Lights Don't Go Out in the Annex - Chapter 37
CHAPTER 37
“To make it happen, we have to boost your own power, making other people naturally look up to you.”
Chairman Kwon looked straight at Taegyeom, his chin resting on the back of his hand that rested on the tip of his cane.
“But first, take a look at what assets you have. Besides being my son, what else do you have? Well, you’ve got one thing going for you, you look remarkably similar to me, and that alone can be quite useful.”
He suddenly picked up the cane. The tip of the luxurious, obsidian-encrusted cane was pointed in front of Taegyeom’s expressionless face on the sofa across from him, and he made a circular motion with it.
“Don’t waste this on trivial things, use it where it benefits you and, ultimately, our group.”
“It’s not like using it wears it out.”
Taegyeom replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. Chairman Kwon, clearly annoyed by his indifferent attitude, slammed his cane on the floor.
“I’ve set my sights on a woman from a good family for you. A man who does great things on the outside needs someone to support him on the inside. I married your mom when I was twenty-five.”
As Chairman Kwon dared to mention Yeonhee, Taegyeom’s expression sharpened. The blue flames of anger, like a switch turned on inside his light brown irises, flickered intensely.
“When I was your age, I must have impregnated your mother several times. Unfortunately, her body was too fragile, and everything ended up in miscarriages. I could only manage to have you when I turned thirty-six.”
Chairman Kwon’s ashen eyes grew misty, lost in distant memories. He was lost in reminiscence, paying no attention to the fact that Taegyeom’s face was turning cold and rigid. Slowly nodding, Chairman Kwon continued speaking.
“For people like us, successors are a very important matter. It’s time for you to settle down.”
When Chairman Kwon mentioned settling down, Taegyeom burst into laughter.
A successor?
It was d*sgusting enough that he had inherited this stinking filthy blood from Kwon Kyungrok, but it was hard to contain the nausea that rose in his stomach at the brazen thought of spreading that foul blood and seed, ultimately passing it on to a successor.
Taegyeom’s expression, which was anything but compliant, didn’t escape Chairman Kwon’s notice, who once again angrily struck the floor with his cane.
“How long are you going to keep bringing in girls just to play around with them? I fully understand that you can’t control your youthful vigour and you’re letting it out here and there, but that’s only as long as you can clean up after yourself without anyone noticing and it doesn’t become a public scandal! I have limits to what I can overlook!”
The tea leaves, which were known for their ability to purify blood and blood vessel walls, seemed ineffective against the sudden surge of anger in the face of such insolence, as the Chairman’s face turned redder over time.
“When people find out about your lavish lifestyle just because of your family background, you should be responsible and at least do the duty that falls on your shoulders. How naughty of you to play around and let the rumours reach me!”
“The blood I inherited from you is not going anywhere.”
Taegyeom’s voice was calm and relaxed. A cruel chill was suppressed behind the beautifully curved edges of his lips, forming a cold smile.
“They call me a handsome rag. That’s what I am.”
As the beautiful smile spread across Tae-gyeom’s face, Chairman Kwon’s complexion turned a vivid shade of red. And then, it changed to a bluish-gray hue.
“I don’t know how many women would be willing to marry this rag, but even if they were, I doubt they’d be in good condition.”
Taegyeom said with a sly grin, and Chairman Kwon’s trembling cane revealed his agitation.
“You deliberately flaunt your debauchery as if challenging me, and the rumors you’ve spread as a result, I’m not sure I can ignore them!”
“Should someone like me, a good-for-nothing like you, dare to have the intention of settling down with a woman and ruin her life? That thought never crossed my mind, Chairman.”
Taegyeom tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and replied with a mocking smile. Strangely, at that moment, a woman’s face floated through his mind like a fog, completely unbidden. Taegyeom furrowed his brow. What the hell…
With a face that felt like it had completely crumbled, he remembered the ragged breaths that came in pitiful gasps, the stifled moans that echoed through their skin that touched. The warmth of her body against his. The ecstatic scent of a woman’s body. And for some reason, the sensation of his throat tightening.
F*ck.
Taegyeom silently cursed himself. He couldn’t believe he was thinking about such things without any reason. It felt like he was completely obsessed with it.
Crazy bastard. I don’t even know what I’m doing.
“Someone like me getting married… It feels like an unconscionable act. Wouldn’t it be better if I just lived and died like the a good-for-nothing I was born to be?”
Taegyeom said these words as if there was nothing more to say, and he got up from the sofa.
“Oh, and Chairman, it seems you have some misconceptions, so let me clarify. This is the person I was talking about.”
Taegyeom’s long and straight finger pointed to his own face and drew a circle.
“I’ve outsourced everything.”
With a short, dismissive gesture, Taegyeom turned around. Chairman Kwon’s face contorted as if his blood pressure had risen, and he grabbed the back of his neck with his hand.
With a relaxed yet confident stride, Taegyeom held the doorknob of his office and suddenly turned to look back.
“Come to think of it, my brother, Jingyeom also gave up everything except for his mother.”
“…What?”
“It seems, Chairman, that your genes aren’t very powerful.”
With those words, the heavy wooden door of the office closed with a resounding thud.
“I, I can’t believe this…”
The only sound was the phlegmatic moans of Chairman Kwon as he slumped obliquely on the couch, holding the back of his neck.
* * *
“Why are you looking at it so closely?”
Leeseo, who was sitting at the end of the dining table, staring at her mobile phone, was interrupted by a calloused and wrinkled hand that suddenly reached into her field of vision. When she raised her surprise eyes, the chef smiled curiously and wiped her w*t hand on the apron around her waist.
“This is strange. You’re staring at your phone, Leeseo. Did you finally got a boyfriend or something?”
Wrinkling her nose mischievously, the chef glanced at the screen of her phone.
“No.”
“Oh? Are you thinking of returning to school?”
Leeseo had been reading a post about applying for re-enrollment for this semester on the school’s website. When the chef read the words in big bold letters, her mouth dropped open in delight. Then she patted Leeseo on the back and said softly.
“That’s a good decision. What would a bright young girl like you be doing here, wasting your time with us? Mrs. Seo and I wished you’d gone back to school sooner, but we were afraid you might feel burdened so we kept our mouths shut. But now that you’ve made up your mind, I’m so happy, my dear.”
Although Leeseo hadn’t firmly decided yet, she didn’t want to disappoint them, who seemed genuinely delighted. She smiled without much enthusiasm and replied.
“I’m still thinking about it, but I’m considering going back to school. There’s still some time left in the application period…….”
“That’s right. They say if you don’t use your brain, it’ll get rusty. It’s always good to take a break when things get tough. After all, you didn’t cause that trouble yourself. It was someone else’s doing. So, you should get over it as soon as possible.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed in pity, and she put both hands on Leeseo’s shoulders and shook her gently. Leeseo met her gaze and raised the corners of her mouth. She managed to put on a convincing smile, but deep down, it left a bad taste in her mouth.
Ever since the night she’d first become intimate with Kwon Taegyeom, he had persistently called her and waited for her to come to the annex.
No, that wasn’t it.
Leeseo lowered her head slightly.
Kwon Taegyeom was not a man who suited the idea of waiting. He was someone accustomed to giving orders and instructions. A person for whom ruling over others was natural, in other words, someone inherently superior. His arrogant desire to have things his way was his entitlement and the principle by which his world operated.
In other words, this strange and secretive relationship began only when he wanted it to. Leeseo didn’t want to be dragged into it without any resistance.
At first, it was impulsive, and the second time, she honestly felt drawn to him and got carried away, but Leeseo had always thought that this relationship, which had no future, should not continue. If someone from the mansion were to find out…even just the thought of it made her throat constrict. It was better to end it when no one knew anything.
With that thought in mind, she had ignored his calls several times. There had been no regrets or efforts on either side, and the arrogant man had never even bothered to call twice.
She had been the one avoiding him, but on those days, she had to toss and turn all night, turning away from the bright lights of the annex across the window.
And the next day, he would casually call her again, as if nothing had happened. He acted as if he had never been rejected before.