TKFT 18

Chapter 18

A curve that hadn’t been there before had clearly appeared along her side in the mirror.

To anyone else, it would have seemed trivial—hardly something to call belly fat—but to Jian, that spot alone felt overwhelmingly noticeable.

“Ha……”

Jian pressed her forehead, dizzy. It felt as though the sanity she had lost had suddenly returned.

Yugeon cared only about the contract and had no feelings for her.

Still, she wanted to look at least a little better in his eyes.

He already didn’t see her as a woman; if she let herself go like this, he might see her that way even less.

Of course, he wouldn’t go so far as to divorce her and search for a new contract partner just because she had gained a little weight.

This wasn’t about the contract—it was about her feelings. Even if the contract wasn’t affected, she hated it herself.

Could it be… that the reason he shook off my hand earlier was because of this? Because I look terrible right now?

As Jian was speculating—

“Ms. Eun Jian. If you’re done changing, come eat.”

Yugeon’s voice came from outside the dressing room, startling her. She quickly wrapped both arms around her stomach.

What if he walked in like last time and saw her side…?

The thought alone made her dizzy.

“Y-Yes…! I’m coming. Please go ahead first…!”

Afraid he might come in if she didn’t answer, Jian hurriedly responded.

She quickly took off the top that revealed her body line and changed into comfortable homewear.

When she entered the dining room, the table was once again filled with a lavish spread.

“Sit and eat.”

Yugeon gestured.

Based on the “big data” he had gathered about Jian’s eating preferences, he felt confident about today’s menu.

“Yes…”

Jian sat down with a weak reply.

When Yugeon picked up his spoon first, she followed.

After taking a spoonful of hot bean sprout soup, Yugeon glanced at Jian.

She’ll eat well today too.

Her softly moving lips were still oddly captivating. He only meant to confirm that she was eating well and then lower his gaze again.

But contrary to his expectations, Jian was just stirring the rice grains.

A faint crease formed between Yugeon’s brows.

“…Are there too many grains of rice?”

“…Pardon?”

Jian looked up at his unexpected question.

“I thought you might be counting them. How many are there?”

“Ah… I was about to eat.”

Realizing he meant she wasn’t eating properly, Jian answered weakly and took a small spoonful of rice.

But not long after, she set the spoon down with a soft clack.

“Um… I’m sorry, but I think I’ll stop here.”

“What—what?”

Without eating?

The complete opposite of what he had imagined made Yugeon feel like the sky had fallen.

His spoon dropped from his hand.

“Why? Is there nothing you feel like eating? If there’s something else you want, I’ll make it right now…”

“No. It’s not that… I just don’t have an appetite.”

“The less appetite you have, the more you should eat. Sometimes eating brings your appetite back. Here—try this.”

Yugeon personally placed a side dish onto her spoon and watched her anxiously.

Hurry and eat, Eun Jian. Do you know how hard it was to make you gain that weight…? I can’t afford to lose even one gram…!

While he fidgeted with worry, Jian only stared down at the appetizing food he had placed on her spoon, her face dark.

When she first heard about Yugeon’s “preferences,” she had been embarrassed—but at the same time, she thought it was an opportunity.

There was a huge gap in scale between CH Group and Pilbeom’s Eungwang Group.

Even so, the reason Jian had gotten the chance to be Yugeon’s blind date in the first place was because of his picky preferences.

Those same preferences had ultimately allowed her to become his wife.

She wanted to keep satisfying them from now on as well.

Are you stupid? Regret is for mistakes. Do you want to make your mother a fool who regrets giving birth to you by mistake?

Yugeon—the one who had saved her from guilt when she was young. Her long-time love.

Even if only outwardly, she wanted to be someone he liked.

In the end, Jian slowly shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t think I can eat much. I’ll eat well starting tomorrow. I’ll excuse myself first.”

“Wa—!”

Yugeon tried to stop her, but Jian had already left the dining room.

The next day.

After the morning executive meeting of CH Group subsidiaries held in the CH Hotel conference room, the attendees were enjoying lunch at the hotel’s Korean restaurant.

“Oh my, this is so delicious. I should come again tonight with my daughter.”

The president of CH Foods remarked after tasting the main dish.

“You seem close with your daughter. Still very devoted to her.”

“She’s my only daughter—I had a difficult birth. When she was little, she wouldn’t eat well, so I struggled a lot trying to feed her. Even now, whenever I taste something good, I think of her.”

At the neighboring table, Yugeon—who had been absentmindedly moving his spoon with a dark expression—suddenly stopped.

“…So.”

Yugeon, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. Everyone’s attention turned to him.

“So what did you do?”

“Huh…? W-What do you mean?”

“When she didn’t eat well—how did you get her to eat? How did you solve such a difficult problem?”

Yugeon asked with a serious expression.

The others blinked, momentarily speechless.

“Uh, well… I just tried giving her as many different foods as possible. If she liked something, I made that often.”

“And did it work?”

“Yes. It was hard to find at first, but once we did, she ate well for a while. Honestly, I was happy just seeing my child eat well.”

“I see,” Yugeon murmured, nodding slightly.

“But Director Cha, I heard you don’t have kids yet. Or is there good news? Are you becoming a father soon?”

“No, not at all. I was simply curious while listening.”

“Studying childcare in advance, huh? You’ll be a great father. If you become a dad, our chairman will become a grandfather.”

The executives laughed, and Chairman Cha, seated at the head of the table, smiled with clear satisfaction—as if quietly hoping that would come true.

But that wasn’t what concerned Yugeon.

The problem isn’t some future child—it’s the one at home right now. Eun Jian isn’t eating…

He was filled only with worry about Jian.

That morning, Jian had once again picked at her food.

After eating only a few spoonfuls of steamed egg, she said she was done and left the table, completely upsetting him.

Honestly, it was easier when her softly moving lips were distracting me. It’s harder now that she’s not eating…

Losing his appetite as well, Yugeon ended up leaving most of his meal untouched at the CH Hotel restaurant.

Find something she likes… I’ve already put dozens of dishes on the table, and she eats none of them properly. Even when I ask what she wants, she says nothing. At this rate, how long will it take? This can’t continue.

In the car on the way back to the company, Yugeon made a decision and placed a call.

To his father-in-law, Pilbeom.

“Father, hello. This is Cha Yugeon.”

It was his first phone call with Pilbeom, and he spoke with slight awkwardness.

—…What is it?

“I was wondering… does Jian have any particular food she likes?”

—Jian? Why suddenly ask that? Did something happen to her?

Pilbeom’s voice rose slightly with concern.