Chapter 7
The reason he remembered that she was twenty-five was because she was the same age as Yoon Jaei.
Unlike the plain and makeup-free Yoon Jaei, this woman had a strikingly glamorous presence that immediately caught attention.
The only thing the two women had in common was their age.
And yet, it felt strange to him that he was comparing the woman who was not even here with the woman standing right before him.
After taking a shower, Juwon loosened the tie of his robe and stepped into the hallway on his way to the study.
The house was quiet as always.
Whenever Juwon stayed home, even the housekeepers were restricted from entering the second floor.
When he reached the end of the hallway, a faint singing voice came from somewhere.
Juwon stopped walking and turned around.
There was no one there.
Thinking he must have heard wrong, he reached for the study door handle. The moment he opened the door, he realized the singing was coming from inside.
With the door only half-open, Juwon stood there unable to step inside.
A woman wearing headphones, her back turned toward him as she moved along to the rhythm of the music, made him stop in place.
Her body moved gently, her waist swaying smoothly. Her movements were so light and flexible that she looked as if she could cut through the air and soar away. His gaze was distracted by her slender legs revealed beneath her short shorts and the impossibly thin waist that looked as though it could fit in one hand.
Just as he hesitated over whether to enter or not, the woman suddenly turned around and their eyes met.
The subtle atmosphere between them froze unnaturally.
The embarrassment lasted only for a moment before a smile spread across Jaei’s lips.
“When did you get here? I didn’t even know you had come home from work.”
Like someone who had been waiting for him for a long time, a faint sense of happiness flickered in her eyes as she looked at Juwon.
“Do you have something to say?”
Juwon, who had remained silent, finally spoke. His dry voice echoed through the room.
When his gaze moved deeper into the study, Jaei shifted aside as if making room for him.
“If you’re not too busy.”
As if returning to their respective places, Juwon stood behind the desk in the center of the study, while Jaei stood near the door.
On top of the desk were stacks of books that had not been there before, piled up like a tower.
He could guess that she had spent the entire day in the study.
What he truly wanted to ask was how long she intended to stay.
When he slightly shifted his gaze, he met Jaei’s eyes, which sparkled with life.
Even under his intimidating gaze, the kind that usually gave him the upper hand in every relationship, Jaei showed no sign of shrinking back.
Instead, she displayed the boldness to smile at him. She walked toward the desk, pulled out a sheet of paper from between the books, and held it out.
Juwon’s eyes fell vertically onto the paper in her hand.
“You seemed like you weren’t very interested, so I made this.”
When Juwon did not take it and only stared at her, Jaei placed the densely written résumé on the desk.
“You can look at it whenever you have time.”
Her eyes carried a hint of concern, as if she was worried he might never read it.
“What’s written there isn’t something meant to be shown to someone else. Calling it a living history might sound too grand, but it’s a record that shows I didn’t live carelessly. So please, make sure you read it.”
Even if she had not handed him something like this, Juwon already knew how she had lived until now. He had continuously received reports about the major events in her life that could be considered turning points.
“Will anything change after reading this? Like I said before, I didn’t sponsor you expecting compensation. I believe I made it clear that you didn’t need to go this far.”
A heavy silence pressed down between them.
Jaei lightly bit her full lips. The way she gently bit the inside of her mouth revealed a stubbornness that seemed unlikely to bend easily.
“The thought that I needed to become someone necessary to you was what pulled me back up whenever I was about to become lazy. I tried to live a life that didn’t stray despite all the temptations around me. Thanks to that, I became who I am today.”
“So please… let me do anything.”
Let me do anything.
Her words sank deeply into Juwon’s mind.
“What do you think I might ask you to do, for you to say something like that so easily?”
His sharp gaze cut through the air and struck her like something physical, sinking into her heart.
Instead of avoiding him, Jaei looked straight at him with an expression that seemed almost like she was confronting him.
“I told you. I said I would do anything.”
Her calm expression held no trace of a smile, and her unwavering gaze remained solely fixed on Juwon.
“I’ll remember what you just said.”
His cold gaze, leaving not even the slightest gap for warmth, felt as though it seeped into her skin and embedded itself there.
After the small reports and approvals that continued after arriving at work finally ended, lunchtime arrived—the brief declaration of a temporary truce.
Seonghyeon gathered the adjusted schedule and documents before immediately opening the door to the representative office where Juwon was.
Before starting the scheduled report, he briefly watched Juwon’s reaction.
“Whatever it is, do it quickly and leave.”
Seonghyeon thought once again how unbelievably fast Juwon was at reading people.
He cleared his throat lightly and began speaking.
“During your meeting, I received contact through Chairman Kang’s secretary. He said he would be returning to Korea soon because of Chairman Seo’s daughter’s matter from last night, and he wants to arrange a meal between both families. He asked when you would have time, Representative.”
“So?”
Although he asked casually, Seonghyeon could sense that Juwon’s mood was far from comfortable.
Chairman Kang rushing back to Korea meant one thing: he intended to settle Juwon’s marriage arrangement.
The weather would soon become cold, and Chairman Kang usually spent the harsh winter months in Hawaii, only returning to Korea the following spring. Considering it was only early November, it was still too early for him to come back.
“Actually, I was the one who begged them to arrange this meeting today.”
The woman’s honest words, almost like a confession, came back to him.
Seo Arin was not a bad choice.
She possessed everything—appearance, family background, and the qualities of an ideal marriage partner.
Even if he brought her into his home like a decorative piece, there would undoubtedly be benefits.
The enormous dowry she would bring with the marriage would become a major foundation for the group’s future growth.
That was what Juwon’s grandfather, Chairman Kang, wanted.
Until now, Juwon had rarely raised his voice and had generally followed Chairman Kang’s wishes.
Juwon handled all the difficult tasks, while the final decisions were left to Chairman Kang. As a result, all the benefits and achievements went to Chairman Kang, and Juwon had never once raised an objection.
But marriage was not simply a merger between companies or a transaction for financial gain.
It involved Juwon’s deeply personal private life.
“I told you. I said I would do anything.”
Yoon Jaei’s words felt as though they were awakening his ordinary life.
Once a month, the gardener came to maintain the trees throughout the house.
Whenever the season changed, withered flowers were removed and new flowers suitable for the season were planted, creating a new atmosphere.
This house was where Juwon’s parents had lived since the early days of their marriage, and Juwon’s mother had personally chosen, cared for, and nurtured every plant in the garden.
