Unhealthy - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 14. The Woman Who Will Be My Wife

The blatant ambition to make him submit and put him in her grasp. Rather than being flustered by that arrogant declaration, Taejun’s lips curved up languidly.

“But what should I do.”

Taejun scratched his forehead with his index finger as if troubled, then took Hae-yeong’s hand and led her forward.

“I just finished making a marriage promise.”

“Marriage? Mr. Gi Taejun, that woman is…”

Cracks appeared all over Seo I-jeong’s perfect mask. Soon after, her gaze turned to Hae-yeong’s slender wrist held in Taejun’s hand.

“She’s the woman who will be my wife, so it seems rather rude to have this kind of conversation in front of her. May we take our leave now?”

“Ah, wife? Look here, Mr. Gi Taejun. What kind of nonsense are you—”

Taejun lightly ignored Seo I-jeong’s shocked gaze, embraced Hae-yeong protectively, and turned around.

“Hah…”

A dumbfounded laugh could be heard from behind them, but Taejun took Hae-yeong and left the corridor.

***

Han-nam-dong Main House. Gi Chairman looked uncomfortably at the empty seats of Taejun and Hae-yeong, who were absent from the dinner table, and asked his wife An Chae-sin.

“Are Taejun and Hae-yeong still not here?”

“Managing Director Gi is always busy, so that’s understandable, but that girl… Well. She’s been coming home late lately? Did she get a boyfriend?”

“Hae-yeong said she’d be late today. She has a dinner appointment. She said she’d come home not too late, so she should be here soon.”

Je-jun, who had been somehow left out despite eating dinner together at the same table, interjected into their conversation.

“Ahem, hmm.”

Gi Chairman cleared his throat at Je-jun’s response, glanced over his smiling son, then immediately scolded Chae-sin.

“You should step up and discipline Hae-yeong. Ever since she entered university, she’s been sneaking in past midnight every single day.”

“Just leave her be. She should enjoy herself while she can. When else in that girl’s life will she be able to play around so carefree?”

While her words seemed infinitely considerate of Hae-yeong, Je-jun couldn’t possibly notice the cold ulterior motive lurking beneath.

“You two are acquainted and have lived together for years, so why are you being so cold to each other?”

“Oh really. You know that girl avoids me like the plague, don’t you? And kids that age don’t listen even when you try to discipline them. Especially girls who’ve lost their minds over men – even if you try to stop them, they’ll stubbornly sneak out anyway.”

Chae-sin smiled slyly while treating Hae-yeong like a ‘girl crazy for men.’

Far from being swayed by this, Gi Chairman narrowed his eyes and glared at Chae-sin.

“You’re not the one causing trouble for the girl, are you? Ever since we combined households, I don’t think I’ve seen Hae-yeong at home much.”

“Chairman! How could I be that kind of person? If I just handle that one girl well, think of how much will fall into my share – why would I do something so stupid? Right? And you know how warmly I treat Hae-yeong whenever I run into that girl. If you say things like that, I’m really hurt.”

“Woman, can’t you watch your mouth?”

Gi Chairman threw a sharp rebuke at Chae-sin, who was rambling thoughtlessly.

Only then seeming to come to her senses, Chae-sin glanced at Je-jun and slowly got up from her seat.

“Oh my, look at me. I forgot to bring the side dish I set aside for you.”

Chae-sin jumped up from her seat as if trying to hastily take back the slip of the tongue she had made. Then she hurriedly left the Dining Room like someone being chased.

“Father, did you bring in this new stepmother to spy on Hae-yeong?”

Je-jun continued eating while asking Gi Chairman in a tone feigning indifference.

“What?”

“I’m curious if you deliberately sought out a woman who knew Hae-yeong and brought her into the house.”

“After bringing her in, it turned out they knew each other by coincidence. What do you mean sought out.”

Gi Chairman nonchalantly snapped off a well-cooked crab leg and brought it to his plate.

The sound of the red shell crumbling weakly echoed frivolously through the quiet Dining Room.

Je-jun’s eyes persistently followed his father’s deceptive and leisurely movements.

“If you cherish Hae-yeong so terribly much, you weren’t very careful in that regard.”

“That woman’s way of speaking is a bit frivolous, but she takes good care of herself. She’ll give good practical advice to Hae-yeong, who keeps getting foolish ideas and talking nonsense.”

It was a cleverly evasive non-answer.

“It’s not foolish ideas – Hae-yeong wanted to become independent when she turned twenty. She said she felt sorry for continuing to be a burden to you and us.”

“Sorry, my foot. If you look closely, Hae-yeong has a rather reckless side. The whole family treats her so preciously, yet why does she spend all day thinking about leaving home?”

Gi Chairman’s voice was tinged with an indefinable deep possessiveness. Je-jun quietly put down his utensils and looked directly at Gi Chairman.

“Father, is there another reason you’re keeping Hae-yeong here?”

“What reason. I think of her like my own daughter, so I’m just worried about suddenly sending her out into this harsh world.”

“How long are you planning to keep her?”

“I did some thorough investigation, and it turns out Hae-yeong has living relatives.”

“Relatives? Hae-yeong’s mother is half British, and as for her father’s bloodline…”

Hae-yeong’s mother was mixed-race, born between a British mother and Korean father.

Due to her more Asian appearance, she felt confused about her identity and came to Korea early to live, where she met Hae-yeong’s father.

That’s why Hae-yeong’s eyes were also blue, and he had always found them mysterious whenever he looked at them.

He also recalled memories of her having an aunt, but they had lost contact long ago and had never met.

Je-jun’s eyebrows twitched at this unexpected topic.

“Yes, I thought so too.”

Gi Chairman clicked his tongue and shook his head as if troubled that something he was trying to do wasn’t going as planned.

“Brothers Dae-jin and Dae-cheon said they had a younger sister they lost while they were alive. I vaguely remembered that, so when I looked into it, that sister I thought had died long ago – her family register is still active.”

Gi Chairman continued with words Je-jun couldn’t understand at all while crunching the crab leg with his teeth.

“Then, you mean Hae-yeong’s aunt is alive?”

“I’m investigating whether she’s alive or dead, but there’s nothing to find. I suppose I need to get that matter completely settled before I can comfortably send Hae-yeong away.”

“If she’s alive…? Does Hae-yeong know?”

Je-jun’s thoughts momentarily stopped at the fact that Hae-yeong had unknown blood relatives.

Despite being with her for years, it was a possibility no one had dared even imagine.

“There’s no benefit in her knowing. If she gets excited about the encouraging news that her blood relative is alive, then learns there’s no chance of meeting again, how could that tender girl handle such heartbreak? If someone’s been missing and out of contact for decades, it’s as good as dead.”

Gi Chairman wore the mask of a loving parent while picking out crab meat and putting it in his mouth.

“Still, I think it would be better for Hae-yeong to know, Father.”

“Don’t interfere carelessly. That girl already gets foolish ideas and talks about moving out all the time – if her aunt’s matter gets added to that, it might become difficult for us to control within our bounds.”

Gi Chairman’s eyes, wanting to keep even his child’s sphere of activity under his control, blazed with fierce light.

This wasn’t simple concern for Hae-yeong. It was cruel and terrible persistence – a determination to never let go of a possession that had come into his grasp.

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