Chapter 3.6

At that moment, Kwon Jeong-hyeok pressed the call button and gave instructions to Housekeeper Woo.

“Housekeeper Woo, bring a cup of chamomile tea.”

‘He personally pulls out her chair and even orders tea for her? For someone like her?’

Mari knew that such small acts of kindness weren’t extended to just anyone.

Even if she had become Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s wife through the marriage arranged by their grandfathers, such gestures of kindness would have been hard to expect.

Yet, Kim Eun-sol, unable to hide her discomfort, was awkwardly accepting his kindness.

‘How dare someone like her!’

Tae Mari’s vision boiled with fury—not at Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s kindness, but at Kim Eun-sol’s response to it.

At the same time, she felt miserable. When she pieced everything together, the conclusion was clear: she had effectively lost Kwon Jeong-hyeok to a woman as unremarkable as her.

“It occurs to me that this is the first time that you have asked for my name,  Eun-sol. In the past, you just called me Executive Vice President Tae.”

Mari bit the inside of her lip but managed to produce a sweet tone of voice.

“By the way, when was it that we first met? Was it at the new employee training session for Taepyeong Department Store? Or was it when you came to serve me in the VIP personal shopper room?”

She raised her glass and asked again.

“Oh, but I guess you wouldn’t remember anyway, Eun-sol. Since you said you’ve lost your memory.”

Where they first met didn’t matter. Her intent was to remind Kim Eun-sol of her place. The problem was that in trying to put her in her place, she ended up feeling more upset herself.

No matter how she spun it, the conclusion was always the same—she had lost to a woman who wasn’t even worth the dirt under her fingernails.

Tae Mari drained her glass, leaving not a single drop behind. The liquor, which had tasted sweet before Kim Eun-sol arrived, now tasted bitter.

“Mari.”

Cough!

She almost choked on the bitter drink she was swallowing, startled by Kim Eun-sol.

“Tae Mari… What a pretty name. Shall I pour you another glass, Mari?”

More precisely, it was because of the way she was addressed as “Mari.”

‘Did she just dare to casually call me by my name?’

To hide her trembling lips, Tae Mari had to laugh artificially, letting out a deliberate “Hoho.”

She was taken aback. Kim Eun-sol had never addressed her that way before.

‘And I had just pointed out that she used to call me Executive Vice President Tae.’

Still, it was awkward to outright object to being called “Mari.” After all, Kim Eun-sol was no longer a mere employee at Taepyeong Department Store; she was now the lady of Sowon Construction.

“And I think this should be your last drink. Alcohol isn’t good for your health. Besides, it’s getting too late.”

Watching Eun-sol calmly wrap up the atmosphere, Mari finally realized something. Kim Eun-sol was no longer the timid and meek person she had been before losing her memory.

She was utterly different now.

‘What the hell…!’

Feeling suffocated, Mari unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, which had been tight against her neck. Just undoing one button made her feel like she could breathe again.

‘Now that I think about it, she was in a serious car accident, but she actually looks healthier than before. Her voice and smile are so clear and confident.’

The more she observed, the more it felt similar yet different.

‘What is it? What exactly has changed about Kim Eun-sol’s aura?’

In any case, she couldn’t let Eun-sol take control of the conversation.

“Alright, Eun-sol. I should finish my last drink too. Shall we toast?”

“Oh, I’m not really a fan of alcohol.”

Kim Eun-sol once again rejected her, insolently.

Feeling stifled, Mari’s hand instinctively went to her blouse, and she unbuttoned another button.

Kim Eun-sol’s gaze froze on something. Soon, a distinct crack appeared in her expression.

‘Why? What on earth is she looking at?’

Tae Mari realized that Eun-sol’s rigid gaze was fixed on her chest. More precisely, on the medal necklace she was wearing.

***

From the beginning, Kim Eun-sol hadn’t anticipated being in such a drinking session with Kwon Jeong-hyeok and Tae Mari.

Still, she had taken the seat offered by Kwon Jeong-hyeok because she was curious about Tae Mari’s intentions.

‘At this late hour, as if coming all the way to the house for a business meeting wasn’t enough, now she’s drinking too?’

The breath trapped inside her lips grew a little warmer.

‘Why on earth would they be drinking together alone in a house where his wife is present?’

The conclusion came quickly.

Despite her smiles, Tae Mari’s sharp wariness and her eyes, busy stealing glances at Kwon Jeong-hyeok, said it all.

‘Tae Mari likes Kwon Jeong-hyeok.’

It was a woman’s intuition.

Objectively speaking, he was the kind of man anyone might fall for. Even if he was married, he was the sort of man who could make someone want to ignore such obstacles.

And that made her anger even more ambiguous.

‘How much must she look down on me to be so obvious about liking him, even in front of me?’

She had been mocked for not knowing the taste of reishi tea, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to react to such childish jealousy.

Still, she didn’t want to appear easy to her. That’s why she had deliberately called Executive Vice President Tae “Mari.”

She didn’t know how things had been in the past. Maybe she had to cower before this woman, who was part of the owner’s family. From what she heard, it seemed sadly likely.

But now, she doesn’t remember any of that miserable past at all. That’s why she could act more confidently.

‘Memory loss does have its perks.’

It had been a day filled with many new realizations.

Tae Mari’s fake smile, which crumpled as if she had been struck by the way she was addressed as “Mari,” was a sight to behold.

But that moment was fleeting. When Tae Mari unbuttoned her blouse, it felt like a boomerang had come back and hit her.

‘Why… why is that around Tae Mari’s neck?’

No matter how many times she looked, it was unmistakably the medal necklace. The medal necklace she had sold at the jewelry shop earlier that day.

Of course, the necklace she had retrieved from the jewelry shop owner had ended up back in Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s possession.

‘Could it be that he gave that necklace to Tae Mari?’

Her fingertips turned cold.

Even though it was a necklace she had intended to sell off, even though it was clearly the root cause of her being followed today, seeing the necklace that had been in her jewelry box now around another woman’s neck made her feel unpleasant.

“…You two can toast without me. I think I’ll head to bed.”

Kwon Jeong-hyeok didn’t stop her. That, too, oddly stung.

When she reached the bedroom at a brisk pace, the only sound in the quiet space was her labored breathing.

***

Jeong-hyeok checked his wristwatch. 10 minutes had passed since Eun-sol had left.

‘What’s with her mood swings today?’

She had peeked into the dining room and even sat down next to him.

He had barely managed to suppress his laughter when she so thoroughly crushed Tae Mari, but then, out of nowhere, she had stiffened and stormed off to the bedroom.

The empty seat next to him, where Eun-sol had been, felt strangely lonely. She had only been there for about 15 minutes….

Even so, he had no intention of foolishly running after her into the bedroom.

As he emptied his last glass, he noticed Tae Mari repeatedly fiddling with the necklace.

“Why are you wearing that medal necklace? It doesn’t even suit you.”

The medal necklace hadn’t been designed with aesthetics in mind. It wasn’t meant to be worn or to enhance one’s appearance; it was a keepsake.

For a young woman, it looked particularly clunky.

“What do you mean, why? It’s a symbol of the alliance between the Sowon and Taepyeong families. There are only two of these necklaces in the world.”

To Tae Mari, this necklace was like a couple’s necklace.

About 30 years ago, the grandfathers of both families, who had joined forces to strengthen their companies, had vowed to pass these necklaces down to their grandchildren as a symbol of their alliance. These necklaces were made as tokens of that promise, and discussions about marrying off their grandchildren had also taken place.

However, the marriage arrangement was merely a formal gesture to solidify the friendship and business ties between the two grandfathers. At the time, Tae Mari and Kwon Jeong-hyeok were only kindergarteners.

Yet, Tae Mari had never considered any man other than Kwon Jeong-hyeok as her future husband since childhood. As a child, she naturally assumed that he felt the same way.

Even though they attended the same middle school, Tae Mari never saw Kwon Jeong-hyeok interact with any other girl.

She thought this was his way of respecting her, his fiancée, even if it was just a formal engagement. But she later realized she was mistaken.

It wasn’t that Kwon Jeong-hyeok kept only her by his side; rather, his ominous aura made other girls too afraid to approach him.

“I’ve been wearing this necklace for years. Since high school, actually.”

“Since high school?”

Jeong-hyeok’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he had just learned something new.

“You seriously didn’t know?”

Tae Mari was shocked. She had been flaunting this necklace in front of him for over ten years.

“Anyway. Stop wearing it from now on.”

“Why?”

“It makes your neck look thicker. Like a middle-aged woman in her sixties.”

“What?! How can you say something so cruel to a woman?”

Jeong-hyeok rose from his seat.

“It’s not like this is the first time I’ve said something like that.”

He coolly echoed the phrase Tae Mari had used earlier, turning it back on her.

“Oh, and by the way, you’re not a woman to me.”

“…What?!”

Tae Mari’s lips opened and closed soundlessly. She could only watch as he walked away, his footsteps echoing behind him.

***

When Kwon Jeong-hyeok entered the bedroom, the scene was exactly as he had anticipated. Eun-sol was lying in bed, completely buried under the blanket.

“…Sol-ah.”

He called her name. Naturally, there was no response.

However, her chest rose and fell dramatically. At first, it was a small movement, then a larger one.

‘She’s really terrible at pretending to sleep.’

It had been over a month and a half since she started pulling this stunt, and it was amazing how little she had improved.

‘Actually, it might be more impressive that I keep falling for such a lousy act.’

He went straight into the bathroom inside the bedroom.

As he undressed, his firm, bare body was revealed, along with a large scar on his right side. It was a scar he had gotten when he was 18 years old.

The shower booth still held a faint trace of warmth. It was evidence of Eun-sol’s recent shower.

He let the tepid moisture wrap around his bare body, all the while sensing her lingering scent in the space.

When he imagined Eun-sol standing under the same showerhead, her pale, n*ked body exposed, his lower body immediately formed a commanding outline.

Actually, this had started earlier. The tension had begun back at the jewelry store.

Though he had scolded her, saying he didn’t indulge in bad habits in someone else’s business establishment, perhaps he would develop such a habit in the future.

In any case, it was as if he had a massive horseshoe magnet hanging between his legs—unbearably uncomfortable.

At this rate, tonight could be dangerous.