TPYH 09

Chapter 9

Whoosh! Thud!

Two different sounds rang out simultaneously.

One was the sound of Ha-ryeong quickly pulling her hand back, and the other was the teacup, which had been wobbling precariously, falling to the floor.

In an instant, hot water splashed onto the carpet, and the cup that flew sideways had its handle shattered.

“……Oh my. I made a mistake.”

A low sigh escaped Gong Sera’s red lips.

Her expression was full of surprise at the sudden accident, but Ha-ryeong could tell at a glance.

It was a completely intentional scene.

It was just that, contrary to her intention, the hot tea hadn’t landed on Ha-ryeong’s hand.

Choi Malja, who had unexpectedly been struck by this sinister intention, had to watch her precious belongings get ruined, her face turning pale.

“Oh dear, this expensive carpet! And the teacup is completely smashed too!”

Choi Malja jumped up from her seat and, forgetting all dignity, began scraping up the teacup shards with her claw-like fingertips.

This teacup was Choi Malja’s most prized possession, and so was the carpet.

And that was precisely the reason Ha-ryeong had carefully chosen to bring it out.

“……Oh dear. Grandmother, I’m so sorry. My hand slipped. It seems you really treasured it.”

Perhaps she hadn’t expected Choi Malja to bend all the way down like that, even Gong Sera’s sharp voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

At that, Choi Malja quickly lifted her face and rearranged her expression.

“Huh? Ah, no. Your hand is more important, Sera. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, fortunately I’m not hurt. What should we do? The cup is broken… And the carpet must have absorbed a lot of the scent. And it’s such a strong fragrance at that.”

Saying that, Gong Sera shot a reproachful glare toward Ha-ryeong.

Her expression seemed to say, “Why aren’t you wiping this up right away?” but Ha-ryeong stood her ground upright and remained still.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. We can just buy a new one. Don’t worry about it, Sera.”

Showing great generosity, Choi Malja busily rose from her seat.

Fortunately, it wasn’t completely shattered, but the teacup, now precisely separated into body and handle, didn’t look very good at all.

Unable to suppress her anger, Choi Malja vented it toward Ha-ryeong.

“Why are you just standing there blankly? Go get something to wipe this up and bring new tea!”

“Yes, I will.”

“And be careful not to let the guest get hurt! Sera almost got burned because of you!”

In truth, the person who almost got burned wasn’t Gong Sera but Ha-ryeong, but Choi Malja had no regard for her own grandson’s wife.

Come to think of it, this was already her holding back quite a lot.

Back in the old days, when she had been ordered to do a massive cleaning, turning the entire living room upside down.

Ha-ryeong had tripped over some clutter and spilled a water jug onto the carpet.

It wasn’t even fragrant or colored tea like now—just plain water.

But Choi Malja’s fury had shot up to the heavens like a volcanic eruption, and Ha-ryeong had to spend the whole night in the outer garden, watching the thick carpet dry.

For over ten hours, standing in the same spot, her legs had trembled, and her body had shivered in the cold night air. No one in the Baek family told her to come inside.

That night, what had truly dried up were Ha-ryeong’s tears.

Recalling the humiliations of that time made her feel as if the blood in her body was turning cold again. Everything was as vivid and fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

As if there was no need to rush, Ha-ryeong calmly turned and went back to the kitchen.

And this time, she picked up a paper cup that had been shoved in a corner and a cheap green tea bag.

“What is this?”

Gong Sera’s distinctively thick eyebrows shot up.

She was staring at the “new teacup” Ha-ryeong had just brought, with an expression of disbelief.

“I didn’t want to spill it again, since you’re such a precious guest.”

“No, so you bring tea in a piece of trash like this paper cup? Are you crazy?”

Choi Malja’s eyes were also wide open.

Ignoring their piercing glares, Ha-ryeong carefully set the paper cup down in front of Gong Sera.

And then…

Thud!

“Kyaa!”

“Oh dear! Sera!”

Water gushed out of the toppled paper cup in an instant, soaking Gong Sera’s delicate hand.

Clutching her hand reflexively, Gong Sera seemed genuinely startled, her hand trembling slightly.

Seeing that, Choi Malja burst out yelling.

“You, what do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’m sorry. The cup was flimsy, so I made a mistake.”

“A mistake? A mis–take?”

“The guest also made a mistake earlier, so I can make one too. Don’t worry too much, Grandmother.”

With a faint smile, Ha-ryeong threw the dishcloth she had just brought over Gong Sera’s hand.

As if a dirty rag had been tossed at her, Gong Sera’s face instantly turned pale.

Watching the rather ridiculous scene, Ha-ryeong drove the final nail in.

“But at least mine is cold tea. Lucky you didn’t get burned.”

The arrow, taut on the bowstring, seemed ready to fly with the slightest breeze.

Now, nobody could predict which direction it would go.

That day, Gong Sera did not wait until Baek Ju-heon got off work.

This only daughter of a powerful political family, a family that held power in its hands, had a proud ego that could not tolerate even a single scratch.

Especially, she could not tolerate anyone trying to climb above her.

Even more so if the opponent was such a trivial existence that she couldn’t even consider them a rival.

For that reason, as soon as she got outside the Baek family residence, Gong Sera slammed her handbag down on the car hood.

The elderly chauffeur, who had been dozing off, startled awake and quickly jumped out.

“M-Miss Sera. What’s the matter?”

“……Sir, have you ever killed a bug?”

“A b-bug? Well… plenty. Like flies or mosquitoes…”

“There’s a dung fly buzzing right in front of my eyes right now. What do you think I should do?”

“W-Well…”

Gulp. The chauffeur swallowed dryly.

Because nothing was flying in front of his mistress’s eyes.

Without waiting for an answer, Gong Sera spun around and opened the car door irritably.

Her sociable and friendly tone had vanished as if it had never been, and a gloomy voice seeped out between her lips like smoke.

“Why hesitate? Of course, you beat it to death.”

“You’re home early.”

Following the sound of footsteps on the stairs and her door opening, Ha-ryeong came out of her room.

Choi Malja, in a foul mood, had said she wouldn’t eat dinner and had gone to lie down in the master bedroom early, while Baek Il-hwan was having a thank-you gathering with the guests who had come to the wedding.

Ju-heon, who had been about to enter his room, saw Ha-ryeong appear at the end of the hallway and averted his gaze.

A loosely half-undone tie hung between his long fingers.

“If you call 9 p.m. early, I suppose.”

His eyes, speaking in that一如既往 flat tone, gazed intently at Ha-ryeong.

She had felt it since the first time they met—his ash-gray eyes resembled early winter sleet.

Those chilly pupils, as if born with coolness itself, were like fragile glass.

Beautiful, but difficult to touch.

Especially when facing a gaze like now, she always felt as if she was falling into a bottomless, deep darkness.

Intimidation? Fear? Anxiety?

It was hard to define those feelings exactly.

But it was clear that it was uncomfortable.

“I have something to talk about.”

Walking soundlessly in her room slippers, Ha-ryeong approached this lone predator.

Fortunately, he would never open his mouth to her. Because to Baek Ju-heon, Seo Ha-ryeong was nothing more than a piece of baggage that had appeared one day when he opened his eyes.

“Come in, then.”

Completely removing his half-undone tie, Ju-heon pointed to his room with his chin.

Honestly, she didn’t want to go in. But if she stood in the hallway talking and Choi Malja happened to overhear, she would surely raise a huge fuss.

At a time when every minute and second mattered, she didn’t want to waste time on such things.

So Ha-ryeong silently passed Ju-heon and entered the room he had used for 29 years.

The bed where she had woken up last night sat alone in the center of the spacious room.

The furniture and decorations were kept to an absolute minimum—so typical of Baek Ju-heon.

Conversely, that also meant it didn’t look like a newlywed room at all.

“What is it you want to talk about?”

A dry tone, as if suppressing every possible emotion.

Familiar cynicism that had clawed at her heart for years made her rebellious spirit boil up suddenly.

But now was not the time to act emotionally.

“Here.”

With calm hands, Ha-ryeong held out a piece of paper toward Baek Ju-heon, who had plopped down on the bed.

A faint flicker of puzzlement spread through his lifeless ash-gray eyes.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a contract.”

“A contract?”

The slight puzzlement spread like ink on water, expanding its territory in an instant.

As if responding to that, Ha-ryeong nodded and declared firmly.

“Yes. A marriage contract. I want you and me to sign a contract.”