Young Wife and Bad Things

Chapter 5

Seo I-Jae’s lips twitched slightly at the man’s mocking laughter.

When she glanced at the man, wondering if he was seriously about to reveal the truth here, the man shot him a look as if to say, *How dare you stare at me like that?* Embarrassed, I-Jae quickly averted her gaze.

The man, however, didn’t seem to have any intention of looking away first.

“Well, even if we become family, he’s someone you don’t need to care about. My dead younger brother suddenly showed up with a child, so I had to take responsibility. As you know, this world is full of filthy brats, isn’t it?”

I-Jae held back the urge to storm out right then and there. His stomach churned.

“I-Jae, are you okay? Should we leave?”
Jung Woo, worried about I-Jae’s pale face, asked while gently wiping the cold sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

While everyone else was listening to Professor Seo’s story, Beom Do-geon, who was only focused on downing his drink at the front, suddenly let out a small laugh. Then, throwing his head back, he began to laugh loudly.

“…”

The other people at the table awkwardly followed suit, glancing at him nervously. It was laughter that made no sense at all.

Once again, I Jae felt who had the most power in this room.

Was this what power was—making people laugh so easily?

“Executive Director, why are you laughing…?”

Professor Seo, who had been laughing along without understanding the reason, asked curiously.

“Because it’s funny.”

Beom Do-geon stopped laughing, erasing all emotion from his face in an instant.

The others in the room immediately stopped their forced laughter, mirroring his mood.

I-Jae swallowed hard in the bizarre atmosphere filled with fake laughter. Her throat felt tight.

Beom Do-geon’s icy gaze shifted to Jung Woo before finally locking onto I-Jae.

“Especially the way an older brother looks at his younger sister…”

He smirked openly, not bothering to hide his ridicule.

“So inappropriate and… intriguing.”

“…”

“Ah, it’s just thrilling.”

“Seo I-jae, Are you okay?”

For a moment, I-jae felt her head spin.

Her dizziness worsened because of her already weak condition combined with the tension she was feeling.

“I need to… use the restroom for a moment…”

I-jae left the room.

She could feel Beom Do-geon’s gaze following her, but she didn’t look back.

She had reached her limit.

The disgusting glances exchanged between the other officials as they talked behind her back, the mocking face of Professor Seo who insulted her parents—she couldn’t endure it anymore.

Shame crept in.

The realization that she had sat there silently, too afraid of the violence that awaited her later, made her feel pathetic.

Limping down the hallway toward the restroom, I-jae just wanted to hide.

But despite her urgency, her injured ankle wouldn’t cooperate.

“Sigh…”

She leaned over the sink, gripping it with both hands, and let out a deep breath.

Her body felt feverish. It was clear she needed to head home.

After some time, I-jae finally left the restroom. Just then, she ran into Beom Do-geon, who was coming back into the hallway, likely after smoking on the terrace.

As I-jae tried to move toward the elevator, struggling to stay steady, she found her path blocked by a pair of expensive leather shoes.

A strong musk scent filled the air, making I-jae pause and adjust her breathing.

“…Please step aside.”

I-jae spoke with a faint, forced smile, trying to maintain her politeness despite her dizziness.

Beom Do-geon looked at her with an arrogant gaze, the same way he had at the matchmaking meeting when he had asked if someone like her could ever marry him.

“Why is your smile so cheap, little one?”

“Pardon?”

“You smiled even when someone called your parents trash.”

“…”

“And when someone said your broken ankle makes you useless, you smiled again.”

His deep voice carried a heavy tone of mockery, each word weighing down on her chest.

I-jae’s eyes trembled slightly.

The tension she felt whenever she faced this man made her headache worse.

“You don’t even have any pride, do you?”

Something felt strange.

Her vision started to blur.

“Move…”

The word escaped her lips as a whisper, almost like a command.

Beom Do-geon raised an eyebrow at her tone, but I-jae barely managed to continue.

“Please… move aside.”

She could see his handsome face tilting toward her as her vision spun further.

Finally, her world went black, and she lost consciousness.

—

Just as she was about to collapse, a strong arm scooped her up with ease.

Carried like a piece of luggage over Beom Do-geon’s shoulder, I-jae was taken somewhere.

Soon, she felt herself being laid down on a soft, warm bed.

Unlike the cold storage room she was used to, this room was warm and cozy.

Not long after, a sharp prick pierced the inside of her wrist.

It was an IV.

When she whimpered in her sleep, a faint sound of annoyance came from someone nearby.

—

After some time, I-jae slowly stirred.

“Mmm…”

Snuggling into the soft blanket, she opened her eyes.

She felt more well-rested than she had in a long time. It had been so long since she had slept in such a warm, comfortable place that she didn’t want to wake up.

But as she stretched, she noticed something strange. This wasn’t the cold storage room she had been staying in.

Startled, I-jae sat up quickly.

“Where… am I?”

Through the large window, she saw the wide view of the Han River’s nightscape.

Had she fainted and just woken up now?

Panicking, she looked around for her phone. Then, as her reflection caught her eye in the window, she froze.

“Ah…”

Biting her lower lip out of habit, she winced at the sharp pain.

Her lips felt swollen. Touching them lightly, she realized they were puffy and tender.

Confused, I-jae grabbed her phone from the table nearby.

At that moment, a call came in from Jung-woo.

She answered quickly, and his urgent voice spilled out.

“I-jae, where are you? Why haven’t you answered for days? After what happened that day, you just…”

Before she could respond, the door suddenly burst open.

Startled, I-jae turned to see a tall man entering.

Jung-woo’s voice still carried through the phone, but I-jae couldn’t focus on it.

“Come out,” the man said.

It was one of Beom Do-geon’s men.

I-jae, unsure of what was happening, hesitated, but the man urged her.

“He’s waiting for you.”

Reluctantly, I-jae told Jung-woo not to worry and ended the call.

She followed the man out of the room.

In the living room, Beom Do-geon sat leisurely on the sofa, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

“Did you sleep well, little one?”

I-jae gulped nervously at the way he casually addressed her.

“You slept for quite a while. You wouldn’t have noticed even if someone carried you off.”

He exhaled a cloud of smoke, the haze swirling around his strikingly handsome face.

“You’ve been asleep for 46 hours. You never woke up once, not even after taking over my bed.”

I-jae’s eyes widened as she quickly checked the date on her phone.

He was right—the date had changed.

She had slept for nearly two full days without waking up.

Had she been with him the entire time?

“Why… why didn’t you wake me up?”

Flustered, I-jae stammered as she looked at him.

Do-geon tilted his head lazily and replied, “You don’t remember throwing up everywhere and making a scene? I was going to throw you out naked, but I felt bad and let you stay.”

I-jae bit her lip out of habit but winced at the pain.

Her lips were still swollen.

“Do you… know why my lips are so swollen? Did I hurt myself when I fell?”

“Oh, that.”

Do-geon made a hissing sound through his teeth as if he knew something.

I-jae looked at him, waiting for his answer.

He hesitated for a moment before smirking slightly.

“You were biting your lips while you were asleep. Maybe you were having a nightmare?”

“While I was asleep…?”

“Yeah, I lent you part of the bed.”

“Wait… don’t tell me you slept in the same bed as me the whole time…”

“It’s my bed. I use it however I want. Now, sit down.”

Do-geon stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and motioned toward the sofa in front of him.

“I think I should head home…”

His sharp eyes suddenly narrowed, and his voice turned cold.

“Do I have to force you to sit?”

Startled by his icy tone, I-jae froze.

She realized she had let her guard down too much after finally getting some good rest.

After all, Beom Do-geon was someone everyone feared—even Professor Seo was careful around him.

“Let’s get you something to eat,” he said.

Do-geon gave a signal to his subordinate, and shortly after, a tray of food was brought in.

When I-jae saw the table filling up with abalone porridge, sea urchin seaweed soup, salmon steak, braised short ribs, and an assortment of other dishes, her eyes widened.

“What are you doing? You should eat, at least out of respect for the person who prepared all this.”

“You want me to eat all of this…?”

Do-geon handed her a spoon.

“Your doctor said you need to eat. Your nutrition levels are a mess.”

“Oh…”

I-jae wasn’t surprised. Professor Seo and his wife rarely fed her properly, so this wasn’t shocking.

“Who doesn’t eat enough these days?”

He glanced at her thin arms and legs. They looked so frail, as if they’d snap with the slightest pressure.

“With this body, do you think you could even marry someone like me?”

“…”

“If you get any skinnier, you won’t even survive in bed.”

His blunt, shameless words made I-jae’s face flush with embarrassment.

Noticing her reddening cheeks, Do-geon smirked slightly and gestured toward the food.

“Eat.”

Looking at the feast spread across the table, I-jae gulped.

The dishes included grilled fish, matsutake mushroom dishes, and even a hot pot with fresh octopus.

It had been a long time since anyone had told her to eat.

Was it because she hadn’t eaten properly in days?

Or because she had finally gotten some good sleep in a warm place?

Her stomach growled loudly.

“…Then, I’ll eat well,” she muttered hesitantly.

Glancing at Do-geon nervously, I-jae took a bite of the abalone porridge.

Her eyes widened in amazement.

The porridge was soft and flavorful—easily the best thing she had ever eaten.

One by one, she started tasting the other dishes she had never had before, from the braised ribs to the salmon steak.

“It’s delicious…”

Her cheeks puffed out as she stuffed herself, and the cold expression on Do-geon’s face softened slightly.

“Eat slowly. No one’s going to take it from you.”

By the time I-jae finished eating, a hotel staff member brought in a tray with cups.

They set down coffee in front of Do-geon and hot cocoa in front of her.

I-jae glanced between the two cups, confused.

As if reading her thoughts, Do-geon teased her.

“Don’t worry. It won’t help you grow taller.”

I-jae stared at him in disbelief.

“I don’t even like cocoa anymore…”

She had loved it as a child, but as an adult, she had always preferred iced americanos.

And besides, who grows taller as an adult?

Realizing how childish she must seem to him, I-jae felt annoyed.

“You like sweet things, little one,” he said, motioning for her to drink after finishing her food.

When I-jae hesitated, holding her spoon without eating, his gaze narrowed.

“If you finish eating, I’ll give you candy.”

“…”

“Ice cream?”

At his continued teasing, I-jae glared at her food like it was her worst enemy.

Do-geon, seemingly amused, looked up at the ceiling in thought before speaking.

“Then how about a strawberry cream cake?”