Chapter 37 …
“Go in. Get some rest.”
When they returned home, Chaido took off his jacket and handed it to the servant who came out to greet them.
“……”
Sehee looked at Chaido in puzzlement as he entered the foyer without another word.
“You’re tired. And you’re coming down with a cold.”
His tone was gentle, considerate—but there was something about it that felt like he was drawing a line.
For the past few days, Chaido had been avoiding her. It probably wasn’t intentional, but Sehee couldn’t help worrying that there was some reason behind it.
“No, I’m fine now.”
Linking arms with Chaido, Sehee took the jacket back from the servant.
“I’ll take care of this myself. You can clock out.”
She spoke as if she had already become the mistress of the house.
“Bring some cold medicine.”
Chaido gave the servant a brief order and started walking.
Sehee followed him into the elevator, naturally heading toward his room. They didn’t exchange a single word as they walked down the hallway together.
This might be the last time.
The last night she would spend with Chaido.
Her heart pounded like someone standing on the brink of a storm, but she forced herself to calm down.
Even if it had all been a lie, she had loved him. She wanted to feel, one last time, the scorching gaze in his eyes that burned hottest when they were in bed.
This was her first and last gift to Chaido—returning, if only briefly, to being Lee Sehee.
As soon as she opened the door, Sehee grabbed Chaido, rose onto her toes, and kissed him.
He didn’t respond much at first, but she breathed warmth into his cool lips again.
The thought that she would never see this face again made her chest ache. At least half of her—no, more than that—had truly liked him, and she wanted him to know that.
Even if she couldn’t put it all into words.
“Hh.”
She let out a small breath and pulled on Chaido’s arm, lightly biting his lower lip and slowly licking it.
She was fairly certain. In the end, Chaido would allow her an opening. Just like always, he would give in as if he couldn’t help himself.
“……”
Sure enough, Chaido slowly placed a hand on her shoulder and parted his lips. He traced over her saliva-slick mouth, then pushed his tongue inside, invading her mouth. Hot breath poured out.
A dizzying sense of relief flooded her. The heat wrapping around her tongue numbed her reason.
“Here’s the medicine—”
She didn’t even notice the servant entering after knocking. Chaido, still kissing her, barely grabbed the medicine and shut the door, sending the servant away.
A moment later, the sound of a tray clattering to the floor echoed down the hallway. Sehee paid it no mind, rubbing the nape of Chaido’s neck as she accepted his rough kiss. He pressed into her, her back hitting the closed door.
Countless memories flashed through her mind—from the moment she first met Chaido to now. Times beyond description.
“Ha….”
Only after a long while did Sehee finally pull away, breathing shallowly. Her vision swam.
Chaido was still cupping her cheek, pressing small kisses to her lips, helping her steady her breathing.
Once, twice, three times. The slow kisses didn’t stop until the trembling in Sehee’s shoulders subsided.
With a long exhale, her hand slid down from his neck.
She looked up at him quietly, her eyes unsteady.
Chaido swept his tongue over his lips as if savoring the lingering taste, his expression sinking into brief contemplation.
“Should we have a child?”
He spoke first, rubbing her cheek.
“One would be fine. Three would be good too.”
Her racing heart refused to calm down.
At his dry words, she pictured herself living happily with Chaido, raising a lovely child together.
“Are you already bored of it being just the two of us?”
Chaido didn’t answer, only smiled. His hand brushed her cheek and toyed with her earlobe.
His expression was strange.
As if he were smiling.
As if he were angry.
Sehee lifted her head, studying his eyes carefully—
When a vibration rang out somewhere, long and persistent. It didn’t even occur to her that it might be coming from her own pocket. She just stared at Chaido’s lowered lashes, as if intoxicated.
“Answer it.”
His voice was soft and calm. His fingers continued to gently stroke her earlobe.
Still dazed, Sehee finally realized the vibration was coming from her pocket.
She rarely ever received calls, so she hadn’t thought it could be for her.
No—more accurately, it shouldn’t have been.
She glanced back and forth at Chaido’s unreadable eyes.
The vibration stopped once, then stubbornly started again, as if it would keep ringing until she answered.
With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone and raised it to her ear. As if waiting for this moment, a frantic voice burst out.
—Ms. Sehee? It’s all fake. It was all fabricated. The photos you sent me.
Beyond Attorney Choi Kyungsoo’s voice, an enraged man shouted irritably.
—Who were you trying to fool? I almost got humiliated for nothing! None of it makes any sense—
Choi Kyungsoo quickly took control again.
—Ms. Sehee, where are you? Get out of there right now. Before Chaido comes back. He’s probably figured it out by now—
Sehee looked up at Chaido, her eyes shaking.
He didn’t look surprised at all. It was as if he could hear every word ringing by her ear.
—Ms. Sehee?
It was a trap.
Chaido had known everything from the start.
From the moment they left her father’s hospital room.
No—maybe long before that.
That she would eventually betray him.
“……”
Thud.
The phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.
Sehee bit down hard on her lip, her hands trembling.
It had all been nothing more than a test. While she agonized, swinging between heaven and hell, Chaido had simply observed the situation, amused—occasionally playing along with her.
Had she ever, even briefly, felt guilt or pity for him?
“Somehow, you look angry. But you’re not the one who should be.”
Chaido asked leisurely as he bent down to pick up the phone.
—Ms. Sehee! Are you okay? Tell me where you are. I’ll—
Chaido quietly pressed the end-call button and slipped the phone back into Sehee’s pocket.
She swallowed hard, a faint vibration seeming to linger below her throat.
“…You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Knowing everything.”
Her emotional voice trembled.
“…Did you enjoy it? Deciding from the start to do this, watching me fawn over you.”
“There was no reason not to. I got to catch two rabbits with one hand.”
“……”
“I could take you easily when you crawled back into my arms, and it was a good chance to test how sincere you really were.”
“……”
“Well, I think it’s been proven to some extent.”
At Chaido’s calm reply, Sehee’s brow furrowed.
“…And I didn’t even know. I was—”
She remembered all the time she had tried her best out of guilt toward him. At some point, she had truly felt sorry for him. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him.
“I don’t really understand why you’re angry.”
“……”
“Are you upset because you tried to betray me and got caught?”
Chaido replied as if it were absurd. Sehee choked up and raised her voice.
“Yes. Because you toyed with me. You made me look like a fool.”
She was the one who had been completely deceived. Chaido had never trusted her to the end—and yet she was the one who had believed, in her heart, that he did.
Everything was wrong. Toppling Haegang, using that as leverage to smuggle her father and Sejin out—everything.
“I thought you trusted me—”
“Ha.”
A low, hollow laugh escaped Chaido’s lips.
“Who do you think is the real fool here?”
“……”
“I knew, but I wanted to check. Whether the way you ran to me every evening and clung to my neck was real.”
“……”
“I almost became a pathetic idiot who’d give up everything for a woman. Trusting the daughter of a traitor at face value.”
“……”
“Then again, where would that blood go?”
Her clenched fist trembled. Chaido had never once been fooled by her acting. He had only pretended to be fooled.
All those times he kissed her gently, shared meals with her, sometimes held her with burning passion—
Why did it make her this angry?
Because everything had fallen apart?
Or because all the affection he showed her had been a lie?
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“……”
“I have to survive too.”
Tears that had pooled in Sehee’s reddened eyes finally fell.
“Or should I have let myself be deceived by you and handed over my lifeline too?”
“……”
“Hm? Honey.”
His affectionate tone made her teeth tremble.
She turned her head to hide her pitiful tears, but Chaido grabbed her chin and lifted it back up.
“Go on. Try fawning over me some more.”
The peaceful days they’d shared felt like a dream.
“You never know. I might soften someday and hand you the real thing.”
