Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 41. Eunchae, Rank 2

Chapter 41. Eunchae, Rank 2

Eunchae stood in front of the door to Mrs. Kang’s study room on the first floor and announced her presence.

“Mother, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

Hearing the icy response, Eunchae swallowed a brief sigh before stepping inside.

“You called for me, Mother?”

“Sit.”

Mrs. Kang, sitting arrogantly on the study sofa with her arms crossed, glared at Eunchae as she gave the order. Eunchae took a seat on the sofa.

“What is this abou—”

“Lee Joon insisted, and since you’re only going to be here for a year anyway, I planned to stay out of it. But it seems you still have no sense and no awareness.”

Eunchae furrowed her brow at Mrs. Kang’s scolding, which cut her off mid-sentence.

“What do you mean, Mother?”

When Eunchae asked for clarification, Mrs. Kang began her tirade as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Lee Joon has been appointed as the subsidiary CEO, and you didn’t even say a word to me about it? Do you think I’m a joke now?”

“Oh… well, Mother. I only found out last night, too…”

“When in the evening?”

“When Lee Joon got home from work.”

“What?”

Mrs. Kang’s voice shot up, sharp and angry.

“It wasn’t the middle of the night! Why couldn’t you call me?”

“I thought you might already know, Mother.”

Eunchae was taken aback by Mrs. Kang’s unreasonable demands, but she remained calm and tried to explain. However, it was futile. Mrs. Kang’s sharp retorts only grew more agitated.

“Is that what you call an excuse? You’ve changed a lot. No, your true colors are just showing now. Is that it? Do you think Grandfather’s on your side? And now you’re talking back to me with your eyes wide open?”

Sensing an opportunity to berate Eunchae, Mrs. Kang was ready to give her a harsh scolding.

‘You’ve got it coming today. Even if you’re just a fake daughter-in-law for a year, you still have your duties to fulfill.’

Just as she was about to launch into a tirade, her eyes filled with fury.

“Mother, it’s me.”

Lee Joon knocked briefly and then pushed the study door open.

Both women turned their startled gazes toward him. Without saying a word, he simply looked at them before taking a seat beside Eunchae.

“I told you repeatedly not to, and yet you still ran to Lee Joon, didn’t you?”

Mrs. Kang accused Eunchae in anger.

Lee Joon then calmly explained the situation.

“She didn’t say anything to me. I came here because I had something to say to you, and they told me Eunchae happened to be here.”

Lee Joon firmly set the record straight, interlocking his fingers as he glanced between the two women.

“This is perfect timing. It involves Eunchae as well, so it’s better to discuss it all at once.”

“And what is this about?”

Mrs. Kang instinctively tensed at the mention that Eunchae was involved. In her experience, nothing good had ever come from situations involving Yoon Eunchae.

Mrs. Kang’s fears were confirmed when Lee Joon spoke up with a statement that made her heart sink.

“We need to proceed with Henri Sarr’s exhibition, which has been on hold for the past two years.”

“L-Lee Joon, you can’t be serious…”

Realizing what he was suggesting, Mrs. Kang’s expression twisted immediately.

“Oh…”

Eunchae also grasped the situation, her lips parting in surprise.

Due to her divorce, Henri Sarr’s exhibition was stopped before it even began. A special condition required Eunchae to supervise the exhibition, which became a stumbling block.

When Mrs. Kang later found out about this, she was furious and demanded that Eunchae take responsibility. She insisted that Eunchae either take charge of the exhibition or compensate for the breach of contract—anything to resolve the situation.

Eunchae didn’t want to agree to any of it. Since they were already divorced, she felt she had no obligation to get involved.

However, she couldn’t ignore it forever. Out of respect for Margarita Sarr and her dedication as a passionate fan of Henri Sarr, she felt a sense of duty to fulfill her responsibilities.

During this time, Lee Joon reached out to Eunchae through Secretary Kwon. Mrs. Kang had told her not to worry about the exhibition and that she would handle everything.

Annoyed by this unilateral decision, Eunchae had agreed to leave it at that. Since then, the exhibition issue had completely faded from her memory until Lee Joon brought it up just now.

Lee Joon, noticing Mrs. Kang’s face turning red with anger, continued in a businesslike tone.

“Continuing to delay the exhibition isn’t ideal, and recently the Sarr Foundation reached out to inquire about it, putting us in a difficult position. So, I thought it would be best for Eunchae to…”

“No! Absolutely not!”

Mrs. Kang shouted as she shot up from her seat.

“Do you know how important this project is? And you’re entrusting it to… someone like her?”

“It seems you’ve forgotten, but it was ‘someone like her’ who made this exhibition happen. Not the esteemed Director Kang Hye-young.”

Mrs. Kang was stunned by his sharp retort. Lee Joon’s gaze was so cold and direct that it sent shivers down her spine.

“Lee Joon…”

Mrs. Kang called out to Lee Joon with a tearful expression. She felt an indescribable sadness at her son’s harsh attitude.

“Instead, we can present it publicly as if you are the one overseeing the exhibition. Will that be acceptable to you?”

“What? Are you serious?”

Her tense expression visibly softened at this unexpected proposal.

“Yes. I’ll handle the communication with the Sarr Foundation.”

With a small nod, Lee Joon shifted his gaze to Eunchae, who had been quietly watching the conversation.

“Is that alright? It would be better for you as well.”

Eunchae agreed with the suggestion to keep her role behind the scenes. If she were to openly take charge of the exhibition, it would surely become a topic of gossip.

So, following Lee Joon’s suggestion to keep her involvement discreet seemed like a wise choice.

“Yes, that’s fine. It’s not like I’m looking to make a name for myself.”

Eunchae agreed calmly.

“Wise of you. Unlike some people,”

Lee Joon added pointedly.

Lee Joon’s gaze shifted to Mrs. Kang, who was finally beginning to feel relieved. At his blatant sarcasm, her slightly brightened face turned rigid once more.

“Lee Joon, you…”

“Everything has been arranged just as you wanted, so please show some restraint. Is it that hard to tolerate things for a little while?”

Lee Joon scolded, his brows furrowing in frustration. Mrs. Kang’s face turned red with embarrassment. Being reprimanded in front of Eunchae wounded her pride, leaving her feeling completely humiliated.

“If we’re done here, we’ll be leaving. We’ve already passed mealtime, and Grandfather must be getting hungry.”

The power of the absolute authority was undeniable. The moment Lee Joon mentioned Tae Moo-jin, Mrs. Kang fell silent. She had no grounds to keep them any longer, so she reluctantly told them to go back to the east annex.

Only then did Lee Joon take Eunchae and leave Mrs. Kang’s study.

***

“How long do you think we can keep this a secret? To proceed with the exhibition, we’ll have to meet with the museum staff,” Eunchae remarked.

As they left the main house, Eunchae voiced her biggest concern. Lee Joon stopped walking and turned to look at her.

“We’ll select a small, trustworthy team to handle it. That way, the chances of anything leaking outside are minimized. You just focus on the exhibition.”

After reassuring her, he added seriously,

“You hold all the power now, so don’t let my mother manipulate you anymore.”

“Power?”

Eunchae tilted her head, not quite understanding what he meant. Seeing her confusion, Lee Joon went on to explain in detail.

“Your hands hold the key to my succession and the success of the exhibition. So, Yoon Eunchae, stand tall and live confidently. I’m not joking—unofficially, you’re the second in line after Grandfather in this house.”

“Me?”

Eunchae’s eyes widened like saucers as she pointed at herself. Lee Joon’s words were so surprising that she couldn’t even bring herself to laugh.

“Yes, you.”

He spoke with conviction, adding a faint smile to his words.

“Believe it or not, even I have to be mindful of you.”

“What?”

The more she listened, the more confused Eunchae felt, her mouth slightly open. Lee Joon, noticing her blinking in disbelief, offered his advice.

“From now on, you can ignore my mother’s call. Going to see her will only lead to trouble. Next time, let me know first.”

With his habit, he looked directly at her and added,

“Okay?”

Eunchae felt a strange, indescribable emotion. For the first time, she felt genuinely protected by Lee Joon.

In the past, he had often intervened with Mrs. Kang, but this was different. Back then, it had been more about fulfilling his duty as a husband rather than any real affection.

But this time, she could feel the sincerity. Not disliking it, Eunchae responded with a gentle smile of her own.

“Yes, I will. Thank you for giving me the power… Like you said, this really does make it a win-win for both of us.”

“That’s the foundation of a partnership,”

Lee Joon replied, a warm smile spreading across his face. Though he knew his feelings hadn’t fully reached her yet, he was relieved that Eunchae wasn’t completely misunderstanding him this time.

“Let’s go. Grandfather is waiting.”

Lee Joon, unable to hide his smile, quickly turned away and picked up his pace. Eunchae followed him with a smile of her own.

The dazzling morning sunlight shone brightly on the two of them as they walked side by side.

***

A few days later.

Just before lunchtime, Lee Joon returned to his office after a meeting, only to find a welcome visitor waiting for him. It was Taekyung, the only friend with whom he could truly open up.

“Welcome, Mr. CEO!”

Taekyung waved at Lee Joon with his characteristic playful smile.

“Don’t you think you’re getting a little too comfortable in an office where the owner isn’t even around?”

Lee Joon laughed as he watched Taekyung leisurely sip tea as if it were his place.

“Come on, between us, does it matter?”

“And what exactly is ‘our’ relationship?”

Lee Joon shot back jokingly as he sat across from Taekyung. Seeing Lee Joon looking so relaxed, Taekyung couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved.

“Your face looks much better now. Just recently, you looked like you were about to die. It’s clear that Tae Lee Joon can only survive if he’s by Yoon Eunchae’s side.”

“Isn’t that obvious? She’s like air to me. Just having her close lets me breathe. Even my insomnia is completely gone.”

With a slight smile, Lee Joon decided to reveal his feelings now that the topic had come up.

“But there’s still a long way to go. Eunchae thinks of me as… the worst scoundrel alive. No matter what I do, she doesn’t see it as sincere.”

“If I were Eunchae, I’d feel the same way. Think about what you did to her right before the divorce. It wasn’t just anything—it was infidelity. That was the most brutal way you could have hurt her. Even I was almost fooled and nearly cut ties with you,”

Taekyung scolded, reminding Lee Joon that he brought this on himself.

“Lee Joon, instead of keeping this up, why don’t you just come clean and beg for forgiveness? Tell her you acted that way because you didn’t know how much time you had left back then. If you do, she’ll understand and forgive you.”