Chapter 16
“Don’t Hug Me.”
An ordinary weekend had passed.
Though she’d taken the morning off, Lee Yeon was busier than ever.
She set her wig with more care than usual, combing it until every strand fell neatly in place.
She polished her glasses so thoroughly that she worried she might scratch the lenses, then slowly hooked them over her ears.
The mirror reflected a version of herself more polished than usual.
Pleased with the tidy figure staring back, the corners of her lips curved upward in quiet satisfaction.
“Everything’s ready, I suppose.”
Sitting at her vanity, Lee Yeon pricked her ears more sharply than usual, replaying the memory of last night’s conversation.
‘You said you had plans tomorrow, right?
What time are you leaving?
‘Around eight or nine.’
But Do-hyun had never mentioned what the plans were for.
In the end, she hadn’t been able to ask if she could come along just the time of departure had slipped out.
All or nothing.
Either they would go to the columbarium together, or they wouldn’t.
And if he said he’d rather not have her there?
Well, she was prepared to accept that with composure.
In that case, she’d spend the day resting at home.
Still, she’d gone out shopping over the weekend.
She couldn’t help but think about clothes.
It was the first memorial day since their marriage, after all showing up in a loose, billowy oversized suit didn’t seem right.
So she bought a pair of properly fitted dress slacks and a black blouse.
Neither was tight or revealing; the relaxed cut kept them from feeling burdensome, which came as a relief.
Click.
A sound from the other room Dohyeon’s door opening.
Lee Yeon quickly threw her own door open.
From the second floor landing, she spotted him heading for the front door.
“Vice President!”
She called down to him, her voice echoing through the house.
Without hesitation, she dashed down the stairs, arriving in a single breath.
Do-hyun, caught by her call, had already turned around.
“Take me with you.”
No preamble, no polite phrasing just the blunt heart of what she wanted.
Her sudden words made Do-hyun tilt his head slightly, curious.
“And how do you know where I’m going?”
“You’re going to see your mother.
To the columbarium.”
A faint twitch flickered across his brow.
As if to answer the unspoken ‘How could you know that?’
Lee Yeon hurried to explain.
“I found out by chance.
Honestly, I almost asked you yesterday to take me along… but I was afraid it might feel like a burden.
Still, I couldn’t stop thinking if I don’t go pay my respects, and Mother gets upset, what if she punishes me somehow?”
“That woman isn’t the type to wait for greetings.”
His tone was cold, but it wasn’t an outright refusal.
That small gap was enough for Lee Yeon to cling to hope.
She pressed on.
“If the Chairman finds out, he’ll wonder.
If he hears that his daughter-in-law didn’t accompany you on your mother’s memorial day… he’ll definitely find it strange.”
Do-hyun stared at her without a word.
He looked as though he was weighing the decision whether to take her with him or not.
“I just need to change clothes, then I’ll be ready.
I can leave right away.”
I’ve been preparing since early this morning.
“Go change, then.”
The words meant she could come.
A smile bloomed across Lee Yeon’s face before she could stop it.
Why did being allowed to go make her this happy?
She hurried off, slipped into the new slacks and blouse she’d bought, and came back down.
As she descended the stairs, Dohyeon’s gaze followed her.
“Those are new.”
He caught it immediately the change in atmosphere.
Unlike the oversized suits that always looked ill-fitting, this outfit was tailored to her size, giving her a neat, composed appearance.
“Yes, I bought them yesterday.”
“They suit you.”
At his words, heat flooded Lee Yeon’s ears.
She followed him outside.
The monsoon rains had begun, sheets of water drumming down with relentless force.
In Dohyeon’s hand was a large umbrella.
“I forgot mine.
I’ll run back and grab it.”
“This one’s too big to use alone anyway. Come under it with me.”
She didn’t quite understand what he meant by too big to use alone, but she smiled brightly all the same.
Her clear, radiant smile made Do-hyun glance away, turning his head to the opposite side.
With a snap, the umbrella opened wide, startlingly broad.
Lee Yeon gasped softly at its size, lips parting in quiet awe.
“Aren’t you coming under?”
He flicked his eyes to the space beside him.
But the thought of standing that close under one umbrella sent a rush of shyness through her.
When she hesitated, Do-hyun tugged her firmly toward him.
Off guard, Lee Yeon stumbled straight into his chest.
“Don’t cling.”
His hand pressed her back and set her upright, peeling her away from the firm plane of his chest.
“Let’s go.”
He stepped forward, and she moved with him, matching her pace to the tilt of the umbrella.
Her gaze fell to her palm.
The solid warmth of his chest muscles still lingered on her skin, ghosting over her fingertips and tormenting her with its memory.
Quietly, she curled her hand into a fist and pressed it against her own heart.
As they walked toward the car, their strides occasionally fell out of rhythm.
Each time, Dohyeon’s solid hand brushed against her shoulder, sending her nerves fluttering all over again.
The thudding of her heart was as out of sync as their mismatched steps.
And now Lee Yeon finally understood.
The steady, unshakable heart she had once relied on had been stirred, shaken again and again, until just the sight of Do-hyun left her chest aching and tender.
The reason his face lingered so long in her mind, refusing to leave.
The reason she’d glared daggers at him and Heera standing together, looking so perfectly matched, like a golden couple.
I must be falling for this man.
Since when?
Since when had he been quietly taking root inside her heart?
But with the realization came fear.
Was this okay?
Could she allow herself to keep nurturing these feelings for Dohyeon?
She had promised herself never to fall in love.
What should I do?
Do-hyun doesn’t even notice me.
Stealing a glance at him, she wondered
If she had shown her real face from the beginning, would he have looked at her differently, even a little?
For the first time, she regretted the disguise.
For now, she told herself, she’d just have to be content with this place beside him the passenger seat.
Bzzzz—
Her bag vibrated suddenly, cutting through her melancholy.
“It’s the Vice Chairman,” she murmured.
The call was from Deok-ho.
Odd what could he want at this hour?
“Answer it,” Dohyeon said.
“Yes, Vice Chairman.”
Are you still calling me that?
Daughter-in-law, I told you to start addressing me properly.
Deok-ho, the only one who truly treated her like family, corrected her as he always did, with a kind of gentle insistence.
“Yes, Father.
Sorry… it slips out of habit.
I’ll work on it.”
That’s better.
I heard you both took leave today.
“Yes.”
That rascal Do-hyun must have gone there, didn’t he?
“Yes.
I’m going with him.
I thought I should pay my respects too, so we’re on our way to see Mother.”
Really?
Is that true?
Do-hyun actually took you with him?
Deok-ho sounded almost astonished, pressing her again, as if to be sure he’d heard correctly.
“Yes.”
That boy Do-hyun… he’s the kind who rejects even the very existence of his mother.
And yet he took someone with him?
Honestly, I never thought that would happen.
Not even with a daughter-in-law.
“……”
He only goes once a year.
To his mother.
The first time, I asked him why just once a year.
You know what he said?
He wanted to show her every year that he could live just fine without her.
At Deokho’s words, Lee Yeon glanced sideways at Dohyeon.
His hands gripped the steering wheel, turning it with perfect control.
His expression remained unreadable, untouched by any trace of emotion.
But as she studied his profile, Lee Yeon found herself thinking differently from Deok-ho.
It wasn’t rejection, was it?
Perhaps what Do-hyun truly longed for was his mother’s love.
Perhaps this was his way of expressing it.
Alright, then.
Go safely.
I was going to warn you that Do-hyun might be unsettled today it’s his mother’s memorial but since you’re going with him, I’ll leave it at that.
Take care.
“Yes, Father.
Goodbye.”
“What did he say?”
“Oh, he just asked where we were headed.
I told him we were going to pay our respects to your mother, and he wished us well.”
“For that, the two of you seemed to talk quite a lot.”
“Hmm.”
It wasn’t really a secret, but Lee Yeon didn’t feel like repeating every word.
To Do-hyun, some of those things might cut too close.
“Still a ways to go.
Get some rest.”
At his words, Lee Yeon nodded, clutching her bag tightly so it wouldn’t slip, and let her head rest back.
Her eyelids fluttered shut.
She must have dozed, because the voice from the navigation system announcing they were near their destination startled her awake.
Squinting her eyes, she looked out the window.
The scenery was breathtaking mountains and trees interwoven, and the higher they climbed, the more beautiful it became.
At the entrance of the columbarium, Lee Yeon’s lips parted in surprise.
“This is the columbarium?”
The manicured gardens stretched out as wide as a soccer field sprawling, magnificent.
Ah.
A place only the wealthiest of the wealthy could ever rest.
This was a space beyond premium.
Inside, the interior was nothing like an ordinary columbarium.
The sections were divided into private alcoves, arranged so no families would intrude upon each other’s grief.
“This is Wuseong’s section,” Do-hyun said.
“You mean… they bought this much space in advance?”
Just looking at it gave her the strange feeling that someone had planned too far ahead, as though anticipating death itself.
Her eyes wandered.
On the surrounding niches were names of chairmen and founders she’d heard of before, the titans of industry.
Then her gaze returned to Wuseong’s side and there she saw her.
“Your mother.”
The portrait showed a woman with long, flowing hair and a gentle, modest face.
The plaque read Imi Jeong.
Unlike the other niches, hers was bare only a simple photo and the urn.
So stark.
So empty.
As if no one ever came.
Setting her bag on the floor, Lee Yeon pulled something out.
“Vice President, here.”
After hanging up, a soft smile spread across Deokho’s face.
“That boy, Do-hyun.”
He had doubted.
Dohyun’s attitude toward Lee Yeon had always seemed lukewarm at best.
But taking her to pay respects to his mother?
That spoke more than he let on.
Perhaps his feelings for Lee Yeon ran deeper than anyone realized.
If only it weren’t for his father.
If it weren’t for Gapsu, Deok-ho would have already made their marriage public.
He had failed in love himself; he didn’t want to oppose the woman his son had chosen to marry.
And when Gapsu resisted, he had coaxed him with the one soft spot he had his grandson-to-be.
Even now, Deok-ho still chuckled at the memory of how they’d managed to make the marriage happen.
He truly believed Lee Yeon was a good match for Do-hyun. She had grit, boldness never flinched even under Gapsu’s thunderous scolding.
Despite the differences in family background, she stood tall, unbowed.
If only there weren’t one flaw: she seemed utterly indifferent to beauty.
No matter how much he wanted to shower her with pretty things, like a father doting on a daughter, she refused.
Wouldn’t even let him pay for the rem
oval of a single mole.
And so, his concern deepened.
The longer Gapsu refused to accept Lee Yeon, the longer the world would continue believing his son was unmarried.
Already, there were limits to how many marriage proposals they could turn away with flimsy excuses.
“Mr. Kim.”
Deok-ho called for his secretary.
As the man entered his office, Deok-ho leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
