Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 45: Birds of a Feather
Chapter 45: Birds of a Feather
*Still coming here often, I see.*
Eunchae kept her eyes fixed on the unwelcome figure as she continued walking forward. So-hyun, refusing to back down, matched her pace, locking eyes with Eunchae.
As the distance between them finally closed, Eunchae greeted her first.
“It’s been a while, So-hyun. How have you been?”
“Not well, thanks to someone,”
So-hyun sneered and looked Eunchae up and down with a contemptuous look. Sensing the condescension, Eunchae responded with a faint sarcastic smile.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Not pleased, are you?”
Eunchae’s eyebrows twitched at So-hyun’s sharp response. So-hyun’s demeanor was noticeably different from usual.
“Of course not.”
“I’ll take your word for it,”
So-hyun shot back, crossing her arms and smiling arrogantly. Her arrogance made Eunchae’s eyes harden and become just as icy.
In an instant, a tense environment filled the space between them, their eyes locked in a fierce stare, each wary and examining the other.
*”What is she even doing here?”*
Eunchae found the entire situation pathetic and decided to put an end to the childish standoff.
“I’m a bit busy, so I’ll be going now.”
She offered a brief, polite farewell and was about to walk away when a chilling voice pierced her ears.
“Stay away from my man, and keep to yourself for the rest of your life. Got it?”
The rude statement made Eunchae’s expression turn sour. She lifted her eyes to meet So-hyun’s.
“What did you just say?”
“Don’t even think about using this opportunity to flirt with Lee Joon. If you think you can manipulate him with that cheap body of yours, give up now. Do you really think anything will change that way?”
So-hyun’s eyes widened as she said her spiteful warning. As she stepped forward, unable to contain her anger, Eunchae stood her ground, watching So-hyun’s sneering expression with a calm gaze.
“Why aren’t you answering? Aren’t you going to promise you won’t do anything?”
So-hyun became more and more upset by Eunchae’s lack of reaction. If she could, she would scratch that annoying face with her nails.
“I’ve always been curious, but now I’m finally seeing it,” Eunchae said quietly.
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Narrowing her eyes sharply at Eunchae’s seemingly random words, So-hyun’s expression turned fierce. Watching her, Eunchae let out a cold sneer.
“I was wondering when Lee So-hyun would finally reveal her vulgar nature. And how exactly that would look.”
Eunchae’s eyes narrowed in disdain, as if looking at something filthy, as she spat out her words with venom.
“I had an idea, but this is worse than I thought. I guess Birds of a feather flock together. No wonder you cling to Director Kang Yeosah like a spiritual twin. In fact, you’re even more vulgar and crude than her.
“What did you just say? Are you crazy? How dare you—”
So-hyun’s voice rose in fury, but Eunchae cut her off.
“Hey, Lee So-hyun! You still don’t understand the situation? Are you really that stupid?”
Eunchae’s stern reprimand mercilessly cut off So-hyun’s outburst. So-hyun’s eyes widened in shock and Eunchae seized the moment, stepping closer to her.
“W-What the…!”
Instinctively, So-hyun flinched and took a step back. Seeing this, Eunchae let out a disbelieving laugh.
“Look at you. You dream of becoming the mistress of the Geumyoung Group, yet you’re so out of touch with reality.”
“What? Did you just call me ‘hey’?”
“Yes, you. I’m two years older than you, but I’ve been polite to you this whole time. And you took that as a chance to act all high and mighty. Do you eat manners and decency with every meal? Do you swallow them with your soup?”
“W-What…? Ha…! This is unbelievable…”
So-hyun could not hide her surprise at this side of Eunchae she had never seen before. She had assumed that Eunchae was a gentle fool, but she was obviously anything but.
“I knew it. Pretending to be all refined and easygoing, weren’t you?”
“Look who’s talking. We’re both the same,”
Eunchae replied with a smirk, her expression quickly turning cold as she delivered a stern warning.
“Even Kang Yeosah is careful around me, so who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Who are you, Lee So-hyun? Have you ever gotten engaged to Lee Joon or even had a serious discussion about marriage?”
“…”
“You’ve been nothing but a sunflower orbiting around one man for years, so what makes you so confident?”
So-hyun was left speechless by Eunchae’s harsh words. All she could do was bite her lip and stare at Eunchae with a murderous look in her eyes.
“If you want to secure your place in the Geumyoung Group’s inner circle, then you better keep quiet and stay out of my way. If you really want to live with Lee Joon after a year, got it?”
Eunchae gave So-hyun’s shoulder a couple of light pats, smiling all the while, which only made So-hyun’s face contort in anger. Her glare toward Eunchae was filled with malice.
“Let’s not pretend to know each other from now on if we cross paths. It’s exhausting for both of us.”
With a disdainful look, Eunchae gave her last piece of advice before continuing on her way. So-hyun, who had been hit hard by Eunchae’s words, stood there trembling with anger and disbelief.
“Yoon Eunchae. Just wait and see. Let’s see how long you can keep acting so high and mighty.”
Se-hyun gritted her teeth as she watched Eunchae walk away. In that moment, she made a vow: once that damned contract ended in a year and she married Lee Joon, the first thing she would do was destroy Eunchae’s company.
“Assistant Director! It’s so great to see you. It’s been so long!”
Secretary Moon couldn’t contain her excitement upon seeing Eunchae. When she heard that Eunchae was joining the project, she was overjoyed.
“Have you been well? You look even more beautiful.”
Eunchae smiled brightly at the reunion, just as happy to see Secretary Moon again. During their time apart, Secretary Moon had sent Eunchae text messages to check on birthdays, holidays, and seasonal changes, knowing that Eunchae might feel uncomfortable with a direct call.
“Thank you for saying that. But it’s your beauty that’s truly unchanged.”
“I’m not the Assistant Director anymore. Please just call me Director Yoon,”
Eunchae corrected the title with a sheepish smile, glancing briefly at the closed door of the director’s office.
“Is the Director in?”
“Yes, she is. Please go in.”
The moment Secretary Moon mentioned Director Kang, the smile disappeared from her face. Eunchae’s expression turned stern as well. The encounter with So-hyun earlier had already put her in a sour mood.
With the secretary leading the way, Eunchae entered the director’s office, where Director Kang was already seated at the conference table with the other staff members who had arrived earlier.
“I’m here,”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,”
Eunchae said politely, masking her discomfort with a professional smile.
As she exchanged greetings with the employees, she could feel Director Kang’s gaze burning into her, but she continued to ignore it. After all, this wasn’t about her personal history – this was business..
“Since everyone is here, let’s get started,”
Director Kang said abruptly, cutting through the formalities.
“We have a lot to cover for the Henri Sarr’s exhibition, so I expect everyone to be on the same page.”
Eunchae glanced at the faces around the table and nodded in agreement. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this meeting, like everything else in this project, was going to be a delicate balancing act.
“Chairman? Is Tae Lee Joon, I mean, Director Tae Lee Joon, also serving as the foundation’s chairman?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Hearing the response, Eunchae was quite surprised.
Lee Joon had always been reluctant to take on multiple roles. Even more so when it came to the Foundation. When Mrs. Kang suggested that he take the position of chairman of the foundation, he had flatly refused.
“He took on the role of chairman of the foundation when he returned to headquarters.”
“I see.”
As the employee explained, Eunchae glanced at Mrs. Kang, who was staring out the window with a stiff expression, clearly displeased about something.
‘Well, what do I care if Tae Lee Joon takes on multiple roles or not,’ she thought, dismissing it as none of her business.
Eunchae then introduced herself to the legal representative from the Sarr Foundation.
“I’m Kim Hyo-seok, the legal representative for the Sarr Foundation.”
“I’m Yoon Eunchae.”
After exchanging business cards and a handshake, both teams took their seats around the rectangular table.
“There are almost no changes compared to the contract from two years ago,”
Attorney Kim from the Sarr Foundation explained, handing over the contract.
“However, since the exhibition was previously put on hold, we’ve added a clause regarding that matter. We ask for your understanding.”
“No problem at all. It was due to our situation, so we completely understand,”
Mrs. Kang replied with a diplomatic smile.
At that moment, Eunchae hesitantly spoke up,
“Actually, we also have a clause we’d like to add. Is that okay?”
“Oh, is that so?”
Attorney Kim adjusted his glasses and adopted a cautious posture. Ms. Kang, caught off guard by this unexpected request, looked surprised.
“How could you suggest something without consulting me first…!”
“It’s nothing major,”
Eunchae interjected, deliberately ignoring Mrs. Kang’s interruption and addressing Attorney Kim directly.
“During the exhibition, we would like to set up a photo zone inspired by Sarr’s artwork. The photos will be taken by staff using the latest smartphones from Geumyoung Electronics.
“Ah… so, you want to use the exhibition to promote your smartphones,” Attorney Kim responded.
“Yes, that’s correct,”
Eunchae replied with a composed expression, nodding affirmatively. She then turned to Geumyoung’s attorney.
“Attorney Park?”
“Yes,” he answered politely.
Attorney Park handed the contract for smartphone promotion to Attorney Kim and the Sarr Foundation staff.
In truth, Attorney Park was quite surprised by Eunchae’s proposal as well. She had suggested the photo zone just a day before the meeting, and Attorney Park quickly sought approval from the Geumyoung Electronics PR team.
The PR team had been more than thrilled with the proposal. As soon as they received Lee Joon’s approval, the legal team revised the contract accordingly.
“Hmm… This seems fine. I’ll notify the French foundation and get back to you with the results,”
Attorney Kim responded.
“Thank you. I’ll be waiting for the outcome,”
Eunchae replied, relieved that the proposal hadn’t been rejected outright. Mrs. Kang, too, found no grounds to object, so she stayed silent. The idea would benefit Lee Joon, not harm him in any way.
‘She has a talent for using her head when it comes to things like this,’ Mrs. Kang thought.
Instead of thanking her, Mrs. Kang gave Eunchae a frosty look.
Despite feeling the sting of that look, Eunchae stayed focused on the meeting. The rest of the discussion went smoothly, as the draft contract had already set the terms, leaving no room for a power struggle.
About an hour later, the meeting wrapped up, and everyone exchanged parting words with cheerful faces.
“I’ll see you at the next meeting,”
Eunchae said to Mrs. Kang before she left the room among the other employees. If she lingered, Mrs. Kang would surely pull her aside for a round of scolding.
This defensive reflex, honed through years of experience, brought a bitter smile to Eunchae’s lips as she walked away.
“I’m so hungry.”
As Eunchae walked down the stone steps of the museum, she rubbed her growling stomach. She hadn’t had time to eat lunch, rushing over for the meeting, and now her stomach felt like it was sticking to her back.
“Now I really want some jjambbong. I wonder if that Chinese restaurant near the museum is still open?”
Muttering to herself, Eunchae reached the last step just as a call from Lee Joon came in.
“Yes?”
She answered shortly, and a smooth, deep voice came from the other end.
“[You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?]”
Eunchae assumed he was calling about the photo zone issue, but instead, Lee Joon was concerned about her lunch. Not bothered by it, she smiled and replied,
“I was just about to.”
Then, he made an unexpected suggestion.
“[Do you like jjambbong by any chance? I suddenly really want some. Want to have it together?]”