TEW 43

chapter 43

Did Geum Seon-ae running away not affect him at all? I couldn’t read Doheon’s true intentions, but at least it felt good to know we could do something together.

Yeon-seo nodded slowly.

“Yes, I like that.”

Back in her bedroom, Yeon-seo washed her face lightly and applied makeup. After adding a pale lip gloss, her previously pale face looked lively, like a ripened peach.

She lingered in front of the wardrobe for a long while before putting on a thin, long cardigan and heading outside.

As soon as she stepped out of the front door, a growling engine sound echoed. The dark gray supercar parked at the gate was unlike anything she had seen before.

Doheon leaned against the car, looking unreal, as if he had stepped out of a comic. Seeing Yeon-seo, he opened the passenger door for her.

“You put on makeup?”

“A little bit.”

It was probably just a drive, but it made her heart flutter as if they were on a date.

Perhaps it was because he was behind the wheel, or maybe because of his black T-shirt and denim pants. He usually carried an aura heavier than his age, but now he looked closer to someone his own age.

He was endlessly fascinating, no matter how much she looked at him.

“Why?”

Doheon suddenly asked, perhaps noticing her gaze.

His small laugh was overly seductive, clouding her thoughts. Yeon-seo quickly turned her head away.

“Staring like that usually means one of two things: either you have something to say, or you’re admiring how handsome I am.”

Yeon-seo shut her eyes tightly and bit her lower lip. It felt as if he had openly voiced what she was feeling.

“Which one is it?”

“Ah, no…”

Her words faltered, making her feel even more embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Doheon seemed to enjoy watching her like this. Laughing heartily, he looked more relaxed than he had in a long time.

“I don’t want other men to see this side of you,” he muttered softly, barely audible. She couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Their contract had been fulfilled, and even the settlement money was in her account. Yet this man continued to act as usual, as if they were a real married couple.

Yeon-seo just wanted to change the subject.

“Do you think your mother will be okay? Going out like that…”

After much thought, the safest topic she could pick was about Geum Seon-ae.

For a moment, a chill flickered across Doheon’s gaze.

“I don’t care what happens once she’s out.”

Could that really be his true feelings?

Before marrying, Doheon had warned her to be cautious around his stepmother and Seo Kang-jae, yet when he met Seon-ae, he had acted warmly, like a loving father, which had confused her.

Even if he said such things, his heart might not feel the same. She worried that if he were left alone, isolated like a stranger among his family, it would make her uneasy too.

‘Forget that for now. First, think about how to handle Seo Doheon.’

While watching the buildings pass by outside, Seon-ae’s moaning voice echoed in Yeon-seo’s mind. It was a snippet of a conversation she had overheard when she had infiltrated the Lacerin Hotel.

Clearly, she had been told to think about how to ‘handle’ Doheon. She didn’t know the exact meaning, but it definitely felt unsettling.

Was she planning to harm Doheon? If she had discovered the truth legitimately, she would have told him, but the fact she couldn’t only added to her frustration.

Yeon-seo masked her inner turmoil as she asked,

“You still got along well with your mother, right? Aren’t you worried?”

Doheon returned her gaze with indifference and honked at the car in front.

“Beep―!”

“Not at all. I’m not free enough to worry about women like that.”

‘Women like that’… Doheon’s words felt unfamiliar.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she just died somewhere.”

He seemed to feel no sympathy for Seon-ae. Even if a stranger died, wouldn’t that feel regrettable?

Yet he had acted tenderly like a father for years, and now he was so cold. What was real between them?

Lost in thought, Yeon-seo’s eyes suddenly widened as a realization struck. Everything was starting to fit together like a puzzle.

‘That girl didn’t know who killed my mother when she was young, and yet she followed me. Bringing me gifts she thought I would like…’

‘…Right. You stained your hands with blood for me, and then suffered trauma for a long time…’

‘I can do anything for you. Seon-ae. Even my life is nothing.’

Seon-ae had said that to the middle-aged man she had an affair with. It was a fact she had forgotten amidst shocking events.

Startled, Yeon-seo’s vision blurred momentarily. When she closed her eyes tightly, her long eyelashes rested downward. She carefully organized the events in her mind.

First, it was certain that Geum Seon-ae had killed Doheon’s mother, even if she had used an old lover’s help.

‘Does this man know what Seon-ae did to his mother…?’

Though it was just a dangerous speculation, it seemed entirely possible. A chill ran down her spine, and her pulse raced.

If he knew everything, then since when?

“What are you thinking about?”

Caught up in a chain of thoughts, she had been silent for a while. Doheon’s voice broke the silence, bringing her back to her senses.

Even though Seon-ae’s crime was obvious, Yeon-seo couldn’t bring herself to tell Doheon. If he disagreed with her, her plan for revenge might fail.

Trying to act nonchalant, Yeon-seo asked,

“Doheon, where are we going?”

The car had already left Seoul, and fewer vehicles were on the road.

“You’ll know when we get there.”

He smiled slyly, as if planning something grand. What on earth was he up to? Yeon-seo’s suspicion grew.

After some time, a road sign read “Yeoncheon-gun.”

‘Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do? That’s a front-line area.’

She couldn’t read his mind, which made her anxious. Was he going to an abandoned school, or a secluded hotel?

“We’re here. Get out.”

Doheon got out first, opening the passenger door. Fortunately, it seemed they had arrived at a historic site.

Why a historic site at this hour…? Yeon-seo looked around, confused.

“It’s cold. Wear this.”

Doheon took his jacket from the back seat.

He draped it over her shoulders, helping her put her arms in. Once he zipped it up, the cool air was blocked.

Watching her fit perfectly into his jacket, Doheon smiled slightly.

“Let’s go.”

Yeon-seo followed him. They walked a long distance over land devoid of any light.

Ahead, a solitary tree stood near the observatory, like a scene from a fairy tale. Immersed in the night sky, it seemed to guard the place. Tiny leaves on its branches danced in the wind.

Everything here seemed to move slowly. It was hard to believe she was part of this dreamlike landscape.

“Wow… I didn’t know a place like this existed.”

Yeon-seo couldn’t help but exclaim.

The darker it became, the more the night enveloped them. Reaching the observatory, Doheon’s excited voice reached her ears.

“Look at the sky.”

She looked up as he spoke.

“Wow……”

The sky was densely sprinkled with stars, a sight rare to see in Seoul.

“See? Wasn’t it worth coming?”

“It’s beautiful.”

In the quiet place, there was only a tree, the stars, and the person she loved. That was all.

Could it get any more romantic? The feeling was awe-inspiring, as if only the two of them existed there. They stood side by side, gazing at the stars.

Lost in the moment, Doheon glanced at Yeon-seo and stepped in front of her.

“Why?”

Smiling, he gently tilted her chin toward him.

Their lips met, warmth spreading where coldness had been. Yeon-seo lifted her heels slightly, easing the kiss.

Unlike other times, this kiss was slow and careful, like a boy unsure how to approach his first love. They savored each other’s mouths slowly.

It felt so overwhelmingly good that the world seemed to flicker and fade before her eyes.