to her that he was very much a man—one who reacted to her.
“Madam, you should eat before you go.”
“Mrs. Kim?”
On her way out, Seoyoung came down to the first floor and widened her eyes at Mrs. Kim, who hurried out of the kitchen.
She wondered why someone who usually stayed in the main house was here in the annex.
“The Madam asked me to take care of your meals for the time being.”
“I didn’t hear anything about that…”
“She’ll tell you herself this evening when you get home. If you’re not too busy, please make sure to eat, Madam. The elders are worried.”
It seemed Lady Yoon had mentioned how Seoyoung had tried to skip dinner last night.
Feeling sorry for making them worry, Seoyoung nodded.
“All right. I’ll make sure to eat, so please let them know.”
After telling Hyukjin she had an early meeting, Seoyoung hesitated briefly—then went into the kitchen.
She could eat quickly and leave before he finished washing up.
“It’s delicious, Mrs. Kim. It tastes just like my mom’s cooking.”
After tasting the soup and side dishes, Seoyoung’s eyes lit up, her smile deepening in genuine delight.
“Oh really? That’s a relief. Your mother must have been a wonderful cook.”
Mrs. Kim beamed at the praise.
“Yes. Before the accident, my parents ran a restaurant together. It was small, but known as a good place, and we had quite a few regulars who found us by word of mouth.”
As she reminisced, Seoyoung’s lips curved upward slightly, though sadness flickered in her eyes.
We didn’t have much, but I was truly happy back then.
Knowing her circumstances, Mrs. Kim deliberately brightened her voice and pushed more side dishes toward her.
“Please eat a lot, Madam. If there’s anything you’d like, just let me know anytime.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Swallowing back tears that threatened to rise, Seoyoung scooped up a generous spoonful of rice.
Watching her eat so heartily, Mrs. Kim’s eyes softened even more.
After Seoyoung left, Hyukjin quickly finished getting ready and headed to the main house at Chairman Cha’s summons.
“You called for me?”
“I did. I thought you’d be pulling an all-nighter since you said you were working late, but you managed to come home.”
“Yes. I left some documents here.”
Hyukjin gave a vague excuse and glanced at his watch.
Seeing him demonstrate how busy he was, Chairman Cha raised one eyebrow.
Look at this kid.
Sharp-witted, cautious, yet bold and decisive once he made up his mind—Hyukjin was his spitting image.
With his intelligence and leadership, he lacked nothing as an heir.
That was why the chairman had tried to keep him from returning to the U.S. in two years by tying him down with marriage.
Hyukjin had hated blind dates, so when he suddenly brought a woman to marry, it seemed like the plan had worked.
But his recent behavior suggested otherwise, and the chairman was growing uneasy.
Stubbornness, after all, was another trait he’d inherited.
A deep crease formed on Chairman Cha’s brow.
“I hear you’ve been working late quite often these days. Are you really that busy?”
At the suspicious look, Hyukjin nodded without hesitation.
“Yes. Starting a new business means there’s a lot to do, Grandfather. Surely you didn’t call me in this morning just for that?”
Though the chairman appeared kind to Seoyoung, when it came to business, he was strict even with his own children. Yet Hyukjin was one of the few who dared to push back—because he had the ability to back it up.
Clicking his tongue lightly, Chairman Cha looked at him with displeasure.
“Yes. Why else would I call you this early? No matter how busy you are, make sure you come home to sleep. You’re newlyweds—how can you let your wife sleep alone? Even we feel sorry seeing that, you brat.”
“What your grandfather says is absolutely right, Hyukjin. And don’t forget—you’re the one who chose this marriage because you liked her. You even said you’d make an effort to give us a grandchild, so shouldn’t you at least show some sincerity?”
Seunghoon, seated across from them, added his two cents.
Everyone’s obsession with grandchildren is relentless.
Hyukjin glanced at his watch again, then looked up.
The words he’d brushed off before were now coming back to bite him.
But recalling Seoyoung’s behavior earlier, he realized this might actually be a good opportunity.
“All right. Even if I come home late, I’ll make sure to sleep at home.”
“Really?”
Not only Chairman Cha, but Seunghoon and Mihyun too, widened their eyes. It was an unexpected response—one they hadn’t anticipated at all.
