Chapter 105
“That could be true. But your wording is a bit strange. Mr. Cheong-yeon is a person, not something to be possessed or not…”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”
Cheong-yeon vehemently agreed with the employee’s unexpected response.
“I mean, he barely even looked at me when we were married, and suddenly why is he acting like this? Honestly, don’t you agree, ma’am? Moon Do-heon is being strange these days.”
Cheong-yeon stared intently at the other person, almost uncomfortably so, implying he wanted agreement. The employee, pressured by his insistence, opened and closed her mouth a few times as if searching for words.
“Come to think of it, he does seem a bit unusual… Originally, the Director was someone who only knew about studies and work since childhood.”
That wasn’t particularly surprising. Do-heon had appeared as an uninvited guest to the JT Group owner’s family when he was ten years old. To be accepted as a family member, he would have had to prove his abilities somehow.
The fact that Do-heon, a child born out of wedlock, became the successor was proof of how diligent his efforts must have been.
“If you’ve known him since childhood, ma’am, you must have worked at the Chairman’s house for quite a long time. But why didn’t you stay at the main house? Why did you follow Moon Do-heon when he got married?”
“Because he offered to raise my salary.”
“…”
“Hoho…”
Cheong-yeon was momentarily speechless at the straightforward answer.
Then he nodded in understanding.
“Well, annual salary is important.”
“Of course.”
Joking around with the employee like this felt strangely like going back to before the divorce. It was somewhat bitter to realize that even his living environment and the people around him were still filled with Do-heon’s people.
Cheong-yeon stirred his soup bowl with a worried expression.
“So Moon Do-heon has had that kind of personality since childhood…”
“Oh my. What do you mean by ‘that kind’? I meant it as something impressive. I’m not sure if I should say this, but since the Director’s upbringing wasn’t typical, even if there are frustrations, you should try to resolve them through conversation from your side.”
The employee gently tried to persuade Cheong-yeon.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried the method she suggested. However, far from resolving things through conversation, he only received antisocial threats about destroying the careers of people around him.
“What if I’ve tried my best but get completely ignored?”
“Hmm… You need to coax him better. Very well.”
“No, how am I supposed to coax Moon Do-heon?”
Far from coaxing, I’m the one being rolled around!
Cheong-yeon pouted his lips. But the employee, who was old enough to be Cheong-yeon’s parent, gave a relaxed smile as if it wasn’t an impossible task.
“With someone who appears rigid like the Director, you shouldn’t try to handle them the same way all the time. If you keep clashing, you’ll only end up breaking.”
“Why do you assume I’ll be the one to break? Moon Do-heon could break too.”
Though he retorted out of indignation, just as the employee said, Cheong-yeon was already not just broken but crumbled into pieces on the floor.
From the beginning, it was impossible for him to win against Do-heon. But it wasn’t like he wanted it that way. He chose to clash because there seemed to be no other option.
“Oh, come on. Who breaks isn’t the important thing! What I mean is! Even if there are incompatibilities that make you frustrated and angry, you need to communicate everything from A to Z.”
That was completely unreasonable. Feeling suddenly upset, Cheong-yeon frowned and countered.
“How can a person possibly communicate everything from A to Z? He doesn’t talk either! And he’s always out working and only comes home late – when and how am I supposed to talk to him? Have you ever seen Moon Do-heon staying at home?”
“Hmm. That’s also true.”
“See?”
“Still, they say the thirsty person digs the well. The one who needs something has to somehow make the other person take time to talk.”
Oh please, needy? Who?
Cheong-yeon’s chest swelled at these words that hit the mark. But since it was Do-heon who was trying to control his acting career and staff as he pleased, it was true that his side was the thirsty one digging the well. Not just thirsty – he was on the verge of passing out from dehydration.
For an ordinary citizen like him, Do-heon was too big a mountain to confront.
“Ah, I don’t know. How can I grab someone and explain every little thing…”
“But they say couple fights are like cutting water with a knife – they leave no trace.”
“We’re divorced, how can you call it a couple fight?”
“Oops. It’s become a habit for me.”
The employee tapped her own mouth with her palm in embarrassment.
“It’s been quite a while since we separated.”
“Your things are still in the house, and you two keep meeting, so I forget sometimes. Maybe it’s because I’m getting old.”
“…”
“My goodness. Actually, I’m still not used to Mr. Cheong-yeon speaking ill of the Director. Before, you only spoke such kind words.”
She sighed faintly as if she found their deteriorated relationship regrettable.
Cheong-yeon reflected on what he usually said in front of the employee before. Come to think of it, he was so deeply in love back then that he couldn’t even think of saying anything bad. He just liked whatever Do-heon did.
No matter how indifferent Do-heon was, he was convinced that someday he would look at him. It was an unrealistic expectation, almost like a fairy tale.
And now, Do-heon probably wanted him to go back to that time. It must have been convenient for him to have a Yoo Cheong-yeon who welcomed and wagged his tail at whatever he did.
“That’s true. Before, I was busy asking you about Director’s schedule and what he liked.”
Cheong-yeon muttered bitterly.
“Anyway. You must be busy with housework, so you don’t need to come here anymore. You packed too many side dishes, too. I don’t even have time to eat all of this.”
Cheong-yeon said, looking at the variety of side dishes that were excessive for just one person.
“You don’t need to feel burdened. I can only do what the Director orders me to do. And anyway, these days he hardly eats at home and goes out, so there’s not much to take care of, and I’m quite free…”
“No. It’s not like he’s protesting. Why would he suddenly not eat at home when he used to eat well? If that’s the case, he should just live with his work.”
As Cheong-yeon rattled off complaints, the employee cleared her throat as if it was difficult for her to just listen.
“It’s not that he suddenly stopped eating at home; he didn’t really eat at home even before you got married.”
“Really?”
Cheong-yeon tilted his head in confusion. Throughout his time living with Do-heon, they generally had breakfasts so lavish the table legs might break, so he thought Do-heon naturally enjoyed such meals.
“Then what did he eat before?”
“Well, for breakfast, he usually just had toast or fruit lightly, and for dinner, unless he had a dinner appointment with the Chairman, he didn’t really eat much from what I remember.”
“Wow.”
“After getting married, I think he started to take care of his meals more since there was someone living with him.”
“And here I thought he had a ghost that would kill him if he didn’t eat breakfast…”
So that wasn’t it? While dinner was often missed due to busyness, breakfast was always served like a feast, so he thought Do-heon really liked food.
For three years, Cheong-yeon had woken up at the crack of dawn and forced himself to eat breakfast to match Do-heon’s schedule, even when it made him feel bloated. Suddenly, all his past efforts felt futile.
“Creepy. All this time, I thought that was Moon Do-heon’s preference.”
“Goodness, not at all. The Director specifically instructed me to prepare soup and a variety of side dishes, so I thought it was what you liked.”
He couldn’t bring himself to tell the person who had prepared food with such care that it had made him feel sick and bloated every day. Cheong-yeon hastily and vehemently agreed.
“Of course I like it!”
The employee smiled, saying she was glad it suited his taste.
“Oh my. Look at the time. I need to do the dishes too.”
“Ah… Just leave the dishes. I’ll clean up.”
“I’ve come all this way, so I should tidy everything up before leaving. Are you done with your meal?”
She retorted with a tone that brooked no argument and stood up. When Cheong-yeon nodded, she put the side dishes in the refrigerator and took the empty bowls to the sink.
Cheong-yeon watched the back of the busy employee right in front of him and mulled over their previous conversation. For some reason, he felt unsettled in many ways.
*
Time faithfully passed, and it was already Friday. And Cheong-yeon still hadn’t made a decision about what to do with Do-heon going forward.
In fact, it would be more accurate to say he had lost his fighting spirit.
After all, Do-heon wasn’t someone he could dare confront or go against.
As Kim Ji-han suggested, he could just exploit the benefits while playing along until Do-heon got tired of him, or as the employee suggested, try to communicate again and resolve things amicably. Alternatively, he could even kneel down and beg to stop this.
No matter how much he thought about it, those three options seemed to be all he had. The last method was one Cheong-yeon had come up with over the past few days, and he was secretly thinking it might be a good approach.
Although he was concerned that he had never been so submissive to Do-heon before, paradoxically, that might be why this method could work – he felt a strange confidence about it.
Cheong-yeon took a deep breath as he entered the restaurant where he was supposed to meet Do-heon.
The staff member waiting at the entrance approached with a smile, as if they had been waiting, and greeted him.
“Welcome. I will guide you inside.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
