Chapter 21
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Do-geon was dressed in a suit without a jacket. The shoulders of his white shirt were taut as he leaned back slightly. The one-seater couch was filled to capacity. Jae-yeon suddenly realized that the man was a large man.
Usually dressed in a suit, he had very clean lines that made him look like a slender man. But considering that Han Do-seok, who was nearly 180 centimeters tall, looked tiny next to him, he was basically giant.
"Oh, I've been there before. It was so long ago, I don't remember much about it, but......."
Do-geon trailed off and glanced to the side.
Spotting Jae-yeon standing silently, he gestured toward the integrated couch. He motioned for her to sit down. After a moment's hesitation, Jae-yeon sat down a few feet away from him.
"Oh, I didn't realize that. I'm not familiar with that kind of thing................... Yeah, I'd love to come with you."
Do-geon laughed low in response. It was an oddly tasteless laugh. On the other end of the line, a slightly higher-pitched female voice spoke. Jane-yeon remembered the words she'd heard in passing.
"Yes, that's Judge Cho's daughter, Josein. I didn't worry about her because she's so personable and smart, but I don't know her taste. I introduced her to you to let you meet her, but I'm glad you two are good together. She's a good girl, too, and she's been raised beautifully. You’re both from a good family and have good education, so how..................."
Jae-yeon pondered over the words that described the woman. A woman of integrity, true, beautiful, well-bred, and educated.
None of them applied to her.
Jae-yeon stroked her fingertips. She wasn't interested in Han Do-geon’s date, nor did she want to be, but she couldn't help but be compared to her.
"I'll see you then, yes, Miss Josein."
Do-geon hung up the phone in an impeccably polite manner. He stared at the screen for a moment, then set the phone down on the table.
Their eyes met at the same time.
He was the first to speak.
"Mr. Chairman?”
"He’s sleeping."
"You made Han Do-seok feel better."
Do-geon smiled sheepishly. His tone suggested that she had done something very pathetic. Jae-yeon replied calmly.
"Yes."
"By crying?"
"What?"
"You look like you've been crying."
Do-geon tapped his index finger against the corner of his eye. Jae-yeon brought her hand to her cheek absentmindedly.
"I hope you're not crying because you're really sad...."
Do-geon muttered, and Jae-yeon’s eyes narrowed faintly. He looked like he was laughing at her, or maybe he was just being ridiculous.
"Miss Jeong Jae-yeon could have gone to the casting office, you’re an actress."
Again, it was hard to tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic. Jae-yeon didn't answer, just looked at her lap. There was silence for a while.
Suddenly, Do-geon stood up from his seat, and in a single step, he was in front of her. Jae-yeon jerked her upper body back. The large body passed between her and the table.
He made his way to the head of the long couch where Jae-yeon sat and flung the blanket that was lying open in the corner of the couch at her.
Jae-yeon caught it with both hands without hesitation. He headed straight for the kitchen and said without looking back.
"Cover up."
As he said it, she realized in hindsight that her shoulders were still shivering. She had been outside the whole time in a thin layer, and the cold hadn't gone away.
Perhaps it was nerves.
Jae-yeon glanced down at the blanket in her hand; instead of draping it over her shoulders, she folded it and placed it on her thighs.
Glancing toward the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of his back. He was dressed in a white shirt and suit pants, filling a tea pot with water.
His body shape was ideal, falling cleanly in a trapezoidal shape from his broad shoulders to his waist. She felt like she was looking at a page from a suit magazine.
Honestly, it was him, not her, who deserved to go to the casting office. Lamer’s sisters would have been thrilled to have a man like that as a guest, she thought half-heartedly.
Of course she should be nervous about the interrogation that would ensue, but somehow it didn't seem real, and her head was swimming. Part of her wanted to just avoid it.
Do-geon closed the lid on the pot of water and turned to the side. At the sight of his exposed side, Jae-yeon's gaze immediately locked downward.
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, waiting for the water to heat up. The house fell silent to the sound of a needle dropping. It felt like a very long time had passed. As the water slowly began to boil, he spoke out of nowhere.
"Han Do-seok is getting married soon, you know that right?"
Jae-yeon turned her head. He had been looking at her for what seemed like forever.
"..................Yes, I know."
"So you don't think Han Do-seok will break up his marriage for you, do you?"
"I'm not hoping for that."
"You don't want that?"
Do-geon repeated her words in suspicion. Jae-yeon smiled slightly and replied,
"No, I don't want that. Mr. Do-seok loves me anyway, so that's all that matters, I guess."
"Miss Jeong Jae-yeon."
The sound of boiling water grew louder.
"I don't like your lame stories."
"..................What do you mean, my lame stories?"
"I don't expect you to tell me everything, but I asked you to talk to me because I want to know what you're really like, all that acting stuff aside."
Do-geon spoke in a loose tone, as if the mask covering her could be easily swept away.
"So what I'm primarily interested in is not the 'why' you're hiding, but the 'what' you're hiding..................."
"...."
"Because it seems to me that what you're hiding is yourself."
The water boiled to a whistle. He placed the strainer inside the tea pot and put the lid back on. It wasn't long before the water began to turn a light yellow color.
Staring into the bubbling pot, Do-geon spoke up.
"So if you're going to repeat that crap, I'll just drop the conversation and deal with you my way, which, frankly, is what I'm supposed to do in the first place."
By now, the smile had all but disappeared from Jae-yeon's face. Do-geon gave her a short smile, as if he was quite satisfied with that.
It was a smile that only reached the tips of his lips.
The machine beeped. Do-geon poured tea into a mug, picked it up, walked over to the couch, and set it down in front of Jae-yeon. A wisp of steam rose in the silence.
Do-geon circled the table and sat back down, uncharacteristically.
"Drink."
He said briefly. It was more of a command.
Jae-yeon slowly reached out with both hands and picked up the mug. A warmth spread as she gently touched one palm to the surface.
Sitting cross-legged, Do-geon asked slowly.
"How's it going, are you in the mood for a proper conversation?"
"Sure. ..................What do you want to know?"
"I don't know."
He wondered what she was hiding, but his answer was vague.
"I'm not sure you’d give me a straight answer if I asked you, especially not about your tortured past."
"Ask, and I'll try not to give you a 'lame' answer."
"What should I start with, your morals?"
Do-geon crossed his arms and smirked.
"Yeah, I've been wondering about that. Don’t you realize that your actions are morally and ethically problematic? Like Han Do-seok's marriage, and whatever your purpose is, it seems like something you shouldn't do to Park Ae-yeon... at least not to the person who's going to be his wife."
"...."
"Of course, that's not the only problem, you know."
It was a more fundamental question than she expected. Jae-yeon pursed her lips. There was a lot she wanted to say, but it wasn't for him.
Of course he knew. Of course she knew.
It was just that morality, ethics, and the like meant nothing to her anymore. It didn't matter if she should be held accountable or punished.
But all of that would have to wait until after this was over.
Jae-yeon calmly collected her thoughts. Whatever he had in mind, Do-geon didn't push her further and waited for her to finish.
After a long silence, what came out of her mouth was not an answer, but a question.
"You don't know everything................., do you? Considering you asked me what I was here for."
"Well, not everything."
Do-geon admitted meekly, but added.
"Though it's only a matter of time before I do."
Jae-yeon's fingers twitched at that. She tightened her grip on her mug and said,
"Then why are you giving me crap? You've got me all figured out, and you're watering me down perfectly. You seem to be doing a good job, Backstabber."
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