Chapter 8.3

Jeong-hyeok’s heart unknowingly grew hot. The confession he overheard was something he could never have imagined.

He was already satisfied with how decisively Eun-sol had cut off Chu Seo-jin. That alone was enough….

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m a married woman, and I love my husband.”

His entire soul shuddered. Her voice, which shook the stillness of the night air, etched itself into his ears over and over again. It was a confession too precious to be given to his twisted, gloomy love.

“I just came out because I wanted to say this.”

Eun-sol ended her conversation with Chu Seo-jin.

Jeong-hyeok turned away. There was no longer any reason for him to linger here, spying on them. Instead, he felt ashamed of himself for doing such a thing.

His actions to uncover Chu Seo-jin’s intentions were, in the end, because of Eun-sol. What kind of trap would Chu Seo-jin set for her? That’s why he had deliberately fallen into Chu Seo-jin’s snare, but Eun-sol hadn’t fallen for it at all.

He calmly returned to the bedroom and sat in the chair at the desk where he had been sitting just moments ago. His breathing was erratic, almost maddening. He had only taken a few steps, yet he felt this way.

He opened the laptop screen he had shut earlier. Not because he thought he could work, but because if he didn’t do something, he felt he wouldn’t be able to handle this unfamiliar sense of fulfillment.

He opened any random report and began reading.

Whether it was due to the heat from the laptop or the fact that summer was fast approaching, his face kept growing warmer.

* * *

“W-wait, Ms. Eun-sol!”

Staggering as if he had been struck by a surprise attack, Chu Seo-jin followed after Eun-sol, who was heading back into the mansion.

Though the fence prevented him from getting any closer, he could still follow her along the fence line.

“I understand what you’re saying, Ms. Eun-sol. But after hearing this, can you still continue to love Kwon Jeong-hyeok?”

Chu Seo-jin’s lowering voice grew sinister.

“…What exactly are you trying to say?”

Eun-sol asked, her voice growing slightly sharper.

She thought Chu Seo-jin would have understood by now, but his persistence was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

Kwon Jeong-hyeok was equally persistent, and there had been times when she felt fear because of him, but this was different.

Eun-sol quickened her pace instead. Chu Seo-jin also sped up to follow her and spoke.

“What if your father-in-law is actually your biological father? Do you think you could still love Kwon Jeong-hyeok?”

Her steps came to an abrupt halt. It was utter nonsense. It seemed as though Chu Seo-jin had been watching too many melodramas.

“Just because you have a mouth, does that mean you can say whatever you want?”

Although it wasn’t worth responding to, the absurdity and insult of his words made her blood boil.

“It’s not just random talk. It’s based on something.”

“Based on what, exactly?”

“Chairman Kwon Gi-jo has changed his will. He’s decided to leave his entire fortune to you, Ms. Eun-sol. This means Sowon Financial will be yours.”

“What?”

It was baffling. A completely out-of-the-blue story. She had never even met her father-in-law, Chairman Kwon Gi-jo. And now he was supposedly leaving his entire fortune to her?

“On one condition: you must divorce Kwon Jeong-hyeok.”

“What?”

The words grew even more absurd. But she thought she might understand.

“Perhaps he doesn’t like me as his daughter-in-law, so he’s trying to get rid of me.”

She had heard that Chairman Kwon Gi-jo was strongly opposed to their marriage. He even refused to attend the wedding, and the father and son were said to have almost completely cut ties. So, it seemed plausible that he disliked the daughter-in-law who had taken his son away and wanted to separate them.

“Would a man like Chairman Kwon, with all his wealth and power, really feel the need to give away his entire fortune just to deal with one daughter-in-law? It wouldn’t be that difficult for him to handle someone like you.”

There was some logic in that statement.

“So, what you’re trying to say, Mr. Chu Seo-jin, is that my husband and I are biological siblings?”

That particular theory, however, was far too ridiculous.

“You may not be biological siblings.”

“What?”

“Even if you are Chairman Kwon Gi-jo’s biological child, Ms. Eun-sol, Kwon Jeong-hyeok might not be. There’s been a long-standing rumor in the business world that Kwon Jeong-hyeok isn’t Chairman Kwon Gi-jo’s biological son.”

“Ha…!”

Eun-sol let out a sigh of disbelief. Chu Seo-jin’s imagination was truly running wild.

In any case, according to Chu Seo-jin’s words, she and Kwon Jeong-hyeok should never have been married….

“Seriously, you’re insane. You should check yourself into a mental hospital.”

As Eun-sol was about to re-enter the house, Chu Seo-jin spoke urgently.

“There’s a way to confirm this for sure. I have Chairman Kwon Gi-jo’s toothbrush. If you give me just one strand of your hair, we can do a DNA test right away.”

Eun-sol became even more furious.

“So, in the end, you haven’t even done the test yet?! You’re telling me that you made such reckless statements based purely on speculation without any solid evidence?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…!”

Eun-sol stepped inside the mansion and locked the door.

The thought that her husband and she might be siblings… It was the nonsensical rambling of a madman, but it felt as though she had been cursed with the worst insult she could ever hear in her lifetime. Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

‘I shouldn’t have entertained Tae Mari’s antics in the first place.’

Chu Seo-jin and Tae Mari were not trustworthy individuals. This was likely a scheme concocted by the jealousy-blinded Tae Mari and Chu Seo-jin to drive a wedge between her and her husband.

She hadn’t actually seen Chairman Kwon Gi-jo’s will, and even if it had been written as such, wills could always be changed.

Above all, she didn’t want any more chaos. She didn’t want to doubt her husband anymore. She already knew from experience how painful that could be.

She resolved not to let her heart waver over uncertain matters anymore.

Eun-sol threw off the cardigan she was wearing and headed to the powder room.

She looked into the mirror above the sink. A pale-faced woman stared back at her from inside the mirror.

Even though it wasn’t cold outside, and even though she had been wearing a thick cardigan, her lips were as blue as if she had just returned from walking outside in the dead of winter.

“Haa…”

She had said what needed to be said to Chu Seo-jin, but her startled heart wouldn’t calm down so easily.

She opened the cabinet above the sink. She wanted to find a box of medical supplies to get some disinfectant cotton, but it wasn’t there.

In its absence, she turned on the cold water. Though there was no disinfectant cotton, she lathered her hands with soap, washed them thoroughly, then washed her face, and finally tried to cleanse her ears, as if to rid herself of the words she couldn’t bear to hear.

“What are you doing here?”

At the sound of the low, sticky voice, Eun-sol raised her head. He was reflected in the mirror, standing behind her, though she didn’t know when he had arrived.

“…Jeong-hyeok? Weren’t you asleep?”

She had thought he would sleep for at least another hour or two because of the sleeping pills.

“I’m done sleeping.”

The man in the mirror answered her. His red lips, which seemed to burn vividly for some reason, carried a different mood than before.

“…Already?”  

“Yeah. Should I have slept longer?”  

He asked while lightly rubbing the corners of his eyes, his gesture resembling that of a child waking up from a nap and fearing a scolding.  

‘A child? A scolding? Those are words that don’t suit Kwon Jeong-hyeok at all.’  

Yet, strangely enough, they suited him perfectly today.  

“Well, since you’re already awake, why don’t you rest a little longer?”  

The man in the mirror approached her. His stride, as always, was unwavering and direct.  

Thinking back, there had been times when she found that bold walk intimidating, but even in those moments, she had never disliked it. After meeting Chu Seo-jin earlier, the difference felt even more pronounced.  

“Sol-ah.”  

His body pressed gently against her back. Being enveloped by his large frame brought a sense of comfort. It felt as though she were a snowman melting under the warmth of spring sunlight.  

“I’ve slept enough.”  

His low breath brushed against her ear. His voice sounded genuinely refreshed.  

“I even had a good dream.”  

The ear she hadn’t completely washed seemed to be cleansed by his breath.  

“A good dream? What kind of dream?”  

“A dream where you confessed to me.”  

Eun-sol let out a faint laugh. It was an absurd remark.  

“You’re a bit too old to have such innocent dreams, don’t you think?”  

So, she responded with an equally absurd remark. It wasn’t the kind of conversation she usually engaged in.  

“Is there an age limit for dreams? Reality is harsh, so I figured I’d at least dream about it.”  

He replied with another absurd remark.  

The lighter their conversation became, the more her heavy heart felt like it was floating. It was as if they were exchanging drinks, one by one, and becoming intoxicated.  

‘Ah, right. Pills…!’  

Perhaps the reason his mood felt different was the lingering effect of the sleeping pills.  

“What were you doing while I was dreaming?”