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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Are You Spraying Perfume?
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Yi Yeon habitually checked if her makeup was still holding up before stepping into the company lobby.
What should I do after getting off work today?
Muttering to herself as she passed through the gate, exuding an air of utmost professionalism.
Like any other office worker, she was already thinking about clocking out the moment she arrived.
Before marriage, she hadn't looked forward to getting off work this much...
The longer her married life went on, the more Yi Yeon felt she had made the right choice in accepting Do Hyun's proposal.
The luxury penthouse waiting for her, the work-life balance secured thanks to the housekeeper.
The elevated quality of life was comfortable and nice, but the freedom from her mother's obsession was the most satisfying part.
The worry-tinged pressure she faced at every family dinner, the forced blind dates picking from photos of men—it all felt like ancient history now.
As she pictured her after-work routine like that, someone suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Hey! Yi Yeon, heading in to work right now?”
It was Su Jin, her same-age friend and fellow new hire.
Su Jin, holding a Starbucks coffee in one hand, grinned broadly, her laugh lines prominent under her eyes.
Back when no one at Woosung Card welcomed Yi Yeon, Su Jin had approached her first.
With her slightly upturned cat-like eyes and sharp features, she seemed aloof at first glance, but she was actually straightforward and unpretentious.
“Su Jin, it's not even Monday yet, you serious?”
Yi Yeon nodded in sympathy, her eyes shifting to Su Jin's flashy outfit that rejected anything ordinary today as well.
Classic Su Jin style.
Dark brown shoes, a brown skirt, a feminine blouse adorned with a yellow ribbon, dazzling earrings sparkling from her ears.
The garish yellow blouse seemed to boldly proclaim, *I'm Jeong Su Jin!*
“New blouse? The color's so quintessentially Jeong Su Jin. You can spot it a mile away.”
Yi Yeon smiled teasingly as she eyed Su Jin's blouse.
“Bought it with my bonus.
Secretary Yu's curls are unique enough to spot from 100 meters out, though? How about hitting up a salon?”
Su Jin said, running her fingers through Yi Yeon's hair.
Ever since witnessing coworkers openly whispering about Yi Yeon, Su Jin—who loved dressing up—had made salon recommendations her standard greeting.
She'd nagged Yi Yeon countless times to try a perm or at least some makeup, but Yi Yeon's response was always the same.
“Curly hair has its own charm.”
Yi Yeon grinned back, prompting Su Jin to shake her head like she'd expected as much.
“Lunch at the company cafeteria today. You know.”
Su Jin headed off to her desk after promising to meet for lunch.
Yi Yeon reached her own seat and immediately fished out a mirror.
“Ah, almost smudged it thanks to Jeong Su Jin.”
Yi Yeon rummaged through her bag and pulled out her brown eyeliner—Su Jin had playfully tapped her cheek while gesturing during their chat.
Yi Yeon quickly intensified the faint freckles with swift strokes.
*Press hard.*
“Secretary Yu, doing some arts and crafts first thing in the morning?”
A familiar voice drifted down from above her head.
Yi Yeon froze solid.
She'd momentarily forgotten—Do Hyun had arrived early.
The state-of-the-art full-glass partition separating their offices was set to opaque, so she hadn't noticed him inside.
Never imagining he'd step out, she'd been coloring over her faded freckles...
How bizarre must she look?
Ah, what excuse to give?
It's the trendy freckle makeup trend?
Caught red-handed for the first time, Yi Yeon's lips quivered with embarrassment.
Unable to so much as twitch, she slowly lifted only her head and flashed an eye smile.
“Yes! Just testing some cosmetics while... coloring.”
No idea. Just spit something out.
Do Hyun's eyebrow twitched—he clearly wasn't a fan of her eye smile.
Ah, she recalled his offhand comment from before.
*Overdone eye smiles don't feel genuine.*
It's not fake, honest.
Please let it slide. Please.
“Secretary Yu, I've been wondering for a while—are you spraying perfume? Or is it hand cream?”
Whew, relief. Weird excuse, but he brushed it off casually.
With the subject changed, Yi Yeon visibly perked up.
“Ah, it's my favorite body cream mixed with perfume. A unique, uplifting floral scent, right? I love products that smell nice.”
“Didn't seem like your average scent, so I got curious.”
“Smells great, doesn't it? I layer body cream with two perfumes. The combo leaves a unique, fresh linger, blended with floral notes—it's amazing. Can't find this scent anywhere else; feels like I created my signature one. Want the product recs?”
Topic switch was a godsend, and scents to boot!
I'll distract him so thoroughly he'll forget the freckles. Yi Yeon's eyes sparkled brighter than ever.
“Nah, it's fine. Confirm today's meeting schedule.”
“......Yes, sir.”
Do Hyun finished up and vanished back into his office.
Too eager, maybe? Still, he complimented the scent—mood boost.
Yi Yeon was hypersensitive to smells. Perfume and body cream were non-negotiables.
She'd experimented with mixing favorites until landing on this combo, which she'd stuck with ever since.
Overdid the enthusiasm in relief, probably. Do Hyun had seemed oddly rushed back to his office.
Who knew Do Hyun would even ask? He usually ignored everyone else.
Su Jin had once said enviously, “The Vice President seems warmer with you.”
Yi Yeon had mulled it over and concluded it wasn't warmth—just that she was comfortable by comparison. Unlike the other women who turned on the charm whenever Do Hyun appeared, she'd shown zero interest in him consistently over two years.
A rational relationship where they barely acknowledged each other. That's why the marriage proposal made sense—a convenient arrangement.
Even after marriage, he merely tolerated her presence; four months in, nothing had changed between them.
*Is the casual treatment a good thing or bad?*
Yi Yeon used the remote to switch the office's full-glass partition to transparent, grabbed her work tablet, and stepped inside.
The office mirrored Do Hyun's vibe: modern and intense. Behind him, seated dead center, the floor-to-ceiling glass framed Seoul's sleek cityscape.
Yi Yeon walked in, following the path of sunlight.
“No morning meetings today. Two internal video conferences this afternoon.”
She swiped through the tablet screen, sharing the schedule with Do Hyun.
“What time's the last one?”
“Four p.m.”
“I'll head out right after.”
Do Hyun wants off early too?
“Yes, sir.”
Yi Yeon's lips curved upward slowly as she returned to her seat.
*Yes! Sharp clock-out today!*
*Zzzt—*
*[Landed in Korea.]*
The perfectly timed alert was from Ha Yul.
Ha Yul was the only one who knew why Yi Yeon disguised herself like this—the precious friend who shared each other's hidden scars.
*[Where've you been?]*
*[Told you I was going to Switzerland for a week!!!]*
Had she...? No wonder the ever-chatty friend had gone radio silent.
Three exclamation points screamed fury. Better fake knowing.
*[Knew it! Just kidding. When'd you get back?]*
*[Yesterday. Meet up today?]*
Sharp clock-out day, and a sharp meetup request—timing perfection.
* * *
Yi Yeon weaved through the rush of after-work commuters and burst into the chicken feet joint where Ha Yul waited.
Pushing through the door, she scanned the clustered round street-food tables for that distinctive hair color.
Spotting an ash-gray head near the wall by the entrance—not far in—Yi Yeon headed straight for the table.
“You're here—I smelled Yu Yi Yeon. Here, souvenir for you.”
Somehow she'd known it was running low; a trip perfume for Yi Yeon.
“Thanks. Got my gift—can head home now?”
Yi Yeon grinned mischievously, pretending to rise with the present. Ha Yul brandished her spoon in a rage.
“Traitor! Snag and dash, and I'll report you!”
Yi Yeon burst out laughing at Ha Yul's hilarious fury.
Ha Yul laughed along.
She didn't have standout looks, but her smile was adorable: cheeks puffing like twin eggs, neat laugh lines folding perfectly, eyes curving into crescents.
“Still feels so off seeing your disguised mug. Who'm I here chowing chicken feet with?”
“Aren't you used to it by now? You'll pick every piece clean anyway.”
Classic Ha Yul. For years, she'd hit Yi Yeon with the same awkwardness line on sight.
Nearly seventeen years in, and still not adjusted.
Still indirectly probing if Yi Yeon's walls were down. Yi Yeon would always reassure her lightly that nothing had changed.
“If I'd been born with *your* face, I'd have eaten the world alive—debuted in showbiz. Made bank on my own, ditched that trash family, lived free!”
Ha Yul trashed her household out of habit. Yi Yeon sensed fresh wounds festering.
Ha Yul had lost her sole family—her mom—in a high school accident, learning then she was illegitimate.
Her bio dad: Im Jun Seok, Vice Chairman of Youngsin Holdings, a top-three food conglomerate in Korea.
Jun Seok had taken the orphaned Ha Yul into the Youngsin fold, but she'd grown up on side-eye scraps amid their neglect.
Out of the family mansion post-adulthood, but bound to Youngsin Holdings by Jun Seok's decree—true freedom seemed elusive.
Deep in gossip trance, Ha Yul suddenly remembered the order and shot her hand skyward.
“Auntie! Spicy chicken feet and a bottle of soju here!”
Food arrived fast, hitting the table. “Stress? Spicy grub fixes it,” Ha Yul declared, cracking open the soju.
“Cheers first.”
“Trip fun?”
Yi Yeon asked, cradling the glass Ha Yul poured with one hand.
“Prices are a ripoff, but prime healing spot. You should go sometime. Oh—with hubby's fine too.”
At “husband,” Yi Yeon mustered only an awkward smile.
Ha Yul gawked at the forced grin.
“How can you telegraph it like that! Don't tell me—you're *still* sleeping separately?”
