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Chapter : 14
Gaeun watched Seokjin’s back and admired him silently.
Even though she knew he was acting that way to provoke Hankyung, her heart still fluttered.
Standing behind him, Gaeun stepped forward.
“Let’s go in.”
“All right.”
She linked her arm with Seokjin’s and walked into the house. Turning her head deliberately toward Hankyung, who stood frozen outside with a blank expression, Gaeun smiled subtly.
Was this what it felt like to have a heavy burden lifted?
“……Thank you.”
Inside the house, Gaeun removed her hand from his arm and expressed her gratitude.
“You enjoyed it, right?”
Seeing Seokjin completely absorbed in her, Gaeun slowly nodded.
“I hope you’ll do your best tomorrow just as naturally as I acted today, Gaeun-ssi.”
“Should I chew gum while I go in?”
“That’s a bit…”
“Just kidding.”
“You really like jokes, don’t you, Gaeun-ssi?”
“Yes, very much. I know you don’t like jokes or teasing, but I like them, so I’ll live as I am. If you want me to change, go find another woman.”
“Are you doing this on purpose?”
Seokjin narrowed his eyes. The word “on purpose” wasn’t wrong.
She wanted to show that she had some pride and a will to assert herself.
“If you know it’s hard to find someone else and you’re doing this, then tell me your conditions. I’ll do my best to meet them.”
“You’ll do your best to meet them?”
This time, Seokjin nodded at Gaeun’s question.
Was this like the salary negotiations she’d heard about?
Gaeun quickly thought. She needed to make terms as favorable to herself as possible.
Seokjin’s offer was generous enough that it felt wrong to ask for more money. Instead, she focused on new terms.
“Let’s renew our contract every three months.”
“Every three months?”
“People’s feelings can change anytime.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know much about your private life, and someone else could interfere between us. So, every three months, we’ll check our status and renew the contract with new conditions.”
She only knew a small part of Seokjin. No matter the family connection, she couldn’t fully trust him.
There might be a hidden woman or some serious secret in his private life.
So renewing the contract every three months seemed sensible.
“……If that’s what you want, we can do that.”
Seokjin’s willingness to accept her suggestion was suspicious, but Gaeun didn’t mind. If things didn’t go well, she could just wait three months.
“But we’re really going to sleep together?”
“Yes, we agreed.”
“You saw how uncomfortable my mom was, right?”
“Thinking ahead, it’s better to start early. We’ll spend plenty of nights here anyway.”
“Plenty of nights… true.”
As Seokjin said, marriage wouldn’t be a one-night affair.
Even if their worlds were completely different, life was basically the same for everyone.
Still, Gaeun felt oddly embarrassed to open the door.
“Should I open it?”
Finally, Seokjin opened the door for her.
But the blanket had been changed.
Instead of her usual floral blanket, a neat sky-blue one lay on the bed.
Her mother must have secretly changed it while they were out for a walk.
Even giving a new blanket suggested that her mother didn’t dislike Seokjin.
“You can sleep here. The bathroom is over here.”
Gaeun explained the small house layout to Seokjin.
Though she couldn’t read his thoughts, he showed no signs of surprise or disappointment.
“Go ahead and wash first.”
“……All right.”
Watching him head to the bathroom, Gaeun tiptoed toward her mother’s room.
Her mother was lying sideways, apparently asleep, not moving at all.
“Mom, are you asleep?”
“…….”
“Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I thought it was too soon to say. So don’t hate me too much.”
“Is that the problem right now?”
Her mother suddenly sat up, startling Gaeun, who fell back onto the floor.
“Surprise! You’re not asleep?”
“Would you sleep in my place?”
“Then how can I sleep…”
Watching her mother sigh deeply, Gaeun whispered softly:
“How could I sleep? Huh?”
“……”
There was nothing more to say. She would have reacted the same way as her mother.
‘Mom, this is just a little act between Seokjin and me.’
If she said that, her mother would only get angrier. And maybe even punish her like dust in the rain.
Gaeun decided she had to calm her mother down.
“Mom, it’s just because we like each other. Yes, because we love each other!”
“You silly girl. Love doesn’t mean you can just marry anyone.”
“But the most important thing is the feelings of the two people.”
“I don’t know. Even if it tilts, it should tilt properly.”
Her mother turned away, sighing deeply as she patted her chest.
Her concern was understandable. The man her daughter brought home was the youngest son of Jushin Group, a top retail family.
“He likes me, Mom. I’ll just trust him.”
“No, but….”
Her mother turned back, holding Gaeun’s hand and looking at her with pleading eyes. Tears glistened in her eyes.
“I’m worried. No matter how nice Mr. Jushin is, his family isn’t ordinary. Even if you marry someone from a similar household, they pick at dowry and everything. Imagine a family like that.”
“He will protect me. He’ll do anything for me. So don’t worry too much.”
“……If only your father were here…”
Gaeun quietly removed her hand from her mother’s and stood up, holding back her tears.
“……I’ll go wash up.”
She didn’t want to cry in front of her mother. As soon as her father came up in conversation, tears threatened to fall.
Gaeun wiped her tears with her palm and approached the bathroom door.
She reached to open it, but suddenly remembered Seokjin was inside. She froze, holding the handle.
Click.
The door opened.
Gaeun’s eyes widened in shock. She swallowed hard.
Water dripped from Seokjin’s hair, and his smooth, toned upper body shone like a swimmer’s.
His abs were sharply defined.
Why was he taking off clothes in someone else’s house?
Thankfully, she spoke first:
“Could you step aside?”
“Oh… yes…”
She moved left, but Seokjin followed her slightly. Her gaze unintentionally landed on his chest again.
Her face flushed instantly.
“Please, stop staring…”
Seokjin’s voice snapped her back to reality. He might think she was looking on purpose, but it was an accident.
She didn’t want to appear like a pervert.
Gaeun took a deep breath and looked him directly in the eyes:
“Could you move that body out of sight first?”
“?”
“Your abs are too distracting. I looked once, so now please look away. It’s uncomfortable.”
Sliding past him, Gaeun entered the bathroom and closed the door loudly.
Sitting down, she began meditating, telling herself:
It’s nothing. Just an accident. You were only standing there; he just happened to be there.
“Accident. Just an accident.”
She put toothpaste on her brush and scrubbed hard.
Even seeing herself in the mirror, Seokjin’s torso kept appearing in her mind.
She vowed: she would make sure to insist he keeps a shirt on at home once married.
Clenching her fists, she reminded herself firmly.
The next morning, Gaeun woke shortly after eight, rubbed her eyes, and went to the living room.
Stretching and groaning, she quickly covered her mouth. She had forgotten Seokjin was home.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Seokjin went to an early meeting.”
So early? And wasn’t he supposed to be on vacation this week?
Gaeun decided she would call him later and went to wash her face.
Secretary Tak had been watching Seokjin closely.
He looked serious after possibly facing intense opposition at Gaeun’s house.
Even though he was supposed to be on vacation this week, he called in early, worrying Secretary Tak.
“You know about tonight, right?”
“Yes, how should we prepare?”
“Who is the personal shopper at Jushin Department Store?”
“Manager Kim Hyeryeong.”
“I’ll contact Gaeun. Make sure Manager Kim picks the right outfit.”
“Yes.”
Even though it was a forced marriage, Seokjin handled such important matters as if they were routine work. Secretary Tak clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“Go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tak hurried to contact Manager Kim as instructed.
“Tak.”
“Yes? Do you need me to do something else?”
Seokjin, standing as Tak was leaving, looked unusually serious. One hand spun a pen.
This was his habit when thinking about important matters.
“Find me a fitness trainer. Abs specialist.”
“Abs?”
“I need them. I haven’t exercised lately, so I need to do this.”
“Why not just swim? Abs aren’t critical to health…”
“I need abs. Don’t argue. Just find one.”
