IMFOBO | CH 27 | Before I Could Stop Him

Eun-cho felt her insides twisting as she looked at her father’s nonchalant face.

 

How could he use the term “my daughter” so brazenly, without a hint of awkwardness?

 

“She’s just a distant relative; you don’t need to concern yourselves.”

 

To some, she was treated like an illegitimate child, and on other days, she was a distant relative. The memory of that day, when she could only sob and choke back tears without uttering a proper word of protest, pierced her like a dagger.

 

Even on the day she became a doctor, it seemed she couldn’t become a daughter her father was proud of. Was she only acknowledged as his daughter after Han-moo’s daughter from his new family died? Or was it because she became Ryu Tae-san’s wife?

 

“She’s so lovely. She looks a lot like your late wife. It’s strange how I felt drawn to her; I suppose that’s why.”

 

Madam Jung’s shoulders twitched.

 

She had managed to conceal her expression somewhat at the words “my daughter,” but at the mention of “your late wife,” her dark feelings were blatantly revealed.

 

The fact that Chairman Ryu referred to Eun-cho’s deceased mother as “your late wife” was inherently displeasing to her.

 

At that moment, Madam Jung’s gaze turned noticeably icy, meeting Eun-cho’s with a palpable malice that only Eun-cho could sense. She seemed to be barely suppressing her anger, but it was clear where that misplaced rage would be directed. Instantly, Eun-cho’s body tensed.

 

I feel like I’m going to be sick.

 

Just as she was overwhelmed by nausea, feeling as though she had regressed into a helpless child, Ryu Tae-san grasped her hand tightly.

 

As if he had read her mind entirely.

 

“You don’t feel well?”

 

Tae-san, who was gripping Eun-cho’s hand, leaned in and whispered in her ear.

 

A voice so soft that only Eun-cho could hear it, inaudible to the adults.

 

How did this man know?

 

Eun-cho nodded slightly, her face pale.

 

Tae-san, as if invisibly supporting her, put his arm around her waist and spoke to the adults.

 

“Let’s continue the greetings later.”

 

Lee Han-moo’s razor-sharp gaze swept over Tae-san before becoming calm again.

 

His look was both reproachful and indifferent.

 

But whichever was the truth didn’t matter.

 

Because the fact that he had gambled with his daughter’s life to secure his own well-being would never change.

 

“The ceremony is starting. Please excuse us.”

 

Tae-san naturally took Eun-cho’s hand, bowed to the adults, and excused them.

 

Her chest stung, and she just felt exhausted.

 

Was it all the strain she had been under finally catching up with her?

 

In an instant, she felt feverish, and her vision blurred.

 

“This way.”

 

As soon as they sat down, the lights in the hall dimmed, and the ceremony began.

 

Eun-cho subtly tried to catch her breath.

 

As the surroundings darkened, she finally felt a little calmer.

 

If she had stayed there any longer, she would have suffocated.

 

Eun-cho stared blankly at Tae-san.

 

He must have been very surprised to suddenly see the woman next to him turn as white as a sheet and tremble.

 

Not only had he quickly grasped her condition, but he had even gotten her away from the situation. She hadn’t expected such consideration.

 

She was grateful.

 

“I’m okay now. Did I scare you?”

 

“You should go up to the room and rest.”

 

She lied to reassure Tae-san, but he still looked unconvinced.

 

He crossed his arms, looking displeased, and sank back into his chair.

 

“We’ve made our appearance, and it’s so dark anyway; no one can even see if Lee Eun-cho is here or not.”

 

“I really am okay.”

 

“You’re so stubborn.”

 

Eun-cho sipped a couple of glasses of non-alcoholic champagne to calm her nerves.

 

The faint carbonation tingled as it slid down her throat.

 

Just as Tae-san had said, as long as she stayed by his side, people only glanced at her, and no one approached her. She had a feeling it would be the same even if it weren’t the inauguration ceremony.

 

It even felt as if she had a solid protective barrier around her.

 

Has there ever been a time like this before?

 

It felt like a long time.

 

The feeling of someone worrying about her well-being and protecting her.

 

Eun-cho wiggled her toes inside her uncomfortable shoes.

 

She felt a ticklish sensation rising from the soles of her feet.

 

Tae-san tapped mindlessly on his phone tablet under the table.

 

Then he grabbed Eun-cho, who had stubbornly insisted on staying until the end.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“Huh? Where?”

 

“It’s boring, listening to a bunch of old guys drone on about their success stories.”

 

The man smiled slyly and tugged on Eun-cho’s wrist as he pleased.

 

Eun-cho’s eyes widened as she was pulled along by Tae-san’s strength.

 

She didn’t have the energy to make any more roundabouts or false claims that she was fine.

 

“If we leave like this, the table will be empty.”

 

“We’ll fill it.”

 

A substitution.

 

The man whispered in Eun-cho’s ear and smiled faintly.

 

Perhaps because it was so dark, just as Tae-san had said, people only glanced at the two of them as they moved stealthily without paying much attention.

 

“You’re back early?”

 

Jung-seok and Su-ji, who were supposed to show their faces only after the entire ceremony and during the party, had returned alone.

 

“Okay, I’ll take it from here.”

 

Tae-san nodded and gestured towards the table where the two had been sitting.

 

As if telling them to go and fill the seats quickly.

 

“Tell your grandfather that I’ll come to see him again.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Jung-seok waved his hand dismissively.

 

Jung-seok’s face, as he stepped into the hall alongside Su-ji, was filled with a deep sense of tension.

 

It was well known that the relationship between Baekwoon Group and Shinkwang Construction wasn’t good.

 

If you had to define it, it was closer to being enemies.

 

The ill-fated relationship had begun when Chairman Ryu Deok-bae, the founder of Baekwoon Group, married the daughter of a major player in the Myeongdong private loan market (grandmother).

 

Baekwoon, which had started by supplying goods to the U.S. military and operating city buses, had distinguished itself in construction thanks to the financial power of his maternal family.

 

In that way, Baekwoon Group expanded its businesses to construction, distribution, and hotels, rising to a level far beyond what Shinkwang Construction, with its gangster-like foundations, could ever hope to achieve.

 

Shinkwang Construction, which believed it had been deprived of its hotel business, was constantly burning with animosity towards Baekwoon Group.

 

Jung-seok appeared at an official event of the affiliate, holding the hand of Bong Su-ji, the youngest daughter of Shinkwang Construction, no less.

 

As if he was willing to bear whatever repercussions that action would bring.

 

“Haa…”

 

Coming out into the brightly lit area seemed to relieve some of the tension.

 

Perhaps because there were so many people inside the venue, the air had become stale.

 

The cold air outside made her stomach, which had been churning, feel a little better.

 

“What do you want to do? Go up, or shall we leave?”

 

Go up where?

 

Eun-cho rolled her eyes, scanning the numbers in the elevator.

 

Only then did she realize that this was a hotel, and her eyes fluttered.

 

As they moved away from the hall where the event was being held, the noise gradually diminished.

 

Because access to the floor was restricted to people from Baekwoon Retail, a quiet atmosphere permeated the hallway.

 

The sound of their footsteps was swallowed by the thick carpet.

 

“A room is a bit…”

 

“Then shall we go to Cheongnim-ri?”

 

That would be better.

 

Her condition had been terrible for a while.

 

Her body felt heavy like waterlogged cotton.

 

Dragging things out any longer would only cause trouble.

 

She didn’t want to increase her debt to this man any further…

 

“Lee Eun-cho.”

 

Was it a misjudgment to come out to the bright place?

 

The man stared intently at Eun-cho’s face.

 

His gaze felt sharp, as if he was assessing her.

 

Then Tae-san strode towards Eun-cho.

 

The man’s scent, carried on the air, became clearer as the distance between them narrowed.

 

Without realizing it, Eun-cho pressed her lips together tightly and held her breath.

 

The man’s cool hand touched her forehead and then moved behind her neck.

 

Her shoulders flinched at the touch that grazed her earlobe.

 

It was a gesture that didn’t feel lustful at all, but her heart pounded for no reason.

 

“You have a fever.”

 

The hot fever was quickly transferred.

 

Suddenly, her throat felt parched, and the sweet peach scent of the champagne she had drunk earlier lingered in her mouth.

 

Eun-cho blinked slowly.

 

Her body, which had been severely tense, felt limp, as if it had been released, and she felt dizzy.

 

“That’s not…”

 

Fever?

 

She had felt a slight feverishness since earlier, but she hadn’t realized she had a fever because she had been so tense.

 

It couldn’t be a high fever, but how did he notice she was in an unusual condition before she did?

 

She felt her face flush as she sensed him paying more attention to her with a nonchalant face.

 

She had tried not to show that she was in pain, but this man had seen right through her.

 

“Did you think I wouldn’t know until the end?”

 

Eun-cho was reminded once again of what kind of person Ryu Tae-san was.

 

A man who was skilled at subduing his opponents without batting an eye.

 

That wouldn’t change even if the opponent was Lee Eun-cho.

 

Only a little more generous and inexplicably kinder than others.

 

As soon as she realized that fact, she felt strangely afraid, but strangely enough, that was…

 

Exciting.

 

Before I could stop him.