To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 59

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 59
Upon returning home, I leaned against the vanity and drew in a slow breath.
Yet my heart continued its frantic pounding, showing no signs of settling.
The aftermath of the Jinri Society gathering this afternoon refused to fade.
My mother-in-law’s caustic remarks, Jung-yeon’s mocking laughter, and the strange woman’s voice tinged with screams lingered in my ears like tinnitus.
Moreover… it was almost time for Kwon Yeol to return.
I stared blankly at the clock.
What would he say?
Would he resent me, or would he interrogate me?
Perhaps he would rage like fire.
I had ensnared his hurried steps with such scandal and commotion.
With trembling hands, I wrapped my arms around my lower abdomen.
The quiet belly where I couldn’t even feel the baby’s movements felt unusually cold today.
That was when it happened.
A sharp alarm sounded from the wall pad.
It was the signal that a vehicle had entered the garage.
I approached the mirror and examined my face.
I forced myself to compose my ruined complexion and took a deep breath.
‘I need to look normal. No matter what he says… I mustn’t be too startled.’
That way, the baby wouldn’t be startled either.
As I slowly left the bedroom, my eyes met Kwon Yeol’s as he stepped into the entrance hall.
“…Welcome home.”
“Mm.”
The night air clung to Kwon Yeol as he stepped inside.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“Yes. You said you’d eat when you came home.”
“Ah, yes.”
As Kwon Yeol set down his briefcase and headed toward the bedroom, his demeanor was unremarkable.
There was no sign of reproach, no resentful gaze.
Watching his retreating figure, I swallowed dryly.
My fingertips, stiffened by tension, trembled faintly.
While I waited in the living room for him to finish washing, I blocked Kwon Yeol’s path as he headed toward the study room.
“Um, Kwon Yeol.”
As his gaze settled on me, I drew a deep breath and barely parted my lips.
“Today… I heard a report came in.”
“What report.”
Kwon Yeol’s voice was calm.
Rather, my lips trembled slightly.
No matter how untrue it was, speaking directly about that scandal and commotion entangled with me was far more agonizing than I had anticipated.
Moreover, I couldn’t even be certain whether the woman who caused today’s disturbance was my biological mother, which made my heart burn all the more.
“So you’re not on ordinary terms with Han Teacher’s grandson?”
But the moment those words left Kwon Yeol’s lips.
My chest constricted painfully.
For an instant, my heart squeezed so tightly I couldn’t breathe.
I never imagined Kwon Yeol would bring up that scandal—not just today’s incident, but the rumor itself.
Hearing the scandal from his mouth cut far more cruelly than any mockery from strangers.
Just as my composure was crumbling visibly, Kwon Yeol added.
“It’s not, is it.”
I looked up at Kwon Yeol’s face blankly as he spoke with such certainty, so casually.
“Yoon Hee-jo wouldn’t do something like that. Right?”
There was no wavering in those dark eyes fixed upon me.
Relief flooded through me at the profound trust he directed toward me—but only briefly.
Soon I realized.
Beneath his words lay not only his belief in me, but also a chilling warning: there could be no other answer.
“…Yes, I didn’t.”
“That’s settled then.”
Kwon Yeol ended the conversation curtly and turned toward the Study Room.
The moment I heard the Study Room door close as he climbed the stairs to the Second Floor, all strength drained from my body.
“Sigh…”
I steadied myself precariously against the wall.
Should I be grateful he didn’t press further?
‘But… he’ll find out about what happened today soon enough.’
Mother said she’d do her best to cover it up, but it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth.
Would I be able to endure it then?
I can barely hold myself together now.
Yet, contrary to my expectations, seeing Kwon Yeol so remarkably composed, I found myself thinking.
I had believed his gaze toward me had changed.
I had deluded myself that genuine affection lay in those tender touches and deepened eyes.
So I had agonized.
Whether I could leave him.
If he felt the same way I did… whether I should stay by his side, accepting everything.
Perhaps this wasn’t trust or a warning at all—
Just indifference.
What if he simply didn’t care what I did, or what rumors I became entangled in?
After all… we’d be parting ways soon anyway.
“…”
Looking back, that was it.
I had believed he was being considerate because I was reluctant about our marital relations, but what if it felt like an obligation to him?
What if he too had been waiting for me to say those words?
Perhaps he too had been waiting for someone to say those words to him.
She still offered a gentle smile, but it went no further than that.
Just like before the contract marriage.
Like back when I was merely Hee-jo’s Brother’s friend.
“…Yes, Chairman.”
“Heh, that’s right. I should start practicing the proper form of address now.”
…Ah.
Perhaps Kwon Yeol had already received a hint from Grandfather.
That he should prepare to slowly drift apart.
That he should practice becoming a stranger.
I stared into empty space and swallowed dryly.
What was Kwon Yeol thinking beyond that study room door right now?
A cool early-summer night breeze seeped into the hollowing space within my chest.
I instinctively wrapped my arms around my lower abdomen, where there was not even a flutter of life yet.
‘Perhaps it’s for the best.’
There was nothing to hold me back anyway.
I soothed myself, telling myself that I had simply been intoxicated by the false warmth he offered, unable to see ahead for a moment.
But what was this feeling?
Why did this emptiness—as if the ground beneath my feet had collapsed entirely—hollow out my chest?
Everything felt as though it had crumbled all at once.
‘…It’s okay. I’m not alone.’
That’s right, baby? We’ll be together for life.
No matter how many times I spoke silently to the baby, the hollowness in my heart refused to be filled.
And days later, I became certain that my thoughts had been right.
“I’ll be late again today. Go to sleep first.”
Kwon Yeol, putting on his shoes in the entrance hall, answered indifferently without even turning his head toward me.
“What about breakfast? It would be better if you ate something before leaving…”
“It’s fine. I’ll eat at the office.”
I’ll be late otherwise.
Kwon Yeol left those brief words and smiled faintly before turning to leave.
That was when I noticed a single white thread clinging to the collar of his dark suit.
It was a minute dishevelment that the usual Kwon Yeol would never have allowed.
“Oh, wait…”
My hand reached out into the air to remove it.
Crack—!
With a sharp friction sound, my hand was knocked back into empty space.
Kwon Yeol had instinctively brushed me away roughly.
An icy silence flowed between us as we faced each other.
I lowered my flushed face and barely managed to speak.
“Oh, there was something stuck on you, so I was just trying to remove it…”
“…I’m sorry, I was just startled.”
Kwon Yeol examined me with a stern expression for a moment before asking.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, yes. I’m fine.”
My wrist throbbed painfully where it had been wrenched, but I forced a smile and pretended nothing was wrong.
“Please go ahead. You mentioned you had a meeting this morning.”
Kwon Yeol’s lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but after drawing a single breath, he spoke in a low voice.
“I’m sorry. I’ll head out first.”
The cold sound of the door closing shattered the silence of the Living Room.
I remained rooted in place, staring at the closed door for a long while.
Not long ago, we had sat across from each other at the Dining Table, sharing meals with such tenderness.
The affection he once showed—a gentle kiss on my way out, whispered words of caution—had vanished without a trace.
Even when our eyes met—
he smiled, but his eyes held no warmth whatsoever.
For days now, I hadn’t truly seen his face.
Even in his presence, he felt distant, as though his mind wandered elsewhere.
That reaction just now—perhaps it was the moment his forced courtesy finally cracked.
I returned to the Dining Room and stared blankly at the two servings laid out on the table.
Despite the warm steam rising from the soup bowl, the air in the house had grown cold.
‘I have to eat.’
I couldn’t waste the effort Madam Kim had put in, rising before dawn to prepare the meal while she rested in the Maid’s Room.
I pulled out a chair and sat down, taking a spoonful of soup.
But my brow furrowed immediately.
A fishy smell assaulted my nose, and my stomach churned.
I wanted to put down my spoon at once, but I held back and forced the food into my mouth.
At least Madam Kim’s cooking suited my palate better than food from outside.
If I didn’t eat, there would be no nutrients for the baby.
I mechanically chewed and swallowed, pushing through the meal.
But my body ultimately refused to accept it.
I rushed to the Bathroom and vomited everything I had just eaten, then stood before the Sink.
I wiped the moisture from my lips and looked in the Mirror.
A haggard, gaunt woman stared back at me.
My eyes were hollow, my lips drained of color—a stranger wearing my face.
“….”
I reached for my cosmetics with practiced ease.
I had never been skilled at makeup, but my efforts to conceal the shadows darkening my face had noticeably sharpened my technique in recent days.
Like donning a mask, I arranged my face, tidied the Vanity, and rose.
Before leaving the Bedroom, I gently cradled my lower abdomen and forced a smile.
‘Father was quite startled. So we should be understanding.’
Ignoring the persistent ache in my wrist, I picked up my handbag.
Everything would simply return to how it was.
So there’s no need for you to be hurt, no need to be sad.
‘For now, I’ll focus only on protecting the child.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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