Chapter : 13
Ajin had been famous since childhood for liking Jaehyuk.
There was no way she would have simply let him go at Jo Chihoon’s funeral.
Of course, Ajin was also Jo Chihoon’s daughter, which meant she would naturally be someone Jaehyuk had to be wary of. But even Daeyik had been treated no differently than before by Jaehyuk. It was hard to say whether Ajin would be any different.
“Hyun… Lee Hyun.”
“Huh?”
“It’s green. Aren’t you going?”
She had been so lost in thought while driving that she had nearly missed the light.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
“What would I be thinking about?”
Not wanting her stray thoughts to be exposed for no reason, Hyun brushed it off vaguely.
Perhaps because of the strange mood lingering between them, they spoke less on the way home. Even while riding the elevator up, an awkward silence flowed between them.
Hyun walked ahead of Jaehyuk without looking back until she reached the apartment.
Beep-beep-beep.
As soon as she entered after pressing the door lock, a pleasant, fresh air greeted her. It was the kind of feeling she only had when the cleaning lady had been by. Before they left earlier, Jaehyuk’s touch had reached every corner of the house.
“Wait a bit. I’ll get things ready.”
As Hyun set her belongings down by the entrance, Jaehyuk picked them up and headed to the kitchen with practiced ease.
Soon, the sound of clattering dishes filled the space as he began cooking.
Feeling awkward just standing there watching, Hyun went into the living room and turned on the television. The evening news was on.
“Huh?”
Watching intently, Hyun suddenly turned toward Jaehyuk, who was cleaning octopus in the kitchen.
“Ahn Jaehyuk! Did you know about that?”
She walked toward him without taking her eyes off the TV and bumped her head into his back.
As her head touched him, Jaehyuk also turned his gaze toward the television.
—Following the passing of Chairman Jo Chihoon, attention is focusing on the selection of his successor. Vice President Jo Daeyik and Director Jo Ajin are currently being discussed as candidates for the next chairman. The board’s decision is drawing considerable interest. In particular, it has been reported that Director Jo Ajin will inherit over 80 percent of the late Chairman Jo’s assets, increasing the likelihood of her appointment as chairwoman.
The news was reporting the very matter Ajin had called Jaehyuk about earlier.
It was the first Hyun had heard that Ajin—not Daeyik—would inherit the majority of Jo Chihoon’s fortune.
“Oh. Yeah. She called earlier and told me.”
“Oh, yeah? And why are you only telling me something that important now?”
“I was going to.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow, at work.”
She wanted to ask why he had criticized Interpol for being slow, yet seemed so relaxed when it came to Ajin’s affairs. But regardless of her thoughts, Jaehyuk gently nudged her aside and continued boiling the yeonpotang.
Hyun stared at him blankly, but she had nothing more to say.
If she had asked what he talked about with Ajin in the car earlier, he might have answered. It was her own fault for not asking then.
“It’ll take a bit. Are you going to keep standing there?”
For some reason, Hyun felt annoyed. Instead of standing there, she pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down, watching him cook closely.
It was impressive how smoothly he worked without even glancing at a recipe.
She followed his movements without getting bored, and before she knew it, a steaming pot of yeonpotang was placed on the table.
He scooped octopus, meat, and broth into a bowl and set it in front of her.
“Try it.”
Then he quietly watched as she lifted her spoon.
“….”
When no response came, Jaehyuk continued staring at her.
Oblivious to his gaze, she picked up a piece of octopus and ate.
“What?”
She kept alternating between broth and ingredients when she felt his piercing stare.
Finally, her eyes widened as she looked at him.
“How is it?”
He hadn’t even picked up his spoon yet; he had been watching her the whole time.
Why ask something so obvious?
There was no way it wouldn’t taste good.
After tasting his stew that morning, she had already decided his cooking skills were exceptional. As expected, the soup was incredible.
“It’s good. Why?”
She asked back, puzzled at such an unnecessary question. Only then did Jaehyuk serve himself and sit down to taste it.
What’s that about?
Not quite understanding his behavior, Hyun quickly emptied the bowl he had served her and refilled her plate.
Completely unaware of the faint smile forming at the corners of his lips.
Just as the warmth of the broth seemed to melt her body—
Brrr.
“Your phone’s ringing. Is it Ajin again?”
A ringtone sounded from somewhere.
Hyun naturally pointed at Jaehyuk’s phone.
“It’s not mine.”
Jaehyuk showed her his dark, silent screen.
“Then… is it mine?” she muttered, stopping her meal and going to find her phone.
By the time she returned to the table with it, the ringing had already stopped.
“Who was it?”
“What’s with the siblings calling one after the other?”
“Daeyik?”
“Yeah.”
Since she had given Daeyik a number she didn’t usually use, it took her a moment to find the phone.
“Aren’t you going to call back?”
“I’ll do it later.”
“Call now.”
Hyun assumed he was just being sensitive about anything related to Jo Chihoon.
He told me to go ahead first when he was talking to Ajin.
She felt slightly sulky, but there was no reason she couldn’t talk to Daeyik in front of him.
She called back, and Daeyik picked up before the ring even finished.
—Hyun…
“Hey, Daeyik. What’s going on?”
Jaehyuk was taken aback at how instantly her voice softened. It was completely different from the sharp tone she used with him.
—Hyun, can you meet me for a bit right now?
Daeyik’s voice trembled over the line.
Jaehyuk’s expression hardened slightly.
“What’s wrong? Meet now? Where are you?”
—I’m having a really hard time.
His voice sounded unsteady—unlike him. Even through the phone, she could tell he had been drinking.
A bad feeling crossed her mind, but Hyun remained eerily calm.
“I saw the news. Is this about your sister?”
—Ah, you saw. Yeah. I’m just… tired. Being competitors with Ajin for the rest of our lives.
“Yeah, that must be really hard. But what do I do? I’m working right now.”
—Should I come there?
Hyun glanced at Jaehyuk with a troubled expression.
Through the phone, Jaehyuk could clearly hear Daeyik’s voice. In an instant, he snatched the small device from her hand.
“What are you—?”
“Hey, Daeyik. It’s me. Yeah. Hyun’s with me right now. No, just for a bit, we had something to do. Yeah. Go home.”
Before Hyun could grab her phone back, he ended the call coldly.
“Are you crazy? What do you think Daeyik’s going to think!”
“You’re the one who told me to stay here.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
“Did you usually meet him at night?”
Jaehyuk’s question completely flustered her.
This was the first time Daeyik had called her drunk. He wasn’t the type to do that in the first place.
The fact that he called so suddenly meant he must really be struggling.
“No… Why would I meet Daeyik separately? More importantly, who are you to snatch my phone?”
Even to herself, her defensive tone sounded ridiculous.
“He probably won’t call for a while now.”
“That’s the problem. Aren’t we investigating Jo Chihoon?”
Daeyik was clearly someone under observation—that was why they had exchanged numbers. But because of Jaehyuk, even that had become impossible.
“Daeyik’s not involved in this. If anyone is, it’s Ajin. Let’s leave Daeyik out of it.”
“Who are you to decide that?”
“Hyun.”
Jaehyuk’s gaze suddenly grew heavy.
It was the first time she had seen such seriousness in his eyes, and she faltered slightly.
But this time, his resolve was firm.
At the weight in his voice as he called her name, Hyun had no choice but to fall silent.
“Daeyik still likes you.”
“Of course I know that. But that doesn’t mean we mix personal feelings with official work—”
“You know too. Daeyik’s too soft to hurt anyone.”
She understood exactly what he meant, but that didn’t mean she could accept his actions.
“Even so, how could you just tell him we’re together? Like you said, he likes me. What if he misunderstands our relationship—”
“That’s why I said it.”
“What?”
“I said it so he would misunderstand.”
