CHAPTER 49

Having stepped into the corridor, Siyeon leaned against the wall and took a moment to catch her breath. The tears, which she had been holding back, finally streamed down her cheeks belatedly in response to Eunhye’s question of why she had married Ijun, the words echoed in her heart.

She didn’t want to acknowledge the monk’s statement that originally, the place next to Ijun’s side belonged to Eunhye. Hoping that Gwihyeon would stand up and reveal the truth about his relationship with Eunhye, she convinced herself that she had married Ijun out of determination not to wish for his death like in the past, rather than admitting that Ijun’s side originally belonged to Eunhye.

She wanted to prove that there was no predetermined fate, that life couldn’t be swayed by such things.

‘No? Your true feelings weren’t like that.’

Siyeon mocked herself inwardly. Yes, it was a lie. In reality, she wanted to be by Ijun’s side, even if she had to make excuses like this. Even if he hated her now, she believed that someday he would trust her words and the day would come when their misunderstandings would be cleared.

However, Siyeon already knows that she has crumbled a lot. Remembering his warmth, it was difficult for her to endure his coldness and hatred.

The moment she saw him standing with Eunhye in his pajamas today, Siyeon realized that she might have to give up on him sooner than expected.

She stood on the stairs leading to the underground parking lot for a while before slowly taking her steps again.

“***”

“Secretary Kim, what are you doing here like this, in that state?”

After Siyeon left, Ijun turned his cold gaze towards Eunhye.

“I called, but you didn’t answer. I came in despite knowing it’s impolite because I was worried about you.”

Ijun had received a desperate call from Professor Kim in the early hours, his voice low and trembling with anxiety, asking him to urgently bring a known doctor to their house. So, Ijun called their personal family doctor to that house and took a taxi to Hannam-dong.

Ijun felt sympathy for the Professor Kim and his wife, who had found their daughter after 25 years. Knowing that the close relationship between the two families had been strained by his marriage issue, Ijun couldn’t turn a blind eye to the pain and sorrow they had gone through as a family.

“Ijun, how can you do this? How could Chairman do this? Isn’t our Eunhye so pitiful to him? Just thinking about it makes me feel unjust and furious! It’s as if my heart is being torn apart! Even if the chairman was swayed by that cunning woman’s tricks and fell for them, how can he so easily discard the long-standing promise between the two families like this!”

The frail grandmother lay on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

“Ijun, Siyeon knew everything, she deceived us together with her supposed parents. It was strange enough that she kept asking us to let her live alone when she was in high school. Without us knowing…”

The grandmother didn’t seem to be in good condition either. Gasping for breath heavily, she eventually had to undergo emergency treatment for hyperventilation.

“Ijun, I know that you don’t view this marriage more favorably than anyone else. So, for the sake of your life, it might be better not to hastily file for marriage registration and to observe the situation for a while. There must be something you can do for my daughter.”

The three of them took turns pleading, holding onto him. Ijun endured the chaotic situation throughout the morning, and it was only late in the morning that he could return to his living space in the adjacent villa.

After falling asleep as if collapsing, Ijun woke up to find Siyeon standing in front of him, along with Eunhye in a strange outfit.

“How did you know the password?”

Eunhye looked flustered at Ijun’s chilly tone. She knew the password because it was a place she frequented when Gwihyeon was alive. She had been careful not to reveal this fact, but in her impatient state, she made a mistake.

“…In case of emergencies, Gwihyeon… no, Director Jeong Gwihyeon had told me, just in case.”

Eunhye used Gwihyeon as an excuse. Most unfavorable situations could be smoothed over by using Gwihyeon as an excuse.

“Did you often visit this house in such attire during emergencies?”

“You’re being so cruel to me, who rushed here in a hurry and didn’t even get dressed properly. I’ve lived my whole life not knowing that I was Professor Kim Dong-han’s great-granddaughter. I was the one who should have grown up with the love of your family as a child, not Choi Siyeon. But… even the place next to you was taken by Choi Siyeon. Have you ever thought about my position of having everything taken away by a fake?”

With tears filling her eyes and choking on her sobs, Eunhye turned her head to the side, wiping away her tears.

“Secretary Kim.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Leave.”

“….”

When she subtly turned her head and met Ijun’s eyes, he gestured with his eyes towards the door.

***

“…If you need a woman, meet someone decent enough that it won’t be a problem even if rumors start to spread, or if that’s too difficult, at least meet in places where people won’t notice.”

Ijun poured himself a cup of cold water from the water purifier and took a sip. Emotions that couldn’t be expressed in words surged unexpectedly in his chest as he recalled Siyeon’s words from earlier.

Siyeon had stood in his living room, seemingly surrendering any hopes she had for Ijun, after seeing Eunhye in such a distressed state. However, she remained unfazed, while throwing a request for the use of contraception and then leaving without a change in her expression.

“Fair enough. And, let’s make sure these conditions apply to both sides equally.”

Even going so far as to imitate the behavior of chaebol wives, suggesting maintaining a business-like relationship, even being legally married, and advicing each other of being cautious about each other’s private lives – she had mimicked it all.

Since they met again, Siyeon had never once apologized or admitted she was wrong. She didn’t utter empty words of regret or longing.

Without a shred of conscience, she consistently maintained an attitude of preferring to shamelessly reveal everything about herself rather than uttering lies.

“Let’s live like ordinary people for one year without registering our marriage. If we don’t register our marriage, there won’t be any need for divorce proceedings, so it’s not a bad condition.”

At times, she even spouted such nonsense. It seemed like Ijun’s grandfather had promised some kind of incentive if Siyeon could endure until the end of the year. Ijun couldn’t trust any of her words.

[Ijun, I’m sorry.]

Occasionally, his brother’s voice echoed in his ears. Then, inevitably, a sinister voice followed as if waiting for it.

‘Tell me honestly. Have you never once wished that things would happen this way? Can you truly assert that you never once thought about what it would be like if something hadn’t happened to me? Did you really never want to run away? Can you swear that you felt no happiness at all watching Siyeon beside you?’

“….”

From a very young age, Ijun never coveted anything that belonged to his brother. The right to choose was a privilege given only to Gwihyeon, as the first heir, but even so, Ijun had no complaints about it.

Even though he was always given what remained, he never once asked for something first or demanded the same. That was until he met Siyeon.

In a neighborhood where only noisy kids roamed, he saw a girl with a face as white as flour for the first time. She was his age, and it was the first time he had seen a girl his age in the bustling village.

However, the girl who had so powerfully drawn his attention had already been claimed by his brother. It was the first time Ijun felt disappointment, resentment, a sense of bitterness, and emotions akin to sorrow since he was born.

He lingered around her, waiting for the right moment to strike up a conversation. The shy girl was always nestled in her father’s arms, making it difficult to find an opportunity.

“Hello?”

“…”

“Hey, I said hello.”

“…”

No matter how many times he tried to talk, she pretended not to know him. Annoyed, he snatched the handkerchief she held dear, waving it like a victory banner, and dashed away.

Though the girl’s face turned pale as she burst into tears, Ijun found satisfaction in seeing her cry while looking at him for the first time.

After his brother found out, he told Ijun to return the handkerchief to her. He insisted that the girl’s handkerchief was as much his as her own. That’s when Ijun felt a strong sense of rebellion against his brother.

When Ijun discovered that the handkerchief he had hidden in his desk was missing, he confronted his brother for the first time and demanded that he return it.

“It flew away in the wind and got caught on that tree. Just give up. It wasn’t yours to begin with.”

Looking at his brother pointing to the dense tree, Ijun felt hatred growing in his heart.

When Ijun proclaimed that if he found it, it would truly be his, his brother smiled and nodded approvingly. It was a face that was confident that Ijun would never be able to find that handkerchief.

However, after numerous attempts, Ijun finally managed to clench the handkerchief in his hand. Despite falling to the ground with significant injuries, along with the handkerchief and tree branches, the joy of having the handkerchief intact was much greater.

Why is it that it never works out for me?

Ironically, his brother doesn’t show any interest in Siyeon, so why can’t he have the girl even though he’s eager? Frustration and anger filled Ijun’s heart as he struggled with the unwillingness to give up, but in the face of Siyeon, who have no interest in him, he had no choice but to resign.

Siyeon always trailed behind Gwihyeon and would run away like she had seen a monster whenever she saw Ijun.

Even though it was created by the brainwashing of adults, watching the girl who acted as if it were natural for her to be with Gwihyeon and sensing the constant anxiety in his parents’ eyes, fearing he might surpass Gwihyeon, Ijun made up his mind to leave Korea without looking back.

He was resolved to give up like that.

But then…

“It’s not like the Jeong family only has Gwihyeon.”

The girl, who used to run away every time she saw him, looked straight into his eyes one day and said this.

“I don’t want to polish the ancestral tablets. I don’t want to perform ancestral rites more than ten times a year. That’s what I mean.”

She whispered sweetly, so sweet that Ijun wondered if he was imagining the words he wanted to hear.

“I like you.”

She clearly said she liked him.

“Do you want to go eat together, holding hands?”

After waiting for her message and standing in front of her house for hours without moving, she said that with tears in her eyes. There was no stronger confirmation of her feelings for him.

“You know better than me what Gwihyeon means for Baekya Food. He said he would become the head of the planning department right after graduation. He’ll probably climb up to the CEO position eventually.”

However, she, who had climbed to the top to a point where she couldn’t go any higher, suddenly pushed him down to the ground in an instant.

“I’ve already made up my mind. I’m sorry for Gwihyeon-oppa, but I’m going through with this marriage with you.”

Despite hearing that she was willing to marry Ijun, part of him that had been longing for it, raced, and he despised himself for it.