Chapter 46
Rumours
“Perfect timing.
I just finished making my resolution.”
Is it even fair to be this cute?
Clenching his tiny fist as if to show his determination, Lee Yeon stared up at him with wide eyes, looking so adorable that Do Hyun almost bit him right then and there.
The pleasant tremor in his chest spread warmly through him.
“Impressive.
A resolution to even stay up all night together.
Go wash up quickly.”
Do Hyun’s lips curved with a mischievous smile as he softly brushed Lee Yeon’s cheek, the boy still holding his little fist in the air.
A faint gasp slipped through Lee Yeon’s lips, his cheeks flushing red at Do Hyun’s words.
“How could you twist my hard-earned resolution into something indecent like that?”
“Are you thinking of changing it into an indecent resolution then?”
Do Hyun plopped down beside him.
The mattress rippled under his weight, and just like that, Lee Yeon’s heart rippled too.
Since their first night together, Lee Yeon had been sleeping in Do Hyun’s room.
At first, he had thought he’d return upstairs to sleep, but Do Hyun never let him go.
Even when he said he’d just fetch a pillow, Do Hyun would pull him back in and swallow him whole again.
Eventually, the second floor had become nothing more than a dressing room, a place to change clothes.
Every moment apart felt like a waste.
An indecent resolution… really?
Once again, Do Hyun’s words landed squarely in Lee Yeon’s heart like a precise bombardment.
“So, what was this hard-earned resolution of yours?”
“Do you… Already know?”
The words had no subject, but the meaning was clear.
Lee Yeon’s serious gaze, stripped of its usual laughter, gave Do Hyun the answer.
“Yeah.”
“You know what it is?”
I’ve heard of baseless rumours, but this is the first time I’ve heard of such absolute nonsense.
So you really knew all along.
“Don’t waste your thoughts on such trash.”
Do Hyun had known, but he hadn’t told Lee Yeon out of concern.
They were already married, already in love.
No rumour could change that.
The only problem was figuring out how to explain things to Gapsoo, who had made him promise to keep it secret until grandchildren arrived.
“Maybe that’s why it bothers me even more.
Because it’s such trash.”
At his words, Do Hyun’s brows drew together.
“We know the truth, but others don’t.
People love to chatter.
Especially about affairs and mistresses.
That’s the kind of scandal they thrive on.”
Do Hyun brushed his fingers through Lee Yeon’s hair as he rambled on, careful as if handling a fragile doll.
His face, stripped of makeup, looked even smaller than it had at the event.
It was a wonder how he had ever disguised himself in the first place.
“True.
People are drawn to the sensational.”
His gaze deepened, lingering on Lee Yeon.
He closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again.
“What if… I stop disguising myself altogether?”
Do Hyun’s hand froze.
“I’d hate that.”
“Better to cut it off now, before the rumours grow into something worse.”
Do Hyun frowned, then buried himself in Lee Yeon’s chest.
Lee Yeon stroked his back as he nestled closer.
For a while, only the sound of their quiet breathing filled the room.
“I can’t stand the thought of other men looking at you.
It drives me mad.”
His jealousy was relentless, alive and well.
“But I also can’t stand you being trapped by old wounds.”
Because the real Lee Yeon must want to live happily without a mask.
“I think it’s time to let her go.
The fake Lee Yeon.”
His voice carried the weight of firm resolve, as if the decision had already been made.
Do Hyun chuckled low.
“So that’s what all those reporters were for nothing.”
He had been blocking articles left and right, afraid the press might expose Lee Yeon’s identity.
But now, with Lee Yeon ready to stand tall, there was no longer a need to block anything.
“Things are going to get exhausting.”
“Then maybe I’ll enjoy the fame.
I am, after all, a specialist in enjoying things.
I’ve even enjoyed disguising myself for years.
But now?
Now I’ll toss the wig aside and enjoy being known as Ahn Do Hyun’s wife.”
Worry weighed heavily on Do Hyun’s face, though he tried to hide it.
Lee Yeon only smiled brighter, as if to unload that burden.
He turned, pulling him into his arms to rest his head on his arm.
“That damn wig.
It was itchy and suffocating.
And with a face this small, the glasses kept slipping off.
Almost fell off more times than I can count.
It was such a hassle pushing them back up every time.
Honestly, good riddance.”
Do Hyun said nothing, just stared quietly as Lee Yeon rambled.
He looked so proud of him, and yet it broke his heart at the same time.
Living as yourself should be natural, but for Lee Yeon, even that had required courage and resolution.
The thought that he had carried such scars all this time sent a sharp ache through Do Hyun’s chest.
Lee Yeon traced his fingers along the sharp bridge of Do Hyun’s nose.
From its proud height down to the very tip.
He marvelled at how even the tip could be so perfect, then pressed it lightly.
Do Hyun’s face, descending toward him, stopped at the pressure of that finger.
His eyes narrowed.
“Trying to stop me?”
“Apparently.
Why is my hand even here?”
She had blocked him with her palm, and Do Hyun bristled instantly.
Now, every touch of hers carried meaning for him.
He was parched, endlessly thirsty for her love.
“Don’t interfere.”
He seized her hand and pinned it down by the bed.
Then his lips pressed against hers, branding her with his mark.
This Lee Yeon, brave and beautiful in her resolve, belonged only to him.
And his mark didn’t stop at her lips.
It spread across her body, one place after another.
***
The morning alarm rang as usual.
The same alarm, yet it felt heavier somehow.
Lee Yeon switched it off and combed his messy hair through his fingers.
“Huuh…”
He woke with a different heart today.
A restless night left him still weary, even after sleep.
He sighed, slipping out of Do Hyun’s embrace, and shuffled to the bathroom upstairs.
There was much to prepare today, so he rose earlier than usual.
After a quick shower, he finished his base makeup, then reached for products he hadn’t used in years.
Not the eyeliner that painted freckles, but a light foundation and soft coral shadow.
He blended the foundation evenly, filled the gaps in his brows, then shaded his eyes with coral and brown.
His hands moved with delicate precision.
A touch of mascara, a tinted balm on his full lips, then he smoothed his hair.
The tailored dress suit Do Hyun had bought fit his figure perfectly.
Sky-blue, long-sleeved, cinched at the waist to accentuate his slender legs.
He adjusted the hem of the skirt, just above the knee, and faced the mirror.
His ears looked bare, so he chose simple earrings.
Now, only work remained.
So you really are shedding everything at last.
It was time to go downstairs, where Do Hyun was waiting.
The past would remain in the past.
From now on, he would focus on the future.
He checked himself one last time before leaving the room.
The word doll might as well have been coined for him.
He looked almost unreal, as if he didn’t belong in this world.
At last, he opened the door.
Lee Yeon stopped in front of Do Hyun, who was waiting in the living room.
“Tada.
First day of work.”
It was, in a way, his first real debut as himself, and he announced it with pride.
“This is bad.”
“Why?”
“Because everyone’s about to go blind from looking at you.”
He said it without batting an eye.
Lee Yeon, flustered, covered his mouth with his hand.
“Am I really… that pretty?”
His wide eyes blinked cutly.
“No.
So ugly they’ll go blind.”
“What did you just say?”
Thanks to his teasing, the tension drained away.
Do Hyun laughed and took his hand as he rose.
“Let’s go, Secretary Yoo.”
The old title, heard again at home, made his lips curve shyly.
He clasped Do Hyun’s hand back and walked with him to the car.
Still nervous, he gripped his seatbelt tightly.
I haven’t even seen Soo Jin yet.
She’ll be shocked when I show up like this.
He typed a quick message.
[Sujin, don’t be surprised when you see me.]
“Feels like we arrived too fast today.
The car must be in good condition.”
“Not the car.
I’m in good condition.”
“Why?”
“Because I get to go up holding your hand.”
“Even so, we can’t show up holding hands at work.
People will see.
Wouldn’t it be better to go separately?”
“There are plenty of office couples who do that.
Haven’t you seen them?”
He hadn’t.
It was just Do Hyun wanting to hold his hand all the way to the office.
An employee waiting outside opened the car door.
Lee Yeon stepped out.
On the other side, Do Hyun emerged in his navy suit, sharp and perfectly fitted, showing off every line of muscle.
Lee Yeon looped his arm through his without hesitation.
The breeze lifted his hair, framing his delicate face.
“Shall we head in together, Vice President?”
