Chapter 6
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‘You must respond to my contacts.’
- ‘You must inform me if you plan to stay out overnight.’
- ‘You must visit your father-in-law at least once a month.’
…
She had nothing to say.
For a married couple, these things were a given.
It seemed that because she had told him not to expect anything from her, he had assumed she wouldn’t even do these basic things.
‘Was I too rigid with him?’
While there was some unnecessary stubbornness on her part, a large part of it was also that she didn’t want to involve personal feelings in this contract marriage.
But for her to feel this way… To her, this level made him seem like a complete scoundrel.
Dohoon let out a light laugh and tapped the document with his finger.
“So, did she get home safely?”
“Yes, sir. I saw her all the way to her doorstep.”
Dohoon nodded as if to say ‘well done.’
“Thank you for your hard work. And sorry for the trouble on my account.”
It was a situation that could easily become fodder for unnecessary gossip if handled poorly. Especially entrusting someone with handling the aftermath involving a woman he held all night wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
But Youngcheol was the son of Youngok, the housekeeper who had cared for Dohoon’s birth mother until the very end. To Dohoon, he was like an older brother.
He was someone who would cover for Dohoon with boundless affection, no matter what faults he showed, without ever holding them against him. That’s why Dohoon could entrust this matter to Youngcheol.
“Not at all. Please just give me any task, whatever it may be.”
His voice was filled with sincerity.
“But, Chief,” he said, hesitating for a moment before broaching the subject with Dohoon.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“This is presumptuous of me, but… are you truly planning to marry that person?”
“Have you ever seen me go back on my word?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
“Why? Does she not meet your standards, Manager Park?”
Dohoon asked, gauging Youngcheol’s thoughts.
“No, that’s not it.”
Worried his superior might misunderstand, Youngcheol answered immediately.
“I’m just glad if she’s someone you’ve chosen, sir… but I’m concerned about how the main family will receive her…”
Dohoon understood Youngcheol’s concern at a glance.
He was thinking that the family background was too different from that of the in-laws of Dohoon’s half-brother, Sehoon, with whom he was competing for the successor position.
“She’s a graduate with a degree in business administration, and she’s the daughter of Haneul Foods. I found that quite surprising, actually. Isn’t that enough?”
Dohoon had already finished looking into Eunha.
Although she was currently on a leave of absence, she had majored in business administration and had excellent grades.
The surprising part was her family background.
‘Haneul Foods.’
Frankly, he thought any family background would be fine, but Haneul Foods was actually advantageous for him.
Until recently, when her father had an accident and the factory closed, it was a fairly successful food company.
Although it was a small-to-medium enterprise, with its excellent technical skills and quality, it was sometimes more highly regarded than ‘Jeil Food’ in certain product categories. It was a family background that, if utilized well, could actually be of help to Dohoon.
There was only one thing that bothered him. Eunha’s age.
Twenty-five. He couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
So, five years ago, when she had boldly propositioned him, she was only twenty. Dohoon had been twenty-seven at the time.
He could excuse not recognizing her face because of the makeup, but her body was so mature, and she was only twenty? And he had kissed and sucked on such a woman, unable to control his lust? It made him feel like a criminal.
But it was true that her pale, soft skin was quite stimulating, and he hadn’t been able to restrain himself.
Dohoon quickly shook his head, dismissing thoughts of her. The problem was that his body reacted unpredictably whenever he thought of Eunha.
Was his taste leaning towards younger women?
Dohoon laughed self-deprecatingly, finding it absurd himself.
Then he spoke to Youngcheol, who was still looking at him with a worried expression.
“Don’t worry too much. I know better than anyone what kind of person Grandfather is.”
Seeing Dohoon speak with confidence, Youngcheol’s face finally softened a little.
Dohoon looked at Youngcheol with warm eyes. Youngcheol did nothing but worry about Dohoon, day and night.
Just as his mother, Youngok, had always worried about and cared for Dohoon’s mother, Youngcheol cared for Dohoon in the same way. Whether it was karma, a legacy, or fate. It was a path set for them since childhood.
“Ah, yes. Please arrange for Vice President Ye to be moved to a VIP room and ensure she is cared for as a member of the Jeil Group from now on.”
“Yes, sir.”
As he listened to Youngcheol’s reply, Dohoon recalled Eunha’s face, which would cloud over whenever her father was mentioned.
Eunha had said that just covering the hospital bills was enough, but Dohoon decided to take care of Eunpyo in his own way.
At the very least, he wanted her to be satisfied that this marriage would ensure Eunpyo received proper care.
6 PM, ‘Seolhyang’.
As soon as she arrived, Eunha was guided into a private room.
“Welcome.”
The face of Chansuk, who had been smiling and greeting her, instantly hardened. Eunha had come plainly, without having her hair or makeup done.
Even her clothes were a loose, baggy black dress that covered her neck and hung shapelessly.
It wasn’t as if she was going to a funeral.
A ‘tsk’ sound escaped Chansuk’s lips involuntarily.
Was she clueless, or was she doing it on purpose?
Chansuk shot Eunha a glare, then turned her gaze to Byeongtae. She felt self-conscious for no reason.
Sure enough, Byeongtae also seemed displeased, his face scrunched up as he looked Eunha up and down.
“You, I told you to go to the beauty salon. Why did you come like this?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was this kind of occasion.”
Eunha had guessed the situation as soon as the room door opened.
She had thought, ‘It can’t be…’ but it really was a meeting with a man.
In that moment, she was glad she hadn’t gone to the salon and had dressed plainly. There was no reason to try to look good for this man.
“Is that any way to talk right now?”
Chansuk, true to her temper, was about to yell but, looking at Byeongtae, barely managed to lower her voice. Then she quickly apologized to Byeongtae.
“I’m so sorry, Chairman. You came all this way to meet her… I should have made sure to warn her properly. I had no idea she could be this clueless.”
Chansuk was openly reprimanding Eunha. Her voice dripped with undisguised dislike.
“Even for managing a household, basic awareness is essential, really… I hope she’s not doing this on purpose…”
Byeongtae also didn’t hide his displeasure.
“On purpose? What kind of thing is that to say? Since she was little, her father spoiled her rotten, so she hasn’t got a speck of awareness and has always been suffocating to be around. But her looks are her weapon, aren’t they? Look, even without a stitch of makeup, she’s at a level you wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen with.”
Chansuk, anxiously fearing this marriage might fall through, appealed to him using Eunha’s appearance. Byeongtae seemed to agree on that point, as he reluctantly scanned Eunha’s face and nodded.
In fact, her looks were very much to his liking. If she looked this good just dressed plainly, he was trying to imagine how stunning her beauty would be if she were dressed properly.
Seeing Byeongtae’s expression soften, Chansuk sensed her chance and signaled to Eunha.
“What are you standing there dazed for? Go sit over there.”
“Huh?”
Eunha asked back as if she couldn’t believe it. The place Chansuk pointed to was the seat next to Byeongtae. When Eunha looked at her in confusion, Chansuk glared fiercely while speaking in a soft voice.
“What are you doing? I said go sit down, now!”
“Ahem.”
The man gave a light, fake cough, as if he didn’t mind Chansuk’s maneuvering. His eyes as he looked at Chansuk softened instantly.
Eunha had no choice but to sit next to him. The atmosphere wasn’t one where she could refuse outright. But then Chansuk went a step further.
“Chairman, your drink is empty. Pour him a drink first.”
“Mother…”
“Now!”
This time too, Chansuk glared fiercely.
“Ah, let it be. These young women nowadays, they all hate pouring drinks and such.”
The man, becoming displeased again, was about to pick up the bottle and pour the drink himself.
“But still, that’s no way. She’s about to be a bride; how can she not even do this much?”
Chansuk stepped in, took the bottle from his hand, and placed it in Eunha’s hand.
“Didn’t I tell you last time? Chairman Hwang. He owns a lot of land and buildings, a well-known wealthy man in the provinces. He knows our family is ruined, and he’s helping us a lot.”
It felt like she was saying, ‘So hurry up and pour the drink.’ Eunha’s hand holding the bottle trembled slightly for a moment.
She found it absurd that Chansuk was going this far to appease this man. But she had to endure it once again. She couldn’t openly humiliate Chansuk.
Eunha slowly lifted the bottle. Only then did the man raise his glass, coordinating with her.
Glug, glug. The liquor smoothly flowed into the glass.
“My, my, it’s hard to even get a drink from you.”
“Well, isn’t this aloofness better than a woman who’s too easy?”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Byeongtae put the bottle down and looked over Eunha, who had lowered her eyes, with a lecherous expression.
Then Eunha called Chansuk in a low voice.
“Mother.”
“What?”
Chansuk answered nonchalantly and clinked glasses with Byeongtae.
“I have something to tell you.”
“Later.”
“No. I must tell you now.”
It seemed she needed to bring up Dohoon as soon as possible. That way, she could escape this place quickly.
At Eunha’s resolute attitude, Chansuk’s face contorted again.
“I said, do it later!”
“It’s about my marriage.”
When Eunha finally uttered the word ‘marriage,’ Chansuk could no longer let it slide. Byeongtae was looking at the two of them with a displeased expression again.
“Well, I never… It seems your daughter really doesn’t like me.”
“How can you say such a thing? You are like a lifesaver to us. I think she must have eaten something wrong today. Please calm your anger and wait just a moment. I’ll talk some sense into her and bring her back.”
Chansuk smiled and asked for Byeongtae’s understanding, then hissed fiercely at Eunha.
“Follow me out.”
