Affectionate Obsession - Chapter 19

“Aren’t you the one who confidently claimed you could fool all the elders in the family yourself? And now you’re bringing in a double? So, what’s the problem?”

Junhyeok muttered, his face as cold as ice.

With every word he spoke, Sera’s fingertips, resting on her lap, trembled uncontrollably.

Sera bit down hard on her bright red lips.

“Are you serious right now? What you’re saying sounds like you’re going to take my place and give it to that woman, the double. Am I understanding this correctly?”

Sera tightened her grip on her trembling fingertips, curling them inward.

Though she spoke with feigned confidence, she couldn’t hide the fear that was already eating away at her.

That emotion was conveyed directly to Junhyeok.

Junhyeok couldn’t hold back his sneer any longer.

“It seems you’re not entirely short-sighted after all.”

“Hey, Jung Junhyeok! Make some sense! Shin Yeonhee is just a woman I bought with money!! She’ll quietly step down from my position if I give her the money I promised!”

Despite Junhyeok’s mild provocation, Sera flew into a rage. Though she knew his words were absurd, every time her eyes met his, a sense of dread washed over her that she might truly lose her place.

She had no idea that her words just moments ago had deeply offended Junhyeok.

“Is that so? Since Yoon Sera says so, I’m even more inclined to keep the woman currently in my home for a long, long time.”

Junhyeok stared directly at Sera, suppressing his rising anger.

He had intended to end this meeting quickly. But seeing Sera push things this far, his desire to wrap things up and leave vanished completely.

He intended to make things perfectly clear.

That Shin Yeonhee was not someone Yoon Sera could simply control with money.

“Ha, do you really think my parents would mistake a mere double for the real me?”

“They were perfectly fooled at the wedding ceremony, so how can you guarantee they won’t be fooled again? The situation can be made to look however we want.”

Junhyeok’s subsequent words made Sera press her lips together in a flustered expression.

The more she did, the darker the sneer on Junhyeok’s lips became.

“It’s not that difficult to drive someone to the brink of madness, something Yoon Sera must surely know.”

“Hey, Jung Junhyeok!”

Sera slammed her clenched fist onto the armrest of the sofa.

She bit her lower lip viciously, but her eyes were brimming with tears.

Junhyeok watched Sera in silence. He found it utterly pathetic.

It was laughable that she dared to mention Yeonhee’s name when she couldn’t even withstand such a mild provocation.

He wanted to crush Yoon Sera utterly, but he decided it was time to stop wasting his time.

“So, don’t mess around, Yoon Sera. If you don’t want to lose your place, stop playing games with money.”

Junhyeok leaned back on the sofa and checked the watch on his wrist. The hands indicated there was still a long time until quitting time.

His mind, which had already been filled with Yeonhee, was now completely occupied by her, leaving no room for anything else.

He missed Yeonhee.

So much that he felt like he was going crazy with longing.

The arrow of pain, the agony of having to endure his longing, was directed straight at Sera.

Junhyeok suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp, and spoke in a merciless voice.

“Playing games with money. Who do you think is better at it, you or me?”

He tightened his grip on Sera’s breath once more with a gaze colder than ever.

“This is a warning. There won’t be a second. If you don’t want to live the rest of your life having lost your place, do nothing and wait quietly until it’s returned. That’s the price for the mistake you made.”

That was it.

Junhyeok stood up and walked to his office desk. He pressed a button on the phone to call Secretary Kim.

— Yes, CEO.

“Please escort our guest out.”

— Yes, I understand.

The conversation with Secretary Kim ended briefly.

Soon, the door to the executive office opened, and Secretary Kim appeared.

Sera glared at Junhyeok, tears streaming down her face.

Her expression was one of utter shame and confusion.

After stubbornly remaining seated for a while, she rose with a venomous look on her face.

Unlike when she entered, the harsh sound of her heels echoed in the executive office. But it was short-lived.

Soon, the door closed, and a heavy silence pressed down on Junhyeok’s shoulders.

Junhyeok slumped into his desk chair and rubbed his temples.

A headache was setting in.

Yeonhee walked briskly, holding two heavy shopping bags in her hands.

The bags were printed with the logo of a supermarket near their new home.

They were filled with groceries she had picked out to make dinner for Junhyeok. Yet, they didn’t feel heavy.

On the contrary, she couldn’t help but smile thinking about Junhyeok, who would be home from work soon.

She wondered how long it had been since she last cooked a meal for someone.

She recalled that the few memories she had of cooking for Junhyeok were from their dating days ten years ago.

After that, while living with Yeonjeong, she had always received meals prepared by Yeonjeong because she worked late.

It was partly due to her circumstances, and partly because she had no interest in cooking, so she had never felt this way before. Yeonhee felt genuinely excited.

She was already looking forward to Junhyeok’s reaction when he saw the dinner she had prepared with her own hands.

Yeonhee shrugged and picked up her pace. Her steps were light.

Yeonhee entered the house, pressing the door lock’s password, a combination of her birthday and Junhyeok’s birthday.

As she took off her shoes, a pair of shoes she hadn’t seen when she left the house filled her vision.

Yeonhee instinctively raised her head. Then, she saw Junhyeok, who seemed to have just come out of the bedroom.

Yeonhee took off her shoes in surprise. And just as she was about to take a step forward.

“……Junhyeok?”

Before she knew it, she was swept into Junhyeok’s embrace, who had approached her in an instant.

“When did you get here?”

Yeonhee carefully set down the bags in her hands and wrapped her arms around Junhyeok’s waist. She then tilted her head slightly, trying to see his face.

But Junhyeok didn’t easily show his face. Listening closely, she could hear his breathing was rough.

Yeonhee’s eyes darted around, confused. But the moment her gaze fell upon the bedroom door, which was ajar, she had to tighten her grip on Junhyeok’s waist.

“……I was surprised because you weren’t here when I got home.”

Junhyeok’s weak voice, betraying how tense he had been, pierced Yeonhee’s ears.

Yeonhee felt a lump form in her throat.

The bedroom, visible from where she stood, was in disarray. The closet doors were open haphazardly, and the single dresser was gaping open without order.

It was as if he had been searching for something, just like ten years ago, in case she had disappeared.

“Junhyeok.”

Yeonhee softly called his name. Junhyeok then buried his face deeper into her neck.

“You didn’t say you were going anywhere.”

His hot breath poured onto her pale skin.

The warmth of his breath seemed to prove the level of anxiety he must have felt, even for a moment, and Yeonhee’s heart ached.

Yeonhee gently stroked Junhyeok’s back. Then she listened to his breathing.

She felt his rough breaths gradually calm down. Only then did she speak again.

“I went to the mart up ahead. I wanted to make you dinner.”

“……Sigh. You should have told me.”

“You always had plenty of time until quitting time, so I didn’t expect you to be here at this hour.”

“Still, you could have contacted me.”

“I thought you’d be busy.”

“No matter how busy I am, I have time to check your messages.”

Faced with Junhyeok’s unwavering retort, Yeonhee finally had to surrender.

There was no other choice when Junhyeok, who usually just gave in to her, was acting this way.

“I’m sorry. I’ll tell you everywhere I go from now on.”

“Promise me.”

“Yes, I promise.”

Yeonhee nodded her head slightly. Only then did Junhyeok loosen his arms around her shoulders and meet her gaze.

“Jung Junhyeok’s reputation is really in tatters.”

As if regaining his usual composure, Junhyeok spoke with a hint of a whine and slightly curved his lips.

Yeonhee followed suit with a gentle smile and asked with a playful look.

“Why, are you embarrassed now?”

“Embarrassment is secondary. I’m worried I acted too childishly just now. I’m concerned I might have seemed unattractive.”

His next words made Yeonhee unable to resist laughing.

“Jung Junhyeok worries about that too?”

“Of course. I’ve never not worried about it when I’m with you.”

However, she couldn’t laugh it off comfortably at his last remark.

Yeonhee met his gaze with trembling pupils. His eyes held no trace of a lie.

“I must have been a really bad woman to you, more than you think.”

Yeonhee murmured with a slightly bitter voice.

“Not a bad woman, but a woman who is excessively attractive, to the point where you can’t feel at ease even for a moment.”

“They say that whoever makes the other person worry is a bad person, and bad people are attractive.”

Yeonhee avoided Junhyeok’s gaze and added. She spoke lightly, but her heart was not light.

She had never imagined that he would always be living in such anxiety.

She had always thought that she was the one constantly worried about other women approaching him, given how noticeable he was everywhere.

She had never once felt that he was anxious. Yet now, ten years later, seeing him tremble with anxiety felt strange.

“It’s okay to make me worry, just stay by my side like this.”

Junhyeok’s plea, which was nothing new, deeply struck Yeonhee’s heart.

It was truly strange. Even though their relationship ten years ago wasn’t short, her heart pounded incessantly as if they had just started dating.

That made it impossible for her to control her feelings for him.

“……Yes. I won’t go. I won’t go anywhere.”

“Okay. Don’t go. Please, don’t disappear anywhere.”

Yeonhee nodded. That was all the conversation they needed.

Junhyeok kissed Yeonhee, almost automatically. His breathing, which had seemed to calm down, quickly became rough again.

Yeonhee wrapped her arms around Junhyeok’s neck.

The breath escaping between their tangled lips was hotter than ever.

Support Affectionate Obsession