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chapter 61
We alternated our gaze between Yoonjae’s hand that we held and his face.
Amidst the crowd, the simple act of holding hands made it feel as if we were melting into an ordinary day.
And for a brief moment, seeing someone usually so cold and composed quickly heated up because of me gave a strange thrill that made my heart flutter.
That was why my feelings felt so vivid.
I really like this person.
Realizing this so clearly, she squeezed his hand a little tighter.
Feeling that strength, Yoonjae’s steps slowed.
“Are you still not fully relaxed?”
It seemed he noticed a difference in the grip of our hands. Truly, such a person lacked any sense of romance.
But that was Yoonjae. And, in a way, he wasn’t wrong.
We exaggeratedly shrugged our shoulders.
“What’s the point of dragging this out? If we settle it here, it’ll be clean.”
“To get rid of mold, you can’t just scratch the surface.”
Mold?
“You have to get to the roots.”
“Ah…”
“That’s the only way to remove it for sure.”
With a calm, emotionless tone, he declared that he would perform a “sword dance.”
Judging by Hwang Dongchan’s actions, it was clear Joo Aejeong had been ostracized by the men.
Most likely, the entire department had been keeping an eye on things.
After we hummed a little tune thinking about the stormy future awaiting the Sales Department, we finally looked around the exhibition hall.
We noticed Yeongdo’s name and logo among the sponsors—something we had somehow missed. She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“I didn’t realize this exhibition was sponsored by Yeongdo.”
Then, scanning the surroundings, she let go of the hand she was holding and, irritated, put her sunglasses back on.
“It’d be awkward if someone saw us, right?”
It was too soon to pretend we hadn’t seen any relevant personnel.
With so many eyes around and so many people who knew Yoonjae, there was no need to create unnecessary noise, even though we weren’t hiding anything.
“Everyone I know knows I’m married.”
“But none of them know it’s me.”
“Then we’ll let them know from now on.”
He replied as if no thought had passed through his brain and grabbed her hand again.
“Are you embarrassed?”
“…Don’t regret it.”
We removed our sunglasses and put them away.
Sure, people who knew Yoonjae would gossip, but we decided not to care.
We hadn’t anticipated how quickly and widely our appearance as a seemingly affectionate couple would spread.
“There are many events sponsored elsewhere, too. Visiting just those would take a whole season.”
“There are many events when the weather’s good.”
“You seem to touch everything good.”
“Thanks to that.”
“Thanks to that?”
Curious, I looked back to see him pulling two visitor passes from his pocket—ones you could wear around your neck.
“Not bad as a date spot, I think.”
The passes appeared to be those given to staff somewhere instead of tickets.
“A date, huh?”
Even though I agreed, hearing it aloud made me feel embarrassed.
We put on the passes and moved forward again.
We imagined the endless world of lights that would unfold inside. A few steps in, a foreboding shout rang out.
“Ah!”
In a crowded space, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but her intuition told her otherwise.
That voice belonged to someone who knew me.
What now, seriously.
Was South Korea really this small, and Joo Aejeong’s network really this wide?
We swallowed our sighs and turned toward the source of the noise. Her instinct had been right.
“Unnie!”
The loud voice reverberated through the exhibition lobby, and our eyes widened.
“…Miss? Madam?”
It was none other than Ha Eunse and Seo Hyewon.
Even Yoonjae, caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, showed rare surprise on his face.
We approached them first, bowed politely, and got straight to the point.
“How are you here?”
“We should be asking that. Why are you here?”
Eunse stepped forward, cutting her off.
A quick glance showed that Eunse was wearing a visitor pass similar to ours.
“Are you here for work?”
“Yes. The PR department handles sponsorship, so we just arrived. But how are the two of you here?”
A date, perhaps?
…Not lacking in common sense enough to say that out loud. As she pondered what to say, Yoonjae approached.
“Did you come together on purpose?”
His words were directed at Hyewon, who had been behind Eunse.
Finally, Hyewon stepped forward, her haughty gaze meeting his.
“It’s an exhibition I was interested in, and Eunse is in charge, too.”
With a poised, graceful smile, Yoonjae continued politely.
“If we’d known in advance, we would’ve prepared a separate arrangement.”
“But since Eunse is here, there’s no need to trouble Executive Ha unnecessarily. Thanks for saying it, anyway.”
From the conversation alone, one could think they were a friendly mother-daughter duo—but everyone knew their relationship was originally strained.
Having dispelled the tension without a single weapon, Hyewon now turned her gaze on us.
“I heard about the eye surgery from Eunse.”
Her gaze softened slightly as she said this.
We responded calmly.
“Yes, it’s been a few weeks.”
“Your glasses looked uncomfortable, but you seem much better now. Well done.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“Madam.” The title still felt awkward, but it seemed almost silly to pick at it now.
Moreover, the unease that should have accompanied it was no longer felt—perhaps we had grown used to it.
Seeing Eunse, full of goodwill, we couldn’t help but sigh.
How on earth did she manage to charm him?
The words Eunse returned after being sent to observe our situation were still vivid:
[Unnie, he seems like a genuinely good person.]
A mischievous creature, indeed.
And there was one more thing in Hyewon’s gaze.
“It doesn’t seem like you came for work.”
Her attire screamed ‘obviously a couple.’
The choice of clothing was curious, especially in a place where it wasn’t strictly necessary.
Could it be… them?
Could it really be true? That made no sense. There was no reason Yoonjae would bend to suit someone from whom he gained nothing.
In the confusing back-and-forth, Eunse suddenly popped out.
“Unnie, what do you think about this?”
Calling her “Unnie” casually, Eunse held out her phone.
“Recently, I visited a department store on a business trip and found a pop-up store. It’s like a workshop, and this painting is from there. How is it?”
“It’s nice. I’d say it feels fresh.”
“Right? The artist was unknown for a long time. Take a look at this, too.”
“Wow, this is really great.”
In no time, the two of them were lost in their own world, chattering excitedly about the small painting. Eunse was especially animated.
“By the way, thanks to your help last time, the meeting went well. Thank you.”
“Really? Did everyone enjoy it?”
“Yes. The gifts were particularly good. As you said, we’re thinking of holding a slightly bigger gathering in the form of a charitable flea market next time. It could refresh the image of our outdated meeting. Oh, Mom agreed to help too. Right, Mom?”
Eunse smiled brightly at Hyewon.
Hyewon, aware of Eunse’s efforts and our support, couldn’t deny or feign ignorance.
Finally, Hyewon spoke.
“I appreciate it.”
Acknowledging this, we smiled and continued talking with Eunse.
“….”
“….”
Meanwhile, Yoonjae and Hyewon, pushed back, had no choice but to wait for the conversation to end.
Then unexpectedly, Hyewon spoke.
“He’s sick.”
A sudden, subjectless remark, but Yoonjae immediately understood.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve never missed it once. Isn’t it stranger not to know?”
He said calmly,
“He’s not here.”
“Of course. Ha men decide and conclude that way.”
Hyewon smiled faintly, recalling the past.
The chairman had once suddenly declared he’d bring in an illegitimate child and told the mother to ignore it, as if the child didn’t exist.
Hyewon crossed her arms, observing us talking with Eunse.
“Does that child know?”
“….”
“It will be a lifelong burden for you. And that child will always come second.”
She wasn’t speaking of feelings. She was forewarning that this shadow would remain a burden in Yoonjae’s heart, making us second again—just as she had been pushed aside by Yeongdo.
Hyewon clicked her tongue after a brief pause.
“Did you make them the more annoying child on purpose? Then I wouldn’t have had to care.”
In other words, she did care.
“If you’re going to hide something, hide it properly. Don’t suddenly reveal it and force understanding.”
Her casual words carried weight. Yoonjae turned from us to look at Hyewon.
“Were you forced?”
A question no one had ever asked before.
[No matter what anyone says, you don’t need to worry. Just raise him as your son.]
Chairman Ha, without shame or apology, flashed before her eyes.
Who would have thought she’d hear such a question from young Yoonjae, so much like Ha Taewon?
Despite her swirling emotions, Hyewon retained her composure.
“Don’t think about pitying him. That’s not your job.”
“I have no intention of that.”
“Good. That would’ve been very unpleasant. Pity your own son—such an embarrassing thing.”
She continued, smiling gracefully.
“The chairman will soon prepare to send Eunse out, so there’s nothing else to worry about. Do well. Soon, the chairman’s eyes will be on that child.”
Hyewon had heard the rumors surrounding them—Chairman Ha ultimately wanted Yoonjae as his successor. This had been apparent from the moment he took in his son.
Hyewon, fists clenched beneath crossed arms, maintained her pride to the end.
But Yoonjae asked an unexpected question.
“Is that what you want?”
“What?”
“If not, I won’t send him.”
A startlingly short and clear answer.
Next to her, Yoonjae stood unwavering, like a solid fence.
Hyewon’s pupils began to tremble, and he moved silently, almost protecting her pride.
Then, somehow, perfectly in sync, he grabbed our shoulders and pulled us toward him.
“The Chuncheon Festival next month… oh!”
“Stop clinging.”
Yoonjae separated the two of them unilaterally and, in a calm voice, said something embarrassingly direct.
“I never gave permission to share.”
“Eek!”
Startled by the unexpected comment, we flinched, but Eunse didn’t care. Instead, she pulled our hands.
“Unnie, are you the cake? What are you sharing? Don’t you see I’m talking?”
“If you came to work, then work. That’s why your proposals keep getting thrown out.”
“Why bring that up now? You’re the one who loves separating work and play the most, aren’t you?”
“Isn’t that why you came here, Director Ha Eunse?”
Their overly serious conversation was surprisingly childish, leaving us speechless.
Instead, we drew a mental conclusion we had once pondered.
They’re really siblings. They’re exactly the same.
