Once Peeled Away
Chapter 21
Being played by someone from JK Group was not just unwelcome; it was repulsive.
Even though she had acted with deliberate defiance, the man across from her merely smiled with an air of ease.
"I see. Understood."
His prompt and breezy concession left Jayden’s eyes darting back and forth in confusion.
"I bought Mr. Gu’s painting, and I’d like to use it for a design."
At Hana’s follow-up, Jayden’s bright eyelashes fluttered rapidly.
"Really?"
Was she really going to give up so easily and move on to another topic?
"Yes."
He was so flustered that English had slipped out before he could stop it. Wasn't the talk of revenge more important than the painting?
As if understanding Jayden’s state of mind, Hana raised her eyebrows and gave a single nod. Then, she immediately pushed the tablet she was holding toward him.
As if the talk of revenge had never happened.
["These are the design drafts for the new product line currently being developed at JK Furniture."]
He took the tablet with a dazed expression. Because Hana had spoken in English, Holter’s gaze also drifted toward the tablet.
["We are not simply printing the artist’s painting onto the furniture."]
Watching Jayden and Holter carefully examine the contents, she explained the contract clauses one by one.
["The copyright details and the contract percentages are on the following pages."]
Jayden scanned the contract with a somewhat bewildered look.
Honestly, when they said they were from JK, he had expected them to demand a refund for the painting.
Considering the cold, emotionless people of that family, he had even questioned why they had bought his painting in the first place.
Inexplicably, the contract terms were very, very favorable to Jayden.
"Mr. Gu Seok-ho."
Hana, who had been explaining in English the whole time, called him by his Korean name. As he looked up, Hana, wearing a serious expression, slowly stood up.
"I really wanted to tell you this."
After straightening her posture, she bowed deeply.
"I am sorry."
"……."
It was a somewhat abrupt apology. Even Secretary Park, standing behind Hana, looked surprised.
Jayden’s mouth hung open, as if he couldn't believe the situation.
["What on earth is going on?"]
Holter frowned, unable to comprehend. Yurian, who had finished brewing the coffee, glanced around nervously before placing the cup on the table.
Jayden, who had been silently watching Hana’s bowed head, finally opened his lips.
"Surprising."
With a command to stop and sit down, he let out a long sigh. A complex mix of emotions seeped through the hand he used to rub the back of his neck.
"Is that why you bought my painting?"
The reserve price had been set far too high for a newcomer’s work.
After it failed to sell, he should have given up on the idea that he would ever be able to sell it. Yet, the reason he kept putting it up for auction was...
"I wanted Jisu to recognize it."
Jayden kept rubbing his hands, which were clasped over his knees. He couldn't sit still.
"Did she not recognize it?"
It was a question half-filled with certainty. Jayden looked up at Hana as if seeking an answer.
That painting was something he had drawn when he first learned of the pregnancy. He had even shown it to Jisu.
Seeing her faint nod, Jayden let out a hollow, bitter laugh.
"She is such a cold and cruel woman."
To erase the child so ruthlessly. Jisu had vanished into thin air. Without a single word.
Jayden, who had been staring at the coffee on the table for a while, closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. It seemed he had momentarily organized the surging emotions.
["I will sign it."]
He had intended to reject this contract offer as well. But his heart had turned at Hana’s sincere apology, which he had never expected to receive.
He realized that the woman in front of him, the representative, was trying to offer some form of compensation, however small.
"I really don't need revenge."
He had no intention of seeking revenge now. Even the last lingering shred of attachment had flown away.
"I was tied down by it for quite a long time."
Jayden muttered self-deprecatingly as he took the tablet and finished signing the electronic contract.
Since the contract terms were favorable to Jayden, Holter did not bother to stop him.
"Thanks to this, I can let it all go."
A hint of relief flickered across his smiling face.
"Don't mention it."
All this time, guilt had remained as a wound in Hoyeon’s heart.
She had steeled her heart and seized Jisu’s weakness, but the weight of a life that had become a star in the universe was never light.
She felt sorry, remorseful, pitiful, and heartbroken.
She felt that even having such emotions was a form of deception. She had bitterly regretted the choices she made in the past.
"I am sorry for apologizing so late."
Since a single apology couldn't fix anything, she was simply sorry, and sorry again.
Seeing Hana’s deeply darkened expression, Jayden shook his head slightly and smiled.
"Regrettably, this is not something you need to apologize for."
Jayden said firmly that Representative Jung Hana had no reason to blame herself like that.
She lifted the corners of her mouth weakly.
The truth she could not speak made her heart feel even heavier.
"The sole purpose was to apologize. Right?"
Jayden smiled brightly, as if to lighten the heavy atmosphere, and held up the tablet. But there was a sting in his words.
While it was only natural for the JK side to apologize to him, it was a pointed remark asking if she had strategically apologized because she needed "Gu Seok-ho’s revenge" for Representative Jung Hana.
Perhaps that was why he said he didn't need revenge.
He didn't want to be swayed anymore.
"That is correct."
Only then did Hana nod with a slightly more comfortable smile.
"Let’s do well together."
Hana grasped Jayden’s outstretched hand.
***
After returning from the business trip, the furniture design and production proceeded smoothly.
Jayden even exchanged emails, paying close attention to ensure the characteristics of his work were detailed in the furniture.
"You’re going to be the model?"
Hana’s eyebrows shot up at the model contract Secretary Park had brought.
Jayden had expressed an active interest in serving as the model for the product line that JK Furniture was launching.
"He says he will sequentially reveal his Korean name and his activities as a painter."
"Hmm."
Hana gave a short nod. Seon-ju watched her, lost in thought.
"Jung Jisu’s expression will be worth seeing, won't it?"
He wouldn't bring up the past, but what kind of face would Jung Jisu make when she saw Jayden active in Korea?
"If Jayden is willing to be the model, I’m very grateful."
The corners of Hana’s mouth curled up with amusement as she carefully scanned the contract terms.
The amount they had proposed was enormous. It was enough to make her wonder if they were just testing the waters.
"This much is, well."
Whatever the amount, she would pay it. If that could be a form of atonement to him, even a little.
"I’ll be going now."
Today was the day of the formal meeting with the Seohan Group.
After finishing her signature, she handed the approval folder to Secretary Park and stood up. Just then, her phone vibrated.
[Come down.]
The sender was Seo Tae-oh.
Hana, who had checked the content by touching the screen, closed it without a reply. Her movements as she packed her things into her bag were leisurely.
"Have a safe trip."
Secretary Park said quietly as he opened the door to the representative’s office.
It was the bag Hoyeon used to carry.
The order in which she checked for her phone, car keys, and wallet inside the bag was the same as Hoyeon’s.
Seon-ju’s gaze flickered slightly.
"Secretary Park, you should head home early, too."
Inside the elevator, Hana smiled brightly and pressed the close button.
*Slide.*
*Thud.*
With a small friction sound, the elevator doors closed. Watching the numbers descend, Seon-ju subconsciously placed a hand over her chest again.
"Are you really not going to go to the hospital like I said?"
Managing Director Choi, who was passing by with an armful of documents, threw in another word, saying it didn't seem like a minor issue.
Managing Director Choi had somehow won the favor of the secretarial staff with his neighborhood-uncle tone. Where had the face-saving demeanor he showed on the first day gone?
"Even if you're young, you can go suddenly."
"I’ll take care of it myself."
Seon-ju, who had coldly spat out for him not to worry, turned to head back to the secretary’s office.
"Tsk, tsk. You have to take care of your body while you're young!"
Managing Director Choi, who had thrown the words at the back of her head, confirmed that Secretary Park had gone inside before moving on.
*Thump, thump.*
Checking behind him once at the end of the dim hallway, Managing Director Choi changed direction.
"……."
Seon-ju, who had entered the secretary’s office, was watching CCTV footage on her phone.
Managing Director Choi had started snooping into work other than what he was assigned. More actively.
And.
"Seok Hong-jun?"
Vice Representative Seok, who had appeared suddenly, also entered the place where Managing Director Choi had gone.
Noting that there was more to report, Seon-ju continued her work while keeping an eye on the two men.
***
Hana, who had come down to the underground parking lot, found Tae-oh quickly.
"Congratulations."
Tae-oh said abruptly as he opened the passenger door. As he pulled up the corners of his mouth, a shallow dimple appeared near his chin.
"……."
As she just stared at him, Tae-oh, thinking she was asking about the meaning of the congratulations, fastened her seatbelt and continued.
"About your business trip to New York."
*Click.* The sound of the metal fastening echoed inside the car.
Seeing him up close, the dimple seemed even more visible. She wondered if it had always been there, feeling a sense of novelty.
"You had some good news."
To think he would say it so sweetly, letting her know he was monitoring what she was doing. Hana, who had looked up with a bright smile, reached out toward his dimple.
"So you did have a dimple."
At her words, muttered as if to herself, Tae-oh’s smile deepened.
It meant she didn't care at all whether he was monitoring her or not. Even though they were both smiling, the air between them was taut.
"We’ll be late. Let’s go."
Tae-oh, who had returned to the driver’s seat, slowly moved the car.
The formal meeting was scheduled to take place in a private room on the top floor of the Gangnam Tower.
"Let’s start our life after marriage at my house."
He opened the conversation while driving smoothly through the city center.
"Understood."
As a political marriage, the new household didn't matter much. They would be too busy to see each other’s faces often anyway.
"Ms. Jung Hana."
*Tap, tap.* Slowly. Tae-oh, who had been tapping the steering wheel with his index finger, glanced back at Hana.
Watching her profile as she sat comfortably, his eyes glinted with a hint of mischief.
"We won't be sleeping in separate rooms."
When he revealed his intention to live in the same room like any ordinary couple after marriage, Hana, who had been looking ahead, turned her gaze toward him.
Tae-oh was very curious about how she would react.
Slowly, Hana’s lips moved.
"Do you want to sleep with me?"
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