Chapter 42
Even if the villain
Isn't pure-hearted
There’s no helping it
Clean air, bright sunlight—morning at Domyeongjae was as radiant as it always was.
Even the relatively mild weather was no different from yesterday’s, but the world Yeonwoo woke up to was vastly different.
She had tossed and turned all night, getting out of bed several times only to lie back down, closing her eyes only to stand up again and pace the room.
Setting aside the fact that the sensation of his lips on hers was still vivid, she wondered why the dizzying, electric thrill that had surged through her toes when he explored the inside of her mouth wouldn't fade.
No matter how hard she tried not to dwell on it, she could only manage a minute of distraction at most. She found herself squeezing her eyes shut while drying her hair and letting out a pained groan while changing her clothes.
Yeonwoo paused in the middle of rushing to work and slowly closed her eyes. Yesterday, in the early dawn, she had burst into tears without realizing it when he asked if she had any intention of settling with Cha Yunseok.
She knew Seongheon was approaching, but the tears wouldn't stop easily. The reason she couldn't feel simple joy at the news of Cha Yunseok’s impending arrest was that she knew he would eventually return to the world. This wouldn't be the end.
Her mind was a mess of such thoughts, and the word ‘settlement’ coming from Seongheon had made her heart ache. Even though she knew the question was for her sake, it felt like it would drive her mad.
Just as she was feeling even more miserable at the thought that she could do nothing but cry in front of this man, he had kissed her. Slowly, and respectfully.
It wasn't an unexpected event. There had been three or four seconds before his lips met hers—time enough to refuse if she wanted to.
As Seongheon held her face, it felt as though he were asking for her consent. Unless she was a fool, she couldn't have failed to notice that he was about to kiss her, and for a brief moment, she thought she should step away.
However, her body refused to listen.
Her body, showing no intention of avoiding him, did not block what he was trying to do. She could have simply turned her head, and he would have backed away, but yesterday, she didn't do that.
She didn't avoid it, and in the end, she accepted it.
Yeonwoo pushed her eyelids open and exhaled a long breath. Her heart was racing as if she had been running, and it felt like it wouldn't calm down unless it stopped beating altogether.
Whew. She let out another heavy breath and hurried to work. She wanted to finish her morning tasks quickly before heading up to Seoul.
Don't get hurt, and don't go anywhere alone.
One couldn't remain emotionless after hearing such words.
Stay by my side from now on.
Could the words ‘stay by my side’ and ‘don't move alone’ be this comforting?
They weren't much different from what Cha Yunseok had wanted from her, yet the meaning felt so significantly different that it struck her as strange.
It wasn't obsession or a love-hate complex, but a sense of care and love that she could feel so clearly—
“Hey, rookie. You're out early.”
Ah. Perhaps I wanted to be loved.
Maybe it wasn't that I wanted to hide, but that I wanted someone to lean on while I rested.
“Did ya get any sleep? You were on duty. You shoulda rested a bit more.”
While her mind was in a tangle, Eunja greeted her as she entered the Main Hall. Yeonwoo gave Eunja a small smile and greeted her back.
“Hello.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, come over here for a sec.”
When Eunja called, Yeonwoo walked over immediately. She didn't need to ask why.
“Did you do your homework?”
“Oh, there was just so much of it this time.”
Eunja, who had been waiting anxiously for Yeonwoo to arrive, abruptly pulled out a notebook. Complaining that there was too much homework as if to set expectations, Eunja clicked her tongue, saying it was no easy feat.
“It’s killin’ me. I gotta work, go grocery shoppin’ on the way home, clean the house, do the laundry, cook the food. Then I gotta do my homework, watch my dramas, and wash my body. I’m just busy to death.”
“Wow, you did it all?”
“What choice do I got? If the teacher gives an order, I gotta follow it. If ya rebel, you ain't a student.”
Eunja, who had been acting weak because she wanted praise, grinned when she saw Yeonwoo’s reaction. As Yeonwoo showered her with compliments with every page turned, Eunja finally began to laugh.
After finishing the check, Yeonwoo assigned more homework. Seeing that the amount was even greater, Eunja made a fuss.
“Oh my\! How am I supposed to do all this\! I nearly died stayin’ up all night doin’ the last one\!”
“This isn't for one day. It’s for three days.”
“Three days?”
“Yes. I have some business in Seoul, so I’m thinking of heading up there.”
When Yeonwoo said something so unexpected, Eunja’s eyes went wide. Right then, Mun Siljang, who had received the schedule from Seongheon, entered and informed Yeonwoo that she didn't need to worry about the morning work and should hurry and leave.
“What’s this? Why are ya goin’?”
When Eunja grabbed Yeonwoo, Mun Siljang pulled her away.
“The Vice President is waiting, so get going quickly.”
Yeonwoo hesitated for a moment, checking the mood, then nodded. When she put her shoes back on only ten minutes after arriving for work, Eunja followed her closely, sticking to her side.
“What is it, rookie? You’re really goin’?”
“Yes. I’ll be back. If you get stuck on your homework, call me on my cell phone.”
“Goodness. I guess you really are goin’. You are comin’ back, right?”
Eunja kept pestering her, seemingly finding it strange that Yeonwoo was suddenly heading to Seoul. Having finished putting on her shoes, Yeonwoo stood up.
After saying goodbye to Mun Siljang, who had stepped down onto the stepping stone, Yeonwoo looked at Eunja.
“You’re not just gonna not come back, right? You’ll be back after three nights, right?”
When Eunja asked as if to confirm once more, Yeonwoo smiled brightly.
“Of course. I’ll be back.”
“If you’re lyin’, I’m gonna pack up my notebook and chase ya down, so don’t even think about lyin’. Just finish your business and come back quick. Got it?”
Eunja looked suspicious, fearing that Yeonwoo might just stay in Seoul. Just then, Seongheon appeared in front of the Main Hall, and Yeonwoo left Domyeongjae with a promise to stay in touch.
“You might not notice when someone’s there, but you sure notice when they’re gone. You better come back.”
Eunja, who didn't know Yeonwoo’s circumstances, just fiddled with her notebook. She felt a hollow sensation, as if a tooth had been pulled, and though she didn't know why, it made her feel upset.
“Did you get some sleep?”
It was after the car carrying Yeonwoo and Seongheon had well and truly left Domyeongjae behind. Seongheon, who had been silent, casually dropped the morning greeting.
Yeonwoo, who had been exhaling only uncomfortable breaths, straightened her posture.
“Yes. I slept well.”
“I see.”
“…………”
“Well, I’m glad you slept well at least, Ms. Ji Yeonwoo.”
At his reply, which indirectly said, ‘I stayed up all night,’ Yeonwoo could only fidget with her lips. Seongheon’s face was businesslike as he skimmed through the documents he had brought in his briefcase.
Beside Seongheon, who was scanning the papers like a machine, Yeonwoo sat perfectly still. How long had it been with only the occasional sound of turning pages echoing in the car?
Whew. With a heavy sigh, Seongheon looked up.
Wondering if things weren't going well, Yeonwoo stole a glance at him. But their eyes met.
Seongheon, who had been watching her from the corner of his eye, turned his head further to look directly at her. Then, like a man who had learned to give up, he spoke on the tail of a breath.
“I have a mountain of work to do, but I can't seem to get any of it done.”
This man, who never lost his cool no matter how big a problem arose and was so calm it was almost exasperating, was a little strange today.
His gaze as he looked at the documents had seemed half-hearted and businesslike.
Yet his gaze as he looked at her was a mixture of uncontrollable emotions.
He was a man she had thought was second to none at hiding his thoughts or feelings. For such a man, the gaze he was projecting now was absurdly tender and kind.
“You seem perfectly fine, while I’m the only one losing sleep and feeling anxious.”
Yeonwoo blinked hard, wondering if this person speaking so fretfully was truly Executive Director Nam Sung-hun. She had paced her room until morning, dwelling on the kiss they had shared, but she realized that her night probably hadn't been as long as the one he had spent.
Perhaps hit by the weight of his own words, his expression as he stared into the distance was unfamiliar. If it weren't for his superior profile as he sat with his legs crossed, he looked so different she might have mistaken him for someone else.
Several things she wanted to say came to mind, but none felt right to bring up. Yeonwoo was busy blaming herself for her lack of social grace, unable to even offer a warm response.
They were people who had shared a kiss caught up in the atmosphere, but to Yeonwoo, he was still less ‘the man Nam Seongheon’ and more the Vice President of Seolyang Construction and the master of Domyeongjae. The image of him as a thirty-five-year-old mature man was much stronger.
It wasn't easy to pull her heart out as much as he was showing his. She didn't even know what her own heart felt, and she didn't have the slightest desire to make things more difficult with impulsive words that lacked caution.
She didn't want to plant reckless expectations or give false hope.
Because she felt that, no matter when it happened, she would be the one to get hurt in the end.
“……”
On the quiet road lined with decades-old fringe trees.
As if admiring the popcorn-like blossoms, Seongheon, still looking out the window, held out his palm toward where she was sitting.
“Ah,” a small sound escaped Yeonwoo’s lips. His long, straight fingers twitched as if asking for something immediately, and realizing it was her hand he wanted, Yeonwoo hesitated.
In that moment, they passed the bus stop where they had first met.
His silhouette, which had been etched into her eyes blurred by confusion amidst the spreading mist, came back to her like a painting. The jeans splattered with mud, the business card he had held out.
It wasn't a very distant memory, yet it felt so far away. While Yeonwoo was looking down at her palm, briefly recalling the past, she heard Seongheon’s voice.
“When you first came to Domyeongjae, didn't you say you would do whatever I told you to?”
It was a cunning question.
“I believe you said you’d do anything. Was I wrong?”
She wanted to ask if that ‘anything’ included holding the Director’s hand, but her nervous throat felt tightly blocked.
Seongheon, his gaze still fixed outside the car window, twitched his fingers once more.
“Then do as I say.”
“From now on, you stop thinking. I’ll be the only one doing the thinking.”
He moved his fingers again as if it were the final chance.
Yeonwoo reached out without realizing it and placed her hand on his palm. As soon as it touched, he gripped her hand tightly as if snatching it, his fingers weaving between hers.
With their fingers interlaced and his hand enveloping hers, Yeonwoo finally let out the breath she had been holding.
“Is this… right?”
She couldn't help but let out an anxious voice.
Then, as if she had done well, he caressed her hand, and the sensation felt heavy and overwhelming.
“It is.”
Unable to endure the sensation of his touch, Yeonwoo turned her gaze toward the opposite window.
Whether she stopped thinking or not, whether she would be unhappy later or not—none of that was important.
“Even if it isn't, there’s no helping it now.”
It was a moment when a sense of crisis dominated her entire body, telling her that if she didn't grab this hand right now, she would regret it before the day was out.
