Chapter 22
As she crossed the lobby, Eunha recognized Dohun immediately.
Sitting on the sofa with his long legs crossed, he looked like a picture.
As Eunha walked over, Dohun looked up and their eyes met. Feeling awkward, Eunha involuntarily smiled.
‘What if he says I’m too dressed up…?’
She hadn’t been one to dress up much, and now she wondered if she had overdone it for this first meeting. Her confidence suddenly plummeted.
Meanwhile, Dohun slowly rose from his seat to greet her.
“Mr. Dohun…”
Eunha, who had finally reached him, called his name softly.
Dohun hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her until that moment.
Just as Eunha was turning bright red with embarrassment, Dohun frowned and spoke.
“Let’s get in the car first.”
“Ah, yes.”
She hadn’t expected him to say she was pretty, but she had hoped for some kind of comment.
But Dohun’s face was stiff, and he said nothing.
Well, theirs was just a contractual relationship. Maybe expecting anything else was her mistake.
Suppressing her disappointment, she followed him to the car.
Even after getting in the car, Dohun remained silent for a while.
The prolonged silence was awkward, and the fact that he offered no opinion on the clothes he had chosen for her was frustrating.
Could it be that they didn’t suit her?
She thought maybe that was it, since everyone has different tastes.
Judging by his frown and silence, perhaps it was true…
As she was thinking this, feeling bitter, Dohun finally spoke.
“The clothes fit well.”
Perhaps it was because of the expectations she had built up again on her own, but her heart rate quickened.
Eunha nodded and replied.
“Yes. The size was just right.”
“I suppose so.”
Dohun responded quietly. Having held her body several times, he could estimate the size fairly accurately.
“Thank you. For taking care of this despite being busy.”
“In the future, try to be a bit more careful when choosing clothes.”
“Huh? Ah, yes…”
She had wondered, but it seemed Dohun really did think the clothes didn’t suit her.
She really wanted to look pretty in his eyes, so her heart ached as she held it in. Then, Dohun’s unexpected words continued.
“It was irritating.”
“…Pardon?”
“People were staring at you.”
What did he mean by that?
Eunha blinked, not understanding his words.
“Now that I know you can look this pretty, I’ll be sure to take that into account when choosing next time.”
In truth, Dohun had been quite shocked when he saw Eunha in the lobby.
She was much prettier than he had expected.
So much so that he had stared blankly for a moment.
The problem was, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Every time passing men looked at Eunha, he felt an inexplicable irritation well up.
That’s why he had brought her to the car first.
And he decided. From now on, he would never gift her clothes that made her appearance stand out so much.
While Dohun felt uncomfortable, Eunha was in a good mood.
Once again, her heart dropped helplessly at Dohun’s words, but it couldn’t be helped.
She couldn’t hear any of his other words; only the words “pretty” kept swirling in her head.
Eunha was thrilled and happy that she looked pretty in Dohun’s eyes too.
Chansook was sitting in the back seat of the car, dressed up from head to toe.
Her head was a mess because of what Chanwoo had told her, but true to her nature, she decided to think comfortably.
‘Right, Chanwoo said it’s a good thing. The ones who should be nervous are the Jaegil Group. I just need to watch from the sidelines, like watching a fire from across the river.’
Chansook recalled Seonju, whom she had seen at a social gathering. Even if she was a second wife, as the current mistress of the Jaegil Group, she was a central figure within the gatherings. To the point where Chansook didn’t even dare to look at her.
Not that Seonju was the type to approach others first. How aloof and arrogant she was. She was one of the top snobs among the chaebol wives.
Thinking that such a Seonju was secretly involved in illegal activities with her son was absurd.
Come to think of it, the ones who should really be anxious about this marriage were Seonju and Sehoon.
It seemed watching their antics from now on would be quite entertaining.
Of course, Eunha was being unlucky and acting up until the day of the meeting.
“Really, how foolishly does she think of adults?”
Chansook grumbled, forgetting that the driver could hear her.
An hour before Chansook left the house, Eunha had called and suggested they meet in front of Dohun’s family home.
Chansook also disliked being seen with Eunha, so she didn’t mind, but Eunha’s indifferent attitude—acting as if it didn’t matter whether Chansook came to the meeting or not—was irritating.
‘If it weren’t for the Jaegil Group, I would have just married her off to Byungtae.’
While it was good that being in-laws with the Jaegil Group came with many benefits, whenever Chansook thought of Eunha, she wanted to call off the marriage immediately.
While Byungtae’s conditions were no match for Dohun’s, it annoyed her that if Eunha married well, her nose would be even higher in the air.
Moreover, her relationship with Byungtae, who was considered quite influential in the region, was completely ruined, putting her in a difficult situation.
“We’ve arrived, Ma’am.”
Chansook, who was recalling Eunha’s ill-mannered behavior, looked up at the driver’s words.
It was a good thing Dohun had sent the car on time; otherwise, she would have been furious by now.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Please step out.”
The driver opened the door for her. Chansook nodded as gracefully as possible and got out of the car.
But the moment she stepped out, she couldn’t help but stand there with her mouth agape.
The wall was so high she couldn’t take it all in at a glance, and even from the outside, the house was incredibly large and luxurious.
‘How much would a house like this cost?’
Chansook, who was fixated on money, marveled at the grandeur of the large mansion and tried to estimate its price.
It seemed like you couldn’t buy a house like this with 10 billion, let alone 100 billion.
As Chansook was clicking her tongue in amazement, another car approached from behind. It was clearly a better car than the one she had arrived in.
Thinking it might be someone from the Jaegil Group, she watched the car nervously. A moment later, Eunha got out of the car.
“You’re here?”
Chansook looked at Eunha with eyes more surprised than when she saw the house.
She looked so elegant and sophisticated that you’d believe she was from the Jaegil family.
But that got on Chansook’s nerves.
The changed makeup and hairstyle were one thing, but her clothes, bag, and even her shoes were all luxury brands. Top-tier brands at that. All together, it probably cost as much as a car.
Chansook also carried luxury items, but they were nothing compared to what Eunha had.
Chansook scowled in dissatisfaction, looking Eunha up and down.
“You, what on earth is this…?”
“Huh?”
Eunha, not understanding why Chansook was acting this way, furrowed her brow slightly.
“Is this why you wanted to come separately?”
“What do you mean?”
“You think it’s nice to show up all dressed up by yourself?”
“That’s not it. I was running a bit late today, so Mr. Dohun…”
“No matter how you supposedly snagged a rich man to marry, this is too much. Getting luxury items from a man even before the wedding. What will this family think? If they see you decked out in luxury like this given our circumstances, they won’t call it love. They’ll say you’re after his money, won’t they?”
Chansook raised her voice in irritation. The driver who had brought her and Youngtae, who had brought Eunha, were nearby, but she paid them no mind.
In fact, she thought scolding Eunha’s faults would elevate her own standing.
But Eunha was taken aback by Chansook’s reaction. She had no interest in clothes and didn’t know much about luxury brands, so she didn’t even know what brand she was wearing.
She was just wearing the clothes Dohun had gifted her through Manager Park.
As for the makeup and hair, a professional had been sent directly to her hotel, so she couldn’t refuse. And even that, she hadn’t been able to get done properly due to lack of time.
But being talked to as if she were a gold digger put her in a bad mood.
Still, she couldn’t make a scene and argue in front of Dohun’s family home.
Eunha pondered how to respond to clear her name while keeping things as quiet as possible.
And just then, Dohun got out of the car Eunha had arrived in.
Chansook’s eyes widened in an “oops” moment.
“No, Director… why are you there…?”
“Long time no see, Mother. I had an urgent call, so Eunha got out first,” Dohun replied in a calm but cool voice.
After the car had just arrived, Dohun had received a business call, so Eunha, seeing Chansook, had gotten out first.
“But it seems there’s some misunderstanding. I arranged for this specifically for today’s meeting. Is there a problem?” Dohun asked.
Chansook stared at Eunha as if it were ridiculous.
“You should have said so then!”
Belatedly, Eunha explained the situation.
“You started pushing me before I even had a chance to explain, Mother.”
“That’s… because your appearance was just so shocking!”
Chansook was deeply offended, but with Dohun present, she couldn’t raise her voice further. So she muttered quietly and closed her mouth with a displeased expression.
Seizing the moment, Dohun spoke slowly.
“Don’t worry. If I’m the one dressing my woman, who can say anything? Besides, this level of price isn’t considered high-end here.”
At Dohun’s words, Chansook’s stomach churned and boiled inside.
“I think everyone will find her pretty. I myself couldn’t take my eyes off Eunha today because she’s so beautiful.”
Dohun pulled Eunha closer by the waist, looked into her eyes, and spoke. Eunha blushed, seeming shy.
Looking at them like that, they truly seemed like a couple deeply in love.
“Shall we go in then?”
Dohun said, holding Eunha around the waist as they stepped through the main gate.
Chansook felt like her insides were turning upside down, but she had no choice but to follow them.
