Chapter 36
Eunha held her pounding chest several times on her way home. Her heart wouldn’t calm down after seeing Chanwoo—it had startled her too much.
When she entered the house, a heavy silence wrapped around her. Today, the house looked even emptier and wider than usual.
It even felt… scary.
All because of Chanwoo.
If only Dohoon were here… At the very least, she would’ve been able to talk to him about what happened.
But since he’d left on his business trip, he hadn’t contacted her once.
She understood—he was always busy—but still, she couldn’t help feeling hurt.
Especially on a day like today, she missed him so much more.
Eunha checked the tightly locked front gate several times out of fear before turning away.
Meow.
Meow, meow…
Somewhere, the sound of a cat echoed.
“There’s no way a cat could be here…”
But the sound was definitely coming from the garden.
Puzzled, Eunha looked around the yard. And sure enough, a tiny black kitten appeared from beneath a corner of the wall, staring at her cautiously.
“How did you get in?”
She always kept the gate closed. How had it slipped in?
“Did you get separated from your mom and lose your way?”
Thinking the mother cat might be outside, Eunha opened the gate she had locked and waited.
But the kitten only sat there and cried, not budging at all.
“Are you crying because you’re hungry?”
It was evening already. If the kitten had been here since morning, it made sense.
Eunha poured some milk into a small dish and placed it in front of the kitten.
She worried about what Dohoon would say, but she couldn’t bring herself to kick out a cat that had wandered into her home.
Watching the kitten gradually relax and drink the milk eased the sharp tension she’d felt all day because of Chanwoo.
And strangely, the house no longer felt so empty.
As she gently stroked the kitten’s head, she murmured,
“At least with you here, tonight won’t feel as lonely.”
The next day, thankfully, she felt fine.
Eunpyo at the hospital was safe with the security guards present, and even if Chanwoo showed up again, Eunha was no longer the naïve twenty-year-old she used to be.
She had been too shocked yesterday to say much, but she felt confident she wouldn’t be shaken so easily next time.
Besides—she had Dohoon by her side now.
Even if he was only a contract husband, she realized how reassuring it felt to have a husband at all.
And the phone number Youngchul found this morning for Chanwoo was different from the one she’d seen at her parents’ house. So he really was just someone with the same name.
It wasn’t a big issue, but the unease had bothered her, and once the misunderstanding was resolved, she felt much lighter.
After breakfast, Eunha headed out to deal with the tasks she had put off.
Her first stop was her mother’s house. Strictly speaking, she had business with Chansook, not her whole family.
Seeing Chanwoo yesterday still weighed on her mind, and she needed to settle the matter of the living expenses she had promised.
Before the wedding, Dohoon had promised to transfer 1 billion won immediately.
When she first signed the marriage contract, she had written the amount with her eyes shut, but now receiving that much money made her feel uneasy.
Especially since Dohoon was already covering all of Eunpyo’s hospital bills.
She only needed enough money to support Chansook and pay the overdue wages at Haneul Foods.
And the more her feelings for Dohoon grew, the heavier it felt to accept money openly.
She didn’t feel like she had the right to.
But Dohoon insisted on paying everything regardless of her feelings.
So Eunha compromised—she changed the payment date and the initial amount.
The payment would be made after they filed the marriage registration.
The first amount would be 500 million.
The remaining 500 million would be given three years later, when they separated.
She convinced him by saying that getting all the money at once might make her careless about their fake marriage act, and that having too much upfront might tempt her to give up when things got difficult.
And, it also neatly avoided gift tax issues.
They filed the marriage registration right after returning from their honeymoon, and Dohoon kept his promise immediately.
So now, Eunha’s bank account held a staggering 500 million won.
She planned to use it to support Chansook and quickly pay the overdue salaries at Haneul Foods.
But Chansook had changed since she last saw her.
Did she get work done again?
When Eunha first met her, she wasn’t like this—but over time, Chansook’s vanity and extravagance grew. She often got cosmetic procedures. It seemed she’d had more done after the wedding.
Her eyes were bigger, her wrinkles stretched flat, her skin gleaming as if she’d just come from a spa. From head to toe, she was dressed extravagantly.
For someone who claimed she didn’t have the money to pay her father’s medical bills and forced her daughter into marriage, she looked like she was living lavishly.
Where on earth was she getting the money?
“So, what do you want? I’ve got an appointment. Say it quickly.”
Chansook, clearly in a hurry, urged her to get to the point.
Eunha asked the question that bothered her most.
“I saw Uncle yesterday. Do you know anything about that?”
“Chanwoo? Where?”
Chansook’s eyes widened with panic. Eunha studied her expression and asked again.
“You didn’t know he was in Seoul?”
“How would I know? I cut ties because of your father, and that kid only resents me.”
Chansook darted her eyes around, gauging Eunha’s reaction.
“…All right then.”
“That’s it? You came all the way here while I’m busy just to ask that?”
Since Eunha backed off, Chansook snapped irritably.
But Eunha responded calmly.
“I actually came to talk about your living expenses.”
She didn’t want to stay long, so she spoke straight to the point.
Honestly, after seeing how extravagantly Chansook was living, she didn’t want to give her a single won.
But she didn’t know what kind of problems might arise if she didn’t, and she wanted to tidy up what she had promised before the wedding.
Then Chansook said something Eunha never expected:
“Living expenses? You gave me two months’ worth and already want credit for it? Or are you planning to threaten me with it again?”
“…What are you talking about?”
Eunha stared at her, wide-eyed.
“Why? Are you pretending you didn’t know? You came to tighten the noose on me again?”
“You mean… you’ve already been receiving living expenses? From him?”
Her voice trembled. She had never even imagined it.
“Yeah. He said I should treat you well if I want the money. As if I ever treated you badly. I swallowed my pride and acted the way he wanted. And now you’re asking about living expenses?”
Chansook raised her voice indignantly.
She remembered how humiliating it was to sign that contract.
And now Eunha was acting like this? It infuriated her.
Now Eunha understood why Chansook hadn’t been as hysterical during the wedding preparations.
And why she hadn’t called after the wedding asking for money or causing problems.
She laughed bitterly.
Then she noticed the ring, bracelet, necklace—jewelry she’d never seen before.
No way…
Her face hardened. It made no sense, but she still had to confirm.
“Did you receive anything else besides the living expenses?”
Chansook froze. Eunha caught that moment instantly.
“Mother.”
When Eunha’s voice sharpened, Chansook dropped the panicked look and answered shamelessly.
“Yeah, I did. Why? You think I took it for myself? Everyone knows you married into the Jeil family. Do you know how embarrassing it is to say I didn’t receive a single thing from my in-laws?”
“We didn’t give them anything either. That was the agreement.”
For this contract marriage, Eunha had given Dohoon nothing—no ring, no watch, not even a suit.
She didn’t have the money for something fitting his status, and because it was a contract, they kept everything simple.
So both families agreed to skip the usual exchange of wedding gifts.
Eunha only accepted a small set of wedding jewelry because Dohoon insisted, and even then, she planned to return it after three years.
But the fact that Chansook broke the agreement and secretly took more from Dohoon made Eunha sink with shame.
“That’s separate. Even if we kept things simple, I still need something to show people. And do you think I begged for it? I said I felt hurt, and he gave it willingly! What, you expect me to refuse?”
“You’re already taking living expenses. How can a person be this shameless?”
“Shameless?”
Chansook flushed with anger, but Eunha stared back, her own expression hard and cold. She was disgusted by her mother’s brazenness.
“Is that how you talk now? Marry rich, lean on a man, and suddenly you think you’re better than everyone?”
“Did you ever think about how much trouble this puts me through? Do you know how shocked I am right now? I thought at least you knew basic decency.”
Eunha felt she couldn’t face Dohoon ever again.
She knew her mother was greedy. She knew she loved luxury.
But she thought she’d at least have some limits.
She never imagined she had been treating Dohoon like her personal ATM.
“I’ll think about your living expenses and contact you later.”
Eunha left the house coldly.
Chansook, left alone, seethed with anger.
