Chapter 36 …
What unfolded before Jooyoung, who had quickly finished showering and come out, was a lavishly prepared meal.
A bowl of rice that shone as if it had just been freshly cooked, steaming cabbage soybean paste soup, and small dishes filled with gat-kimchi and young radish kimchi.
When he said he was making rolled omelets, she had expected something simple…
“Why are you just standing there? Come and sit.”
Seonghun, who had been transferring the rolled omelet onto a cutting board, turned around and spoke when he noticed Jooyoung staring blankly at the table.
“…Okay.”
Jooyoung sat down awkwardly.
It was her own house, yet why did it feel like she had come to someone else’s home?
She had made a deal to marry Choi Kwon-yong in order to protect this house, but with Bae Seonghun here, the place suddenly felt unfamiliar.
“How did you make the rice? There shouldn’t be a rice cooker here.”
“Was the rice cooker the only thing missing? When I opened the fridge, there was nothing but water and apples.”
“Well, that’s…”
“It’s fine. I can already guess—you probably didn’t eat.”
Jooyoung had no excuse, even if she had ten mouths.
Because it was all true.
During the week since she came to the summer villa, the only things Jooyoung had consumed were water and apples.
She hadn’t felt hungry. More than anything, she had no appetite.
So for the past week, she had simply been existing—breathing as long as her lungs kept moving.
“The rice is instant rice, and I bought the kimchi while grocery shopping.”
Seonghun cut the rolled omelet into bite-sized pieces and placed them neatly on a plate.
As if made by a professional, the omelet was perfectly golden without a single burnt spot.
“The soybean paste soup and the omelet were just made, but I didn’t season them much. Since your stomach is empty, I figured something mild would be better.”
He pushed the plate of rolled omelet toward Jooyoung, urging her to try it.
Jooyoung froze, unsure how she should react.
“Ah…”
“What? Oh—did you say you don’t like Korean food? If you don’t want to eat it, I can check if there’s a restaurant nearby that delivers.”
Jooyoung quickly waved her hands.
“No—well, it’s true I’m not fond of Korean food, but I’m not picky enough to refuse something someone cooked for me.”
“Then?”
“It’s just… unexpected. You know how to cook?”
“I believe in learning anything that can be learned. It’s a habit from childhood, I guess.”
Don’t children usually get tired quickly of things they like or want to try?
A child might beg to join a soccer academy, then quickly lose interest and ask to go to a taekwondo academy instead.
What kind of childhood would make someone develop the habit of learning everything they possibly could?
In truth, Jooyoung already knew the answer to that question.
After losing her mother, Ryu Sihyun, Jooyoung had studied and learned everything she could get her hands on.
So that she could escape Choi Kwon-yong’s shadow whenever the chance came.
So she could survive—no matter what.
Perhaps Bae Seonghun had developed the same habit for a similar reason, though from a different circumstance.
“I’ll eat well.”
Under Seonghun’s watchful gaze, Jooyoung put a piece of the rolled omelet into her mouth.
The slightly oily yet nutty taste of the coating touched her tongue first, followed by the soft texture and mild flavor of the egg filling her mouth.
It was delicious.
Truly—not a lie.
It was a surprisingly delicious rolled omelet.
Jooyoung chewed carefully, swallowed, then picked up some rice with her chopsticks.
After that, she switched to a spoon and scooped up some cabbage soybean paste soup.
The gentle, savory flavor blended perfectly with the refreshing taste of cabbage.
Not just the omelet—the soup was excellent too.
When Jooyoung looked up at him in surprise, Seonghun raised one corner of his mouth in a crooked grin.
“So. What’s the verdict?”
“…It’s delicious.”
Seonghun reacted as if that was the obvious answer.
She felt slightly annoyed but didn’t argue.
After all, it really was delicious.
And…
It was the kind of taste that warmed her body.
Hyena was eating alone in a large private room.
With each course dish that arrived one after another, her stomach gradually filled.
And when dessert was finally served—
“Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting.”
The reason Ko Hyena had come to the restaurant entered the room.
“Oh? I purposely came late so you wouldn’t lose your appetite, and you’re getting irritated instead?”
Jin Taekyung placed a lemon sherbet, served in a glass from a luxury brand, in front of Hyena.
Hyena frowned.
“If you were worried about that, you shouldn’t have shown up in front of me again.”
“Sorry, but you were the one who showed up in front of me first.”
“…Right. And that’s why you’re trembling right on the edge of death right now.”
She wasn’t lying.
Ko Hyena really was barely holding on in the face of death, like a candle flickering in the wind.
The day Choi Jooyoung came home and discovered the ring was missing, Hyena truly thought she was going to die.
“You don’t really think I stole it, do you, Chairman? Why would I do something like that when I lack nothing?”
That night, alone in a room with Choi Kwon-yong, Ko Hyena used every bit of charm she could muster.
She even climbed onto his lap and clung to him in a coy voice.
It was a desperate struggle to survive.
Fortunately, that struggle worked.
“Our Hyena wouldn’t touch a ring like that when she lacks nothing.”
Choi Kwon-yong said this while squeezing her hips.
“But be careful. There won’t be a second misunderstanding.”
He didn’t believe Hyena’s claim that she hadn’t stolen the ring.
But he said he would let it slide this once.
So there would be no second chance.
She would never touch anything in that house again.
That night, she slept with Choi Kwon-yong without a condom.
She had been using contraception for a while, so she briefly wondered why he suddenly wanted it that way—but she didn’t complain.
If she became pregnant with his child, she would have a solid reason to secure a lot of money.
But before that…
“Jin Taekyung.”
I need to remove you from my life first.
“The amount of money I’ve handed over so far is pretty big. What exactly did you spend it all on?”
“…Why? Curious?”
Jin Taekyung pulled a chair beside her and sat down. His gaze had changed.
Dangerous.
She could tell instinctively.
But she needed to know where the money had gone to plan her next move, so Hyena ignored the warning from her instincts.
“Yes. Tell me.”
“For free?”
“Then what?”
“It’s been a while…”
Jin Taekyung turned his body to face Hyena directly.
Moving one leg, he spread his thigh slightly and ran his hand over it.
The bulge visible through his suit pants made his intention blatantly clear.
“How about we have some fun like we used to?”
“….”
Ah.
So in the end, you’re just the same kind of beast.
After dinner, even the dishes had been washed.
The time was 8 p.m.
It wasn’t rush hour, but since it was raining, if he drove carefully he would probably arrive in Seoul between 9 and 10.
However, the problem was that Bae Seonghun showed no sign of leaving.
Eventually, unable to wait any longer, Jooyoung asked:
“Aren’t you going home?”
“In this rain?”
Seonghun tilted his chin toward the window, telling her to look outside.
Beyond the large glass window, the dark world was filled with the fierce sound of rain.
At night, the downpour had grown even heavier than during the day.
“So?”
“What do you mean ‘so’? I’ll get into an accident if I drive in this. And I don’t have any desire to die young.”
“So…?”
Jooyoung blinked her wide eyes.
She felt like she understood what Bae Seonghun was trying to say—but at the same time, she couldn’t quite believe it.
No way.
Surely he wouldn’t mean that.
Surely Bae Seonghun wouldn’t—
“How about letting me stay here just for one night? I should at least repay the cost of the meal.”
But sometimes, the things you think surely won’t happen are exactly what do.
