Chapter 6.1

Han Baek-geon, who was on his way home from work, saw Jung-gyun and So Yoon-jae sitting face-to-face in the living room.

“What are those two up to?”

Muttering to himself, Butler Song, who had come out to greet him, glanced toward the living room and smiled faintly.

“Oh, Director Kim came by to get some legal advice. It seems Yoon-jae gave him some pretty solid counsel.”

“Did the company’s law firm become useless?”

Perhaps his displeasure was evident, as Butler Song smiled again, attempting to soothe him.

“It seems he was curious about the procedure before officially consulting the legal team. There are some details that are difficult to ask directly. Yoon-jae also seems to be enjoying it, saying he might want to get back to work if it doesn’t interfere with his condition.”

At that, Han Baek-geon’s expression grew even harsher.

“You asked her about contract violations last time, didn’t you? Director Kim was there, too. Apparently, he thought Yoon-jae’s advice back then was quite good.”

“Bringing company matters into my house… He must be out of his mind.”

If anyone had brought work into the house first, it was Han Baek-geon. Butler Song, however, refrained from pointing that out.

After briefly glancing at the living room, Han Baek-geon turned away. Without bothering to hide his irritation, he headed upstairs.

Butler Song watched his retreating back before turning toward the living room. As if nothing had happened, he spoke to Yoon-jae in his usual tone.

“Ms. Yoon-jae, the CEO is home. You should go see him.”

At those words, Jung-gyun jumped to his feet. With a flustered expression, he bowed his head to Yoon-jae.

“Please, stay for dinner.”

“No, I’ll just greet the CEO and take my leave.”

Despite Yoon-jae’s suggestion, Jung-gyun shook his head and hurriedly rushed upstairs. Tilting her head in curiosity, Yoon-jae slowly stood up.

“Did he do something wrong?”

Butler Song suppressed a laugh and shook his head.

“Not wrong, per se. He probably just doesn’t want to cause any misunderstandings.”

What could that mean? 

Yoon-jae looked at Butler Song with a puzzled expression as she slowly got to her feet. Her body felt heavy, and her slightly rounded lower abdomen occasionally ached faintly.

The hospital had assured her there was nothing to worry about and simply advised her to be cautious. However, perhaps due to the initial instability of her condition, Han Baek-geon and the rest of the household treated her as if she were a fragile porcelain doll.

Butler Song carefully tried to support her, but she shook her head, insisting she was fine, and headed toward the entrance.

It seemed Han Baek-geon had come out to see Jung-gyun off. When he saw Yoon-jae, his fierce expression softened. All the words he had been planning to say disappeared the moment he saw her clear, innocent eyes.

The closer he got, the more beautiful she seemed. Lately, she had become even more stunning, which only made his mood worse. Her long eyelashes partially shading her bright eyes, her soft cheeks, and her lips…

Han Baek-geon thought to himself how utterly maddening it was. Watching such a woman from a distance, circling around her without making any clear decisions—it all felt infuriatingly stupid and pathetic.

Yet, at the same time, he found himself increasingly fulfilled on an emotional level. At some point, he had started to enjoy taking light walks in the garden with her after dinner.

Even eating meals together was enjoyable. Sometimes, when she suddenly craved a certain food in the middle of the night and didn’t know what to do, he found her adorable.

Each time, Han Baek-geon willingly went out to find whatever she wanted to eat. Most of the time, delivery wasn’t an option, so it became routine to knock on the doors of closed restaurants late at night.

Of course, most of the effort fell on Han Baek-geon and Butler Song. The baby was so fickle that even when Yoon-jae craved something, she would often push it away after just one bite.

Although neither Han Baek-geon nor Butler Song minded much, Yoon-jae felt terrible about it, apologizing profusely because of her morning sickness. Each time, Han Baek-geon would scoff, telling her there was no need to apologize.

The real issue, however, was him. The more innocent and pure her gaze was, the darker his thoughts became.

Suppressing his desires every night while watching her sleep was becoming unbearable. His entire body burned with frustration.

He wanted to hold her tightly and lose himself in pleasure. Han Baek-geon could feel himself becoming more and more desolate.

Even though it was a natural desire, he knew deep down it wasn’t the right time. Yet, his longing grew stronger by the day.

The longer they spent close together, the worse it became. Cutting back on work and staying home more often only added fuel to the fire.

The more he resented himself for falling into this self-made trap, the stronger his desire grew. It was a relentless, overwhelming greed that made him want to curse.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Despite occasional discomfort, the baby was growing healthily. Yoon-jae’s face had become visibly brighter and more radiant.

But the more radiant she became, the stronger his desire for her grew. His insatiable greed shook him to his core, leaving him teetering on the edge.

What should I do with you?

He even thought back to the clumsy attempts he had made to seduce her, wondering if he could rekindle any of her old resistance toward him.

But it was already impossible. She was far too addictive. No, the real problem was him. He had already fallen too deeply for her, to the point where he couldn’t endure it any longer.

“Let’s have dinner.”

Yoon-jae spoke softly, her smile faint. Han Baek-geon nodded silently and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“I’m okay. It’s not too hard yet.”

Despite her objection, Han Baek-geon didn’t remove his supporting hand. Turning to Butler Song, he asked, 

“I told you to prepare something light for dinner, didn’t I?”

“Of course. Ms. Yoon-jae wanted something light as well, so I made kalguksu.”

“I’ve been craving noodles so much.” 

Yoon-jae said, almost defensively. Han Baek-geon replied that it was fine and walked into the dining room.

The staff brought out the food. It was kalguksu filled with manila clams. The clear, clean broth was refreshing and soothing.

Looking at Yoon-jae, he saw her diligently slurping the noodles, sweat forming on her nose. She was always the same—eating with enthusiasm but never finishing much.

More than half the food always ended up coming back up, leaving her utterly exhausted. Even with medication, her morning sickness didn’t subside, and seeing her so drained sometimes made him feel irritated.

Suddenly, he lost his appetite. For some reason, watching her made him feel unsettled, and he didn’t feel like eating anything.

Is this just frustration?

Han Baek-geon quickly finished his meal and waited for Yoon-jae to finish her bowl. But she, too, only ate about half before putting down her spoon, saying she was full.

The two of them slowly went outside for a walk. What had started as a way to ease her nausea had now become an unspoken routine.

After a couple of laps, Yoon-jae, slightly out of breath, sat on the sofa on the balcony. Han Baek-geon sat across from her and made a pointed joke.

“If you eat like that, how is the baby supposed to grow properly?”

At his words, Yoon-jae’s expression turned somber. Han Baek-geon chuckled lightly and pulled something out of his pocket, placing it in front of her.

As soon as Yoon-jae saw the small box, she had a strange feeling. She could guess what was inside just by looking at it.

Instead of opening the box, she looked up at Han Baek-geon.

“Let’s get married.”

Yoon-jae’s eyes widened. She swallowed nervously, her face filled with disbelief.

“…With you?”

“Who else would it be?”

Han Baek-geon’s tone carried a hint of irritation. Crossing his arms, he spoke again.

“Well, it’d be better to wear the dress before the baby arrives.”

“…”

Yoon-jae didn’t respond. Instead, she stared at the intricate patterns on the table as if counting them.

Her silence made Han Baek-geon uncomfortable. He could feel his patience wearing thin.

“Do we really have to?”

Yoon-jae asked calmly. Han Baek-geon frowned at her unexpected question.

“Weren’t we going to raise the baby together? But now you’re saying you don’t want to get married?”

“I didn’t think marriage was absolutely necessary.”

Contrary to expectations, the woman was firm. Han Baek-geon felt bitter as he realized that all the words he had prepared in his head had become utterly useless.

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

So Yoon-jae continued to speak slowly, as if unraveling her thoughts.

“You don’t love me, and… you must have been uncomfortable because of my brother. Even if we got married, it wouldn’t make things any easier for you.”

The moment So Yoon-ryeol’s name came up, Han Baek-geon’s mind went blank. The presence he had forcibly tried to forget and suppress suddenly surfaced, wrecking everything.

“For the child’s sake, shouldn’t we?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know if that’s the right thing to do.”

The woman was composed and calm. It was one of the traits Han Baek-geon had admired about her over the past few months.

But now, that very prudence was ruining everything.

“More than anything… you don’t love me, Mr. Han.”

Han Baek-geon’s eyelids blinked slowly, as if he had heard something shocking. He stared at her, unsure of how to respond.

“I… I know it might sound old-fashioned, but I don’t want to decide my life just because of a baby. You’re being kind to me now, but that’s only because of the baby. That’s why you’re trying to get married, too.”

Yoon-jae smiled faintly, her expression on the verge of tears.

“I told you not to show me pity or sympathy. I said it was meaningless. I’ll return those words to you. I don’t want excuses like pity, sympathy, or being forced to decide because of the baby.”

She left the box with the ring on the table and stood up.

“I’ll head in first. Let me know if you change your mind. For now, I have no choice but to stay, but after the baby is born, I’ll move somewhere else. Please bear with me until then. I’ll talk to Butler Song tomorrow about switching rooms.”