Don't Smile at Anyone Else

"I didn't realize a hug counted as a morning greeting in this house."

Seol-woo's brow twitched as he glared at Chen and Ethan.

"You too, Oppa?"

She turned those clear eyes on him, and before he knew it his arms had opened.

"Good morning."

Yeon wound both arms tight around his waist, then slipped away toward the dining room with a murmur that she was thirsty.

"What is this, America? Why are you grabbing the kid?"

"At least the two of us don't have impure intentions. Right, hyung?"

"Right. It's only because the first little sister we've ever had is too pretty. We're not hugging her with ulterior motives, unlike a certain someone."

Chen and Ethan fell in together, needling him as one.

"I'm telling you. Don't piss me off."

"Once you get married, Yeon's going to live with us anyway. How we say hello is our business!"

Ethan stuck his tongue out, infuriatingly, and Seol-woo's eyes narrowed to slits.

"That woman is going into a different house in Felice."

"Wow. You're going to keep two households, right out in the open, inside Felice?"

"Yeah."

At the calm, shameless answer, Chen's and Ethan's jaws dropped.

"You think the woman who's supposed to become your wife is just going to sit still?"

"I'd rather she didn't. She has to break the contract before I have grounds to end the engagement. Or the marriage."

Theirs was a tie already sealed by a notarized contract—the prize a sharp, calculating Seol-woo had arranged exactly to his taste. Joo-hee's sincere desire for him had made it easier, but even if that had not been so, he was a man who would have taken what he wanted regardless.

"Cha Seol-woo. Don't tell me—"

"If there hadn't been an engagement with Han Joo-hee, Grandfather would have fought tooth and nail to rip Yeon away from me, so thoroughly I could never find her again. There's a limit to what you can protect by fighting. It'll cause a scandal, but this is the safest road."

Chen's eyes went wide as the true aim of the arranged marriage came clear. Seol-woo gave him a faint smile and walked into the kitchen.

"What? What does that mean?"

"It means he had all of this ready back when he brought Yeon home."

And what would he have done if he'd never found her? Chen had always known Seol-woo liked to draw the larger picture. He had never imagined the engagement itself was only one stroke inside it.

"Well, of course he did! He's been looking for her forever."

At Ethan's simple conclusion, Chen shook his head.

"Get in here. Eat."

Hold Yeon at his side behind the shield of an engagement, and secure the grounds to break it with clauses the other party would have no choice but to violate. It was pure Cha Seol-woo. Toward anyone who was not his own, he was a born businessman, taking his profit with a cruelty that bordered on merciless.

It was the first morning in a long while that they had ridden to work in the same car. Yeon had roughhoused with Ethan until she dropped into sleep, and she still had not woken.

"She's asleep?"

Chen, who had come in another car, looked at Yeon slumped boneless against the seat.

"Yeah. Should I wake her?"

"No. I'll carry her up."

Seol-woo opened the rear door and lifted her easily. The hair she had taken such care with came undone without mercy.

"You're carrying her up? You've been pretty hot gossip lately."

Chen laughed, passing along the rumors moving through their circles.

"It's fine. Ethan, look into that gathering Jang Se-hee's daughter and the K Construction heir are supposed to attend. Chen has to sit in on the meeting today."

"What time are we taking the kid to the hospital?"

"Be back by two."

"Got it. Head up."

Ethan climbed back into the driver's seat with a casual goodbye, and a moment later Seol-woo and Chen stepped into the elevator.

"Ah, I fell asleep again?"

"Mm. Good thing you woke before the meeting."

Tablet in hand, Seol-woo sat beside Yeon as she rubbed at her eyelids.

"Where are Chen and Ethan?"

"Chen's already in the conference room. Ethan's out on an errand. The meeting should take about two hours. We'll have lunch after. I left snacks and drinks, so eat something and amuse yourself."

"Okay. I'll be good."

When he smoothed her sleep-mussed hair, the corners of her eyes curved, pretty and soft.

"Don't smile like that at anyone else."

"What?"

"I'm jealous."

He whispered it, short, and left the office.

Yeon stayed frozen, quietly staring at the empty place he had left. Jealous. Did he mean the jealousy I know? Or is there some other meaning? She blinked, dazed, and color rose in her cheeks. The ear he had whispered against was hot. It was his breath, felt more clearly than the words, that had locked her stiff. She pressed a hand over the heart that would not settle and bowed her head for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but the president said not to let anyone in."

"Do you not know who I am?"

"I do. But I think you ought to call him first and come back."

"Why? Is someone in there?"

"What? Ah, well, that is..."

"Say you stepped away to use the restroom. I'll take the responsibility."

The hall outside grew noisy with unfamiliar women's voices, and frightened Yeon shot to her feet. She was just about to hide herself in the inner room of the office when the door burst open and Joo-hee stormed in with a female secretary.

The moment Joo-hee saw that splendid sweep of blonde, she went rigid with shock. It was unmistakably the woman Seol-woo had hidden at J.

"Y-you! How are you here!"

"Yes?"

In the chaos, Yeon did not recognize Joo-hee, whom she had faced for only a fleeting moment. The secretary who had failed to stop her fled at once. If she meant to lessen the reprimand waiting for her later, she needed to report, and fast.

"You don't know me? Cha Seol-woo's fiancée. I was in that room with him when you came in."

"Oh, I remember! Thank you for that time."

"Ha! What? Oh, you remember?"

At the absurd answer, Joo-hee closed the distance in a threatening stride. Startled by a situation she had not expected, Yeon fidgeted with her hands clasped tight.

"Oppa went into a meeting. He said it would take two hours."

"Oppa?"

"It's a little long if I try to explain. I think it would be better if you heard it from Seol-woo oppa yourself. Would you like something to drink, at least?"

The words Yeon offered, doing her innocent best to smooth the unease away, only made things worse. Joo-hee's carefully painted red lips trembled. The shamelessness of it was thick enough to pave a road with iron plates.

"Filthy."

That the woman occupying Seol-woo's office was the same woman she had run into at the bar not long ago made her furious past endurance. Why was he still with the woman he had hidden that day? No—why was he letting her come and go through a company full of watching eyes? Suspicion, already past mere question, swelled until she thought she might go mad.

"What? Me?"

Meeting that gaze full of malice, Yeon looked herself over once. Maybe she should have worn something prettier. The short-sleeved tee and slacks she had chosen for a day of sprawling with comic books suddenly seemed sloppy.

"Did you sleep with Seol-woo?"

"Ah. So that's what you meant."

Yeon, who had been checking her white T-shirt for a splash of orange juice, understood what filthy meant and let the hem fall.

"I'm asking if you sold your body to crawl your way in here!"

"No. It isn't like that."

She had resolved, once, that she would give herself if he wanted her. The world Seol-woo had shown her in so short a time had made her greedy for exactly that much, and even now she sometimes had the bad thought that she wanted him to touch her. She wanted to lay his hands over the flesh Hyeon-tae and the hospital staff had kneaded while they snickered, and make a new memory of it. Then, she thought, she might be able to forget everything she had suffered there. It felt a little strange that she wanted it only from Seol-woo, and not from Chen or Ethan—but she simply liked him.

"Now that you're caught, let's be honest. You came looking for Seol-woo on purpose that day, didn't you? You planned it!"

"Please sit and wait. It'll be uncomfortable if we stay together, so I'll go into the inner room."

Yeon rose, leaving Seol-woo's nameless fiancée looking at her the way one looks at filth scattered in the corner of an alley, and gathered the comic book she had left on the sofa.

"A room?"

"Yes. Over there."

The irony was that Joo-hee had been able to walk into his office at all only because he was away. This was merely her second time setting foot here, and she had no idea another room existed.

"Ha! Don't tell me you do that filthy business here at the company too?"

Joo-hee's face flushed scarlet. Her pride was wounded. As the woman's nostrils flared and she shrieked, unable to swallow her rage, Yeon bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from laughing.

"We don't. I'll just go in now."

"Where do you think you're going without an answer! You came looking for him on purpose, didn't you!"

Joo-hee blocked her path. She glared as if she meant to tear the girl apart, and the rims of her eyes throbbed. She should have driven her out that day, even if she had to force it. Small, fragile, pale—a woman carrying an uncommon gold light, like a doll anyone would covet. Inferiority rose in her at a fact she could not deny.

"I really didn't come looking for him on purpose. Please talk to Seol-woo oppa about the details."

Even when Joo-hee picked out insulting words and picked a fight, Yeon offered a small smile and moved to go. The fist at Joo-hee's side trembled. Unlike herself, rotted into a snob by high society, this woman smiled with the gentlest face in the world, as if she knew nothing dirty or wicked, and Joo-hee did not want to let her pass so prettily.

"What the hell are you, exactly?"

"When Oppa gets back from his meeting, you should ask him..."

It was the best answer she had. Seol-woo was the one who had found the name Sun Woo-yeon for her, and she did not know enough to run her mouth freely in front of the woman who called herself his fiancée.

"Stop calling him Oppa!"

In an instant Joo-hee's rough hand seized a fistful of blonde.

"Aagh!"

She could not bear the specialness of the woman who had taken over Seol-woo's office. If she could not pluck out those glittering eyes, she would at least tear out the hair.

"Hey! Let go! Are you letting go or not?"

Caught defenseless by the hair, Yeon did not yield. She wound Joo-hee's curls around her own fist. The taller woman was hard to handle, but that did not matter. She was not fool enough to take it meekly from someone who suddenly grabbed her by the hair.

"You grabbed me first! You let go first."

Her slender wrists trembled, but Yeon strained with everything she had so she would not lose her grip. The secretary had gone to report Joo-hee's visit, and the rest of the staff had crowded into the conference room, so there was no one to step between them. In the masterless office, a brawl broke out.

Startled by the strength pouring out of that small frame, Joo-hee shook both hands that clutched the hair.

"Get away from Seol-woo! Get away from him!"

In that instant Yeon's legs gave out, and she dropped where she stood. Sensing her chance, Joo-hee bore down, and Yeon's head jerked this way and that along with her.

"Ugh—wait!"

Rolling on the floor, Yeon tried to get up, but the strength drained out of her, beginning in one leg and spreading through her whole body.

"Oh my—what on earth! What are you doing!"

The secretary, finished reporting to the chief of staff who had accompanied Seol-woo, came back into the office and was horrified. It had begun as a mutual fight, but now anyone could see Joo-hee assaulting Yeon one-sidedly. Startled by the sudden stiffness in her legs, Yeon promptly began to hiccup.

"You're not going to answer?"

"Please let go of this!"

Joo-hee could no longer see anything in front of her. She seemed to have forgotten that this was the president's office of CH Paradise. Unable to watch any longer, the secretary stepped in and caught her arm, but she was no match for a woman blinded by jealousy.

"Answer me!"

"I said let go!"

"...hic!"

It was pandemonium enough to make a street market weep.

"What the hell is this."

"P-President!"

The secretary was the first to spring upright. Faced with a sight he could hardly bear to look at, Seol-woo let out a hollow breath and came closer. Only then did Joo-hee seize hold of her senses, and the strength left her hand.

"Yeon!"

"Oh my God!"

Chen came barreling in and shoved Joo-hee hard.

What? So she wasn't Seol-woo's woman? Being thrown to the floor like luggage was less shocking than Chen fussing over Yeon. The man who never so much as answered her, no matter how she clung and played at closeness, was looking after a strange woman, and the confusion hit all at once.

"Yeon. Yeon, what's wrong. Are you okay?"

Chen rushed to her as she hiccuped without pause and stroked her back.

"Chen, something's wrong. There's no strength in my legs—hic!"

"Seol-woo, just listen to me first."

It was a humiliating scene for Joo-hee as well. Her own hair had been torn at like some madwoman's, and yet the slight girl could not move, hiccuping as if she alone had been beaten one-sidedly. Chen kept kneading Yeon's legs.

They had told him it was one of the most dangerous symptoms in a patient with narcolepsy. In moments of severe emotional upheaval, her strength could fail, or a brief paralysis could set in, and he was to watch her carefully. Yeon combed her fingers through the hair coming loose in drifts and avoided Seol-woo's eyes. She was sorry. It felt as if she had made trouble simply by insisting on coming.

"Chen. Call Ethan in and take Yeon to the hospital."

"I don't want to go to the hospital..."

"You have to eat first. Aren't you hungry?"

Chen looked ruefully at the fistful of torn hair, then helped her up.

"Oh? I'm all right now!"

As strength returned little by little from her ankles upward, her mood lifted. She stamped the floor—tap, tap—and beamed. She had been thoroughly frightened that she might never move again like this.

"Shame. I was about to have a perfectly legal excuse to carry you out."

Chen laughed, mischievous, and tugged at her cheek, soft as pounded rice cake.