ADT 08

Chapter 8

The Man Who Can Do Everything

With a faint hope that he might still be there, Yuri carefully opened the bedroom door and stepped into the living room. Fortunately, Hushin was nowhere to be seen.

Well, at this hour, he should naturally have already gone to work.

Yuri was thirsty, so she walked toward the kitchen.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was instinctively drawn toward the island table by a savory smell that tickled her nose.

The moment she saw the table, Yuri’s eyes widened like saucers.

The food spread across the table was enough to make her feel full just by looking at it.

Garden salad, mushroom beef soup, avocado egg scramble, and freshly brewed coffee filled with the rich aroma of hazelnuts.

The delicious-looking food had been beautifully arranged on neatly set plates. Even though Yuri was not particularly fond of eating, she could not take her eyes off the food.

“I knew he was a star chef, but this is incredible.”

She had seen him cooking several times on TV and through various other media. As the heir to a food company, he was naturally excellent at cooking as well.

He even possessed every cooking certificate for Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisine, so there was no way she could not know how seriously he took cooking.

His handsome appearance played a part too, but watching him cook with his slender, delicate fingers, despite being a man, was enough to captivate anyone.

Yuri herself had been mesmerized by the sight more than once.

Imagining Hushin making this food with his usual stern expression felt somehow strange and out of place, and Yuri unconsciously smiled faintly.

But the smile lasted only a moment.

Suddenly, she remembered his disheveled face from last night as he focused only on her and drove her relentlessly.

As the explicit things he had done to her flashed through her mind, her face grew hot again.

Everyone in the world already knew about Hushin’s outstanding ability at work, as well as his excellent cooking skills.

And judging by how he had skillfully led her last night, despite her inexperience because everything had been her first time, he had practically proven firsthand that he was outstanding in that area as well.

As expected, Park Hushin was a man who could do everything.

Through the intensely private act between a man and a woman, Yuri had learned things about him that only the two of them could know. She had seen firsthand what kind of expression he wore when he held a woman in his arms.

But she knew very well that he was a man she could never dare to desire, so she hid her admiration for him.

Perhaps because the feelings she had kept hidden had finally burst out, the moment she was held in his arms, she had been sucked into an uncontrollable storm.

And she could no longer stop the desire that had erupted inside her.

She had spent an unforgettable night with him, but from now on, they had to face each other as a boss and his secretary.

She had achieved what she had wanted, so now she had to return to reality and treat him as though nothing had ever happened.

“Phew. Yes, I need to wake up from this dream now. This is enough.”

As if confirming her own determination, Yuri said the words out loud and repeated them to herself.

As she pulled out a chair, Yuri noticed a small note attached to the corner of the table.

[Ms. Jin Yuri, make sure you eat everything without leaving anything behind. Your official return to work is next week, so take good care of yourself until then. —Park Hushin]

Yuri sat down and opened the covers Hushin had placed over the food one by one.

When she took a spoonful of soup and put it in her mouth, she could still feel its warmth.

It felt almost like Hushin’s feelings, making her heart feel warm and fuzzy.

“It’s smooth and mild.”

It seemed like this was the first time someone had ever made food solely for her.

When she lived in Joo Sang-hee’s house, the housekeepers did prepare meals, but those meals were meant for the owners of the house, and the employees simply divided up the leftovers.

Perhaps because she had been in the position of someone living off another person, she had eaten that food simply because she was hungry, rather than because it tasted good.

Maybe that was why Yuri honestly could not understand people who were so passionate about food that they went around visiting famous restaurants.

Her friend Lee-seo also loved eating, so she often took Yuri to famous restaurants. But honestly, Yuri had followed her without complaining because she enjoyed spending time with her friend more than she cared about the taste of the food.

Perhaps because she had used up so much energy last night, she suddenly felt hungry the moment she saw the food.

Her stomach growled loudly.

Yuri hurriedly ate the soup.

As her stomach became comfortable and she began to feel full, her eyes suddenly grew hot.

“What’s the big deal about a bowl of soup like this…?”

It was ridiculous, but the thought that this food had been made just for her made her feel so emotional that tears welled up in her eyes.

Her mother must have made food like this for her when she was young, too, but she had no memories of it.

She had grown up eating expensive food in a good home after leaving the orphanage, but perhaps because she had never once thought about the taste and had simply regarded it as food, actually savoring the taste felt unfamiliar to her.

But the soup Hushin had made did not simply make her think, “It’s delicious.”

Instead, it made her think of gratitude.

Because it was the first food that seemed to fill the emptiness inside her heart, which had been hungry all her life.

Come to think of it, there are so many things I’m doing for the first time with him…

Park Hushin was a difficult person for Yuri, yet he was someone she kept becoming curious about.

She was surprised that, unlike his cold outward appearance, he was unexpectedly considerate toward others.

Their relationship had begun with revenge, but Yuri did not regret it.

Simply knowing that she had acted according to her own will and thoughts for the first time had given her tremendous courage.

Perhaps Hushin would remain a rather special person in Yuri’s life from now on.

It was truly precious and grateful food.

Trying hard to swallow her tears, Yuri began forcing herself to eat the rest of the food as well.

As Hushin had told her, Yuri finished all the food, quickly cleaned up the kitchen, and left his house.

It seemed impossible to use public transportation with her exhausted body, so she called a taxi and went back to her officetel.

After returning home and taking a shower, Yuri had just been about to dry her hair when she received a message.

Ring.

“Oh, it’s Lee-seo.”

Na Lee-seo.

Lee-seo was Yuri’s high school classmate and the only friend with whom she could openly share her feelings.

Because Yuri had to attend the same school as Seol-ah, who was the same age as her, she entered a prestigious private high school where most of the students were children from wealthy families.

Lee-seo had entered the school through a special admission program for students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.

Her father, who had been a firefighter, had died in the line of duty while fighting a massive fire, making their family eligible for national veterans’ benefits.

Yuri had officially entered the school as a Royal Hotel scholarship student, but everyone at school knew that she was Seol-ah’s servant.

Perhaps Lee-seo felt sorry for Yuri because she was in a similar position, so she was the first to reach out to her.

At first, Yuri had pushed her away because she felt awkward. But after learning that Lee-seo was genuinely warm and cheerful, Yuri gradually opened up to her, and the two became best friends.

Lee-seo was currently traveling in Japan with her boyfriend after taking some time off work.

If she had not been on vacation, Yuri would have called her over immediately in this situation.

Without hesitation, Yuri opened the message from Lee-seo.

[You’re doing well, right? I’m going to buy you a wedding present before I come back to Korea tomorrow, so why do you keep saying you don’t need anything? Tell me your favorite color and design. I’ll buy you some sexy lingerie that will make you jump when you see it.]

Yuri became lost in thought as she read Lee-seo’s message.

“I miss you, Lee-seo…”

She could not bring herself to tell her friend, who was on her first overseas trip, that her marriage had been called off.

She did not want to ruin her friend’s long-awaited sweet vacation because of her.

So Yuri sent her a simple message.

[Lee-seo, I’m doing fine. You don’t have to buy me a present, so enjoy your trip until the very end, and contact me when you get back to Korea. Say hello to Kyung-soo for me, too.]

[There’s something I’ve already had my eye on here. So don’t worry about me and enjoy the rest of your trip. Let’s definitely meet when I get back to Korea.]

[Oh, you little brat. When did you go looking at sexy lingerie while pretending you weren’t interested? Fine. This unni will go with you and buy it for you, so wait for me.]

[Okay….]

How surprised would Lee-seo be when she came back and heard that Yuri’s engagement had been broken off?

But she would understand everything.

She might even get angrier than Yuri and make a huge fuss about going to find Hyunwoo herself.

Lee-seo was the person who understood Yuri’s situation and feelings better than anyone, even without Yuri having to explain everything.

Ever since high school, Lee-seo had always stayed by Yuri’s side, and there was something she always used to say.

‘Jin Yuri, you’re too nice for your own good. You’ve been loyal and devoted enough to them. It’s okay to become independent now and live your own life.’

Yuri knew exactly what she meant by those words, but she was afraid to suddenly change her life.

If she had known things would turn out like this, she should have listened to Lee-seo from the beginning.

Even though she knew in her head that it was wrong, her body could not disobey Joo Sang-hee and Seol-ah.

Perhaps she had been slowly conditioned by them for more than twenty years….

Part of her wanted to break free, but she was also afraid of the unfamiliar world where she would have to make every decision and live entirely on her own because she had become so accustomed to her current environment.

“Too nice for my own good? Not anymore. I’m never going to live like that again.”

Yuri stared at the messages she had exchanged with Lee-seo and muttered to herself.

In truth, Yuri had never been a girl who simply endured everything and obeyed.

She had desperately tried to earn Joo Sang-hee’s affection so she would not be sent back to the orphanage, and she had suppressed her temper while doing everything she could to become indispensable to Seol-ah.

On the outside, she quietly did whatever they told her to do.

But inside, she had probably cursed them in every possible way.

The time had finally come for all the emotions she had suppressed to explode.

The trigger had been Seol-ah and Hyunwoo’s immoral behavior, but when she thought about it, that fact itself was not actually that important.

Perhaps if Hyunwoo’s partner had not been Seol-ah, she might have turned a blind eye to it just this once….

She had never loved him in the first place.

It was simply that the incident had awakened instincts she had been suppressing for so long.

Perhaps because she had overdone it by eating all the food Hushin had prepared, her stomach felt uncomfortable.

Yuri took some digestive medicine from the medicine box and collapsed onto the sofa.

Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Bang, bang, bang.

The noisy sound disturbed her ears.

Slowly lifting her heavy eyelids, Yuri forced her exhausted body up and walked toward the intercom.

“Ha…. This is driving me crazy.”

Standing before her was Baek Seol-ah, looking extremely agitated.

“Hey! Jin Yuri. I know you’re home, so open the door. If you don’t, I’ll force it open and come inside.”

Seol-ah’s voice coming from outside the front door was so loud that it sounded as though she were standing right beside Yuri.

Yuri hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

She had to meet her at least once anyway.

She knew all too well that avoiding her would only make things harder for herself.

The moment the door opened, Seol-ah pushed her way inside without hesitation.

She did not even take off her shoes. She simply walked to the sofa and sat down as though it were her own home.

Seeing her boldly enter someone’s living space without even the slightest bit of courtesy, still wearing her heels, suddenly made Yuri feel as though her breath was being squeezed out of her.

“What brings you here?”

Seol-ah stared intently at Yuri, who stood before her with a completely pale face.

Then she tossed the tote bag she had been carrying onto the sofa and stood up.