I’d Rather Live as a Villain - I’d Rather Live as a Villain chapter 59

59 The judgment is yours to make

In recent days, my wife’s condition had been quite poor.

She even took naps over the weekend, claiming she felt feverish, which she normally doesn’t do.

For her, with her allergic rhinitis, the change of seasons is poison.

Add to that the first ad campaign since her inauguration as the president of distribution…

She maintained a very sensitive state for several days, and although her sensitivity eased somewhat after the ad schedule was confirmed, it seems the tension had finally led to a bout of illness.

She had been paying a lot of attention to the department store and duty-free shop advertisements.

But…

Her condition and sensitivity weren’t just due to the seasonal change or the stress of ad scheduling.

“From Yuseong Cosmo?”

I was in the middle of a conversation with President Min Byung-chul in his office.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket several times, but since it was a meeting called by the president himself, I couldn’t just take it out to check.

“I was wondering if you might know something about it.”

He asked if I knew anything about Yuseong Cosmo buying up a huge amount of our Industries’ stock over the past two days.

“No, this is the first I’m hearing of it through you, sir.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I wondered how much volume was being purchased by my great-aunt’s side, for the president to call me in to ask about it.

But there was no real reason to worry or suspect anything.

I was well aware that Yoo Sung Cosmo had achieved significant growth through investments before making a decisive business move with the rapid surge of K-Beauty.

It’s true that K-Beauty has given wings to the company’s sales, and it’s also true that my great-aunt’s management skills are exceptional. However, Yoo Sung Cosmo is also famous for its savvy investments.

Would anyone be unaware that Yoo Sung Cosmo, not my great-aunt, is the corporate entity that holds the majority shares in Dae Young Electronics, Dae Young Distribution, and Dae Young Chemical?

“I don’t have much of a personal connection with my great-aunt yet.”

President Min made a disappointed face at my words, but I couldn’t help laughing because I thought I knew the reason for his disappointment.

He seemed more interested in whether my wife and I had succeeded in winning over the heart of someone named Kang Soon-im, rather than the fact that Yoo Sung Cosmo was significantly purchasing our Mulsan’s stocks.

Yoo Sung Cosmo, under my great-aunt’s leadership, maintains a close relationship with the Dae Young Group, and her influence is far from small. President Min seemed to think that Yoo Sung Cosmo’s significant purchase of Mulsan’s shares over two days was a green light in the succession competition.

Meanwhile, my phone in my pocket vibrated once again.

“It’s not a typical volume purchase, so I was wondering if you knew anything about this, but it seems I need to look into it differently.”

“I’ll also check with the distribution president.”

My agreement to check was merely a polite gesture.

My wife is intimidated by my great-aunt.

Especially since Vice President Kang Young-jin married CEO Joo Yeon-hee and began to expand his influence within the group, my wife has felt uncomfortable about the network support from my great-aunt.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Sorry for calling you when you’re busy.”

“Not at all.”

Leaving the president’s office, I checked my phone, wondering why Yoo Sung Cosmo was aggressively purchasing our Mulsan’s stocks.

“Wow…”

An exclamation burst out unconsciously.

The sender of the text that had been distracting me during my conversation with President Min was none other than my wife, who had left me two images and a short message.

― If you don’t have any important appointments, let’s go to the hospital for lunch. I’ve made a reservation.

Pictures of a pregnancy test with two distinct lines.

Just in case, she had checked twice with pregnancy tests from different brands, and both tests showed two lines, which she sent to me.

I quickly called my wife.

― Were you busy? Your reply is late. I thought you’d call right after my text.

“What’s this?”

― What do you mean? It’s exactly as you see.

I didn’t have time to distinguish whether it was good or bad news.

I was just surprised, and that’s why I felt the need to call my wife immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“What’s with the reaction?”

I couldn’t make a fuss.

It seemed that my desire to be cautious was the strongest.

So, I suppressed my good feelings and continued the call with my wife with as much restrained emotion as possible.

“You had a cold. Are you okay?”

“Maybe it was because of this. It wasn’t a cold. Are you free for lunch?”

“Even if I’m not, I have to be. What time is the hospital appointment?”

“Half-past twelve.”

“Do they see patients at that time?”

“Dae Young Hospital. There’s a doctor I know.”

There is.

I don’t know who, but I’m aware that such a person exists.

Ever since I started working as my wife’s executive assistant, I accompanied her to Dae Young Hospital for her annual gynecological exam.

Back then, I didn’t understand why someone who wasn’t dating insisted on getting checked every time the date came around.

But I learned why after we got married and went to my mother-in-law’s ancestral rites.

It was because of my wife’s concern, wanting to continually check for any signs of hereditary conditions in her body.

Perhaps that concern still lingers, as my wife, too, seemed to force herself to remain calm and cautious in the face of this good news, just like I was deliberately being careful.

* * *

After stopping by the distribution headquarters, I casually told Deputy Manager Roh Kyu-hyung that we were just going out for a lunch date.

We decided it was too sensitive to share this news with anyone else besides the two of us.

My wife’s thoughts didn’t seem much different from mine.

No, she seemed even more cautious than I was.

“Then, enjoy your lunch.”

“Yes, have a pleasant time.”

Leaving Deputy Manager Roh behind, I took the wheel and headed to Dae Young Hospital with my wife.

“Wow…”

It was only in our private moment that I could finally offer my wife congratulations.

“Is this how our honeymoon ends?”

“Shh…”

“You’ve really worked hard all this time.”

“That child. Did I only use him? You used him more than I did. You even quit your electronic cigarette and started exercising at dawn…”

“Is it so surprising to care about the obvious?”

I could feel how tense my wife was inside, her anxiety transmitting to me.

That’s why, until the doctor confirmed the pregnancy and whether there was a family history, I wanted to show her that I was being careful too.

I wanted to hold her hand, congratulate her for her hard work, and hug her just once.

But I was afraid it would be overreacting, so I forcibly held back.

“Oh, right.”

On the way to the hospital, I thought it made no sense to worry unnecessarily or be overly cautious about this good news.

“You know about your great-aunt, right?”

“Yes.”

“She’s been buying up a lot of Mulsan stocks, hasn’t she?”

“My great-aunt?”

“More precisely, Yoo Sung Cosmo.”

“Oh… How much?”

My wife, too, was trying to hide her unease with exaggerated expressions.

“I don’t know the exact amount. But President Min called me in to ask about it.”

“Great-aunt’s eye for business is so sharp that even grandfather acknowledges it. If she’s buying Mulsan stocks, it means she sees value in the company…”

We talked about business, which didn’t seem important or impactful at that moment, as we anxiously arrived at Daeyoung Hospital.

“You’re pregnant.”

That’s what the doctor said after the examination.

“But we can’t see the gestational sac yet.”

The gestational sac?

Does it mean the baby’s form isn’t visible yet?

Or that the space where the baby will develop isn’t visible yet?

“You’re at 4 weeks. In some cases, the gestational sac can be seen now, but it’s usually visible after 5 weeks.”

I didn’t know what it meant, but it seemed like there was no major problem, so I was relieved.

“However, just like you’ve been coming in for check-ups and taking care of yourself every year, you need to continue to be careful for the time being. Especially since there’s a family history, you need to be extra cautious for the next 2 or 3 weeks.”

“Yes.”

“You’re still exercising, right?”

“Yes, the doctor advised me to keep doing aerobic exercises for at least 40 minutes a day.”

So that was it.

It wasn’t for building stamina for business, but that’s why you were up every day at 4:30, 5 in the morning to exercise?

“Please take a break from tomorrow.”

“But I did it today too…”

The doctor smiled wryly and said it was no problem at all.

“It’s about being careful, the kind of care you can take. You should continue exercising. Exercise isn’t bad for the body. But until the baby’s home is formed, it’s best to avoid anything that’s even slightly strenuous.”

“So what I’m doing now is…”

“You’ll have to cut back. Until the 15th week, before you enter a stable period, you must avoid anything that causes stress or has such elements.”

“…I see.”

“We’re preparing for any eventuality, right?”

“Yes.”

“That’s why I’m setting the standards as strictly as possible right now. Normally, I wouldn’t be this cautious. In fact, I’d recommend more walking exercises instead of vigorous ones, and continuing work might be better than breaking the pattern, but… Mr. President, the intensity of your work is significantly different from that of a typical pregnant woman.”

At those words, I secretly held my wife’s hand under the examination table and answered on her behalf.

“Yes, I’ll make sure to nag her about that.”

“Oh, that won’t do. No nagging. You shouldn’t do that even if she wasn’t pregnant. Hahaha.”

“Hahaha. Yes, I’ll take good care of her.”

The doctor looked at my wife tenderly, as if the past few years of hard work had borne fruit, and he was proud of it, then spoke.

“The test results today are generally fine. There’s nothing special to note, and I know how well you’ve been managing your physical and body health, so I don’t have anything more to say today.”

After leaving the hospital, I took my wife to a rice noodle shop for lunch.

“You never mentioned rice noodles before, but now you want to go eat them.”

“I guess it’s just a feeling. Actually, these past few days, I haven’t had an appetite for anything but light food.”

“How foolish.”

“When have I ever been sensitive?”

“That’s why I say you’re foolish. You didn’t like hearing you were sensitive, so you ate foods that didn’t even appeal to you? And when have I ever complained about you being sensitive?”

“Because I dislike it. And I thought I was getting a cold like you.”

“Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? You didn’t take medicine for a cold, did you?”

“That’s… just in case. The date was due, but there was no sign. Usually, I get a signal a few days before it starts.”

Before the ordered rice noodles arrived, I said to my wife.

“Congratulations.”

“Me too. Congratulations.”

“Remember what the doctor said earlier?”

“What did he say?”

“That you need to cut back on what you’re doing now.”

“Of course, I should.”

“Shouldn’t we let Pyeongchang-dong know?”

“……”

“I think we should. It’s not something to hide. This is something to be celebrated. I understand you want to be cautious and prefer to wait until it’s safer to announce it, but your position in the industry is significant. Ultimately, it’s your call. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you wholeheartedly.”