CHAPTER 49……………………………..
Suddenly recalling the kiss they’d shared, Seoyoung quickly turned her head away and avoided his gaze.
It had only been a fleeting glance, yet her heart raced at just that one look—as if something were wrong with it.
“Much better.”
Hyukjin’s low voice sounded right beside her.
When his hand brushed against her ear, Seoyoung flinched and lifted her head in surprise.
“Next time, let’s go shopping together.”
With the corner of his lips lifted, Hyukjin placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
He even tucked the hair covering her ear neatly behind it.
It was a small, insignificant gesture, but with Hyukjin standing so close, it felt overwhelming. Seoyoung quickly took a step back.
His neatly tied tie, straight shoulders, and the warm touch brushing past her ear made her heart pound even harder.
It also surprised her that someone as busy as him—busy enough to work late nights—would suggest shopping with her.
She suddenly regretted how little attention she’d paid to anything beyond practical, neat clothing, since she only ever went between home and work. She quickly nodded.
She also felt apologetic that her style seemed too stiff for a social gathering.
“Okay.”
“Then shall we get going?”
Noticing her awkwardness, Hyukjin draped a coat over her shoulders.
At his unusually considerate behavior, Seoyoung looked at him as if asking why he was acting this way.
Hyukjin shrugged lightly and scrunched the bridge of his nose.
“Mrs. Kim was worried. She asked if we’d had a fight. So let’s try a bit harder, Ms. Seoyoung. At this rate, even the elders will start to notice.”
“Ah… yes. I’m sorry.”
Knowing full well how awkward and strange she’d been acting lately, Seoyoung lightly bit her lip and looked apologetic.
Mrs. Kim wasn’t in the room, but it felt as though he was telling her that the acting needed to start now. She nodded with a resolute look.
“I’ll be more careful.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Hyukjin’s lips as he lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Then he whispered near her ear,
“My classmates won’t be as mischievous as last time, so don’t worry. It was an elite private school, so they’re all from well-off families, but they do have basic manners.”
With that brief explanation about his classmates, Hyukjin led her out of the room, his arm still around her shoulders.
More than his explanation, Seoyoung found herself acutely aware of the warmth from his large hand resting there.
Still, she looked up at him, pretending nothing was wrong.
“But it’s unexpected. You don’t seem like the type to attend high school reunions.”
At her puzzled look, Hyukjin let out a small chuckle.
“Is that so? Back in high school, no one knew I was from the Hanho Group. I didn’t like standing out, so I hid it until graduation. Thanks to that, I could make friends comfortably.”
“Really?”
Seoyoung’s eyes widened as she looked him over again—Hyukjin in his sharply tailored suit.
His neatly styled hair, clean forehead line, and well-built physique shaped by exercise—there was nowhere her gaze didn’t linger.
No matter whose son he was, wouldn’t it be hard not to stand out with looks like that?
As if reading her thoughts, Hyukjin burst out laughing when he saw her narrowed, skeptical eyes.
Dressed in a suit, Hyukjin wasn’t just handsome—he was the kind of man who made people turn their heads no matter where he went.
He must’ve been quite popular back in high school.
Thinking about how many female classmates must have liked him made her mood sink for no reason.
There were probably plenty of female classmates who’d been hoping he’d come today.
But he liked men.
Minwoo immediately came to mind.
When did he realize he liked men?
The question surfaced as they descended the stairs, but she swallowed it down and asked something else instead.
“Still, don’t they all know who you are now?”
Hyukjin answered with a brief laugh.
“They do. But anyone who approaches me now because of my background—I don’t associate with them. I’m only going because friends I’ve stayed in touch with even while I was in the U.S. kept insisting on meeting you. So we’ll just show our faces today and head back early.”
His words pricked Seoyoung’s conscience.
It suddenly bothered her more that she hadn’t prepared better for the gathering, using work as an excuse.
At the same time, his modesty—so unlike what one would expect of the Hanho Group’s grandson—felt unfamiliar and oddly intriguing.
She’d already felt it when he chose a construction company over a prime affiliate, but she still couldn’t tell whether he lacked ambition or simply cared about something else entirely.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, she resolved to put in more effort next time.
“Have a lovely time, Madam. And you as well, Executive Director.”
Mrs. Kim saw them off with a warm, motherly smile.
She seemed quite pleased to see the two of them heading out together on what looked like a proper date.
Seoyoung returned the smile and stepped out through the front door.
“We’ve arrived.”
Minwoo announced their arrival through the rearview mirror, then immediately got out of the driver’s seat and went to open the back door.
“Thanks for your hard work.”
When Hyukjin stepped out first and smiled in thanks, Minwoo raised his eyebrows briefly, then shook his head.
“It’s nothing. Since you’re going somewhere, Executive Director, this is the least I can do.”
His jaw muscles bulged as if he were clenching his teeth, which made Seoyoung feel awkward for even stepping in.
Does he hate being here with me that much, even though it’s an official event?
But there was nothing to be done.
Unlike the two of them, Seoyoung was legally his wife. No matter how jealous or resentful Minwoo felt, some things simply had to be done.
Stepping out of the car after Hyukjin, Seoyoung took his arm and naturally linked arms with him.
Minwoo’s eyes widened slightly.
Since she didn’t usually do things like that, even Hyukjin turned his head, narrowing his eyes in confusion.
Ignoring the unspoken question in his gaze, Seoyoung smiled deliberately at Minwoo.
No matter how well Minwoo understood their relationship, she felt she needed to make her position clear.
“You’ve worked hard, Manager Lee. It’s a precious weekend—please go home and rest. We’ll take care of getting back ourselves.”
Her gently curved eyes and polite smile were firm and unmistakable.
Minwoo’s eyebrows twitched slightly at the sight, but he soon bowed his head.
“Thank you, Madam. Then please enjoy your time.”
After glancing once more at Hyukjin and bowing to him as well, Minwoo drove off without hesitation.
Watching the valet staff return to their positions, Seoyoung tightened her grip on Hyukjin’s arm.
Minwoo’s retreating figure looked lonely, tugging at her heart—but she deliberately straightened her back and stood taller.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Hyukjin lifted his brows at Seoyoung’s unexpected behavior, then soon broke into a smile.
“To finally meet such a beautiful sister-in-law—what a pleasure. In that spirit, how about a drink with me?”
One by one, glasses offered by people who claimed to be close to Hyukjin lined up in front of Seoyoung.
“Yes. Nice to meet you too.”
Seoyoung managed a faint smile as she drank what was already more than five glasses of highballs.
Even lifting the glass, her stomach felt unsettled.
They’d poured the drinks into smaller glasses after she said she was a lightweight, but the alcohol was already hitting her.
It had all happened while Hyukjin was briefly away.
Once Hyukjin—who normally shielded her and kept her from drinking—disappeared, his friends seized the opportunity to urge drinks on her.
Unable to refuse their smiling insistence, she’d accepted glass after glass without realizing how many she’d had.
For someone with low alcohol tolerance, it was far from a small amount.
Feeling his absence keenly now, a strange sadness welled up inside her.
Her eyes dimmed as she recalled him stepping out after receiving a call from Minwoo.
After drinking continuously, her heart began to race, and her cheeks burned.
Ah… I’m sleepy. What should I do?
Her head grew heavy, her eyelids drooping again and again.
The laughter around her felt distant, as if coming from far away.
The sweet highball tasted more like juice than alcohol, yet her strength drained away, and even the emotions she’d carefully armored herself with felt like they might crumble.
As she leaned back in her chair, fighting sleep, a familiar low voice reached her ear.
“Why are you so drunk?”
