Chapter 15. Evening

“What’s your nephew been up to lately?”

Lee Jun’s aunt, Kang Joo-hee, casually responded to her husband Han Baek-kyung’s question while pulling up her wrinkled eyes with her fingertips and letting them fall back down.

Frowning at her reflection in the vanity mirror, displeased with something, she glanced at her husband through the mirror.

“Looks like he’s planning to build a camper van.”

Baek-kyung, who had been cursing under his breath about wasting money, paused mid-motion as he was taking off his golf pants.

Given that imported camper vans were still more popular than domestic ones, nothing would be better than Lee Jun’s new camper launch failing.

Wearing only his underwear, Baek-kyung pranced over to his wife.

“He must have a death wish. Leave him be—he’ll crash and burn on his own.”

Joo-hee smirked, seemingly of the same mind.

“He’s put so much effort into it. If my only nephew wants to walk into the fire carrying firewood, what can I do as his aunt but support him?”

Though she claimed to think of him as her own child, Baek-kyung knew the sneer on her lips held only ridicule. He placed his thick, calloused hand gently on her shoulder and massaged lightly as he asked her opinion.

“What about Hanseo Daily? What did they say?”

Joo-hee rolled her shoulders and tilted her head back at his touch. She was used to treating people like interchangeable parts. Even her nephew’s marriage was being twisted to her advantage.

“What do you think? They love the idea—say it’s his first marriage. Even if it had been his second, they would’ve shown interest.”

“Heh, my shots were on point today. Seems like only good things are happening for us. Everything’s lining up.”

“Treat me well. I picked you up from the gutter, cleaned you up, dressed you, and fed you. Don’t you dare betray me.”

No matter how well he dressed, his sly and petty face couldn’t be hidden.

“As if I ever would. Even if love fades, we’ll live out our lives with loyalty and familiarity.”

Baek-kyung kissed Joo-hee’s cheek and grinned, imagining Grip Company and Taekyeom Group falling into his hands.

✦

Had he always met with Chairman Kang this often?

Chairman Kang, dressed casually, showed up alone, clearly having spotted the newly delivered camper. He said he had come down for a walk and some light exercise, but as dinner time approached, he showed no sign of leaving.

Sipping coffee from a stainless steel mug by the campfire, he looked like any neighborhood grandpa. And then—

“Perfect timing.”

For some reason, Yooa was especially happy to see Lee Jun today. Before he could even get out of his car, she yanked on his sleeve.

“You came to pick him up, right? If you were any later, I would’ve called your secretary.”

She gestured discreetly toward Chairman Kang, who was enjoying himself alone, and stomped her feet, clearly urging him to take the old man away. Jun laughed at her almost desperate relief.

Should I tease her a little?

Seeing Yooa about to cry from the awkwardness, Jun finally spoke.

“Nope.”

“…What?”

“I didn’t come to pick up Grandpa.”

Her eyes widened in dismay, and Jun calmly added:

“I came to have dinner.”

He politely bowed to Chairman Kang, who had turned at the commotion, then turned his eyes toward the camper. Yooa, still holding his sleeve, was dragged along, nearly in tears.

“Why! Why are you eating dinner here? Let’s go home, please!”

Three helpers had painstakingly calculated the nutritional balance and prepared a neat dinner—measuring carbs, protein, and fats. Yet here he was, choosing to eat uncomfortably in this place. She couldn’t understand it.

Jun looked down at her hand gripping his sleeve.

“I need to test performance. The induction cooktop is connected fine, but I need to see if I can cook multiple dishes at once, and whether the space flows well when moving around.”

She had managed to negotiate a year from him—one year of living in a camper on the vacant lot, providing monthly reports on pros and cons. That was Yooa’s role.

To capture memories of Sejin in her heart and eyes, to scoop a bit of the yard soil where the child had once played—that was what she needed to do.

Unless she married Jun or something similarly impossible, there was no way to see Sejin again in this life. She had intended to live quietly.

“And I’ll cook dinner. You just keep Grandpa company.”

“You don’t think that’s more uncomfortable for me?”

“Really?”

Jun took off his jacket and tossed it onto a chair, watching Yooa’s puffed-up cheeks with amusement. Then, grinning mischievously, he walked toward Chairman Kang with his long strides.

As she watched him approach without hesitation, Yooa felt a chill run down her spine.

“I’ll explain it nicely. Tell him you’re uncomfortable.”

Of course.

She began sweating bullets. If Chairman Kang heard that, the consequences would ripple. Neither he nor Jun was known for caring about others’ feelings—they might even react spitefully.

She thought of the helpers who would suffer because of her and grew anxious.

“No, it’s not like that—”

“I thought you being beside me was more uncomfortable.”

These weren’t strangers. These were people she had grown close to while living with them in the staff quarters. She remembered the wrinkled hands and faces of the helper ladies and quickly followed Jun, grabbing his arm.

“Wa-wait! Vice President, please!”

In her rush, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Her soft chest pressed against his firm back.

She had clung to him roughly in her panic—and now her face turned deathly pale. Thank goodness he couldn’t see her expression, she thought, trying to find the words to explain.

Then he spoke in a low voice, calling her name.

“Yoon Yooa.”

“This is, um… This isn’t what it looks like—”

Just as she tried to push away, Jun turned around. Grabbing both her wrists with his hands, he tilted his head slightly.

Perhaps because of their height difference, Yooa’s neck went stiff as she had to look up at him.

“You’re the one making me uncomfortable now.”

His expression, asking how she was going to make it up to him, was full of smug victory.

Yooa felt it—this time, she had completely lost.

Though Chairman Kang claimed he came down alone, eyes were always watching him along the private road.

When he raised his hand lightly, the head of security emerged, followed by his personal dining chair and full place settings.

“If you’re going to make a fuss, why not just eat comfortably back at the mansion?”

“If I did that, I’d never get to eat your cooking.”

Even with Yooa’s criticism, Chairman Kang was unfazed.

Everything was set properly—white tablecloth without a single stain, champagne flutes, wine glasses.

Jun, sleeves rolled up, slathered French butter infused with garlic and parsley on baguette slices and toasted them in the oven. Steak with roasted cauliflower and asparagus, creamy pasta—all looked delicious.

“It would be nice to have built-in planters for basil or thyme by the camper windows. It’d be a nice mood boost.”

The three of them chatted while sharing Jun’s food. Chairman Kang made a remark with every bite, and Jun retorted that he’d get indigestion if he kept talking. Yooa felt like she might get heartburn just from sitting between them.

And what made her truly uncomfortable was Chairman Kang’s sudden question:

“You two aren’t even planning to get married—so why are you always together like this?”