Chapter 14
At the unexpectedly rapid progress, Seoha’s eyes widened.
“I left the company in such a hurry earlier that I didn’t bring it with me. Besides, I don’t have a seal anyway, so you can either leave your fingerprint or sign—whichever is more convenient for you.”
“Do you mean… we’re going to the company?”
At the mention of going to his office, of all places, Seoha hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was really okay for her to go.
She didn’t want to feel like an unwelcome guest again, just as she had at the animal hospital earlier.
“If we don’t go, are you going to sign it online instead?”
Junhyuk chided her in his blunt manner.
“You said earlier that you’d be completely on my side, didn’t you? I’ll add that clause too, so just sign it.”
Still holding tightly onto Dodam’s harness, Seoha followed Junhyuk out, but she was still confused.
In the end, it wasn’t any different from before. She was still being swept along by Han Junhyuk’s rhythm and heading somewhere with him.
There was, however, one thing that had changed.
No matter where this road led, she was now walking in the same direction as him, looking toward the same destination.
Han Junhyuk and Yoon Seoha had become a real married couple.
Junhyuk’s mother, Kim Seon-young, poured quince tea into the teacup of her husband, Han Dong-pyo, who was enjoying a rare moment of leisure at home.
If only every day could be like today.
Her husband had been in a good mood lately.
It was all thanks to their beloved son, Junhyuk.
H Bio’s current development of eye drops for macular degeneration and a new treatment for atypical optic neuritis—projects on which the company’s very survival depended—was impossible without the government’s full support and approval.
That was why her husband was placing great expectations on Yoon Jung-hwan, a politician with a favorable public image who was steadily advancing toward his goal of becoming the leader of the country.
She could tell just from the fact that her husband’s voice was higher than usual as he spoke on the phone with Cha Mi-yeon, Yoon Jung-hwan’s wife.
“Ahem. I hope you’ll forgive me for saying this to the chairwoman, but once our son met the woman he wanted, he turned into someone who doesn’t care about anything else. We had no idea he was like this and only found out now. Ha-ha.”
To be honest, even Kim Seon-young hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
After Han Jun-tae had ignored the position they had offered, she had agonized over it and eventually ended up begging Junhyuk.
She hadn’t held out any foolish hopes from the beginning.
After all, she knew her own son better than anyone.
Even if someone put a knife to his throat, he wouldn’t do something he didn’t want to do…
She had merely hoped to somehow get through that moment, but she never imagined things would actually progress this far.
“These days, children don’t necessarily listen just because their parents want them to, so we’re fortunate in that regard. I never dreamed my son would rush things this much either. Perhaps he fell in love with Seoha at first sight?”
Junhyuk was more than just a dependable son to Kim Seon-young.
The mere thought of what her life would have been like if she hadn’t had a son was terrifying.
Come to think of it, so much time has already passed.
Kim Seon-young had first met Han Dong-pyo at a hotel in Jeju.
She had been one of the dedicated employees serving VIPs who came there to play golf.
Being wealthy didn’t necessarily mean that customers had good character.
In fact, there were far more who were the opposite.
Born into poverty and having spent her days struggling with no one to rely on, Han Dong-pyo had been like a ray of light to Kim Seon-young.
He never looked down on her or harassed her. He was always generous and kind.
As she gradually began looking forward to the days he came, even the other employees came to know about it, and serving Han Dong-pyo always became her responsibility.
Eventually, she became pregnant with Junhyuk.
“That’s good news. I’m glad to hear it. I’ll contact Assemblyman Yoon separately soon.”
As her husband wrapped up the call, Kim Seon-young quickly emptied the cooled tea and poured him another cup of hot quince tea.
There was one thing Kim Seon-young had overlooked in the past.
Han Dong-pyo’s wife, whom he had claimed was widowed, was actually still alive and receiving treatment at a hospital.
It was only after Han Dong-pyo’s wife died that Kim Seon-young was finally able to take the position of his wife, having previously been nothing more than his mistress and the other woman.
“The timing is falling perfectly into place, as if the heavens are on our side.”
Yoon Jung-hwan burst into hearty laughter.
“If the new drug we developed can even restore that child’s eyesight, the publicity effect will be enormous. We might as well benefit from having a daughter-in-law.”
“But what if it doesn’t work?”
At Kim Seon-young’s worried question, Yoon Jung-hwan glared at her.
“Don’t say things like that!”
Han Dong-pyo slammed his fist down on the metal table, causing the teacup to topple over.
Hot tea spilled all over Kim Seon-young’s body, but he paid no attention to his wife, who had nearly been burned.
“Even if we just package it as a company working tirelessly to develop a new drug for our daughter-in-law, the company will look completely different in the eyes of the public. Everything in this world is marketing. How do you still not understand that? Tsk, tsk.”
There were many things Kim Seon-young didn’t know besides that.
She didn’t know that the reason Han Dong-pyo had been so kind to her was because she was a stranger to him.
He was a man who considered his family his possessions.
He was also the kind of man who would resort to violence against even his own family whenever things didn’t go his way, but Kim Seon-young endured it.
After all, she had gone from a life spent scraping along at rock bottom to suddenly becoming a Cinderella.
The exhilaration of it was intoxicating.
But even that happiness didn’t last long.
“Mother, Father. I’m home.”
At the sudden voice, Kim Seon-young flinched and turned around.
Her eldest son, Han Jun-tae, the son of his former wife, was standing there with a broad grin.
Kim Seon-young’s shoulders instinctively stiffened.
A chill ran through her entire body, and she hurriedly stood up as if frozen in place. The thigh where the hot tea had spilled was burning painfully.
“Oh, you’re here. You surprised me by coming without saying anything.”
“Did I come somewhere I’m not allowed to visit, Mother?”
“No… That’s not what I meant.”
Kim Seon-young quickly changed her expression.
“Honey, Jun-tae is here.”
“Yes. What brings you here at this hour?”
Han Jun-tae naturally sat down in the spot where Kim Seon-young had just been sitting.
“I left work a little early because there’s something I wanted to tell you, Father.”
“You? What is it?”
Han Dong-pyo rolled his eyes in surprise, and Han Jun-tae’s gaze shifted toward Kim Seon-young.
Startled, she began babbling.
“Oh, goodness. Look at me. The tea has already gone cold. I’ll quickly bring out a fresh pot.”
Kim Seon-young turned around and hurried back into the house.
Her right hand rose unconsciously, rubbing up and down the back of her neck.
Mother, choose. Should I kill you right here? Or should I kill Jun-hee instead—the one who looks exactly like you and makes me sick just by looking at her? Either way, I think I’d have fun.
Even when she tried to forget, that terrifying moment never completely disappeared from her mind.
The sensation of Han Jun-tae’s hands tightening around her neck with all his strength came rushing back in vivid detail.
Kim Seon-young’s eyelids trembled.
Since it was well past quitting time, the first impression Seoha had of the company Junhyuk brought her to was simply—
Quiet.
According to him, there were still employees inside the company, but the silence was unexpected.
Since this was a completely unfamiliar place, Seoha had no choice but to rely entirely on Junhyuk while staying close to Dodam.
Perhaps because she was so tense, trying her best not to cause him any trouble, Seoha didn’t even realize that her body was pressed tightly against him.
“President!”
The moment the elevator doors opened, a booming voice rang out.
Seoha, who had taken only a few steps, stopped dead.
Junhyuk gently grabbed her wrist and naturally moved her behind his back.
“Why didn’t you answer your phone? You had everyone worried! No, that’s not the problem. Our Charon… Co-could it be that Charon is—”
The man seemed to be in a condition several times worse than Junhyuk had been at the animal hospital earlier.
The way he kept repeating himself had the vibe of someone who was drunk.
“Why are you still at the company?”
“Is leaving work really the problem right now!? You should have contacted me! Contacted me! I was practically dying from worry!”
At his even louder voice, Seoha flinched and pressed herself closer behind Junhyuk.
She felt a slight pressure around the wrist Junhyuk was holding.
“I told you it’s fine. Stop making such a fuss.”
The man seemed to calm down somewhat at those words. He heaved his chest and spoke.
“Phew… That was a close call. Even if it happened outside, an intruder breaking into Zone B isn’t something we can just overlook.”
“I know. Did you report it?”
“Of course not! Just as you instructed, we gave him some light treatment first and locked him up.”
“Good work. If the police get their hands on him, we won’t be able to obtain the information we want.”
Fortunately, the intruder, whether he was a thief or not, seemed to have been caught.
For a brief moment, Seoha was able to experience what the world Han Junhyuk belonged to was like.
Just then, the man muttered in confusion.
“But there’s a dog here that I’ve never seen before…”
He clearly hadn’t expected there to be another person standing behind Junhyuk.
Junhyuk was so tall that he was more than capable of completely hiding Seoha from view.
After slowly looking over Dodam, Park Jae-man’s eyebrows twitched when he finally noticed the woman who had been completely concealed behind his superior’s body.
