Chapter 75

EP.75 Troubled Heart #2

Returning home with a tired face, I noticed Yuria sitting on the sofa, fiddling with her wrist, her expression catching my eye.

“Welcome back.”

She greeted me weakly.

Was she feeling guilty? Or was she thinking about Song Jihyuk or Yoo Seunghyun?

Probably all three.

I took off my summer suit jacket and casually hung it on the hallway coat rack.

“You’re still awake.”

“I couldn’t sleep…”

“Did something happen today? You don’t look so good.”

“Nothing happened… How about you?”

She calmly asked.

It wouldn’t hurt to create another connection with Song Jihyuk here.

“Not going well.”

“Why?”

“Aside from Mr. Song Jihyuk, I’ve been looking into other partners, but none of them seem trustworthy.”

Yuria’s shoulders trembled slightly.

It’s really fun to see her react like this.

To be precise, it’s fun to manipulate Yuria’s feelings as I please.

“Then why not just work with Jihyuk?”

“Business isn’t just about loyalty… but I guess I’ll have to. He’s young, capable, and smart… If only his heart were in it, I’d want him as my son-in-law.”

“Dad… no, Father. I have Aaron…”

Did you feel like Aaron’s reincarnation was pulling you in? No, you didn’t.

You probably just lost points.

“Just a thought. Didn’t you say Mr. Song Jihyuk has a girlfriend? A colleague from the same lab.”

“Yes… Sehwa. Lee Sehwa.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Why is it a shame… Please don’t say things like that.”

“Just joking. I’m tired, so I’ll head to bed first.”

“Okay… Goodnight.”

A few hours later, as dawn broke, I left a note on the dining table saying I was busy and headed out.

As Song Jihyuk, I went to a food franchise.

Sitting in the boss’s office, I was engrossed in making a scythe for Sehwa when a knock interrupted me.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Aram, still neatly dressed, entered and bowed to me.

“Sorry I’m late, Boss.”

Well, she was neat, but there was a strange allure about her.

Her skirt was shorter, her heels higher, and her coat was a slim fit that clung tightly.

I blatantly scanned her appearance and asked.

“Were you with Kim, the executive?”

“Yes.”

“How’s work?”

“It’s tough. But it’s interesting.”

“Hard?”

“No. I get to hear a lot about you, Boss.”

She was looking at me with eyes full of respect.

Marcella, disguised as Executive Kim, must have said something about me.

Marcella is changing Aram’s mind without drugs or modifications.

She’s gradually deifying me.

Like a cult leader gaslighting people to control them.

For now, she’s just a woman who respects and loves me, but over time, she’ll come to see me as a god to be worshipped.

Everything I say will sound like a divine oracle, and she’ll become a believer who would do anything for my commands.

If Sehwa fell directly, Aram is falling indirectly.

Good strategy, Marcella.

As I smiled, Aram cautiously asked.

“You haven’t been coming to the company much lately… Are you busy? You seem to have dark circles.”

Busy? Of course, I was busy.

Outside, I was struggling to win over Yuria, and at home, my wife was subtly nagging me.

The weight of being the head of the family is heavy.

“Just so-so. Can you make some coffee? Strong. Put it on the sofa table.”

“Okay.”

While Aram went to the kitchen to make coffee, I texted Yuria.

[Good morning, Yuria. I wanted to let you know that Sehwa and I made up. It was just like you said.]

You don’t have your phone on silent, do you? And you’re a light sleeper.

Let’s see if you reply right away.

Ding!

[Congrats.]

It came right away. She even made a typo, probably in a hurry.

I chuckled and started typing a message when another text from Yuria arrived.

[Sorry. I had more to say, but I accidentally hit send. Congratulations. How’s Sehwa?]

What do you mean, accidentally hit send? Such a Yuria-like excuse.

Sending a short reply might cut the conversation short, so she must be worried about that.

[We made up, but the atmosphere isn’t great. She went out to meet a friend today.]

[Oh… really?]

[So… want to have dinner tonight? I have a business meeting that should end around seven. Can we meet at eight? I’ll come to you.]

This time, there was no immediate reply.

She must be thinking about it.

As Aram brought the coffee and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa, Yuria’s message arrived.

[No. Let’s meet at Handaegiri. How about that café from last time?]

You want to see Yoo Seunghyun too, and incidentally, me?

I’m fine with that.

[Got it. I’ll contact you.]

[Okay, work hard.]

Easy. Too easy.

There’s no tension at all.

It’s so easy that I even thought about approaching Rose from scratch.

I put my phone away and moved to the sofa, pulling Aram, who was standing there blankly, to sit beside me.

She sat down on the sofa with a plop, embarrassed.

I put my arm around her shoulder and asked.

“Your boyfriend? Did you break up?”

“Yes… we broke up.”

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I had another man… so I said yes.”

“Really? So you had another man? I didn’t know that…”

“…Boss…”

Aram was almost in tears.

“Just kidding.”

I said, groping her chest.

The flat feel of her chest through her suit.

Aram just hung her head, feeling my touch.

She’s too passive, so my hand doesn’t go further.

It’s a shame she’s not as feisty as Sehwa, even if she were corrupted.

“Aram.”

“Yes…”

“Anything you want to eat?”

“…I’m fine…”

Look at this. If it were Sehwa, she’d have cheerfully said, “I want to eat Master’s dick!”

Well, it’s not strange to expect a lot from a civilian who hasn’t been trained well.

I silently removed my arm from around Aram and gestured toward my crotch.

Aram gulped and knelt between my legs on the sofa.

Watching her hand move up my pants, I sipped my coffee.

I’ll spend some time like this.

Putting down the cup, I took out my earphones from my suit pocket and picked up my phone.

**

Yoo Seunghyun had been squeezed dry by Sehwa this morning before work.

Now that her sub tendencies have been somewhat established, Sehwa used the excuse that her device wasn’t charging to drop a bombshell on Yoo Seunghyun.

She suggested they rethink their relationship.

In front of him, she took off her ring and put it in her handbag, then asked him to do the same.

Because of this, Yoo Seunghyun was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He went to work but couldn’t focus, making mistakes he usually wouldn’t, earning complaints from the ladies.

Despite this, he kept making mistakes.

One of the managers noticed the missing ring on his finger and cut him some slack, which was a relief.

By six in the evening, Yoo Seunghyun left work at the usual time, shoulders slumped, and headed to a bar.

At the entrance, he met Yuria, who was waiting for him.

-Hello, Seunghyun. I guess I timed it well.

Timed it well? You’ve been loitering at the entrance for two hours.

Watching the demon’s screen on my phone, I found it interesting.

Will Yoo Seunghyun give Yuria his contact info today?

-Yeah… hello… I didn’t think you’d really come.

-Did something happen today? You look down…

-Just… not feeling motivated today.

Yuria noticed the missing ring on Yoo Seunghyun’s hand.

Her eyes sparkled for a moment.

Yuria took something out of her bag and handed it to him.

-Here, take this.

It was a fatigue recovery supplement from the pharmacy.

Were you planning to give that to me? I feel left out.

-What’s this…?

-I bought it for you.

-…..

Yoo Seunghyun, with a complicated expression, looked between Yuria and the supplement, then finally accepted it with both hands.

After seeing Sehwa’s coldness, Yuria’s gentle tone must seem angelic.

-Thank you.

-I wanted to ask for your contact info again today… is it too much?

-Not yet… I can’t.

Yuria’s eyes twitched.

But not in a bad way, in a good way.

Not giving an ambiguous refusal seemed to earn her some points.

-You said you’re a manager, right? Do you work regular hours like other office workers?

-For now, yes… but it depends. Sometimes I help the waiters… but why do you ask?

-I’m interested. In you, Seunghyun.

-We’ve only met once… no, twice?

-I felt something good from the first time I saw you.

-What…

Yoo Seunghyun was baffled.

Yuria smiled softly and said.

-I’ll head back now. You’ve worked hard.

She bowed her head in a Korean-style greeting, and Yoo Seunghyun stiffly bowed back.

Then he asked her.

-Your name… what was it again?

-Yuria Elenard. Just call me Yuria.

-Yeah… goodbye, Yuria.

-Okay. Take care.

The two parted ways.

Yuria ordered coffee at the café in front of Sinope and waited for me, while Yoo Seunghyun…

Click!

He opened the supplement bottle and gulped it down.

Then he gave a bitter smile.

A smile mixed with sorrow and anticipation.

It’s sad to be on the verge of being dumped by Sehwa, but it feels good to have a beauty like Yuria show interest.

This guy has no backbone. It’s only been a few hours since he heard that from Sehwa…

Well, thinking back to the early parts of the story in episodes 1-5, this is very Yoo Seunghyun-like.

I turned the demon back to Yuria, who was sitting in a corner of the café, tapping on her phone.

The recipient was Kim Taegon. Let’s see.

[Dad, I have plans tonight, so I’ll be late. What about you?]

We were supposed to meet at eight, but I should see her sooner.

I can’t keep you waiting.

I immediately replied.

[The business talk went well, so we decided to have an executive dinner now. I’ll be late too.]

Then, without waiting for Yuria’s reply, I texted her from Song Jihyuk’s phone.

[Yuria. I finished early. Where are you?]

Playing two roles is annoying, so annoying.

Yuria, receiving my text, tilted her head and put her hand to her mouth.

Did she figure it out? That Kim Taegon and I were discussing business.

Yuria, with a surprised face, smiled softly and replied.

[I’m at Handaegiri. I have a prior engagement…]

[Really? Then shall I come by eight as planned?]

[I just finished, can you come now?]

[I’ll be right there. Are you at the café? I’ll be there in 20 minutes.]

[Okay.]

I slapped my knees and got up from the sofa, tapping Aram’s face as she lay naked, asleep.

“Mmm… Ah, Boss…”

“I have an urgent appointment, so I’ll head out first. Take your time and go home.”

“Okay… Thank you…”

I nodded and started getting dressed.

Aram might have uses beyond relieving Marcella’s burden… but Yuria comes first.

After dinner with her, I’ll make a bold move.

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

---