Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 28: Live with Me for One Year

Chapter 28: Live with Me for One Year

Woo-sung was caught off guard and suddenly at a loss for words. He clenched his fists, glaring at Lee Joon.

Lee Joon glanced at Woo-sung as if he was watching a mildly amusing spectacle, before turning his eyes back to Eunchae, who was staring back at him with her eyes wide in shock.

“The decision is made by the person who received the offer, Team Leader Kim Woo-sung.”

It sounded like a reprimand directed at Woo-sung, but in reality, it was Lee Joon handing over the choice to Eunchae. She decided to make it.

Eunchae couldn’t respond immediately. She didn’t want to meet Lee Joon under any circumstances, but given the current situation, she couldn’t afford to refuse his investment. His offer was essentially their last hope.

As Eunchae bit her lips nervously, unable to make up her mind, Lee Joon watched her with a look of mild disapproval. More precisely, he focused on her lips, now flushed and slightly swollen from all the biting.

‘She’s going to end up with a scab again,’ he thought, clicking his tongue softly.

Realizing that she needed more time, Lee Joon decided to shake up the negotiation table once more.

“It seems some time is required,” he remarked, letting out a low sigh as he glanced at his metal wristwatch.

With a dark expression, Eunchae glanced at her phone as it buzzed briefly. After checking the sender, she quickly tapped the screen to read the message.

“We can discuss this another time,”

Lee Joon announced, indicating that the meeting was over, as he stood up without hesitation. Eunchae instinctively rose from her seat and called out to him.

“Wait, just a moment!”

Hearing her urgent voice, Lee Joon paused, halfway through packing the documents into his briefcase, and looked at her.

“What is it, Director Yoon Eunchae?”

“I’ll… agree to your dinner proposal. I’ll hear the conditions there… and then decide.”

“That’s a quicker decision than I expected.”

Lee Joon’s smug smile made Eunchae want to smack him right on the forehead. His actions were the very definition of infuriating.

“I’ll have my secretary inform you of the time and place.”

Watching Eunchae’s resentful glare, Lee Joon’s lips curved smoothly into a satisfied smile. Everything was unfolding just as he had planned.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

With a sharp nod, Lee Joon turned and exited the conference room.

Left behind, the atmosphere in the conference room was utterly devastated. Everyone seemed dazed, staring blankly with exhausted sighs and murmurs of disbelief. It felt like a complete defeat.

***

“No way! Not!”

Woo-sung, uncharacteristically agitated, raised his voice in an attempt to change Eunchae’s mind. His increasingly heavy breathing made his current emotional state clear.

Eunchae looked at Woo-sung, who was desperately trying to convince her, with a conflicted expression. To be honest, she was the one who wanted to go the least. Regardless of the reason, she had no desire to see Lee Joon again.

But… the company’s current situation left her with no choice.

“Oppa.”

“Eunchae.”

Woo-sung tried to persuade her with a desperate tone, but Eunchae countered with a heavy sigh, forcing him to face reality.

“Oppa, I don’t want to meet him again either. But I just got a call from the bank. They said our company’s situation looks unstable, and they’re asking us to repay at least half of the remaining loan…”

“What? Is that true?”

Woo-sung’s face went pale as he sought confirmation. Eunchae nodded weakly. The message she’d received just before Lee Joon left the conference room was from the bank.

“Yes, it’s true. So, my options are very limited. Either I go, or I don’t. And… I have to go.”

“Ha…”

Facing this bleak reality, Woo-sung let out a helpless sigh. He rubbed his face roughly, clearly struggling, before reluctantly agreeing.

“Even if you go… I can’t let you go alone. I’ll come with you—”

“No, I’ll go alone.”

Eunchae firmly refused.

“Eunchae!”

“This is something I need to handle on my own. It’s an issue between him and me. I’ll go by myself.”

“Him… and us.”

Woo-sung let out a hollow laugh, his mood crashing to the floor. It had been so long since the divorce, yet Eunchae still referred to Tae Lee Joon and herself as “us.”

Eunchae knew what was bothering Woo-sung but chose to ignore it. To her, he was not a potential partner but rather an older brother figure and a colleague at work.

She had always kept her distance from him, careful not to give him any false hope. That was partly why she had initially opposed him joining the company.

“I’ll handle this on my own. I’m leaving now.”

With those firm words, Eunchae left the conference room, leaving behind Woo-sung, who stood there with a hardened expression.

“Ha…”

Her mind was a mess, tangled with guilt over Woo-sung. As she walked back to her office, she let out a long sigh.

“I should have done everything I could to stop him from joining back then.”

Muttering words of regret under her breath, her phone suddenly buzzed with a short vibration. It was a message from Secretary Kwon, who had been by Lee Joon’s side for years.

“What? Today?”

Eunchae’s eyes widened as she read the message, causing her to stop abruptly. She blinked and reread it. It wasn’t a mistake.

The dinner Lee Joon had proposed was… tonight.

***

6:00 PM. Standing in front of the restaurant, Eunchae found herself unable to step inside, her brows furrowing.

“Why here of all places…”

She crossed her arms, staring at the restaurant building with a skeptical look.

The sign “Mer” written in French stood out vividly in her gaze. This famous French restaurant in Hannam-dong was where Eunchae and Lee Joon had their first date right after their arranged meeting.

Eunchae used to love this place because of the memories she shared with Lee Joon. She would often persuade him to eat here whenever they went out. But after the divorce, she never set foot in the restaurant again.

“What on earth is he thinking? Or is he just so careless that he made the reservation without thinking?”

She frowned and brushed her hair back, the long waves cascading down like a waterfall.

Knowing Lee Joon’s personality, she figured it was probably the last, so she decided not to dwell on it. With that decision, the uncomfortable feeling in her chest lightened considerably.

Eunchae took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, trying to clear her mind of the cluttered thoughts and emotions that had been swirling around. She repeated the motion a couple of times, and only then was she able to straighten her posture and take a step forward.

“Welcome. How have you been?”

As she entered the restaurant, a familiar face greeted her. It was the manager who had been overseeing the place for years.

“Hello, how have you been?”

Eunchae smiled politely in response.

“I’ll take you to your reserved room.”

It seemed that Lee Joon had informed the manager in advance, as he led Eunchae to the private room without any delay.

Following the manager, Eunchae glanced at his face out of the corner of her eye. The situation—an ex-married couple meeting alone in a private room—was undoubtedly something that could stir up curiosity. Yet, the manager displayed no signs of intrigue or judgment.

Eunchae felt a slight sense of relief at the manager’s professionalism.

“Here we are,” he said, stopping in front of the room.

“Come in.”

Lee Joon’s calm voice greeted her as she entered the room. Eunchae looked up, her face tense despite trying her best to appear unaffected.

Lee Joon was already seated at the elegantly set table, looking perfectly composed. His sharp eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, the room felt smaller, the air thicker.

Eunchae took a deep breath and remembered why she was there. She couldn’t let him see her uneasiness.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said, her tone cool and business-like as she moved to take her seat.

As Eunchae took her seat, she couldn’t shake off the strange feeling that lingered. Seeing Lee Joon waiting for her was unsettling. In all their time together, he had never once been the one to wait. It was always her.

Now, as a mere business associate, he could show up early and act with courtesy. The irony wasn’t lost on her. A bitter thought crossed her mind:

*So, it takes being strangers tied by business for you to wait first. When I was your wife, making me wait was just a given.*

She hid a smile, not wanting him to catch a glimpse of her inner turmoil. That was exactly why she feared seeing him again. He had a way of digging up memories she desperately wanted to bury – scratching at wounds that were finally beginning to heal.

“Sit,”

Lee Joon gestured toward the chair across from him, his voice calm and controlled.

Eunchae hesitated for a heartbeat but then lowered herself into the seat.

“Let’s order first.”

“Please use formal language. I’m here as the company’s representative, Mr. Tae Lee Joon.”

Hearing her request for politeness, Lee Joon’s gaze fixed sharply on Eunchae.

Even though his stare wasn’t particularly threatening, Eunchae felt a heavy pressure on her whole body. She didn’t like that feeling, so she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin, determined not to show weakness. In response, he easily apologized.

“My apologies. I’m sorry, Ms. Yoon Eunchae.”

His tone was flat, making it hard to see it as a genuine apology. It felt more like he was humoring her, doing it just because she insisted.

“Shall we look at the menu again, Ms. Yoon Eunchae?”

He was openly teasing her now.

Eunchae glanced at Lee Joon without making it too obvious. His polite tone annoyed her. Despite his usually cold personality, he had this oddly playful side to him.

After they somehow finished ordering, the staff brought out some bread and wine. Eunchae, not wanting to drink, asked for sparkling water instead.

“I ordered the wine you like, Ms. Yoon Eunchae. At least have a taste.”

Lee Joon gestured to the untouched wine glass, suggesting she at least take a sip.

*Since when did he care about things like this?*

Eunchae thought, scoffing at his needless politeness.

“I’m honored that you still remember the wine I like,” she replied sarcastically.

“Is that all I remember?” he shot back with a lazy smile.

His response made Eunchae narrow her eyes. His behavior was just too ambiguous. A warning bell went off in her mind as she sensed that something was not right.

“Let’s get to the point,” Eunchae said sharply.

“Honestly, I have no desire to have dinner with you, Mr. Tae Lee Joon. After dealing with difficult in-laws and the fallout from our divorce, I tend to get indigestion when I eat with people I don’t like.”

In other words, stop wasting time and tell me your conditions. 

Eunchae stared at him, her eyes clearly warning him. If he kept playing games, she was ready to get up and leave the dinner immediately.

“Looks like you’re in a big rush now,”

Lee Joon replied, one corner of his mouth curling up into an ambiguous smile.

“The appetizer hasn’t even been served yet, Ms. Yoon Eunchae.”

Was it a smile or a smirk? She couldn’t tell, and that only irritated her more.

“Mr. Tae Lee Joon, I’m not joking…”

Eunchae began, irritation bubbling up as she tried to press him seriously.

But before she could finish, Lee Joon cut her off sharply, delivering his condition in a way that felt like a punch to the gut.

“Live with me for one year. That’s the condition.”