WRL 6

Chapter: 6

You’re Quite Naughty, Assistant Manager Min

Gyeongja looked at Hyunseo and Taeyeon with mixed worry and relief. The sudden turn of events had made her heart pound, but seeing Hyunseo gently call Taeyeon’s name was, at least, some comfort.

“Taeyeon, Mom’s going to head out.”

“Yes, Mom. I’m okay. I feel good.”

“That’s a relief. I’ll go now.”

Taeyeon smiled as she saw her mother off. After Gyeongja and Hyunseo left, dinner was brought in around the evening. It was far too luxurious to be called hospital food. She needed to regain her strength now—if she was going to play the role of a fake mother.

Right. They say even a ghost that dies after eating looks better for it.

She resolved to eat and dug in, but her mouth was so dry she couldn’t swallow a bite. It was all bravado. No matter how much she tried to act unaffected, to pretend to be cheerful, there was no way food would go down in this absurd situation. Still, Taeyeon forced herself.

I have to stay healthy. Only then can I cure Mom’s illness. And now… I’m Yoonwoo’s mother.

She recalled the baby she had seen in the neonatal room. Visiting hours in the evening would begin soon.

Could she really go there confidently and see the baby, claiming to be his mother?

And how would her in-laws react?

That worried her most.

Choi Hyunseo was currently the only heir, but he was not the son of the chairman’s legal wife. His mother, Oh Jinhee, was the third-largest shareholder of the Miu Group and Chairman Choi Pilseung’s second wife. Though officially a second wife, her reputation was far from clean.

She had given birth to the current Choi Hyunseo while the chairman’s lawful wife was still alive, and after the first wife passed away young, she had pushed her way into the position by putting Hyunseo forward. There had been many ugly rumors, but that was over twenty years ago.

Taeyeon didn’t know much about Oh Jinhee. She only knew that Madam Oh had a fierce temper. When someone from the PR department had once gone to interview her, she’d heard that a staff member had been slapped.

It had supposedly been because of a careless remark. Countless negative thoughts crossed her mind.

Hyunseo didn’t contact her all night. At present, only the two of them knew this secret. Of course, the hospital doctor knew, but Hyunseo would have thoroughly managed that. Still, Taeyeon couldn’t see even an inch ahead, and anxiety consumed her.

She wished Hyunseo would explain something in detail, but he remained silent. She picked up her phone and fidgeted with it. She had never contacted him first. Since signing the contract, he had never reached out privately except to summon her because of the sudden birth.

Should I call him now?

Just then, her phone rang. The screen displayed Shin Noeul. It was from Noeul oppa.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Taeyeon, are you okay?”

Noeul’s voice was low. It was obvious her mother had gone home and told him everything. Taeyeon steadied her breathing before answering.

“Yes, oppa. Did you hear from Mom?”

His voice sounded heartbreakingly dejected.

“Weren’t you on a business trip to Europe? That’s what your mother said. And you told me the same.”

“I’m sorry, oppa.”

There was nothing else she could say. Just then, the door opened and Choi Hyunseo entered. The moment she saw him, Taeyeon tensed and spoke quickly.

“Oppa, I’ll call you back in a bit. My husband just came in.”

She hung up and lifted her head. Hyunseo was looking at her, one eyebrow slightly raised in a frown.

“You have an oppa?”

“Not my real brother.”

“Then… some guy you know?”

His tone was oddly heavy. Perhaps it was just the way he said “some guy,” but it carried an unmistakably negative nuance.

Feeling like she needed to explain, Taeyeon added,

“He’s the son of the landlord where I rent.”

“And you have private phone calls with a landlord’s son?”

It didn’t seem wise to mention that Noeul worked at their company. Taeyeon nodded briefly, hoping to end the conversation.

“Yes. Sometimes.”

Hyunseo spoke again.

“My mother and father will be coming tomorrow.”

“The chairman and madam?”

He nodded once.

“They may not come into this room. They might just see the baby and leave.”

It was absurd, but understandable. They weren’t the sort of people to warmly take the hand of a company employee who had already given birth and call her their daughter-in-law.

Silence fell over the hospital room. The air felt so heavy it was suffocating. Taeyeon looked at Hyunseo sitting on the sofa.

“Director, you should go home and rest now.”

He turned his gaze toward her, tilting his head slightly.

“Not yet. If I leave now, I’ll look like an irresponsible father who just had his first child. I’ll stay a bit longer. Assistant Manager Min, you sleep. Don’t mind me.”

How could she not mind him? Still, she lowered her head instead of answering and pulled the blanket over herself.

She was wide awake. Even her breathing sounded loud under the covers, and she felt as if Hyunseo could hear everything. Lying there like a corpse, not daring to turn or breathe too deeply, became unbearable. Eventually, she sat up.

Hyunseo, without even glancing at her, was focused on his tablet. He seemed to be working. She wanted to say something.

She wished he would remember that night they had shared.

He was like a cold flame—contradictory. His lips and touch had been hot, but his eyes were cool. He had devoured her as if he would swallow her whole, yet never even asked her name.

Being alone with him made her swallow nervously. Her gaze drifted to his profile. His solid chest, slim waist, and long legs stretched out below. And between those legs, his body.

The memories kept returning. His hardened body had entered her countless times. His fingers had roamed her most intimate places, his lips biting and sucking again and again. Was she the only one who would never be able to forget?

“Assistant Manager Min, you have a tendency to stare rather lewdly.”

“What?”

Startled, Taeyeon jumped at his words, spoken without him even looking at her.

“Are you pretending to be innocent now? Don’t forget you just gave birth today. If you keep looking at me like that and even swallowing, what exactly do you expect me to do?”

“Director, absolutely not. It’s not like that.”

Hyunseo stood and walked closer to her. She had known he was tall, but from where she sat on the bed, he seemed even larger. With only partial lighting in the room, his shadow stretched long.

“I’ll come early tomorrow. I am the father of the first child, after all.”

For a moment, his face seemed gentle. She could never tell where his acting ended and sincerity began. After a nod, he left the room.

Taeyeon was utterly exhausted. Simply being alone in the same space with Choi Hyunseo drained all her strength.

The next day, true to his word, Hyunseo came early to the hospital room. Without paying her much attention, he sat on the sofa and worked—making calls, looking at his tablet, closing his eyes briefly in thought before resuming his calls.

Even the air around him seemed tense. Neither Hyunseo nor his parents were people who would casually converse with a low-ranking employee. Taeyeon realized she knew nothing about the man sitting before her. Naturally, she knew nothing about Chairman Choi Pilseung or Madam Oh either. The thought of the chairman and his wife visiting kept her on edge.

Hyunseo’s phone rang. As he answered, she heard Chief Hwang’s voice.

“The chairman and madam have just seen the baby in the neonatal unit.”

“Got it. Do they seem like they’ll come to the room?”

“I believe so.”

In front of the neonatal unit, Chairman Choi Pilseung and Oh Jinhee were looking at the baby. Anyone could tell he carried the Choi family bloodline. From his broad forehead to his high-bridged nose, the newborn looked exactly like Hyunseo. Chairman Choi smiled faintly.

But Oh Jinhee did not.

“I’m not going to the hospital room.”

“Can you really act like that? She must have worked hard giving birth.”

“I don’t want to see a daughter-in-law who pushed her way in with a child before I’ve even seen her face. I need time to prepare myself.”

After a moment, Chairman Choi nodded. He knew once she dug in her heels, persuasion was useless.

Looking at Yoonwoo through the glass, Oh Jinhee forced a smile.

“Of course he’s handsome. He’s Hyunseo’s son.”

Yet her stomach churned. Through Chief Hwang, she had learned that the woman who gave birth was Min Taeyeon, twenty-nine, an assistant manager in the PR office of Miu Group. Nothing remarkable—no extraordinary talent. And her family background was even more appalling.

After her father died in high school, she and her mother had lived together in a rooftop rental room. Her mother suffered from kidney disease and even underwent dialysis. Taeyeon supposedly worked part-time jobs on top of her company salary to support her mother’s medical expenses.

At this point, had she practically sold her body?

But even that made no sense. If she had, money could have settled it. Instead, they would have to accept her as a daughter-in-law and acknowledge her as the mother of the child who would succeed Hyunseo.

She had no desire whatsoever to see her face.

It’s outrageous enough that I’m the second wife myself.