Chapter 119
For several days, Ga-eun could not escape Si-heon’s grasp. Returning home precisely at closing time, he would immediately intertwine with her after dinner, their bodies merging intimately.
Their encounters were relentless. Where he would typically be satisfied with a single moment, now he seemed to be releasing long-suppressed desires. Throughout the night, he was unceasing. Even when morning arrived, he remained persistent.
At dawn, he chose intimacy over exercise. More than once, she would weakly open her eyes to find him positioned between her legs, his ministrations intense and unyielding.
Eventually, overwhelmed, Ga-eun was forced to take medical leave. This coincided with Si-heon’s two-week business trip to Hong Kong.
“It happened suddenly. I didn’t plan it,” she explained weakly.
“…Yes.”
Si-heon’s brow furrowed. He disliked how his words sounded like an apology—leaving an ill wife behind. Even more disturbing was her passive acceptance.
“Rest for a few days,” he instructed.
“The medication should help me recover by tomorrow.”
“Do you think wandering around while ill will improve the group’s image?”
“…I’ll be careful.”
His teeth clenched. She only seemed to listen when spoken to in this manner—as if his concern was an inconvenience, tolerated only due to their contractual arrangement.
Si-heon felt something shift within him.
“The doctor will be here soon,” he stated.
“That’s not necessary,” she responded softly.
“The health of the owner’s family is directly linked to the group’s continuity.”
“But…”
Rare was the moment Ga-eun offered even the slightest resistance. Unusually, Si-heon did not press his point, instead asking, “Why?”
“I want to be quietly alone. I think sleep might help. I suppose I’m just lacking rest.”
“Sounds like you’re talking to me specifically.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
He exhaled lightly, brushing his neck. He acknowledged the truth—he had been excessive.
He should have considered her physical condition, shown restraint. Yet every moment apart made his insides churn violently, compelling him to hold her close.
…Out of anxiety.
A strange premonition that she might vanish if not constantly touched.
Maintaining control had always been easy for him. In his life, he’d never failed by any method.
But this time felt different.
No matter what he said, Ga-eun would submissively comply, as if resigned. Strangely, this felt like failure.
The distance between them had grown wider than before their marriage.
A relationship increasingly distorted.
A couple who had never directly communicated.
A wife who couldn’t even tell her husband she was in pain, who couldn’t lean on him…
This distant relationship disturbed him. Maddingly so.
What was this feeling?
Sitting bedside, he gently stroked her hair.
“Mr. Kwon Si-heon?”
Her pale face looked at him questioningly, her eyes wide. He suddenly realized—she found her ill self being comforted strange.
This wasn’t a typical marital scene.
Yet, considering their world, such calculated unions were common. Couples who strategically merged after carefully tallying their advantages.
And yet…
Si-heon had an unexpected thought.
Perhaps they could be a ‘normal couple’.
One who worried when the other was ill,
Who stroked hair during sickness,
Who felt heavy-hearted leaving on a long business trip with an ailing spouse.
“Mr. Kwon Si-heon, what’s wrong?”
They weren’t the type to be so formally distant when alone, unlike in front of others.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Si-heon let out a faint, sardonic laugh. Who was worried about whom now?
It was amusing, yet he didn’t dislike this side of Ga-eun.
No, not just dislike—he liked it.
She is so delicate, so slender, always more concerned about others than herself.
Regret… Yes, this emotion he felt watching her submission was closest to regret.
“When I return.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s have dinner at Hwanhee Hotel. I miss the taste of Chef Park Chung-il’s cuisine.”
Her amber-tinged eyes opened wide, like a flower blooming—exactly what Si-heon thought.
“Is… that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“You’re so busy, Mr. Kwon.”
“One must eat, even when busy.”
Why did his heart feel so tight knowing her precise preferences—her love of mushrooms, preference for fish over meat, her habit of drizzling yuzu sauce on salads?
“It’s repentance.”
“Repentance…?”
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