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chapter 18
Seon-ae took a deep breath as if trying to cool her anger.
Yeon-seo, meanwhile, was filled with a sense of injustice. She had done nothing but fulfill her duty as bound by contract to Do-heon. She hadn’t desired or tried to claim anything for herself.
Everything she had now was something she would eventually have to let go of, nothing that truly belonged to her. Strictly speaking, all that Yeon-seo possessed was Do-heon’s.
She had grown accustomed to Seon-ae’s cold expression and piercing eyes. Summoning courage, Yeon-seo resolved to say just one thing.
“…Does that really make it my fault?”
“What? Did you just talk back to an elder?”
“If it sounded that way, I sincerely apologize. But I truly don’t understand why it’s my fault that you tried so hard to win over the Chairman’s favor.”
Letting the words she’d been holding back slip out gave her a sense of release, but her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Seon-ae’s menacing gaze swept over her.
Smack!
A scorching pain burned across Yeon-seo’s cheek. Without warning, that well-manicured hand had struck her face. Her head snapped helplessly to the side.
“Ah! So that’s your true face, after pretending to be kind and innocent all this time. Of course—you must be coveting the Seo family as well.”
Yeon-seo said nothing more. She felt she had said enough already and had no desire to make things worse.
Even then, Seon-ae struggled to maintain her lofty composure, though her breath came rough through her nose.
“But it seems you still don’t understand what kind of person I am. Right now, you’re like a mantis trying to block a cart. Only after your very soul is crushed will you recognize your place.”
“That’s not true, Mother.”
“Learn to conduct yourself properly. And remember—there are places even Do-heon’s hand cannot reach.”
At the mention of Do-heon’s name, Yeon-seo flinched.
She thought about the ripple effect her words might cause.
Even if she could endure it herself, she had to find some way to defuse the situation so it wouldn’t affect Do-heon.
Lowering her head, Yeon-seo humbled herself.
“I’m sorry, Mother.”
“…”
“I spoke far too rashly.”
“Hah.”
Air hissed through Seon-ae’s teeth. Her expression was one of sheer disbelief.
“You’re very quick to admit fault, aren’t you?”
“…”
“Just because you’ve entered this household, do you think your lowly origins have disappeared? From now on, make sure you don’t offend my eyes.”
With that, Seon-ae swept out of Myeongseonjae, clearly unwilling to speak further.
Left alone in the living room, Yeon-seo replayed the conversation in her mind, wondering exactly what had provoked Geum Seon-ae’s wrath.
At least one thing was clear—Seon-ae’s standing within this household was unstable. And in another way, Yeon-seo felt it wasn’t entirely bad that her boldness had allowed her to glimpse Seon-ae’s true face.
[I’ll come pick you up at 5 p.m. Let’s go out for dinner together.]
The message arrived as Yeon-seo sat there with empty eyes after the confrontation. It was the first time Do-heon had ever suggested having dinner outside.
She immediately looked through her wardrobe. More than half the clothes hanging there had never been worn.
Expressionless, she chose an ivory dress and put it on. Sitting at the vanity, she stared into the mirror and saw a reflection that looked as though the soul had drained away.
Everything she wore, carried, or applied to her skin was of the finest quality, yet not one thing brought her joy. The only thing in this place that seemed to suit her was the garden.
At precisely five o’clock, a black sedan pulled up in front of Myeongseonjae.
Do-heon looked more refined and charming than ever. Wrapping a gentle arm around her waist, he escorted her and even opened the passenger door for her.
Since we’ve barely spent time together since the wedding, this must be to show the family that our relationship hasn’t grown distant…
Thinking it all part of his performance, Yeon-seo willingly played along.
In the enclosed car, his familiar scent filled her senses. The same scent she had first noticed at the hotel—one that always reminded her of the times they had been physically close.
But her mind kept replaying Seon-ae’s words. She had tried not to let them wound her, yet the phrase “lowly origins” clung to her like a thorn lodged in her throat.
A weary heaviness clouded her eyes.
Her lips remained firmly sealed. Do-heon, as if fully aware of her state, made no attempt to force conversation.
The silence, familiar yet weighty, lingered in the car.
Unable to fight the heaviness pressing on her eyelids, Yeon-seo drifted into sleep.
When did she fall asleep?
When she opened her eyes, the car was still moving. Blinking, she looked outside at a scenery that didn’t look like Seoul at all—too sparse, too rural.
“Where are we…?”
Her words trailed off as her mouth fell open.
The car had entered a place she knew all too well.
It had been so long since she’d been there. The bus stop, the village hall, elders strolling leisurely, old houses, the lake—everything was familiar.
Home.
Ever since making her contract with Do-heon, she hadn’t tended her garden. The house must have been neglected, the plants overgrown and wild.
But when they pulled up to the lakeside house, her heart pounded madly in her chest.
The house was still beautiful—perhaps even better cared for than when she had lived there.
The garden radiated the freshness of summer, like gazing at an Impressionist painting. There were flowers she hadn’t planted, yet everything harmonized together without a single thing out of place.
“H-how…?”
Yeon-seo covered her mouth with her palm, standing frozen. After a long pause, she finally spoke.
“I don’t even know what to say. I’m just… so grateful.”
It could only have been Do-heon’s doing, arranging for the house to be cared for all this time. Yet he made no effort to take credit, merely watching from a slight distance.
When Yeon-seo stammered out her thanks, a faint smile tugged at his lips.
“I only had people take care of it. Nothing worthy of such gratitude.”
He handed her a small white card.
“Using a key seemed insecure, so I changed it.”
She accepted the card key, its flat, cool surface somehow feeling like his true heart.
Clutching it tightly in her hand, she let the lakeside breeze ruffle her hair.
With the setting sun behind him, his face looked just as it had that day—the day he had saved her by the lake.
Lines as picturesque as this garden. Eyes as deep as the lake, yet the most beautiful she had ever seen. Meeting his gaze made her chest ache with a quiet, piercing throb.
“Go on inside.”
Oblivious to her thoughts, he gestured toward the front door with a nod. Together they stepped into the house.
“Ah…”
A gasp escaped Yeon-seo.
Everything inside was exactly as it had been. The only difference was that, despite the time that had passed, there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere.
“I hoped this could be some comfort for you, Ms. Woo Yeon-seo…”
Her eyes glistened red.
“It is. More than enough.”
And yet unease crept into her heart.
Why was this man doing so much for her? Outwardly, their duty was only to act as though they loved each other.
“This house will continue to be cared for. I thought it might ease your mind to know that, even when the contract ends, you’ll still have somewhere to return.”
So he hadn’t forgotten the contract’s inevitable end.
Oddly, hearing it made her feel a little forlorn, even though she had always known.
“Thank you. For the house… and for everything else, too.”
Her lips trembled as though she wanted to say more, but she swallowed it back down. There was nothing else she could say to him.
It felt as though she wanted to speak further, but somehow she knew she shouldn’t.
As he quietly watched her, Do-heon took her hand. His warmth seeped into her, filling the emptiness inside bit by bit.
“Shall we go eat, then? I’m hungry.”
“Yes.”
Leaving the quiet house behind, they stepped out into the dusk.
“Get out. We’re here.”
When the car stopped, an old sign for a humble barley-rice restaurant came into view.
“This place…”
It was the very restaurant she used to visit with her father as a child. Run by three generations, it was probably the oldest eatery in Yangpyeong.
When he’d first suggested dinner, she’d imagined he would take her somewhere fitting for him—an upscale fine dining restaurant or a hotel.
Had that been the case, she likely would have been too tense to eat a single bite. Now, though, she felt dazed, as if still dreaming.
Without a word, Do-heon gently pulled her by the hand toward the restaurant.
