Chapter 8
Perhaps because of that, Manager Jung paid even closer attention to maintaining it, almost as if it were a keepsake left behind by Joo-won’s mother.
Today, while checking that the work being carried out was proceeding without any issues, Manager Jung appeared unusually distracted compared to other days.
“Representative Kang said he will be having dinner outside with Ms. Yoon Jae-i today. We’ll send a car, so please have Ms. Yoon Jae-i get ready and send her off.”
The phone call she had received through the secretary’s office a little while ago kept bothering her.
Dinner outside?
Just because Manager Jung handled even the smallest matters of this household did not mean she needed to know about her employer’s private life.
In fact, the reason she had been able to work here for so long was because she knew how to see things and pretend not to notice, hear things and pretend she had not heard them.
But this particular matter kept making her curious.
What kind of relationship did the woman named Yoon Jae-i have with Kang Joo-won that he had allowed her into the house without any restrictions? And how long was she planning to stay?
Joo-won had never given her a clear answer.
Even if she was curious, she could not simply ask Kang Joo-won about it.
Anyway, Manager Jung headed toward the second floor to deliver the message she had received.
Even though she stayed inside the house all day, Yoon Jae-i always seemed busy.
She started her day with morning exercise, and after breakfast, she cleaned her own room even though it was something the housekeeper was supposed to do. She would lock herself inside the study, spend hours in front of her laptop as if she were working, and even use a ladder to take out books from the higher shelves and read them.
Manager Jung had no idea what she was doing, but it seemed like Jae-i did not have a single moment of free time throughout the day.
As Manager Jung was about to knock on the study door, she paused when she heard a voice from inside.
“I don’t have any plans to return to America yet. Since I made this decision with difficulty, I want to see it through as much as I can.”
At the sound of Yoon Jae-i’s voice, Manager Jung’s ears perked up.
She doesn’t plan on going back? Then does that mean she intends to stay here?
She did not understand what Jae-i meant by saying she would “see it through as much as she could.”
What exactly was this woman planning?
For a moment, suspicion toward Yoon Jae-i arose in her mind.
Just then, the door suddenly opened from the inside, causing Manager Jung’s body to lurch forward.
When she came face-to-face with Jae-i’s surprised expression, Manager Jung failed to hide her own embarrassment.
“I was about to knock, but it sounded like you were on the phone, so I was just waiting for a moment.”
Jae-i smiled as if it did not matter.
“Did you need something?”
Manager Jung entered the study and looked around.
Everything was neatly arranged without a single thing out of place. The room was spotless, without even a speck of dust.
On the desk were a laptop that clearly belonged to Yoon Jae-i, several books, a notebook, and a cute character pencil case.
This was a space that only Kang Joo-won used.
His mother had created a playroom filled with toys and picture books for her son, Joo-won. After he grew older, she hired professionals and carefully designed the space, paying attention to the humidity, lighting, and even the visual atmosphere, turning it into a study.
After his mother passed away, the rest of the house had been remodeled, but this study was the only place left untouched.
The only maintenance done was polishing the furniture once a year, hiring experts to organize the books, and removing the dust and signs of age.
That was how precious this place was to Joo-won.
Kang Joo-won was someone who went beyond simply considering things his possessions. At times, he behaved with an almost obsessive attachment toward what belonged to him.
It was slightly different from having a cleanliness obsession, but from another person’s perspective, he hated having his belongings touched by others to an extreme degree.
A separate housekeeper was assigned to clean and manage the study, but even she could not carelessly move anything around.
And yet, he had completely given this space to that woman.
To someone whose identity was still unclear.
Who exactly is this woman?
“Is there anything uncomfortable while staying here?”
Manager Jung asked casually, pretending not to care.
Jae-i walked over to the desk, closed the open notebook, and neatly arranged it.
“I love it here.”
Her bright smile revealed her even white teeth.
Her expression looked innocent.
Perhaps she truly lacked awareness of the situation, or perhaps she was simply someone who naturally thought only about herself without caring about others. Otherwise, this situation would have been impossible.
There was no way Joo-won did not know that Yoon Jae-i was freely using the study, yet he had left it untouched.
Manager Jung found it both surprising and strange.
Since Joo-won himself said nothing, she could not step in and say anything to Jae-i either.
“By the way, sir doesn’t have any other family?”
No matter how many times she heard it, Manager Jung still could not get used to the way Jae-i called Kang Joo-won “sir” in such a casual manner.
Seeing the questioning look on Manager Jung’s face, Jae-i simply shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t think I’ve seen any other family members.”
“Who doesn’t have family? They’re just living separately.”
The faint smile on Jae-i’s lips stiffened slightly before quickly returning to normal.
“What about you, Ms. Jae-i? Is your entire family in America?”
“I don’t have one. A family.”
Without warning, Manager Jung’s eyes widened as if she had suddenly bumped into something unexpected.
“Ah… I see.”
There was no sign of discomfort on Jae-i’s face. Her bright expression remained unchanged.
“I’m sorry. I must have surprised you. I just wondered why it was such a surprising thing to not have a family.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said something unnecessary.”
“But didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”
Suddenly, Manager Jung felt the weight of Yoon Jae-i’s presence—something she had not noticed until now.
“Representative Kang said he was sending a car and asked you to get ready.”
“Really?”
The face that had been smiling just moments ago suddenly lit up like a bright fluorescent light.
Her smile was dazzling.
“I don’t know anyone here, so even if I went out, there wasn’t anyone I could have a meal with. Of course, that’s not the reason I stayed inside.”
Usually, even if someone they had feelings for invited them out, most people would hide their excitement inside and act as though it was nothing special.
That was how most of the upper-class women Manager Jung knew behaved.
They believed showing emotions openly was uncouth.
Especially when dealing with unfamiliar people, they were accustomed to hiding themselves even more.
Having only seen people like that, seeing Jae-i openly display her emotions was both unfamiliar and strangely interesting.
Suddenly, she remembered Joo-won’s gaze following Jae-i wherever she went.
She was the kind of person who naturally drew attention when she was nearby.
Her actions, her words, even her various expressions—there was a strange charm about her that pulled people’s eyes toward her.
“Was there anything else you wanted to say?”
At Jae-i’s gaze, which seemed to ask if there was anything more, Manager Jung realized she had been lost in thought and straightened her posture.
“No. That’s all. Then I’ll be leaving.”
Putting on a formal smile, Manager Jung left the study.
