Once it’s peeled off
Chapter 22
Hoyeon used to ask men who made subtle passes at her directly like that.
Most would be embarrassed and back away. On the rare occasion a man was blatant, she would reject him in a way that left no room for gossip.
Doesn’t "not sleeping in separate rooms" mean sharing the same bed?
He didn’t like Hana. He had always told Hoyeon not to trust Hana too much.
That was why Tae-oh’s words were somewhat unexpected.
She stared at Tae-oh with a steady gaze.
Seo Tae-oh often seemed less than human due to his striking genius. To hear him say something so out of the blue—did it mean he was just an ordinary man after all? The thought struck her as novel.
"We’re a married couple."
A deep smile spread across Tae-oh’s lips as he answered monotonously.
Her head tilted slightly to the side, wondering what he found so amusing that he kept smiling. He spoke with an even deeper smile.
"But, using informal speech?"
Her eyelids fluttered slowly, a sign of being caught off guard. It was a habit no one else knew about. Others never noticed that she was flustered.
Because she didn’t go out of her way to act like "Jung Hana."
Informal speech would just slip out toward Seo Tae-oh or Seon-ju. She nodded as if apologizing, her face composed.
"I’m sorry. I’ll fix it."
"No."
He said, still wearing that smile. The sunset slanted across the car window. At this late hour, the summer sunset was magnificent.
He was the same age as Hoyeon. Six years younger than Hana.
"Keep using informal speech."
To allow someone he disliked—and who was much younger—to speak to him informally? It didn’t seem like Seo Tae-oh at all.
She stared intently at his profile as he drove.
"Be as comfortable as you like."
Tae-oh continued in a low voice. His gaze, which had been directed forward while the car was briefly stopped, turned toward her.
"Do whatever you want."
His eyes curved deeply as they met hers. As if he were in a very good mood.
"Do it all."
She remembered the day of their first arranged meeting. Was this really the same man who had looked at her with such annoyance and disgust, claiming he hated Jung Hana?
"……."
She didn’t answer, her brow slightly furrowed.
The car, which had paused for a moment, pulled away smoothly, and Tae-oh’s gaze returned to the road.
She, who had been watching him blankly, shifted her gaze forward as well.
The two remained silent for a long time. Just as they were about to arrive at the meeting place, her lips parted.
"What are you up to?"
"Up to?"
A low chuckle swept through the cramped car.
As they descended into the dim underground parking lot, she felt a chill run down her spine for some reason.
The parking attendant seemed to recognize his license plate and guided them to a VIP-only spot. After he parked comfortably in the spacious area, Tae-oh suddenly closed the distance between them.
*Click—*
The sound of the seatbelt releasing echoed, but she couldn’t move easily.
It was because he was right in front of her.
After staring into her eyes for quite a long time, Tae-oh licked his lips as if savoring a taste.
"Try and find out."
His low voice was tinged with exhilaration. Why on earth? For what reason?
"I’ll be getting to know you, too."
With a smirk, he pulled away in an instant. Then, he got out of the car, walked around, and opened the passenger door for her.
"Let’s go."
Even offering his hand with kindness.
She watched him for a moment before taking his large hand and stepping out.
She was confused.
What kind of scheme was he plotting that his attitude had changed to the point of trying to win her favor? She couldn’t tell.
The great Seo Tae-oh, needing to win over Jung Hana? No matter how much she thought about it, an easy answer wouldn’t come.
"……."
As she walked, escorted by him, she fell into deep thought.
Right. After they were married, they would spend more time together than they did now. She could take her time and find out.
‘I’ll be getting to know you, too.’
Seo Tae-oh’s words lingered in her ears.
Was there something he needed to find out about Jung Hana? She would have to dig into that.
Meanwhile, Tae-oh kept his eyes on her profile as she became lost in thought.
Often, when Hoyeon was deep in contemplation, she wasn’t very aware of her surroundings. Even now, she walked without any idea that he was watching her.
"Watch the stairs."
When he said that while pulling her hand, her eyes, previously lost in thought, twitched.
She followed his lead and climbed the stairs.
Tae-oh felt his heart racing and his mouth going dry.
The more he saw her, the more they talked, the less he could shake the thought that Jung Hana was Hoyeon.
His keen instincts kept screaming that she was Hoyeon. In a way he could never ignore.
But not yet.
He couldn’t judge too hastily.
If, by any chance, everything was Jung Hana’s scheme.
He couldn’t just let himself be played. Tae-oh’s eyes flashed with a cold, blue light.
Let’s go slowly.
After the marriage, he would observe her by his side and slowly, one by one, seize control of JK Group.
It wouldn’t be too late to judge based on her reactions then.
A picture-perfect smile settled on Tae-oh’s face as he entered the meeting place.
***
"Let’s hold the ceremony at our JK Hotel."
Mohyeon said, elegantly wiping her mouth with a napkin.
Since everyone had arrived right on time, the meeting proceeded smoothly. Chairman Seohan nodded, lifting his water glass.
"Let’s do that."
The date was set quickly. September, when the hot summer would pass and autumn would begin.
A month or two was enough for preparations. Since both families were overflowing with money, everything went like clockwork.
They could just hold the ceremony at the JK Hotel, which they owned, and they had decided to start their life together in the mansion where Tae-oh currently lived. As for the dowry, they could just buy whatever they wanted.
"What about the honeymoon?"
Hana’s mother, Mi-ok, asked. A smile never left her face, as if she were very satisfied with this marriage.
"We won’t be going."
Hana said, turning to Mi-ok. She had just started working, so she didn’t want to be away for long for the time being.
"Haha. How admirable. You’ve raised your daughter well, in-law."
Chairman Seohan looked at her with pride and laughed.
The founder of Seohan Group was a former independence activist, and it was a rare, virtuous company.
Twenty years ago, there was a famous anecdote about how they had been subjected to rigorous audits because they had been a thorn in the government’s side for speaking only the truth, yet they had never broken a single law.
Hana looked at Chairman Seohan. When their eyes met, she bowed her head slightly as if in greeting.
Mohyeon looked steadily at Tae-oh, who was sitting diagonally across from her, and said,
"They say you are quite capable."
"You are too kind."
Too kind, indeed. Among entrepreneurs of his age, no one had achieved as much as Seo Tae-oh.
He knew when to stop, and he was bold when he needed to be. His aggressive yet wise foresight had taken Seohan Group to even greater heights.
"I rely on that child a great deal."
It might sound ridiculous, but it was the truth, Chairman Seohan said with a hearty laugh.
"We can entrust the K-Culture Complex project to him as well, can’t we?"
Mohyeon asked, pointing it out in a low voice. The underlying meaning was whether he was still too young, but Chairman Seohan nodded as if he understood.
To Chairman Kang, who had seen it all, he must look young. Chairman Seohan had felt the same way.
Now, ten years later, he realized just how incredible the foresight his grandson, Tae-oh, possessed truly was. So, he could only say:
"You will see for yourself once you watch him."
There was nothing else to say.
However, even with Chairman Seohan’s assurance, Mohyeon’s doubts did not seem to fade.
"OJ is the frontrunner, so how exactly?"
OJ Group was already famous for its content-based business.
Moreover, OJ Construction was solid, ranking 5th in the industry. Everyone said that OJ was the most suitable for the K-Culture Complex project.
"Shall we continue the detailed discussion later?"
Tae-oh’s mother, Ju-eun, spoke up gently. She meant that this was enough for now, so they should eat comfortably.
It was an arranged meeting, after all. Ju-eun was more curious about the child who would be Tae-oh’s partner than about business talk.
"Oh, why are you interrupting?"
Tae-oh’s father, Seo Cheon-bok, representative of Seohan Electronics, feigned a scolding.
He was worried that it might have been rude to Mohyeon, their future in-law, so he was reprimanding Ju-eun.
"You must be curious about our child, so we did talk too much about business. Please don’t mind it, Representative Seo."
Mohyeon smiled as if it were fine.
Ju-eun, who had been watching Mohyeon’s expression, poked Cheon-bok in the side as if to say, "See?" Then, she leaned forward and called out to Hana.
"I heard there was a big accident recently. How is your health?"
"I’m fine."
Hana answered slowly, feeling a strange sensation. Even her own mother and grandmother hadn’t asked about her health immediately.
Mohyeon had been displeased that she had kept watch at Hoyeon’s funeral, and Mi-ok had been busy with the excuse that a massive recall had come in for her own business, JK Textile.
Even then, all they had said was that it was good she looked fine.
"Still, take it easy while you work. Your health comes first."
Seo Tae-oh’s mother, whom she was meeting for the first time today, was asking after her with a sincere voice. It felt somewhat ticklish.
She bit her lower lip slightly and answered, "Yes," in a small voice.
Cheon-bok, who had been watching Hana with satisfaction, opened his mouth, thinking he would continue the conversation.
"Ahem. Since your sister was a classmate of our Tae-oh……."
"Dear."
Ju-eun poked him in the side again. Harder than before. Cheon-bok’s face turned red as he endured the pain.
The marriage proposal had originally gone to the sister, Hoyeon, who had been Tae-oh’s classmate, and she had died. Just a month and a half ago. It was a topic that should never have been brought up.
"Oh, that fool. My mouth is the problem! I’m sorry, in-law."
Chairman Seohan clicked his tongue and apologized. Mohyeon smiled and shook her head.
"That child was born out of wedlock."
Mi-ok chimed in, saying she hadn’t been that shocked or sad about Hoyeon’s death. Hana’s face stiffened.
"How could you say such a thing……."
Ju-eun looked at Hana, gauging her reaction, and looked at her with pity. Cheon-bok also hurriedly bowed his head and apologized.
"No, it is something I should rightfully apologize for. I was thoughtless."
Mohyeon forced a smile, putting effort into her lips.
Hana’s mother, Mi-ok, laughed and said, thinking she needed to save the slightly ruined atmosphere.
"Oh, it’s fine. More than that, Tae-oh. Our Hana is much better, isn’t she?"
The marriage proposal had gone to Hoyeon, not Hana. And it had been a decision Tae-oh had made himself.
She was asking if he was satisfied that Hana had come in her place after Hoyeon died.
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