Chapter 2
They were on their way home.
Yoon-seo sat beside Seung-woo in the back seat, staring out the car window.
Being at home or in the car was the same shared space, yet somehow, the car felt more cramped, making the pressure around her more intense.
The scent she’d caught at the airport still lingered at the tip of her nose.
“You’re going to bounce out, huh.”
His voice suddenly rang in her ears. She shivered slightly at her shoulder and cast him a glance.
He was looking at her with a crooked, sharp gaze.
“Do you… have something to say?”
Seung-woo didn’t answer. He pressed a button, and her body leaned back. Her curled, tense shoulders naturally straightened.
Once again, a heavy silence settled inside the car.
“Didn’t cross your mind to contact me first?”
Seung-woo’s low voice broke the silence.
A reproach: why hadn’t she contacted him before coming to the airport after her mother called?
When she worked under him, she always consulted him first, always went through him. It seemed he still expected her to manage the responsibilities of a subordinate.
“I’m sorry.”
Yoon-seo lowered her head.
Seung-woo turned his face away without a word.
He slipped his hand into his suit pocket. Curious, Yoon-seo watched silently as a small box dropped lightly onto her lap.
“Martin said to give it to you.”
Yoon-seo opened the box. Inside, a diamond sparkled as if it had gathered all the light in the world. A necklace.
“From who?”
“Martin.”
Martin was the owner of the jewelry shop opening in the hotel and ran a global chain. He was close to Seung-woo, and naturally, Yoon-seo had met him a few times when she was Seung-woo’s secretary.
“Did he give it personally? I never imagined… that he’d think of me too.”
Yoon-seo spoke in surprise. Seung-woo looked at her with a displeased expression before letting out a light sigh.
“Don’t lose it. I don’t want to create unnecessary worries.”
“Yes, I understand.”
She answered politely and touched the diamond lightly with her fingers.
Martin personally visited the diamond mines to check the raw stones. Meticulous and thorough, he didn’t sell to just anyone.
Seung-woo, just beginning business dealings as hotel president, likely included her from a business perspective. Even so, Yoon-seo didn’t feel unhappy. It was the first jewelry she’d received since getting married.
She suddenly remembered that their wedding anniversary had just passed a few days ago.
Although it had been exactly one year, Seung-woo, on his business trip, hadn’t contacted her, and she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone either.
‘I don’t think Martin knew, though.’
Yoon-seo clenched the diamond tightly in one hand and turned her gaze back to the window. Unspoken emotions flickered in her eyes.
Once home, exhaustion hit her all at once. The fatigue that had subsided while she was with Ji-hee surged again after a short period of talking with her mother-in-law and seeing Seung-woo.
Madam Kim, who handled the kitchen, looked at Yoon-seo with a worried expression. Usually, Yoon-seo didn’t go out to pick him up on business trips, and seeing her return in an unpleasant mood after meeting Seung-woo seemed to make her uneasy.
Yoon-seo felt embarrassed to show this side to either Driver Oh or Madam Kim.
This wasn’t the sweet, happy image of a newlywed; it was only this unpleasant side.
The Cinderella stories in the media weren’t all fairy-tale beautiful.
“Go ahead inside. We’ll manage the meal ourselves.”
Yoon-seo said to Madam Kim, who had finished preparing the food.
“Alright, I’ll clean up afterward then.”
Madam Kim, sensing the situation, went into the inner room.
By the time Yoon-seo washed up, Seung-woo was sitting properly at the table. The meal prepared by Madam Kim remained untouched.
“You should eat first.”
“I will.”
He picked up his spoon.
A quiet meal began. He liked to eat in silence. She? She didn’t usually; when eating with friends, she chatted until the end, and at family meals, she kept quiet while everyone else talked endlessly.
But with him, she also kept her mouth closed except when eating.
She surveyed the side dishes lined up before her.
Two separate meals were served—his portion exactly double hers. She ate less, and he ate a lot.
With a high basal metabolic rate, he could eat much without gaining an ounce of fat, always strict with training.
Yoon-seo picked up some japchae.
It was savory, the soft noodles bouncing lightly on her lips, the nutty sesame aroma teasing her senses. She realized she’d been without appetite before. This single dish felt like a comfort for the tumultuous day.
It was delicious.
Before she knew it, her japchae plate was empty. As she reached for another dish, something fell from her side onto his plate.
It was her japchae plate.
“President.”
“Too oily.”
He usually didn’t care about food. He ate all kinds, oily or not.
“Next time, please ask Madam Kim to make it a bit lighter.”
She answered, believing he wasn’t lying.
“Do as you like.”
Seung-woo didn’t specify, nor did he prohibit. He continued eating.
Watching him pick up the galbijjim, Yoon-seo wondered. It was much oilier than japchae.
Assuming he hadn’t thought anything of it, she still chewed every bite of the japchae he gave her.
Seung-woo lifted his gaze.
His eyes fell on her lips. The sesame oil left a tingling on her lips, and she lightly licked them with her tongue.
Then he stood.
“When you’re done, let’s go.”
His eyes narrowed. At that moment, Yoon-seo felt his gaze had returned to the same intensity as that night he had taken her.
He stepped close to her in a single stride.
His lips collided roughly with hers.
Had he made her eat japchae just for this?
Realizing belatedly, Yoon-seo laughed quietly to herself. He had simply fed her well to satisfy his own desire.
The more humiliating truth:
She was reacting. Her body heated instantly, became damp, her breath quickened.
He held her hips while his lips stayed on hers. Naturally, she wrapped her arms around his neck; otherwise, she would have fallen.
He slowly moved toward the bed.
If one edited this scene alone, they’d think they were a perfect couple—starting right after dinner.
He laid her on the bed. His gaze, after their passionate kiss, was cold. Hard to believe it was the same man who had kissed her moments ago.
Her face must have been flushed red.
Embarrassed—unable to hide these raw emotions. Still being controlled by him, still succumbing, again and again.
“Shall we… undress?”
And only able to say such foolish words.
He said nothing. Expression unreadable. Perhaps he found her eagerness after a single kiss pathetic.
She swallowed her tension in silence.
Then he gripped her shoulders.
His cold gaze gradually turned heated. His face drew closer. Her eyes squeezed shut.
Will I fall in love again? Will the more I love him, the more I fear him? Even so, there was nothing she could do.
His breath touched her cheek. His hand rested on her heated skin, matching her fiery emotions.
