Can You Zip It Up for Me?
“Ten years ago… and even now…”
Jeho’s brows narrowed as he looked at her.
“You haven’t changed at all.”
He leaned closer and stared deeply into her eyes. He was only looking at her, yet she felt as if her heart had been exposed. Embarrassment rushed over her.
Yulri had found out about her parents’ secret purely by accident.
Her aunt had left for Europe and given her a flowerpot as a gift. Yulri accidentally broke it, and inside the broken pieces she found a sealed flash drive. The files contained her late mother’s diary—and an unimaginable truth.
Her father, Assemblyman Chae, and Mrs. Ahn—who had been his secretary—had been lovers since the year Yulri was born. Her mother had known everything but forgave him. When Yuri was born, with the help of her aunt, who was an obstetrician, they disguised Yuri as a legitimate daughter.
It was something she could never accept.
At first, she was so shocked that she couldn’t even cry. A few days later, the tears poured out endlessly.
But she couldn’t tell anyone. Not even her best friend Hyunkyung. It was too shameful—a dirty family secret.
—It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.
At that time, she remembered what Jeho had once told her. He had already left for the United States a month before that… but she wished he had been beside her. If he had smiled and said it was nothing, maybe she would have felt comforted.
From then on, Yulri sometimes imagined crying in front of him. She believed they would never meet again, so she confessed her pain only in her heart.
That’s why.
She remembered that time…
And maybe the alcohol had weakened her heart.
But now, suddenly becoming a liar, Yulri only felt flustered.
“T-This isn’t really crying…”
She steadied her trembling voice.
“It’s just because of the alcohol.”
Alcohol was the only excuse she had. Turning her head quickly as if to shake him off, she got out of the car. Thankfully, he didn’t stop her.
“Be careful on your way in.”
After giving a short greeting, she hurried toward the gate. Jeho watched until she disappeared inside before starting the car.
“You said you don’t cry easily…”
He muttered to himself and pressed hard on the accelerator, driving into the dark night.
At 5 a.m., the heavy gates opened and Chairman Kwon stepped out with his bodyguards for his morning exercise. Though he was over eighty, his solid build was no less impressive than that of the guards.
When they reached the walking trail, a man in a dark gray windbreaker approached.
“Good morning, Chairman.”
The guards immediately blocked him, but the man slowly removed his hood.
“It’s fine. Step back.”
After recognizing the face, Chairman Kwon waved the guards away.
“Do you still exercise every morning in America? With your father?”
Instead of answering, Jeho studied the chairman’s expression.
“They say no news is good news. I trust he’s doing well.”
Chairman Kwon truly knew nothing. The executive secretary had long been under Executive Director Kwon’s control, intercepting reports. Ironically, Chairman Kwon’s every move was being reported to Executive Director Kwon. Only during his morning exercise could he escape surveillance.
“Chairman, neither of us has much time. Let’s get straight to the point.”
Jeho changed the subject without mentioning his father.
It was too soon for the chairman to suffer a shock. If he collapsed, it would only hand power to Executive Director Kwon.
“You didn’t urge me to return to Korea just for the new building project.”
“Of course not.”
Chairman Kwon replied firmly.
“I have no intention of handing the company to someone unproven. That boy Woosik will sell it to a foreign fund in less than ten years. Minwoo is the same. But you’re different.”
“Then hire a professional CEO.”
The chairman frowned but accepted the expected answer.
“Even if I hire one, someone must watch from above. I want you to do that. Become the largest shareholder and take the position of chairman of the board.”
“If I accept, what will you give me?”
While others would fight fiercely for that position, Jeho calmly asked what he would receive in return. Instead of feeling offended, Chairman Kwon liked his attitude.
It had always been that way. Jeho had never feared him. Unlike Minwoo, who couldn’t even meet his eyes.
“Fine. What do you want? Speak.”
“Grandfather.”
For the first time since their reunion, Jeho called him “Grandfather” instead of “Chairman,” a faint smile on his lips.
“Yulri, Jeho asked me to give this to you.”
Director Kim approached her desk and handed over the car keys. Jeho must have met him outside instead of coming up to the office.
“Ah, thank you.”
Yulri had been worrying about how she would face Jeho. But when she heard he had already left, her strength suddenly drained.
Just moments ago she had been thinking of ways to avoid him. Yet now she felt strangely disappointed that he was gone.
She quickly put the keys into her drawer.
Because she had shown tears so foolishly, she had made herself look ridiculous. She hoped he would just think it was drunken behavior. Still, her heart felt uneasy.
It would be better to avoid running into him. Every time she met him, her emotions became unstable. It was wiser to avoid danger before it grew.
But how should she return his jacket?
After thinking for a moment, she decided to give it to Minwoo and let him return it. There seemed to be a strange rivalry between the two men, but they were cousins, not enemies. It shouldn’t be a big problem.
Near the end of work, she received a text from the wedding planner.
<Don’t forget your wedding dress fitting at 6:30 today.>
Only then did she remember her schedule. Without the reminder, she would have gone straight home.
That was how little interest she had in her marriage with Minwoo. All she wanted was to escape her twisted family and breathe freely. Nothing more.
Still, it was a wedding.
“Ha…”
A bitter sigh escaped her.
It was strange. She had never questioned an arranged marriage before. So why did her heart feel so unsettled now?
Just then, Minwoo called.
[Today’s the fitting, right?]
“Yes. I just got the reminder text.”
[I don’t think I can go. Grandfather scolded me badly yesterday for leaving early. For now, even if the sky falls, I can’t leave before 10 p.m.]
“It’s okay. I’ll go alone.”
After hanging up, she finished her work and left a little earlier than usual. The car Jeho had driven that morning was parked in her assigned spot.
When she sat in the driver’s seat, she noticed a faint citrus scent inside the car. It was strong yet refreshing—the perfume Jeho had worn yesterday.
Why did she only notice it today, when he wasn’t here?
She took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly, starting the engine before her thoughts could wander further.
“This is the dress?”
“Yes.”
Nancy Song, the wedding dress designer, looked at Yulri carefully. In front of them was an old-fashioned dress that looked almost antique. Mrs. Na Dohee of KG Group had insisted it was family tradition and ordered that the great-grandmother’s wedding dress be altered for the ceremony.
Most brides would have sighed at such an outdated dress, but Yulri accepted it calmly.
“If it’s tradition, I’ll follow it.”
Relieved, Nancy Song prepared the dress for the photo shoot. Even if the ceremony dress was traditional, at least the photo shoot dress had to be glamorous.
“Shall I style your hair up?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then please wait inside. A staff member will assist you.”
Most brides tried on dresses with their hair styled, but Yulri entered the fitting room with her usual hairstyle.
Unlike the conservative ceremony dress, the photo shoot dress revealed her shoulders and had a fairly deep neckline.
Worried it might be too revealing, she decided to try it on quickly before the staff arrived. The low neckline bothered her a little, but it could be adjusted or covered with a bolero.
She couldn’t zip it up all the way by herself, so she stepped out of the fitting room to ask for help.
“Could you zip this up for me?”
For some reason, instead of Nancy Song, Jeho was standing there.
Startled, Yulri froze.
Jeho also seemed surprised to see her there. His brows furrowed briefly, but he soon regained his calm.
“Are you asking me? To zip it up?”
His words brought her back to her senses.
She was wearing a dress that revealed her cleavage clearly. She instinctively tried to cover her chest with her hands, then changed her mind and turned her back to him instead.
“Yes. Please help me.”
If she naturally turned around and asked him to zip it up, there would be no need to awkwardly cover herself.
“If that’s what you want…”
Jeho replied lazily as he stepped closer.
“Why are you here?”
Remembering her sharp tone from last night, she asked calmly on purpose.
“Grandfather ordered me to come for a fitting as well.”
He answered in an equally calm voice and gently moved her hair to the side of her neck.
His fingertips brushed her exposed skin lightly.
A sudden electric sensation spread through her body.
Why hadn’t she thought about the fact that zipping it up would require physical contact? It was too late to regret her careless decision.
His fingers slowly pulled up the zipper, almost touching her skin. Along with the faint citrus scent, the feeling made her face burn red.
At least she had her back turned. He couldn’t see her expression.
But then—
As she casually turned her head, she noticed the full-length mirror beside them.
She was not the only one looking into it.
His deep gaze, as if it could swallow her whole, was fixed entirely on her.
But it wasn’t on her exposed neckline.
It was on her upper arm.
Jeho lifted the lace sleeve slightly, revealing the bluish bruise underneath—the same place Minwoo had grabbed.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
When his thumb gently brushed over the bruise, she flinched.
“…N-No. It just looks worse than it is.”
He stared at the bruise with complicated eyes, then slowly raised his head.
“Let me ask you again.”
Bringing his lips close to her ear, he whispered,
“Do you really have to go through with this marriage?”
Their eyes met intensely in the mirror.
