Chapter 28
Get Used to It
Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, it was the day before Chairman Kwak Geun-hyung’s Sansuyeon event.
The Strategic Planning Office, where Hye-won worked, was like a battlefield every single day.
After the groundbreaking ceremony, the full-scale construction of the Media City development project had begun. Days were consumed with checking the progress of each department according to mid-to-long-term schedules, attending marketing meetings, handling permits—there was hardly a moment to breathe.
That day, Hye-won, already anticipating overtime, checked the time as it neared 5 p.m. and was about to ask Driver Park to pick up Jio.
Beep—.
The key phone rang.
“Yes, Director.”
“-Secretary, come in for a moment.”
Startled by the sudden call, Hye-won hurried to Director Shin-woo’s office.
After knocking briefly, she stepped inside and saw Shin-woo putting on his jacket.
“Did you call for me, Director?”
“Get ready to leave. We have somewhere to go.”
“Huh? Where…?”
Hye-won racked her brain, wondering if she had forgotten some schedule.
But after reviewing her day, there were no business dinners or client entertainment plans.
If it wasn’t an official schedule, it meant a personal errand—but where could they possibly be going this late in the evening?
She stared at Shin-woo in confusion, but he quietly fastened his jacket buttons without offering any explanation.
Seeing that waiting any longer wouldn’t help, Hye-won reluctantly finished her preparations to leave.
As she walked toward the driver’s seat in the parking lot, someone grabbed her shoulder.
“I’ll drive today.”
“No, there are people around. I’ll drive. Just tell me the destination—.”
“Enough. Just get in.”
Shin-woo took the car keys from Hye-won’s hand. Flustered by his uncharacteristic behavior, she slid into the passenger seat and asked again.
“So, where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there. Secretary Im will take the little one over directly.”
Hye-won wondered what kind of errand would involve bringing Jio along. Questions piled up, but Shin-woo remained silent.
Just as Hye-won felt she might suffocate from the long silence, the car stopped in front of a building.
Shin-woo parked and got out first. Following him, Hye-won arrived at a store with an industrial-style interior.
Point lighting highlighted different areas, and the rough texture of exposed bricks gave the building a modern yet vintage feel.
Once inside, Hye-won immediately understood what Shin-woo meant by “you’ll see when we get there.”
The building was a fashion edit shop.
The store was divided into sectors, featuring clothing, bags, shoes, and various accessories.
It wasn’t a typical edit shop stocked with commonly known luxury brands—it had a distinct, curated feel.
“Are we here to pick out outfits for Sansuyeon?”
Appearance was crucial—it set the first impression. It was naturally something that required attention.
Hye-won had not expected Shin-woo to care about such details, so she found it a bit surprising.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming in?”
“Huh? Ah… yes.”
Shaking off her thoughts at Shin-woo’s call, Hye-won carefully walked into the store.
As she browsed the merchandise, she appreciated Shin-woo’s consideration, yet couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a bit excessive for her position.
Shin-woo, meanwhile, had taken a seat on a sofa and noticed a woman coming from the inner section of the store, greeting her as if they were familiar.
“Are all the staff off work?”
“Of course. The boss instructed me to send everyone home early.”
Their casual conversation suggested they knew each other well.
They chatted for a while, and soon Secretary Im arrived with Jio.
“Mom!”
“Yes, Jio’s here?”
“Yeah! But Mom… where are we? The clothes are all shiny!”
“Hey, Jio, don’t touch things carelessly!”
While keeping an eye on Jio, Hye-won’s attention remained focused on the two of them.
After chatting for a while, the woman, now wearing a businesslike smile as if nothing had happened, pulled over a clothing rack next to the sofa and spoke politely.
“Sir, we have everything except a few items, so please consider buying what’s here.”
“Only if it suits her taste.”
Shin-woo glanced toward Hye-won as he replied.
At the same time, the woman’s eyes darted to Hye-won like a predator spotting its prey.
“Oh my, you’re so pretty! Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I’m Oh Chae-rin, a friend of that rude guy over there. I also own this edit shop.”
“Ah… hello. I’m Hye-won Lee, and this is my son, Jio.”
Jio smiled shyly and greeted Chae-rin.
Chae-rin fussed, amazed that such a cute child could come from someone like that guy.
In the midst of her fussing, she clapped her hands to refocus on business.
“The little one is picky, so I’ve selected a few outfits myself. They should all suit him, but it’s best to try them on.”
“Ah… well…”
“Why?”
Hye-won hesitated with the clothes in hand, and Shin-woo looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“I know it’s for an important day, but these seem too expensive.”
“I’m not asking you to buy them—just go try them on.”
“But…”
Hye-won’s hesitation continued until Shin-woo furrowed his brows and said to Chae-rin,
“Just ring up everything on the racks. If we’re attending external events in the future, one or two outfits won’t be enough.”
“What? What do you mean all of a sudden, Director—no, Shin-woo?”
“Oh, look at Shin-woo’s generosity! Now that we’ve sorted the clothes, let’s get the bags and shoes too!”
Hye-won watched Chae-rin eagerly dragging the racks away, feeling she had said something unnecessary.
Her pride had been bruised, and she realized she should just try on whatever was chosen and thank them politely.
“Get used to it. Being my wife means this sort of thing will become a natural part of your daily life.”
“……”
Hye-won understood that stepping into his world meant she would have to get used to it.
It would take time to feel natural, no matter how hard she tried, but it was necessary.
Reluctantly, she muttered,
“…I’ll try.”
After the three of them left the edit shop, a car across the street started.
The driver was Kim Cheol-joo. Recently, he had been tailing Shin-woo under the orders of Executive Director Kwak Gi-seok.
Seeing Hye-won and her child at the shop, Kim Cheol-joo could hardly believe his eyes.
He had been told about it, but seeing it unfold in reality was surprising.
“So she came crawling back on her own after I pretended not to notice?”
Four years ago, on Executive Director Kwak’s orders, he had been searching for Hye-won. That was when he discovered she had given birth to Shin-woo’s child.
Although a man was present beside her, only the child was officially registered. That alone left no doubt that this was Shin-woo’s child.
Had he revealed it, it could have been quite profitable information.
Of course, he had considered whether to inform Director Kwak, but…
Having been constantly exploited for menial pay, he felt a bit of schadenfreude.
Hye-won’s efforts to move frequently and avoid any entanglement with the Kwak family were commendable.
“Back then, if Director Kwak had known, she wouldn’t have been able to get around like this.”
Though he had to close the child’s eyes when touching the newborn’s blood, he secretly hoped Hye-won would live well.
Having worked together for a few years, perhaps he had grown attached. Even manipulating the documents for her sake, he never expected she would come back on her own.
“Damn it. If Director Kwak finds out, he’s going to freak out. What should I do?”
Even now, if he told him, he might be able to manage the situation somehow.
But considering the mess he had already created, it wasn’t possible.
Partly out of curiosity, he wanted to see Director Kwak’s rotten face.
Caught between conflicting thoughts, Kim Cheol-joo grabbed the cigarette he had tossed in the passenger seat and lit it, muttering,
“Well, might as well wait a few more days to tell him.”
