Chapter 4.6

He came and went as he pleased, informing her of his plans on a whim. He would disappear into the night and even stay out without explanation.

These days, even soldiers had phones. The thought of not having one felt grossly unfair.

“Sol-ah.”

Before she knew it, he had unbuttoned all but one button of his dress shirt and turned to face her. The sight of his well-defined muscles beneath the open shirt rendered her speechless.

“Don’t push it. No phone. At least, not for now.”

Though his tone resembled that of a parent disciplining a child, the desire in his eyes betrayed a completely different intent.

His dark pupils seemed to suppress a seething lust, as if it would erupt the moment he undid the final button of his shirt.

A sense of danger washed over her. She had only provoked him because he had mentioned being busy enough to leave again after dinner. Perhaps it had been a miscalculation after all.

Eun-sol, feeling like a boxer realizing the stark difference in weight class, slowly retreated from the sofa toward the mini refrigerator.

She swallowed her breath and deliberated. This man, who might leave again without notice, couldn’t be allowed to walk away without any resolution. She opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. The sound of the cap twisting off masked her trembling breaths.

“Then, how about something else?”

Her tone was more cautious than before.

“Something else? Like what?”

He asked. At least he was listening to her now. This gave her a bit more confidence to speak.

“I’d like my own bed. That has nothing to do with personal matters, does it?”

If she couldn’t get the pheasant, she’d at least settle for the chicken. She didn’t want this to end as a complete loss. Even if, to him, it wasn’t a fight at all but rather her solitary struggle.

“A bed?”

“Yes. I’m not used to the big bed, and I can’t adapt to it. Besides, at the seaside mansion, we used separate beds anyway.”

She added this in an even gentler tone than before.

“Something like a queen-size bed, no, a super single-size bed would be enough.”

“Are you sure that’s all you want?”

He asked, and Eun-sol nodded emphatically.

“I’ll instruct Housekeeper Woo to arrange it.”

By the time he said this, he had already taken off his dress shirt and was reaching for his belt buckle. Eun-sol quickly turned her back to him and said,

“…Thank you.”

Soon, the sound of the bathroom door closing echoed.

“Whew.”

Eun-sol let out a long sigh. She was bewildered at how smoothly things had gone, without much trouble.

***

At that moment, Chief Cheon and Secretary Kang, who had followed Jeong-hyeok to the mansion to assist him, were taking a walk in the backyard.

“There’s no time to rest. I wonder what time today’s work will end.”

In the backyard, tulips that were just beginning to bud could be seen.

“It’s so ironic that the mansion of the CEO, who hates tulips, is named ‘Tulip.’”

Secretary Kang remarked.

“That’s because it wasn’t named by CEO Kwon Jeong-hyeok, but by his father, Chairman Kwon Gi-jo.”

Secretary Kang widened his eyes as if he had figured something out.

“Oh, then maybe I understand why the CEO hates flowers. If his relationship with the Chairman is bad, he might hate the flowers his father liked as well.”

Chairman Kwon Gi-jo, the owner of Sowon Finance, seemed to have a deep attachment to tulips, as even the logo of Sowon Finance was designed in the shape of a tulip.

“Well, who knows?”

Chief Cheon had thought similarly to Secretary Kang. However, the mansion now belonged to Kwon Jeong-hyeok, not Chairman Kwon Gi-jo.

If there were complaints from the residents about the mansion’s name, it could easily be changed. The flower garden could also be removed without much effort.

‘The mansion’s name, which he insists on keeping, and the tulips that still bloom and wither here…?’

If his relationship with his father had been good, it could be said that he wanted to preserve his father’s wishes.

“It just doesn’t add up.”

Chief Cheon tilted his head, puzzled, but soon brushed off the thought.

“A crow can’t understand the will of a stork. Let’s go in. We need to eat before the CEO finishes his meal.”

***

The next day at lunch.

Eun-sol looked out the window. Outside, there was a commotion. Furniture store employees were unloading a bed mattress from a truck parked in front of the mansion.

‘The bed really arrived. And so quickly, too.’

Although he had agreed when she mentioned wanting a bed, his response had felt so indifferent that she had been skeptical.

Soon, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and Housekeeper Woo entered.

“Madam, where should we place the bed?”

The bedroom was spacious, with plenty of empty space. However, each piece of furniture had its designated place, so choosing a spot wasn’t easy.

“Please place it over here.”

Eun-sol pointed to the spot farthest from the large bed he used.

The furniture store employees skillfully set up the bed frame and placed the mattress on top.

Even though it was just one additional small bed, the atmosphere of the bedroom changed significantly.

‘This isn’t bad.’

She hadn’t gotten the phone she wanted, but having her own bed was still a gain.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Eun-sol greeted them kindly.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. But we’re not done yet.”

The salesman, who looked to be in his early forties, smiled warmly.

“Oh, is there more to do?”

“Yes. Now, which bed are we supposed to take away? Ah, it must be that one.”

“Pardon?”

Out of the blue, the workers moved to remove the large bed that had been there.

The workers walked toward the large bed.

“Alright, you grab each corner, and I’ll lift here. On the count of three—one, two, three!”

The workers moved with perfect coordination.

Eun-sol, who was flustered, quickly approached them to stop them.

“Are you saying you’re taking this bed? I think there’s been a mistake.”

One of the employees, who appeared to be the team leader, pulled out a notebook from his pocket and rechecked the work instructions.

“That’s correct. It says here to bring in a small bed and remove the existing large bed.”

“What? That can’t be right. Are you confusing this with another house? I only ordered an additional bed.”

There was clearly some kind of misunderstanding.

“It’s unlikely. Please contact the headquarters to confirm.”

“This is definitely the right place. Unlike an apartment with multiple unit numbers, there’s no chance of getting the address wrong here.”

“Please check anyway.”

To confirm, the manager called the headquarters and kindly explained.

“Yes, the request was to bring in a small bed and remove the existing large bed. That’s what the order stated. We even received a generous payment for the removal fee, including tips for our staff.”

Since they’d even received tips, it seemed unlikely that the mistake was on their part.

Eun-sol alternated her gaze between the two beds.

‘I asked for a small bed because sharing the large bed with Kwon Jeong-hyeok was awkward and uncomfortable, but now they’re saying they’ll remove the large bed and leave the small one?’

She was dumbfounded.

‘Then where is Kwon Jeong-hyeok supposed to sleep?!’

Her eyes widened in shock as they fixed on the newly delivered super single-sized bed.

‘Don’t tell me he plans to sleep here with me?’

The new bed was just big enough for one adult to lie down on. For a man with a large build, it would likely feel cramped.

Her head spun. It seemed she had fallen into his trap.

Even Housekeeper Woo who usually stayed by her side until the workers left, had suspiciously disappeared midway. Thinking back, it was strange.

She had assumed she was simply busy, but it seemed she had been instructed to leave.

‘No wonder he so easily agreed to order the additional bed!’

There was no way the sharp-minded Kwon Jeong-hyeok hadn’t understood her intentions. This was deliberate mischief, thoroughly planned.

What she had thought was a successful negotiation turned out to be a complete miscalculation. In simple terms, she hadn’t even broken even.

‘To think I have to share that tiny bed with Kwon Jeong-hyeok.’

Her temples throbbed. That was absolutely out of the question.

‘Even if I have to remove the small bed I brought in, I must protect the large bed.’

The strong furniture store employees were already lifting the mattress of the large bed and preparing to carry it out of the bedroom.

“W-Wait! I’m sorry, but could you please put that down? I need to confirm this directly with my husband.”

“Pardon? Oh, yes, of course…”

“And could I borrow your phone as well? I don’t have a phone with me.”

Reluctantly, one of the furniture store employees handed over his phone, clearly annoyed by the continued interruptions to their work.

“Thank you.”

At this moment, Eun-sol felt particularly miserable about her situation—being without a phone seemed to emphasize her helplessness.

Nevertheless, she calmly dialed Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s number. After last week’s runaway incident, she had memorized his phone number without fail.

As the dial tone echoed through the speaker, her breathing grew hotter and more agitated.