TEW 23

chapter 23

After finishing work, Yeonseo returned to the dimly lit Myeongseonjae.

Her partially smudged makeup revealed just how exhausting her day had been.

She first thought about wanting to take off her high heels. Entering with a weary face, Yeonseo removed her shoes and looked down at her swollen feet.

From the living room came warm, cheerful laughter. Judging by the unfamiliar voice mingled in, it seemed they had guests.

“You’re here?”

Seonae’s voice made her pause.

On the living room sofa were a long-haired woman and Seonae. The woman’s long, straight limbs looked elegant and stylish, and everything about her appearance seemed high-class.

“You two haven’t met before, right? This is Cha Seoryeon, eldest daughter of the Hanseon Group. She was engaged to Doheon for a long time.”

Yeonseo’s eyes widened. An old fiancée? She had never heard about this from him.

Hanseon Group, in fact, was a company recognized globally for its semiconductor and automobile businesses.

“Mother, I think Yeonseo would feel a bit disappointed since it’s the first time she’s meeting her!”
“Why? It’s the truth!”

They whispered to each other affectionately, like a close mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

“Hello, Woo Yeonseo!”

Seoryeon’s greeting was confident and full of energy. Looking at the woman who had been Doheon’s fiancée before her, a bitter taste filled Yeonseo’s mouth.

A young, pretty woman raised in a wealthy and assertive environment. She was the complete opposite of Yeonseo.

“…Hello. I’m Woo Yeonseo.”
“Nice to meet you! I’d only heard about you through rumors, so it’s nice to see you in person.”

Just as Yeonseo lightly bowed and tried to head to her room, Seonae’s gaze turned disapproving.

“Sit there. It’s not polite to just go in when there are guests.”

Yeonseo wanted to go inside and rest, but Seonae’s insistence on etiquette left her no choice. She sat quietly on the sofa.

“She’s like this, so we need to teach her everything from A to Z! Shouldn’t she have learned this already?”

Seonae muttered, shaking her head.

“You know I just had a concert in Germany, right? I thought of you, Mother, so I brought something. I hope you like it.”

Observing the situation, Seoryeon smiled softly, revealing even teeth, and held out an orange paper bag that had been beside her.

“What did she buy now? She could’ve just come empty-handed!”

Seonae carefully took out the box from the bag. Opening it, her eyes visibly widened and sparkled.

“Oh my! A Baluna teacup! This is a limited edition, there are only a few of these!”
“They say there are only ten in the world.”
“She has such good taste! How do you do this? I love it!”

Seonae handled the teacup as if it were a precious gem.

“You’ve always been so fond of me, Mother, so I kept thinking of you.”
“That’s because your actions are just so lovely!”

Their laughter filled the living room.

Yeonseo felt invisible among them. Anyone could see she was being seated like a still life, while they displayed their closeness.

She sat blankly, just waiting for the conversation to end. But the name she least wanted to hear eventually came out.

“Since it’s come to this, what about Kangjae instead of Doheon? I feel like he’s being wasted.”
“I’ve always admired Doheon oppa since I was young.”
“Ah, I know. You put so much effort into wanting to marry him…”
“Yeonseo, does Doheon oppa treat you well?”

A sharp question suddenly came at Yeonseo, who had been sitting dazed. Seoryeon smiled lightly as she spoke.

“He never really showed interest in women before, so it’s surprising.”

Seonae interjected, clicking her tongue.

“From what I see, he’s the same now. Even during their honeymoon, he barely came home. How could they even think of having kids? Tch.”
“Ah, as expected of Doheon oppa. He’s always consistent. That’s part of his charm.”

Yeonseo didn’t want to hear any more. Hearing Doheon’s name so blatantly from Seoryeon made her uncomfortable. She decided she needed to leave.

“I’m a bit tired today, so I’ll go rest. Enjoy your conversation.”

As she rose to bow and leave, a voice pierced her heart.

“You really loved Doheon oppa when you married him, right?”

Yeonseo turned her head at the question, which seemed innocent enough but somehow made her chest ache.

Her gaze met Seoryeon’s. Tilting her head slightly, she asked candidly.

“Is this rude? I just can’t help being curious. Doheon oppa treated marriage like a means to gain advantage.”
“……”
“It’s hard to believe someone like that fell in love with the gardener’s granddaughter and married her…”
“……”
“Yeonseo, do you really love Doheon?”

Seonae tilted her head as well, seemingly waiting for Yeonseo’s answer.

Under their gazes, Yeonseo simply stood there, feeling a silent tremor rising from deep within her chest.

She now understood clearly.

The feelings she had struggled to acknowledge.

She had drawn a line, calling Doheon someone from a different world, someone untouchable. But she had hoped all along that wasn’t the case.

The slightest gestures of care he had shown, the fleeting warmth glimpsed in him… she had wanted to believe those were genuine.

Perhaps, as others would say, she was being hopelessly presumptuous.

Yeonseo faced Seoryeon with a calm smile.

“Yes, I love him very much.”
“……”
“Maybe from the very first day I saw him.”

Whether fortunate or not, it was the first confession she had ever made. But Doheon wasn’t there. Even smiling, Yeonseo felt as if her mood had been dragged through mud.

Because she knew this confession would never reach him.

The next day, at the first-floor restroom of Seoguk Group headquarters.

Female employees gathered at the sinks, whispering.

“Did you hear? Our company acquired Germany’s DVK.”
“DVK? The company developing new drugs with AI? Even Samjin Pharmaceuticals wanted it.”
“And once again, it’s Executive Director Seodoheon. He really has both looks and ability.”
“Isn’t it about 2 trillion in scale? Ah, I should’ve bought some Seoguk Bio stocks.”

It wasn’t unusual to hear such conversations in restrooms or cafeterias. Doheon had a reputation as an outstanding talent at Seoguk.

“But Executive Director Seogangjae is like Seoguk’s Achilles heel, right? Everything he touches fails. You’d think they weren’t brothers.”
“Shh! Who’s listening?”

Yeonseo would wait for people to leave before leaving the restroom herself. Today was no different.

“Sigh…”

She closed the stall door quietly and exhaled. Every day at work felt like walking on thin ice.

It had already been several days since she started at Seoguk Group.

Doheon still rarely came to Myeongseonjae. He seemed to have another place to stay outside the house. On the rare days he did visit, he came silently and left without a trace.

Since he only came when needed for work, Yeonseo had little chance to see him at the company. Even trying to peek along his likely path after lunch proved pointless. She felt like a teenage girl experiencing her first crush.

Admitting her feelings for Doheon made the undefined shape of her heart clearer. She felt she couldn’t endure a moment without seeing him.

Organizing her chaotic thoughts, Yeonseo returned to her post. Nothing was going smoothly, so she had to at least do the tasks he assigned properly.

“Jesse, come see me for a moment.”

As the workday neared its end, Kangjae appeared in the office used by the secretaries, gesturing toward the lounge.

Yeonseo quietly followed him.

“You remember what we talked about before? The party.”

He handed her a black ticket.

“Oh, yes. I remember.”
“I’ll let you know the time and place. It’s this Saturday at a mansion in Hannam-dong. Be there by 6 p.m.”

“Ah, can I go with Doheon?”
“I told him, but he’s so busy I don’t know if he’ll come. I’ll make sure the car’s ready so you can come comfortably.”

“Thank you.”
“See you then.”

Kangjae winked with one eye and disappeared.

Yeonseo thought she should tell Doheon and go together. She felt this was the only way she might see his face, even if just a little.