Chapter 46

“The way you’re staring at me like that,” Yaein replied, feeling embarrassed as if she were doing something extraordinary under his intense gaze.  

“Am I not allowed to look?”  

“It’s not that…”  

It wasn’t that she disliked it. It was just unfamiliar.  

“Just eat already. I think it tastes fine.”  

Yaein pushed the bowl closer to Taeheon.  

“It’s really good.”  

“You didn’t look like you were enjoying it, but I’ll believe you.”  

“I don’t know what kind of face I’m making, but whatever you’re seeing—that’s my ‘enjoying the food’ face.”  

As if to prove it, Taeheon cleaned his bowl completely.  

While placing the empty dishes in the sink, Yaein kept thinking about the expression on his face earlier. It made her feel oddly strange.  

After finishing their meal, they stepped out onto the terrace to watch the ocean. Yaein wanted to clear her mind.  

The waves rose and fell, never getting tiresome to watch. Looking at them made her feel like all her worries were being washed away, like bubbles popping one after another.  

Lost in the view, she didn’t notice her fingers growing cold and stiff. As she rubbed them together, a warm blanket was draped over her shoulders. Taeheon even made sure it was securely wrapped so it wouldn’t slip.  

When she looked up, there he was.  

“You’ll catch a cold.”  

“You’re dressed lightly too.”  

“I don’t catch colds.”  

“That’s not the point,” Yaein snorted softly.  

It was true that Taeheon rarely got sick. While Yaein struggled with body aches and colds every winter, Taeheon hardly ever even coughed.  

“Share it with me.”  

The blanket was big enough for both of them. She lifted one side, making space for him, but Taeheon hesitated with a strange expression.  

He had no problem pulling her close whenever he wanted, yet when she offered, he looked oddly reluctant.  

In the past, she would have taken that cold, distant look as a sign that he found her annoying, and it would have hurt. But now she wondered if that wasn’t the case at all.  

“Aren’t you going to join?”  

When Yaein lightly tugged at him, Taeheon moved closer without resistance. Even though it was just a gentle pull, his large presence filled the space beside her completely.

The blanket, which seemed more than enough for one person, suddenly felt too small when Taeheon tried to wrap it around his shoulders.  

“We’ll have to get closer.”  

When Yaein nudged his shoulder, Taeheon moved even closer without resistance. Though he hesitated, he didn’t refuse. It was almost… cute, in a way. Maybe Yaein was just being overly generous in her judgment.  

With the two of them huddled together, the warmth became undeniable.  

“Are you planning to head back to Seoul tonight?”  

“…”  

“Or… did you think about not going?”  

“How did you know?”  

“What do you mean, how did I know…”  

Come to think of it, how did she know? Yaein found it odd herself. She usually couldn’t read his thoughts at all. But somehow, this time, it just felt that way.  

Feeling a bit curious, Yaein studied his face—his eyebrows, nose, lips. Such a handsome face.  

Of course. After staring for a while, she reached a conclusion.  

His expressions had become easier to read than before. Just a little, but definitely easier.  

“Why?”  

“Nothing.”  

If she told him, he might try to hide it next time, so she decided to keep it as her own little secret. The thought of holding onto a personal secret made her feel giddy.  

“Going is better, right?” Taeheon asked.  

For him, it probably made sense to go back sooner rather than later. Considering the workload he often stayed up all night to manage, Yaein could only imagine how much must have piled up by now.  

“Now that I know you won’t disappear, I’ll head back tonight.”  

The nuance was subtle. It sounded like he was only leaving because she was telling him to, as if he didn’t really want to go.  

“I only told you to go because I didn’t want your work to be affected. It’s not because I want to be apart from you.” 

Despite her careful explanation, Taeheon still wore the same troubled expression. Feeling anxious that he seemed upset, Yaein hastily added,  

“Why do you think I wouldn’t want to be with you?”  

After a moment of hesitation, she continued, almost shyly,  

“I like you.”  

She had chosen her words carefully, but instead of looking happy, Taeheon seemed more troubled.  

“Is it because… my face and voice are nice?”  

His response was so unexpectedly self-assured that it left her speechless. It was such a blatantly self-absorbed statement, but somehow, she couldn’t even feel like arguing.  

After all, the man making the statement did have a nearly flawless appearance. It wasn’t unreasonable for someone that handsome to be confident in his looks.  

But more than that, he wasn’t saying it as if he was boasting. It was almost as if he genuinely believed that his looks and voice were the only good things about him.  

She had noticed it before—Taeheon had a strangely low opinion of himself. And if that was the case, she needed to correct him.  

“Sorry, but I didn’t fall for you just because you’re handsome.”  

“…”  

“Of course, you are handsome, Taeheon. Even Se-rin, who has high standards, liked you.”

Even at obligatory social gatherings, whenever Taeheon’s name came up, it was always followed by praise for his looks.  

_”You’re so lucky, Yaein. If I were you, I’d wear my husband instead of diamonds.”_  

Hearing jokes like that left Yaein with an awkward smile.  

Being married to a dazzlingly handsome man made her both the envy and the target of jealousy from others.  

But the reality was that the very same handsome man was now talking down about himself as if his face were the only redeemable quality he had.  

“But even if you looked different, or your voice wasn’t as nice, I would still like you.”  

“Why?”  

“Because you were kind to me.”  

Taeheon’s expression crumbled for a moment. His lips twisted as if mocking himself, but his eyes furrowed, conflicted.  

“Are you sure you’re not being fooled?”  

What does he mean by that? As Yaein wondered, Taeheon added,  

“Maybe I’m just tricking you into thinking that way.”  

He turned his head toward the sea, his gaze escaping from hers. Yaein gently cupped his chin, guiding his face back to hers. He didn’t resist, letting her turn him around.  

The same ambiguous, distorted expression she saw during the meal appeared again—neither a smile nor a frown.  

Why hadn’t she noticed his expressions before? It was as if she had never truly known him.  

“When I fell for you, the things you did for me didn’t benefit you in any way. Even if you had some ulterior motive, the fact remains that you did those things for me.”  

At a time when he should have been deceiving others, he had stayed by her grandmother’s funeral, despite the risk. He did it for her.  

“Taeheon, you were a comfort to me.”  

“No. I know myself too well. I’m…”  

Taeheon’s brows furrowed deeply, and his lips twisted into a bitter, distorted smile. He looked like a beautiful statue with a deep, irreparable crack.  

“I’m not the kind of man who deserves your love, am I?”  

Taeheon spat out the words quickly, then shut his mouth. A faint tremor flickered around his eyes. Yaein was speechless.  

Where was the man who had once demanded to know why she loved him?  

The man who always seemed perfect and arrogant, as if he needed no one.  

“I shouldn’t have said that.”  

Taeheon murmured.  

“It’s better if you just keep misunderstanding. I made a stupid mistake.”  

“…”

“Forget it.”  

He stood up abruptly, dropping the blanket from his shoulders.  

Even as he turned away, his anxiety seemed almost tangible.  

Experiencing his emotions so clearly while talking to him was strange and new for Yaein.  

She stood up as well and reached out to catch him.  

Yaein had once been so poor that the warmth he offered had been desperately needed. She had loved him because she had no other choice.  

But now, this wasn’t the love born from the bitterness of enduring and growing through pain.

Yaein brushed Taeheon’s distorted lips and gently touched his furrowed brows. A new kind of love was building. 

The house that had been precariously built without a solid foundation would creak even with a gentle breeze, but from now on, if built upon this foundation, it would not collapse so easily. 

Yaein sensed a sign. Perhaps she might be able to have what she had longed for all her life.  

“Go take care of your work and then come back.”  

No matter what she said now, Taeheon wouldn’t believe it. He wasn’t the kind of person who believed in the future. But Yaein believed. 

Even if broken and crushed, Yaein held on to hope. It was in her nature and ingrained in her soul.  

“Come here and read me a book.”  

For some reason, she felt that if she asked now, he would listen.  

“A book.” Taeheon’s lips moved soundlessly, repeating the word. Watching his expression, Yaein couldn’t help but believe it would happen.  

“Bring my knit sweater and shawl too, it’s cold.”  

“Is that all?”  

“It would be nice if you also brought some snacks.”  

Is that really all? Taeheon’s eyes seemed to ask. Yaein took his hand.  

“Forget what I said before. Just come back.”  

She intertwined her fingers with his, despite his hesitation. Taeheon’s gaze trembled.  

Taeheon didn’t believe.  

She noticed it right away, but Yaein also knew he would come back. That was enough.  

***  

It had only been a short time since he left, but Seoul’s bustling streets now felt unfamiliar. There were too many buildings. Instead of the sound of waves, cars roared and sped by.  

When he first got on the road, his only thoughts were how to handle his work most efficiently and get back as quickly as possible—thinking of wrapping his wife in soft cashmere and sitting down to read a book.  

─ “There was an incident while you were away, Director.”  

Recalling his subordinate’s report, Taeheon drove into the high-rise building’s parking lot.  

After taking Yaein to the seaside house, Taeheon had barely responded to any external communication for several days. Normally, he would have immediately reacted to news that required his presence, but he chose silence this time.  

His mind was entirely consumed by his wife, leaving no room for anything else. Even if he could turn back time, he would have done the same.  

As he entered the building, Taeheon prepared himself to face the consequences.  

Now he would have to see things he didn’t want to see.  

As he passed his office and headed towards the center, a man stood in the spot that had been empty for days.  

“Father.”  

Beyond the blinds, through the transparent glass, he could see the familiar back that he had seen his entire life.

The figure, which had been shriveled up like crumpled laundry while suffering from illness, was now inexplicably upright. Taeheon completely entered the chairman’s office and closed the door behind him.  

Chairman Kwon Seonghwan, his hands clasped behind his back, turned to look at Taeheon. His triumphant expression was nothing like that of a patient lying in a hospital bed.  

“I didn’t know you were discharged.”  

“It’s been over a week.”  

“Are you sure it’s okay? I thought staying at the hospital would be better.”  

“Why, do you wish your old man would retreat to the hospital room again?”  

“Of course not. It was just a son’s filial concern.”  

Seonghwan scoffed.  

The man, who once claimed that resting was essential to prolong his life, now exuded an uncanny vigor.