Chapter 06
That afternoon, Jian left work directly from a nearby workshop.
She had been feeling tired since the morning, dizzy from the anemia that had been bothering her for some time.
Since she had left her car behind, Sejun Jung, the CEO of CERA, gave her a ride. Coincidentally, their homes were in a similar direction.
“Jian, you really look tired. Did something happen over the weekend?”
While waiting at a red light, Sejun asked Jian, who was in the passenger seat.
“No, nothing happened. Just the typical Monday blues that office workers always get,” Jian replied awkwardly with a smile.
She couldn’t tell the company CEO that she had had a huge fight with her husband.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“You look like you’re in good spirits today. Did something nice happen over the weekend?”
“Huh…? Can you tell? Actually, I went on a blind date over the weekend, and the person was really nice. We decided to meet again tomorrow.”
Sejun said with a sheepish smile, as if embarrassed that he’d been caught.
“That might be why I’m in a good mood even though it’s Monday.”
“Wow, congratulations! This time, definitely join the ‘off the market’ lineup, CEO.”
“Thanks.”
Sejun smiled at Jian, who sincerely congratulated him.
A little later, his car reached near Jian’s home.
“Ah, CEO… please stop up ahead.”
“This is a main road, and you don’t look well. I can take you all the way home.”
“No, it’s fine. It’ll be a hassle to turn back if you go into the alley. I’m okay… I kind of want to walk a little too.”
“Alright then, I’ll drop you off up ahead.”
Sejun finally stopped the car.
“Thank you for the ride. Please take care on your way in. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, get some rest inside.”
Jian said goodbye and got out of the car.
But before she had even taken a few steps, it suddenly started raining heavily—a downpour.
Startled, Jian covered her head with her hands and rushed toward her home.
“Jian!”
Sejun called out to her.
When she turned, she saw him quickly take an umbrella from the trunk and run toward her, placing it over her head.
“Ah, CEO, it’s okay…”
“If you get a cold on top of Monday blues, that would be terrible. Take it and go.”
Sejun pressed the umbrella firmly into Jian’s hands.
Jian’s face lit up with a smile at his thoughtful gesture.
Her mood had been low because of the bitter incident over the weekend.
Yet even such a small act of consideration from someone else warmed her heart.
“Thank you, CEO.”
“Yeah. Go inside and get some rest. See you tomorrow.”
Sejun quickly ran back to his car.
Jian watched him leave with a smiling face and then continued walking toward her home.
Inside his car on the way home, Yugeon was lost in thought.
He couldn’t get the image of his grandmother crying, saying she wanted to see her granddaughter, out of his head.
‘Her moments of being mentally unwell will probably get longer…’
Before that happened, he wanted to make his grandmother a little happier, make her laugh a little more often.
So Yugeon ultimately made up his mind.
He would fulfill her wish to see her great-grandchild.
Sigh.
With that decision made, he let out a long breath.
This time, it was because of Jian. Because she said she liked someone other than him.
As if sensing his troubled heart, rain suddenly started pouring outside the car window.
“Well… I guess there’s nothing I can do…”
He muttered, trying to accept his situation.
Suddenly, a scene outside the window made him forget his words.
Jian was standing in the rain, covering her head with her hands.
A man ran to her and held an umbrella over her.
She smiled like sunshine.
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped Yugeon’s lips.
For a moment, the rain blurred around them, and in Yugeon’s world, it was as if a spotlight shone only on her.
Unlike the sharp eyes she usually gave him in anger, her expression now held warmth that he couldn’t look away from.
The car carrying Yugeon passed by them.
Even so, the beautiful smile she shared under the umbrella with that man stayed etched in his mind.
Sigh…
He placed his hand on his chest, and his heart thumped violently.
A strange flutter of excitement.
And at the same time, an inexplicable sense of defeat and anger washed over him.
Once home, Yugeon stayed holed up in his study, skipping dinner entirely.
“She… she really smiled beautifully. And smiling, she looks even prettier. Annoying…”
Yugeon muttered irritably, sprawled across his recliner.
It was late summer, transitioning into autumn. When she smiled earlier, it was as if spring had arrived out of season.
Come to think of it, it was the same at their first meeting.
He had planned to scare off the woman who miraculously fulfilled all those absurd conditions.
But the moment he first saw Jian, his gaze was completely stolen.
Yugeon shook his head vigorously.
“No… that’s not the problem…”
The problem now was…
“That bastard who gave her the umbrella earlier… whoever he is, is he the one Jian loves?”
Speaking aloud, a wave of irritation surged.
“Because Eun Jian toyed with me!”
He shouted to himself.
The man she loved should have been him.
The umbrella she used should have been his.
The smile she gave… it should all have been his.
Because…
“If only… it weren’t a lie that she likes me, I could’ve easily fulfilled Ms. Sunyoung’s wish…”
It must have been because of that.
He had never confessed, never dated her. Yet he felt as if he had been rejected by the person he offered a loveless marriage to.
Feeling angry that Jian caused him this irritation made him even angrier. It was infuriatingly annoying.
Sigh.
“In this state, I… can’t do anything with Eun Jian.”
The thought of Eun Jian imagining another man while with him…
Even if their intimacy was just part of the contract, he could never tolerate her thinking of someone else while with him.
“Then… I’ll just have to make it so she can only think of me.”
Whether the guy who gave her the umbrella was the one she loved, or another, he had to put everything in the past.
In other words, he planned to make Jian fall for him.
“But… ah, this is driving me crazy. I shouted about her being a mistress and all, and now… how am I supposed to…”
Even if he treated her well, she’d probably just think, ‘What is this guy?’ instead of being moved.
“Then maybe I should act a little indifferent?”
The so-called “picked-up-as-I-go” concept.
Instead of “I got this for you,” it’s more like “It’s not really for you.”
Instead of “Eat a lot,” it’s “Just see if you survive eating it.”
It felt not too awkward, quite okay.
“Living with me and still keeping another man in your heart… you’re cruel… but now that I’ve made up my mind, there’s no choice, Eun Jian.”
Act kind while pretending not to care, with this visual.
Even someone like her wouldn’t resist.
The lifelong single Yugeon thought hard in his study for a while.
The plan for today was as follows:
First,
“You must be cold. If you catch a cold, I might get it too, and that’d be a problem,”
he would mutter just loud enough for her to hear while kindly pulling the blanket up to her neck.
Then, he himself would mumble,
“Ugh, summer’s gone, I’m cold now too. If the CEO catches a cold, who will take care of the company?”
and slip under the blanket to subtly cling to her back.
Act indifferent yet kind, with subtle skinship.
A perfect plan to stir excitement.
Yugeon suddenly jumped up and started push-ups and sit-ups.
Every time he moved, his well-sculpted muscles flexed and worked intensely.
After exercising for a while, he went to the bathroom in his study and checked himself in the mirror.
Sigh, perfect. Eun Jian couldn’t shape herself like this, could she? Look at this masterpiece.
He rubbed his hard, stone-like muscles, satisfied.
Even with already firm muscles, they were pumped up, making him look like an angry beast.
If this perfect body reached Jian, she couldn’t help but feel his physical perfection.
Prepared to seduce Eun Jian, he tiptoed to the bedroom as if walking on clouds.
But…
“Huh…”
When he saw the bed, a hollow sigh escaped his lips.
