A Relationship of Convenience - Chapter 25

And,

“Well, let’s see.”

A cheerful voice insensitively broke the atmosphere.

Kye Da Hae, who slipped out from under Kang Jae Kyung’s constraining arms like iron bars, pondered while touching her small chin.

The deflated man tilted his head slightly.

As if saying to continue. The woman’s demeanor, arms crossed and pondering, was quite serious.

“Um… very.”

“Very.”

“You’d probably think it’s inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate?”

“Feeling that kind of emotion is a passive form of desire, isn’t it?”

The woman firmly stated that someone with a lover shouldn’t do such things.

How righteous my wife is. Jae Kyung rubbed his earlobe glumly.

“She’s not my lover. It’s neither a passive nor active desire.”

This much should be okay to say.

From the beginning, referring to Choi Ae Jung as an older woman wasn’t because he didn’t trust Kye Da Hae.

It was just preemptively blocking elements that could make her get in deeper.

Though they’re using each other for their own purposes, that’s only for the outward marriage.

He doesn’t want to involve that woman in anything dirtier beyond that. So it might be better to let her misunderstand like this.

If she knew about his hidden mother and the circumstances, the righteous Kye Da Hae would surely be concerned.

Looking at Da Hae, who still seemed doubtful, Jae Kyung spoke casually.

“She even cheered me on to treat my wife well.”

“Wha…?”

How generous must one be to say something like that?

Suddenly, Da Hae’s eyes narrowed.

As if she’d found something suspicious, her gaze was quite sharp. A hissing sound, like a snake passing by, escaped between her lips.

“…That, older woman.”

A meaningful voice.

“Perhaps…”

“Perhaps.”

“Is she a foreigner?”

“…”

Korean-American? American? The woman added that the open-minded attitude was just like Western style, slightly raising one corner of her mouth.

As if she’d figured out his preference. It seemed she’d let the “not a lover” comment slide off her ears.

Jae Kyung, who had been staring at that face hopelessly while sparing even a sigh, clicked his tongue softly. The faint sigh that flowed was ambiguous in its reason.

Whether it was relief about the insensitive woman. Or whether it was because the seemingly difficult future ahead looked bleak.

*

Samyeong Entertainment. CEO’s office.

Still early morning. The room’s owner, who had come in especially early today, persistently kept his seat without rising once.

On days like today when CEO Kang Jae Kyung appeared at the crack of dawn, the submission of approval documents was sparse.

Reports were also spared unless it was an urgent issue. It was a kind of tact game to preserve oneself for survival.

Tap. Tap. The hand that had been tapping the desk at a steady pace tilts a cup. The venti-sized Americano was already empty.

Jae Kyung’s eyes, which had scanned the contents, moved unhesitatingly to documents and then drifted out the window.

As he rested his head on the headrest, his tired eyelids closed heavily.

He needed something to focus on. Seeing how his mood was uncomfortable with occasional flares of anger, burying himself in work didn’t seem to be very effective either.

It was just that the inexplicable anxiety had subsided somewhat.

It had been an unusually long night.

The childlike face and innocent voice she’d never shown him before. He’d tossed and turned, unable to shake the lingering image of the woman even after returning home.

Saying they should be careful as it seemed they were under suspicion from Chairwoman Bae Jung Soon, the woman had disappeared into the entrance.

It was absurd enough that she slipped her body through the slightly opened door gap like a forbidden zone, but thinking about whether that bastard had crossed that door made him feel a faint irritation.

The comment about attacking with inter-floor noise particularly bothered him.

Although it was said to be Chairwoman Bae’s doing to move into the lower floor, he felt like becoming allies to stop their war.

Jealousy. She had asked about emotions playfully, but showed a rather surprised look when he tried to admit it.

She drew a line saying it was inappropriate. Having never been jealous or had someone to be jealous of, he couldn’t definitively say this dirty feeling was that, but there’s nothing faster than admission to reach a conclusion.

So he admitted it. That this emotion making his insides boil even at this moment was jealousy.

Should he be troubled? Has he already become troubled?

While lost in unclear thoughts. Zing, the phone on the desk vibrated briefly.

It was a message no better than spam. The meeting place and time were notified in a subsequent message.

Even before he’d agreed, the way of doing things as she pleased was just like Bang Mi Mi. If there was one thing he liked about it.

It was the conditional phrase “Bring your wife too.”

A chance to officially call out the moody troublemaker had arisen.

Dismissing the secretary asking about lunch, Jae Kyung left his desk. While putting on his jacket, one hand skillfully swiped the screen.

−Yes. This is Kye Da Hae.

An businesslike tone that gave her full name was heard just as the boring dial tone was about to end. For some reason, a faint smile spread across his previously expressionless face.

“This is Kang Jae Kyung. Seems you didn’t even save your husband’s number.”

−I did. I memorized the last four digits. Why?

“What did you save it as?”

−Is the company very idle?

The man waiting for the elevator stroked his straight eyebrows and chuckled. How could even her sharp voice be this amusing?

The executive office staff who witnessed their boss’s unfamiliar appearance glanced at each other.

Though brief, the common opinion was that it was a smile that cured Monday blues.

“For lunch.”

Bustling noise flowed through the receiver. She said she was on her way to eat, and that she’d call back after the meal since she had to order now. It was an artificial measure conscious of the team members with her.

Kang Jae Kyung didn’t let Kye Da Hae go easily. So she couldn’t hang up unilaterally and faithfully answered questions about the menu.

Meanwhile, strength entered her mechanical laughter. As if to say ‘You don’t need to know.’ Which meant it was a situation where she couldn’t growl freely.

“Please order mine too. The same thing.”

−Yes. What?

“Ah.”

Her expression could be imagined from that single syllable of surprised inquiry.

Jae Kyung’s mood, which had been gloomy all morning, cleared up with the brief call with Da Hae. Easily acknowledging that fact, Jae Kyung continued with a smile he couldn’t erase.

“Without the olives.”

*

The noon of the building forest where corporations are concentrated was bustling with office workers spewed out from each building.

With the crowd lining up for takeout added, the sandwich shop was quite crowded, but a particularly awkward air flowed at the group table occupying the edge.

The Design Team of Youngsohn Trading, led by Kang Jae Kyung and Kye Da Hae.

Although the sudden encounter should have been bewildering, the team members’ faces rippled with curiosity.

The appearance of the husband of their team leader, who was also the CEO of another company and who never showed his face at company dinners or any small or large company events, was a small event for them.

They were even excited as if it were a celebrity fan signing event to receive in person the real-life figure of the big shot they’d only seen in the media.

“If I’d known it would be like this, I would have taken you to a better place.”

The man, who added that he would soon make arrangements, paused when he saw the sandwich placed as his portion. The topping was all olives.

It was a petty revenge against the contract husband who had committed a sudden act. It was also an indirect warning not to do this again.

“It’s just the style I like.”

Da Hae responded by smiling with her eyes. The man, who was leisurely gazing at that face, added.

“Like you.”

“Pff-”

The carbonated water she had taken a sip of was completely spit out. The shameless face smiling at the corners of his mouth hands her a napkin.

Eyebrows slightly raised as if to say don’t be cheeky, and a sly eye smile. It was the epitome of annoyance.

The team members pushed each other’s shoulders and even clapped.

The nerve war between the two seemed to appear as newlywed chemistry in their eyes, as a series of envious lamentations followed.

That the CEO is much cooler in person, that the meeting of wannabes is so enviable and pretty, that because it’s Kang Jae Kyung who captured their popular team leader, no one dares to feel regretful, and other such flattering praises continued.

Da Hae just silently focused on her meal.

Until Kim, the manager boasting extreme sociability, brought it up.

“But after all, the highlight was definitely the proposal, right?”

…Huh?

“You have looks, ability, and even kindness, but how can you be romantic too? It’s cheating, cheating!”

Stop!

The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)

Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.

The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”

Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!

Warnings:

• Male pregnancy.
• Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
• Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.

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