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Chapter 34
A strange heat settled between the two of them.
Yu-eul’s pounding heartbeat could be heard even by Ji-hyeok.
Whether she noticed it herself or not, Yu-eul quickly picked up a piece of bread with her fork and held it out toward Ji-hyeok.
“Can’t you give it to me cutely and kindly, like before?”
At Ji-hyeok’s request, Yu-eul bit her lips inward.
Judging from her slightly averted gaze, it seemed she was recalling how she had fed him just a moment ago.
“Already forgotten?”
Ji-hyeok reached out and cupped her small hand, floating in the air.
It twitched in his palm like a baby bird.
The vibrations seeped through his skin, sending an odd warmth spreading from his chest down below his navel.
Just holding her hand alone stirred a strange arousal within him.
He had never been interested in women, yet this reaction toward Han Yu-eul left him flustered.
“Uh… Director…”
Yu-eul called him shyly, her hand trembling.
Ji-hyeok slightly leaned up and placed the bread from the fork into his mouth.
Only after that did he release her hand.
Yu-eul exhaled sharply, as if she had been holding her breath, and then ran to the kitchen to drink some cold water.
Left alone, Ji-hyeok savored the aroma of the bread filling his mouth and wondered what she might taste like.
Realizing how dangerously his thoughts had drifted, he panicked and abruptly stood up.
Yu-eul lingered in the kitchen while Ji-hyeok paced the hall, and twenty minutes passed without either calling the other.
At that moment, the sound of a chime came as someone opened the shop door.
It was a woman in her forties with a child.
Only then did Yu-eul emerge from the kitchen.
“Shop owner. You’re not open now, right?”
Yu-eul immediately approached the door and bowed.
“Yes, our business hours are over, and we’re just preparing ingredients. Sorry for leaving the lights on and causing any inconvenience.”
“No, not at all. I always pass by here at this time, and the lights are usually off. Today, they were on, so I decided to come in, just in case.”
Yu-eul repeatedly thanked her for coming.
The woman left with her child.
Once again, an awkward atmosphere settled over the two of them.
Yu-eul couldn’t meet his eyes, so Ji-hyeok called her in a flat tone.
“Gong-gal.”
“Yes, yes…!”
“Let’s go. Do-ha will get bored.”
“Ah! Yes, just a moment? You go ahead first.”
Yu-eul told Ji-hyeok to wait outside briefly, tidied the shop, and then came out.
The two of them headed back to Ji-hyeok’s house.
A suffocating, thick silence followed them, heavier than ever.
At home, the emperor, enjoying a drink with his chief secretary Park Young-jun, raised his eyebrows sharply at a report from the team leader monitoring Ji-hyeok.
“What? Ji-hyeok went out without seeing Do-ha again?”
Young-jun shook his head subtly, seeing the emperor’s anger.
At least let him properly see Do-ha at home for now. If he displeases the chairman at a time like this, nothing good will come of it…
Having served as the emperor’s right-hand man for over thirty years and having known Ji-hyeok since childhood, Young-jun wanted more than anyone for the boy—like a nephew to him—to succeed the emperor.
Originally, the emperor had favored both Won-jun and Ji-hyeok equally, but after the unfortunate accident left only one, all that affection went to Ji-hyeok.
“What?!”
As Young-jun worried that Ji-hyeok might annoy the emperor for a while, the emperor suddenly stood, banging the table.
“What exactly did that surveillance team leader say?”
Young-jun addressed the emperor calmly.
“Chairman, what’s the matter? Did something happen to Master Ji-hyeok?”
“That brat… send him out first.”
After dismissing the surveillance team leader, the emperor sighed heavily and looked at Young-jun.
“Chief Park.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Ji-hyeok, that brat, went out leaving Do-ha behind, and now he’s with a woman.”
Young-jun’s eyes widened in surprise.
He now understood why the emperor was so shocked and angry.
He had rejected all the daughters from prestigious families that the emperor had carefully chosen, and yet Ji-hyeok was meeting some girl. No wonder the emperor was upset.
Moreover, there was uncertainty about the girl’s family background, which added to the emperor’s unease.
“Chairman, please calm down. Master Ji-hyeok is thirty-one now. It’s only natural for him to have a romantic relationship.”
“Yes. Who said anything wrong about dating?”
“…”
“Do-ha is still very young. He should be spending time with the child. But instead, he goes out to chase a relationship? You think I wouldn’t be angry, Chief Park?”
Mixing standard Korean with dialect, the emperor couldn’t calm down.
Young-jun lowered his voice and spoke calmly.
“It’s only one day. Master Ji-hyeok has never done anything to displease you before.”
“…That’s true.”
“Today could have been a special day. Or he may have gone out to get something for Do-ha. Let’s observe a bit longer.”
“Ha… that brat… Chief Park, when I raised children, I never messed around with women.”
“Chairman.”
Startled by Young-jun’s firm tone, the emperor cleared his throat.
“You shouldn’t compare him to yourself. Master Ji-hyeok is still single. Do-ha isn’t even his biological son.”
“Oh, right. That hit me too.”
Young-jun smiled subtly.
This was one reason he had stayed by the emperor’s side for so long.
The emperor was honest and capable of admitting mistakes, unlike others who insisted they were always right.
“I’ll look into the woman Master Ji-hyeok met today. So, please don’t worry too much.”
At that moment, the surveillance team leader returned and whispered to the emperor while covering his mouth.
After he left, Young-jun quietly asked,
“Chairman?”
“That brat… he went back inside with that woman.”
“Then I’ll call Mrs. Kim.”
After seeking her permission, Young-jun stepped briefly into the kitchen.
Though he acted as if nothing was wrong in front of the emperor, he was worried too.
If Ji-hyeok had just recently developed romantic feelings, it could be dangerous. He had never truly dated before. If such a naive boy fell for a cunning woman, it would be disastrous.
Having witnessed many ruined families caused by meeting the wrong woman at the wrong time, Young-jun was anxious.
After a few rings, Mrs. Kim answered.
“-Hello?”
Mrs. Kim was Young-jun’s hometown friend and the eldest sister’s close companion.
She was known for her loyalty and lack of greed, and Young-jun had recommended her to the emperor.
When asked to watch the child for a few days, she had generously agreed without asking for payment, going to Ji-hyeok’s home.
“Nunim, it’s me, Young-jun.”
“-Uh-huh. Just a moment?”
A few seconds later, her voice returned.
“-I came into the room briefly. Why? Did the chairman give you another order?”
“No. It’s about Master Ji-hyeok. Did he bring a woman home?”
“-….”
“Nunim.”
“-Ah. I didn’t want to say anything, but… he said it was his girlfriend. She’s been to the house a few times, and Do-ha seems very fond of her.”
“Ah… I see. How does she seem?”
“-That girl? She seemed very proper. I was more worried he might act recklessly. But she seems good. She treats Do-ha well. Hold on, I’m being called. Let’s hang up for now, okay?”
Click.
The call ended.
Young-jun returned to the kitchen with the emperor.
However, the moment he entered, he froze at the sight of the emperor.
