Chapter 28: The Wall of Shadows

“Why did you come out? Is there something you want to eat?”

He, who rarely showed changes in emotion, looked delighted. It was as if he would bring anything she asked for.

“This.”

When she showed him the lemon in her hand, Leehyun tilted his head, his eyebrows curving slightly.

“A lemon?”

Yes. Lemonade. Her head nodded on its own. Her mouth watered, and she felt hungry.

“If you eat this on an empty stomach, your stomach will hurt.”

He seemed pleased that her eyes were sparkling, but his tone was filled with concern. Nevertheless, Leehyun obediently took out a juicer and accepted the lemon.

“Sit there for a moment. I’ll make it for you right away.”

Contrary to the expectation that he would just wash it under running water, Leehyun pulled a white powder from the cupboard. He sprinkled it over the lemon and rubbed it with his hands.

“What is that?”

“Baking soda. They say this is how you wash off pesticides.”

“You know things like that, too?”

“I studied. Because you have to eat only things that are good for your body.”

He studied how to wash a lemon in that short amount of time? Seohee tilted her head. To say he had only read books—Leehyun’s hand movements were quite practiced.

“By any chance, did you always take charge of these things more than I did?”

“Who knows.”

Leehyun stopped rubbing, washed it off with water, and submerged the lemon in the water as it was.

“Wasn’t that the end of it?”

“They said to soak it in vinegar water.”

To that extent? Was making a glass of lemonade originally so labor-intensive? As she blinked, Leehyun, who had already narrowed the distance, approached right in front of her nose. He brushed the tip of her nose with one hand and then bumped his forehead against hers.

“You have no fever.”

Her forehead wasn’t as cold as it had been yesterday.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“So, about that—what else?”

Hmm? As she tilted her head, Leehyun brushed her lips lightly and kissed her subtly. Their soft lips met and parted several times.

“Your stomach wasn’t good to begin with. You were someone who wouldn’t even drink coffee on an empty stomach.”

As he spoke, Leehyun’s expression hardened, as if he were remembering.

“At least eat some yogurt lightly. Then let’s drink it, okay?”

“Yogurt?”

His black pupils were filled with worry. He was on edge, fearing she might eat it needlessly and end up groaning in pain, so a faint smile escaped her. Watching Seohee like that, Leehyun stroked her hair.

“There should be some. I told them to prepare it earlier today, just in case you wanted to eat.”

In case she changed her mind, Leehyun turned his body quickly. Seohee burst into laughter again at the sight of his large frame bringing over a small yogurt container with one hand.

“Here, say ‘ah’.”

“I’ll eat it myself.”

She didn’t know if she would be okay, but Leehyun’s face was too serious to stubbornly refuse. Even if I throw it up, I should at least try one bite.

Seohee reached out with a spoon.

“Ah, open your mouth.”

Leehyun didn’t yield and pushed the small spoon forward. One bite, two bites.

“Oh?”

“Are you okay?”

When she nodded, Leehyun hurriedly offered another bite. Before she knew it, she had finished the whole container of yogurt.

“Here.”

Leehyun handed her the lemonade he had prepared sometime in between.

“Mmm.”

Is it because he fed it to me? It went down smoothly. How long has it been since I last felt this?

The corners of Seohee’s lips curled into a bashful smile. Leehyun rubbed the area lightly with his hand.

“Is it delicious?”

“So much.”

Her nodding motion was vigorous.

“Since you like sweet things, I used cider instead of carbonated water. If you want to eat it tomorrow, tell me to make it.”

No, should I tell him in advance?

Seohee caught Leehyun as he turned to give instructions.

“I’ll tell you if I need anything.”

That’s it, then. Leehyun nodded obediently.

Seohee reached out her arms and hugged Leehyun’s waist.

“Why?”

“Because I’m grateful.”

The resentment from a moment ago popped like a bubble. In its place, a feeling of pity and regret washed over her. Is his health failing because he works until such a late hour?

As worry suddenly surged, Seohee rubbed her face against Leehyun’s stomach.

“Please take some rest while you work.”

Don’t work too late. Seohee let out a faint sigh.

“I am resting right now.”

“I feel like I’ve made you even busier for nothing.”

“Call me whenever you need me.”

Leehyun, who had cupped Seohee’s cheeks with both hands, met her eyes. His pitch-black pupils looked at Seohee’s face as if absorbing it.

“…….”

“Answer me.”

When she didn’t even nod, Leehyun subtly urged for an answer. As if there was only one answer, as if a small movement would be enough.

“……But.”

He is a busy man.

I shouldn’t only think of myself.

As Seohee looked at the corners of her eyes, which were slowly drooping, Leehyun planted a kiss on them.

“You have to answer.”

Honey. He muttered while keeping his lips against hers. As if he were a man who wouldn’t let her go unless she said she understood, Leehyun bit, and bit again. Her red lips.

***

In the pitch-black room where not a single ray of light shone, Jihoon spun his chair around. A Neva Masquerade, a cat with white fur subtly mixed with gray. Jihoon had personally adopted the Russian cat, known to cause fewer allergies, from overseas.

“Look, since you are like this, you can live in that form forever.”

Jihoon gazed with satisfaction at the blue eyes of the taxidermied cat, a sight that could be considered somewhat bizarre. As Jihoon stood up and pressed the switch, light bathed the large water tank that filled one whole wall. The water tank, where the black rose looked as if it were alive and breathing, was bizarre and terrifying.

Jihoon, who walked to the other side, picked up the black rose without hesitation in front of the tank filled with mysterious liquid.

“Preserving beauty requires numerous processes.”

Curving up one corner of his lips, he murmured chillingly.

Holding horticultural scissors, Jihoon carelessly snipped off the stems, tap, tap. Tilted his head, he lifted the rose up to look at it and grinned.

Glycerin, water, denatured alcohol, oxalic acid, acetone, acetic acid, sodium hydrogen sulfate—the list of ingredients needed to preserve the rose completely was endless. Jihoon worked, picking them up one by one as if familiar. A strange thrill spread across his face.

Deep in his work, Jihoon suddenly moved his feet. His gaze turned toward the wall that could be seen straight ahead when the door was opened.

Jin Seohee laughing brightly, Jin Seohee drinking coffee, Jin Seohee sweeping her hair back, Jin Seohee playing the violin. Jihoon gently closed his eyes while stroking each one with his hand.

“I have to bring her here.”

Jin Seohee. Jihoon cried out her name with the tips of his lips repeatedly.

“What would be a good method?”

Kidnapping? Ah, no. Jihoon shook his head. Hadn’t Leehyun, who previously hadn’t shown any interest in Seohee, stationed a larger number of bodyguards than expected?

If he stepped forward recklessly, it would only backfire.

“Should I bring down Yoon Leehyun?”

If he possessed Jin Seohee, he might not be pushed out of Gayun, but if he lost Jin Seohee, he was on the verge of losing Gayun as well. He had been bothered by her being by Yoon Leehyun’s side all along.

“Seohee, what do you think?”

Jihoon murmured as if looking at Seohee’s photo, as if holding a conversation. Ah, yes. He even nodded as if he had heard an answer.

“I understand, Seohee.”

Jihoon did what might seem insane to others without any care. He kissed the photo as if it were only natural. His lips brushed every single photograph without exception.

Leehyun, who had lingered in the room for a long time, turned off the lights, adjusted the temperature and humidity, and closed the door.

“Mother.”

How many times had he called Yoosun with his own hand?

Jihoon looked blankly at the number that felt somewhat unfamiliar, then opened his mouth.

“Please reorganize the share structure. How far can you go?”

At that single sentence, a short silence flowed. Even when his name was listed for the Gayun succession, and even when he was pushed to the trading company, Jihoon had never openly asked about share structures or other matters. He had merely accepted it as a matter of course and denied it as if it were unbelievable.

“Mergers are fine, and I don’t care about methods to tarnish Gayun Electronics.”

He didn’t care about long-term losses. Right now, what Jihoon needed was to bring Seohee back, whether by distracting Leehyun’s attention or by bringing him down, whatever means it took.

Hanging up the phone, Jihoon turned on the computer this time. Yoon Leehyun. Entering the search term, he scraped up all the data that came up.

After clicking for a long time, Jihoon stopped the mouse at the headline: [Gayun Group Yoon Leehyun, J International Jin Seohee Marriage].

“Not Yoon Jihoon of Gayun Group, but Yoon Leehyun.”

Jihoon supported the back of his head and closed his eyes.

It was a day with an exceptionally clear blue sky. Shielding his eyes from the pouring sunshine with one hand, Jihoon ordered coffee and sat down.

As he closed his eyes while smelling the faint floral scent wafting on the terrace, a woman who had just entered the cafe caught the end of his gaze.

A flowing, snow-white chiffon dress. Long, cascading hair, a white, round face, and brownish-gold eyes. Even the violin case slung over her right shoulder. Everything captured Jihoon’s gaze.

Is she mixed-race?

Or German?

It was the same in Korea, but there had been no woman who particularly drew his interest, even in a foreign country. Except for that woman who had just brushed past him.

And yet, that woman was sitting at the table in front of him. Was it a coincidence?

Jihoon attached meaning to trivial things to the extent that he couldn’t distinguish between coincidence and fate.

That the woman who had caught his eye happened to be sitting in front of him—it was destiny.

“Yes, yes.”

Familiar Korean heard in Germany. Jihoon’s eyes curved subtly.

She’s even Korean?

His lips stretched strangely long.

“It’s difficult right now.”

Listening to Korean with his ears, he followed her lips with his eyes.

Red lips, full-bloomed flower petals. Everything was full and beautiful.

“Ha.”

A long sigh as if in a difficult situation. Jihoon moved his ribcage along with it.

Annoyed by her hair scattered by the wind, the woman swept her long hair back with her fingers.

Her fingers are pretty, too.

It would be so nice to keep her by my side, Jihoon laughed shortly at the thought that had suddenly descended.

“I’ll go now. See you in Korea.”

Jihoon’s pupils glittered as he watched the woman passing by his side. Jihoon couldn’t take his eyes off Seohee’s back for a long time.