A Madman in Love-Chapter 79

"Don’t go far, Suin."

The grip on her hand was firm.

Woo Ilhwa’s eyes, which had lifted to meet hers, were tangled with countless emotions.

Pity and gratitude.

Regret and guilt.

"Chairwoman…"

Suin remained silent.

The warmth of Woo Ilhwa’s hands, wrapped tightly around hers, seeped into her skin. Her gaze, shimmering with unshed tears, was gentle.

And yet…

It was confusing.

She had always drawn a clear line between work and personal matters. So surely, don’t go far must have meant that she wanted Suin to remain as her secretary.

That’s why she answered humbly.

"I only did my job…"

But then—

"I’m sorry, Suin."

Woo Ilhwa apologized.

As if cradling something precious, she stroked Suin’s hand with care. Her voice carried a bitter self-reproach.

"I was foolish, lost in my own selfish desires. I let myself be swayed by society’s prejudices. Without you, I make such pathetic mistakes…"

"Chairwoman…"

"I was wrong. I’m so sorry."

She tightened her grip, now holding Suin’s hands with both of hers. Then, with a deep, steady gaze, she asked,

"You were hurt, weren’t you?"

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"You’ve never done anything wrong to me."

Suin’s words were sincere.

As Hyesung Group’s chairwoman, it was only natural for Woo Ilhwa to approach Suin’s relationship with Jaehee with a rational mind. Suin had never resented her for it.

"No, I have."

But Woo Ilhwa’s gaze, tinged with guilt, said otherwise.

"I cared about you more than anyone. I trusted you more than anyone. Every day, every moment, I thought of you as mine. And yet, I let my selfishness hurt you."

As if all her tangled thoughts had finally unraveled, Woo Ilhwa looked noticeably lighter.

"I won’t make that mistake again. I can’t make that mistake again. I swear."

A chairwoman swearing an oath to her secretary…

Suin felt a wave of emotion rise within her, yet she remained still.

Woo Ilhwa needed her.

But Suin could no longer serve her as she once had.

Because now, she couldn’t separate personal feelings from this relationship anymore.

Because now, she had to end this entirely.

"Chairwoman…"

"That’s why, Suin…"

As if she had read Suin’s mind, Woo Ilhwa’s grip tightened further, as if afraid she would slip away.

Then she said,

"Stay with us."

"…"

"With me. With Jaehee."

Jaehee.

She had said Jaehee’s name.

Her voice, carrying his name, held unwavering conviction.

"…"

Even though Suin had heard it clearly, it felt unreal.

Her mind, overwhelmed, had stalled. She couldn’t process it.

What was she asking of her…?

"Take care of our Jaehee."

Woo Ilhwa’s gaze never wavered.

"Be with him."

Be with him.

Be with him…

The thoughts that had been drifting aimlessly inside her head suddenly fell into place, fitting together perfectly.

At that moment, Suin’s lips trembled. Her entire body shook.

And then, she collapsed onto her knees.

"Chairwoman…"

All the time she had endured alone, all the agony, came crashing down at once.

The sobs she had fought so desperately to suppress poured out uncontrollably.

"Chairwoman… I… I…"

The weight of sorrow buried deep in her heart and the overwhelming relief filled her throat, choking her.

"Suin."

For someone who always carried herself with perfect composure, Suin now knelt on the cold floor, sobbing like a child.

"Huk… huk…"

Startled, Woo Ilhwa immediately reached out to hold her.

But Suin, as if finally breaking after holding on for so long, trembled violently, her pale hands clutching at nothing as she wept.

"Ah, Suin…"

Regret filled Woo Ilhwa.

Professor Seo Seongyeok had worried that Jaehee was lovesick, saying that he was going to waste away if something wasn’t done.

And yet, even in such a situation, Suin had methodically prepared her resignation, had not once visited the hospital where Jaehee was admitted. Woo Ilhwa had mistakenly believed that Suin didn’t feel as deeply as Jaehee did.

But she had been wrong.

Suin had endured in her own way.

She had forced herself to hold it all in.

What have I done?

"Suin, I’m sorry."

Woo Ilhwa knelt as well.

She pulled Suin’s tear-streaked face against her chest.

Deeply, truly, she repented.

"I’m so sorry… truly sorry."

***

Neither of them knew how long they had spent there, holding each other as if reuniting after a war—crying, comforting, and then laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Afterward, Woo Ilhwa told Suin that Kim Seoncheol had admitted to orchestrating the blackmail with the Moon River part-timer and had promised to handle the situation himself.

Since she, too, had been careless, she had decided to let the matter rest for now.

And once again, she expressed her gratitude to Suin.

By the time Suin finally returned home, it was well past midnight.

"Hah…"

After parking, she leaned back against the headrest.

The exhaustion of having spent the entire weekend locked in a hotel room, sifting through over 500GB of footage, suddenly hit her.

Now that her mind was finally at ease, the fatigue surged forward all at once.

"I want to see him… but it’s late."

In just a few hours, it would be Monday.

He would likely show up for work.

She would see him then, wouldn’t she?

What should her first words be?

Should she tell him that the chairwoman had given her blessing?

"Hm…"

She had so much she wanted to say, but first, she had to deal with her heavy, leaden body.

If she stayed in the car any longer, she might just fall asleep there.

Dragging herself out, she took slow, weary steps, leaving the parking lot.

That was when she saw a shadow near the building entrance.

Her drowsy eyes tried to refocus—and then, filling her vision completely, was Seo Jaehee.

Still.

Jaehee, who had been pacing the alley, also stopped in his tracks.

His gaze, locked onto hers, was dark and bottomless, like the blackest night.

Relentless.

He had been waiting here all this time.

Despite his body not even being fully healed.

"You crazy bastard."

Frustration cracked through her voice. Then she ran.

Suin, who rarely ran for anything, sprinted toward him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

The force of her sudden embrace made Jaehee’s foot step back slightly.

She held onto him with every ounce of strength she had.

And, still holding him, she spoke.

"I was wrong."

Yes.

The first thing she needed to say was an apology.

Because she had tried to sever his love.

"I was so wrong…"

Because she had made his love suffer.

"I’m sorry…"

***

Thunk.

The moment they stepped into the hotel suite, Jaehee slammed her down with ferocious urgency.

The longer the wait, the more feverish the longing—his restraint had long since burned away.

"Hngh."

Even as it was, his size was already enough to steal her breath away. Now, it was as if he had floored the accelerator, burying himself deep within her. Suin couldn’t even let out a scream.

"Ha… ha…!"

Only desperate, broken gasps escaped.

"Do you even know how much I missed you?"

Yet the ruthless man, biting down hard, only drove in deeper.

Thrust.

Thrust.

As if punishing her.

"It hurt. More than my body, I thought I would die from missing you."

He was clearly punishing her.

Pouring all of his suffering into her body, letting out his frustration at how much she had made him ache.

It was, in a way, a cruel compensation.

"You know what’s funny?"

He looked down at her, breathless from his relentless attack. His eyes, dark with hunger, gleamed with raw desire.

"The worst part was how much I wanted to hold you."

Overwhelmed by his vicious pace, gasping for air, Suin realized—

"As much as you made me suffer… tonight, you’re done for."

It wasn’t compensation.

It was retribution.

But Suin had no intention of resisting.

She didn’t want him to leave her body, not even for a moment. Wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders, she held onto him with everything she had.

"Do it."

Even that wasn’t enough—so she clung to him like a cicada.

"Until you’re satisfied."

Her eager response only stoked his fire further.

His pace became even more merciless.

There was no pause, no hesitation.

"…!"

Pleasure surged, too overwhelming to contain. It spread through her entire body, clouding her vision, making her head spin.

Ah.

Like a flashing reel, memories came rushing in.

From the very first time she had seen him in the garden of Hyesungga—perhaps it had always been inevitable.

All the tangled, chaotic moments they had shared—maybe they had simply been pieces of the fate that bound them together.

Yes.

It was fate.

It could only ever have been Seo Jaehee.

Yes.

It was always going to be Seo Jaehee.

"Hah…"

Through the blinding pleasure, she reached up and cradled his sweat-drenched cheek.

And finally, Suin spoke.

"I love you."