The Three-Way Confrontation
Gong Juhee looked exactly as she always did. But Hye-sun was different. From the moment Juhee stepped inside, the older woman sat with her back turned, refusing to acknowledge her greeting or even pretend to listen to what she had to say.
Faced with Hye-sun’s obvious sulk, Juhee skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.
“You already know, don’t you, Aunt? That Oppa secretly went on a blind date and is getting married soon. And to Joo Haena—the girl who bullied me all through school.”
Hye-sun’s shoulders twitched, but she remained stubbornly turned away. Juhee continued in a calm, even voice.
“It was really hard for me. How could Oppa do this to me? And you clearly knew about it—why didn’t you say a single word? I resented you both. I even hated you for a while.”
“……”
“I’m going to start living for myself now. The kindness you and Oppa showed me over the years—I’ve repaid it all with interest, both in money and with my own labor. So I won’t bother saying I’m sorry.”
Only then did Hye-sun whip around, her eyes narrowed into sharp triangles.
“Good heavens, listen to the way you talk! Anyone hearing you would think we treated you like a maid! After everything we’ve done for you!”
Blood really does tell, it seemed. Just as Taemin had no conscience, neither did his mother.
“For over ten years I handled all the housework in your home and took care of every last thing for Oppa. When I worked part-time, I gave you my entire paycheck. When I got a full-time job, I handed over half my salary for living expenses.”
“Who asked you to do any of that!”
“If you’re going to act like an adult, at least have the decency to admit the truth. Without me, you wouldn’t have lived this comfortably. And Taemin Oppa wouldn’t have gotten this far either.”
Hye-sun offered no rebuttal. Not because she wouldn’t, but because she couldn’t.
“While I—someone not even related by blood—was doing all that, your son only showed up on special occasions, even though he was earning so well, and barely gave you any allowance.”
Hye-sun glared at her venomously, then suddenly put on a tragic expression and let out a heavy sigh. What new scheme was this?
“As you said, I’ll admit that you played a very small part in helping our Taemin reach where he is today.”
The money alone that Juhee had poured into this mother and son easily reached nine figures. The time, effort, and devotion she had given for over a decade were beyond any monetary value. And yet she called it “a very small part.” The last remaining thread of affection in Juhee’s heart snapped clean off.
“You know better than anyone that our son became the youngest Executive Director in the company. Once he marries Haena, he’ll climb even higher. But Juhee, no matter how high you go, you’re still just a secretary. You can’t help our Taemin anymore.”
Juhee’s tightly clenched fist turned bone-white. So after taking everything they could from her, they were discarding her because there was nothing left to gain. So this was what people were like. Once you were no longer useful, you were thrown away without hesitation.
“And yet my foolishly kind son says there’s no one but you. He claims that going on the blind date and marrying Haena is all for your sake.”
What utter nonsense. What deranged bullshit.
“So can’t you just understand our Taemin a little? Think how hard it must be for him to marry someone he doesn’t even like, all for the sake of succeeding for you.”
Someone who supposedly found it so hard had spent his nights thrusting into Joo Haena until dawn. The words rose in Juhee’s throat like bile, but she swallowed them back down. She didn’t want to dirty her mouth.
“So you just do what you’re supposed to do, Juhee, and trust Taemin while you wait for him. It’s only been a few days since you last came, and the house is already a complete—”
“And what exactly is my job? Helping with your housework, taking care of Oppa’s every need, and handing over the money I earned through blood and sweat?”
When she shot back coldly, Hye-sun actually looked astonished.
“This is no time for you to act like this, Juhee. You need to stay on my good side so I’ll take your part. That way, even if it’s just for my sake, Taemin might come back to you.”
“Oppa isn’t coming back, and I don’t need him anymore either. There are plenty of men in the world besides Taemin Oppa.”
“Y-you—” Hye-sun’s mouth fell open.
“Up until now I played the fool of my own free will, so I won’t hold any grudges. But stop thinking you can keep using me from now on.”
Juhee had given everything she possibly could to Taemin and his mother. Though they shared no blood, she had loved them like family. Because of that, she had no regrets. Her heart felt strangely light.
“So from now on, ask Haena to do everything for you. If you convert all the luxury she wears from head to toe into money, it would easily be nine figures. Surely she can take care of her mother-in-law?”
“N-nine figures?”
Greed flickered in Hye-sun’s wide, lantern-like eyes. Swallowing a bitter smile, Juhee slowly rose to her feet. Hye-sun hurried into the kitchen and came back carrying a shopping bag.
“These are side dishes I prepared for you. They were going to be yours anyway, so take them and eat, okay?”
Instead of taking the bag, Juhee simply stared at her. Hye-sun wasn’t a particularly good cook. But she couldn’t afford to eat out every day, so she threw meals together carelessly and packed up the leftovers. It was a shame to throw them away, after all.
Knowing that, Juhee had always eaten them with gratitude. Taemin, the filial son, never said a word but also never ate any of it. So Juhee would secretly adjust the seasoning on all the dishes Hye-sun sent and bring them to him herself.
“You know your cooking isn’t very good, right?”
“……What?”
“That’s why Taemin Oppa never eats it. And I’m done dealing with your leftovers from now on.”
As Juhee turned and walked out unhurriedly, Hye-sun shouted something loudly behind her. It was clearly something unpleasant, but with every last bit of affection gone, Juhee felt astonishingly calm.
Because pain is a terrible privilege that only those you’ve given your heart to can inflict.
So from now on, none of you can hurt me anymore.
Having become alone once again, Gong Juhee was now invincible.
Yoon Jeha canceled every single evening schedule and headed home. Everything felt tedious. He stood under the shower for a long time, letting the water beat down on him. Just as Juhee had said, he needed time to think. His brain, overloaded with chaotic thoughts flooding in like a bursting dam, was on the verge of exploding.
Even so, the image of Juhee’s back as she walked away earlier kept stubbornly resurfacing.
With a body so delicate it looked like it might fly away in the wind, she had walked so steadily and resolutely. She really was remarkably capable.
She was so capable that she could probably find her own way home no matter where you dropped her. Yet he had used the excuse that taxis couldn’t enter the area and made her sit beside him.
The slight brush of his fingertips against the nape of her neck—what was that, really? When her scent opened up his chest and her warm breath washed over him, his eyes had nearly rolled back. He had almost kissed her.
He was her superior now. All he had to do was order her back to her old department and that would be the end of it. Instead, he had even given her an entire day.
All of it was because of Gong Juhee’s face. That clear, petal-like face. Those transparent eyes that held nothing inside them. That stubbornly upturned, adorable nose and those lips that looked soft enough to melt. The scent of soap at the nape of her neck that made him want to bite it.
He had thought of her once or twice before, but never given it much meaning. He had been curious and held a thread-thin interest, but he had ignored it. He had intended to keep ignoring it even after returning to Korea.
Those feelings, which had once been nothing more than that, grew larger and tangled together every time they collided with Gong Juhee.
That was why he had told her not to stand out.
But not only did she keep fluttering in front of his eyes, she had fearlessly reached out and touched him.
To Jeha right now, even a fleeting touch like that was a lethal dose.
Just looking at that face made him feel like he really was…
Suddenly aware of the heavy ache in his lower body, Jeha glanced down and let out a short, dry laugh.
“There’s no beast worse than me.”
It had been a very long time since he had felt desire like this. Strangely enough, it didn’t feel bad at all.
After finishing the meeting and returning to his office, Han Taemin frowned the moment he saw the scene before him. Joo Haena was sitting in his work chair with her legs seductively crossed.
“Today should be the last time you come barging into the company without contacting me first.”
The heavy scent of perfume wafting from Haena as she approached triggered another headache.
“Aigoo, am I a stranger? We’re getting married. And I’m the golden rope that will pull Han Taemin up even higher.”
“Even so, keep work and personal matters separate.”
After answering coldly, Taemin sat down and picked up the peppermint tea his secretary had prepared. But the moment he took a sip, his brows furrowed deeply.
Juhee always timed the tea perfectly so that it was at the ideal temperature right when meetings ended. This one, however, had gone stone cold.
“Don’t you think this office is too small and shabby? We should get married quickly. Then you can quit this Executive Director nonsense and take the CEO position for yourself.”
His nerves were already razor-sharp. Having Haena join in and drag them even tighter was unbearable.
“It was hard for me to get here. So watch your mouth.”
At this point she should have noticed his foul mood. But Juhee, who could read his emotions like a ghost, and Haena were complete opposites. Haena checked her wristwatch and came closer.
She straddled his thigh, facing him, and whispered intimately into his ear.
“I like you best when you’re like this. That lofty pride, that cold expression, the way you work so hard. It’s so sexy it turns me on.”
Their lower bodies pressed tightly together with no space between them. Her soft breasts pushed against his chest as if deliberately stimulating him.
“Remember how perfectly our bodies matched? It’ll feel even more thrilling if we do it somewhere new, don’t you think?”
Joo Haena whispered again. She wanted to do it right here in the office.
Her hand slid down boldly, caressing the front of his pants.
Taemin wasn’t curious about how freely Haena had used her body while in France. He had zero desire to play along. Far from being aroused, he only felt irritation and was about to push her away when her slender arms wrapped around his neck like a snake and she whispered once more.
“This week, Chairman Yang and my grandfather are having dinner together. I’m going too.”
“……”
“And Jeha Oppa is coming as well. He never attends these kinds of gatherings. Maybe he’s coming to see me?”
“……”
“You know, right? If Jeha Oppa changes his mind, we won’t be able to get married. My grandfather still hasn’t given up on having Jeha Oppa as his grandson-in-law.”
Taemin recalled Yoon Jeha at the recent party—the man who had looked desperate to steal Joo Haena away. And how he had said that Haena was finally starting to look like a woman to him.
Right now Haena loved Taemin, but if Yoon Jeha decided to pursue her seriously, the situation could flip in an instant.
It had originally been Jeha’s blind date, after all. Even if Taemin were a woman, Jeha would still choose him. That was the damn truth.
He could let other things go, but he refused to lose a woman to Jeha. His pride would not allow it.
When his thoughts reached that point, Taemin reached out and roughly grabbed the back of Joo Haena’s head.
Swallowing her surprised moan, he savagely invaded her open mouth with his tongue. He kneaded her breasts roughly through her blouse, and Haena trembled delicately.
He thought he wouldn’t get aroused. But because Haena responded so easily even to his unskilled touch, the front of his pants quickly swelled. She usually had no sense at all, yet at times like this she read the mood perfectly, grinding her hips and rubbing against him, which only amplified his excitement.
Taemin lifted Haena and laid her on the office desk. She smiled seductively, pulled up her own skirt, slid her panties down, and spread her legs wide.
When Taemin looked down, raw desire flooded his eyes. This was exactly what Joo Haena had that Gong Juhee lacked.
With impatient hands he unbuckled his belt. He felt no desire to show her any consideration when he didn’t even love her. The moment he pulled down his pants and underwear together and tried to push inside, Juhee’s face suddenly flashed before him. The wave of guilt that hit him made him freeze. Haena licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and urged him on.
“Hurry, Oppa. Hm?”
Taemin reached out with his large hand and covered Haena’s eyes.
Convincing himself that the woman beneath him was Juhee, he thrust into her without restraint.
Gong Juhee. Juhee. My princess.
“Ugh, it feels so good. Harder, deeper, Oppa!”
As Haena let out heated moans, Taemin whispered into her ear this time. He told her to speak with Chairman Joo and skip the engagement—let’s get married right away.
“Yes, yes.” Lost in pleasure, Haena answered mindlessly. Satisfied by her obedient reply, Taemin drove even deeper and kissed her lips for the first time. Their fierce coupling left both of them drenched in sweat. His neatly styled bangs fell messily across his forehead. Before long, Taemin had also fallen into a trance, moving his hips like a beast. That was why he didn’t hear the knock that slipped between Haena’s moans.
“It seems I’ve chosen the wrong timing.”
A calm, quiet voice sliced through the heated air. Yet it rang so clearly in their ears that it sent chills down their spines. Taemin, breathing harshly as he lifted his upper body, froze solid. Gong Juhee stood in the middle of the office, watching them with ice-cold eyes.