Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: The Important Thing
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The end of an excruciatingly long day.
Leaving the ashen landscape behind, I returned to my castle.
With a heavy click from the digital door lock, I opened the front door, and a warm, cozy heat—completely unlike the frigid night air outside—wrapped around my weary body.
The rich, hearty scent of doenjang jjigae tickled my nose.
It was the smell of this house that Chaewon created, the smell of home.
I left all the tension and rage that had crushed me throughout the day outside the door and quietly stepped inside.
I took in the scene.
There was Chaewon, leaning back on the sofa under the soft glow of the living room lamp.
Her face bore that serene, almost mystical smile—like the Holy Mother herself—that hadn't left since she learned of her pregnancy.
One of her hands gently caressed her still-flat belly, as if it held the world's most precious treasure.
And Haneul, pressing her little ear to that belly.
As if hoping her voice would reach the sibling inside, the child was whispering something with bated breath, lips barely moving.
A peaceful, perfect, sacred scene.
The reason I endured all this hellish fighting...
Wasn't it all just to fully claim ownership of that one painting?
I watched the sight with bated breath, a reverent heart.
Crunch... crunches...
A profoundly irreverent noise shattered my holy moment, coming from the corner of the living room.
My gaze slowly turned toward the source.
There sat that worthless mutt, gnawing away at something like it was a chew toy on the priceless Persian carpet.
It was the luxury sunglasses I'd agonized over that morning and ultimately left behind on my way to work.
One lens was already smashed, and the intricately silver-patterned arm was mangled with bite marks.
Spotting me, the mutt wagged its tail thwap! thwap! in greeting, then deliberately crunched off and swallowed the remaining arm with a crack!.
If it weren't for that little bastard...
......It really would've been a perfect, happy scene.
I suppressed the vein bulging on my forehead.
I couldn't bear to shatter that peaceful mother-daughter moment, so I just forced a silent smile.
My eyes flicked between the two-million-won pile of ash in the corner and the priceless treasures worth billions on the sofa.
Then I let out a deep sigh, pouring all my frustration into it.
"Hoo... fuck... hoo..."
And with that, I resolved to be the perfect "dad."
"Daddy's hooome—!!"
At my boisterous shout, Haneul—who'd had her ear pressed to Chaewon's belly—jumped in surprise and lifted her head.
The moment she spotted me, her face lit up with the purest joy in the world, and she leaped off the sofa, charging toward me.
"Daaaaddy~~~ Mommy saaaid~~~"
To welcome my tiny "absolute monarch" barreling toward me, I knelt down and spread my arms wide.
The delightful laughter-filled evening passed, and the adorable Haneul finally drifted off to dreamland.
Once her tiny footsteps faded completely and silence settled over the house, the pile of dishes in the sink—which I'd normally ignore—suddenly stood out.
Without thinking, I rolled up my sleeves and started washing them. That's when I felt a warm presence at my back.
It was Chaewon.
She wrapped her soft arms around my waist from behind and whispered in a playful tone.
"...When the third one comes, you'll be carrying me around everywhere?"
I chuckled back.
"Just special service tonight. Starting tomorrow, we're hiring a maid."
"Might as well make her a pretty young woman?"
At Chaewon's teasing question, I shook my head.
"Nah, not this time."
"...Are you sure you're Kim Cheolsu?"
At her surprised tone, I took her hand.
"Chaewon."
"Yeah?"
I looked into her eyes, pouring my sincerity into my words.
"How about we just live off the money I've made so far? Play around for the rest of our lives?"
She didn't reply at first, just hugged my waist tighter.
Her warm body heat seeped into me. After a long silence, she whispered softly.
"I'd put up with anything else... but not an unemployed husband."
"...Bullshit."
I muttered coldly to myself.
Greedy little beast, ambition bubbling inside.
She might be lost in this moment's bliss now, unable to think straight.
But someday, she'd wake from the filthy strong liquor called "fantasy" and face the cold bare reality.
When that moment came, how long could this illusion of "happiness" hold out?
I gave a bitter smile and silently slipped on the rubber gloves.
After ending our bizarre "family playtime" with Chaewon, I dunked a few more dishes into the sink.
Feeling an inexplicable stuffiness, I grabbed a smoke and headed to the parking lot.
The cold night air filled my lungs deep, cooling my tangled thoughts a bit.
I'd just lit up a cigarette, leaning my ass against the car hood, when a taxi pulled up in front of our house, headlights blazing.
Out of the back seat stepped Ri Su-hee.
Spotting me, she bowed sharply at ninety degrees.
I exhaled a long plume of smoke and asked her sarcastically.
"......Did you work off that pent-up frustration okay?"
At my question, she straightened up and let out a low, eerie chuckle, utterly satisfied.
"I had myself a proper good time today."
She was acting "fulfilled" like a loyal hound freshly rewarded.
I inwardly admired her, savoring the pathetic performance.
Damn... look at this liar's acting chops.
This bitch should've been an actress, not my bodyguard.
I let out an involuntary chuckle at her statue-like presence beside me.
This woman was far smarter—and more dangerous—than I'd thought.
I perched my ass sideways on the hood, taking a deep drag.
Exhaling slowly, I cut straight to the chase with her standing at parade rest before me.
"Why'd you lie about your boyfriend in the nursing home?"
At my direct question, a faint flicker of fluster crossed her face for the first time.
She fell silent for a moment.
"............"
I stared her down and continued.
"I just don't get it. If you'd said from the start it was your 'little sister' instead of a boyfriend, what do you think I would've done?"
I was genuinely curious.
What the hell was this clever beast thinking with that lie?
Ri Su-hee just stared at me, saying nothing.
"Then why'd you stick Secretary Choi on me as a 'monitor'?"
Her bold counter made me chuckle despite myself.
And I admitted the obvious truth.
In this relationship of mutual distrust, that weird dynamic somehow built trust.
I voiced another curiosity about my new "partner."
"Why pretend to be into women?"
She eyed me for a second.
"What else was there? For someone who's not even family, the only reason I'd risk my life to protect that kid is if she's my 'girlfriend.'"
"That's a weak excuse."
"If things went south later and a guy like you tried blackmailing me... I figured a mere 'girlfriend' wouldn't make a perfect hostage."
Her words sent a chill down my spine.
She'd perfectly anticipated from the start that I'd use her "girlfriend" as a hostage.
And to devalue that hostage, she'd disguised it as a disposable "romantic" relationship.
If I'd known the kid was her actual "little sister,"
I'd have wielded her as a far more potent blackmail card.
"Surprisingly sharp head on you, huh? Rolling those brains overtime."
"I told you before."
She gave me the faintest smile.
"The body follows the mind."
"Fuck, what a goddamn brainiac drift... this is wild..."
At my admiring curse, she just smiled faintly.
But this time, she fired back a question.
"But why are you spilling your guts to me like this, boss? I figured you'd just keep monitoring me through Secretary Choi, not confront me head-on."
"......Well, up until I got home today, yeah, that was the plan. But living brainless has its perks—turns out I picked up a bigger weakness than expected."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Chaewon's pregnant."
"........."
For the first time, her emotionless face stiffened ever so slightly at my confession.
I locked eyes with her, etching our new "contract" terms into her bones.
"Say things go to shit between us down the line, and something happens?"
I tossed my cigarette to the ground and ground it out underfoot.
"Then I'll rip that little sister of yours—whatever the fuck she is—to shreds, no matter what it takes."
At my vicious words, her eyes flashed like a predator moments from the kill.
A thick, unprecedented wave of murderous intent poured from her entire body.
"I could snap your fucking neck right now."
"Whoa, whoa—"
I raised both hands in surrender to her killing vibe.
"You're not the brainless type. Don't go selling out that 'genius twist' charm on me now."
Her intent eased just a fraction at my words.
I seized the opening and jabbed at her sore spot again.
"You need money. You gonna leave your sister rotting in that shithole nursing home forever?"
".........."
"You need me. And I need you."
Finally, she asked.
"...What are you trying to say?"
"You don't trust me, I don't trust you. For beasts like us, 'trust' is a fucking joke."
"...True enough."
"So..."
I met her gaze head-on and proposed our new "treaty."
"Let's agree not to accidentally poke each other's weak spots while we're scheming. Be careful, yeah?"
She stared at me hard at my final offer.
Countless calculations swirled in those unfathomable eyes.
At last, she nodded heavily, deliberations done.
A contract sealed not in blood,
But something thicker.
"Good. Deal."
I declared with satisfaction, then capped our grave talk with the one question burning in my mind.
"One last thing."
"What?"
"Was my dick... really that lame? Choi Yang said you came just from her fingers."
The lethal tension from our life-on-the-line exchange evaporated like a lie.
Ri Su-hee stared at me with the most incredulous look I'd ever seen.
"...In this situation, that's what you're curious about?"
"Hey, it's a man's 'pride' on the line here."
At my earnest defense, she let out a long, deep sigh laden with disillusionment toward all the world's men.
"Men are all the same... North or South, no difference."
With that, she turned without another word and headed inside.