Chapter 41
The Villain’s
Pure Love
And
The End of the Night
Seongheon, who had been watching Yeonwoo from the open bedroom door, stepped inside first. Only then did Yeonwoo exhale the breath she had been holding. She slowly turned her body and looked toward the bedroom.
His back came into view as he retied the belt of his robe to keep it secure. Yeonwoo bit her lip unconsciously and stepped inside.
This was a place she had visited countless times in the evening as the sun went down to perform her ventilation duties. She knew exactly where every window in this room was located. However, the view of his bedroom now that the sun had completely vanished was entirely different from the atmosphere when she was mindlessly airing it out.
The bedroom was quiet, with low lighting. The bed felt large enough to swallow the entire room.
Yeonwoo kept her eyes downcast as she placed the tray on the tea table. His relaxed aura, which seemed strangely vulnerable, only served to make her more tense.
She wanted to brew the tea skillfully, but there was no strength in her fingertips. No, rather, there was too much tension. What’s the problem with the homeowner wearing pajamas late at night? Yeonwoo argued with herself as if trying to brainwash her mind while she steeped the tea in the teapot.
It wasn’t intentional, but Yeonwoo glanced at Seongheon while preparing the tea. She felt a natural sense of relief when she saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at a tablet screen.
It seemed the master of the house truly wanted a cup of tea. No matter who had been on duty, they would have been here brewing tea just like this.
Her mind gradually calmed down. She steeped the tea exactly as Manager Mun had taught her and poured it into a pure white bone china teacup.
“An arrest warrant was issued for the Nam-song Industrial Development family today.”
“Pardon?”
Yeonwoo looked up at the sudden topic. His words started just as she was reaching for the teacup, and she jumped in surprise, causing the hot tea to splash over her fingertips.
Ah. Yeonwoo narrowly swallowed the groan that almost escaped her lips and furrowed her brow. It was so hot that her fingers felt as if they were instantly swelling.
She stole a glance at Seongheon, feeling self-conscious. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice that she had burned her fingers.
“Then… will they be detained?”
Seongheon nodded instead of answering.
Yeonwoo placed the cup on the saucer and walked toward him. She set the tea down on a small table near where he was sitting and stood with her hands folded.
It seemed her task was finished, but they were still in the middle of a conversation.
“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”
“Yes. Then please rest well, Vice President.”
However, Seongheon didn’t follow up with any other words. Thinking that he simply wanted to let her know that Cha Yunseok had been arrested, Yeonwoo finished her greeting and added one more thing.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Ji Yeonwoo-ssi.”
Before she could react, her throat went dry. Inside his bedroom, which was filled with the scent of cypress, an exotic tea fragrance mixed in, creating a peculiar aroma. But that wasn’t all; piercing through those scents was the subtle fragrance of Seongheon’s skin after his shower.
“Yes, Vice President.”
Even as she answered, she felt as if she were being submerged in the scent. As if slowly being consumed by him, the cypress and tea faded away, leaving only his personal scent lingering at the tip of her nose.
After a moment, Seongheon looked away from the tablet screen and met her eyes. He had always projected a coldness through his self-control, but the current Seongheon exuded a different atmosphere, as if those days had never existed.
The gaze beneath his eyebrows, which looked as if they were drawn with a fine brush, was striking. Just looking at him felt deeply sensual; simply meeting his eyes made her swallow hard.
But she didn’t want to be caught. Fearing he might hear her pounding heart or the sound of her swallowing, Yeonwoo let out a dry cough.
She had answered his call, but he remained silent for a long time, only staring at her.
After a moment, Seongheon checked the time on his phone, tossed it onto the bed, and spoke.
“Cha Yunseok will be detained, but the process remains. Aside from the business corruption, Ji Yeonwoo-ssi’s case will also be included in the reinvestigation process.”
“Cha Yunseok will try to settle with you. Soon.”
“Ah.”
As Yeonwoo let out a small sigh, Seongheon rubbed his forehead as if brushing back his bangs. He seemed annoyed that his unstyled hair was covering his brow.
“So I’m asking. Do you have any intention of settling with Cha Yunseok?”
“Cha Yunseok will offer an amount and compensation greater than you might expect. Right now, he isn’t in the right frame of mind to carry the burden of your issue as well.”
Seongheon’s voice spread very low. It was a monotonous voice that suited this dawn hour when everything else was asleep.
“So he will try to settle by any means necessary. It’s a natural part of the process.”
“Yes.”
“Do you intend to settle?”
Yeonwoo remained silent.
“As I said, Cha Yunseok’s lawyer will offer a large sum. If that’s not enough, they will likely guarantee whatever amount you want. They’ll do anything as long as they can reach a settlement. That side will stake everything on it.”
“Receiving compensation isn’t a bad thing. It’s a way of making him pay the price. Cha Yunseok will be imprisoned regardless of your case, so you can answer honestly and comfortably.”
He was giving her realistic advice, telling her she could demand a lot of money and that it wouldn’t be a bad ending. He waited for her answer.
The amount Cha Yunseok’s lawyer would throw out as a settlement would likely be substantial. The lawyer would focus solely on the ‘settlement.’ Since no matter how much was called for, the money would come out of Cha Yunseok’s pocket, the lawyer would surely proceed boldly to achieve the goal.
Considering Yeonwoo’s circumstances, there was nothing wrong with choosing the money. Money was just money, and its value didn’t change regardless of whose pocket it came from. It could be seen as alimony to properly compensate for those agonizing times.
“I don’t… want to settle.”
It took a long while.
Her voice was lower than the darkness pooled in the room.
“I don’t want to. I really don’t want to do that.”
“…….”
“A settlement is forgiveness, isn’t it? It means choosing to forget. If it means I won’t blame or resent him anymore, then I don’t want to do that.”
As Yeonwoo shook her head and poured out her feelings, Seongheon closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them to look at her. Her face seemed to flush, and then tears began to well in her eyes.
“How could I forgive him? How… how could I settle? I don’t think I can. I don’t think I can do it even if I die. I can’t forgive him… I won’t, I….”
At her voice, thick with suppressed sobs, he felt his chest grow hot and his vision dim, but Seongheon struggled to maintain his composure.
He told himself repeatedly that he had to stay calm at a time like this. He couldn’t let himself get swept up in her indignation. If he let go of his control for even a second, he wouldn’t be able to just stand by and watch her while she was already covered in tears.
“Whew….”
“I don’t need money. I’d hate it even if I were starving to death. I just… I just want him to receive every punishment possible….”
Seongheon exhaled a heavy breath. He realized belatedly that he had been clenching his fists.
He watched Yeonwoo, who was shaking her head repeatedly and muttering that she could never forgive him and that there would be no settlement, and finally, he stood up.
He reached her in just a few steps. He looked down at Yeonwoo, who had her head bowed low and her earlobes flushed red, then cupped her face with both hands and slowly lifted it.
The hot tears fell in streaks, flowing over his hands. Seongheon finally lowered his face toward her crying, a sight he felt he would never get used to no matter how many times he saw it.
He pressed his lips against hers as if to bite them. With his hands holding her face, he wiped away her tears.
When Yeonwoo’s shoulders shook with a startled, hiccuping breath, he pulled her close by the waist this time.
…He didn’t think he could stop.
His emotions, which he had kept locked away with almost grim determination, exploded as he held Yeonwoo tight. He gripped her neck, which appeared flushed, with precious care and kissed her repeatedly as if sharing his breath.
Seongheon slowly pulled his lips away and looked at Yeonwoo. Then, he wiped her face with a gentle touch and spoke.
“I understand, so don’t cry.”
How are my days and my nights lately?
“Our lawyer says they need your statement. I was wondering if you could meet them and help, even if it’s hard for you. Can you do that?”
Yeonwoo nodded without a word. Seongheon let out a long breath and stroked her hair.
…During the day, I can’t work because of you.
And at night, I end up losing sleep because of you.
Under these feelings, it’s easy to become a person who only lives for today, not caring about tomorrow.
“We have to leave for the main office tomorrow, so go in and rest for today. I’ll tell Manager Mun.”
But I knew a day like this would come eventually.
The only difference is that back then, I didn’t know I would give my whole heart away so helplessly.
“Tomorrow… yes. I see.”
“Come with me.”
The tea she had been asked for grew cold without a single sip being taken.
Seongheon pulled the hand she had burned earlier toward him and examined her fingers.
“Don’t get hurt, and don’t go anywhere alone!”
Today, her world was flipped upside down and sucked into a territory she had never lived in before.
“Stay by my side from now on.”
And he finally found his place.
