# Chapter 57
After parting with Yeojin, Yeomin went straight home.
Though Jiho had said he would be waiting at home, the house was quiet, suggesting he hadn’t arrived yet.
‘Who could he be meeting?’
Jiho usually stuck to Yeomin like glue. He never wanted to be apart, not even for an hour.
‘Come to think of it, recently he’s been away from home often, except when we’re having sex?’
Could it be? Doubt blossomed in Yeomin’s mind. The gossip he’d heard from Yeojin kept circling in his head. Y Trading Company, wasn’t it?
Yeomin knew Y Trading Company well. One of his seniors who’d gotten a job there had come to give a lecture at school.
At the after-party, the senior had boasted for hours about how prestigious the company was.
Of course, it wasn’t comparable to Ian Group, but still.
“If I were Seol Jiho, I’d readily marry into Y Trading Company. Since he’s already rich, maybe he’s not interested?”
Well. Seol Jiho would do what he wanted.
Whether he refused marriage. Or reluctantly accepted an arranged marriage.
That was Jiho’s life. Nothing to do with him.
…Let’s not worry about it.
Trying to shake off these thoughts, Yeomin jumped up and filled a spray bottle with water. Then he began moistening the potted plants scattered throughout the house.
Although there were people who did the housework, Yeomin often tended to the plants when he was bored.
It was something he could never have dreamed of doing in his semi-basement studio apartment.
“But why are your leaves turning yellow?”
Yeomin was surprised to see a withered leaf. It seemed like it had been lush and green just recently, but one leaf had withered as if diseased.
He thought there were no problems. It should have been the best possible environment…
“…Should I cut it off before it rots further?”
If it’s starting to get diseased, is it better to cut it off before it worsens?
His thoughts kept extending in a chain.
But if he kept watering it diligently and taking care of it, would it become green and lush again? Could he avoid throwing it away?
As he was staring at the leaf, he heard the elevator arriving. Yeomin went to greet the visitor, spray bottle in hand.
“Seol Jiho, you said you’d come earlier and wait, why are you so la—”
Yeomin’s face quickly turned awkward.
Standing before him was not the tall Jiho, but a middle-aged woman. A face he’d seen before at the Ian Group main house.
It was Jiho’s mother, President Ahn.
Yeomin bowed first.
“Hello. But Jiho isn’t home right now—”
“I deliberately timed it so we’d be alone.”
Just hearing that one sentence, Yeomin found himself understanding.
Like a leaf that had begun withering without notice, perhaps President Ahn had come to tell him it was time to prune.
Yeomin felt that the contract’s termination date was fast approaching.
“May I sit down?”
“Ah, yes.”
Yeomin, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly came to his senses. Walking to the living room with President Ahn, he imagined ninety-nine different scenarios in his mind.
If President Ahn had noticed the relationship between Jiho and him and was here to drive him away, should he just say okay right now? Should he contact Jiho first?
His busy mind must have shown on his face, because President Ahn suddenly started laughing.
“Relax and sit down. Jiho probably won’t be coming any time soon. I told Director Ahn to keep him busy.”
“…I see.”
Since it was going to be that kind of conversation anyway, Yeomin decided to accept the situation with humility. He sat down with a relieved expression.
Though they had shared a meal at the Ian Group main house before, President Ahn looked much more comfortable now.
Instead of the suit she would wear right after leaving the office, she was in workout clothes, as if she had just come from exercising.
‘…Did she come from sparring? Or was she warming up to get physical with me?’
If so, he should prostrate himself right away. Yeomin asked in the most polite tone in the world.
“It must have been tiring to come here. Would you like something to drink first?”
“Would you? There should be some tea here that I bought for Hyungju before. Ah, Hyungju is Director Ahn’s name.”
“I’ll look and see if there’s anything specific you’d like.”
“No, just water please.”
‘Asking for water rather than coffee or hot tea—is that a warning that she’ll soon throw it in my face?’
Yeomin’s heart pounded with anxiety.
“Yes.”
Yeomin filled a cup with water, mentally preparing himself.
At first, he mindlessly pressed the cold water button, but thinking that it might soon be thrown in his face, he quickly switched to ‘purified.’
Getting hit in the face with cold water wouldn’t be pleasant…
When he brought the water, President Ahn said “Thank you” and gulped it down. She truly downed it in one go without leaving a drop.
“I was thirsty after exercising.”
“…I see.”
What was this? Was she really just thirsty?
The situation was gradually deviating from Yeomin’s expectations.
He was thinking that if she asked for a refill, he wouldn’t give her one, when President Ahn asked a question.
“How is it living with Jiho?”
“I’m adapting.”
“I heard your home was damaged. Is the repair work going well?”
“…Probably.”
No matter how much he pressed the landlord about when the repairs would be done, all he got was “Just one more week.” It would be faster if he went in and replaced the wallpaper and floor mats himself.
President Ahn stared at Yeomin as if scanning him. Yeomin was very uncomfortable with the situation and couldn’t hide his discomfort.
If he was going to get beaten anyway, it would be better to get it over with quickly.
Yeomin humbly asked:
“Why did you come to see me?”
President Ahn had an expression that suggested the conversation would flow easily.
“I know this will sound like nagging, but I came because I was curious. I wanted to hear it directly from you.”
“Yes. Please speak freely.”
He thought he wouldn’t be nervous at all since he had already simulated this situation countless times. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t tense at all.
“How much do you love our Jiho?”
“…”
Compared to the extra spicy version he had anticipated, this was much milder. In fact, he had prepared for makjang drama lines like “Did you sleep with my son?” So it was fortunate that President Ahn was gentler than expected.
‘No, would it be better if she spoke harshly and got it over with quickly?’
Anyway, he had to pretend to be Jiho’s lover until the end, as agreed in the contract. That was his contractual obligation.
Yeomin, with great difficulty, uttered words he would never have said as his usual self, one syllable at a time.
“I… lo, lo-ve… Ahem!”
“Lo?”
Like a thorn stuck in his throat, the word simply wouldn’t come out. Trying to lie was choking him up.
If only he had ever told anyone he loved them before.
“…Lo-vhe, *gulp*! I love him. A lot.”
He stammered because it was so awkward, but that seemed to make his words appear more sincere. Yeomin’s voice even sounded a bit tearful.
After hearing Yeomin’s answer, President Ahn’s expression became very serious. Yeomin inwardly exclaimed “Nice!”
She asked meaningfully:
“How far has your relationship progressed?”
‘Seol Jiho and I didn’t agree on such details.’
Yeomin’s mind raced to figure out how to answer. If it needed to be threatening enough to the arranged marriage, he should make it sound like they were very close.
But he couldn’t just state the facts and say, “I’m the kind of person who rolls around with your son in this house every day”…
And then, a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece of a line came out of Yeomin’s mouth.
“If we can’t imagine a future without each other, would you understand?”
He prided himself on that perfect answer.
Getting so immersed in the acting, he really felt like he and Jiho were having the love affair of the century. Of course, Yeomin actually couldn’t care less about such a love.
President Ahn was astonished. Yeomin was already thinking about how to handle it if she grabbed the back of her neck and collapsed.
“Whew… you’re much closer than I thought.”
She took several deep breaths.
Still, for someone hearing that her son was in a relationship with a man and promising an eternal future together, it was a very calm reaction.
“I have many questions, but alright. There seems to be a lot I don’t know about you two. I’ll believe that.”
“…”
President Ahn, having finished speaking, rummaged through the handbag beside her.
Seeing this, Yeomin’s eyes widened. Finally, the long-awaited highlight scene was approaching.
Yeomin recalled the terms of his contract with Jiho.
- The contract termination point is the moment Ian Group puts pressure on Seol Jiho and Joo Yeomin’s relationship.
That ‘termination point’ was approaching. Now all he had to do was take the money and gain his freedom.
‘Is this farce finally ending?’
Cleaning up after Jiho. Grabbing the back of his neck in exasperation at Jiho’s nonsense. His body suffering from Jiho’s torment…
Numerous memories flashed through Yeomin’s mind like a kaleidoscope.
Among the feelings of excitement or fear, a very slight sense of regret blossomed.
As Yeomin was both anxious and excited, President Ahn took out an envelope and placed it before him.
‘How much could it be…’
After criticizing Yeojin so much, Yeomin was also most curious about the amount as soon as he saw the envelope. Was this instinct embedded in DNA?
Her hand pushed the envelope toward Yeomin.
“Open it.”
“…Yes.”
Yeomin picked up the envelope with trembling hands. The gesture of holding it with both hands was as careful as if handling a sacred text.
Yeomin carefully examined the contents of the envelope.
It was a check with an unimaginable number of zeros.
“This is my bribe to you.”
Yeomin’s fingertips trembled slightly. Would it be too obvious if he immediately said, “Thank you, I’ll use it well”?
He should first say he’d think about it, and then pack his bags tonight…
“A bribe to take good care of our Jiho.”
“What?”
Yeomin was so surprised that his voice cracked. But this was no time to worry about such things.
“What did you just say…”
“To think that someone who loves Jiho this much would appear. In my heart, I want to give you not just this paltry sum, but even Ian Group itself.”
President Ahn was already smiling with a pleased expression. He thought she had been shocked earlier, but it seemed she was just amazed.
For someone playing the villain who hands over an envelope of money, her expression was incredibly kind. It was absolutely not the face of someone urging a breakup with their son’s lover.
‘Damn. Something is going wrong.’
He could tell from her expression. She hadn’t come here to separate them in the first place.
Yeomin realized. The final boss in this makjang drama he had to face was not Ian Group’s President Ahn, but Seol Jiho. That bastard.
