Secret Cohabitation Love (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

The gaze that stared intently finally entwined quietly at its end.

Like a trap that tightened its grip the more one struggled to escape, the dark pupils confined Eun Seo within their deep rim.

She knew—he wasn’t curious about her, the bored version of herself, but about this very situation.

“I’ve finished eating. It was delicious.”

Feeling as if she’d drown in those eyes if she stayed any longer, Eun Seo pushed her chair under the dining table and stepped aside.

“By the way, it’s not because I’m hurt, so please don’t worry unnecessarily.”

As Eun Seo left the dining room, Tae Ha kept his eyes fixed on her back the whole way. His usually quick mind had grown dull and foggy, as if running a fever.

“You’re going to stare a hole through her, Representative.”

Woo Young’s voice snapped Tae Ha out of his daze. Embarrassed, Tae Ha smiled awkwardly and crossed his legs.

“You haven’t smiled even once.”

“From what I’ve heard, she’s supposed to be cheerful and friendly.”

“Where do you see that?”

“If she smiled in this situation, it’d be even scarier. Think about it—her grandmother just died, they forced her to live with some trash of a man, and now a guy who’s supposedly fearless claims she’s a fraud and locks her up in his house. If she smiled, she’d seem off.”

“But what I just heard was clearly laughter.”

“Huh?”

Woo Young furrowed his brow, then suddenly grinned as if remembering something.

“Oh, right—you laughed when I insulted you.”

With a refreshing burst of laughter, the two men stood up. As they walked toward the study, Woo Young reported to Tae Ha about the matter at the village hall yesterday.

“Song Eun Seo won’t have any trouble because of yesterday’s incident. Attorney Yang agreed to handle everything, and Jo Sung Tae will start going through some very hard times as of today. I delivered your instructions exactly as ordered. And about Song Eun Seo’s belongings…”

Woo Young paused, swallowed his bitterness, then continued.

“I’ve never seen someone with so few possessions. She barely had any household items—even a small truck wasn’t filled. The driver even asked if she was really taking that stuff with her. It was that worn out.”

“…”

“I’ve temporarily stored everything in our warehouse in Icheon. She only brought two suitcases and a duffel bag from the village hall.”

“Thank you. And while I’m thanking you, I have one more favor to ask.”

“Anything.”

“Go to Solnae Village. There are a few things I need to verify before the lawsuit.”

“Is that why you came back at work hours?”

“Partly.”

“You could’ve just called.”

Tae Ha nodded a couple of times in agreement. Clearly, a call would’ve been enough.

“Are you investigating the fraudster?”

“I don’t want to move too openly. Someone on our side might be involved. Get Song Eun Seo’s cooperation to obtain call records between her and her grandmother. She’ll probably cooperate if there’s nothing for her to lose.”

He was curious.

Why Song Eun Seo, of all people? Had her name really ended up on the marriage registration by pure coincidence?

* * *

Eun Seo saw Woo Young again just as she finished preparing to go out and stepped from the hallway into the living room.

“Going somewhere?”

Woo Young, who’d been comfortably seated on the sofa reading a book, immediately got up upon seeing her. Following Tae Ha’s orders, he grabbed his coat beside him as well.

“I’m looking for a new place to live… Would you like to come with me?”

“Huh?”

Eun Seo quietly placed a finger on her lips, quickly glanced around, then spoke again.

“Now’s my chance.”

[Leaving this place without Tae Ha’s permission is harder than dying. I’m tagging along with someone bold enough to try.]

Seeing the gentle curve at the corners of Eun Seo’s eyes, Woo Young realized she was teasing him.

“Your chance just vanished—I’ve been assigned work by Tae Ha. If I don’t do it, I’m fired.”

Woo Young mimed slicing his neck with his hand.

“That’s mine, right?”

Eun Seo immediately recognized the phone in Woo Young’s hand—an outdated design that stood out anywhere.

Woo Young held out his open palm, waiting for Eun Seo to take it.

“I’ve been waiting to give this to you. It’s already charged.”

“Did you have the right charger?”

“This is Kwon Tae Ha’s house—there’s nothing they don’t have. It’s fully equipped like a hotel.”

“I didn’t think they’d have that too.”

“I didn’t turn it off, in case someone urgently needed to contact you.”

“There’s no one who’d look for me. Anyone who does would only want something from me. Anyway, thank you.”

Eun Seo smiled in gratitude and walked past him toward the front door.

“You’ll come back, right?”

At those words, Eun Seo turned around.

“I’m sorry, but do you think I’m a fraud too, Team Leader Choi?”

“A fraud? You should know the answer better than anyone else.”

Though she didn’t receive a clear reply, Eun Seo felt as if she had. Woo Young was Tae Ha’s man—he’d naturally share the same thoughts.

Tae Ha’s perspective was his perspective. Woo Young’s kindness stemmed only from Tae Ha’s directive to treat her with a baseline level of courtesy.

That’s how Eun Seo chose to interpret it.

Both men had manners as their default—whether learned or innate.

Thus, she resolved not to act rudely, snap at them, or show fear unnecessarily.

After all, wasn’t Tae Ha’s current stance one of deep suspicion toward her?

“I’ll be back. I know Kwon Tae Ha will find me wherever I go. I don’t intend to do anything suspicious.”

Running away would only add to her list of offenses.

“Excuse me, Ms. Song Eun Seo.”

Woo Young caught up to her as she turned around again.

“What is it?”

“We need your call records—and your grandmother’s too.”

Eun Seo didn’t refuse. Whatever lay beneath it all, she knew Tae Ha’s orders were behind it.

“If I ask for Kwon Tae Ha’s records too, would he give them?”

“Do you really think that’s possible?”

Eun Seo gave a bitter smile and stepped out of the house with him.

Even after parting ways with Woo Young, it took Eun Seo quite a while before she could sit down at a convenience store with a cup of ramen. The hot broth warmed her in the cold weather, making her feel alive again.

Her cheeks were bright red from the biting wind, and her feet ached as if on fire.

Her legs felt as limp as if tied to tires. Her hands had never been soft—years of hard work had seen to that—but they’d grown even rougher now.

For several hours, after a few phone calls, Eun Seo visited a law office that offered free consultations. Unsurprisingly, the advice she received wasn’t favorable.

She then spent a few more hours searching for a place to live.

She widened her search radius from her former residence, but nothing suitable turned up.

Some shared houses had low deposits, but when considering meal costs and overall value, the only viable option seemed to be a goshiwon—a tiny, no-deposit studio room.

‘I’ll need to look for part-time work too.’

She wasn’t afraid of living in Seoul—this wasn’t her first time. During college, she’d done private tutoring even in affluent neighborhoods and had stayed in two-pyeong goshiwon rooms before.

But things were different now. She’d already been expelled from school. The decent income from tutoring—something she’d earned as a scholarship student at a prestigious university—was gone.

At nearly twenty-nine, everything was starting anew.

Eun Seo took a bite of ramen and chewed absentmindedly as she organized her thoughts.

She’d study during her free time while working part-time and aim to re-enroll in university.

Once back in school, she could resume tutoring. Between scholarships and tutoring income, she’d manage tuition and room fees—just like before.

And she’d become a literary translator—someone who introduced foreign books to Korea for the first time.

She’d even debuted through a major newspaper. She was confident in her writing. With hard work, she’d find her place.

But her rising hope dimmed quickly, casting a shadow over her face.

[To secure the annulment more firmly, you should file a criminal suit alongside the civil one.]

Charges like forgery of private documents or the cumbersome-sounding crime of false entries in an authenticated public document.

The problem was, she wasn’t in a position to file a criminal suit—and worse, Tae Ha, with nothing to fear, certainly would.

If she filed for annulment, it was highly likely Tae Ha would press criminal charges against her.

Even though she’d done nothing wrong.

As she thought this, her grandmother’s face appeared in her mind. Her throat tightened instantly, and her eyes burned with tears.

Her grandmother hadn’t always been kind and gentle—yet in the end, she’d burdened Eun Seo not with one, but two heavy loads.

Eun Seo put down her chopsticks, unable to eat any more. She had no one to turn to for advice or to confide in.

She should’ve been used to it by now, yet sudden sorrow overwhelmed her.

How had her life come to this?

By the time she stepped back outside, dusk had already fallen.

Eun Seo pulled her scarf up over her ears and quickened her pace. It was a small comfort that, despite her miserable state, she still had somewhere to go.

Though she felt guilty toward Tae Ha—ashamed and awkward—she decided to stay at his house for a few more days, as he’d suggested.

[Don’t rush. Stay here a few days and look for a place slowly.]

He only seemed cold on the outside—probably a kind person. He had to be.

* * *

“Pull over.”

Driver Kim stopped the car in front of a shoe store in a bustling district.

Tae Ha, who’d been leaning back lazily against the seat, sat up straight like a coiled spring. The Christmas-themed display window showcased an array of shoes.

He recalled the cheap, chipped-paint fur boots left by the front door that morning—

their heels so worn they seemed ready to perform acrobatics. An item utterly out of place in his home. Perhaps that’s why the shoes had looked so uncomfortable to him.

Without hesitation, Tae Ha got out of the car.

As his executive secretary pushed open the store door, every eye inside turned to Tae Ha at once.

Accustomed to such attention, Tae Ha strode directly to the sofa inside without sparing a glance.

“Representative, what kind would you like me to prepare?”

“Boots. As long as they’re warm.”

“I’ll get them right away.”

Just as the secretary turned away,

“It’d be better if they’re comfortable too.”

He added, then continued,

“And they need to be durable.”

At this string of requests, the secretary glanced at Tae Ha to check for further instructions—

“And make them pretty.”

Only after Tae Ha finally looked away did the secretary approach a staff member.

Moments later, the employee presented several boot options varying in design, color, and heel height.

Tae Ha glanced over them and quickly chose a pair of black boots with wide, low heels. She’d be walking around a lot—he wanted her feet to be comfortable.

“What size should I get?”

Size?

He was flustered. Just moments ago composed, Tae Ha now frowned in panic.

Having never bought anything for a young woman before—and never having had a girlfriend—he didn’t know Eun Seo’s shoe size.

“Hmm… Were her feet slightly bigger than my hand?”

Looking at his palm, he suddenly remembered Eun Seo’s hand fastening his tie around his arm.

Did foot size correlate with hand size?

No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember the exact size of her hand moving along his arm. His gaze shifted from his hand to his own feet.

He remembered the boots he’d seen when she took off his shoes—they’d looked much smaller than his own.

“Representative, my older sister is around 165 cm tall, and she wears size 235.”

The executive secretary offered a gentle nudge to help Tae Ha’s decision.

165 cm? Was she that tall? Or shorter?

Finally, Tae Ha crossed his legs, recalling Eun Seo standing well below his chin.