AOA 104

‘Baek Mugyeong has feelings for you.’ Choi Jaeha’s claim had left a big impact.

It was a mistake to just shrug it off, thinking it would be fine. While waiting for Baek Mugyeong to arrive at the Chinese restaurant, my head started to get crowded with thoughts again.

Could it be true? Probably not. He said the thing about going to America together wasn’t serious. More than anything, why would he like me? Aside from us being compatible in bed, there’s nothing. It’s not like I have a good education. It’s not like I come from a decent family.

As I tried to refute Jaeha’s claim with logic, I was reminded just how poor my circumstances were. I had never been ashamed of being a high school graduate, but I lied about my education to marry Baek Mugyeong. My biological father and the rest of the family only looked down on me and tried to use me.

Baek Mugyeong knew all of that. It was because of a strategic marriage that we became husband and wife, otherwise we never would have met. Objectively speaking, my prospects were close to the worst.

I wasn’t especially good-natured, nor was I smart. I thought I looked decent enough, but even that was nothing compared to Baek Mugyeong.

One wall of the restaurant was a mirror. I glanced at it once, then rubbed my face with both hands.

It was all pointless thinking. I had no intention of doing anything with Baek Mugyeong anyway. If I wanted to survive, I had to divorce him cleanly and go our separate ways.

I hadn’t thought of that when talking to Jaeha. Once I reached that conclusion, my tangled thoughts cleared a little.

“Romance, yeah right…”

I scoffed under my breath. But not long after, my mind wandered back to Baek Mugyeong. The same thing happened two or three more times before he arrived.

“You’re here?”

The moment he opened the door and stepped inside, I shot to my feet without meaning to. I was so conscious of him that my movements and voice both came out louder than usual.

Normally I would have greeted him with an easy smile, but even that felt awkward.

This is so awkward!

I almost screamed. But I couldn’t let it show. I blamed Jaeha for saying something unnecessary and tried my hardest to act natural.

“Was there much traffic?”

It didn’t work. For some reason my voice came out high. I forced my face to stay composed so my expression wouldn’t give me away.

Baek Mugyeong gave me a strange look, said the roads weren’t too bad, and took a seat.

“I booked a course menu. There’s a point where you can choose a dish, so I told them spicy jjambbong.”

I reminded myself of the purpose of coming here today and explained quickly. I needed to help relieve the stress he must have built up after meeting with the Baek family. Of course, there was a little selfishness mixed in too.

Even this time, my voice kept jumping a little. I was probably speaking too fast. At this rate, it was obvious he’d think I was acting weird. Maybe he already did.

I stopped talking and called the waiter to bring the food. I waited until he took a sip of water before speaking again.

“How did things go at your grandfather’s house?”

If I was talking strangely, then I just had to make him do the talking. And I happened to have the perfect topic.

“Baek Youngseop will be going to Tongyeong.”

I blinked at the sudden remark. When I looked at him for an explanation, he laughed.

“That’s the decision Grandfather made. He won’t be able to come up to Seoul for a while.”

“Tongyeong… does that mean the shipyard?”

“Yes. His rank will be manager. It’s a demotion.”

“Oh.”

The Daesong Group, a sprawling conglomerate, owned not only an automobile company but also shipyards. For Baek Youngseop, who had held a high position in Daesong Electronics, being sent to a shipyard in Tongyeong as a manager was definitely a demotion.

More accurately, it was exile. A humiliation for someone who had strutted around as a third-generation heir destined to inherit Daesong Group.

And it was something that hadn’t happened before I regressed.

“I’ve never seen Grandfather that angry before.”

“Was he very upset?”

“There was even talk of a government investigation. Since it’s been a long time since an Alpha Hazard happened in Korea, it seems they took an interest.”

“Wow…”

Baek Jinseok, known as the head of a conglomerate, cared deeply about appearances. He would never have tolerated his grandson’s name being mentioned in connection with a publicly known Alpha Hazard incident.

Just picturing him shouting at Baek Youngseop in front of the whole family, telling him to go to Tongyeong, made me unconsciously smile. It almost felt like I could smell something satisfying in the air.

Before and after my regression, Baek Youngseop constantly picked fights with me, threw out crude remarks as if it was nothing, looked down on me, and ordered me around like I was his servant. He had even used physical violence on me once, kicking me in the shin because I made a mistake.

He was an infuriating man in every way. Knowing he had been sent away to Tongyeong made me feel refreshed.

It seemed that among the chaebols, the solution to a troublesome person was to send them far away. Last time, Baek Jinseok had sent Jeong Guhyeon to America, adding the condition that he couldn’t return until after I gave birth.

Baek Yeongseop wouldn’t be in Tongyeong forever. As Baek Jaehan’s only son, he would eventually return to Seoul. But it was still satisfying to know he had been humiliated.

Even Baek Mugyeong, usually so expressionless, had the corners of his lips slightly lifted. I had suggested spicy food thinking it might lift his mood after meeting with Baek Jinseok and the rest of the family, but maybe that had been the wrong choice. But it couldn’t be helped. The order had already been placed.

Before long, the food began to arrive. The cold appetizer disappeared quickly. Then, as the buddha jumps over the wall, the premium abalone, the fried sea bream, and the yu xiang mushrooms came out one after another, the conversation continued. To be precise, Baek Mugyeong led the conversation.

From advising me to keep the painting quietly for now because Im Songyoon was in no state to deal with anything, to sharing insider news that Robert Lee, the one who had punched Baek Yeongseop, was preparing to sue and would probably get an enormous settlement. He also confirmed that Baek Sujin had an upcoming department store event.

Next was about Baek Jinseok’s birthday. It was originally going to be a grand celebration at the mansion, but because of Baek Yeongseop, it had been changed to just a family gathering.

Thinking about the incident that had happened during his birthday before my regression, I thought this was for the best. Without outside guests, the celebration could pass quietly.

As I felt relieved inside, Baek Mugyeong told me there was no need to prepare a separate gift for his grandfather. That was something I hadn’t heard before my regression, and I nodded with curiosity.

Maybe because I was full of good food, I stopped being conscious of Baek Mugyeong and the conversation flowed more smoothly.

Then, finally, the last dish came out. When the jjambbong in a black bowl was set down on the table, Baek Mugyeong’s eyebrow twitched. I nearly laughed at how cute it looked.

The bright red jjambbong gave off a wonderfully spicy aroma even from a distance. My mouth watered. Maybe that was why Baek Mugyeong’s expression became ever so slightly complicated.

“Go ahead. I tried it before, and it’s really good. If you think you can’t handle it, switch with mine.”

Just in case, I had ordered Chinese ulmyeon. If Baek Mugyeong couldn’t handle the spice, I planned to switch dishes.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Alright.”

With a solemn look, he used his chopsticks to place noodles and seafood into his side dish, then brought it to his mouth. I watched with anticipation as he chewed several times and swallowed. His expression didn’t change much, but his hand reached for the water glass a bit too quickly. After downing two glasses in a row, his shoulders rose and fell as he let out a long breath.

“It’s spicy.”

He finally admitted it. Not that I needed him to, I could already tell from how quickly his handsome face had flushed red. But he kept a straight face, which made it even funnier.

Cute.

The word didn’t fit him at all, and the thought made my fingers and chest itch. I even felt like pulling him into a tight embrace and kissing him.

It was a strange impulse, but I wasn’t flustered. We were already sleeping together, so what was the big deal about wanting to kiss him? The more pressing matter was rescuing him from food he couldn’t eat.

“Switch with mine.”

I held back a laugh as I quickly stood up with the ulmyeon bowl. Even as we swapped bowls and I returned to my seat, Baek Mugyeong didn’t say a word about being fine.

“You seem to like this a lot, Jeong Minchae-ssi.”

Neither his voice nor his expression made him seem particularly angry, so I ended up speaking honestly without thinking.

“Being bad with spicy food is kind of a cute weakness.”

“Cute…?”

He looked almost offended at the word. With his tall height, broad build, and face like a carved statue, I doubted anyone had ever called him cute before.

“You just look like the type who can eat anything, spicy or not. Like you could even chew through rebar. I didn’t expect you to have such a cute weakness. I’m not teasing you, it’s true. I’m just surprised. Next time, I won’t suggest anything spicy.”

I didn’t want him to take it the wrong way, so I explained carefully. I even promised it wouldn’t happen again.