"Did he tell you what he wanted?" Ji-Eun asked as she walked out of her bedroom, dressed in a dark blue office dress. "Jaehyun?"
She found Oh Jaehyun brooding in front of the breakfast table, his expression gloomy at best. "More or less," came his halfhearted answer. "I brought him up to your office to wait for you there."
She watched him as he picked up the tablet off of the work desk and checked something on it.
"I'm moving your 9:30 AM appointment, so you guys can have some time to talk," he began busying himself with the tablet, ignoring Ji-Eun's curious gaze.
"Okay?" She moved in front of him and peered into his face. "Did something happen? Again?"
Oh Jaehyun moved back a bit in surprise. "Sorry," he said, moving well away from her peering face. "No, nothing major happened."
"Hmm," Ji-Eun smirked and turned away, running a hand through her still-damp hair. "Nothing major? So, something DID happen, right?"
Oh Jaehyun knew all too well what her question meant, so he didn't delay explaining further.
"Alright," he sighed and sat down on one of the chairs at the dining table. "Though I don't really think that's the reason why he came here, he 'kind of' apologized for what happened between me and Ms. Bae."
"Oh? It's been about two months, right?" Ji-Eun raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean 'kind of' anyway?"
"Well, he apologized for the way Ms. Bae spoke to me," Jaehyun explained. "But he defended her in the end. He seemed to think I verbally attacked his girlfriend at the time."
"Oh, that kind of apology," Ji-Eun nodded in understanding. "Well, that's fun."
Oh Jaehyun, hearing the acid in her tone, looked up to observe her. If there's anything he was best at, it would be deciphering Chung Ji-Eun's every expression. And right now, she's not looking all that calm.
"You're annoyed," Jaehyun stated the obvious. "Ji-Eun-"
"Of course, I am," she said. "What do you think? It wasn't your fault that she went off like that. She called you names, speculated about my intentions, and spun a story. Do you really think Song Hyun-Shik would say anything about it if not prompted by her?"
Oh Jaehyun smiled despite himself. Before he could say anything though, he saw her pick up the light jacket he had put out for her and began moving towards the door.
"Don't move my schedule," Ji-Eun said as opened the door. "I feel like this is going to be a short conversation."
He only heard the light closing of the door and then she was gone, faster than he could call out her name.
Ji-Eun walked through the hall in quick strides, not minding her unmade face and damp hair as she approached her office. The floor receptionist stood up and bowed in her direction when she came close and she smiled back and nodded in return.
"Lady Chung," she heard her say.
"Bring our guest something to drink please," she said. "I think coffee since it's too early in the morning."
"Right away," the receptionist bowed.
Chung Ji-Eun paused just outside her office door and took a deep breath.
"Hyun-Shik," she smiled a little at him as she went in. "You wanted to see me?"
Song Hyun-Shik had been standing near the floor-to-ceiling window. He only turned to face her when he heard her familiar voice. He was quite surprised to see her easy-going appearance as she approached him.
"I came by to give you these," he held out a neatly-decorated paper bag. "They're from Glamour."
"Oh, they're done with the rings?" Ji-Eun's mood lifted a bit as she reached out to take the bag. "Right on time then. Thank you for bringing this."
She mentally noted to visit the shop to thank the owner. 'Master Jin sure put in a lot of effort,' she thought.
Song Hyun-Shik kept looking at her carefully, studying her expression. She seemed calm enough for him, but there was a storm brewing inside her, he knew. He wanted to say something about what happened earlier, but for the life of him, he just didn't know what to say. Finally, he cleared his throat.
"Ji-Eun," he started. "I wanted to-"
At that, he saw her raise a hand, effectively silencing him.
"If you're going to say something about what happened between Bae Yuri, Oh Jaehyun, and you," she said firmly. "I already know all about it."
"You do?" Hyun-Shik blinked at her. "Did Secretary Oh say something?"
"I think you got it wrong," Ji-Eun smiled at him wryly. "I made him tell me. After all, we agreed never to lie to each other."
"I see," Hyun-Shik sighed. "Maybe I should-"
"Hyun-Shik," Ji-Eun cut him off, her tone serious. "What does Ms. Bae really want?"
Song Hyun-Shik stared back at her blankly. "What do you mean?"
"Did she say she wants you out of this arrangement?" Ji-Eun said sharply, not bothering to hide anything.
"No," Hyun-Shik shook his head. "She was just upset at the time. You have to believe me, I already talked to her."
"I don't care if you did," Ji-Eun said. "She can take out her frustrations on you, but she can't talk to or touch my people the way she did. I didn't say anything about it when it happened because I thought you already knew what to do."
Song Hyun-Shik had to bite back his words in surprise. He never thought she could be this tenacious.
'So, this is how we're going to deal with this, huh?'
He thought for sure he could reason with Chung Ji-Eun about their position in this marriage, but for once in his life, he found that he couldn't just charm his way into an agreement with a woman.
"I'm sorry," is all Hyun-Shik can say as he tries to regain composure.
He didn't really want to start something like a fight between them. It wouldn't have a good turnout for him anyway.
"Hyun-Shik," Ji-Eun wasn't finished it seemed. "I'm being honest here with you. And I'm willing to help you in any way I can. If you want to protect Yuri, you may do so. But she has to work with you and not cause trouble."
At that, Ji-Eun stepped closer to him, almost an arm's length away.
"And another thing," she continued. "Please don't tell my people what they can or cannot do. Especially Oh Jaehyun. That responsibility doesn't fall on you."
Song Hyun-Shik felt the chill in her voice as he finished her piece. He felt it then, an unknown form of bitterness creeping its way into his chest as he nodded back to her.
'Why do you place that Oh Jaehyun on such a pedestal anyway?' Hyun-Shik thought as he watched her step away from him. 'Could it be...?'
"I hope we can clear this misunderstanding today, Hyun-Shik," Ji-Eun said with a sad smile. "I don't want to fight with you. I don't want our loved ones fighting among themselves. We just have to grin and bear with everything for a little while."
He heard her words, but it did not register clearly in his head. All he could think about was why Chung Ji-Eun flat-out shielded her secretary. He shook his head, refusing to believe that his thoughts strayed to the possibility of Chung Ji-Eun and her secretary having some kind of relationship.
'They couldn't possibly have the same kind of relationship as what Yuri and I have, right?' Hyun-Shik thought to himself. 'Right?'
"Well, I have to cut our conversation short today, Hyun-Shik," Ji-Eun said. "I have a lot of things to finish up before your family comes over, so... I have to thank you for coming over today for this."
She gestured to the bag she was holding and made a move to bow to him. She started to walk away, but his curiosity burned to the extent that he wasn't able to stop himself from asking Chung Ji-Eun, "I understand why I have to protect Yuri. But about Oh Jaehyun..."
Ji-Eun stopped walking and turned to face him, her expression unreadable. "What about him?" She asked, urging him to continue.
"What exactly is he to you? The President treats him as family. You treat him like he is more than your secretary," Hyun-Shik said. "Do you have the same relationship with him as I have with Yuri?"
Chung Ji-Eun stared at him for a moment as he waited for her answer with bated breath. He wasn't sure what made him ask a question like that like he was asking for a beating, but he was really curious.
"Are you asking if Oh Jaehyun is my boyfriend?" She asked, her tone clear and void of any awkwardness. "Is that what you really wanted to know?"
"Yes," Hyun-Shik really didn't know what he wanted to hear at that moment.
After what seemed like an eternity, Chung Ji-Eun smiled at him.
"He used to be," Ji-Eun answered him finally. "But I don't see how that has anything to do with you."
At that, Chung Ji-Eun nodded to him and proceeded to walk out of her office, leaving Song Hyun-Shik with her truthful answer and his troubled thoughts.