Joyuri’s voice, distorted by anger, broke into a sob. Taeseo looked down at Joyuri, who was shouting in front of him, with an indifferent face.
“I believed and lived like that for over twenty years! I never said anything during that time! I didn’t say I hated it, or that I didn’t want it, did I!”
“Okay, I did it, did I say such things? But before that, do you think it’s reasonable for adults to keep a story they laughed about to themselves without looking at the other person’s face?”
“That, that’s obviously like the testament of the deceased…!”
“Was shouting that I’m your fiancé really a pure intention to keep the testament? Wasn’t it because you were greedy for the position of Kangsun Group’s daughter-in-law? Can you confidently say that the promise between our grandfathers was not an engagement but a company merger?”
Pierced by the truth, Yoori couldn’t respond. Only her coral-colored lipstick-covered lips were nibbled as Taeseo, with a smirk, continued to blame her.
“You were greedy for it. That’s why you made a fuss. Enjoyed being looked up to by people. You’ve seen enough of that. Can you deny it? Did you really think my seat was next to yours?”
“…Why are you only saying it now that it’s not me? Although it didn’t start with me, I was Kang Taeseo’s fiancée for twenty years. Father also said that! Taeseo should acknowledge the time I lived as Kang Taeseo’s fiancée.”
Taeseo pinched the aching bridge of his nose. Joyuri seemed to know that Taeseo’s fiancée was not me. Seojunghee seemed to have told her daughter, who was acting obstinately and persistently.
Knowing everything and still doing this showed a determination to go all the way. Taeseo tilted his face towards Joyuri with an expression of disgust.
“Why should I compensate for living like that just because you wanted it?”
“And what about me? Why do I have to endure such treatment?”
“Don’t endure it. Leave. Go out and make a living with your abilities, and no one will say anything to you.”
“What did I do wrong in the first place?”
Tears flowed down a blurry path beyond her smeared eyeliner. Her eyes, swollen with tears, were filled with obsession and greed for what she couldn’t possess.
“The mistake of coveting what is not yours.”
“…”
“The mistake of having parents who knew everything from the beginning but didn’t tell the truth.”
Resentment should have been directed towards parents who were originally scheming for the truth. In response to Taeseo’s question of why he was pouring it out on me, Joyuri closed her mouth tight.
“And the biggest mistake.”
As if she had no intention of talking face to face anymore, Taeseo turned away.
“Daring to snatch what belongs to Yoon Jaein.”
“…”
The “what belongs to Yoon Jaein” that Taeseo mentioned was not referring to herself. During her school days, Joyuri envied Jaein’s talent and beauty.
She harassed friends who wanted to be close to Jaein and broke off relationships. She did nasty things hoping that Jaein, who sparkled so much, would lose her shine. She even incited Jung Jaehoon to attempt a kidnapping. As a result, Jaein was almost killed.
Taeseo pointed out that all of this was Joyuri’s biggest mistake.
“Manager Jung.”
Taeseo, who had turned away from tearful Yoori, approached Manager Jung, calling him towards the entrance.
“Please give me my coat.”
“The Chairman will be here soon…”
“Please.”
In response to Taeseo’s firm words, Manager Jung brought the coat. Before leaving the entrance with the coat on, Taeseo turned his head slightly.
“Look forward to it. I’ll make sure you understand how you should live from now on.”
Although Taeseo’s gaze was not directed at Yoori, everyone listening could understand that this ominous warning was aimed at her.
“Aren’t we leaving?”
“…”
“Why aren’t we leaving…?”
“This is bad, Taeseo.”
Before getting into the car, Taeseo, who threw his coat carelessly inside and sat down, closed his eyes. He wanted to say something to the driver who had only started the engine but didn’t move, as he was in a state of extreme tension due to a terrible headache and a feeling of nausea.
He was contemplating what kind of abyss he would lead Joyuri into and how he should respond to his father, the man. Suddenly, a voice that he hadn’t expected echoed like a dream.
Taeseo’s stiff neck creaked at the unexpected appearance of Jaein.
“Why are you treating the driver so harshly? What did he do wrong?”
“Ha…?”
Jaein, who silently grabbed my hand with my coat on my lap, was not a welcome sight. Taeseo, who belatedly sensed her scent filling the car, took a deep breath. Then, a slight warmth began to return to his ice-cold body.
“Your hands are cold. Why are the hands of someone who has been inside warm like this?”
“…”
“I came out faster than I thought, right? I almost came right after you left. You haven’t even had lunch, have you?”
“…”
“What do you want to eat? Or should we take a walk somewhere? Let’s get out of here first. Driver, please start.”
Only then did the car start moving quietly, as if sliding. Taeseo forgot to speak and only stared at Jaein beside him.
I imagined her, who worried and called Director Jang after sending me off without wanting to go to Yeonryudong. Maybe she came with Director Jang’s help. What thoughts did she have while waiting for me in his car and receiving his help?
It was like magic that made any pain or worry forgettable. Just knowing that Jaein came all the way here to wait for me allowed Taeseo to shake off the dreadful feeling as if he had received a baptism of filth.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s not right.”
“…”
“It’s not allowed. The driver is here too.”
Is my current expression similar to the one I had when kissing? As Jaein murmured quietly, shuffling in the front seat, Taeseo’s smile, caught in his lips, deepened.
“Then just the hands. Just the hands, okay?”
Helplessly extending her hand, Jaein, who held it out, made Taeseo open his mouth at last. His gaze remained fixed on Jaein.
“Driver.”
“Yes.”
“You can leave now. Now.”
As Jaein allowed him to leave work, Taeseo’s subtly affectionate gaze on Jaein’s back of the hand that he kissed intensified.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
