WRL 9

Chapter: 9

Compensation for Wounds

Startled, Taeyeon bit her lip. Her face flushed red, but she steadied her breathing. After sucking at her empty breast for quite some time, Yoonwoo began to squirm and then started crying.

Listening from behind, Jinhee clicked her tongue.

“Goodness. Seems like there’s not much milk. The baby’s crying while sucking. Icheon-daek, give Yoonwoo some formula.”

“Yes, madam.”

Icheon-daek immediately prepared the formula and took Yoonwoo into her arms. As soon as the bottle touched his lips, he gulped the milk down noisily.

Oh Jinhee smiled as she watched Yoonwoo eat well. Her face clearly showed the love of a grandmother doting on her grandson. Taeyeon, excluded from the scene, forced herself to sit calmly.

Oh Jinhee clicked her tongue again as she looked at Taeyeon.

“What can you do if there’s no milk? Still, you have to try. I’ll send over some good pig’s trotters, so boil them down and eat plenty. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing better than pig’s trotters to increase milk supply. I ate a lot when I was nursing our Hyunseo. Still, a mother’s milk is best for a child. Even if there’s not much, don’t stop nursing him entirely. Make sure you let him latch.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Seeing Taeyeon answer obediently, Oh Jinhee sighed with a hint of regret but said no more. She cooed over Yoonwoo for a while before leaving. Once her mother-in-law left, Taeyeon let out a long sigh. Icheon-daek approached and spoke.

“Madam Oh isn’t the type to give her affection easily. But since she dotes on Yoonwoo like that, of course she must care for you too.”

There are things that can’t be covered up no matter how hard you try. More frightening than saying nothing and not even glancing her way was that expression.

“Yes… I’m sure she does.”

But Taeyeon didn’t show it. In the end, she was only her mother-in-law. Her husband wasn’t even truly hers—so what was the point of expecting anything from her mother-in-law? She was merely the chairman’s wife, lofty as the sky. Someone a mere PR team assistant manager would never even meet face to face. So there was no reason to be hurt.

Around 11 p.m., Hyunseo entered the bedroom. Seeing him, Taeyeon quickly stood up.

“Good evening, Director.”

“Didn’t you say that this morning too? Is that the only greeting you know?”

He lifted the corner of his mouth in a mocking smile. Taeyeon lowered her head.

“Yes. I’ll correct that.”

“Correct it? This isn’t the military…”

Hyunseo laughed out loud, and Taeyeon turned her head in embarrassment. She had spoken neatly and properly, yet he seemed to be mocking her. The gap between them felt enormous.

“Um… Director, is there something you need?”

He never came into the bedroom. Being alone with Choi Hyunseo in such an intimate space—someone she had long harbored a one-sided love for—made her heart pound violently. Standing face to face by the bed, he looked even more mysteriously handsome under the bedroom’s soft lighting.

Perhaps unrequited love is cruel because it’s addictive. She almost wanted to punch her own heart for beating so habitually and repeatedly toward him.

As her cheeks grew hot and her shoulders stiffened, he spoke.

“Do you have a fever? Your cheeks are a bit…”

His gaze lingered on her face. Taeyeon shook her head firmly. His eyes shifted to meet hers. His gaze was deep. Her heart pounded even harder, but his flat, dry voice pulled her back to reality.

“I heard my mother stopped by today.”

“Yes. She did.”

“Icheon-daek said you were embarrassed by an unreasonable request. That you might’ve been hurt.”

He meant when she had been told to show her chest and breastfeed. Just recalling the humiliating situation made her ashamed. Taeyeon answered stiffly.

“Yes.”

“Were you hurt?”

“No. I’m fine.”

She didn’t want to bring it up again. The image of Yoonwoo’s reddened face flashed through her mind. He had sucked hard, but when nothing came out, his face turned bright red before he burst into tears.

“Why not say you were hurt? Say it was worse, that you were hurt more. The compensation could increase.”

“Compensation?”

“You don’t know what I mean?”

She hadn’t imagined that such an incident would fall under the “compensation” he’d mentioned before. Taeyeon looked at him without reacting.

“It should be in the original contract terms. That if you’re hurt because of my family, you’ll be compensated.”

“Oh… Yes. It’s fine. I could bear it.”

“Do you always endure everything like that? Don’t endure it. File a claim.”

How was she supposed to file a claim? How could being disregarded be converted into money?

“Is that possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can hurt feelings be converted into money?”

“That sounds very expensive.”

“Give me whatever you think is appropriate. I don’t know how much it’s worth to be treated like a dairy cow raising your grandson and ignored.”

“I’ll calculate it appropriately and deposit it into your salary account.”

He drew the line precisely.

Just hug me. Comfort me.

Deep inside, Taeyeon was clearly saying that. But she averted her gaze and said something else.

“Are you going to keep sleeping in the study?”

“The study’s better than I expected. The bed’s not too small.”

“I see. Then good night.”

At her abrupt farewell, he simply nodded and left the room without hesitation.

He didn’t even spare her a glance—enough to make her wonder if she lacked any charm as a woman. Thinking about who had hurt her more, it seemed Hyunseo had done worse than the chairman’s wife earlier.

Well, everything was just a contract. Was he truly okay? Was Yoonwoo’s biological mother still alive?

She couldn’t ask, but a few days later she found out. He went to work wearing a black tie, and after several days, the tie changed. Yoonwoo’s mother had died.

It was raining. A rain that urged on the heat. When it stopped, many rose petals would fall.

Holding Yoonwoo, Taeyeon stood by the window watching the rain. The roses were getting soaked.

“What a waste.”

Seeing the expensive Juliet roses being drenched, Taeyeon gently patted Yoonwoo. Icheon-daek approached worriedly.

“Madam, if you hold him too long, you’ll ruin your wrists later.”

“I’m healthy.”

“You shouldn’t be confident about that. Well, you’re young, so maybe. But if you keep holding him because he’s cute, it’s hard. Babies don’t seem heavy, but they are.”

Though Yoonwoo had been born small due to not completing the full term, within one month he surpassed the average weight. Now, at three months, he was plump-faced and solidly heavy.

“You need to burp him. Please hand him to me. Madam, you should rest too.”

Icheon-daek took Yoonwoo, burped him, and carried him into the room.

Nothing had changed over time. Once a day, she still let him suck at her empty breast. She raised Yoonwoo with Icheon-daek, went back and forth to her in-laws’ house, and showed him to Chairman Choi and Oh Jinhee.

Even though just the smell of pig’s trotters now made her nauseous, she tried diligently to eat them for better milk supply. A peaceful family relationship was part of the contract, and Oh Jinhee was obsessed with pig’s trotters. She believed Yoonwoo was growing so well at least partly because he continued to receive some breast milk.

Wedding preparations began. Everything proceeded as Oh Jinhee decided. The only thing Taeyeon could choose was the dress.

“We’re going to get your dress fitted today.”

“You’re coming too, Director?”

“Is there a groom who doesn’t attend his bride’s dress fitting? Don’t forget—we’re publicly a loving couple.”

“Yes.”

She thought choosing a dress would be simple. It wasn’t real anyway; any dress would do. But unexpectedly, he was picky.

Because of him, Taeyeon had to change dresses repeatedly. One neckline wasn’t right, another flared too much, another was too tight, another too revealing—Hyunseo rejected them all for countless reasons.

She hadn’t known he was this meticulous. As it dragged on, she began to wonder if he was doing this just to make things difficult for her.

“Director, they all seem fine.”

“‘Fine’?”

His eyes narrowed. He stepped closer and whispered by her ear so the dress shop staff wouldn’t hear. Anyone watching might think he was whispering something romantic. But his words were far from that.

“This is the biggest performance of Miwoo Group. Have you seen the guest list? Do you know how many people are working to make this perfect? The highlight of the wedding is the wedding dress. Do you not know that?”

How could she not? He seemed incapable of understanding that she was simply exhausted. If you serve a boss lacking empathy, this is what happens.

“Yes. I understand.”

Wearing a tube-top dress, Taeyeon stood as he examined her carefully. He gestured toward the sofa with his chin.

“Sit. You’re tired. But we can’t just do this half-heartedly. Come sit here.”

“Yes.”

Then he said to the staff,

“My beloved bride seems tired, so let’s take a short break.”