The Unwanted Gift
“Wife's Letter of Resignation”
“We’re the only ones who know this, but Choi Hyun-seo was completely devoted to Ji-won.”
Tae-yeon’s heart kept stuttering as she froze in place. Yet when she lifted her head, Shin Noel stood a short distance away. He had clearly heard the woman’s phone call too. His face was rigid as he stared straight at her.
Tae-yeon cared more about the conversation than Shin Noel’s gaze. She wanted to hear every word. So she turned her attention back to the woman on the phone. The woman screamed wealth and beauty in an instant—designer everything, from her shoes to the way she held herself.
“I’m so sorry to hear you lost your husband. It seems people change so easily. I never thought Hyun-seo would. Of course, time….”
The instant their eyes met, the woman lifted her phone and walked away. The words faded into the distance. Tae-yeon swallowed hard, gave Shin Noel a quick nod, and stepped back inside the party hall.
Chairman Choi Pil-seung was in a fantastic mood, sipping one champagne after another.
“Here we go! This is the gift Grandpa Choi is giving our precious grandson, Choi Yun-woo! The land in Yangpyeong will be his hundredth-day present!”
The crowd clapped enthusiastically.
Land in Yangpyeong? Tae-yeon had no idea how much it was, but it hardly seemed like the kind of gift a baby could use.
“My daughter-in-law worked hard too.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Hyun-seo noticed that Tae-yeon’s mother was surrounded by her old friend Shin Cho-hee, Shin Noel, and the mother of Shin Cho-hee, Yoo-sun. The only person who could have invited Shin Noel here was Tae-yeon herself.
‘She’s trying to twist someone’s words. Well, I can think for myself too.’
Hyun-seo never left Tae-yeon’s side. He kept their arms linked or gripped her shoulder whenever they needed to greet people, looking completely oblivious to the awkward stares.
“I never imagined our Hyun-seo would turn into such a family man….”
A relative chuckled. Hyun-seo answered with perfect composure.
“Our Tae-yeon is so pretty. Anyone would want to steal her if we weren’t careful.”
Hyun-seo could actually flirt? Tae-yeon only managed a tiny, mortified smile. She stayed glued to his side the entire party, his hand never leaving hers.
What on earth was going on?
Tae-yeon clung to him the whole time. When her legs finally gave out, Hyun-seo pulled her shoulder close and steered her forward toward Shin Noel, with Cho-hee and Yoo-sun beside him.
“Hello.”
Cho-hee greeted her first.
“Hello. What a magnificent party. This kind of grand hundredth-day celebration is a first for me.”
“I’m glad you like it. Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Hyun-seo kept his hand on Tae-yeon’s shoulder while speaking. She forced a smile.
“You two look perfect together. You were truly made for each other.”
Yoo-sun’s face looked swollen, but the words she spoke now were nothing like a mother worried about her child. Tae-yeon glanced at her mother with concern and asked softly, “Mom, if you’re tired, why don’t we go home early?”
“I’m fine. We can leave together later. We live in the same house anyway.”
The same house. Of course. That was the problem.
Hyun-seo glanced at Shin Noel standing like a son beside Yoo-sun, then wrapped an arm around Tae-yeon’s shoulder again and held her closer. When Cho-hee saw Tae-yeon’s forced, awkward smile, she laughed and asked, “You two seem so happy. But do you have to be so… close?”
Hyun-seo smiled faintly.
“Yes. We’re just very compatible.”
Is this crazy? Talking about compatibility right in front of everyone?
Tae-yeon’s cheeks burned red, but Hyun-seo kept stroking her arm as if nothing was wrong and greeted his mother-in-law.
“I’m a little possessive of my wife. Mother-in-law.”
“That’s right. A man who loves a woman should be possessive. It’s the proper way.”
Shin Noel stared silently between Tae-yeon and Hyun-seo. His expression was exactly the same as when he had met them after the woman hung up her phone earlier. Tae-yeon was certain she had heard the woman in the hallway mention Yun-woo’s mother. That news was eating at her.
A prickling, ugly feeling. It mixed an unknown, heavy worry about the woman Hyun-seo loved with Shin Noel’s displeasure and unease at knowing. After they finished greeting each other, Hyun-seo and Tae-yeon moved to another part of the hall.
“Hyun-seo, come here for a moment.”
Chairman Choi called his son. Hyun-seo left Tae-yeon’s side and walked over to him. The vast foyer, the sculptures, the glittering chandeliers, and Yun-woo’s adorable photos created the perfect hundredth-day scene.
But Tae-yeon held her champagne with an uneasy heart.
“Tae-yeon-ah.”
Shin Noel approached her. She didn’t want to face him, but she was trapped between the table and him. So she had no choice but to meet his eyes.
“Oppa! Why?”
“You knew too? That Choi Hyun-seo was completely devoted to another woman?” Of course it was that story. In the company, Choi Hyun-seo was known to have no interest in women whatsoever. Tae-yeon struggled to play it cool.
“Yes. I knew.”
Knew what? She had no idea, but she couldn’t admit it. Better to stretch the truth a little.
“I saw it too.”
“What? You saw it?”
“Yeah. Just a quick glance. The woman who just walked past—that’s all it was. A passing woman can exist, right, oppa?”
Shin Noel’s eyes were heavy with something deep.
“Are you okay?”
“Oppa. How can you get over a woman who’s already gone? Past events are just past events. And I don’t think this is something you should be telling me right now.”
Shin Noel nodded. There was no point arguing.
“I see. You’re right. But Tae-yeon-ah, if anything hard happens, please tell me. I’ll help you.”
That wasn’t advice Tae-yeon could accept. Even if her troubles with Hyun-seo made things difficult, she couldn’t lean on Shin Noel. It would only make him suffer too.
“Thank you, oppa. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”
Hyun-seo watched them talking from across the room and moved quickly to Tae-yeon’s side.
“I have someone I need to greet right now. Shall we go together?”
He placed a hand naturally on her shoulder and guided her toward his mother, Oh Jin-hee. Jin-hee swept Tae-yeon from head to toe with a critical eye.
“That dress looks nice. You didn’t pick it yourself, did you? Hyun-seo chose it?”
Tae-yeon had no idea which brand it was.
“Yes.”
“Of course. Your sense of style isn’t that sharp. By the way, it’s a hundredth day, and you didn’t give gifts after giving birth, so I can’t just stand by. I’m giving you this. It’s something I received from my mother-in-law.”
Tae-yeon opened the velvet box Jin-hee handed her. Inside lay a diamond necklace studded with several vivid red rubies. The brilliance and beauty made breathing difficult, and the blood-red rubies seemed to pulse with life, capturing the heart in one glance. But the bigger the gift, the heavier Tae-yeon’s heart felt.
‘Will I get arrested for receiving stolen goods?’
“Rubies are ridiculously expensive these days. The mines are running dry, and only rare, high-quality stones are coming out lately. There are plenty of people looking everywhere, but this one was bought long ago, so it’s worth a decent house price.”
Tae-yeon reacted with forced excitement. In this situation, all she needed was a good reaction and an overly grateful expression. She knew that, but saying it was surprisingly hard.
“Oh my, such a precious piece. Thank you so much.”
“Why is she thanking me so awkwardly? Yes, it’s precious. Well then.”
Her forced gratitude sounded like reading from a Korean textbook. But when Jin-hee saw a new guest and smiled brightly, moving on, Tae-yeon let out a tiny sigh while clutching the velvet box.
In the noisy party, Tae-yeon felt completely isolated. She was alone in the middle of black silence. That had to be because she had overheard the phone call.
Yoon Ji-won. The name of the woman who had died. The woman Hyun-seo had loved with all his heart. And Yun-woo’s mother. That was all that remained in Tae-yeon’s mind.
The heavy truth made her stomach twist. If she had never known, it would have been better. She turned her head and saw Oh Jin-hee talking to the same woman from the phone call. They seemed close. She wanted to hear what they were saying—anything about Yoon Ji-won, or about Hyun-seo himself.
One of the contract clauses said she shouldn’t ask unnecessary questions. That meant Hyun-seo would never tell her the truth.
Tae-yeon stepped closer without being noticed, listening to their conversation.
“You know, you should have become my daughter-in-law. What a shame. After giving birth to the child and forcing your way in like that… you must have planned everything. But even if you’re not our blood, Yun-woo is. I have no choice but to accept you as a daughter-in-law.”
She was talking about her. Tae-yeon bit her lip.
She had clearly chosen the worst job for herself. The money was good, but there was no dignity left in a job that deserved to be called cursed.