Chapter 11
"You've been so busy lately with all sorts of things, and I didn't even think of that."
Baek Joo-heon rose from his seat, bowing his head as he added,
"I'll be going now. Rest well, both of you."
From behind him, the Baek Chairman let out a low sigh and spoke.
"Tae-ju's fiancée will be coming by in a few days to pay her respects. She might even stay here for a while. That's why I told you to come home early—we should all have a family meal together."
"Yes. I know."
"Alright. Go on."
His face heavy with gloom, Joo-heon left the living room, suddenly feeling sullied in a way that made his solar plexus burn faintly. He exhaled a soft sigh and stepped into the dining room, where Ji-san Daek—who seemed to have grasped the full situation—approached him cautiously.
"...Young Master. Please try to understand. The Madam's been in a foul mood lately. And the eldest young master just blurted it out with no warning at all."
Ah. Showing up at someone else's company event, grabbing a woman's hand, and declaring, She's the one I'm going to marry. When he'd heard about it, Joo-heon had thought it was so out of character for Baek Tae-ju—such a headache-inducing stunt—that it had to be some baseless rumor. But it was real. No wonder it turned Mother's stomach.
Still, he couldn't understand why he had to bear the full icy brunt of it. Not that she'd ever been lenient with him anyway.
"Oh dear. That's a major disaster."
Joo-heon squinted as he poured water from the pitcher on the table. What kind of woman could she be? Casually fooling around with women nonstop was more his own style—Baek Tae-ju was so fastidiously clean in that department it bordered on obsessive, enough to make you wonder if he was some pervert with bizarre tastes.
Somehow sensing Joo-heon's thoughts, Ji-san Daek glanced around slyly and drew closer.
"Curious? Shall I show you a photo? She's absolutely stunning. Like a celebrity."
Joo-heon let out a snicker at her words and shook his head.
"No need."
What did it matter if a run-of-the-mill woman looked special in Baek Tae-ju's eyes? It wasn't like he was the one who'd be stuck with her.
That said, he was curious. A guy who'd lived so squeaky-clean there wasn't a single juicy rumor to shake out about any woman—suddenly announcing marriage at this timing? That was truly suspicious. No way he'd suddenly met his soulmate and fallen so hard he'd sell his soul for her.
Which meant he'd clearly met her with some ulterior motive in mind. And if he'd deliberately courted media attention to boot, it was as good as handing himself a top-tier weapon.
Who the hell could she be...
Joo-heon shoved aside the pointless curiosity that had flared up and gulped down the cold water. The chill sliding down his throat was eerily sharp.
***
"Customer, you've been through so much. All the work is done now—is there anything else you'd like to request?"
Worried her face might swell, she hadn't fully slept, just closing and opening her eyes over and over to give her exhausted mind a brief rest. How many times had it been? At the words that it was finally over, Ha-jin felt like cheering if she could.
Before heading into Wolsongwon, Ha-jin had stopped by a salon in Cheongdam-dong that Yoo Soo-hee had booked.
The renowned shop—always praised for its hair and makeup on countless domestic celebrities—was booked solid half a year in advance. But the moment they heard the booking was for Nobcore's Director Yoo Soo-hee, they immediately cleared a spot.
Someone else must have had their reservation canceled or bumped as a result, of course. Ha-jin only realized it after settling into the seat they'd made for her, and she sneered inwardly.
One corner of her heart felt uneasy, but after already deciding to hide her identity and slip under that roof pretending to be someone else, it was ridiculous to start clutching at morals or ethics now. Once you'd resolved to cross that line, you had to see it through to the end as that kind of person.
"Your outfit was so luxurious when you arrived, so I styled it to match that vibe. I went with muted tones over bright saturations, emphasizing shadows rather than colors."
In the mirror across from her, a woman who looked utterly perfect—even to her own eyes—was staring straight back.
"Your features are so perfectly formed that I didn't touch up the shadows much at all. I stripped out the colors as much as possible and added just light shading—how does it look?"
Ha-jin flashed a mechanically polite smile at the makeup artist earnestly briefing her own work.
"I like it."
"Any additional requests for your hair?"
Ha-jin stared fixedly at her reflection in the mirror, fiddling with the long, slightly wavy locks that fell to her chest.
"Could you tie my hair up instead of leaving it down?"
"Ah, your hair texture is so gorgeous—I figured you usually take great care of it, so I left it down. What style would you like?"
The polish of a refined life doesn't show in flashy outfits so much as subtler places. Clean, manicured nails and toenails. Shoes whose heels haven't worn down even if they're old. The soft, cozy scent unique to fabrics that's been properly laundered and maintained. Smooth, healthy hair that proves constant hands-on care.
Ordinary people might overlook such details, but tenacious, terrifying cold-blooded types like Chairman Baek certainly wouldn't miss a single one.
"Tie it neatly. Nothing flashy."
"Yes, understood. I'll do a low bun style for you."
Since last night, Ha-jin had spent hours poring over Min Yeong-ju's looks at every public appearance. Even in outfits costing tens of millions of won, she favored clean designs without garish logo play, mostly opting for luxurious, weighty monochrome pieces.
Her hair was quite long, but she'd never once worn it loose and flowing—she always pinned it up or tied it back neatly. It was the styling she'd deemed most suitable for formal occasions, by her judgment, so the odds were high she'd take a liking to someone with a similar vibe.
"Hair styling is all done, customer. Anything else?"
"No. Thank you for your hard work."
"Yes, then let me help you change."
As the staff removed the gown and cape worn to protect against makeup smudges, a white blouse with antique frills and a matching black skirt came into view. Ha-jin was just starting to stand to properly slip on the jacket draped over her shoulders when—
Click, click.
Yoo Soo-hee appeared amid the sharp click of heels on the store's marble floor. Dressed sharply in a striped navy suit top and bottom, she removed her sunglasses and handed them to her trailing secretary before striding right up to Ha-jin.
"Director, you've arrived."
Yoo Soo-hee gave a perfunctory nod to the staff greeting and pressed Ha-jin back into her seat as she asked,
"All done? Looks like it."
"Yes."
Yoo Soo-hee's light-brown eyes—shot through with a subtle brightness—scanned Ha-jin down to the finest detail, unblinking, as if hunting for the slightest imperfection. Without a word, she reached out and removed the earrings from Ha-jin's ears. Ha-jin frowned faintly and said,
"Aunt, without earrings it'll look too bare. Just make the nails on my hands a bit flashier—no other accessories..."
"Kim Secretary."
At Yoo Soo-hee's curt interruption, her secretary—who'd been standing by—pulled something from a pouch and set it down on the console below the mirror. The case, tinged with a deep blue sheen, bore the logo of a famous French jewelry brand on top.
When she opened it, a pair of gems lay nestled inside, shimmering with an ambiguous light somewhere between dark gray and black. Earrings crafted from black diamonds.
At Yoo Soo-hee's gesture, Kim Secretary swiftly removed them and placed them in her hand. Standing beside Ha-jin, Yoo Soo-hee leaned in slightly and brought them to her white earlobe. The dark stones caught the shop's lights, sparkling brilliantly. Their exceptional cut and dazzling brilliance hinted at their exorbitant price.
"A gift for your niece? You mentioned today was a special day. They suit you perfectly."