🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 13
Yoonjae had been following behind Suyeon’s car. Even when he saw her climb inside, he clung to the hope that it wasn’t true.
He parked a few steps away, leaning back against his seat with his eyes closed, his mind tangled in a web of dread.
Suyeon had said she would never leave the company over anything related to Kim So-hye. Yet a gnawing sense of foreboding refused to let go of him.
Running a hand through his hair, he opened his eyes slowly. Through the half-open door, he caught sight of her.
And in that instant, all of his expectations shattered. Standing there was Suyeon—disheveled, stained, shockingly unlike herself. A sharp breath escaped his lips.
He stepped out of his car and walked toward her.
“Vice President…”
The surprise in Suyeon’s eyes mirrored his own. Their gazes collided, trembling faintly in the air between them.
She clutched at her ruined blouse, brushing damp hair from her face, her voice low.
“How are you here…?”
“Isn’t that my question? Shouldn’t you be explaining what on earth happened here?”
Without waiting, he slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Her blouse, soaked through with wine, clung mercilessly to her skin. The outline of her undergarments was painfully clear.
“It’s fine,” she whispered, trying to push the jacket away.
Yoonjae stopped her hand.
“Are you really planning to go home looking like this? Think about yourself for once.”
From head to toe she was a mess, yet her face remained calm—unwavering as always. No tears. No anger. No collapse.
That constancy, even now, made his brow twitch. A woman who wouldn’t bend, no matter what storm hit her.
And the storm this time—he was certain—was Kim So-hye. Which could only mean one thing: Suyeon had rejected her terms.
Yoonjae knew the woman too well—her jealousy, her obsession, her greed. If Suyeon had refused her, then So-hye would be lashing out, tearing apart everything in sight.
A hot surge burned inside his chest. Yet strangely, the corner of his lips tilted upward.
At least she isn’t an enemy.
That alone is enough.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
“No, thank you.”
“Secretary Chae.”
His voice dropped, heavy and low, forcing her eyes back to him.
“Don’t mistake my calm tone for indifference. I need an explanation.”
“If I get in your car like this, I’ll ruin the seats. I can go myself.”
“You’re worrying about my car right now?”
“I’ll be going ahead.”
She turned, but he caught her wrist swiftly. His grip radiated heat, searing against her skin.
“This place is covered with CCTV. If you stay here like this, your face will be splashed across headlines by tomorrow. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The thought made her chest tighten.
“Get in the car. Now.”
Reluctantly, Suyeon obeyed. Once she sat inside, Yoonjae pulled a spare shirt from the trunk and handed it to her.
“Change into this. I’ll wait outside.”
“I can change at home.”
“Do you realize what you look like right now? You can’t walk through the streets like this. It’s dangerous.”
She pressed her lips shut, her fingers tightening on the fabric. He was right—she couldn’t go home like this. And yet, wearing his clothes felt unbearably strange.
She hesitated. Then, with a sharp breath, she began unbuttoning her blouse.
The wine had seeped even into her camisole and bra, staining them crimson. The scent of it rose thickly, making her stomach churn.
The oversized shirt covered her thighs once she slipped it on. She clenched her fists tight, biting her lip hard.
From the driver’s seat, Yoonjae’s gaze wouldn’t leave her. He had known something bad would happen when the call first came—but seeing her now, so undone, sent fire surging through his chest.
When she stepped out again, she lowered her eyes and murmured,
“I’ll have this washed and returned.”
“Forget the shirt. Tell me why you were here.”
His voice was steady, but iron-heavy.
“If you’re not planning to walk home, then get back in. I’ll take you.”
Inside the car, silence stretched. Finally, Yoonjae broke it.
“You told me you had work left to handle. So why are you here, like this?”
“…I received a summons from Madam Kim.”
“And why would she summon you?”
“That…”
Her hands trembled on her lap. His eyes caught it.
“You struck some kind of deal with her, didn’t you? Using me as the bargaining chip. And when you refused, she did this to you.”
His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. Veins stood out on his wrist.
“Am I right?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then tell me what I think, Secretary Chae.”
“Whatever it is—it’s not that.”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“You could’ve just walked away. But you let her do this to you?”
“I’m your secretary, not hers. I won’t do anything that betrays that role.”
That answer made his chest tighten strangely.
He adjusted the air conditioning, lowering it so she wouldn’t catch cold. She sat stiffly, gazing out at the glowing cityscape as they crossed into another district.
The glittering lights of high-rises rose before her eyes. A different world. A different class of people.
And in her mind, the image of her old neighborhood surfaced—Yongsugol, half-destroyed by redevelopment. Her home, her memories, crumbling for money.
Her breath shuddered.
Yoonjae glanced at her.
“Not long in the job, but you’ve had quite the spectacular days as my secretary, haven’t you.”
“I’m fine,” she murmured.
But his jaw clenched.
You may be fine. But I’m not.
He exhaled slowly.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What?”
“Because of me, you’ve been dragged into things you never should’ve endured.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“It won’t happen again. But if, by chance, it does—don’t stand there and take it. She’s nothing more than a mother on paper. You don’t have to suffer for my sake.”
A mother on paper.
The words pulled up memories that had once consumed the nation:
The tragic accident.
A mother who shielded her son with her last breath.
A child who lived, only to be sent away abroad before his scars could heal.
While he was gone, his father had remarried Kim So-hye.
And his true mother’s memory faded from the world.
All that remained in Yoonjae’s heart was rage—against his father, against Kim So-hye.
The car slowed to a stop at Suyeon’s home.
“Go inside. Take a shower. Rest with some tea.”
“…Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She slipped away, leaving behind only the thick scent of wine in the car.
Yoonjae gripped the wheel tightly, turning back into the night. His eyes, now sharp and cold, gleamed with a different resolve.
