Chapter 5.2

A chaotic, war-like scene unfolded. What was surprising amidst it all was Baek-geon. With his unexpectedly sharp eye, he picked out only the essentials and items that suited her well.

“Even if it’s tiring, pick out something to wear right now yourself.”

At Baek-geon’s words, Yoon-jae chose a soft, warm-looking dress-style pajama set. The shoppers quickly added matching undergarments and even cozy sleep socks to complete the outfit.

Once the shopping was finished, the shoppers left the room. The mountain of clothes was swiftly carried to the dressing room by Butler Song and the other staff.

“Get changed. I’ll bring your meal.”

With that, Baek-geon left the bedroom. Yoon-jae slowly changed into her new clothes. She was still so dazed that she couldn’t think straight. Looking at the cute frills and lace on the sleeves of her pajamas, she shook her head.

This can’t be a dream… right?

Still caught between disbelief and reality, she was startled when Baek-geon returned with her meal. Somehow, he had even prepared a proper bedside table to place the food on.

Baek-geon, satisfied at last, placed the food in front of her, just below her chin.

“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I had them prepare a little bit of everything. Eat whatever suits your taste.”

Yoon-jae looked down at the neatly arranged dishes with a confused expression. In shiny brass bowls, there was abalone porridge, finely minced beef porridge, octopus porridge, and dried pollack porridge.

Side dishes included finely chopped salted octopus and salted oysters, along with a separate clear rockfish soup. The luxurious spread made her hesitant to touch it, feeling almost guilty.

However, Baek-geon frowned, seemingly displeased about something. Yoon-jae hesitated for a moment, then realized he was annoyed that she hadn’t yet picked up her spoon.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and eat.”

His languid tone rang in her ears as Baek-geon sat on the edge of the bed, separated by the table.

“Do I need to feed you?”

His deep, weighty voice sent a shiver through her heart. She was terrified of what might happen if he actually decided to feed her.

Hurriedly, Yoon-jae picked up the spoon and took a bite of porridge. The rich, savory flavor made her appetite return for the first time in a while.

Still, due to her morning sickness, she couldn’t eat much. She didn’t even touch the abalone or dried pollack porridge. The fishy smell seemed to cling stubbornly to her nose.

When she didn’t touch the abalone porridge, Baek-geon furrowed his brows. It seemed that was the dish he most wanted her to eat. It made sense—it was made with the most expensive ingredients. Feeling guilty, Yoon-jae lowered her head.

“I’m sorry. I can’t eat much yet…”

It wasn’t just the morning sickness. Her lingering anxiety also played a role. The overwhelming nervousness gnawed at her, making it impossible to relax.

She didn’t think Baek-geon was being capricious. However, the situation she was in was undeniably unusual.

Hearing her apology, Baek-geon didn’t press her further. Instead, he placed morning sickness medication, vitamins, folic acid, and water in front of her.

“Take these now and get some rest.”

After swallowing the pills, Yoon-jae hesitated before asking quietly, 

“Do you know where my phone is?”

“Why do you need your phone?”

Baek-geon frowned lightly at her question. That alone made her breath catch in her throat. But Yoon-jae tried not to let her fear show. For some reason, she had a vague feeling that he would grant her request.

“I think I should contact the restaurant. I haven’t been able to get in touch with them since yesterday…”

At her response, Baek-geon, as if just remembering, spoke casually. 

“Butler Song already handled that. You’ve quit, so focus on recovering for now.”

“What?”

Yoon-jae’s eyes widened. Her startled expression seemed to amuse Baek-geon, who let out a faint chuckle.

“Why are you so surprised? It’s the obvious thing to do. You’re supposed to stay in bed for a month—how would you manage working in the restaurant? Are you stupid?”

“No, it’s not that, but… I should have done it myself…”

“Delegate everything you can. There’s no need to waste your energy on things you don’t have to handle yourself.”

The thought that quitting should have been something she did herself lingered on the tip of her tongue. But Yoon-jae decided to swallow her words.

After all, it was clear that no logic would work on Han Baek-geon. She was lucky he hadn’t thrown her out in a fit of temper.

When she remained silent, Baek-geon glanced at her, as if gauging her reaction. Tilting his head slightly, he spoke with amusement.

“I thought you’d argue, but you’re staying quiet about this?”

“I don’t want to get kicked out, so I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

Baek-geon, holding back a chuckle, reached out and gently ruffled her hair before turning away.

“Get some rest. I’m heading out to work.”

Yoon-jae simply nodded quietly. Her heart was pounding too wildly for her to say anything else. As soon as the door closed, she pulled the blanket over her head and took a deep breath.

Of all things, why did he have to ruffle my hair?

She couldn’t help but feel suspicious about why he was acting so kind and familiar. Just last week, he had treated her like filthy, disgusting trash.

Yoon-jae’s feelings were complicated. Every time he extended a hand of kindness, her heart grew colder.

And yet, she couldn’t stop her heart from racing. Her chest, starved for affection, kept urging her to reach out in return.

With a sigh, Yoon-jae closed her eyes. She felt both anxious and excited about how she would navigate her relationship with Baek-geon moving forward.

*

“Are you planning to leave things like this?”

Baek-geon accepted the cup Butler Song handed him, lost in thought. The first-floor living room, bathed in sunlight, was the perfect place to sit quietly and ponder.

Half-buried in the cloud sofa, he tilted the cup to his lips. Realizing it was tea, not coffee, he looked up at Butler Song, who smiled soothingly.

“With an expectant mother in the house, I thought it wouldn’t hurt for you to try some tea.”

Though floral and fruity fragrances weren’t to his taste, Baek-geon accepted the suggestion without complaint. Still, the lingering sweetness in his mouth didn’t sit well with him.

Butler Song sipped his tea silently, waiting for Baek-geon’s response. After a long pause, Baek-geon reluctantly spoke.

“It’s my child. I can’t just abandon it.”

“I see. That must be difficult for you, given the circumstances.”

Butler Song nodded in agreement.

“At least the child’s mother doesn’t seem to have a bad personality. That’s fortunate. Maybe the child will be mild-tempered too. Then again, considering your personality, that might not be the case.”

Few people could speak to Baek-geon like that, regardless of age. If Cheong-o or Jung-gyun had overheard, they would have been shocked. Baek-geon smirked faintly.

“You’re quite bold, Butler Song. There aren’t many people who can speak to me like that and get away with it.”

“Is that so? Well, the Chairman did warn me not to scold you too harshly. He said once you get angry, no one can stop you.”

The sunlight highlighted the deep lines etched into Butler Song’s face, especially the long creases around his eyes.

“I remember when you first came to this house. The Chairman often brought in children with nowhere to go, giving them a place to stay for the night. But you were different from the rest.”

“Really? I don’t remember any of that.”

Baek-geon responded nonchalantly, taking another sip of tea. The drink, once sweet, suddenly tasted bitter.

“You were the first child the Chairman decided to adopt as his own. Of course, you were also the first to make him shake his head and say he couldn’t handle you.”

“…I hated it.”

Baek-geon’s quiet words made Butler Song narrow his eyes.

“You hated it. Back then, I often wondered why you were so rebellious.”

“Doing what I was told didn’t suit me. You know that.”

“Well, the Chairman did push you hard. You were so smart and excelled academically, he wanted you to become a judge or prosecutor.”

Unlike Chairman Han, who wanted Baek-geon to become an elite and rule the world, Baek-geon wanted to support the Chairman’s business instead. Even when told to study to his heart’s content, he insisted on walking the same path as Chairman Han.

“Because I believed that was the way to repay the favor. I was taken in after being abandoned and rolling around on the streets, so that was all I knew.”

Baek-geon had been abused by his parents from the moment he was born. He vaguely remembered his father drinking and beating both him and his mother every day.

He couldn’t recall the details. The only vivid memory etched in his mind was of his mother, lifeless, after being beaten by his drunken father.

After his father was imprisoned, Baek-geon was naturally sent to an orphanage. Even there, he was always an outcast.

One winter, a fire broke out at the orphanage, and after escaping, he wandered the streets, surviving by scavenging food from restaurant trash bins.

When Chairman Han found him, he was about ten years old, thin as a stick, with only a fierce glare in his eyes. At the time, Baek-geon was caught rummaging through the trash behind a bar run by Chairman Han and was being beaten by the staff.

Perhaps because of this, Baek-geon never openly expressed trust or affection toward Chairman Han or Butler Song. It seemed as though any desire or capacity for familial love had been removed from him.