Chapter 97: Told Me to Lie Down on the Bed
TL: Aniea
“Oww…”
Ssss-
After finishing practice and returning home, I let out a pained breath as I checked the part of my body where Kim Eun-ha had hit me.
She hit me so hard that a dark bruise had formed, and I struggled quite a bit even during my shower.
‘She really has a strong hand.’
Maybe it’s because she’s trained in martial arts, but the impact felt different. It was strong enough to knock the breath out of me the moment it landed.
Of course, she usually controls her strength and hits in a playful way, but sometimes, she would snap me out of it with a punch full of sincerity like this.
“Ugh…”
I suppressed the pain and lay down on the bed. I was so worn out from the prolonged practice that I was planning to fall asleep right away.
But maybe because of the throbbing pain, even with my eyes closed, sleep just wouldn’t come.
‘Eun-ha ssi’s past…’
Thanks to that, my thoughts kept getting deeper, and the questions I had tried to push aside started surfacing again.
Why is Kim Eun-ha so obsessed with her past that she even assigned someone to keep an eye on Kang Han-na? The answer came easier than I expected.
‘It must be because of the accident that killed her parents.’
I once tried to search for information online myself, but I couldn’t find anything substantial because Mirae Group had already intervened.
Which, conversely, meant there must be a reason they were so desperate to hide it.
‘...Eun-ha ssi’s parents supposedly had no interest in the succession line.’
They had completely withdrawn from the competition for Mirae Group’s successor and supposedly didn’t receive any shares of the company.
Perhaps that’s why there’s no record of them being active anywhere in particular, and even finding a single photo of them was nearly impossible. Especially her mother.
‘Maybe they were actually ordinary people?’
If they, like Kim Eun-ha’s other relatives, had entered into an arranged marriage with a prominent figure in politics or business, there would definitely be some trace left behind.
It’s a rather common story, isn’t it?
The tale of a chaebol second generation, worn out by excessive competition, dreaming of a normal life.
A romantic who chooses love over inheritance, even if it means giving up everything and going against their family’s wishes.
‘...Looking at the circumstances, it's almost certain.’
The only problem is that, in human history, people like that almost always end up with a bad ending.
Two people who suddenly die in an unexpected accident. But was it really ‘unexpected’?
Life is inherently unpredictable, yes, but most things still follow a cause-and-effect pattern.
‘What if they were murdered by someone?’
Forming a hypothesis like that wasn’t particularly difficult. The only thing that nagged at me was the lack of a convincing motive.
Why would someone go out of their way to kill a couple who had already withdrawn from the succession race?
‘...Not that it's impossible.’
There’s the possibility that someone wanted to eliminate a potential threat, but the risk in that case is far too great compared to the gain.
Even if someone took the fall and killed Kim Eun-ha’s parents, the benefits would be shared among all the competitors.
And the one who ordered the murder would be wielding a blade pressed against their own neck.
‘If the killer was another competitor, that is.’
As soon as I got to that point, the first person who popped into my head was none other than Chairman Kim Seok-ho. If he were the culprit, then the story changes.
Call it a kind of honor killing.
In some countries, there’s a barbaric practice of killing family members or related individuals for ‘tarnishing the family’s honor’.
Of course, there’s no such tradition in South Korea, but the thoughts of a crazy bastard often go far beyond the imagination of sane people.
‘...Like making an example out of them?’
Chairman Kim Seok-ho is known for his harsh successor training. So what would he do if someone rejected it and ran away?
If he just let it go, it could set a bad precedent. So some form of ‘punishment’ must have been necessary.
‘Normally, it would just end with disinheritance, but...’
After reconfirming Kim Eun-ha’s ruthless side today, I realized clearly that you can’t survive there by doing things half-heartedly.
Where did such bold decisiveness and action come from? It wasn’t hard to infer.
“...Perfect for a drama plot.”
Not long ago, in <Peaceful Chaebol Life>, the only character this ruthless was ‘Kang Joo-heon’.
Once again, I was reminded that compared to reality, novels or dramas are nothing but child’s play.
As I realized anew just how dangerous a situation I had gotten myself into, my thoughts naturally turned to what I should do going forward.
‘...Well, nothing’s going to change drastically right away.’
After all, this is Kim Eun-ha’s issue. There aren’t many problems I can actually solve for her.
The reason I haven’t actively dug into Kim Eun-ha’s past up until now is the same.
Above all, Kim Eun-ha herself wouldn’t want that. I’d be lucky if she doesn’t find it offensive.
‘It could all just be my baseless speculation.’
Jumping to conclusions is never a good idea. Once your thinking gets biased, it’s hard to respond flexibly when the truth finally comes to light.
‘For now, I just need to stay in my place.’
What Kim Eun-ha expects from me is incredibly simple. All I have to do is faithfully play the role of her stand-in husband so she doesn’t get swept into a political marriage.
Suppress unnecessary curiosity.
Just act the part she wants from me.
‘I’ll focus on what I can do.’
I believed without a doubt that this was the best way to repay the favor she had done for me. Of course, if she asked for help, I would...
Knock knock-
While I was deep in thought,
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
There was no need to wonder who it was. After all, the only people staying in this house were Kim Eun-ha and me.
“...Are you asleep?”
Just as I expected.
Kim Eun-ha’s cautious voice came from outside the door. I quickly sat up in bed.
“Ugh-”
The moment I sat up, the bruised area scraped against the sheets and the pain I had briefly forgotten surged back.
Crash-!
I was about to steady myself and open the door, but before I could even reach for it, Kim Eun-ha flung it open and burst inside.
“Are you okay!?”
With wide eyes, she scanned me from head to toe. I waved my hand in the air and smiled.
“I’m fine. It’s really noth- ugh.”
“Don’t give me that! Where does it hurt?”
“The spot where you hit me earlier...”
“.......”
At my honest answer, Kim Eun-ha awkwardly averted her gaze. It seemed even she realized she’d hit me too hard.
“...I didn’t even hit you that hard.”
“If you hit with full force, you’d probably kill someone.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Dramatic? I’ve got a huge bruise.”
“Now, now. Lying again.”
“I’m not lying.”
Sss-
I lifted my pajamas slightly to show her the bruised area on my abdomen where she’d hit me.
Kyaa-!
Suddenly, Kim Eun-ha shrieked and covered her eyes with both hands. She fired off her words like a machine gun.
“Why are you taking your clothes off out of nowhere!?”
“I didn’t take them off. I was just showing you the bruise. But aren’t you overreacting a bit here?”
“Any woman would be flustered if a man suddenly showed skin in front of her!”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes, it is!”
Even in the dimly lit room, her face was flushed bright red as she huffed.
As I watched her, the cruel image of her from this morning faded from my mind, replaced by the desire to tease her.
“Hm. I thought you’d be different, Eun-ha ssi.”
“...How exactly was I supposed to react?”
“I don’t know? Maybe stare blankly at the bruise with your usual indifferent gaze? Maybe even hit the bruise again and say ‘It’s nothing’.”
“Just what kind of person is Kim Eun-ha in your head!?”
“A stunning beauty who makes a man spring out of bed.”
“Ah, seriously...”
Kim Eun-ha shook her head and rubbed her forehead like someone about to faint.
Every time I tease her, she reacts so freshly that I just can’t help myself.
“Enough. Put this on.”
“Hm? What is this?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
Kim Eun-ha's tone was sharper than usual, likely because she was in a bad mood. The look in her eyes as she stared at me also suggested she wasn't pleased.
But separate from all that, in the palm she extended was a very cute-looking ointment.
“...Regenerative ointment?”
“Apply it to the bruise before you sleep. You can’t afford any trouble during tomorrow’s practice.”
“That wasn’t in the medicine cabinet. Did you go out and buy it yourself just for me?”
“Do I look crazy? Of course I asked the security team.”
“Ah, I see.”
As I nodded calmly and accepted the ointment, Kim Eun-ha’s expression twisted slightly.
“...What’s with that lukewarm reaction?”
“I thought you personally went to get it for me, and for a moment I was moved. I guess I’ll thank the security team instead.”
“...But I was the one who ordered them to buy it. And I’m the one who brought it here. Shouldn’t you be thanking me, no matter how you look at it?”
“Oh, that’s true. Thank y- ugh!”
I bent my waist playfully, but the pain came rushing back again. The sharp sting made me clutch my stomach, and Kim Eun-ha hurried over.
“Are you okay!?”
“Aah, it’s nothing.”
“Let me see!”
“I’m really fi- whoa!?”
Before I could stop her, she suddenly grabbed the hem of my clothes and lifted it. As the skin was exposed to the air, the bruises were laid bare.
Maybe she hadn’t seen them clearly earlier because she was surprised. Kim Eun-ha’s eyes widened even more.
“Oh my god! You didn’t go to the hospital!?”
“Who goes to the hospital for a bruise?”
“At this level, your internal organs could be damaged! The bruise is this bad- you should’ve gotten an MRI or something to check if everything’s okay!”
“...You do remember you’re the one who hit me, right?”
“.......”
Maybe she had forgotten for a moment, because Kim Eun-ha bit her lip. Then she suddenly raised her head and locked eyes with mine, her gaze dead serious.
“Lie down.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, lie down on the bed.”
“That’s a little fast for the pace of things...”
Whoosh-
Kim Eun-ha reflexively raised her fist but glanced at my bruised stomach and quietly lowered her hand.
I flinched for a second and looked at her warily. With a long sigh, she pinched my lips.
“...Mm?”
“Quit running your mouth and lie down, now.”
There was no room for negotiation in her eyes, so I nodded obediently.
After following her instructions and lying down quietly on the bed, she immediately sat down beside me.
Rustle-
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, Kim Eun-ha lifted my shirt. I was flustered and tried to pull it back down, but her gaze, colder than moonlight, froze me in place.
With no trouble at all, she pinned me and took back the ointment she had handed me earlier.
“I can do it myself...”
“Stay still.”
Sss- sss-
She scooped some of the ointment onto her hand and then began to gently apply it to my wound.
The cool ointment mixed with the softness of Kim Eun-ha’s hand created a strangely comforting sensation.
At that moment, the only thing I could do was stare at her in a daze.
“.......”
The moonlight streaming through the window clung to her still-damp hair, making it glisten.
Above all, I couldn’t take my eyes off her lips, soft and moist like they were dusted with stardust.
Gulp-!
Realizing that in a few days I’d have to collide with those lips, I unknowingly swallowed dryly.
I’m supposed to behave professionally.
But personal feelings keep getting in the way.
“There, all done! Huh? Why that face?”
“Ahem! Is there a problem?”
“...You were thinking something weird again, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Huh?
Apparently not expecting that answer, Kim Eun-ha froze in place. I shrugged and continued in a teasing tone.
“Just a little bit.”
“.......”
Kim Eun-ha silently glared at me. The silence stretched long enough that I started to wish she'd react somehow.
Thwack-!!
A massive impact hit my body. Right after, Kim Eun-ha threw the ointment and stormed out of the room. And just like that, I had one more big bruise on my body.
*****
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