Was Tae Wook not someone who could give trust to Gyeo Wool?

Even if he wasn’t her real husband, they had lived together as a married couple on paper for 2 years.

It seemed normal that she should be able to confide in him about such difficult matters.

But if even that was impossible, what kind of existence was he to Gyeo Wool?

“If I left, things would quiet down. I thought… I could protect both the CEO and my mother… Sob sob!”

Gyeo Wool started crying as if pouring out pain, beyond mere sobbing.

The anguished sound rising from deep in her chest tore and slashed at Tae Wook’s heart.

It hurt.

It hurt so much he wanted to scream.

“How could you think that way? If you had told me then, I could have protected you. This would never have happened today.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry to the point of dying but how could I say…”

Tae Wook suddenly grabbed Gyeo Wool’s arm. And at the same time, he covered her lips with his.

You’re sorry?

Don’t you know my heart feels like it’s about to burst from guilt towards you?

I wanted to protect you.

Do you know how I can’t forgive myself for failing to keep my promise to protect you again?

“Don’t… do this…”

Gyeo Wool’s lips moved painfully under Tae Wook’s.

She hit his chest with her fists, trying to break free.

But Tae Wook didn’t let go of Gyeo Wool. At some point, her fist-hitting began to subside.

Tae Wook sucked on Gyeo Wool’s lips.

He could smell tears on her breath.

The endlessly flowing tears wet his lips and flowed into his mouth.

What should I do with you?

Tae Wook embraced Gyeo Wool with all his strength, equal to the growing pain in his heart.

And he didn’t let go of her lips until her breathing calmed, until her crying subsided.

“Are you alright?”

Eun Young looked worriedly at Gyeo Wool, who returned from the bathroom with a pale face.

It was already the third time Gyeo Wool had thrown up what she’d eaten and come back.

It seemed she had an upset stomach from the lunch, likely due to stress over Ki Bum’s situation.

“Don’t you need to go to the hospital, senior?”

“It’s not bad enough for the hospital. I feel better after throwing up.”

“But it could be food poisoning.”

“No, it’s just indigestion.”

“I guess so. Everyone else who ate together is fine.”

Eun Young agreed with Gyeo Wool’s words.

Several of them had ordered and shared hot pot, but Gyeo Wool was the only one who got sick.

“I’ll be fine if I take some medicine.”

“I’ll go get it for you.”

As Gyeo Wool was about to go get medicine, Eun Young ran to the pantry and brought back digestive medicine and water.

“Thanks.”

Gyeo Wool put the two green pills Eun Young handed her into her mouth and swallowed them with water.

“If you keep feeling unwell, leave work early.”

“I will.”

After Eun Young left, Gyeo Wool turned on her monitor and opened a file from the file cabinet.

“Phew… let’s work.”

She exhaled deeply and placed her hands on the keyboard.

Yes. If I work like crazy, I won’t think about anything else.

I’ll work until I forget everything that happened today.

Tae Wook was busy conducting back-to-back interviews and meetings with resort staff who had come up from Jeju Island.

Occasionally he worried if Gyeo Wool was alright, but he didn’t have time to check on her.

When he finished the meetings and came up to the CEO’s office, the secretarial staff had already gone home.

Only Gyeo Wool was still working, staring at her monitor.

She was so focused that she didn’t even notice he had returned to the CEO’s office.

“Secretary Han.”

Only after he approached her desk and called out did Gyeo Wool stop working and look up at Tae Wook.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just now. You were so focused on work you didn’t even notice me…”

Tae Wook cut off his words and furrowed his brow.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

Gyeo Wool’s face was so pale she looked like she might collapse at any moment.

“What do you mean what’s wrong with my face…”

Gyeo Wool lowered her head and quickly covered it with her palm.

Unlike her words, she seemed to know how her face must look to Tae Wook.

“Stop working and get up.”

There was force in Tae Wook’s commanding voice.

“I was just about to finish up anyway.”

Gyeo Wool knew she shouldn’t provoke Tae Wook’s mood right now.

She roughly organized the documents and turned off the computer.

“Wait a moment.”

While Gyeo Wool was packing her bag, Tae Wook brought her coat from the coat rack.

“Ah!”

The moment Gyeo Wool stood up from her desk, she staggered from dizziness.

Tae Wook grabbed her arm in surprise.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine.”

Gyeo Wool gave a forced smile. But her smile didn’t convince Tae Wook at all.

“How can you work until you get to this state?”

While his heart was worried, different words flowed from his mouth.

And he was angry at himself for not checking on Gyeo Wool, using being busy as an excuse.

Above all, he was furious to an unbearable degree at his father who had come to find Gyeo Wool and spewed harsh words at her.

“I just felt dizzy for a moment. I’m fine now.”

“Fine my foot. Go to the hospital.”

“It’s not bad enough for the hospital. Really, I just felt a bit dizzy.”

Tae Wook wanted to take Gyeo Wool to the hospital.

But he couldn’t forcibly take someone who was refusing to go.

He had no choice but to head to the apartment with her.

.

.

.

The car Tae Wook was driving himself stopped in the apartment underground parking lot.

“Stay still. I’ll do it.”

Tae Wook moved quickly.

He unbuckled Gyeo Wool’s seatbelt in the passenger seat and got out of the car.

He went around to the back of the car and opened the passenger door for Gyeo Wool.

“I-I’m really fine.”

Gyeo Wool got out of the car with an embarrassed expression.

“No, you look exhausted to me.”

It wasn’t just how she looked.

Even though he had raised the temperature in the car, Gyeo Wool was shivering as if cold.

He regretted not insisting on taking her to the hospital.

Tae Wook supported Gyeo Wool’s arm.

“I can walk on my own.”

“You’re so stubborn…”

Tae Wook’s voice rose without him realizing.

He felt Gyeo Wool’s body, pressed against his, tense and flinch.

He modulated his voice and spoke gently.

“I wish you would consider my concern for you just once.”

This time it worked properly.

Gyeo Wool silently accepted his support as they went up to the apartment.

“What in the world happened?”

Lady Lee’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Gyeo Wool entering the house.

“Please fill the bathtub with warm water.”

Tae Wook thought soaking in the tub would be good for thawing Gyeo Wool’s frozen body.

But Lady Lee had a different idea.

“She looks exhausted, wouldn’t it be better to just let her lie down?”

“Do you think that would be better?”

Tae Wook decided to listen to Lady Lee instead of being stubborn.

“There should be a heating pad somewhere. I’ll find it and put it in the bed.”

Lady Lee headed to the pantry to look for the heating pad.

“Can you walk to the bedroom?”

“I told you I’m not so bad that I can’t walk.”

Gyeo Wool grumbled as if Tae Wook was being overprotective when there was nothing wrong with her.

“You say that even after seeing how shocked Lady Lee was? It’s strange you haven’t collapsed yet.”

“It’s not that bad…”

“Hurry and go in to rest.”

Tae Wook laid Gyeo Wool on the bed and propped a pillow under her head.

He pulled the blanket up to her chest and sat on the edge of the bed.

Then he looked down at her with pained eyes.

Until now, he had misunderstood Gyeo Wool as a strong person.

He didn’t know the Creator had made her as fragile as glass.

Her sudden illness was probably because of his father.

Gyeo Wool was just an ordinary person who could be easily hurt and easily fall ill.

“Don’t think about anything and sleep.”

Tae Wook patted her chest as if to a child and was about to stand up.

At that moment, Gyeo Wool reached out her ice-cold hand and grabbed his.

“Won’t you… stay until I fall asleep?”

What courage was it?

Gyeo Wool didn’t want to send Tae Wook away like this.

If she was alone in this empty and cold-looking space, she felt she would be lonely and cry again.

“You just want me to stay until you fall asleep, right?”

“Yes.”

Tae Wook got on the bed.

He sat with his back against the headboard and stretched out his legs.

“You have to close your eyes to fall asleep.”

Although Tae Wook was worried about Gyeo Wool who still looked exhausted, he curled up the corners of his mouth and gave her an affectionate smile.

“You really won’t leave until I fall asleep, right?”

Gyeo Wool asked for confirmation, seeming uneasy.

It seemed she had misunderstood Tae Wook’s words to close her eyes as him wanting to leave quickly.

That wasn’t the case at all.

Tae Wook thought he needed to make Gyeo Wool feel at ease.

He slid down smoothly.

And he lay down completely facing Gyeo Wool.

“Until you fall asleep. I’ll stay even after you fall asleep, so don’t worry and sleep.”

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. When you wake up after sleeping soundly, all your pain will be gone.”

“I believe it will be.”

She answered weakly and closed her eyes.

Tae Wook stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Gyeo Wool’s back.

Pat pat.

As if putting a child to sleep, Tae Wook patted her back carefully and infinitely gently.

Tae Wook’s hand, which had been moving rhythmically for a while, seemed to slow down and then stopped completely at some point.

A moment later.

The bedroom door burst open.

“I heated up the heating pad and…”

Lady Lee closed her mouth tightly.

Lady Lee, who had come in holding the hot heating pad wrapped in a towel, backed out quietly.

This was because Tae Wook and Gyeo Wool were fast asleep, holding each other.