Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 31. No Other Man Allowed
Chapter 31. No Other Man Allowed
When the car stopped in front of the restaurant, Eunchae looked at the building with a puzzled expression. It was “Mer” again.
“It’s not like this is the only restaurant you know. Why do you keep asking to meet here?”
With a sigh, Eunchae got out of the car and entered the restaurant.
“Welcome.”
The manager, whom Eunchae met just a day ago, greeted her with a warm smile and led her to the private room.
“Your companion has arrived.”
With a polite knock, the manager announced Eunchae’s arrival before opening the door for her.
“Thank you.”
Eunchae replied with a slight smile and stepped inside. At that moment, Lee Joon put down the tablet he was holding and got up from his seat.
“Welcome. Did you have a good trip?”
“How could it be comfortable? I had to come by force.”
Eunchae glanced at Lee Joon, who was once again waiting for her, with a look of disbelief and then smiled.
When Lee Joon had messaged her saying he’d send a car, Eunchae naturally refused.
In response, Lee Joon had threatened to come and pick her up from her office himself. With no other choice, Eunchae ended up taking the car he sent. He was nothing short of a tyrant.
“Let’s sit and order first. The lunch meeting went long, and I barely had a sandwich. It doesn’t even feel like I ate anything.”
At Lee Joon’s words, Eunchae responded with a bitter smile.
“The situation I am in is extremely urgent. As soon as you mentioned it, the other banks started pressuring me to repay the loans.”
Pressing her tired, stiff eyelids, Eunchae recalled the exhausting day she had just endured.
She had been running from bank to bank since the morning, desperately trying to get an extension on her loan payments, but each one turned her down.
The last place she visited was ‘Donga Bank’, where the bank president was a close junior of her father.
After being turned down there as well, Eunchae had no choice but to face reality. The investment proposed by Lee Joon was her only solution.
“You’re right. If I got promoted quickly just because I was the CEO’s daughter, then I should be able to bear the weight of the title. My personal feelings can’t come before the company.”
“So, you’ve decided to eat the spoiled food, then?”
At his loaded question, Eunchae sneered.
“I can’t just eat it as it is. I’ll try to pick out the least rotten parts and eat them. That’s why I need you to agree to my conditions.
“Go ahead, tell me.”
Lee Joon replied calmly, leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped together. The way he was sitting made it seem like he was conducting a meeting and Eunchae couldn’t help but laugh.
For this man, everything in the world was business.
“My parents must never find out. If they knew I was living with you because of the investment, they might bite their tongues and die. My father…if he has another stroke…it could be really bad.”
Eunchae’s voice trembled slightly when she mentioned her father. Lee Joon looked at her with a deep gaze before asking about Yoon Jung-ik’s condition.
“How is your father doing?”
“Neither good nor bad,” Eunchae replied flatly.
Lee Joon nodded at her response.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve already told my grandfather that we’ll live together for about a year before we consider a full settlement. To avoid any problems later, we’ve agreed not to tell anyone outside the family.
“What did he say?”
“He gave his permission.”
“That’s a relief.”
Eunchae felt a mixture of relief and guilt at the thought of deceiving Tae Moo-jin. Even now, with every change of season, he would send her favorite seafood and fruits through a trusted person.
It was always a burden, but considering his feelings, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Now she had to go even further and deceive him, which made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
‘Why did he have to include the no-remarriage clause…’
While she was caught up in the regrets of the past, the manager came in to serve the pre-dinner bread and wine, causing the conversation to pause for a moment.
“And I can’t let your mother treat me the way she used to,” Eunchae added.
After the manager left, Eunchae brought up her next condition. This was the most important one.
“Living with you for money is absurd, but I refuse to go back to that hell. Let’s get a separate place. It’ll be easier to fool people.”
“Living separately isn’t an option.”
Lee Joon flatly rejected the idea and explained his reason.
“My grandfather is not someone to be underestimated. If we reconcile, we have to live in the annex where he resides. In other words, we’ll be under his watch.”
“Wha… what? So, we have to live as if we’re truly reconciling?”
“Did you think it would end just by announcing, ‘We’re getting back together’?”
With a slightly amused look, Lee Joon continued, as if he found her naivety surprising.
“If it were that simple, why would I set the condition of making a big investment? We have to act like a real reconciled couple and show affection. We have to put on a show.
“Sigh…”
Eunchae felt all her energy drain from her body.
‘Of course, with such a big investment at stake… I was being naive.’
Eunchae had nothing to say in response to his mocking smile, so she bitterly mocked herself instead.
Licking her now-dry lips, she clasped her trembling hands together. Then, Lee Joon said something surprising.
“You don’t need to worry about my mother either. Given the current situation, she won’t be able to say anything.”
“You’re planning to tell her?”
“Yes.”
His immediate answer left Eunchae stunned.
“Why? Isn’t this supposed to be a secret agreement known only to you and me?”
“My mother is an exception. If we just say we’re going to get back together, she won’t shut up. That’s why we have to make it seem like I have to work very hard to convince you. Only then will she control herself instead of making trouble. My mother always obeys someone stronger.
At his harsh criticism, Eunchae’s eyes narrowed. He still despised Mrs. Kang. No, he still detested her.
“If it means I’ll inherit the company, she would even kiss your feet.”
“Isn’t that a bit too much…?”
“No. That’s exactly the kind of person my mother is.”
Lee Joon’s lips curved into a crooked smile as he spoke. The chill in his eyes made Eunchae shiver, so she chose not to press the issue any further.
“Fine. You handle that issue then.”
Eunchae decided to leave it be, letting the person concerned handle the matter. The relationship between mother and son was none of her business, nor did she need to care. Just like he said, they would each take what they needed and that would be it.
“Anything else you want to ask for?”
Lee Joon asked, and Eunchae, cautiously watching his reaction, made her request.
“Can you transfer the funds as soon as possible? The situation is very urgent.
“Alright. I’ll take care of it right after our meal.”
“When you say ‘right after’… do you mean today?”
“The sooner, the better, right?”
“Well… yes.”
Seeing Lee Joon fold his arms and look at her as if asking if there was a problem, Eunchae could only nod. An indescribable sense of emptiness and helplessness washed over her.
She knew Tae Lee Joon had plenty of money, but experiencing it firsthand gave her a strange feeling.
When they lived together, she hadn’t cared at all about Geumyoung Group’s wealth or what he had and would inherit. Her focus was solely on his heart.
Perhaps she had taken all this for granted and had only cared about his feelings instead of the money.
Because of the contradictions embedded in her thoughts, Eunchae was able to pinpoint the source of her current sense of emptiness.
“Now, I’ll tell you my conditions.”
Lost in her thoughts, Eunchae snapped back to reality at the sound of Lee Joon’s voice.
“Your conditions? What are they?”
“Once the money is deposited, the contract begins. No other men for the next year. Don’t meet them, and don’t do anything that could lead to misunderstandings. We’ll be under surveillance for a while, so…”
“Excuse me, Tae Lee Joon. Who exactly are you warning here?”
Eunchae let out a loud sneer. He despised and hated his mother so much, yet here he was, acting just as shamelessly as Mrs. Kang.
“You are seriously out of your mind. Or maybe you’ve conveniently forgotten your misdeeds. Have you forgotten? You were the one who cheated, not me. And now… how dare you say such a thing?”
Anger burned in Eunchae’s eyes, sparking blue flames of rage. Seeing her seethe with disbelief, Lee Joon just shook his shoulders.
“I just thought it best to set the record straight, just in case.”
“Why don’t you worry about your behavior first?”
At Eunchae’s sharp reply, Lee Joon simply pursed his lips without answering. His smug expression was annoying, which made her stare at him even more intensely.
“Stop glaring and eat first. That’s the only way you’ll get the investment today. Just don’t overturn the table like yesterday.”
“I didn’t overturn it.”
“Sending the food back is pretty much the same thing.”
At Lee Joon’s remark, Eunchae shrugged her shoulders just like he did. Her mind was in turmoil, and she had no appetite at all. But what choice did she have? She had to go along with the person holding the purse strings.
Looking like she was being dragged to a slaughterhouse, Eunchae reluctantly picked up her fork and knife. She slowly sliced the steak and bit into it. Lee Joon watched her quietly.
“Is the food not to your taste? You used to like the food here.”
In response to Lee Joon’s question, Eunchae set down her knife and fork and took a sip of wine. Her demeanor while eating was so stiff and uncomfortable that even Lee Joon furrowed his brow in response.
“The head chef here hasn’t changed. Is the food that bad?”
“The reason I liked the food here was because we had our first date here,” Eunchae replied. “Not because the food was particularly delicious.”
Lee Joon’s eyebrow twitched at her explanation. Seeing his flustered reaction, Eunchae gave a crooked smile.
“To be honest, the food here is good, but it’s not something I’d go out of my way for. The only reason I kept coming back was because it was the place where I first had a meal with the man I loved.”
“The man you *loved*…”
Lee Joon murmured the past tense, a faint smile playing on his lips. Eunchae narrowed her eyes at his ambiguous reaction. Then she spoke frankly.
“I still don’t feel comfortable eating with you. I just bear it. You said it yourself, Tae Lee Joon. What I’m best at is enduring.