Chapter – 34
Jian was so anxious that Yugeon might say no that he silently cheered, “Nice,” when she agreed.
‘It looks like Eun Jian really got tired of eating at home. Glad my excuse worked.’
‘Chuseok is the best. I wish it were Chuseok once a month. Please let me get tired of home-cooked meals at your house from now on so we can eat out together.’
Though the dishes prepared by the CH Hotel’s chef were far from something one could get tired of.
Anyway, both of them thought it was good that the other was tired of home-cooked food.
The two, smiling brightly, left the house when evening came.
Yugeon asked Jian if there was anything she wanted to eat.
When she said she wanted Japanese food, he drove directly to a famous fusion Japanese restaurant in the nearby area.
In the passenger seat, Jian secretly stole glances at Yugeon as he drove.
Yugeon was wearing a casual suit without a necktie.
It was a different kind of charm compared to his perfectly neat, businesslike appearance at work.
Because of that, Jian’s heart was racing busily.
‘Look at the veins popping on the back of his hand holding the steering wheel. Even driving looks cool. I wish he would turn around with a parking ticket in his mouth while reversing… and then rest his arm on the passenger seat….’
However, with the widespread use of automatic license plate recognition parking systems, paper parking tickets had nearly disappeared.
Still, she thought, he could rest his arm on the passenger seat anyway!
Jian secretly looked at Yugeon nonstop, feeling a faint expectation.
His long eyes were deep, as if one would sink into them if they kept looking.
How could his nose be so high? It looked like it would take three days and four nights to climb it.
And his lips were red and pretty too… She had touched those lips… heehee…
While Jian was shyly admiring Yugeon, the car reached its destination.
Unfortunately, the restaurant offered valet parking, so Yugeon didn’t need to rest his arm on the passenger seat.
Suppressing her unfulfilled desire, Jian walked toward the restaurant entrance with Yugeon.
“Ah? Aren’t you Mr. Cha Yugeon?”
Someone recognized Yugeon.
It was one of his business acquaintances.
“Good evening, Vice President Kang.”
“Nice to see you here. Are you here for a meal?”
After shaking hands with Yugeon, Kang’s gaze moved toward Jian, who was a few steps behind him.
“Yes, I came with my wife. This is my wife.”
Yugeon pulled Jian closer by holding her hand and introduced her.
“Hello. My name is Eun Jian.”
Feeling Yugeon’s large, warm hand, Jian exchanged greetings with Vice President Kang.
She was introduced to his acquaintance while holding his hand in a private moment.
It made Jian happy once more, something only his wife could experience.
“Wow, I couldn’t attend your wedding because I suddenly had an overseas business trip. I was curious about what kind of woman could capture Mr. Cha’s heart… You are truly beautiful. It’s obvious why Mr. Cha would fall for you.”
At Vice President Kang’s compliment, who was 30 years old, unmarried, and known for having a colorful dating history, Jian smiled politely.
Meanwhile, Yugeon (31 years old, married but a lifelong single, first love in progress), who knew Kang’s profile, had veins bulging on his forehead.
Biting his teeth tightly, Yugeon interlaced his fingers with Jian’s and pulled her closer to his side.
“Ahh.” A small breath escaped Jian’s lips.
The fingers slipping between hers were ticklish yet strangely stimulating.
“Yes. Thanks to that, if some scoundrels were to look at my wife with improper eyes, I would be afraid I might end up on the social news page instead of the business section of the newspaper.”
Yugeon said this with a cold smile that sounded half like a joke.
Understanding the warning quickly, Vice President Kang immediately looked away from Jian.
‘Just because I glanced at a rare beauty, he told me to keep my eyes down like that… He’s famous for being picky and not paying attention to women, so he must have met his match. Yikes, scary.’
“Ah, anyway, please enjoy your meal.”
Vice President Kang ended the conversation and rushed back into the restaurant.
Even after he left, Yugeon continued walking inside while still interlocking his fingers with Jian’s.
Jian struggled to suppress the smile spreading across her face.
After entering the restaurant and being guided to a riverside window seat, the two ordered their food.
Jian started with appetizers—duck roast with yuzu dressing.
Then she neatly finished the dishes that followed: octopus carpaccio, truffle chawanmushi, wagyu steak, eel rice bowl, and matcha tiramisu.
Although it was Yugeon who suggested dining out.
He only pretended to eat, spending more time secretly watching Jian’s face.
“I’m full. I ate a lot, so my blood sugar might spike. It would be nice to walk a bit.”
“Shall we? Blood sugar spike… we can’t risk diabetes.”
“Right! Stroke, diabetic retinopathy, and other complications are really scary.”
“That’s right. My dream is to live a long and healthy life!”
After making such excuses, they decided to walk nearby after the meal.
Worried about diabetes, they both thought it was a good idea.
Walking along the path beside the river, Jian’s shoulders naturally shrank.
Since it was already past the holiday and night had fallen, the wind blowing from the river was rather cold.
‘Still, I want to keep walking with Yugeon.’
So she tried not to show it, but her hunched shoulders wouldn’t straighten.
And then, inevitably, her body started to tremble.
Suddenly, something fell lightly onto her shoulders.
It was Yugeon’s suit jacket.
Startled, Jian tried to return the jacket to him.
“No, it’s okay…! I feel really sorry…!”
“Why are you shaking when you say it’s okay? I’m fine too. I have a lot of body heat, so I was just feeling a little hot anyway.”
After placing the jacket back on Jian, Yugeon proudly straightened his chest, wearing only a shirt.
In truth, he did feel a slight chill from the autumn night river wind.
Even for someone with high body heat like Yugeon, walking around half-naked was only tolerable indoors.
“For someone who says that, your lips are turning blue.”
“What…? It must be your imagination, Eun Jian.”
“And there are goosebumps on your chin…”
“…I’ve always had goosebumps on my skin!”
Yugeon’s denial made Jian laugh as she covered her mouth.
Wrapped in the warmth of the jacket he had given her, she felt very comfortable.
And her desire kept quietly growing.
She wished his actions were truly sincere toward her.
But even if his sincerity wasn’t real, the preciousness of this moment wouldn’t change.
Gathering her courage, Jian gently took Yugeon’s hand.
He flinched slightly at the touch.
“Since that Vice President Kang might also go for a walk after finishing dinner. And this way, your lip color might return a little.”
Jian said shyly with a smile.
“Well… yes, I guess.”
Yugeon chuckled and agreed, then squeezed her hand tighter.
The two continued walking like that.
“By the way, when we hold hands, I think your lip color is really coming back. The goosebumps are also fading a little.”
“…Can you please pretend not to notice.”
Jian’s bright laughter scattered into the night sky.
Even at night, the area around her, as she smiled with her eyes gently curved, seemed to sparkle.
‘Honestly, I don’t even know who is trying to seduce whom.’
Walking quietly on the peaceful path, smiling together with Jian, Yugeon thought.
