Chapter 10
Seeing him jump out of the driver’s seat, Cheong-yeon was slightly taken aback. He wondered why he had come all the way here, even driving himself.
“Go ahead.”
Cheong-yeon, standing in front of Do-heon with his legs spread, crossed his arms as if to say, “Hurry up and finish.”
“This isn’t something to discuss standing up.”
As if telling him to get in, Do-heon personally opened the back door.
“…”
Before, he had mistaken all the small manners ingrained in his body as signs of affection. Now, they just felt oppressive and annoying.
Cheong-yeon hesitated for a moment, looked around, and then got into the car with a reluctant expression.
“Why are you sitting in the back seat?”
“It’s easier to talk here.”
Cheong-yeon thought Do-heon would return to the driver’s seat, but as soon as he got into the car, Do-heon also entered the back seat.
Even though it had been fine until now, as the distance between them grew closer, his pheromones started to flow uncontrollably. Knowing how pathetic he must look in the eyes of Moon Do-heon, a dominant alpha who could maintain self-control in any situation, Cheong-yeon felt ashamed of himself.
Cheong-yeon sat as far as possible to the end of the seat and slightly lowered the window. Then, he felt Do-heon’s blatant gaze sweeping over him from head to toe.
“Your pants.”
“Yes?”
“Try wearing tailored ones.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you have any other clothes? The house is full of clothes, so if you don’t have anything to wear, just take some and wear them.”
“…”
Cheong-yeon was momentarily stunned.
He couldn’t understand Do-heon’s words right away and swallowed a hollow laugh after chewing on them several times.
Is he crazy? Stopping a passerby and saying such things. Does he mean to crawl back into his house and bring out decent clothes to wear? What does it matter if he wears a sackcloth or a rag after the divorce?
It was outrageous. It was typical of Moon Do-heon to come all the way here and criticize someone else’s clothes.
It was a situation where pouring out a barrage of curses wouldn’t be strange.
Cheong-yeon first adjusted the shirt that had slipped below his shoulder. Then, he shoved all the curses that were about to reflux deep into his solar plexus.
“Sigh. Director, did you come all the way here just to say that?”
“Director?”
Do-heon tilted his head at the unfamiliar title.
“Then what should I call you? Hey, you, or ex-husband?”
At Cheong-yeon’s sarcasm, Do-heon straightened his tie, which had never been crooked in the first place. It was one of the things he did when he was in a bad mood.
After a moment, as Do-heon was about to speak,
Vroom!
A motorcycle passed through the alley with a loud noise. Cheong-yeon glanced at the motorcycle outside the car window. Looking at the sign attached to the back, it was a jjajangmyeon restaurant. He suddenly felt hungry, remembering that he had ordered jjambbong from there a few days ago.
Vroom!
Before the previous noise had even faded, another motorcycle passed by. Judging by the loud engine noise and the illegal tuning that made the body flash, the driver didn’t seem to be in his right mind.
“Is it always this noisy?”
“Yes. It’s like this almost every day.”
“…”
“So, what did you want to say?”
Cheong-yeon urged him to speak quickly and finish.
“Grandmother is unwell.”
“Huh?”
Cheong-yeon, who had been sitting close to the window to be as far away from him as possible, turned his head abruptly. Do-heon continued with his usual expressionless face.
“The doctor said it’s serious enough to be life-threatening if the treatment timing is missed.”
“Such…”
Cheong-yeon knew that Do-heon’s grandmother had a chronic illness, but it seemed her condition had rapidly worsened recently.
“She’s asking for you.”
“…”
The last words pierced Cheong-yeon’s chest like a wedge, and his heart sank.
Cheong-yeon couldn’t say anything for a moment.
“I don’t plan to tell her about the divorce until the end. Grandmother loved you, so she would probably be shocked if she heard the news of the divorce.”
“How come…”
Cheong-yeon’s face darkened at the unexpected news. His stomach suddenly felt as heavy as if he had indigestion.
It was even more shocking because he had packed a separate photo of his grandmother at home.
Do-heon’s gaze lingered on Cheong-yeon for a while.
“So, I’d like you to come with me to visit Grandmother. Once a week, every Saturday.”
“…”
“Of course, without revealing the fact of the divorce.”
Cheong-yeon hesitated, unable to answer immediately. He wasn’t sure if he could lie to his grandmother as if nothing had happened. After all, it was about deceiving her.
But on the other hand, if he honestly told her that he got divorced because he was infertile, it might have a worse effect on her. It might be better to pretend to be doing well, as Do-heon suggested.
“So, you’re saying to act as if we’re still a couple in front of Grandmother?”
“That’s right.”
“…”
“It’s not that I’m asking you to do it without any compensation.”
Perhaps judging that Cheong-yeon was silent because there was no benefit, Do-heon offered a condition.
“You were staying at a friend’s house. I’ll move you to a better place. So that you won’t have any inconvenience in living.”
“…”
“Also, if there’s anything else you need, just tell me.”
“Hah.”
Cheong-yeon let out a hollow laugh like a sigh. It was a generous offer. And it was true that his current lodging was not satisfactory, but the way he asked was too irritating.
No, in the first place, this was not a request but a transaction that strictly calculated gains and losses.
He would have willingly gone to see his grandmother even if he hadn’t spoken like this. There was no humanity to be found in Do-heon. As always, Cheong-yeon couldn’t read any emotional changes from his calm face.
Well, he was a materialist who believed that anything could be done if he had money and power. His social status and wealth were matched by his frivolous values.
And the man named Moon Do-heon, who had risen to this position from his illegitimate birth, firmly proved his values.
Cheong-yeon didn’t want to necessarily agree with his ruthless view of life.
“I’ll go. Every Saturday. And there’s no need to help me in return for that. I’ll take care of my own problems.”
Cheong-yeon said firmly.
“But, will there be no news articles about the divorce? It seems unlikely that the story won’t spread at all. If Grandmother sees that…”
“I’ll make sure there are no articles. That’s not something you need to worry about.”
Do-heon was also a well-known figure in the business world. A dominant alpha, a graduate of a prestigious university, from a prestigious family, with a tall and handsome appearance that stood out anywhere.
Until he was ten years old, he was unknown to the outside world, but one day, Chairman Moon suddenly revealed him as the successor of the JT Group. Do-heon was an alpha who met all the conditions to attract public attention.
It was questionable whether the news of Do-heon’s divorce could be hidden even if he tried. Even if he tried to block it, there was a possibility that his grandmother could find out through the mouths of people on this side, so he couldn’t be completely at ease.
“Is Grandmother unconscious or unable to move?”
“Not to that extent. She’s staying at home and moving around by herself.”
“Ah. That’s a relief…”
Cheong-yeon was doubtful if the word ‘relief’ was appropriate in this situation. But he couldn’t think of any other way to express it.
“I’ll come to pick you up this Saturday.”
“What time?”
“Eleven in the morning.”
“I understand.”
“…”
“…”
After a few seconds of silence, Cheong-yeon turned his head.
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
As he was about to open the car door to leave, Do-heon’s voice stopped Cheong-yeon.
“Unrelated to Grandmother, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
You want to ask me something? Did you have such a thing? Cheong-yeon fiercely suppressed the urge to ask back.
When he turned to Do-heon, he was sitting arrogantly with his legs crossed and his hands clasped on his knees.
“That day.”
That day?
“…What day are you talking about?”
“Why did you say, ‘Have a safe trip’?”
“Huh?”
Cheong-yeon, who was about to retort with “What are you talking about?”, suddenly fully understood his question.
‘…Have a safe trip.’
On the day he brought up the divorce, as Do-heon was leaving the house to go back to the company, Cheong-yeon had clearly said, “Have a safe trip,” to his back.
As a final greeting after presenting the divorce papers, it was indeed inappropriate.
“It’s a habit.”
After pondering, Cheong-yeon answered. He had always said that to his back for three years, so even at that moment, he had stupidly said, “Have a safe trip.”
“I see.”
He nodded as if he understood.
Honking sounds from outside sharply pierced his eardrums as soon as the answer was over. This time, Do-heon’s expression clearly twisted. He, who had been staring straight ahead, turned his head outside the window.
