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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Don't Snuggle Up
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An unremarkable weekend passed.
Though it was the morning she had taken off, Yi Yeon was busier than ever.
She put on her wig more carefully than usual, combing it neatly. She polished her glasses lenses until they squeaked, worrying they might have any smudges, then slowly hooked them over her ears.
Yi Yeon, more neatly groomed than usual, reflected back from the mirror.
Pleased with her cleaned-up appearance, the corners of Yi Yeon's mouth curved up happily.
"All set, I wonder?"
Yi Yeon sat at her vanity, her ears perked up more than usual.
'Didn't you say you have plans tomorrow? What time are you heading out?'
'Around 8 or 9.'
In the end, Do Hyun hadn't told her the exact date. Yi Yeon hadn't managed to ask if she could go along ahead of time and had barely gotten the departure time out of him.
All or nothing, whatever.
Either he'd take her to the columbarium, or not.
Even if he said he didn't want to go together, Yi Yeon was prepared to accept it coolly.
Then she'd just rest at home.
Yi Yeon had gone out shopping over the weekend for the first time in a while.
She'd been worried about her clothes. After all, it was the first memorial day since their marriage—she couldn't show up in a baggy, oversized suit that flapped around.
So Yi Yeon bought pants and a black blouse in a proper fit. Neither was too slim a design, so they had some room and weren't uncomfortable—thank goodness.
Click-.
She thought she heard Do Hyun coming out of his room.
Yi Yeon flung her door open.
Looking down from the second floor, she saw Do Hyun heading for the front door.
"Vice President!"
Yi Yeon called out to Do Hyun from the second floor. She hurried down to the first floor in quick steps. Do Hyun had turned around at her call.
"Take me with you."
Yi Yeon skipped the subject and got straight to the point.
At her words, Do Hyun's head tilted quizzically.
"How do you know where I'm going?"
"You're going to pay respects to Mother. To the columbarium."
Do Hyun's brow twitched.
It seemed like he was asking how she knew, so Yi Yeon quickly answered.
"I happened to find out. I was going to ask yesterday if I could come along, but... I didn't want to burden you. No matter how I think about it, I'm your wife now. What if Mother gets upset that I haven't paid my respects and gives me some kind of punishment?"
"That woman isn't the type to wait for our greetings."
His voice was cold, but since it wasn't a complete refusal, she held onto hope. Yi Yeon spoke again.
"The Chairman would find it odd if he knew. If he found out the daughter-in-law he married didn't visit her mother-in-law on her memorial day... he'd definitely think it was strange."
Do Hyun stared at Yi Yeon without a word. He seemed to be debating. Whether to take her or not.
"I just need to put on this outfit, and I'm ready. We can leave right away."
I've been preparing since early morning.
"Go change."
It meant they were going together. A smile spread across Yi Yeon's face.
Why was being able to go making her this happy?
Yi Yeon hurriedly changed into the new pants and blouse and came out.
Do Hyun, watching her descend from the second floor, asked.
"That's a new outfit, isn't it?"
He spotted at a glance that it gave off a different vibe from usual.
Unlike her other suits that were baggy and unflattering, the one she wore now fit her perfectly.
"Yes, I bought it yesterday."
"It suits you."
Her ears burned at the compliment.
She followed Do Hyun outside.
The rainy season had set in, and rain was pouring down hard.
Do Hyun held a large umbrella.
"I forgot to grab an umbrella. I'll go back in and get one."
"This one's too big to use alone—it looks empty. Share it."
Yi Yeon didn't quite get what he meant by "looks empty," but she smiled brightly.
Do Hyun turned his head away after gazing at her clear smile.
The umbrella snapped open with a thud—it was really wide and large.
Yi Yeon gasped in admiration, her mouth falling open slightly at the size.
"Not coming in?"
Do Hyun nodded toward the spot beside him.
Now that it came to sharing the umbrella side by side, embarrassment flooded Yi Yeon.
Do Hyun pulled the hesitating Yi Yeon toward the umbrella. She collided straight into his chest, defenseless as she was.
"Don't snuggle up."
Do Hyun immediately peeled Yi Yeon off his chest.
"Let's go."
As Do Hyun stepped forward, Yi Yeon followed, matching the umbrella's angle.
Yi Yeon looked down at her palm. The feel of his firm chest muscles still lingered on her fingertips, tormenting her.
She carefully balled her hand into a fist and placed it over her chest.
On the way to the car, amid their out-of-sync footsteps, her nerves stood on end at Do Hyun's firm hand brushing her shoulder.
Her heart pounded just as out of rhythm.
Now Yi Yeon thought she understood.
Her once steadfast heart shook violently whenever she saw Do Hyun, aching and tingling.
The reason he suddenly popped into her mind and lingered, refusing to leave. The reason she had glared daggers at him and Hee Ra together, looking like a perfect couple.
'I think I'm falling for this guy.'
Since when?
Since when had this man been growing steadily in her heart?
But now that Yi Yeon realized her feelings, she suddenly felt afraid. Was this okay?
Was it okay to just let her feelings for Do Hyun be?
She had decided not to fall in love.
What should she do?
Do Hyun had no interest in her.
Yi Yeon glanced at Do Hyun.
If she were her real self, would he have shown even a little interest?
It was the first day she regretted disguising herself.
For now, she'd have to be content with the passenger seat she could sit in.
Bzzz-.
Her bag vibrated, snapping her out of her needless gloom.
"It's the Vice Chairman?"
It was a call from Deok Ho.
What could he want at this hour?
"Answer it."
"Yes, Vice Chairman."
-Still calling me Vice Chairman? Daughter-in-law, I told you to change how you address me.
Deok Ho, the only one who truly accepted her as family, pointed out her habitual title as always.
"Yes, Father. It's just habit... I'll work on it."
-Good, both of you took the day off.
"Yes."
-Do Hyun should've gone there today.
"Yes, I'm going with him. I thought I should pay my respects to Mother too."
-Really? For real? Do Hyun took you along?
Deok Ho sounded surprised, confirming again if they were really going together.
"Yes."
-Do Hyun's the type who rejects his own mother's existence entirely, and he brought someone along? I figured there'd be no such thing. Even if she's the daughter-in-law.
"......"
-He goes just once a year. To his mother, that is. When I first asked why only once a year, he said he wanted to show her every year that he was doing fine without her.
At Deok Ho's words, Yi Yeon looked at Do Hyun. No emotion rippled across his face as he turned the wheel.
Gazing at his profile, Yi Yeon had a different thought from Deok Ho's.
Maybe Do Hyun wasn't rejecting his mother—maybe he was parched for her love. Perhaps this was his way of expressing it.
-Anyway, be careful. I was going to warn you that Do Hyun might be out of sorts today since it's his mother's memorial, but since you're going together, I'll hang up.
"Yes, good night."
"What did Father say?"
"Oh, he asked where we were headed, and when I said we were paying respects to Mother, he told us to go carefully."
"You two seemed to talk quite a bit for that."
"Hm."
It wasn't exactly a secret, but Yi Yeon didn't want to relay everything Deok Ho had said. It could be a sensitive topic for Do Hyun.
"We've got a ways to go—get some rest."
At Do Hyun's words, Yi Yeon nodded and leaned her head back. Clutching her bag so it wouldn't fall, she quietly closed her eyes.
Yi Yeon, who had dozed off briefly, squinted at the navigation's announcement that they were nearing the destination.
It was a place where mountains and trees blended together. The higher they climbed, the more beautiful the scenery became.
Entering the columbarium entrance, Yi Yeon was so surprised her mouth fell open on its own.
"This is the columbarium?"
The well-manicured garden looked as big as a soccer field—enormous.
Ah, only people with top-tier wealth could use this place.
It was beyond premium.
The place they entered following Do Hyun had a different interior from a typical columbarium. Arranged in small, private spaces, there was no chance of disturbance from others.
"This is Woosung's space."
"You bought so many spots in advance?"
Just looking at it made her feel like she should hurry up and die.
Glancing around, she saw names of chaebol chairmen and founders she recognized.
Shifting her gaze back to the Woosung family section, one caught her eye.
"That's Mother."
A simple face with long hair cascading down innocently—it was striking.
The urn marked 'Mi Jeong' was different from the others: just a photo frame and the urn itself.
For a Woosung family urn, it looked awfully barren.
As if no one ever visited.
Yi Yeon set her bag down and rummaged through it.
"Vice President, here."
* * *
A kind smile crossed Deok Ho's face after hanging up.
"That Do Hyun."
He had been inwardly unsure because Do Hyun's attitude toward Yi Yeon seemed lukewarm.
But taking her to pay respects to his own mother? Do Hyun's feelings for Yi Yeon seemed deeper than he'd thought.
'If it weren't for Father.'
Actually, if it weren't for Gap Su, Deok Ho would have announced Do Hyun and Yi Yeon's marriage.
Having failed at love himself, he didn't want to oppose the woman Do Hyun had brought home himself to marry.
Thinking back on how he'd swayed the opposing Gap Su with the promise of a grandchild still made him chuckle.
Deok Ho thought Yi Yeon suited Do Hyun well.
Her courage and boldness, unflinching even under Gap Su's fierce opposition.
Despite the family differences, Yi Yeon was never intimidated.
The only regrettable thing was that she showed no interest in the pretty things he lavished on her like dressing up a daughter. He wanted to pluck out even her mole, but she stubbornly refused.
Deok Ho was growing increasingly worried that Gap Su wouldn't accept Yi Yeon. At this rate, his son might be known as unmarried until a grandchild was born. There was a limit to turning down all the marriage proposals for this and that reason.
"Manager Kim."
Deok Ho called Manager Kim into his office. Then he whispered secretively.
