CGC 35

Chapter 35

The reason was that Jaewang was staring at his phone with an extremely serious expression.

Not only that, but he suddenly clutched his head as if he were having a severe headache.

What on earth did he see…?

Did something happen at the company in that short time?

Worried, Youngjun approached Jaewang.

“Chair… man?”

As he came closer, he sneaked a glance at the screen Jaewang had opened.

And then, his eyebrows shot up.

Jaewang was looking at Jihyuk’s photo.

A photo of his son smiling so widely that his eyes formed crescents.

“…What on earth is this….”

On top of that, the photo was zoomed in on his face so much it was almost burdensome.

Noticing Youngjun, who had approached without him realizing, Jaewang let out a deep sigh.

“It seems someone took a picture of him at a coffee shop with some woman. Chief Park.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Have you ever seen Jihyuk smile like this?”

Youngjun rolled his eyes around as he tried to think hard.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he had never seen Jihyuk smile this brightly.

For someone as stingy with smiles as Jihyuk, to smile like that—

Even Youngjun was so shocked that his heart was pounding. How must Jaewang feel?

“I… am very worried.”

Whether it was because of alcohol, or genuine concern from the heart—

Jaewang pushed the phone aside as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have and covered his face.

Youngjun took the chance to reach out and grab the phone.

He returned the zoomed-in photo to normal size and skimmed the overall situation.

In the café, Jihyuk and the woman were sitting face-to-face.

He couldn’t see the woman’s face well because it was from the side, but her delicate features—her smooth forehead and high nose bridge—were enough to immediately know she was beautiful.

Who was this woman who made the ever-expressionless Jihyuk smile?

Madam Kim had said she seemed fine, so there was no major concern.

But seeing Jihyuk smile like that didn’t exactly put him at ease.

If he smiled that much, it wouldn’t be strange at all if he offered the woman his liver and gallbladder.

It seemed they had to find out about this woman first thing tomorrow.

“Chairman. I’ll quickly look into who the woman is.”

Jaewang nodded to show he understood and waved his hand.

He meant that they should stop drinking.

For someone who loved alcohol to end a drinking session midway meant the shock was great.

As Youngjun was about to leave, he stopped and told one of the staff he noticed to bring a blanket.

He draped the blanket over Jaewang’s back.

Normally, a father should be happy that his son isn’t sad and is smiling.

What an ironic situation.

Especially at times like this, someone like him—whose job was to support the chairman and ensure Jihyuk took his place as successor—had to keep his mind sharp.

Even after arriving at Jihyuk’s home, the two didn’t speak, just as they had remained silent in the car.

Finally, Jihyuk was the one who spoke first to Yool.

He said he would give her comfortable clothes, so she should wash up and check on Doha. Then he went to his room to wash.

But Yool, whose heart was still pounding, had no mind to wash.

As she stood still in the middle of the living room, Madam Kim, who had put Doha to sleep, approached her.

“Did you two go out and fight?”

Yool gave an awkward smile.

It wasn’t that they fought; rather, sparks that shouldn’t ever fly between them had nearly ignited.

His sensual gestures and seductive voice when he had tempted her at the store still lingered in her mind.

Maybe the sushi she ate earlier contained alcohol.

She just couldn’t understand why Jihyuk had acted that way toward her.

But even more incomprehensible than Jihyuk… was herself.

She didn’t hate how he acted as if he might cross the line any second.

If he really had been trying to seduce her, she kind of wanted to fall for it.

He wasn’t just attractive. Despite being prickly, he was always gentle only to her and Doha.

How could her heart stay intact when such a person flirted with her deliberately?

But giving in to that so easily wasn’t an option either.

She had thought about it earlier when Jieun told her to try seducing him.

If things went well between them, wouldn’t she eventually bring harm to his family because of her aunt?

And even earlier—seeing her aunt show up out of nowhere and use violence so recklessly—it was clear the woman would keep ruining her life for a while.

Her life wasn’t one that could be clean and smooth.

How could she drag someone like him—someone speeding down a perfect highway in an expensive sports car—into her bumpy road?

His car’s undercarriage would be shredded to pieces.

She didn’t want to be the reason such a solid, admirable man got damaged.

“Sigh…”

Yool forgot she was talking to Madam Kim and let out a deep sigh.

Madam Kim whispered worriedly,

“Goodness, this is really worrying… I’m someone who will only work for a few days and then quit, so I’m fine. But Yool-yang… are you truly okay with Director Jihyuk?”

Having dropped her suspicion earlier, Madam Kim was once again doubting Jihyuk as a violent, temperamental man.

Yool felt guilty, as if she were giving others the wrong impression of him.

“…Of course, ma’am.”

“Mm-hmm, go on, tell me. Hm?”

“Director—no. Why is Oppa… so handsome?”

“…Huh?”

“Why is he so perfect? To the point I can’t even dare to think about meeting someone like him.”

“Oh my goodness…”

Madam Kim hurriedly fled as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

But even after that, Yool lingered there, lost in deep thought.

Does a person really fall head-over-heels for someone in an instant?

She wondered when she had started seeing him as a man and feeling these emotions.

Up until he prevented her from seeing Doha, she had hated him so much…

But thinking back—to the day she first came to this house. The day she went to the ER with him and Doha.

Seeing how much he cared for Doha—just as much as she did—had already softened her heart.

And though Doha wasn’t even fully his brother, he treated him as a true nephew and said he would raise him well—that had moved her.

And when she asked what he would do if her aunt used Doha to threaten him, his merciless yet reliable answer—“I’ll just crush her”—made her want to lean on him.

Since then, even though his words to her were always cold, his actions toward her were gentle, like a tsundere.

And earlier…

Even when he saw her injuries—as if caused by someone hitting her—he didn’t interrogate her and only made sure she got to see Doha and feel better. That affectionate kindness must have fully opened her heart.

“Seriously… who told you to apply medicine so gently…”

“Should I have applied it roughly instead? It’s an injured area.”

Yool, muttering to herself without knowing, jumped in surprise at the sudden voice.

Jihyuk stood there, hair still damp from not drying properly after washing up, smelling faintly of soap.

“What are you doing, not washing yet?”

“Ah. I, uh…”

Yool fiddled with her neck and avoided his gaze.

Jihyuk stepped a little to the side, making her look at him again.

Under the unspoken pressure not to avoid his eyes, Yool pursed her lips tightly and looked at him.

Fresh out of the shower, he was absolutely criminal.

She already knew he was handsome.

But the raw, unpolished state was overflowing with sexiness.

Unbelievable.

Get a grip, Han Yool.

He’s Doha’s uncle.

Legally you two would be in-laws—no, that’s not even right.

You two aren’t anything at all.

As Yool kept biting her lips and shaking her head while staring at him, he stepped closer.

Then he reached down and grabbed her wrist.

The moment their skin touched, a strange tremor shot through her whole body.

A sensual sensation surged through her abdomen, and she nearly screamed.

This was seriously bad.

Ever since earlier at the bakery—no, ever since she started thinking he was sexy—her body had been reacting strangely.

As she panicked from the unfamiliar sensation—

“Was there something in the sushi?”

“…What?”

“Why do you seem to be avoiding me ever since we ate?”

“D-Doha’s asleep, so I’ll go now!”

Yool pushed him aside and ran toward the entrance.

But Jihyuk quickly followed her and grabbed her arm.

“Han Yool.”

“W-What?”

Since she couldn’t even look him in the eye, he leaned his upper body slightly closer and examined her.

“Why is your face so red?”

“M-Maybe I caught a cold. I’ll go now. If Doha catches it, it’ll be bad.”

At her sudden talk of a cold, Jihyuk let out a low laugh.

Then he easily let her go.

Of course, Yool still felt uneasy as she left.

She didn’t think he actually believed she was sick.

It was more like… he knew perfectly well she was embarrassed and chose to pretend not to notice