Deal Breaker - Chapter 78
Long legs striding forward in a way that felt refreshingly bold. Hyeji found herself admiring him. His limbs look fine. That’s a relief. He looks a bit thinner, but that just makes him look more like a model. Even after being kidnapped by terrorists and suffering through all that, his looks still shine. He really is a cheat character.
“Director.”
The moment she turned from the railing and came face to face with him, the smile vanished from Kanghyeon’s face.
“You must’ve gone through so mu—”
…I know you did, but why are you sitting down here?
She thought he was collapsing when the face that had been above her suddenly dropped lower, but Kanghyeon went down on one knee in front of Hyeji. Then he grabbed her belly with both hands and buried his face against it. The tears that had been about to spill from joy dried up instantly.
“Director, what are you doing?”
Just then, from behind Hyeji, she heard a quiet cough, someone clearing their throat.
“It seems the family reunion is happening over here first.”
Hyeji flinched under the pointed look. We’re not family, Vice Minister. This is a misunderstanding. The very last thing she wanted was to be suspected of landing the son of a top one percent family, complete with wealth, power, and education, by getting pregnant and turning her life around.
“No, Director. Just a moment.”
She tried to push him away, but Kanghyeon stubbornly clung on and even kissed her belly. Her mind completely blanked.
What is wrong with this man? Delirium? They said the guys used cheap sedatives, did he get brain damage from the side effects? Or did they swap out his brain? Then is this man a fake? That must be it. In that case, it makes sense that he’d be happy watching an environmental crime worth sixty metric tons of annual carbon emissions.
No, honestly, that makes no sense at all. But right now, for Hyeji, the thing that made the least sense was somehow the most convincing.
Not only Hyeji, but other people were also passing by with their eyes wide open, staring at the two of them. The doors that had briefly closed swung open wide, and a group of middle aged women in hiking clothes, probably part of a tour group, poured out all at once.
“Oh my, he must be a soldier returning from overseas deployment.”
Of all things, Kanghyeon was wearing a military backpack with flashy camouflage patterns.
“Oh my, he came back safely before the baby was born. How happy they must be.”
“Oh dear, what do we do. I’m going to cry.”
The older women surrounded the two of them, wiping their eyes and clapping. It was utter chaos.
Only after the round of applause died down did Kanghyeon stand up, and then he even kissed Hyeji in front of everyone. Tears shimmered in his eyes, tears she had never once seen in six years, no matter what she had seen him go through.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Were you worried I’d be upset?”
No, I was worried about my apartment.
Don’t get shaken again by this man’s line crossing mistake. Don’t be fooled.
Steeling her resolve, Hyeji grabbed the man who was taking off his backpack to pull something out.
“Director.”
“Hm?”
A whisper that others couldn’t hear flowed into Kanghyeon’s ear.
“It’s not your child, Director.”
* * *
“It’s not your child, Director.”
That’s a lie, right?
“…You had a boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
Only then did he notice that the finger he had been about to slip a ring onto was already occupied by another ring.
That wasn’t there before. What kind of guy buys a fourteen karat couple ring for a girlfriend who’s carrying his child? Is he a college student?
Noh Hyeji, this is a lie.
Could this be a dream. Am I still trapped and dreaming? Did that idiot Borodin finally figure out how to plant a suggestion that would hurt the most?
Denial.
“How many months along are you?”
“Five months.”
Then she’s been seeing that boyfriend for even longer. And she hid it from me perfectly all this time? I thought we were close. How could you do this to me?
Wait. Then he was around back then too. You had a boyfriend and still had s*x with me?
Anger.
Still, maybe it’s a relief that she says she doesn’t plan on getting married? She’ll stay by my side as my Guide at least. If that’s the case, maybe I’ll get a chance too?
Compromise.
What chance. Even if she says that now, she’ll probably marry that man for the child’s sake.
The moment he saw her belly at the airport, he assumed it was his child and planned everything instantly, from the wedding to old age. Giving something and then taking it away like this is just cruel.
Depression.
I thought you loved me too.
Hyeji had run around in every possible way to save him. Their relationship, if you looked at it one way, was only a public, contractual one bound by money. Even if he died, Hyeji wouldn’t lose anything. On top of that, as Kanghyeon soared after meeting Hyeji, her value must have skyrocketed over the past few years. She wasn’t a woman who would be unaware of that.
So was it not love, but just affection between human beings?
If it was basic affection, you should have told me you had a boyfriend!
