Chapter 19
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Jae-yeon came out of the hospital room with the chairman's clothes draped over her arm. She put them in a basket and washed a few dishes at the sink.
There was a rattling sound in the silence.
She grabbed the basket of laundry and headed for the door. Just as she was pulling the doorknob toward her, someone standing in front of her grabbed her shoulder. Jae-yeon was dragged outside, wide-eyed. The other person reached out with his other hand and closed the door. The light-filled hallway was dark.
An ugly hand pressed her shoulder. Lifting her head to see the other's face, Jae-yeon whispered softly.
"Mr. Do-seok..................?"
Han Do-seok, his face crumpled into a scowl, glared at her. His eyes seemed strangely dilated.
"What's going on? The chairman is inside..................."
"It's the chairman and ...... Fuck. What's wrong with you, I can't reach you. Huh?"
Do-seok snarled in half-crushed pronunciation. Jae-yeon brought her index finger to her lips. The soundproofing in the hospital room was perfect, but she wasn't sure if anyone else was in the building.
"Shh, you're loud."
"You're ignoring me on purpose, aren't you?"
"Ignore, what do you mean, I'm just a little distracted. Let's go outside and talk."
"Preoccupied is a fucking joke....... you’re busy doing whatever the fuck you're doing. You're stuck in the house...... taking care of an old man. Is your cell phone a decoration?"
"I'm serious, you know the chairman almost died, I wanted to see you too, but I had to stay by his side all day, so I couldn't help it, okay?"
Jae-yeon soothed him gently and glanced toward the hallway. There wasn't usually anyone there at this time of night, but you never knew.
"And I was just trying to be more careful. When I hear from you, Mr. Do-seok, my emotions keep showing on my face. It's really not long now, and I don't want to......."
"Hey, don't be ridiculous."
The corner of Jae-yeon's mouth twitched slightly as she looked up.
"What's the fucking point of being careful................... You look like a prostitute, don't you?"
Han Do-seok shoved her in the face, his eyes narrowing. His hazel eyes were clearly visible in the darkness.
"Did you find someone else? Uh, yeah...... Dirty habits, huh?"
"What the hell do you mean, it's not like that."
"No, that's not what I'm talking about. You had that shitty...... thing with the driver the other day, huh? I put up with the asshole."
Put up with it? Jae-yeon swallowed the laughter that threatened to escape her for a moment, and Han Do-seok cupped her cheeks.
Jae-yeon skillfully marshaled her emotions. Then she put on her best innocent face and spoke in a soft voice.
"I really don't know what's wrong with you all of a sudden, and I can show you my cell phone, I really don't..................."
At that moment, Han Do-seok squeezed her shoulder. A low groan escaped Jae-yeon's mouth as her back was slammed against the wall.
"Bitch, stop lying."
His voice cracked like a chisel.
"You're a bitch with nowhere to go, I've seen you taking taxis ............. and going everywhere, and I've seen your cell phone records ............... Fuck, of course you've erased them."
"Mr. Do-seok, let's go outside and talk."
"Since it's time for the chairman to die.................. eh, you got another asshole in your sights, huh?"
Her shoulder ached from being grabbed and her wingbone from being pressed against the wall. Jae-yeon bit his lower lip nervously. It seemed like they were not able to communicate.
Han Do-seok was in an incredible mood, impulsive and obsessive. However, he had been trying to restrain himself as much as possible in front of Jae-yeon.
He'd always seemed infatuated with her, but there had only been a few times when he'd turned violent. That was when he suspected her of seeing another man.
In the case of Chairman Han, he was an old man who was about to die anyway, and Han Do-seok had something to gain from his relationship with Jae-yeon, so he didn't get too involved.
However, it was different with a man his own age. In matters related to this, Han Do-seok would get extremely excited.
She didn’t know if he was always this way or if the drugs made him this way. But it was clear that his excitement was getting worse.
'I don't think we can have a logical conversation at all, should I...... just cry?'
She quickly thought about it. Han Do-seok was currently a groom-to-be who was about to marry another woman, and for Jae-yeon, nothing was guaranteed except the promise of a future with candy-coated words.
'It's better to appeal to his emotions and say that I'm just a second choice, that I didn't contact him because I was too upset when I saw that he was really getting married...........'
Still, Han Do-seok liked her anyway. It's not the first time this has happened, and crying and complaining could help calm his anger.
Having made up her own excuse, Jae-yeon gently placed her hand on Han Do-seok's shoulder. There was an innocent, pitiful glint in her eyes, which were slightly watery.
And just as she was about to open her mouth.
"What’s going on?”
A flat voice broke their confrontation. The strength that had been weighing her down was gone. Jae-yeon looked to the side, bewildered.
A man half-buried in the shadows had grabbed Do-seok’s wrist. When he tilted his head, the shadows receded, revealing a sharp jaw.
Do-geon looked down at her, frowning.
There was a brief silence.
The man, who had come to the main building directly from an off-site appointment, was dressed in a tight suit and an expensive cashmere coat. The all-black color made him seem like a giant shadow.
He was holding Han Do-seok's arm, but he didn't even look at him. Jae-yeon, who had been standing as if crushed against the wall, straightened up.
Even if she didn't, the cold-looking man's narrowed brow made him look quite harsh. Jae-yeon couldn't tell if the emotion on his face was annoyance, pity, or contempt.
"What, what, asshole."
Han Do-seok, whose arm was caught in a daze, belatedly shook off Do-geon. To be exact, he tried to shake it off.
"Let go, let go, fucking let go, won't you?"
Han Do-seok's arm still flailed in Do-geon's grip.
The difference was in their size. Han people were generally large-boned, but Do-geon was a good inch taller than most of the men in his family.
Han Do-seok wasn't small either, but he couldn't pull his arm out of Do-geon's grasp. His gaunt face flushed red.
"You son of a bitch...............!"
"Ah."
Do-geon just then let go of him like a man who had just realized something. The arm he'd been holding went down with a snap. Han Do-seok held his arm and glared at Do-geon as if to kill him.
But Do-geon didn't seem to pay him much attention. He just stared at Jae-yeon in the corner and mumbled,
"Is this a love affair?"
"..................Please don't pay attention."
"I wasn’t going to, but the mood is so bad."
Do-geon replied nonchalantly.
At that indifferent comment, Jae-yeon swallowed the sigh that threatened to burst out. She didn't appreciate it at all. He'd just stepped in and poured fuel on a fire that could have been handled better on her own.
Sure, she was prepared to take a few punches from Han Do-seok, but...................
Anyway, it was a bad situation. As expected, Han Do-seok turned the arrow back at Jae-yeon and growled.
"Hey, fuck, you two are very close, aren't you, you asshole?"
"Mr. Do-seok, what are you talking about, I'm not."
"You slutty bitch.................. now you want to fuck him, eh? Twist this asshole?"
Han Do-seok realized that he was no match for Do-geon and turned his anger on Jae-yeon. He was ready to punch her in the face at any moment.
"You think I'm gonna, uh, let it slide like last time? You think if the chairman finds out about this......... you'll be okay? I'm gonna blow it all up, fuck you.”
Han Do-seok seemed to be oblivious to the fact that he had been dating Jae-yeon from the beginning. But he was half-crazed, so he let it go, just to be sure.
Jae-yeon grabbed his arm and leaned against him.
"I don't really have anything with this guy, I've never even talked to him. We should go outside and talk."
One of Do-geon’s eyebrows rose at that, but he didn't say anything else, just watched them.
"Just get over here, okay? If I was dating him, would I do this in front of him?”
"Don't fucking..................!"
Han Do-seok swore and roughly pushed Jae-yeon away. Jae-yeon staggered back slightly after being hit in the chest by his hand.
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