OYSB 10

The reason he had decided to marry her was so that, under the title of husband, he could become Eunchae’s guardian.

He had known Eunchae since she was little. To him, she was no different from a younger sister.

The thought of seeing that girl as a woman had never once crossed his mind.

That was why he had promised her in person that he would let her go when she was ready, and that if she ever found someone she liked, he would set her free.

But this little thing kept trying to tear down his resolve.

The way her eyes would gently close when he approached, the glances she stole at him, the blush that spread across her cheeks.

There was no way he hadn’t noticed.

A few days ago, when he had seen her sitting on the bed wearing a slip that revealed every curve of her figure, he had nearly stopped breathing.

When had that little princess, once so young and adorable, grown up so much?

He had immediately left the room to keep himself from looking at her with an attraction he hadn’t intended to feel.

Perhaps that was why it had become so difficult to treat Eunchae the way he used to after they got married.

He hesitated even to casually hold her hand, and he was careful about wiping something off her face.

Things he had once done without a second thought had all become difficult.

Whenever she pounded on the firmly closed door and tried to barge in without permission, he steeled himself.

He reminded himself of the meaning of this marriage, then locked the door he had shut and fastened chains around it.

Min Seonwoo hadn’t asked him to look after his younger sister so that he could entertain other thoughts about her.

He certainly hadn’t meant for him to harbor inappropriate feelings for a girl who had only just turned twenty, a little girl nine years younger than him.

She might be making immature, inexperienced advances now, without fully understanding what she was doing, but as time passed, she would surely regret them.

He believed there was nothing more foolish than encouraging such youthful impulsiveness.

Just as Min Seonwoo, her only family, had embraced her and cared for her before eventually letting her go, that was what he was supposed to do.

Min Eunchae wasn’t his real wife. She was simply a younger sister he had to protect. He was only someone taking Min Seonwoo’s place.

He had repeated those thoughts to himself again and again, trying to hold firm.

But if she kept coming toward him like this, how was he supposed to push her away?

“When you say you want me to see you as a woman… do you even understand what that means?”

Perhaps she was startled. Her head, which had been lowered the entire time, slowly lifted.

Her clear, tear-filled eyes trembled.

“Are you confident you can handle whatever I might do to you?”

Doheon’s feet took a long stride closer to her.

Confronted with an expression she had never seen before, Eunchae was rendered speechless.

“There’s no stopping a horse once its reins are gone. You can regret it later all you want, but by then, there’ll be no turning back.”

Her small, red lips quivered, unable to form a sound.

“If you’re still okay with that, I’ll give you what you want.”

Doheon bent forward and tilted his head toward Eunchae.

As his face gradually drew closer, until he was right at the tip of her nose, Eunchae squeezed her eyes shut.

She clutched the collar of her clothes tightly and held her breath.

Doheon gazed down at her for a moment, then stopped just before their lips met.

“You’re scared of something as trivial as this?”

“…”

“Don’t get carried away, Min Eunchae.”

After murmuring those words in a low voice, his scent quickly moved away from her.

Eunchae’s hand, still clutching her collar, trembled.

Humiliation and shame washed over her from head to toe.

The hope she had briefly allowed herself to feel shattered into pieces and collapsed.

At that moment, she was forced to accept that, to him, she would always be nothing more than a little girl.

She couldn’t stand before him anymore. She couldn’t bear to look at his face.

Eunchae immediately turned and ran away from him.

Without knowing where her feet were taking her, she simply raced forward.

“Min Eunchae!”

She heard him calling her from behind, but she didn’t stop running.

Her vision was blurred by tears, turning everything into a hazy white.

How far had she run?

Through her blurred vision, she faintly saw a car approaching at speed.

No. She was still too young to die.

It would be so unfair if she died like this.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a horn blared for so long it seemed to tear through her eardrums.

With a heavy impact, the world flipped upside down in an instant, then everything went black.

“The emergency treatment went well. There is a minor fracture in her arm, so we’ve put it in a cast. Fortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any major bleeding or organ damage. There is some minor bleeding and swelling in her brain, but it isn’t severe enough to require surgery.”

After being hit by the car, Eunchae was rushed straight to the emergency room.

The driver had managed to stop the car just in time by slamming on the brakes, allowing her to avoid serious injuries.

“However, perhaps because of the impact to her head, she is currently unconscious. Her life isn’t in danger, so for now, we’ll monitor her condition.”

A full day had passed since the accident.

Eunchae was still lying unconscious in her hospital bed.

The eyes that had looked at Doheon with such hurt and resentment had remained closed ever since she was brought here.

As Doheon sat in front of her hospital bed, looking at her, sighs kept escaping him.

He had brought her to his side under the pretext of protecting her, yet he hadn’t been able to prevent the accident right before his eyes.

The guilt and regret that overwhelmed him were almost unbearable.

“You won’t even hold my hand!”

He remembered her tearful face as she had sobbed those words.

Doheon placed his hand over her small, pale one.

“What’s the big deal about this? I couldn’t even do something as simple as this for you…”

Deep regret showed on Doheon’s face as he gently stroked Eunchae’s hand.

He had deliberately avoided touching it, even though he knew she wanted him to, because he was afraid that touching her hand would make him want more.

The things he had done under the belief that he was looking out for her had only ended up hurting her.

“Eunchae.”

He tried calling her name.

He could vividly picture the little Eunchae who used to run toward him with a bright smile whenever he called her.

But now, there was no answer. No smile.

“President. You have an early meeting tomorrow morning. Wouldn’t it be better to head home for today? I’ll arrange for a caregiver to stay with her while you’re away.”

“No.”

At Paeseok’s suggestion from beside him, Doheon immediately shook his head.

He couldn’t leave Eunchae alone in her hospital bed like this.

“Cancel all of tomorrow’s appointments.”

“Pardon?”

Doheon had never postponed work, no matter what happened.

Moreover, tomorrow morning’s meeting was with an overseas brand he had gone to great lengths to arrange.

“The doctor said her life isn’t in danger. Perhaps you could at least attend tomorrow morning’s meeting before coming back…”

“If Kang Secretary’s wife were lying in a hospital bed like this, would you say the same thing?”

Doheon shot him a sharp glance and asked.

Paeseok fell silent, then bowed his head in apology.

“If anyone asks why, tell them my wife is unconscious. I have no intention of working with a company that can’t understand that.”

“Yes, understood.”

After receiving his instructions, Paeseok soon left the hospital room.

Left alone, Doheon still had his hand resting over Eunchae’s.

His gaze lingered on the small scratches on her clear, delicate face.

The following morning.

Doheon had dozed off while leaning against the sofa in front of the bed.

Pressing his temple, he slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze immediately went to Eunchae.

After confirming that her eyes were still closed, he got to his feet.

He felt as though he needed to splash some cold water on his face to wake himself up properly.

He had only taken a few steps when—

“…Oppa.”

At the faint voice, his moving feet came to an abrupt stop.

Doheon stood frozen, then turned around in surprise.

He wondered if he had imagined it, but then he saw Eunchae slowly lifting her eyelids.

Doheon hurried to her side and looked down at her.

“Are you awake now?”

Seeing Eunchae regain consciousness after two days, he hurriedly pressed the call button.

“Eunchae.”

A faint crease appeared on her round forehead.

Perhaps her head hurt. She grimaced and struggled to speak.

“Oppa, I’m thirsty.”

At Eunchae’s hoarse request, Doheon quickly poured her some water and brought it over.

Only after he helped her sit up and she managed to swallow a few sips did she seem to come around enough to ask,

“Mr. Min Seonwoo, is this a hospital?”

“What did you just say…?”

Doheon was startled by the name that had come out of Eunchae’s mouth and asked again.

He thought he must have heard wrong.

“Do you know who I am?”

“What’s wrong with you, Mr. Min Seonwoo? You’re my only family.”

He remembered how Eunchae used to teasingly call her older brother, “Mr. Min Seonwoo.”

But why was she looking at him and calling him by the name of her dead brother?

Unable to believe it, Doheon asked once more.

“Say that again. Who am I?”

“Why do you keep asking? You’re Seonwoo Oppa.”

When another person’s name came out of her mouth, Doheon was overcome with shock.

Until just a few days ago, Eunchae had spoken to him politely. Now she was speaking casually, as though he were her own older brother.

For a moment, he wondered if she was playing a prank because she hated him, but there was no sign of that at all.

“Have I been lying here for a long time?”

After waking up two days after the accident, Eunchae recognized Doheon not as her husband, but as her deceased older brother.