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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: At Least an Explanation
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“Did you see the message I sent you?”
What kind of message could make her this upset? Unlike usual, Su Jin’s expression was deadly serious.
Su Jin placed her hands on her hips. Her lips were pressed tightly together, tension visible in the way they were set, as if she was thoroughly pissed off.
What’s going on?
“What message?”
Su Jin pointed toward the monitor, as if telling her to check it herself.
Yi Yeon hurriedly sat down and stared at the computer screen.
In the quiet office, all that could be heard was the frantic clicking of the mouse and the sound of her gulping.
Why were there so many internal company messages piled up...?
Skipping over work-related ones like the request to confirm Do Hyun’s schedule and the executive office meeting notice, Yi Yeon found Su Jin’s name among the blinking new messages at the bottom of the monitor and clicked it.
[An Do Hyun, Vice President, Gets a Mistress! New Woman Appears for Vice President An Do Hyun, Married Just a Few Months Ago! They reportedly date mainly in the office and touch freely outside too. Witnesses say they hugged like crazy at a crosswalk. The mistress is none other than the ugly Yu ** secretary.]
“Huh?”
What is this? Shock flashed across Yi Yeon’s eyes.
A faint tremor ran through her fingertips gripping the mouse.
As she read every single word of the note Su Jin had sent, Yi Yeon’s eyes grew wider and wider.
Do Hyun’s marriage had only recently become an issue, and now this weird rumor?
Su Jin, who had been quietly watching Yi Yeon’s ever-changing expressions, finally spoke up.
“Secretary Yu? Congratulations. You’re famous now. It’s the hot topic among the employees?”
“What the hell is this?”
“Why are you asking me? It says you and the Vice President are that kind of couple. That you’ve become a frowned-upon adulteress and her lover! Are you the Vice President’s mistress?”
Wow, how do I even explain this? If she’d known it would come to this, she should’ve told Su Jin everything from the start.
Seeing the bewilderment in Su Jin’s eyes, Yi Yeon felt so sorry she couldn’t lift her head.
How was she supposed to explain this? That the current wife and the mistress were actually the same person—should she just throw a wig at her or something?
She had to explain that she was his wife, but she had no idea where or how to start.
Despite being careful, someone must have seen Do Hyun grabbing Yi Yeon at that crosswalk that day.
She’d been so flustered and shocked that she hadn’t paid attention to her surroundings.
They’d promised to be careful, not even holding hands, but then they hugged near the company—it was their own carelessness.
Still, it was strange how viciously the rumor had spread.
‘Vice President, are you okay?’
The moment she read that ridiculous content, all she could think about was whether it would tarnish Do Hyun.
Knock knock.
“Hey, I’m still here, you know?”
You’re still there...?
Su Jin slammed the desk to announce her presence.
It was frustrating to see Yi Yeon staring blankly at the monitor without a word, so she’d come looking herself in hopes of some explanation, but Su Jin waited quietly despite how absurd the situation felt.
“It’s... kind of a long story to explain.”
“Still, explain it. At least give me an explanation! Saying it’s long means there’s some truth to it, right? The Yu Yi Yeon I know wouldn’t be the type to lock eyes with a married man and live out that ‘adultery for others, romance for me’ line.”
“......”
“......Is what the message says really true? How could you not mention a single thing to me? That pisses me off. I thought even as friends from work, we got along as well as any others and shared so much......”
Yi Yeon couldn’t rebut a single word of Su Jin’s rapid-fire rant.
Because it was all true.
Yi Yeon listened quietly until Su Jin finished.
“That’s as far as my hurt goes! I get why you couldn’t say anything. He’s the Vice President, after all, and even though we’re close, it must’ve been awkward mentioning it to someone at the same company. I know it wasn’t because you didn’t trust me.”
She was a rare good friend from work.
She must’ve felt disappointed, but here she was being honest about it and trying to understand Yi Yeon.
Everything she said was right.
It was a contract marriage, not something she could easily tell anyone about. Especially not company people—even if Ha Yul were working at Woosung Card, she probably wouldn’t have told her.
Yi Yeon pulled Su Jin to a chair and sat her down.
“Sit here for now. Don’t you have to go back up? We could talk at lunch.”
She said it out of worry since Su Jin had left her post to come down.
“Twenty minutes is fine.”
With that reassurance, Yi Yeon began spilling all the unresolved stories.
About disguising herself, and how it eventually led to marriage with Do Hyun.
She skipped the divorce part but laid out everything else as honestly as possible.
Su Jin, listening, just repeated “Oh my god” dozens of times.
Even though Yi Yeon had only covered the main plot points.
“Wait a sec! So the woman next to the Vice President in that department store sighting was you? That celebrity sister?”
“She’s not a sister—we’re the same age, Su Jin.”
“So this stiff-looking hair, these gross freckles, these glasses—they’re all fake?”
“The freckles were that gross to you? Thanks for nailing the hair texture too.”
“You dressed sloppily on purpose to look even more plain?”
“Plain to the point of looking broke, huh. Got it.”
Yi Yeon’s lips quivered.
Su Jin had always advised her to dress up a bit, saying otherwise people would look down on her. She’d thought the frizzy hair, shabby clothes, and ugly freckles were real.
Yi Yeon knew what Su Jin meant. It came with affection.
“The Vice President liked you just like this, and you two—who had no interest in romance—ended up falling in love. Now he knows your real face, and you’re living happily ever after?”
“Huh?”
Are you reading a fairy tale...?
Maybe it was her imagination, but Su Jin looked thrilled.
“This is insane! I’m so jealous! And you didn’t tell me a story this fun? I’m hurt.”
Clap clap.
That friction was definitely laced with emotion.
“Actually, it’s a relief. If you’re the same person, there’s no problem at all! Tell those loose-lipped people to keep spreading their weird rumors!”
Su Jin jumped up from her seat, excited.
“Right now, everyone’s badmouthing him—affair, rethinking An Do Hyun, all men are the same, can’t trust appearances. Wouldn’t it be hilarious to hit them with the truth that you’re the Vice President’s wife? The women are super jealous of you. Wondering how an ugly secretary like you snagged the Vice President. They say you seduced Employee Eom Ji Hu and now the Vice President too, full of confidence with that face—they were ripping into you hard! Wow, this is prime entertainment. Gotta grab some popcorn.”
See, Su Jin? You’re totally loving this, right?
“Why is Eom Ji Hu even coming up?”
Yi Yeon grumbled in exasperation at Ji Hu’s name keeps popping up.
“I told you before—rumors that you were seducing the new hire! I shut it down right away, but rumors don’t die easy. What does it matter! You’re the Vice President’s woman!”
Why had she bothered with the disguise, putting Do Hyun in this awkward spot?
For the first time, she regretted starting the disguise.
She hadn’t expected it to blow up like this.
She’d only thought about cleanly parting ways—she never imagined falling in love with Do Hyun.
“Su Jin, does the Vice President know about this situation?”
“He definitely does. Execs always hear things first. So what are you gonna do? When will you reveal your true self? I wanna see it too, Yi Yeon’s real face. People’s reactions would be priceless.”
You’re not telling me to reveal it just for your amusement, are you?
“You know how people who love speculating add meat to rumors until they snowball into ‘facts’? For someone as watched as the Vice President, the longer the tail, the worse.”
“I totally agree.”
“You might hear some nasty stuff for a while, but it’ll blow over. People who know you will get why the Vice President couldn’t help falling for you.”
“Thanks. I should’ve told you sooner.”
“Too late now. Craving something sweet—let’s get a cafe mocha. Pretty sis.”
“You haven’t even seen my real face properly.”
“Saw it clear as day next to you in that department store pic. Back of the head’s enough.”
Pfft.
Thanks to Su Jin, they wrapped up the heavy talk with laughter.
But Yi Yeon couldn’t hold onto the smile once Su Jin left, the unresolved frustration lingering.
After getting home from work, Yi Yeon tossed her bag aside and sat at the vanity.
She was alone in the empty house.
Do Hyun had a dinner after the executive meeting, so he’d be home late.
Facing the mirror, Yi Yeon examined her face closely.
She lifted her hands and removed the bushy, stuffy wig. She even took off the glasses perched carefully on her nose.
She’d started the disguise right after college graduation and lived like this until today. The idea of going to work without it felt unimaginable.
She’d grown so used to this look over the years. She wasn’t mentally ready to drop it completely.
But on the other hand, with Do Hyun solidly by her side now, what was the point of the disguise?
It’s not that big a deal.
Better to come clean before Do Hyun got dragged into pointless rumors.
After showering, she lay in bed for a long time, lost in thought, when she heard Do Hyun come in.
“What are you up to?”
Do Hyun, heading straight to the bedroom after arriving home, saw Yi Yeon lying there and flashed an enchanted smile.
“Perfect timing. I just made a resolution.”
