Chapter 3.5

She had often wondered why she was so sensitive to artificial scents despite not being pregnant, but now she thought she might understand.

Perhaps it wasn’t artificial scents she disliked, but rather wealthy women themselves.

Considering her job, where she had endured countless instances of mistreatment from affluent customers at luxury stores, it seemed like a reasonable deduction.

‘In any case, this must be the perfume of that Executive Vice President Tae, right? So, is he with her? At this hour?!’

A small ember quietly burned through her chest.

She muffled her footsteps as she approached the dining room. Her intention was merely to observe the situation from a distance, like peeking in.

The closer she got to the dining room, the stronger the perfume became, making her stomach churn even more. She tried holding her breath, but it was no use.

In the end, she couldn’t suppress it any longer and let out a dry heave. She quickly covered her mouth.

“Haha. Jeong-hyeok, you remembered all of that?”

At that moment, a woman’s voice from the dining room covered the sound of her retching.

The coquettish voice unmistakably belonged to Executive Vice President Tae.

‘But… did she just call him “Jeong-hyeok”? Are the two of them close enough to call each other by name and speak informally?’

Though the nauseating perfume urged her to leave the area, her feet moved further forward.

Still, she had no intention of barging into the dining room. She simply planned to hide herself appropriately against the wall near the door and figure out what kind of relationship the two had.

Standing silently next to the open door, she held her breath. Shrouded in dim shadows, she only exhaled faintly and focused on listening.

Clink.

The sound of glasses clinking came from inside the dining room, followed by Executive Vice President Tae’s voice once again.

“I hesitated because it was so late, but I’m glad I came today. I was just about to head down to Seoan County anyway. We need to finalize the selection of businesses for the resort, don’t we?”

Her voice, as confident as one would expect from the granddaughter of a wealthy conglomerate family, carried an unshakable self-assurance. That boldness was evident in her tone.

For a moment, a question surged up like a dry heave.

‘But why am I here, eavesdropping on their conversation?’

It was excessive behavior to chalk up to mere curiosity. She thought about it for a moment but couldn’t find a reason to justify her actions—unless it was jealousy.

‘Jealousy? Seriously…!’

What a laughable notion. Even a passing dog would scoff at the idea.

‘Let’s just go to bed.’

She was about to turn and leave when—

“Sol-ah.”

“…!”

The voice that came from the dining room lightly snagged her like an invisible thread around her ankle.

Apparently, despite Executive Vice President Tae’s laughter masking it, he had somehow heard the faint sound of her dry heaving.

‘Ugh, seriously!’

It was chilling. When it came to Kwon Jeong-hyeok, chills were now an inseparable part of the equation.

No, she wasn’t even sure what was more unnerving.

Was it his hearing, sharp enough to catch even the faintest sound of dry heaving?

Or was it his voice, so clear that it felt as though it had been whispered directly into her ear, even from a distance?

She was reminded of his confession from some time ago.

“Even in the darkest of nights, I can recognize you. Your scent, your breathing, even the sound of your footsteps—I know them all.”  

Had his words, which felt more like a threat than a confession, not been an exaggeration but the truth?

Eun-sol stiffly turned her body and stepped out of the shadows. Since he had already caught her presence, pretending she hadn’t been there would only make her look foolish.

Hesitantly, she moved her legs and stood in front of the dining room entrance. The light spilling out from the doorway stung her eyes slightly.

It was only a single step, but that step took her out of the shadows and placed her in the center of the glowing light.

At that moment, she felt like the lead actress standing under a spotlight on stage.

It was a strange feeling.

Kwon Jeong-hyeok was always shrouded in darkness, and most of the time, the path leading to him grew darker with every step she took.

It was the first time the path toward him was bright.

“Oh my, Eun-sol?!”

Before she could even step into the dining room, the woman known as Executive Vice President Tae greeted her with an exaggerated welcome.

“Eun-sol, how long have you been here? I heard about the car accident, and you have no idea how worried I was. Seeing you looking so healthy now makes me so relieved!”

Executive Vice President Tae’s warm reception felt burdensome. Although she had no memory of it, Eun-sol was certain she hadn’t been close with a woman wearing such overwhelming perfume.

Moreover, Executive Vice President Tae was part of the Taepyeong Group, which meant she was part of the royal family of a conglomerate that would have been a “superior among superiors” to Eun-sol, who had once worked at Taepyeong Department Store.

“…Just now. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d have a warm cup of tea.”

The scent of Executive Vice President Tae’s perfume still churned her stomach, but she answered firmly.

“You came at the perfect time. Let’s have a drink together.”

Suddenly, Executive Vice President Tae grabbed her wrist. Despite her welcoming expression, her white hand felt cold.

“We were having whiskey with melon prosciutto. You like it too, don’t you? If it doesn’t suit your taste, should I have them prepare some simple canapés?”

Pulled along by Executive Vice President Tae, Eun-sol entered the dining room. Somehow, it felt as though the lady of the house had changed.

Inside the dining room, he was seated. Even though she already knew he was there, she flinched for no reason.

He locked eyes with her and mocked her in a low voice.

“You couldn’t sleep? I thought our Sol-ah was someone who’d get into serious trouble if she didn’t go to bed by 9 p.m., since you always turn off the lights at that time.”

As expected, he seemed to know everything. Even her attempts to avoid him by pretending to sleep.

But she wasn’t flustered. By now, things like this didn’t even count as surprises.

“I went to bed early, but I woke up.”

She answered calmly while observing his appearance. Aside from the fact that he wasn’t wearing a tie—likely because he had used it earlier to bandage her knee—he was just as impeccably put together as before.

He poured himself a drink with a quiet trickle.

Executive Vice President Tae quickly reached for the bottle to refill his empty glass, but with a simple gesture, he dismissed her.

Executive Vice President Tae lightly rubbed her embarrassed fingers and then sat down as if nothing had happened, wearing a smile.

He picked up his glass. The veins on the back of his masculine hand protruded in a strangely alluring way.

Her gaze kept being drawn to it. It seemed Executive Vice President Tae felt the same way, as her once ceaseless chatter came to a halt, and her eyes fixated on the back of his hand.

“What are you doing, standing there instead of sitting?”

He nodded toward the chair and even pulled out the seat next to him himself.

“Yes, hurry and sit down, Eun-sol.” 

Executive Vice President Tae said, her lips curling into a wide smile.

“Oh, insomnia isn’t good if it lasts long. How about some reishi tea? It’s good for calming the nerves too. I have some top-quality reishi mushrooms directly sourced from a reishi farm. Should I bring you some next time?”

Executive Vice President Tae, who was feigning concern for Eun-sol, was named Tae Mari.

Tae Mari was smiling now, but it wasn’t a genuine smile. Her chest stung as if pricked by a chestnut burr.

The way Kwon Jeong-hyeok looked at Kim Eun-sol. His unwavering, sharp gaze carried a faint warmth. That warmth had appeared the very moment Kim Eun-sol entered the room.

‘I didn’t want to know this much.’

But the radar she had long aimed at Kwon Jeong-hyeok caught every detail without missing a thing.

‘Why on earth did I come rushing to his mansion at this late hour, just to see this?’

Even though she knew, she had come because she wanted to see him. Ever since he had gone down to Seoan County in Chungcheongnam-do, it had been difficult to see his face.

When he was nearby, she could create chance encounters, make up plausible work excuses, and even have meals together. But things were different when he was out in the provinces.

Just seeing his face made her happy. Thinking about how she had foolishly gotten excited when he suggested she stay for a drink made her stomach churn again.

Still, if it were a heart she could let go of, she would have done so long ago.

“Reishi tea? I really appreciate the thought, but I’m fine. I can’t drink anything bitter.” 

Kim Eun-sol politely declined the offer.

“Bitter? You must have only tried cheap ones before. The real thing has such a delicate and nutty flavor. If that’s the case, you can add honey to it.”

Not that she had any intention of actually giving it to her. If Eun-sol asked for it, Tae Mari planned to use that as an excuse to visit again when Jeong-hyeok was home.

“Really, I’m fine. By the way, what’s your name, Vice President Tae? As you might know, I’ve lost some of my memories, so I’m not sure how to address you…”

“My name?”

Tae Mari gripped her glass tightly. Kim Eun-sol claimed to have lost her memory, but it seemed she had also lost her sense of propriety.

‘Does she think she can just call me by my name?’

This was the same woman who, at one time, couldn’t even look her in the eye—a mere department store employee.

“Oh. My name is Mari. Tae Mari.”

Mari answered with a smile as she raised her glass.

“Yes.”

Kim Eun-sol replied briefly, lowering her eyelashes. No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

‘What on earth does Jeong-hyeok see in that woman? She’s not particularly charming.’

Sure, Kim Eun-sol was pretty, but women as beautiful as her were a dime a dozen around Kwon Jeong-hyeok.

‘No, it’s not just about charm. Her background is the problem.’

At least Cinderella had noble blood. Even Cinderella’s father wasn’t a criminal.

But Kim Eun-sol’s father was a criminal. Not just any criminal—but a kidnapper at that.

‘Not just a kidnapper, but…!’

Though Kwon Jeong-hyeok was often inscrutable, even for someone like Mari, who had known him for a long time, the fact that he had chosen the daughter of a kidnapper as his partner was truly shocking.

‘No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. There are so many women in Korea!’

Even if she couldn’t become Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s wife, Kim Eun-sol was absolutely not a suitable choice.