Affectionate Obsession - Chapter 13

“Ugh……!”

As soon as Yeonhee returned home, she ran to the bathroom.

Perhaps it was the food she ate at the Seongbuk-dong mansion that was making her sick, but as soon as she arrived home, her tension released, and nausea washed over her.

“Haa, ugh…….”

Only after the intense nausea subsided could she finally breathe properly.

Yeonhee sank to the floor, still clutching the toilet bowl.

Just then, a knock sounded at the bathroom door.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Yeonhee, are you okay?”

Junhyeok’s voice, filled with worry, seeped into the bathroom.

Yeonhee quickly flushed the toilet.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll be out in a moment. Just a second.”

She forced herself to stand, her legs trembling. She rinsed her mouth thoroughly, but her stomach still felt heavy.

Leaning on the sink with both hands, she slowly lifted her head. Her face was ashen, devoid of any vitality.

A sigh escaped her lips.

She was this sick from just one dinner, so how was she supposed to endure the next year?

She let out a deep sigh, feeling pathetic for her own weakness.

It was then that the tightly shut door creaked open.

“Yeonhee.”

Yeonhee wiped the water from her lips with her hand and turned her head towards the sound.

Junhyeok’s face, even paler than her own in the mirror moments ago, came into view.

Yeonhee weakly pulled up the corners of her lips. Junhyeok instantly closed the distance and pulled her into a hug.

“That must have been hard.”

His voice, whispering in her ear, was incredibly sweet. Yeonhee’s stiff body began to relax.

Without any thought of hiding it, Yeonhee let out a deep sigh and nodded, her head resting on Junhyeok’s shoulder.

“Yes, a little.”

She didn’t want to lie to Junhyeok.

He was her only support right now.

“You endured it well. Your father is incredibly perceptive, and it’s not easy to fool him, but he seemed completely unsuspecting.”

Yeonhee managed a faint smile at his words, which were more of a consolation than comfort.

Now that she had met Junhyeok, who was her husband in this wedding ceremony where she stood in for Yoon Sera, she felt it might be a good thing.

If it hadn’t been him, she would have had to face a year of married life with a man she’d never met before.

And if she had had a father-in-law like Chairman Jeong during such a time, could she have endured it?

No, every minute, every second would have felt like hell, or worse, a torment.

Just the act of deceiving her husband and in-laws would have consumed her days.

As those days piled up, the pressure to last the year would have made her grow distant from Yeonjeong, and at some point, realizing that, she would have fallen into self-loathing, wondering what she had done all this for.

These were all predictable outcomes, so why hadn’t she known this would happen the day she first met Sera?

Thinking back now, it seemed utterly foolish.

It was a matter involving five hundred million won, so no matter what, it wouldn’t have been easy.

Shin Yeonhee, who was born with nothing but her own body, couldn’t have been ignorant of the harsh realities of life.

Even if her mind didn’t acknowledge it, her body must have known. But in that moment, all she saw was money.

Looking back, she must have been truly desperate.

What was money, anyway?

“Junhyeok.”

“Yes, Yeonhee.”

“I actually married you for money from Yoon Sera.”

Yeonhee murmured in a calm tone. She was finally telling him the full story of the fake bride incident, which she hadn’t explained since their reunion at the wedding.

Perhaps Junhyeok already knew everything.

He knew she would appear at the wedding, he had contacted Sera, and he even knew about Yeonjeong. What could he possibly not know about her?

Still, she had to tell him.

She thought of this as a heaven-sent opportunity and wanted to receive the remaining money from Sera.

With that money, she wanted to cure Yeonjeong’s illness and ensure Yeonjeong could live out the rest of her life comfortably, without financial worries.

So, she wanted his help.

She wanted him to help her understand the contract with Yoon Sera.

“She said she’d give me more money if I maintained the marriage for a year. I……”

Suddenly, Yeonhee stopped speaking and pulled away from Junhyeok’s embrace.

The words didn’t come out as easily as she had imagined.

She knew all too well that what she was about to say might hurt Junhyeok again.

“I, I want that money, Junhyeok.”

Yet, she managed to say it.

“……Okay.”

Junhyeok’s answer was clean and concise.

Yeonhee stared intently at Junhyeok.

He didn’t avoid her gaze for a single moment. Rather, he held her gaze with an almost obsessive intensity, as if afraid of losing it, his eyes pleading.

“Whatever you want to do, I’ll do it for you.”

“…….”

“As long as you stay by my side, I’ll do anything.”

Yeonhee bit the tender skin inside her mouth. Junhyeok’s clouded eyes were fixed directly on her. He looked like a wounded lamb.

“Yes. Help me, Junhyeok.”

She knew her answer would hurt Junhyeok again. But she didn’t want to acknowledge it.

‘Heh, that kid. He’s gotten quite bold since I last saw him. This is why it’s important to have good people in the family.’

Chairman Jeong’s words, which had tormented her at the Seongbuk-dong house, still lingered in her mind.

Every time she recalled them, her wounded heart ached intensely.

Her twisted heart made her lips move of their own accord.

“I want to be by your side. That money Yoon Sera promised.”

“…….”

“I really want to receive it.”

An inexplicable sense of guilt washed over her, but Yeonhee ultimately ignored the feeling and gazed at Junhyeok.

She already knew the answer he would give, even without hearing it.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do everything you want.”

As expected, there were no exceptions.

Junhyeok scanned the cleared construction site with sharp eyes.

“I understand the land acquisition is in its final stages. Will there be any issues?”

“Yes, CEO. Negotiations with the landowners were concluded long ago, and it should be neatly settled within about fifteen days.”

Junhyeok nodded silently.

Becoming the CEO of HN Department Store was not part of his original plan.

He had noticed that the former CEO, a professional manager named Director Park, occasionally caused trouble and decided to keep an eye on him. However, there were no major issues, so he put it aside. He was too preoccupied with matters related to Yeonhee to worry about anything else.

But as expected, those who caused trouble always had something to hide.

Director Park was eventually caught embezzling funds and was immediately arrested.

The position that suddenly became vacant naturally fell to Junhyeok.

While it was called the CEO position, it was merely a tedious role of cleaning up and handling the mess Director Park had made over the years.

However, Junhyeok accepted Chairman Jeong’s directive without a word of complaint.

Partly because he accepted it without question as a directive from the group chairman and his father, but conversely, it was also a good opportunity.

If he resolved this issue perfectly and showed excellent results, he could be considered as a candidate for the next successor, surpassing his two older brothers.

That was Junhyeok’s goal.

He intended to bring everyone under his heel. Only then could he keep Yeonhee by his side without any threats.

Therefore, he had to secure that position.

“Let’s head to the hotel now.”

“Yes, CEO.”

Junhyeok nodded briefly and turned around.

He was already feeling fatigued from the packed schedule in Busan that had continued since morning.

But what tired him even more was the fact that he couldn’t see Yeonhee even after finishing his work and returning.

Junhyeok took out his phone and held it in his hand. He then found Yeonhee’s number and tapped on it.

“…….”

I miss her, I really do.

He felt like his patience, which had lasted ten years, had finally run out.

Junhyeok let out a deep sigh and gripped his phone tightly.

He planned to call Yeonhee as soon as he arrived at the hotel.

“You have an early schedule to Seoul tomorrow morning, so please get some rest, Secretary Kim. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Junhyeok said his perfunctory farewell to Secretary Kim, holding the card key he received from the front desk.

Secretary Kim bowed respectfully.

Junhyeok gave a slight nod and immediately turned away. His hurried steps betrayed his impatient heart. All he had to do was go up to his room, but even that felt difficult.

Junhyeok pressed the elevator button a couple of times in quick succession. His impatience was palpable through his fingertips. When the elevator he was waiting for finally arrived and the doors opened, Junhyeok’s legs hesitated for a moment as he was about to step inside.

“Hey, let go! Let go, I said!”

A sharp female scream suddenly pierced Junhyeok’s ears.

In an instant, Junhyeok’s brow furrowed.

The face of the woman shouting inside the elevator was eerily familiar.

It was the woman with the same face as Yeonhee.

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