A Single Line

To Suho, Yeong-a had never been anything more than a spare woman he could swap in if his plans went south.

Now that things were going smoothly with Chaemi, it looked like he wouldn't need a backup after all.

His father-in-law, the current Vice Minister of Economy and Finance who would soon rise to full Minister. A mother-in-law whose family owned vast tracts of land. And a wife who, though a little free-spirited, was charming and adorable. With their backing, Suho was certain he could climb straight to the top.

"Ha... Jo Suho. You're on fire. A completely successful man, aren't you?"

Savoring the sweet future ahead, Suho marveled at himself alone.

Just as he had been managing Yeong-a like fish in a pond, Chaemi was probably using him too. But Suho's eyes had already gone dark; he couldn't see it.

So to him, this pitch-black night tasted only of sweetness.

"Oppa, you should wash up too. But after that... should we do it one more time?"

At Chaemi's words, the corners of Suho's mouth shot upward.

"That sounds perfect to me."

The next morning, when he opened his eyes the spot beside him was empty. Suho immediately dialed Chaemi.

The call wouldn't connect. He looked around and realized her clothes and bag were gone too. She must have left first.

After sending the message to Chaemi, he typed out a careless late reply to Yeong-a as well.

He took a leisurely shower, left the hotel, and by the time he stepped into the alley lined with studio apartments the sun was already high overhead.

"What should I eat to kill this hangover?"

Humming to himself, he was about to enter the building when he spotted Yeong-a coming out of the parking area at the far end of the alley. Instead of her usual school tracksuit she was wearing a matching set of light camel knit loungewear.

"Yeong-a! I got totally smashed yesterday and passed out at a friend's place near the restaurant. Want to grab a bowl of hangover soup together?"

"......"

Yeong-a, who should have nodded right away, simply stared at him.

"Ha, I really drank too much last night. You didn't wait too long, did you?"

"No."

The curt answer didn't sound like the Yeong-a he knew. Suho found himself babbling even more.

"The friend isn't from the company. He's a college classmate who lives alone near Gangnam."

"I see."

At this point Suho wondered if she might suspect something, but Chaemi had always kept their heavy flirtation completely secret. Even when they were seeing each other seriously, she never breathed a word to Yeong-a or anyone else.

"Have you eaten? How about some hangover soup? Or should I order and we can eat it in the rooftop garden at your place?"

"I'd like that, but..."

Yeong-a trailed off and quietly looked away. Like most children who had grown up reading the room to survive, Yu Yeong-a often became this frustratingly indirect.

It was completely different from Chaemi, who had been showered with love and therefore spoke her mind without hesitation or concern for anyone's reaction.

"Suho oppa..."

Yeong-a looked up at him again, eyes steady.

"Uh, yeah?"

Suho flinched back without meaning to. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he'd seen her in this kind of knitwear.

Whether it was the faint outline of her body or the unusual attitude, his heart fluttered the way it had back in high school.

He didn't want to lose Yeong-a either.

Once he became the Minister's son-in-law, entered high society, and secured his position, maybe then he could take care of her. If he told her he had no choice but to marry and asked her to wait just a little, Yeong-a seemed like she would willingly become his second.

"Sorry, oppa. Today won't work."

She turned away without the slightest hesitation. This time Suho felt a real thrill. Watching her retreating figure, he broke into a grin.

"Yu Yeong-a knows how to play hard to get? Not bad at all."

Now it actually seemed like it might be fun to toy with her.

Preparations for his first business trip to Sokcho kept him so busy that it was suddenly Thursday.

He had packed a bag for two days and was coming downstairs when his phone rang. It was Suho.

"Yes, oppa. What's going on so early in the morning?"

"Where are you?"

"I just came down from the house."

As she answered and opened the car door, Suho came sprinting toward her, out of breath.

"Thank goodness. I wasn't late!"

Still catching his breath, he held out a shopping bag stamped with a luxury brand logo. In his other hand he carried an identical bag.

"I bought this for you. Open it."

It was the first time Suho had given her a gift when it wasn't her birthday.

Last weekend morning, Yeong-a had immediately put into practice the technique she learned from Hwigyeom. She had even been wearing the pretty knit he had prepared for her.

But Suho showed no reaction at all. Strangely, she hadn't felt any of the flutter she experienced while learning from Hwigyeom.

She had been secretly disappointed, but maybe the lesson had worked after all? Her teacher really was the best!

"What is it?"

Cheering inwardly, Yeong-a peered into the shopping bag. A small square box lay inside.

"This couldn't be..."

A ring? She reached for it, but Suho, who had been watching from the side, snatched the bag away in a panic.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. It got switched with the other one."

"Oh? Okay."

Though a little flustered, Yeong-a opened the corrected shopping bag so Suho wouldn't feel awkward. Inside was a pouch in the same color as the bag.

"You're going on a business trip, right? It's a travel pouch. Oh, I added some hand cream too. They said it's really good. You have to wash your hands a lot, don't you?"

In truth it didn't happen that often, but Yeong-a didn't bother correcting him. The important thing was that he had thought of her.

"Right. Thank you."

"Ah, and this other one is for Mother. It's her birthday."

Yeong-a smiled and nodded. Suho had been placed in the orphanage because his parents' circumstances were difficult.

After he became an adult and met them again, he learned a younger sibling had been born in the meantime. That was why he tried so hard to look good in front of his parents.

A grown son giving his mother a ring was a little strange, but since his situation was different, she supposed it made sense. Yeong-a made an effort to keep her expression warm.

"Oppa, I'll head out first. I'm a little busy today."

The person who arrived at Hwigyeom's house before the hurried Yeong-a was Jeong Hye.

"You said you were going on a business trip. How could I not come? But is Miss Yeong-a coming today as well?"

Hwigyeom didn't need to ask why she was looking for Yeong-a. The employee she had brought was already carrying a large bundle and heading awkwardly toward the kitchen.

"No, you enjoyed the meat soup so much last time. This time I simmered oxtail soup. Don't you think your grandfather will have two bowls? I kept remembering how well Miss Yeong-a eats."

"She's got a long trip ahead. That's nice."

He felt extreme fatigue at the thought of sharing his territory with anyone. It was why he had left the main family house in the first place.

But since visiting her youngest son's home was his mother's only pleasure, he couldn't stop her and simply let it happen. Yet ever since Yeong-a began coming and going, there were times he actually welcomed his mother's visits.

"Did you finish packing?"

Jeong Hye, who had walked over to the living-room sofa, let out a surprised sound.

"But what is this? A family register? Is this Miss Yeong-a's?"

They were the resume and supporting documents for the business trip that had come out while he was organizing papers. It seemed she had seen them when he set them aside to put away before Yeong-a arrived.

"Oh my. I've never seen anything like this before. Can a single sheet of paper look this lonely?"

Even in his confusion when he first saw Yeong-a's family register, Hwigyeom had felt his heart grow heavy.

"Oh, Hwigyeom, you pulled yours too? Ugh, why are there so many people in this family? It's creepy, really."

Jeong Hye shuddered as she flipped the next page, then tossed the documents back onto the table with a thud.

"It is what it is."

For security reasons, Hwigyeom hadn't registered the current house under his own name or filed a move-in report. So he still officially belonged to the main family house.

While looking at Yeong-a's register he had grown curious about everyone else's and pulled his own. Seeing the long string of names, he had ended up frowning.

"If we slipped Miss Yeong-a's single line in here, no one would even notice."

At his mother's words, Hwigyeom nodded.

Exactly. No one would check it anyway. Rather than leaving her to sit alone and lonely, wouldn't it be better to give her a place among the names?

All sorts of strange thoughts rose in his mind, but then Yeong-a appeared, her face bright and not the least bit lonely.

"Manager, I'm here. Oh! Madam, you're here too. Have you been well?"