Chapter : 41
“Why is Oppa calling…? No, more importantly, how did he even get my number?”
It was a new phone, so she couldn’t figure out how he had gotten her number.
But after checking again, it really was Suha’s number stored in her memory.
After hesitating, Ju-hye pressed the call button carefully with a trembling hand.
- Hello?
The line rang through, and not long after, Suha answered the phone.
Before Ju-hye could even adjust her grip on the phone, his voice continued.
- Ju-hye? Is that you?
“O-Op-pa… yes, it’s me.”
- Ah, thank goodness.
As soon as Suha’s laughter faded, loud background noise filled the line.
It seemed he wasn’t in a quiet place but somewhere else.
Seeing Ju-hye not responding, Suha whispered awkwardly.
- Sorry, it’s noisy, right? I’m at a client’s invitation right now.
Even though it was quite late, he was still working, which made Ju-hye widen her eyes in surprise.
“No, it’s fine, Oppa.”
- I got this number through Manager Park. Ju-young said he introduced you to Manager Park, right?
The more he explained, the harder it was to understand.
Ju-hye’s eyes flickered in surprise at the fact that Suha knew Manager Park.
She calmed herself and spoke with as much composure as she could muster.
“How do you know Manager Park, Oppa?”
- Well, he used to work under me. Ju-young probably thought he found and hired him himself…
Surprisingly, Manager Park had been Suha’s person long before he worked for Ju-young.
He had been employed whenever there were household matters to handle, and since he was reliable, he was assigned to Ju-young as well.
- Actually, I secretly recommended him through someone else. He’s trustworthy and good at his job.
“Ah…”
- So it wasn’t hard to get your phone number. I talked to Ju-young too… I admit I was surprised when I heard it.
Ju-hye fidgeted, wondering what Ju-young could have told him. She tried to think of an excuse.
- I want to talk about the details tomorrow… Can you come to your house for a moment?
Fortunately, Suha didn’t seem intent on questioning her right now.
When she quickly said okay, Suha laughed, greeted her, and hung up.
Since he was still working, it seemed he only called to get straight to the point.
‘Then… maybe it’s best to go meet Oppa Suha tomorrow?’
As she ended the call in this uncertain state, her phone vibrated briefly.
A message from Ju-young filled the screen.
The content was short and serious.
[Your husband is going crazy. If you call now, it’ll be a disaster. I’ll contact you later.]
Finally, Daehyun had learned about Ju-hye’s escape.
Ju-hye clutched her chest as her heart raced uncontrollably.
It felt like Daehyun could track her down at any moment.
The thought that Jun-hwi’s house wasn’t safe either made her anxious.
‘If I say I’m going to Oppa’s house, Unni will oppose it… but maybe it’s the safest place for now.’
Ju-young had recommended handling this matter without Suha or Su-kyung knowing.
But that was only if there was time. Right now, there wasn’t.
The villa’s location had already been discovered, so returning was impossible.
‘Let’s just go to Oppa Suha’s house tomorrow. We’ll figure it out there.’
Ju-hye finally replied to Suha saying she would, then hurried to get some sleep.
Early the next morning, Ju-hye explained the situation to Jun-hwi and quickly took a taxi.
Jun-hwi thought it was better for her to get help from family and kindly saw her off.
She felt anxious during the ride, but thankfully, nothing happened.
Ju-hye arrived safely in front of Jinju Construction and transferred to the car arranged by Suha.
On the way to Suha’s house, her tension eased, and sleepiness finally caught up to her.
She dozed off and only woke when she heard Suha’s voice at the door.
“Ju-hye, were you that tired? You fell asleep the whole way.”
Startled by his voice, she opened her eyes to see Suha’s face right in front of her.
He had opened the car door with his right hand and was smiling, reaching out with his left.
“Oppa!”
Ju-hye’s face brightened upon seeing Suha.
Even the lingering anxiety melted away.
She took his hand and got out of the car, and he greeted her warmly.
“Hungry? Let’s eat first when we go inside.”
“You haven’t eaten either?”
“I was waiting to eat together with you.”
Suha led her by the hand into the mansion.
Ju-hye wandered around, staring at his house for the first time in a while.
The home of Jinju Construction’s CEO, Jin Su-ha, was in a quiet suburb of Seoul.
Like the main residence where Chairman Jin lived, it was designed by a famous architect.
It was a privilege only Suha received within the Jinju Group, signaling the Chairman recognized him as his heir.
“It’s been a long time since you came here. You haven’t visited much since getting married.”
“Yeah, I’ve been busy with the arboretum…”
As they awkwardly continued their conversation, they entered, and the luxurious interior welcomed her.
Ink wash paintings reflecting Suha’s taste adorned the hallways, and in the living room, a huge glass window revealed densely planted bamboo.
Until last spring, plum trees had flourished there, but it seemed they had been replaced.
The wind rustling through the bamboo leaves was soothing.
“How’s the yard?”
Ju-hye gazed quietly at the bamboo as Suha approached.
“I wanted to see a cool view before summer. Plums were nice too, but I decided to change it.”
“The bamboo is nice too. Very serene.”
“My father was pleased as well. He said it’s like seeing a living ink painting.”
Suha added, bitterly, that he hoped his father could recover to see it again, and moved toward the table by the window.
Ju-hye followed him.
On the table were tea and snacks.
She sat opposite him and spoke cautiously.
“Sorry for coming suddenly, Oppa. Something came up…”
“Yeah, Ju-young told me roughly yesterday.”
Suha smiled while holding his teacup.
“You dropped your phone in the water at the arboretum, right?”
Luckily, Ju-young had passed on a plausible excuse through Manager Park.
Blushing a little, Ju-hye nodded repeatedly to avoid being caught.
“You need to be careful. Su-kyung called me when you didn’t answer suddenly, and I was panicking too.”
“Su-kyung Oppa?”
Hearing Su-kyung’s name out of nowhere startled her.
Before she could ask why, Suha began another topic.
“Both Su-kyung and I had something to ask you. So it worked out.”
Something to ask? Ju-hye perked up, curious.
Suha smiled faintly and fed her a snack.
After she finished chewing, he got to the point.
“There’s a party tomorrow.”
“A party?”
“Yes. The siblings will attend together for the first time in a while… is that okay?”
It seemed the eldest son of a chairman, with close ties to their father, was getting married, and a party was being held in celebration.
Attendance at the wedding wasn’t necessary, but the reception required their presence.
Suha added that they had no choice but to accept because the other side requested it sincerely.
“Father can’t attend due to his illness. We should at least go in his place.”
It was a problem arising from Chairman Jin’s absence, and he suggested the siblings solve it together.
Ju-hye’s face darkened slightly at the unexpected request.
She needed to find a place to hide from Daehyun urgently, and attending the party could risk her story leaking.
News about the Jinju Group spread quickly as it was.
“Is it mandatory to attend?”
“It would be appreciated if you did.”
She hinted at refusal, but unlike usual, Suha didn’t bend.
This time, he really wanted his beloved younger sister to come.
As Ju-hye worried, Suha asked casually, smiling:
“Well… it’s fine for us since we’re unmarried.”
He leaned back and added a casual question:
“If Representative Seo is free, it would be good for her to attend too. What do you think?”
Ju-hye felt a chill run down her spine at his question.
