Husband?

I thought she would say ‘Mr. Kwon’ or ‘Mr. Kwon Tae Ha’ if she added more.

Tae Ha’s eyes landed hotly, piercing through the blue darkness.

“……Husband.”

The word ‘husband’ echoed back in a small voice.

“That’s right. Husband.”

Don’t forget.

Tae Ha answered softly as he lowered his hand from his forehead.

Eun Seo hid her faint pupils under her eyelids again. After that, she fell into sleep, breathing evenly.

Her fever seemed to be going down as cool sweat was seeping out.

“Is she getting better?”

Tae Ha silently watched her sleeping, and feeling she might be a bit better, he straightened up and stood.

Only then did he see the corners of the room. He had come in occasionally when it was a guest room, but hadn’t entered since it fully became Eun Seo’s room.

At most, he had said what was necessary near the doorway and turned back.

Eun Seo’s belongings were still sparse, but there was more luggage than at first.

It made him feel oddly pleased. Among them, there seemed to be quite a lot of books. He saw a book left open on the desk.

Out of pure curiosity, Tae Ha got up from the chair and approached the desk.

On the white desk were a blue hardcover German book and notebook, and next to them were the laptop and stationery he had provided.

Tae Ha flipped open the book cover.

Maren Wheeler? The author.

? The title.

Tae Ha struggled to recall the shallow German he had learned from a German friend during his study abroad.

‘In the forest?’

It seems the book Eun Seo is translating is Maren Wheeler’s ‘In the Forest’.

The notebook was filled with scribbled sentences, and he saw one word expressed in several similar words.

Looking at the bookshelf, he saw several more German books. Fairy tales, poetry collections, etc.

She must have worked at the company until evening and then translated all night at home.

No wonder she got sick.

Though it started with goodwill, the secretary job might have been difficult for Eun Seo as it was unfamiliar. Meanwhile, she was squeezing time for her own future.

And when that future door opens, Eun Seo will leave.

Really. This person makes one bad in many ways.

Feeling sorry yet anxious, Tae Ha closed the book and returned to the chair with a short sigh.

* * *

It was nearly the next morning when Eun Seo’s fever finally broke.

Knock knock, at the sound of knocking, Tae Ha turned his head slightly with eyes reddened from fatigue. It was Nurse Lee.

She was startled, widening her eyes as soon as she saw him.

“Mr. Chairman, have you been here all night?”

“No, I just came a little while ago. Her fever seems to have gone down, please check on her and make sure she sees Dr. Baek. I need to prepare for work. Oh, and tell Song Eun Seo not to come to work.”

Shortly after Tae Ha left, Eun Seo opened her eyes. The dawn air brightened the dark room to a grayish-blue.

“Eun Seo, are you feeling better?”

Nurse Lee, now quite close to Eun Seo, asked cheerfully.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Eun Seo answered with a smile, her voice small but lively. Even in her hazy state yesterday, she remembered Nurse Lee and Housekeeper An taking care of her.

She recalled the warm hands that had diligently massaged her arms and legs after pulling back the blanket.

Nurse Lee examined various parts of Eun Seo’s body with a thermometer, blood pressure cuff, and several instruments she couldn’t name.

A doctor followed, and she received injections and IV fluids. Then she closed her eyes again, feverish.

But something felt strange. Surely someone had been in the room.

Who was it?

A low voice that rang in her ears. A large hand covering her forehead. The sound of a low sigh. A shadow pacing.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. Your fever’s gone down too. Oh, and the Chairman said to rest today, so make sure you do. Okay?”

Nurse Lee said as she tidied Eun Seo’s bed.

“Was there someone else here last night besides you, Nurse Lee?”

Nurse Lee tilted her head, seeing that Eun Seo really didn’t seem to remember anything, then

“The Chairman?”

she raised her eyebrows.

“Don’t you remember the Chairman coming? My goodness. You must have been really sick.”

Eun Seo rolled her eyes down to the sheet in embarrassment.

So he had come.

Memories started to come back vaguely. His touch, his sighs, his footsteps.

The shadow pacing between the window and the bed even in her daze.

“But the Chairman, it seemed like he stayed all night.”

All night?

“He seemed to be hiding it, probably out of embarrassment. His clothes were the same, how could you not know? Is the Chairman someone who wouldn’t change clothes? I must have some Mongolian ancestors. My eyes, or rather my eye for detail, are too good.”

Eun Seo smiled at those words as she got up from the bed, finding them amusing.

This is why she wondered how long she could keep up walls against Kwon Tae Ha. The walls were already crumbling, and she was barely piecing together the fragments to build them back up, desperately trying to patch up the cracks.

As Eun Seo’s knees buckled and she staggered, Nurse Lee quickly supported her.

“You’re weak. You’ll feel better after eating.”

Nurse Lee came into the bathroom to help Eun Seo wash. But Eun Seo paused while taking off her top, glancing at Nurse Lee.

“I’m sorry, but I’m more comfortable washing alone. I’ve been that way since I was young.”

“Alright. Then I’ll wait in the room, call out loudly if you need anything. Okay?”

“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”

* * *

“How is Eun Seo?”

Woo Young, sitting in the next seat, asked Tae Ha who was just staring out the window instead of looking at his usual tablet.

“She’s better now.”

My pain too.

This completed the third coincidence.

Tae Ha rubbed his temple with his fingers, lost in thought.

The pain had started the day he first met Song Eun Seo. The first time was when Eun Seo came to the party and left right away, the second was when she was in danger because of Jo Sung Tae in Solnae Village.

And yesterday.

This pain somehow seemed to originate from Eun Seo.

Of course, three instances are too scarce data to find the common cause of this pain that even doctors couldn’t find.

Since the pain started on the day he met Eun Seo, it could have hurt for two consecutive days until the second pain. And it’s ridiculous to attribute some nonsensical cause to it.

But in this world, ridiculous things, things that can’t be explained by common sense, sometimes happen in the name of ‘miracles’.

Past miracles become present science, and present miracles become future science.

What on earth could be the reason it starts?

Is it when Eun Seo is in danger or sick?

Then what about the first pain? She wasn’t in danger or sick then. What could it be?

This feeling that somehow seems related to Eun Seo, though he can’t explain it clearly.

Tae Ha closed his eyes, frowning. The nonsensical and unscientific were not his domain.

* * *

Incheon International Airport. D Airlines, First Class Check-in Lounge.

Tae Ha was on the phone with Attorney Ju, a bit away from Eun Seo.

“Senior, please postpone the trial date.”

− What’s the matter?

“Business trip.”

Tae Ha ended the call with a calm voice, then returned to where his party was.

Eun Seo was sitting on the sofa, listening intently to what Woo Young was saying.

“The staff does all the first class check-in for you. So don’t worry too much. Tae Ha usually flies first class or takes private jets anyway.”

For Eun Seo, who was experiencing the airport, check-in, and flying for the first time, everything was difficult.

“If you just ask the staff, they’ll even escort you to the boarding gate. They take care of you like a baby. People like us can’t be lost, you know. Well, more accurately, Tae Ha.”

Woo Young smiled as he opened a bottle of sparkling water and handed it to the nervous Eun Seo. He also gave her a piece of chocolate.

Eun Seo’s throat seemed parched as she drank half the sparkling water before setting it down on the table.

“Shall we go?”

At Tae Ha’s words, the three stood up.

Eun Seo munched on the chocolate as she diligently followed behind them. But when they reached the first class exclusive departure area, Woo Young took out his phone from his pocket.

“Just a moment.”

Then he gestured to the two and stepped away a few paces to take the call.

A moment later, Woo Young, who had been pacing while on the phone, came back in front of them.

“Mr. Chairman, they say something urgent came up at home.”

“Something urgent?”

“Yes, it’s not a big deal, but it’s something that can’t be done without me.”

Eun Seo raised her head that had been quiet at those words. What does that mean?

“Mr. Choi…”

But her desperate voice was mercilessly buried by the next words.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to go on this business trip. Is that alright?”

This is bad. Eun Seo shook her head desperately, but.

“If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Go ahead.”

At Tae Ha’s words, Woo Young put his phone in his pocket and looked at Eun Seo. Her cheeks were pale, her expression almost on the verge of tears.

Why not, it’s her first business trip. She must be scared.

“Secretary Song. Something came up at home that I need to check on. Mr. Chairman, you can take good care of her, right?”

“Me, alone?”

Eun Seo was so flustered she could barely speak properly.

It was her first flight, first business trip, and also her first time going far away alone with a man. Moreover, that man was Tae Ha. Not just any man, but Kwon Tae Ha.

“It’ll be tough, but try to take good care of him. The Chairman won’t scold you for minor things. Right?”

Tae Ha nodded calmly.

“The Chairman will teach you well. As you can see, he’s very warm and gentle.”

Woo Young emphasized the word ‘gentle’ and smiled meaningfully at Tae Ha.

“But if anything happens, call me.”

Woo Young bowed his head and whispered ‘absolutely’ to Eun Seo, pointing to his ear.

“Go ahead, Mr. Choi. Don’t forget to report once a day.”

“I’ll do it at 9 PM. Then, I’ll see you when you return.”

Woo Young saluted, touching his temple with the edge of his hand.

“Let’s go, Secretary Song.”

At Tae Ha’s words, Eun Seo followed him, half dazed. But her head kept turning back to where Woo Young was, like a baby bird who lost its mother.

He was waving his hand with a bright smile.

‘How did it turn out like this? What if I make a mistake? What if I cause damage to the company?’

Though Eun Seo’s feet were following Tae Ha, her pace was as slow as a turtle’s.

“Hurry up and follow me.”

Tae Ha turned his body to urge her, then turned forward again. Then he smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.

If you were going to put up walls, you shouldn’t have called me husband.

It’s driving me crazy.