CHAPTER 57

Jinwoo, pulling away from the wall where he had leaned his back, dropped the cigarette he had been holding between his lips to the ground as he approached, his face coming closer.

Her hand tightened on the strap of her bag. Unperturbed by Leeseo’s wariness, Jinwoo stepped a foot in front of her and stared at her observantly. He moved so close that it became uncomfortable, prompting her to take a discreet step backward.

It was challenging for Leeseo to determine if Jinwoo was a decent person or someone not to be trifled with. He seemed to be close friends with Kwon Taegyeom, but Taegyeom also seemed wary of him. The words Taegyeom had muttered as a kind of warning came to her mind.

‘Don’t talk to just anybody because all the guys around here are just lightweights.’

Could it be a form of kin hatred?

If that was the case, Taegyeom’s prompt reaction made sense. Taegyeom had ordered her not to associate with Yoo Jinwoo, but there was no need for her to strictly follow his words.

“I thought you were with Taegyeom. Where did that guy leave and come strolling by himself?”

Leeseo, still looking at Jinwoo with a faint smile, briefly glanced towards the annex where the loud beats were still flowing.

Why is he looking for Kwon Taegyeom, shouldn’t he be in the annex?

“I’ve been calling him a lot lately, and I thought on a day like today, making some noise might be necessary, so I barged in. But that guy Taegyeom, he’s like a ghost and disappeared, so I don’t know where he went.”

Leeseo tore her gaze away from the annex where a raucous chorus of laughter had erupted and turned her head to Jinwoo.

“If you weren’t with Taegyeom, it seemed like he just pulled you in then left because he didn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“….”

“Oh, how disappointing. We’ve been running towards the same goal for almost ten years, like comrades, and just because one girl appears, he’s now treating me like smelly leftovers. It’s like they say, a thief who learns late thinks it’s dawn, but no matter how much it’s the first time, it’s too much.”

He clicked his tongue and uttered words that were not readily understandable.

“Well, hitting thirty and learning about women for the first time does make your scalp tingle and your spine shiver as a man, even if you can’t quite understand it.”

The word ‘first’ that he used sounded quite unfamiliar. Leeseo narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Jinwoo carefully, wondering if he was intoxicated and not in his right mind. However, there was no overwhelming smell of alcohol emanating from him, and his upright stance and steady footing didn’t betray any signs of drunkenness.

“I’m afraid I’ve been begging him for quite some time, telling him to please just meet anyone, begging, tempting, even forcing him to go to bed with a woman. I’ve been doing all sorts of things, but he’s got a f*cking disease. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, trauma, call it whatever you want.”

Jinwoo spoke, tapping his temple with his straightened index finger.

“So, even though I want to welcome you with open arms when Taegyeom dates you, there’s a part of me that thinks it’s not the right time for that little punk. Therefore, I have mixed feelings about you, Leeseo, right now; I can’t quite figure out whether I dislike or like you.”

“….”

“You’re looking at me like I’m insane, but I am also insane, perplexed, and awkward right now, so I don’t even know what I’m babbling about. I’ve been watching Taegyeom for ten years and there’s something fundamentally consistent about him, even if it’s hard to interpret.”

Jinwoo slowly brushed his forehead, clearly feeling the damp sweat.

“He’s goal-oriented, he’s patient, he attacks relentlessly when he has something he wants, and he doesn’t hesitate or regret using whatever means necessary to accomplish his goals, but there’s something off about him lately, and I can’t help but think it’s because of you, Hyun Leeseo.”

He had a way of speaking that scratched at the skin of a person, evading the point like a rambler. Leeseo didn’t like the vagueness of his trolling.

“Please tell me in a way that I can understand. What are Mr. Kwon Taegyeom’s goals, and what is he hesitating about because of me?”

“Part of me wants to stay up all night with you and talk about him, but I don’t think Taegyeom will leave me alone, and even though I’m just starting out and don’t have much to fear in the world, he’s kind of scary.”

Jinwoo, with a playful expression, sent a teasing wink after smoothing out his serious look. Leeseo couldn’t hide her disgust, and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Don’t tell Taegyeom I told you this.”

He hovered his thick index finger over his unflattering lips, lifting an eyebrow in a playful manner.

“If Taegyeom finds out that I’ve been pestering you freely, he might try to kill me. So, if you don’t want to see my body floating somewhere in the Pacific, keep it a secret.”

To Kwon Taegyeom, the fact that Leeseo was his first was as unconvincing as the idea that Yoo Jinwoo, was still a virgin when he boldly enjoyed s*x on the staircase in the annex. Even when she recalled the first time she’d slept with Taegyeom, she’d been the only one who hadn’t been able to control herself. It’s hard to believe that such a skilled man was experiencing his first time…

However, she wondered what could Yoo Jinwoo possibly gain by spinning such lies. Besides, his expression was quite serious as he clasped his hands together in a gesture of request.

“I may have been impulsive and said it too bluntly earlier, but I quite like you, Hyun Leeseo.”   

The man who said he neither like nor dislike her a moment ago changed his demeanor so quickly that it was almost unbelievable.

“Basically, I like pretty girls, but you’re such a tremendous beauty. So, how can I hate you? It’s just instinctively impossible.”

“….”

“Above all, your gaze appeals to me. You seem quiet, yet strangely fierce.”

Jinwoo chuckled, examining Leeseo’s calm and quiet gaze as if peering into him. Then he suddenly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. The phone’s screen flashed, indicating an incoming call.

“Well, I’ve got a call, so I’m off. It’s been a pl*asure talking to you.”

Jinwoo turned away as if he had no more interest in talking to her. She stared at the back of his head for a moment as he muffled his voice and hung up the phone, then walked away. The sticky, damp wind whipped around her slender ankles.

* * *

Knock, knock.

Seated at her desk, writing in her journal, Leeseo suddenly lifted her head. She heard a sound, but as she strained her ears, only the loud wind hitting the window echoed. Perhaps the approaching typhoon was causing occasional gusts that made the window next to her desk rattle.

She stared anxiously at the window, a few w*t leaves clinging to it, and then lowered her head again. Below her journal, which she used to jot down today’s diary entry and manage her finances, lay a book she hadn’t opened for almost half a year.

She had opened it to clear her mind and calm her heart, but instead of finding solace, she was overwhelmed with empty thoughts. In the past six months, during which she hadn’t touched her books, many things had happened.

In particular, she met Kwon Taegyeom for the first time on the borderline between spring and summer last year, and from that day on, all her memories were of him, as if she hated him, cursed him, disliked him, but couldn’t help but be attracted to him.

It was so ironic that she went back to the mansion trying to cut off and erase the life in the small container house she had within the mansion, she had tried to correct herself, but her feelings for Kwon Taegyeom, so contradictory and stubborn, ultimately left only faint traces.

Knock, knock.

This time, she distinctly heard a small knocking sound along with the wind. Startled, her hand slipped on the journal she had placed on the monthly planner, leaving ink marks. How was she going to handle this? It was a diary she had used for over half a year.

She dropped the pen in her hand and sighed, as she had a rule of never using correction tape in her diary. What a joke. The date was printed on the page, so she couldn’t replace it with another one, and if she threw it away, she would have to write in it for over half a year.

She stood up with a sullen face and headed for the door.

“Who is it?”

She shouted, raising her voice, but due to the wind, there was no response from outside.

She listened to what was going on outside and quietly put the latch on the front door. Originally, she lived with her family together, but after her Mom’s death, her Dad lived alone, so their awareness of the lock was lax, and they didn’t have a lock like this.

The entire mansion is heavily guarded by a security company that is part of the GK Group, and most of the employees who come in and out of the mansion were like family anyway.

Leeseo installed a double lock on the front door after sending Jin-gyeom away for knocking on the door unannounced one day. The latch, which she bought online, was installed by a gardener with an electric drill.

Unlocking the door and opening it cautiously, the fierce wind whistled through the narrow gap. Just as she opened the door slightly and peeked outside, a large hand slipped through the gap.

Too surprised, she tried to push the doorknob with force. No, she tried to push, but the front door didn’t budge. Before she could figure out what was happening, a pair of smiling eyes met her gaze through the peephole.

“It’s so nice of you not to let just anyone in.”

“…….”

“It’s me.”