I Became the Rich Second-Generation Villain - Chapter 11

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The meal was as brief as the time it took to prepare. Perhaps her tension had finally eased, or maybe she simply wasn’t used to eating well, but Jahye emptied her bowl in the blink of an eye. Watching her, Hyuk let out a satisfied smile.

He dissuaded Jahye when she offered to do the dishes and took care of the cleanup himself. Judging by the effortless way he navigated the kitchen, it seemed he often lived without the help of servants.

In this still-unfamiliar environment, Jahye watched the man, who seemed somewhat similar to her, with a lingering gaze.

A person who was used to being alone.

Perhaps that was why it was even harder to gauge the true feelings he had kept buried deep inside for so long.

“If you’re doing this just to play the part of the ‘ordinary husband’ or some nonsense like that, don’t bother.”

“It’s not like that. I would have done the same even if it were Secretary Park who got hurt, not you.”

The conditions he attached to a simple application of medicine were quite grand. When she replied indifferently, as if it were no big deal, Hyuk turned around with a serious look.

“Well, that’s a bit disappointing.”

He told Jahye where the first aid kit was and headed toward the bathroom, telling her to wait while he washed up first. For a moment, she was flustered, wondering if he was going to strip in front of her like he did this morning. But fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any intention of repeating the act.

Jahye only moved after confirming he had entered the bathroom in one piece. The place he said the first aid kit would be was the drawer under the vanity in the bedroom.

She easily found the disinfectant and ointment, then pulled out the medical gauze. Along with them was a roll of bandages that looked like it had been used quite often.

Glancing toward the bathroom where the sound of running water echoed, Jahye rummaged through the kit once more. The various types of painkillers and sleep induction aids felt like a silent testament to the years Hyuk had endured.

“Just how much…?”

She let out a small sigh and raised her head. The expression reflected in the mirror was quite a sight. Her face looked utterly sinister.

Jahye suddenly recalled her childhood, the first time she had closely examined her own face. It was the moment she realized she was not just unlucky, but a source of misfortune itself.

At first, she thought it was just bad luck, but from a certain point, Jahye felt it herself. The things she cherished and grew fond of would wither away quickly.

Starting from the potted plants she grew to the carp in the yard pond, the cats and stray dogs, and even the aunt who used to look after her in the main building of Cheonggeum Hall. In the end, they all died earlier than their time.

There was only one reason for their premature deaths. It was the sin of being close to Jahye. Her very existence was a calamity.

After that, she did not try to get close to others easily. It was actually a relief to be part of Cheonggeum Hall. No one wanted to be close to a kid living in a shaman’s house anyway.

Thus, half by choice and half by force, she became more accustomed to living apart even within Cheonggeum Hall. Then, at the age of twenty, she received a proposal from Cheonggeum. It was a request to become her spiritual daughter, though in reality, it was a command.

When asked if it was possible for someone who could not serve a god, Cheonggeum replied that it was. She persuaded her, saying there would be a use for it and that it might even be for Jahye’s sake. It was only much later that she realized that “use” meant work like what she was doing now.

Jahye touched the scar on her finger as if comforting those who had left this world early because of her. It was already too late to pay for her sins. She was far too late for atonement.

But still.

Suddenly, the sound of water stopped. Soon the door opened, and Hyuk came out wearing a bathrobe. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he gestured toward the medicine Jahye had laid out on the vanity.

“You found them well.”

“Yes.”

Jahye quickly cleared her cluttered mind. It was still too early to be sure of Chairman Kwon’s intentions. For now, it was right to focus only on the task at hand.

At that, the man sitting across from her tapped Jahye with his toe as if asking what she was doing. Startled, Jahye pulled her knees together and looked up. Hyuk spoke, showing his injured hand.

“You’re hesitating a bit too much.”

“……”

“I was wondering if the medicine was just an excuse and you were performing some kind of ritual.”

His urging tone was full of ease.

Had she been meddling unnecessarily? It seemed he had been living just fine, taking care of himself all this time.

Blaming herself for being rash, Jahye left the disinfectant and bandages on her lap and pulled the vanity chair closer to narrow the gap between them. As if he had been waiting, he spread his legs and trapped Jahye between them.

Internally surprised by the somewhat overwhelming proximity, Jahye soon pretended it was nothing. She carefully grasped his hand and turned it this and that way to gauge the depth of the wounds.

She had been worried there might be a deep tear, but fortunately, none of them looked that serious. They even seemed better than when she saw them this morning.

Just in case, she applied disinfectant and wiped around the wounds first. He just had a composed face, as if it didn’t even sting. Because of his expression, which somehow seemed like he was enjoying it, she gave him a needle-like remark.

“You don’t have the qualities to be a sacrifice.”

“Who, me?”

“The gods don’t just take anything and everything.”

“It sounds like you’re calling me cheap junk food or something.”

When she shrugged as if telling him to think whatever he liked, he let out a deflated laugh. It was a lukewarm reaction compared to what she expected, that he would get worked up about how she could say such a thing to her husband.

Instead, he kept his mouth shut as if accepting his situation. After watching Jahye’s movements in silence, he asked back.

“Do you usually like this kind of thing, Jahye?”

“What kind of thing?”

“Treating other people’s wounds. You look used to it.”

Jahye nodded slowly.

“Because I’ve done it often.”

“Because you like it?”

“……Rather than that, it’s because the things I like often get hurt because of me.”

He tilted his head as if Jahye’s answer was puzzling.

“So you’re saying you give the disease and then the medicine?”

“That’s not wrong.”

In fact, it seemed there was no truer statement than that. Since she agreed calmly, he didn’t ask any further.

She only realized it now, but Hyuk had a personality as indifferent and clean as his appearance. On the surface, he joked around as if he might cross a line, but it was clear he would be endlessly cold to those who actually crossed the line he had set.

Jahye was also a person outside his interest for now. Just a woman he had a contract marriage with by Chairman Kwon’s order. A partner to part ways with once the need was served, that was all.

She thought he might be the best possible partner for her.

Jahye wrapped the bandage over his wound. When she finished by securing it with tape, he smiled broadly, as if he liked her treatment quite a bit.

“Can I ask you to do this often?”

“Shouldn’t not getting hurt be the priority?”

At the words she threw out while tidying the medicine, he burst into laughter. Because of that, the moisture she hadn’t wiped away flowed down from below her knee, which had slightly brushed against his. Jahye felt a sting from the sensation of the water trickling down to her ankle, so she quickly pulled her body back and spoke.

“Change the bandage again tomorrow evening.”

It wouldn’t be a wound that lasted long anyway. Judging by how he couldn’t even feel the pain, he didn’t seem to care much either.

But Hyuk looked at Jahye with his dark eyes as if he were getting a firm promise.

“I’ll be looking forward to it, from now on.”

Jahye turned away without being able to answer. She thought for a moment that what he was looking forward to might be the disease rather than the medicine.

By the time Jahye finished washing up and came out, Hyuk was already prepared for bed. He was sitting on one side of the bed with his back leaning against the headboard, reading a book. He spoke to Jahye, who was hesitating, in a tone that told her not to be like that.

“Just come and lie down comfortably. You must have been prepared to share a bed anyway.”

But how could she be comfortable in this situation? Especially after seeing him like that. Jahye finally could not hold back and asked.

“Are you going to sleep like that?”

“Like what?”

“Your clothes. It looks like you’re underdressed…”

Actually, he was completely shirtless, revealing his bare chest. She mentioned it in case he had simply forgotten, but unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case as Hyuk swept a hand over his body and shrugged.

“I’ve made it a habit to sleep completely naked.”

Did sleeping completely naked mean he wasn’t even wearing underwear now? When her eyes widened at the possibility, Hyuk seemed to catch on to Jahye’s thoughts and whipped back the blanket that was half-covering him.

“Ack! What are you doing?!”

Terrified, Jahye turned her back, and playful laughter poured out behind her. He spoke in a tone that sounded genuinely hurt.

“After everything you saw this morning, why act like this now?”

“It’s not like I saw it because I wanted to!”

“You were staring pretty intently for someone who didn’t want to see.”

“What on earth are you talking about? When did I ever do that?”

Her gaze, which she swung back in indignation, unintentionally landed on his lower half. Fortunately, he was wearing underwear.

“You look disappointed, Jahye.”

“Not at all.”

“Well, then I’m the one who’s disappointed.”

Jahye glared at him silently before lying down on the bed with her back to him. Hyuk, who had quickly put away the book as if it had just been a prop, turned off the light and spoke.