“Why are you… How did you end up sleeping here on the basement sofa, covered in sawdust, wearing an apron?” Eunsu wondered. She knew he enjoyed his work, but this thought seemed to come out of nowhere.
If he had continued working at the consulting firm in Boston, founded and grown by his first-generation immigrant grandfather and now led by his mother, he wouldn’t be getting a salary of 500,000 won.
Solhee’s words came to mind: “The world doesn’t just reward those who work hard or do well. Sometimes it’s about luck or timing.”
Could that luck or timing be the TV appearance? It could be a huge opportunity for ‘Vida’ and Juhan, but she refused due to personal reasons. Was she being a hindrance?
“No, no. That time, he was more serious about it than me…”
That was when Juhan, ‘he’, suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing Eunsu’s silhouette looming over him, he let out a scream in shock.
“Ahhh!”
“Ahh!”
Startled by Juhan’s yell, Eunsu screamed reflexively. Juhan sat up hastily, clutching his chest, gasping for breath.
“Why are you standing there like that! I thought you were a ghost!”
“What’s there to be so scared of? Even if I were a real ghost, I’d have left in embarrassment.”
“A real ghost wouldn’t have come this close. At most, they’d sit in a corner or pass by the window.”
“What? What are you talking about? Are there ghosts here?”
Now fully awake and calm, Juhan adjusted his posture and spoke.
“Didn’t you know? Everyone’s seen one at least once. Haven’t you?”
Eunsu frowned.
“Don’t cross the line. What kind of joke is that? To someone who often works late alone.”
“It probably doesn’t show up on the second floor. Just here and on the first floor. It looked like a woman, about your height, wearing white…”
“Ah, stop it!”
Eunsu raised her hand, cutting him off. Juhan quickly changed the subject.
“So, why are you here? Got something to say?”
“…No?”
Pretending to be nonchalant, Eunsu added, “Just came down because the lights were on and found you sleeping. Why are you sleeping here? Too far to go upstairs?”
“I wasn’t sleeping. Just resting my eyes.”
“Wipe the drool off your mouth first.”
Juhan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and mumbled, “There wasn’t any.”
“It evaporated. I saw everything.”
“Sure you did. If you’ve seen everything and have nothing to say, go home.”
“I was about to, Director.”
Just as Juhan stood up, massaging his neck, he gave Eunsu a questioning look. She bit her lower lip.
Should she talk about it? About his salary, or the company’s revenue… But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Juhan, observing Eunsu’s hesitation, asked, “You got something on your mind?”
“It’s nothing.”
Feeling caught, Eunsu waved her hand dismissively. Juhan suddenly said, “Wait a minute.”
“What?”
“Show me your hand.”
“My hand?”
Eunsu instinctively extended her hands. Juhan pointed to the red line on her finger where she had been cut by the paper. Eunsu awkwardly lowered her hand, explaining, “Oh, this. Just a paper cut earlier.”
“Why did you leave it like that?”
“I’ll wash it and put a bandage on when I get home.”
“What are you talking about? You should have disinfected it right away. What if bacteria from the paper cut causes necrotizing fasciitis?”
“Necro… what?”
Confused, Eunsu watched as Juhan turned away, then returned with disinfectant, ointment, and a bandage.
“Give me your hand.”
“It’s okay. It’s just a small cut.”
“Just give it here.”
As if he were a robber, Eunsu grudgingly handed over her injured hand. Juhan carefully disinfected the cut, applied ointment, and began unwrapping the bandage.
Watching him, Eunsu suddenly realized something. Juhan’s hands bore scars that must have hurt much more than a paper cut.
Those scars were a stark reminder of the hardships he must have endured.
The hand Eunsu remembered, which used to easily cramp up, was different now. Her feelings became complicated again.
“Hey, Juhan Kim.”
Juhan, who had just finished bandaging the wound and was letting go of her hand, looked up at Eunsu in response.
“We should just…”
Eunsu hesitated, unable to continue her sentence. Juhan looked puzzled.
“Just what?”
Eunsu quickly shook her head.
“No, nothing. It’s nothing. Thanks.”
Turning away, she began to ascend the stairs hurriedly, feeling Juhan’s bewildered gaze on her back. She swallowed a sigh.
Her fingertip, which shouldn’t have been that painful, throbbed unnecessarily.
The next day.
The phone on Eunsu’s desk rang. Without shifting her gaze from the monitor, she stretched her arm to answer the call.
“Yes, this is Eunsu Seon from ‘Vida’. Oh, hello!”
Eunsu’s expression, initially cheerful, gradually became serious.
“Ah… I see. It’s an unforeseen situation, so there’s nothing we can do. Then, when can we reschedule… Yes, I understand.”
The caller was from ‘Rittiang’, canceling the meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
Feeling uneasy, Eunsu stood up, pacing around when suddenly she heard someone hurrying up the stairs. It was Seonkyung.
“Manager Seon!”
“Yes, Manager Oh. What’s going on?”
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.
