Sponsorship Stigma
Chapter 47
Playing Tricks
“It’s not like he only has that one watch.”
He had so many they practically tripped over them, so why ask her to bring it?
Jeheon was interested enough in watches to collect them in every variety.
Yeonjae mumbled under her breath as she typed out a message.
[I have to work too.]
Then, right before pressing send, she deleted it.
If he got that text and came looking for her at the new cafe, she would be the one in trouble.
He probably already knew she was working here by now anyway.
Yeonjae lifted her gaze and surveyed the cafe.
The manager, who had come in with her, had gone into the back to roast beans.
Thanks to her prior cafe experience, the entire handover had wrapped up in the morning.
“Yeonjae-ssi, why don’t you try managing on your own after lunch?”
“Okay. Thank you for coming in on your day off, Manager.”
“Don’t mention it. Go grab some lunch in ten minutes.”
Yeonjae looked down at her wrist and saw the hands had just passed eleven o’clock.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yeonjae took off her apron and hung it neatly.
“Manager, may I go for lunch now?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
She planned to drop by the office before lunchtime to hand over the watch to Jeheon.
If she went during lunch, he might insist they eat together.
With a faint smile, Yeonjae left the cafe and walked down the familiar street.
It was close enough to surprise her; after barely a five-minute walk, the familiar building came into view.
Crossing the lobby, Yeonjae glanced around.
She had hesitated for a second in front of the building, but Secretary Oh was the only person who knew her face, so it should be fine.
Yeonjae stepped into the elevator, following Secretary Oh, who had come down to meet her.
“The CEO was surprised when I told him you were here. Didn’t you have lunch plans?”
“Ah. I thought that might happen.”
Yeonjae gave an awkward smile as she stepped out of the elevator.
She had left an hour earlier than lunch just in case, and it seemed she had made the right call.
It was just as the two of them walked down the hallway and reached the CEO’s office.
A voice floating out from inside the secretarial office caught Yeonjae’s ear.
“So is he really getting married?”
“Given that he met his fiancée yesterday, probably? I heard she’s back for good from the United States.”
A few glances lingered on Yeonjae as she passed by the secretarial office.
“There were articles about it too, so a wedding soon is basically a done deal.”
As they dove back into their conversation, the eyes that had briefly settled on Yeonjae drifted away.
“I heard Director Pyo already went and got the wedding date.”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes. Sometime this year.”
Walking behind Secretary Oh, Yeonjae’s feet came to a sudden halt.
Though they spoke in hushed whispers, the quiet hallway carried every word clearly to her ears.
‘Marriage?’
Judging by the conversation, the one getting married was Jeheon.
Which meant he was marrying his longtime fiancée.
Yeonjae’s light brown eyes trembled helplessly.
“Is something wrong?”
When Yeonjae looked up, Secretary Oh was gazing back at her with a puzzled look.
He gestured toward the office door.
“The CEO is waiting. You can go right in.”
“Okay.”
Frozen for a moment, Yeonjae stepped forward again and stopped in front of the door.
Secretary Oh placed his hand on the doorknob, about to push it open.
“Excuse me, is the CEO…”
Yeonjae’s trembling lips parted, a small voice slipping out.
‘Is the CEO getting married?’
It wasn’t a question she had carefully thought through before asking.
She had nearly blurted it out to Secretary Oh without realizing, only catching herself before finishing the sentence.
Since he had a fiancée, it was only natural that he would marry someday.
And considering how long they had been engaged, it made sense.
Jeheon’s marriage was an inevitable step, so what right did Jeong Yeonjae have to ask about it?
The metallic object shifted inside Yeonjae’s palm.
As she tightened her fist, the heavy weight of the watch pressed against her skin.
Biting her lower lip, Yeonjae shook her head.
“Never mind. Please open it.”
Secretary Oh, who had looked puzzled at first, gave a faint smile.
Then, with a clean knock, he opened the door.
A drift of cool air brushed against Yeonjae’s cheek as the door opened.
The clatter of typing on a keyboard echoed in the room.
“CEO, Jeong Yeonjae-ssi is here.”
At Secretary Oh’s announcement, the typing stopped.
Yeonjae bowed slightly, and as she raised her head, her gaze locked with Jeheon’s.
A massive desk was positioned right before the window.
And there was Jeheon, arms crossed, looking up at her.
“There’s still an hour left until our agreed time.”
While Yeonjae stepped toward the desk, Secretary Oh closed the door behind him and left.
Silence hung between the two of them across the desk.
Unlike the outside full of white noise, the office was deathly quiet. It felt as if they were in a space completely severed from the rest of the world.
“You set that unilaterally.”
“It was out of consideration. You have to eat lunch anyway, don’t you?”
Yeonjae’s brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out.
If he were truly being considerate, he would have come to pick up the watch instead of telling her to bring it.
He acted as brazen as if he had merely left it in her safekeeping.
Without a word, Yeonjae walked up to the desk and placed the watch in front of him.
The clink of metal against the surface echoed through the office.
“I’m fine on lunch. I only came to deliver this.”
Jeheon’s gaze shifted from the watch back up to Yeonjae.
With the creak of leather, Jeheon leaned deeply back into his chair.
“You really do whatever you want.”
Displeasure was written clearly across his face as he stared at Yeonjae with arms crossed.
“And there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
“What is it.”
“The Residence… it’s too much and too large for Jiwoo and me. It’s too difficult to manage, too.”
It was easily over 2,800 square feet. For a grown woman and a single child, it wasn’t just spacious—it was vast.
Even so, Yeonjae wasn’t in a position to move out right away.
Yet staying in the Residence indefinitely wasn’t an option either.
After much deliberation, Yeonjae had reached a conclusion.
“Then hire a housekeeper.”
When he dismissed what she had struggled to bring up in a single breath, Yeonjae sighed.
“That’s not what I mean. And a housekeeper, in our financial situation?”
“What are you trying to say? As I told you, nowhere is more suitable than there.”
The only place that was safe and guaranteed absolute privacy.
Yeonjae couldn’t deny his point. That was precisely why she had come to this decision.
“There’s the Separate Household space in the Residence.”
A suite with two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room.
Strictly speaking, the Separate Household was intended for domestic staff.
However, since Jeheon didn’t actually live there, there were no live-in staff, leaving it empty.
“Since it’s empty right now, we’ll stay there.”
“…”
“We’ll only use the Residence when Jiwoo needs piano lessons or practice, and live in the Separate Household. In return, I’ll clean the Residence, since we’re freeloading.”
If they weren’t actively living in it, there wouldn’t be any need to clean it every day anyway.
“I think it’s the best option for everyone.”
Yeonjae thought it was a reasonable choice.
Jeheon clearly didn’t think so, the smooth bridge of his nose wrinkling into a scowl.
The sound of a chair scraping back rang out as Jeheon rose to his feet.
He closed the distance without hesitation, stopping right in front of Yeonjae.
“You never let a single thing go smoothly.”
Displeased with her proposal, his voice fell low and heavy in Yeonjae’s ears.
“A good option? Jeong Yeonjae, do you really think that’s good?”
His eyes sank as dark and deep as his voice.
And just as he took another step closer, crowding in on Yeonjae—
Secretary Oh burst through the opening door with an urgent knock.
“CEO! The Director has arrived. She’s on her way up…”
“Now? Tell her I have a guest.”
At the unexpected news of Myeonghee’s visit, Jeheon’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Well… you know that won’t work. She’ll be up any second.”
Secretary Oh spoke with a thoroughly troubled expression, his eyes darting toward Yeonjae.
Though she stood with her back to him, her posture was stiff as a board.
Jeheon followed Secretary Oh’s gaze to Yeonjae and swept a hand through his hair.
Unlike his usual aloof self, his face was full of irritation.
Yet Yeonjae had neither the time nor the composure to look at Jeheon.
The moment she heard Myeonghee’s name, she froze where she stood.
Her face drained of all color, she even forgot to breathe.
“I told you not to do whatever you want.”
Leaving behind a low warning, Jeheon brushed past Yeonjae.
The commotion outside drew closer until the office door swung wide open.
The relentless, sharp clacking of high heels came to a stop.
“CEO Gu, did you really have to make me come all the way here like this?”
At the piercing, high-pitched voice, Yeonjae’s heart plummeted.
“What’s this?”
Though it was a voice she hadn’t heard in five years, the woman’s face immediately formed in Yeonjae’s mind, making her shut her eyes tight.
Even with her back turned, her entire body trembled.
And just like that voice…
“…There’s a woman here?”
The gaze scanning her from head to toe was blatantly obvious.
