A Wife’s Surprise Encounter
Jaye had just checked the message from her mother and immediately pressed the call button. She knew exactly what was coming next: the talk about the new planning and coordination office that would challenge the strategy division.
Right now, within Samjeong Group, rumors were swirling that Seonwu had fallen out of favor with the Unamjae lady and that his leadership as heir was faltering. It was finally time to hear his mother’s intentions.
As if on cue, a reply came through the receiver.
“Yeah, Seonwu.”
“Mother. Are you available?”
“How are you?”
Her voice sounded strangely peaceful. Jaye had hoped her mother would be simmering with anger over the separate household, but she never imagined it would be this calm.
“I’m adapting to the new house.”
“You must feel like you’re running a honeymoon household.”
It wasn’t exactly a honeymoon—they were merely house-sharing—but Jaye answered the way her mother expected.
“It’s true… but…”
“I thought that living apart outside would be better than staying stuck together at Unamjae. I’ve decided to change my mind about that. It’ll be more convenient for the two of you to be together, and it suits both your positions.”
Before the separation, Mother had said she wanted the two of them to stay close until the Samjae ended, and she had even advised them to “mix well.” Was this new move just a continuation of that?
“More importantly, I’d like to know why you created the planning and coordination office.”
“Mom always puts you first. Creating this new advisory organization was to give you a chance to step away from your duties before the Samjae ends.”
“Reorganizing like this with one-sided commands will only breed speculation among the staff. The head of division’s secretary team is already on edge.”
“The word will spread that you’ve fallen out of favor as heir.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Consider it the consequence of ignoring my advice. You’re my son—you won’t be shaken by empty words anyway.”
They both knew each other too well. One reason Seonwu felt no anxiety was because he knew his mother would never abandon him.
Just as he could never forsake the mother who still searched for shamans, even after all her foolish deeds, because her feelings for him were genuine. And his mother would never discard a son.
Parents and children were like that.
“From your perspective, it would actually be more comfortable to harass Jaye instead of harassing you.”
“If you had harassed Jaye, I would have rebelled even more fiercely.”
“Yes, that’s what would have happened. But Seonwu, you don’t know your mother. I won’t compromise my son’s safety….”
In other words, even now she could harass Jaye or increase pressure at the company if he refused to listen.
With only this much authority, the assistant manager and deputy director working in the head office were already trembling.
Seonwu knew that this single maneuver was important, but so was the well-being of his people. He changed his expression and straightened his posture.
“Speak. How can I help you?”
***
During the lecture, Jaye was determined to absorb every single Chinese character, but her best friend Minjeong had been doodling on her notebook and major textbook the entire time.
“Just once, show me.”
Since the marriage announcement, Minjeong had been relentless about wanting to see a picture of Jaye’s husband—the husband who had secured such a magnificent house.
“If you can’t show his face, at least show the house! Or the forehead! Even just his hand!”
The lecture ended and the professor left the classroom. The students rose at once, and for a while the lecture hall buzzed with chatter.
Once it was over, Minjeong immediately threatened her with a demand for the photo, but Jaye ignored her and dropped her pen into her crossbody bag.
As they descended to the lobby of the engineering building, a group of students from other majors was just entering.
“Did you see that guy in front of the building?”
“The one in the coat?”
“Yeah, that businessman… who was he again? That businessman, you know….”
The students whispered among themselves, but Jaye simply walked past, assuming the conversation had nothing to do with her.
What mattered most right now was choosing lunch at the student cafeteria. Lunch was just starting, so rushing would give her the widest selection.
“By the way, is the lunch set today tasty?”
At Minjeong’s words, Jaye’s eyes widened.
“Minjeong, you already checked the lunch menu?”
“Yes. I walked back to the engineering building this morning to diet and stretch.”
“Don’t. If you’re on a diet and still checked the lunch menu, Minjeong is doomed to lose weight.”
“What? You only brag with your mouth and don’t even show your husband’s face. Now you’re dissing too? Are you challenging me?”
Jaye grabbed Minjeong’s hand.
“Fighting can wait until after we eat.”
Now was not the time to fight—they had to hurry to the cafeteria to buy the lunch set before time ran out.
“Shin Jaye is already dead and gone, it seems.”
“Who said that?”
They hurried down the stairs toward the campus courtyard.
“Shin Jaye.”
A voice called out from behind her.
“Was I hearing things?”
Jaye still scanned the area out of habit, searching for the owner of that voice.
“He can’t possibly be here…”
Her gaze landed on Seonwu standing in front of the evergreen tree.
“!”
Even in winter, the sight of him in a chestnut-colored coat before the evergreen tree was almost blinding.
“Why are you here…?”
This was supposed to be his working hours at the company. He had messaged earlier that he would leave at evening time and said he had even prepared beef noodle soup…
“Who is he?”
Minjeong kept glancing between the dazed Jaye and the strikingly handsome man who was now the center of attention from the engineering students.
“Who?”
“…”
“Jaye, so that handsome gentleman over there who’s calling you right now—who is he?”
“…”
When Jaye gave no immediate answer, Minjeong stared at Seonwu, then declared with a grin.
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! The heir of Samjeong Group! Jeong Seonwu!”
There had once been a time when headlines about the group’s share structure changes dominated the news. After Seonwu’s outstanding performance as head of the strategy division, the media had predicted that the shares would shift and he would appear in the spotlight as representative of the holding company.
But the predictions had been wrong. During the Samjae period, Seonwu had not appeared on the front lines of group management.
The rumors had died down, yet the photograph of his tall, handsome profile remained etched in the media as the “typical Chosonchae billionaire heir,” stirring the internet.
Moreover, this university engineering college was collaborating with Samjeong Electronics on joint research and development, and every quarter the research achievements and Seonwu’s photograph were prominently displayed for campus promotion.
It was no wonder Minjeong recognized him.
“Huh? But why is that billionaire heir calling out to Jaye?”
Jaye was left speechless.
“What? Shin Jaye, what’s going on? Is he your cousin? Church brother? Temple brother? Or a hidden fiancé?”
“So…”
While they spoke, Seonwu approached and looked down at the two girls who barely reached his chest.
“So… what about Jaye?”
Minjeong’s ridiculous question left Jaye unable to laugh. There was no way to explain the relationship between her and Seonwu.
Just as Jaye hesitated, Seonwu turned to Minjeong and extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I am Jeong Seonwu, Jaye’s husband.”
“Eh?”
Despite the man she had been dying to meet now standing right in front of her, Minjeong stared for a long time before answering.
“So…”
It took a moment for the meaning of his words to register.
“He’s… Jaye’s husband?”
After a few seconds of deliberate hesitation, Minjeong finally understood and her eyes widened.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
Husband! Husband! Husband! The best friend’s husband is Jeong Seonwu, the top three heir in Korea’s corporate world!
She let out a long, dolphin-like shriek, then repeated the word “whoa” several more times before finally shaking his hand.
“Wow, wow, wow, you really are handsome in person. Way better than the photo. Whoa, whoa.”
Jaye had been curious about her husband for three years, but Minjeong’s surprise seemed more captivated by the man’s appearance than by the fact that he was Jaye’s husband.
“Nice to meet you, Jaye’s friend.”
“Yes! I’m happy to meet Jaye’s husband for the first time!”
Unlike the composed Seonwu, Jaye hesitated in embarrassment for a moment before starting the introduction.
“This is Minjeong. She’s my closest friend.”
“Even if you turned it around, it’s still Minjeong.”
If she had been an ordinary couple, Jaye would have shared stories about college life with her friend. But she had never once told Seonwu about her university days.
She worried that Minjeong might think it strange, but luckily Minjeong was too busy staring at the man in front of her to think of anything else.
“Did you come today to date Jaye?”
“I came because I wanted to eat lunch together.”
At the mention of lunch, Minjeong let out a yelp.
“Oppa!”
“Yes?”
“We were just about to eat lunch too! If you buy for us, that would be perfect!”
“Lunch?”
“Yes, oppa! Please buy me lunch too! I know every hidden gem restaurant around here!”
Minjeong’s words were not wrong. She was always the first to dash to a new restaurant when one opened nearby, because she reviewed every place she visited.
Even though the price of meals around the campus was low and her wallet was not exactly overflowing, she never gave up hunting for the best ones.
“Since she’s my best friend, I have the right to mooch off her, right? Let’s have lunch with the Samjeong Group heir as well!”
At Minjeong’s bold suggestion, Seonwu let out a soft chuckle.
“Sure. I’ll treat you all. Let’s go eat lunch.”
“Please treat us to something delicious!”
Before Jaye could protest, Minjeong pulled her toward the cafeteria.
While walking, Minjeong kept bragging that her top priority for employment was Samjeong Electronics and that she would ask for special treatment for Jaye’s best friend once she got hired.
When Jaye pinched her, Minjeong clamped her mouth shut for a second, then couldn’t hold back and asked again.
“But how did you meet Jaye—?”
At that exact moment, Jaye, who had been walking with her eyes forward, suddenly stumbled.