Chapter 3.4

“Welcome, CEO. Madam.”

A woman dressed in a tailored pantsuit with a short bob haircut greeted them. Not only was her speech polished, but her attire was also immaculate and elegant.

“Madam, it’s been a while since we last met. Please call me Housekeeper Woo.”

The young housekeeper, Woo, was quite different from the more easygoing Mrs. Boryeong, and her presence felt a bit stifling.

Housekeeper Woo quickly turned her attention to Jeong-hyeok and said, 

“CEO, Executive Vice President Tae is waiting for you in the parlor.”

Jeong-hyeok glanced at his wristwatch and nodded.

“Sol-ah, get some rest. Since we’re in Seoul, we’ll stay here for a few days. Chief Cheon, you can head home.”

He disappeared into the house first, seemingly to meet this Executive Vice President Tae.

‘If it’s company business, shouldn’t Chief Cheon be accompanying him?’

But Chief Cheon naturally left for the day.

It felt a little strange, but perhaps it was for the better. It was certainly preferable to awkwardly entering the bedroom with him.

Eun-sol looked around the house as she followed Housekeeper Woo inside.

“Did I live here before?”

It was a silly question, but without any memory, she had no choice but to ask.

“For a very short time. After your honeymoon, you were in a car accident not long after returning. You spent most of your time in the hospital, and after being discharged, you went down to the seaside mansion to recuperate.”

Housekeeper Woo explained in detail.

“You visited often even before the wedding and sometimes stayed here overnight. So, this house shouldn’t feel completely unfamiliar.”

“Before the wedding?”

It was a little—no, very—unexpected. Staying over at a lover’s house wasn’t strange, but considering her current awkward relationship with Kwon Jeong-hyeok, it was hard to imagine.

“Since you don’t remember, let me give you a tour of the house.”

Following Housekeeper Woo’s guidance, Eun-sol toured the house.

“This is the dining room. Over here is the space where the CEO works out.”

The dining room and the room with exercise equipment weren’t much different from the seaside mansion.

“Oh, and that room over there is the study. It also serves as the CEO’s home office when he works remotely.”

Housekeeper Woo pointed to a room in the distance with her fingertips.

“He sometimes uses it for work-related meetings. These days, it’s not used as much, but during the pandemic, it was frequently utilized. Right now, he’s in a meeting with Executive Vice President Tae, so let’s pass by quietly.”

Housekeeper Woo lowered her voice as she spoke.

Eun-sol also softened her footsteps. Having a work meeting immediately after arriving in Seoul late at night—it was just like the workaholic Kwon Jeong-hyeok.

“Huh?”

As Eun-sol walked softly, her steps gradually slowed.

While passing by his study, she heard a woman’s voice. It was undoubtedly the voice of a young woman, friendly and coquettish.

A woman’s voice coming from his study—it didn’t make her feel good.

‘So, Executive Vice President Tae isn’t a man but a woman.’

Assuming that an “Executive Vice President” would naturally be a middle-aged man had been an outdated prejudice on her part.

“Oh, Executive Vice President Tae is the second granddaughter of the Taepyeong Group. They’ve known each other for a long time, so they’re not particularly bound by time constraints. I believe she’s here to discuss the agreement regarding the integrated resort town to be established in Seoan County.”

And to top it off, she was a chaebol granddaughter.

‘In short, they have a personal relationship in addition to their professional one….’

That made her feel even worse.

“Since CEO Kwon spends most of his time in Seoan County, it seems there aren’t many opportunities for face-to-face meetings.”

Housekeeper Woo added this, as if to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to explain further.”

She didn’t care to know what kind of urgent matter Kwon Jeong-hyeok and the second granddaughter of the Taepyeong Group had to discuss at 9 p.m.

“Where’s the bedroom? I’m tired and want to rest.”

She followed Housekeeper Woo’s guidance to the bedroom.

“If you feel hungry, shall I prepare a light snack for you? We have porridge, salad, and sandwiches.”

Unlike Mrs. Boryeong, Housekeeper Woo was quick to read the room. She seemed meticulous, as if there wasn’t a single gap in her work.

That fact wasn’t entirely welcome.

‘But now, there’s no reason to sneak away from the staff and run away, so it doesn’t matter.’

“Then, a sandwich, please… Oh! No, it’s fine. I’ll just sleep. Thank you.”

“Understood. Please rest well.”

Housekeeper Woo politely withdrew and closed the door behind her.

Growl—

Left alone in the bedroom, her stomach growled louder. She hadn’t eaten properly all day.

A sandwich sounded appealing, but her appetite disappeared the moment she saw the single bed in the room.

‘Unlike the seaside house, there’s only one bed here.’

Of course, the bed was enormous—about the size of two queen-sized mattresses put together.

But no matter how big the bed was, it was still one bed.

For the first time tonight—or to be precise, not the first time ever—she might end up sleeping in the same bed as Kwon Jeong-hyeok!

Although she couldn’t recall seeing his bare body, just thinking about the rugged physique beneath his robe made her heart start pounding in an erratic rhythm.

‘Should I quickly shower and pretend to fall asleep first?’

It was a method she had used often before. Based on experience, it was the safest option.

Her urgency grew. She rushed into the bathroom and showered quickly. She even remembered the nurse’s advice to be careful with her knee injury, but she washed in a hurry and stepped out.

She lay down on the bed. The soft mattress and the crisp sheets were enough to create a sense of comfort.

But the moment she remembered that this was Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s bed, that feeling vanished completely. As uncomfortable as it was, she thought it might be better to sleep on the floor.

‘But doing that would only provoke Kwon Jeong-hyeok further.’

She closed her eyes. Various thoughts swirled in her mind, only to be abruptly interrupted before they could string together.

Perhaps it was because too much had happened today. Her dimming vision eventually faded into complete darkness.

…Much time had passed.

Eun-sol opened her eyes. While she didn’t feel entirely refreshed, it seemed she had slept enough to shake off some of her fatigue.

As she gathered her hazy thoughts, her senses suddenly snapped back to full awareness.

‘That’s right, there was only one bed here…!’

She carefully turned her body to check for any sign of movement beside her. The space next to her was empty.

‘Ah, he’s not here.’

The relief of not finding him beside her was short-lived. Her gaze soon shifted to the digital clock blinking faintly in the darkness.

11:36 PM

Even after rubbing her eyes and looking again, the clock was nearing midnight.

‘Is he still in that meeting with that Executive Vice President Tae or whoever she is?’

For some reason, an inexplicable sense of discomfort weighed on her. It didn’t seem like she’d be able to fall asleep again.

She opened the large window and stepped onto the terrace. She thought the cool night breeze might help cool the inexplicable heat rising in her chest.

But the moment she stepped onto the terrace, she noticed a dark silhouette.

At first, she thought she might have mistaken it for a tree or something similar, but it was unmistakably the figure of a person.

‘Could it be Kwon Jeong-hyeok?’

However, the shadow wasn’t as broad-shouldered as Kwon Jeong-hyeok. The figure was tall, but with a hood pulled over their head, it was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman.

“Who… who’s there?”

As soon as she spoke, the shadow darted away.

‘When I came in earlier, the security seemed so tight that no one should have been able to get in.’

For some reason, being alone suddenly felt terrifying.

Meanwhile, the digital clock finally ticked past midnight.

‘What on earth is he doing, staying out past midnight…?’

Eun-sol left the bedroom. Even as she stepped out, she found the situation absurd.

‘Seriously. I can’t believe there’s a day where I’d go looking for Kwon Jeong-hyeok of my own will.’

Regardless, the fact that her husband was spending such a late hour with another woman bothered her.

The mansion was dimly lit. Most of the lights had been turned off due to the late hour. Thanks to the small lights mounted on the hallway walls, it wasn’t dark enough to trip over her own feet.

‘If I follow the hallway to the right from the bedroom, I’ll reach the study.’

She retraced her memory and headed toward the study. However, before she could reach it, she realized someone was in the dining room.

Light spilled out from the open door of the dining room. There was also the sound of movement. It didn’t seem likely that Housekeeper Woo would be making noise at such a late hour.

‘It seems like it’s Jeong-hyeok…’

He might have sent Executive Vice President Tae, or whoever she was, on her way and was now having a drink alone.

The thought made her hesitate.

‘Should I just go back to the bedroom?’

There was no need to stick her face in there and create an uncomfortable and awkward situation for herself.

At that moment, a pungent scent pricked her nose. There was a smell in the hallway, something like perfume. For a moment, she thought it might be an indoor air freshener, but it wasn’t a scent she had noticed when she and Housekeeper. Woo had passed through this hallway earlier.

Moreover, it was unmistakably a luxurious women’s perfume. The kind of scent you’d associate with wealthy women from the upper class.

Her stomach churned.