Secret Cohabitation Love (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 6

Her body lurched forward, and her small hand was abruptly drawn into a large one, pulled upward without a chance to escape by an unyielding grip.

Most of Eun Seo’s feet lifted off the floor, forcing her naturally onto her tiptoes.

Her palm faced his face—or more precisely, somewhere within those deep, pitch-black eyes.

Somewhere radiating distinctly warm body heat.

His gaze held no emotion, his breathing perfectly even and undisturbed—yet it overwhelmed her.

“You’re hurt here too. You didn’t get it treated?”

It was a wound on her palm—barely noticeable under ordinary circumstances.

“…I applied ointment. That’s enough.”

“You’re the type who doesn’t listen. Or maybe you just don’t value yourself.”

As Eun Seo’s pupils widened slightly at the icy stare and she began stepping backward, Tae Ha released her hand. Her body, previously balanced only on her toes, wobbled.

“My apologies.”

After bowing briefly, Tae Ha handed over the tray and turned away without hesitation.

“Mr. Kwon Tae Ha!”

This time, Eun Seo called out to him.

Hearing her voice strike his back, he turned around just as he was about to step forward, hand already on the doorknob.

“What is it?”

“I’ve thought about it. I want to fix this situation.”

“How?”

Eun Seo gripped the tray so tightly her hands turned pale and spoke.

“I want to file for annulment of our marriage.”

He didn’t reply immediately.

She expected something quick—“Fine,” “Of course,” or even something like, “Shouldn’t I be the one suggesting an annulment?”

Instead, he merely stared at her quietly and slowly brushed his fingers along his jawline.

“Why?”

His unexpected reaction threw Eun Seo beyond flustered into outright tension.

“I’m not a fraud. I know this marriage shouldn’t have happened. But that doesn’t mean you’re a fraud either.”

“Is that because you already knew who I was?”

“…”

“Aren’t you embarrassed at all? I remember quite vividly how you said you ‘couldn’t tell just by looking.’”

His voice was cold and rigid as steel—yet carried a scorching intensity that could ignite everything around it. Eun Seo took another deep breath, gathering all the air she could.

“I know my place.”

“Then let’s hear this so-called ‘knowing your place.’”

“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure—but I think my grandmother was involved in this.”

Instead of answering, Tae Ha slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the doorframe.

“I’m sorry I’m only telling you now. Back then, I couldn’t trust you. I thought you were just a scammer.”

“Why did you think that?”

“My grandmother had dementia.”

Having already heard this from Woo Young, Tae Ha wasn’t surprised.

“But she told me I was already married. At first, of course, I didn’t believe her, but later…”

“…”

“I became certain someone had tricked her. There’s no way my grandmother could’ve arranged something this huge alone. So I figured the one who deceived her must’ve been the man claiming to be my husband—which is why I suspected you.”

“…”

“At first I wondered—what if it’s organ trafficking? Maybe they married me just to harvest my organs and kill me afterward?”

Organ trafficking? Tae Ha couldn’t help but let out a quiet scoff.

“If not that, then maybe human trafficking?”

Human trafficking… really?

“What if I’m just a surrogate?”

She’d really let her imagination run wild.

Each increasingly absurd suggestion poured out like lava, igniting flames wherever it passed. He was thoroughly irritated.

In just two days, he’d been labeled an organ trafficker, a human trafficker, and even a shameless con artist.

“Enough.”

Tae Ha raked a hand through his hair, his expression showing the limits of his patience—but Eun Seo, oblivious or not, kept pouring everything out.

“I have no family besides my grandmother. So no one in this world would care or even look for me if something happened. That’s why I suspected the marriage had ulterior motives—since the only thing I have is a healthy body.”

“Why tell me all this? What if I really did take your organs?”

“You’re GK. If you needed a liver, kidney, or even eyes, the hospital would’ve handled it for you. You’ve got too much to lose to sell people for profit—it’s far riskier than it’s worth. You could get married whenever you wanted, so you wouldn’t need a surrogate either. And my genes aren’t exactly exceptional.”

“I can’t listen to any more of this.”

“That’s my understanding of my place. In a world where even delusion is a crime, I won’t misunderstand again—like thinking you forged the marriage registration. But just as you’re not a fraud, neither am I. I really am not.”

“If you know your place, maybe now you should grasp the actual situation?”

She’d already steeled herself—so she guessed what he’d say next, closed her eyes tightly, and continued.

“I’ve already considered that too. Tomorrow morning, I’ll look into filing for annulment and report to the police.”

“The tea’s getting cold.”

In a calm voice, Tae Ha tapped the side of the tray with his finger. Ripples spread across the still surface of the teacup, breaking its silence.

“Unless you want a fresh cup, drink it quickly.”

With an unreadable expression, Tae Ha closed the door. Eun Seo could only stare helplessly at the firmly shut door, unable to fathom what was going on in that man’s mind.

His consideration felt excessive for someone merely trying to keep a suspected scammer from running away.

Eun Seo gazed thoughtfully at the lingering trace of his scent on the tray. It was strange—but it seemed he was simply urging her to drink her tea, nothing more.

* * *

“You may go in.”

Jang Hyun Jung, waiting outside the room, peeked inside and signaled to the staff. Occasionally, the father and son discussed important matters during meals, so one of her duties was to coordinate when food was to be served or cleared.

Blessed with natural intuition and loyalty, Jang Hyun Jung had caught the eye of Hong Ji Soo—the third daughter of Dongui Construction—long ago. When Ji Soo became the lady of GK, Hyun Jung naturally followed her there.

Even after Ji Soo’s death, Kwon Ki Hoon never dismissed Hyun Jung.

Ki Hoon, who had loved his wife deeply, trusted Hyun Jung for faithfully carrying out Ji Soo’s wishes—and kept her by his side ever since.

But more importantly, she was the one who had honored and upheld his wife’s final will.

“The coffee today might taste slightly acidic. I brewed it the way you like it.”

“Thank you.”

Inside the bright, sunlit room filled with soft piano melodies, father and son were dining at a long rectangular table.

Tae Ha’s residence wasn’t far from Chairman Kwon’s—so for convenience, the staff referred to Tae Ha’s home as “East Residence” and the chairman’s as “West Residence.”

When Tae Ha moved out to live independently, his father set several conditions—but the strictest was regarding meals.

Though Tae Ha loved his father, he sometimes found his attentiveness excessive. So instead of true independence, he accepted the compromise of having breakfast with his father three times a week—and occasionally dinner as well.

The very first thing he did after moving out was to ensure all staff at the East Residence were loyal solely to him, enforcing strict discretion.

When Tae Ha picked up his sky-blue coffee cup, Chairman Kwon frowned and set down his chopsticks.

“I keep telling you to quit drinking coffee so early in the morning—you never listen.”

“Aren’t you going to eat more?”

“Food only tastes good when my son listens to me. How can anything go down my throat when my only son starts his day chugging caffeine?”

“For someone like me, this is listening quite well, Father.”

“Tsk tsk. Can’t even talk properly… I heard everything.”

“Heard what?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know again.”

“I really don’t know—that’s why I’m asking.”

Tae Ha set down his cup and deliberately brushed his fingers along his neck.

Many possibilities crossed his mind—but unsure exactly what news his father had received, he chose to listen rather than answer rashly.

His father didn’t spy on him directly, but with so many acquaintances, word often reached him anyway.

Moreover, as someone who could easily access information about Tae Ha whenever he wished, the chairman made it necessary for Tae Ha to learn how to strategically block certain rumors.

Still, he couldn’t silence everyone—and sometimes, he even leaked information himself on purpose.

“I heard it from Dr. Woo.”

“Ah.”

Not Dr. Baek—Dr. Woo.

Dr. Baek was Tae Ha’s man; Dr. Woo belonged to the chairman.

Fortunately, it wasn’t about his marriage to Song Eun Seo, nor the chaos in Solnae Village, nor even bringing Eun Seo into the house.

It was merely the weakest among the four—the emergency room incident.

“Then you must know already. They said there’s nothing seriously wrong—probably just stress, I heard.”

“I’ve told you to ease up on work.”

“Expanding our e-commerce market wasn’t exactly something I could ‘ease up’ on.”

Tae Ha hadn’t started his career at GK—he’d launched an online store during college and achieved remarkable success.

Noticing his potential, GK Shopping merged with his venture and brought him on board, immediately appointing him CEO—without a single objection.

This year, he’d even been selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos.

So the term “parachute hire” hardly applied to him.

[“In department stores, it’s impossible to match the public’s perception of Sehan’s luxury image. We’ll only bleed in competition. Drop the department store idea. Let me build our e-commerce market instead. I’ll secure third place in market share within two years.”]

And Tae Ha delivered results even better than promised—taking what was useful, discarding the rest decisively.

Thus, Chairman Kwon trusted Tae Ha’s judgment in business completely. Once e-commerce stabilized, he appointed Tae Ha CEO of their hotel division.

“Still, enjoy your vacation properly. Don’t go back to the office and collapse again. Just rest starting today.”

Understanding his father’s sincerity, Tae Ha nodded readily. His father had lost his two older children and his wife in succession—and lived solely for Tae Ha ever since.

“Thank you—the meal was delicious.”

With gratitude expressed to those who prepared the food, the meal came to an end.

Chairman Kwon watched his son’s retreating figure with quiet concern until Tae Ha left the mansion, then dismissed everyone present. He beckoned to Housekeeper Jang, who stood stiffly by the door.

Dressed in a black skirt, crisp white blouse, and neat bun, Housekeeper Jang swiftly approached.

“You called for me?”

“Ha Eun is in the U.S., isn’t she?”

“Yes. She’s deeply focused on her painting.”

“Hmm. Does she paint well?”

“It’s her greatest talent among all her gifts.”

“I see.”

Chairman Kwon exhaled deeply and closed his eyes tightly. Deep wrinkles formed beside his graying beard.

“I should call that child back. Tell her it’s time to return.”

“Immediately, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Forgive my asking—but may I know your reason? Could it possibly be because…”

“Since when did you start digging so thoroughly into my intentions?”

His tone was low—but not angry.

It was the kind of response someone gave when still sorting through their own thoughts. Knowing this, Housekeeper Jang didn’t retreat.

“She’s my daughter, Chairman. You may say she’s adopted, or that we’ve lived apart longer than together—but as her guardian, I believe I deserve to know this much. As you know, all this time Ha Eun has been striving to become a suitable match for the young master.”

“Quiet. I told you never to speak of that lightly.”

“I apologize.”

Housekeeper Jang immediately placed both hands at her sides and bowed her head.

“I’m still thinking it over. I’m not sure what to do myself.”

Her crimson lips twitched briefly—anticipating the long-awaited good news.

“Ha Eun still doesn’t know her fiancé is Tae Ha, does she?”

“No. You instructed me to keep it secret—so I never revealed who her sponsor or fiancé was.”

“You know Tae Ha collapsed. The fact that there’s ‘nothing seriously wrong’ yet he collapsed—that’s what worries me. Of all times, right after getting injured at the ski resort. When has he ever been like that?”

Chairman Kwon rose from his chair and walked toward the window. With his hands clasped tightly behind his back, they twisted restlessly.

“That child will soon turn thirty. I don’t necessarily believe my late wife’s words—but somehow, I feel I must honor her last wish. After all, it was her final request.”

Chairman Kwon recalled his wife’s words from twenty-three years ago and sighed deeply.

[“You must marry Tae Ha to Ha Eun. Only then will our Tae Ha survive. Please—just don’t say no.”]

“It’s time they both knew of each other’s existence.”