Chapter 8
Yeo-eun quickly assessed the situation as she stared into the man’s unhinged eyes. What would Chae Yoo-eun have done in a moment like this?
If it were Chae Yoo-eun…
“…It hurts. Please let go.”
Furrowing her brows, Yeo-eun pushed Jun-hyuk’s hand away. His face twisted even more.
“Why should I? If I let go, who knows where you’ll run off to.”
Unlike Do-kyung, whose thoughts and emotions never showed on his face, this man wore everything plainly. His eyes burned with possessiveness and anger—an obsession with Yoo-eun that was impossible to miss.
Yeo-eun recognized him.
Cha Jun-hyuk. Executive director of Youngjae Group, head of Youngjae Gallery. Cha Do-kyung’s half-brother, and Madam Jung’s biological son.
As someone who had the most contact with Yoo-eun among the gallery’s artists, he had been Yeo-eun’s primary suspect. Every time his name came up, Yoo-eun’s expression would stiffen subtly. Yeo-eun now regretted not pressing her for details.
If she had known it was this bad…
“What, cat got your tongue? Answer me. Say something, damn it.”
Even this brief interaction was suffocating. The weight of Jun-hyuk’s obsession and violence made it hard to breathe. How much worse must Yoo-eun have suffered all this time?
Cha Jun-hyuk was coercive and violent—a man who sought to dominate others physically, driven more by emotion than reason.
And people ruled by emotion didn’t think ahead. Which meant that, in his current state, he could very well snap her wrist without hesitation.
Yeo-eun felt a dull ache spreading through her captured wrist. It would likely bruise. She could have subdued him easily, but she chose not to resist.
In just a short exchange, she had learned something crucial: Cha Jun-hyuk had an intense sense of ownership over Chae Yoo-eun.
And he clearly had no idea that the person in front of him wasn’t Yoo-eun.
She would use that.
“…I was hurt. So much that I couldn’t come to my senses for a week.”
Yeo-eun lowered her gaze, her voice trembling faintly.
“…Hurt?”
Jun-hyuk reacted. The blazing intensity in his eyes faltered slightly. Yeo-eun didn’t miss the opening.
“Yes. My phone broke when I fainted. I haven’t been able to fix it yet…”
Jun-hyuk cut her off.
“No. No. You think I’m an idiot, don’t you? You were trying to run away, weren’t you?”
His voice rose again, agitation returning.
“Don’t play dumb. The moment I left on a business trip, you texted some bastard like you’d been waiting for it. You think I wouldn’t find out?”
Did he… monitor her phone too?
“Yeah, it was suspicious. You looked like you were hoping I’d leave.”
He muttered, then his eyes sharpened.
“If I hadn’t noticed and taken precautions, what? Were you planning to run off with him? To your little ‘hideout’?”
It was clear now. Cha Jun-hyuk had been monitoring Yoo-eun’s phone.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
As Yeo-eun hesitated, the grip on her wrist tightened.
“…I wasn’t trying to run away.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“He’s a distant relative.”
She cut him off and continued.
“Someone I was close to when I was young. He moved overseas, so we lost touch, but he came back to Korea recently and contacted me.”
“……”
“The ‘hideout’ and ‘running away’ stuff… that’s just something we used to joke about as kids. Where would I even go?”
Jun-hyuk’s brow twitched. He looked conflicted—unsure whether to believe her.
Yeo-eun pressed on.
“If I really wanted to run away, I would’ve gone abroad. Staying in Korea would make it too easy to find me. And… you know I don’t have a passport.”
She lowered her head.
“…Where would I even go?”
It was a lie that would fall apart under scrutiny. But Yeo-eun was confident.
The more someone was ruled by their emotions, the more susceptible they were to emotional appeals.
“…You’re saying that’s not it?”
As expected, Jun-hyuk’s grip loosened as his agitation subsided. Taking advantage of his confusion, Yeo-eun slipped her wrist free.
“If you’re done, I’ll be on my way.”
“…Wait. Then—”
Just as he reached out to stop her—
“Hello, Director.”
Ji-yeon approached and bowed.
“Madam is looking for you.”
As if Yeo-eun didn’t exist, Ji-yeon’s attention was solely on him. Her face was slightly flushed.
Thanks to her timely appearance, Yeo-eun was able to slip away from Cha Jun-hyuk naturally.
“You knew, didn’t you? Everything.”
Inside the study, Yeo-eun widened her eyes as she spoke. Do-kyung remained calm, as if he had expected this reaction.
“There was no way I wouldn’t know. I doubt there’s anyone in the Cha household who doesn’t.”
“…You even expected I’d run into Cha Jun-hyuk today, didn’t you? That’s why you told me I’d find out if I came to the study.”
Do-kyung answered only by raising an eyebrow. Silence settled between them.
He was the one who broke it.
“The Chairman only cares about what makes money, and Madam Jung lives solely for Executive Director Cha Jun-hyuk. Everyone prioritizes material things. No one would have helped Chae Yoo-eun. They wouldn’t have even considered it.”
In other words, everyone in the household had known Yoo-eun was being destroyed by Cha Jun-hyuk—and chose to stand by.
Why? Because a Yoo-eun who couldn’t paint had no value. She was nothing but a burden.
Yeo-eun bit her lip, emotion surging.
“And I… tried to help in my own way. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.”
Just as frustration and helpless anger began to overwhelm her—
“I’m sorry.”
His steady voice reached her.
Yeo-eun looked up, startled. She hadn’t expected Cha Do-kyung to apologize.
There wasn’t a trace of insincerity on his face. If anything, she was the one caught off guard. It was strange—seeing genuine emotion from someone who rarely showed any.
Ignoring her stunned expression, Do-kyung calmly explained what had happened.
Six months ago, shortly after returning to Korea, he noticed the abnormal and one-sided relationship between Cha Jun-hyuk and Chae Yoo-eun.
To separate them, he temporarily assigned Yoo-eun as his secretary and tried to ask about her situation, but she avoided the topic.
Since she didn’t seek help, he decided to observe while gathering evidence against Jun-hyuk.
And then…
“So I came in her place.”
Only then did everything fall into place.
Yeo-eun didn’t think she deserved his apology. She hadn’t been able to help Yoo-eun either.
“And I will help. With Chae Yoo-eun’s treatment.”
“…What?”
“I know a doctor. Skilled—and discreet.”
Yeo-eun’s eyes widened.
“She must have avoided large hospitals to keep things hidden. But private clinics carry their own risks. If this continues, it won’t be good for her.”
He wasn’t wrong. Still, it felt like too much to accept.
Sensing her hesitation, he continued.
“The employer is obligated to protect the employee and their family. I’m simply fulfilling my duty. Secretary Chae, you should fulfill yours.”
Duty…?
Yeo-eun recalled the contract. The employee must actively cooperate with the employer’s plans…
“Wait. Then that plan you mentioned…”
She hurriedly spoke, but Do-kyung smiled faintly.
“What kind of person do you think Cha Jun-hyuk is?”
“Emotional. Violent. Possessive.”
She answered immediately.
“Correct. He feels ownership over Chae Yoo-eun and despises me. And he’s easily swayed by emotion.”
“Which means…”
“People who lose their reason tend to make foolish choices.”
His voice remained even.
“I intend to lead him into making those foolish choices.”
Yeo-eun finally understood why he had proposed a deal—why he called it cooperation, not coercion.
Their goal had been the same from the beginning:
Cha Jun-hyuk’s downfall.
“He’s not particularly perceptive. Nor is he very intelligent.”
At his low remark, Yeo-eun looked up. His gaze was fixed on her wrist.
“This much—avoiding him or shaking him off—won’t raise suspicion.”
“…Ah.”
Even after hours, the redness hadn’t faded.
“You said you don’t get hurt often. That was a lie.”
“…No, this is—!”
She was about to explain—
But stopped when his large hand gently took her wrist.
The warmth that spread wasn’t just warm—it was almost hot. His touch was careful, as though handling fragile glass.
“Let only me hold you—your wrists, your ankles. That’s what the contract is for.”
