Chapter 141
How much time had passed?
Ga-eun wiped her tear-stained eyes and cheeks.
“…I’ve cried so much today,” she whispered to herself.
The last time she had wept openly was when her aunt regained consciousness after the traffic accident. When she had cried then, her aunt couldn’t bear to look at her face, apologizing for causing her such sadness.
After that day, she made a solemn vow to herself: she would never cry again. She convinced herself that as long as no one saw her tears, she remained undefeated. Even in solitude, she refused to let a single tear fall. No matter what happened, she endured, holding everything inside.
The Gye Young-cheol family tormented her even more, questioning whose stubborn nature she had inherited, but still, Ga-eun never broke down.
But today… it was impossible to contain.
Her aunt, surrounded by strangers, trembling with fear and anxiety.
Her aunt, apologizing immediately upon seeing her, ashamed of causing a scene.
Her aunt, who must have silently endured whatever treatment she received at the hospital, waiting only for her call.
Her aunt’s frail back.
Her aunt’s smiling face as she said how happy she was to be together.
Those delicate fingers clutching her collar until sleep came.
As each memory surfaced, she felt tears threatening to fall again.
‘Time to get up.’
This was where the sorrow had to end.
There were still things that needed to be done.
Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol would have heard about today’s events by now.
There were always eyes and ears everywhere.
And…
‘Mr. Kwon Si-heon must know by now too.’
Ga-eun took a deep breath and left the sub-room.
As she reached for her bag placed next to the bathroom door, her phone buzzed insistently.
The moment she saw the screen, her heart seemed to crumble.
[Si-heon]
Ga-eun bit her lip.
Her throat felt tight with heat, and tears threatened to fall once again.
‘He must be… furious.’
He was a man who couldn’t tolerate even the slightest damage to his or his group’s reputation.
“It’s because I couldn’t stand the thought of such a degrading term being used to refer to my wife.”
That’s why whenever others tried to belittle her, he would protect her, even using harsh words to do so.
But it wasn’t because she was ‘Gye Ga-eun’ – it was because she was ‘Kwon Si-heon’s wife.’
Once she stepped away from this position, she would be nothing to him.
“…”
The vibration stopped.
Including the one just now, there were two missed calls from him.
“This is the most he’s ever tried to contact me.”
Their communication after marriage had been so scarce that even two missed calls seemed excessive. Everything had been handled through their respective secretaries, who would check schedules and make arrangements, then simply report back with the details.
Could a couple who had never spoken on the phone, who never touched except during intimate moments, truly be called husband and wife?
“…No. Not at all.”
With a bitter murmur, Ga-eun bypassed Si-heon and instead called Sung Won-gyu, Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol’s chief secretary.
“This is Gye Ga-eun. I’d like to speak with the Chairman, if possible.”
[We’ve been expecting your call. I’ll transfer you now.]
Soon, Kwon Soon-yeol’s voice came through.
[You’re a bit late]
“I apologize.”
[Have you spoken with Si-heon?]
“No. My aunt’s condition was unstable, so I stayed by her side. I called you during a moment while she was sleeping.”
[Haha. Yes, that’s exactly right. This is what I like about you.]
Chairman Kwon probably already knew whether or not she had spoken with Si-heon.
The “what I like about you” he referred to was her understanding of her place.
The fact that she didn’t dare call Si-heon as his ‘wife.’
“I apologize for causing a disturbance. It was an unforeseen situation that I couldn’t prevent.”
[I’ve always said that great trials lead to great results. I’ll overlook today’s incident. Don’t worry about the aftermath.]
Ga-eun gazed silently at the bathtub where her aunt had been, then slowly spoke.
“I have a request.”
[Don’t worry about fulfilling the conditions we discussed last time. I’ll send someone early tomorrow morning – just follow their instructions. Then you and your aunt can live peacefully, just the two of you.]
“I’m grateful, but there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
[What is it?]
“Just once… I’d like to meet him.”
Chairman Kwon Soon-yeol responded with a low, contemplative “hmm.”
[Is that really necessary?]
“…Please.”
[If you insist, just once. I trust you won’t say anything unnecessary. Leave no room for lingering attachments, and don’t give any hints about your future whereabouts.]
Ga-eun nodded.
That much, at least, she could promise.
***
Si-heon entered the meeting.
It was a crucial conference aimed at blocking his uncle’s diversification plans and absorbing those interests under his own authority.
He had declared that he wouldn’t tolerate any interruptions before the meeting, and his subordinates, as always, followed his orders.
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