The Annoying Choi Hyun-seo
The next morning, Tae-yeon woke up early and prepared to head downstairs for work just as she always did. She had long since stopped skipping this task, believing that feeding Yun-woo his first milk of the day was simply part of her job. It was routine, after all. There was no reason to act like the other women and wander around in nothing but a loose bathrobe. In the morning, she would get up, dress neatly and cleanly inside the house, then come down to check on him.
Yun-woo had not woken yet today. Tae-yeon quietly closed the door to his room and stepped out into the hallway. Icheon-daek asked her, “Would you like a glass of juice? After feeding Yun-woo his milk, have him have breakfast. Have a juice as well, please. He’s been sleeping late.”
“Yes. I’ll have juice.”
She was pouring fresh-fruit juice into a cup when Choi Hyun-seo descended from the second floor. Icheon-daek greeted him warmly. “Chairman. You’re leaving early today. Everything is ready for the meal. Shall I set it out?”
He seemed to have arrived at least an hour earlier than his usual departure time. They stood face to face, yet the atmosphere felt oddly tense. Hyun-seo glanced at Tae-yeon, then quickly looked away to meet Icheon-daek’s gaze and said, “I’ll just have the juice as well.”
“Will this be enough for you?”
“I’ll have breakfast.”
“Yes, Chairman. One moment, please.”
Icheon-daek poured the juice into matching cups and carried them to the table. Tae-yeon felt a wave of discomfort. How should she act while facing him like this? She had been so intimate with him yesterday—sharing their bodies, making love once, and then arguing before he stormed out. How could she respond to the man she had just been so close to?
But she took a deep breath and steadied herself. She was a professional. Once she had come downstairs, Choi Hyun-seo was nothing more than her boss.
“You might have told me about breakfast ahead of time. You look very neat with that tie on.”
Her casual remark was met with the same nonchalance from Hyun-seo. “Who’s the one with good taste? You picked it out.”
Had he really picked it?
Tae-yeon offered a small, subtle smile. Icheon-daek chimed in, “Our little chairman’s taste is truly exceptional. Every choice is elegant, refined, and never cheap. She always selects the refined and good ones.”
Hyun-seo stared at Tae-yeon, then smiled faintly and said, “That’s my taste.”
“Exactly. Since Chairman picked out my little chairman, it all comes down to Chairman’s taste after all.”
What a roundabout way of putting it. Of course, hiring her was his choice, but the implication that she had clawed her way up under his control left a bitter aftertaste.
He rose from the table, paused at the door, and walked back toward her. She flinched slightly as he reached out and brushed her hair aside. Every cell in her body still remembered his touch from yesterday.
“It looks like we’ll be holding the one-hundred-day celebration soon. I’ve been thinking about how to celebrate the actual day, but Mother has already prepared everything in advance. She’ll stop by later.”
“Yes.”
He spoke so kindly about her mother coming over that Tae-yeon could barely hide her tension. She had no choice but to stay alert.
“I’ll be back soon.”
He kissed her cheek lightly before leaving. Yet Tae-yeon caught the exact moment his face turned cold.
“Aigoo, it really seems Chairman loves our little chairman very much.”
Those were Icheon-daek’s words as she saw him out and returned inside.
“In truth, Chairman never paid much attention to women. I thought he was devoted to his single life, but here he is—having a child and bringing a little chairman into the house to marry her.”
Was Choi Hyun-seo actually devoted to his single life?
Tae-yeon would never forget the tender eyes he once wore when gazing at the woman whose death was casting such a heavy shadow over him. She remembered the tears that had welled up at the corners of his eyes.
The woman had been ravaged by illness, swallowed by darkness, yet her beauty could not be hidden. Yun-woo’s prettiness might come from resembling Hyun-seo, or perhaps from resembling the woman he had loved.
Tae-yeon smiled calmly and stated the obvious. “Mother doesn’t think much of me. You saw how openly she spoke when she was here.”
She handled words that should have embarrassed her with complete ease. If Icheon-daek had been sharp-tongued, she might have helped Oh Jin-hee torment Tae-yeon. But Icheon-daek was neither light-hearted nor frivolous; she was a serious and steady presence, which was probably why she had remained in the Choi family for so long.
“Madam never gives her heart so freely to anyone. So don’t worry. Instead, the chairman dotes on you far too much. He calls Yun-woo his blood relative. Therefore, he says nothing to you, does he? That means he truly likes you.”
Was that the reason? He had invited her personally, and he had avoided the kind of cold treatment Oh Jin-hee gave her daughter-in-law.
“By the way, Mother is coming today. Should I prepare something?”
“She hasn’t called yet. Be sure to call her if you do. If she says she’ll eat, or have a cup of tea, prepare accordingly. She didn’t announce she’d be eating, so don’t set out the meal.”
“Yes. She probably won’t like it.”
Normally one would say to come for lunch, but with such a picky Oh Jin-hee, it was probably different. Had Hyun-seo been picky about food as well?
He had never thrown any tantrums. It seemed he simply lived exactly as he had planned and exactly as he wanted. That rational, sensible personality made the staff call him a gentleman. Yet how could someone with such a personality raise Yun-woo as an exception?
They had spent quite some time downstairs when Yun-woo finally woke. Tae-yeon was about to head back upstairs when a sound rang out.
“Eol-eol-eol.”
The boy was babbling more and more these days. The moment he woke, he started with the babbling. Tae-yeon didn’t know about other children, but Yun-woo rarely cried when he woke. Instead he smiled and babbled cheerfully.
She entered the room, and Yun-woo spotted her, beamed, and reached out with both arms, gurgling happily. Such a small child brought such joy. Tae-yeon picked him up.
“Aigoo, our Yun-woo woke up. Are you hungry? Should I change your diaper first?”
She noticed the diaper was soaked. “Is he starting to resemble Hyun-seo? I can’t tell.”
It was impossible to tell just by looking. Babies were small, but their hot desires seemed larger somehow. Tae-yeon laughed softly, applied baby powder, and changed his diaper.
After finishing the bottle of milk and telling Icheon-daek to burp him, she carried Yun-woo upstairs. Oh Jin-hee would arrive soon, so she needed to change into appropriate clothes. Nothing too flashy, nothing cheap-looking, and nothing that violated etiquette. If she didn’t, Oh Jin-hee would scold her the moment she entered. Could she keep this up? A sigh escaped her lips.
Tae-yeon took out the gifts she had received as wedding presents. Each piece came in its own elegant case, but she could not tell whose it was. Hyun-seo had never clearly said these belonged to her.
Of course, she had never asked for such expensive jewelry either. But she had to wear them on this day at least.
She fastened the diamond necklace around her neck and slipped the wedding ring onto her finger. If she had done nothing, she would have heard the usual line: people who live in luxury without wearing jewelry never understand the value of such things. She had been stunned by that remark before, yet she still believed it was true. She had never worn a ring or necklace, let alone something so expensive. The most she had worn before was a delicate piece over a winter sweater.
The vast difference in wealth still lingered even after they had lived together as husband and wife for months. It was September now. Even though the sun blazed during the day, the mornings and evenings grew cool. Yun-woo truly had it easy—he was born in May, when it was not yet scorching hot, and he would receive his one-hundred-day celebration in September. Tae-yeon finished changing into the clothes her mother-in-law would expect, then called her mother first.
“Mom. Soon it’ll be the one-hundred-day celebration.”
“—Yes. I’ll make the rice cake for the celebration. I’ll handle the rice cake.”
It was kind, but the rice cake Tae-yeon’s mother would make would be difficult to serve at a hotel party. External food would not be allowed.
“Mom, was the party decided to be held at the hotel?”
“—The one-hundred-day celebration at the hotel? Ah, yes. That could work.”
A chaebol family would obviously choose a hotel.
“Mom, is there anything you lack for that day? Clothes, shoes, or anything else?”
“—Oh, of course I have everything. I prepared everything for your wedding, didn’t I?”
“Mom, please don’t wear the hanbok. Come in a suit instead.”
“—Will that do?”
“Mom, should I buy something and send it to you?”
“—No need. You’ve already bought so many expensive things. Where would I even wear such clothes? It’s lucky, really. I can just go to Yun-woo’s one-hundred-day celebration.”
“Mom, how are you feeling lately?”
“—Yes. My mood has been good lately, so my body is fine. Don’t worry.”
“Yes.”
She could not quite believe it. Her mother rarely complained about illness. That was why Tae-yeon had no idea how far her mother’s condition had truly declined.
“—By the way, Tae-yeon, should Hyo-hee and her mother come with me? I don’t have any other relatives, and going alone feels wrong. Noel can come if his schedule allows.”
Shin Noel. If she mentioned him, Hyun-seo would surely bristle with jealousy. Yet that did not seem like such a bad idea.
“Annoying Choi Hyun-seo. Go ahead and bristle. Scratch your jealousy however you like.”