episode_0023

Amidst the crowd of people flattering me, I belatedly caught sight of Eunhye being held by a strange man. In that moment, blood rushed to my head, and as if possessed, I pushed through the crowd and grabbed the man who had his hands on Eunhye.

It was a gathering of company employees and prominent businessmen, but seeing Eunhye’s wrist bruised red, I lost my composure and grabbed the man by the collar, clenching my fist tightly.

Fortunately, Eunhye, who had grabbed my hand, managed to hold back her tears, and the violent situation was diffused. The man had someone take care of it, so the rest would be handled by my sister…

But as I took Eunhye out to the terrace, I couldn’t help but feel regret at her forced pretense of being okay. It was all my fault. Leaving Eunhye alone in such a place was a mistake. How scared she must have been, crying in my arms like a child…

I could only do so much for Eunhye, delivering buffet dishes one by one, but without complaint, I became her errand boy.

I don’t know why I developed these feelings for her, a fake wife. I just wished to see Eunhye smile in front of me.

Perhaps a bit strange, but to help her vent her frustration, I let her punch my palm, allowing her to release her anger. We were both drenched in sweat, but seeing the relieved expression on Eunhye’s face, my heart felt lighter.

However, my sense of relief was shattered by the sight of the two lovers on the opposite terrace, and my gaze kept shifting between them and Eunhye, leaving me in confusion.

After barely managing to leave the terrace we both stiffened, holding hands, and silently left the chairman’s office and got into the car.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she blinked her eyes, quietly bowing her head. Watching her, a corner of my heart burned hot, but I couldn’t understand what this feeling was.

Arriving home, I lay on the bed, picturing Eunhye in my mind.

Since when… whenever I had unpleasant thoughts, the image of Eunhye blushing would come to mind, causing me discomfort more than once.

There were even times when she almost caught me trying to calm my lower body during a shower. Thankfully, she didn’t notice my actions, but that day, I clearly witnessed Eunhye blushing while focusing on my lower body.

“Damn… why am I like this…”

Even trying to get up, I couldn’t move at all due to the pounding of my heart. Eventually, unable to even take off my clothes, I spent the night with a heavy heart, closing my eyes in despair.

But if… the affectionate gestures of the two lovers I witnessed today…

If by any chance, Eunhye and I…

Ugh—!

*

“How long are you going to sleep? It’s already morning, you know?”

At the ticklish voice in my ear, I opened my eyes to see Eunhye’s playful smile. It wasn’t every day, but why was she now waking up with me in the morning, sharing the bed secretly?

Lost in confusion, I felt my pupils trembling and averted my gaze from hers. But soon, my gaze fell on the clothes she was wearing, and the first thing that came to mind was confusion.

“Why are you still wearing those clothes…”

The clothes that covered her body were not the usual sweatshirt or hoodie that she always wore, but a black dress that I had picked out for her last time, saying it would suit her well.

Why was she sleeping in such attire? And on the same bed as me… We must have gone to our respective rooms without a word, so what was the meaning of this situation?

While I was flustered, she covered her mouth with one hand, yawned, and then started stretching lightly.

“Ah~ We were so tired after the party yesterday, that’s why we slept together like this, right? And since you personally picked this out for me, I wanted to show it off a bit more…”

“…Oppa?”

Why was she calling me “Oppa” instead of “Ajusshi”? And what did she mean by wanting to show it off more…?

“You idiot…!! Don’t tell me you forgot what happened yesterday? We drank a lot on the terrace, and even when we got home, you kept saying I was pretty, cute, and kept hugging me—!”

Blushing, Eunhye started hitting me on the body. I was taken aback by her sudden actions, but strangely, I didn’t feel any pain. But more than that, I noticed something strange in her words and expressed my confusion.

“You said we drank a lot on the terrace… And what did I do to you when we got home…?”

” …!”

In response to my question, Eunhye, with her cheeks puffed up, stopped the violence and took out a few small plastic wrappers from beside my head. I thought she was taking out some trash, but it didn’t take long for me to realize what those items were… Condoms.

“You, you…!!”

Those plastics were none other than the condoms Eunhye had brought to tease me last time…

“Oppa, did you really stack up this many? How can you tear open 9 of these and still be so energetic… I thought my waist was going to break because of Mr. So-and-so yesterday!”

“Wha… What!?”

Did I really have a relationship with Joo Eunhye? No, that couldn’t be! Although my heart raced every time I faced Eunhye and I comforted myself with impure thoughts, I couldn’t have…

“You’re getting excited again… You pervert.”

“Ugh…!!”

Seeing her react so strongly… Could it be true? Did I really have a relationship with Eunhye…? Of course, I thought Eunhye was pretty, but I wasn’t so mentally decayed as to touch a 7-year-old…?

“No, Eunhye is practically an adult, so it wouldn’t be a big problem if we had a relationship…!?”

“You idiot… You did it yesterday and now you want to do it again? I can’t even get up because my waist hurts so much!”

I shouldn’t have said what I was thinking out loud… Kang Sunwoo, I was really the worst. What should I do to calm Eunhye down…

…Huh?

“…Who are you?”

“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Oppa?”

“I mean, who are you. The Joo Eunhye I know wouldn’t call me Oppa.”

Even though she looked like Eunhye, I could somehow tell that she wasn’t the Eunhye I knew. It wasn’t just the way she addressed me, but the emotions I felt from her.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this, Oppa… It’s scary…”

Even though she looked lifeless, even at such a close distance, I didn’t feel any fluttering in my chest. And most of all, my lower body, which I thought had reacted, was not even standing, let alone showing any response.

“Tell me the truth. Who are you? Why are you pretending to be our Eunhye?”

I opened my eyes wide, staring at the woman in front of me who appeared in the guise of grace. She cowered in fear, trembling and shaking, but soon scratched her head and revealed a troubled expression.

“I was planning to tease you a bit… Kang Sunwoo, you’re not as stupid as I thought, are you?”

It’s certain. Although she looks like Grace, this woman is not the Grace I know.

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth. Who are you, and where is our Grace!?”

“Our Grace? Haha… You seem quite attached, don’t you? Don’t worry too much. Here, Kang Sunwoo, the Grace you’re looking for is not here, but ○○ is sleeping peacefully without any issues.”

The giggling woman made some incomprehensible remarks, then stood up and crossed her arms, starting to smile mischievously.

“Our ○○… I wanted to check because every time you and our ○○ are together, the atmosphere seems strange. Of course, I may have gone too far with the joke, so I apologize for that.”

○○? I couldn’t hear it clearly, but the woman who mentioned some title or name bowed her head towards me, then stared into my eyes with a meaningful smile.

“And if it’s you, I believe you can take care of our ○○… So I’ll trust you. Right now, Grace is Kang Sunwoo. Your wife. Even if you two part ways someday, make sure she has no regrets. Make sure she continues to be happy. Understand?”

I don’t understand a word this woman is saying. Although I had promised myself that I wouldn’t show any tears as a brother living in the same house as Grace, why is she asking me for such a favor?

“…Wait a minute!”

In the next moment, her figure in front of me began to slowly disappear. Rather than being confused by this surreal phenomenon, I felt my heart sink as if Grace was disappearing before my eyes.

As anxiety began to boil up in my chest, I reached out my trembling right arm towards her, trying to hold her by my side.

—Splash~

…Strange? I’m sure I should have grabbed her arm, but what is this soft sensation? Why does my body feel like it’s heating up when I touch it?

But this feeling… It feels like I’ve felt it somewhere before… What was it…

While I continued to caress the soft object that made me feel good, a disappointing sensation spreading from my lower body caused me to wake up fully.

“It seems like I had a strange dream…!?”

Realizing that I had woken up from the dream due to the returning sensation in my body, I was shocked to find Grace, dressed in her underwear, sleeping on my bed. But the more serious issue was that my hand was… still caressing her chest.

I should withdraw my hand before Grace wakes up, but for some reason, my fingers were moving busily and I couldn’t stop them.

“Umm…”

Grace let out a small groan, squinting her eyes. Her soft voice made my body heat up even more.

No, I can’t take it anymore…

“Umm…?”

As I tried to withdraw my hand with my eyes tightly closed, I heard Grace’s voice calling me.

“…”

The moment of silence. Maintaining silence with no words, I cautiously opened my eyes, fervently hoping that the owner of the voice was still asleep.

“Oh, sir…!?”

However, my wish was nothing but a futile hope. And as I shifted my gaze towards my hand, I caught sight of Joo Eunhye’s face turning red with embarrassment, frozen in place. In the same way, my body stiffened, rendering me unable to move a muscle.