ASPM 03

Chapter 03

Back at Taekwang’s founding anniversary celebration.

Crunch. Yeo Jaekyung bit the inside of her lip, her eyes sharp and dangerous.

That was when it began.

That was when Yeo Jaekyung decided to use this institution called marriage to obtain the revenge and freedom she had dreamed of all her life—against none other than her own mother, Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa.

…Of course, there had been moments when Seo Taejoo nearly made her waver.

But Yeo Jaekyung believed she had overcome every one of those precarious moments.

Now, all that remained was to repay the humiliation and wounds her mother had inflicted upon her.

And yet—

Haa…

Yeo Jaekyung shook her head, trying to clear her blurry vision.

…For some reason, the back of her neck had felt hot for a while now.

The Taekwang anniversary event was still in full swing.

She could feel it. Someone had been following her with their eyes like a starving beast.

It was her husband, Seo Taejoo.

Yeo Jaekyung had been weaving back and forth through the hall trying to avoid him.

A declaration to end their arranged marriage.

…Ever since then, her husband had been acting strange.

What’s wrong with him?

She glanced over her shoulder toward Seo Taejoo.

As expected, among all the people in the hall, he was watching only her.

Something he would never normally do.

He’s acting like a horse that’s slipped its reins…

She was bewildered.

If she moved to one end of the hall, Seo Taejoo appeared there.

If she escaped to the other side, he followed again without fail.

It had become a strange game of tag between husband and wife.

Click, click.

This time, Yeo Jaekyung headed toward the opposite side.

Even knowing that running away only made things look more suspicious, she couldn’t stop herself—as if she were someone hiding guilt.

She sensed her husband changing direction and stubbornly following her again.

Her pace quickened.

That was when—

“Ah…!”

“Oh dear.”

She bumped into someone.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ms. Jaekyung?”

Yeo Jaekyung immediately recognized the man before her.

“Mr. Heeseung?”

It was Ahn Heeseung, the head team leader from a law firm collaborating with Hanrim Steel’s legal department.

The tall man looked slightly surprised.

“Is something wrong, Ms. Jaekyung? Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Ah, I was just going to the lounge…”

Given the situation, Yeo Jaekyung made an excuse, intending to leave quickly.

But Ahn Heeseung stopped her.

“I was actually looking for you, Ms. Jaekyung. I investigated the matter you asked me about before.”

Earlier, Yeo Jaekyung had entrusted Ahn Heeseung with a personal matter.

…It concerned the first step in the revenge she had prepared: a lawsuit involving Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa.

Ahn Heeseung was known for being discreet and trustworthy.

A senior attorney with an excellent reputation, even among Hanrim’s legal team.

If it’s this man, I can trust him to investigate Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa’s corruption.

Of course, she had never revealed the abuse she suffered as a child.

That was a secret no one knew.

The fact that Yeo Jaekyung had endured terrible abuse under Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa through unimaginable methods—

…Even her husband, Seo Taejoo, didn’t know.

There’s no need to reveal my painful past first.

Never exposing one’s weaknesses carelessly.

That was a lesson she had learned surviving under Chairwoman Yeo Baekhwa.

“I’ve finished reviewing your case. I was planning to contact you soon.”

Ahn Heeseung smiled politely.

“Ah, but Mr. Heeseung, right now I’m a little…”

“Ms. Jaekyung, why do you look like that? You look as if someone’s chasing you.”

He approached with concern.

Yeo Jaekyung forced an awkward smile.

Inside, she answered:

That’s right. I’m being chased by my husband.

Because I just asked him for a divorce.

“Are you feeling unwell? Should I bring you a glass of water?”

“Ah, no, I’m fin—”

Ahn Heeseung leaned closer.

Yeo Jaekyung was startled.

She knew he was naturally kind.

His nickname in the legal department was even “Monk Ahn Heeseung” because of his good nature.

But would her husband know that reputation?

As expected, before long she sensed someone’s presence.

Someone had approached silently.

“…And you are.”

It was Seo Taejoo.

Without anyone noticing when he arrived, he inserted himself between Yeo Jaekyung and Ahn Heeseung.

“…Why are you casually offering water to another man’s wife?”

His low voice sounded as if he were suppressing Ahn Heeseung.

Ahn Heeseung stepped back slightly, seemingly intimidated by Seo Taejoo’s imposing physique.

“E-Excuse me…?”

Haa…

Yeo Jaekyung closed her eyes as if to say: Here we go.

“Have you never thought your kindness might be excessive?”

Seo Taejoo’s expression was polite, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

He was in a terrible mood.

He had already been locked in a psychological tug-of-war with his wife, and suddenly an intruder appeared.

Naturally, he disliked it.

“Wait… Aren’t you Executive Director Seo Taejoo?”

Ahn Heeseung couldn’t hide his confusion.

He quickly sized up the man before him.

Seo Taejoo—

Taekwang’s infamous troublemaker and Yeo Jaekyung’s husband.

The number one person everyone said you should never get involved with.

Someone rumored to ruin your life professionally or personally if you crossed him.

“That’s right. Executive Director Seo Taejoo.”

Seo Taejoo answered arrogantly, lifting his chin.

His eyebrow twitched beneath a gaze sharp enough to devour someone.

“And who exactly are you to put your hand on another man’s wife’s shoulder?”

“Ah—I was only trying to support her…”

Ahn Heeseung quickly removed his hand from Yeo Jaekyung’s shoulder.

Yet Seo Taejoo’s displeased expression didn’t soften.

Instead, he moved even closer to Yeo Jaekyung.

Caught between the two men, she pressed her fingers against her forehead.

One thing was certain:

Their act of being an “unhappy couple” for the past five years had collapsed.

Everyone in the hall was staring in shock at the married couple standing impossibly close together.

…and at that moment, Yeo Baekhwa, eyes narrowed sharply, was also watching her daughter and son-in-law suspiciously.

Whisper, whisper.

Amid the murmurs, Yeo Jaekyung froze inside her husband’s embrace.

Seo Taejoo pulled her closer by the waist.

Her earlobes reddened with embarrassment.

Everyone’s watching…

This was Taekwang’s anniversary event, after all.

Just that morning, rumors about discord between Taekwang’s youngest married couple had spread through gossip reports.

The rumors surrounding them were endless:

That Taekwang’s troublemaker had gotten Hanrim’s precious daughter pregnant, forcing an arranged marriage.

That their relationship broke down because they lost a child.

That Hanrim couldn’t reclaim shares taken by Taekwang, so they were maintaining the marriage unwillingly…

Yeo Jaekyung had ignored all the rumors.

They were divorcing anyway.

There was no need to correct people’s misunderstandings.

Most of all—

She hated the idea of Yeo Baekhwa discovering her weakness.

The fact that she loved him.

But her husband, Seo Taejoo, seemed to think differently.

“First, let go of me…”

“Stay still, Yeo Jaekyung.”

His low voice cut her off.

Everyone watched them with curious eyes, as if enjoying a scandal.

Seo Taejoo ignored them and tightened the arm around her.

Yeo Jaekyung felt her skin flush all the way to her neck.

For five years, he had played the role of a gentle husband so well that she had forgotten.

…When he decided to be aggressive, he became impossible to handle.

Seeing Ahn Heeseung’s obvious discomfort, Yeo Jaekyung twisted her body, trying to escape her husband’s tight hold.

“Are… are you really going to keep talking while holding me? Why are you suddenly doing things you never did before?”

“Because I’m thinking of starting now.”

“Doing things I never did before.”

But his grip around her waist tightened further.

One corner of his handsome face curled into a cynical smile.

Yeo Jaekyung stared at him in disbelief.

“I’m thinking of letting the whole world know our relationship wasn’t arranged—it was real.”

Seo Taejoo’s eyes flashed sharply.

To Yeo Jaekyung, his words sounded like this:

Marriage may have been your choice… but divorce won’t be.

The hall stirred.

The youngest Taekwang couple—the centerpiece of this celebration.

A couple who had never even appeared together before cameras in public—

Now stood in the center of the hall pressed tightly together.

And in an unmistakably intimate, affectionate posture.

Yeo Jaekyung’s eyes swept the room quickly.

First, she saw her secretary, Geum Nana, staring open-mouthed in shock.

Then Vice Chairman Seo Moonsu, surrounded by political figures, looking stunned.

But the face that caught Yeo Jaekyung’s attention most was her mother, Yeo Baekhwa—

Watching them with a deep frown.

Thump.

Her heart dropped.

“L-Let’s talk after you let go.”

Trying to escape his embrace, she twisted again.

Only then did Seo Taejoo release her.

But he didn’t stop glaring at Ahn Heeseung.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding…”

“…Mr. Heeseung. Please go.”

Ahn Heeseung raised both hands awkwardly.

Yeo Jaekyung also urged him away.

They couldn’t argue in front of everyone.

“Ah… yes. I’ll contact you later. Executive Director Seo as well.”

After giving a quick bow, Ahn Heeseung disappeared.

A retreat as swift as the wind.

* * *

“What exactly are you doing?”

After sending Ahn Heeseung away, Yeo Jaekyung grabbed Seo Taejoo’s hand and pulled him into the hallway.

Once they were alone, she confronted him immediately.

Make sure other people see us as only an arranged couple.

That had been their unspoken rule.

She resented him for breaking it.

“Why did you act like that where everyone could see?”

But Seo Taejoo’s answer was unbelievable.

“What about you? What are you doing? Scaring our baby.”

Our baby?

Speechless, she glared at him.

He confidently placed a hand on her lower abdomen.

“When the mother gets angry, it’s bad for the child’s emotional development.”

Yeo Jaekyung was startled by the sudden warmth.

The skin where he touched her tingled as if an electric current ran through it.

Without realizing it, she flinched.

…As if his touch were proof that the child inside her wasn’t created by chance.

Slowly, he pressed her toward the wall.

Before she realized it, she was trapped between the wall and Seo Taejoo.

Her cheeks flushed red in confusion.

If they moved even slightly closer—

Their lips would touch.