CHAPTER 10

*

Engrossed in excitement, Seungbin’s eyes, clouded with confusion, scanned Yeonseo from head to toe. Taeheon chuckled to himself as he watched Seungbin gradually regain his senses.

“Yeonseo…? Is that you, Yeonseo?”

“…Sir Seungbin.”

“Yes, why are you here? How did you get here?”

“Um… I, I…”

Yeonseo’s knees buckled as she hesitated, causing her lap to turn outward. Seungbin wiped his face dry, glancing at her smooth thighs.

“What’s with this look?  Who the hell are you wi…….”

Before Seungbin could finish his sentence, he let out an exasperated breath, noticing Taeheon behind her.

“Taeheon? Damn it…”

He zipped up his half-opened zipper and ran his hand through his hair, trying to compose himself. The sight of him trying to help the woman was nothing short of pathetic.

“Yeonseo.”

Taeheon, who had been nonchalantly observing the situation, spoke up, and Yeonseo turned her shivering body to look at him.

“Get up.”

Taeheon tilted his head slightly.

“Get up and come over here.”

He need to show that bastard who Han Yeonseo has become.

However, Yeonseo couldn’t easily gather herself. She alternated her gaze between Seungbin and the woman tidying up their clothes before finally lowering her head.

“Taeheon, you’re not playing with Yeonseo, are you?”

“It’s not like that!”

It was Yeonseo who shouted.

“It’s not like that. I just came because he said he would buy me food.”

“Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence for that?”

Seungbin laughed bitterly and waved his hand.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Yeonseo. I’m quite drunk.”

“…”

“I’m sorry for showing you this side of me. Let’s talk later. That would be better, right?”

Seungbin laughed out of the corner of his eye and he forcefully closed the door.

This should be enough. This should be enough to shock this carefree woman and make her realize the current situation.

Taeheon felt the need to make her understand how absurd this situation was and who she had fallen under.

“I told you to get up and come over here. What are you doing? Stop this whole questioning and denying thing.”

Taeheon stood up and grabbed Yeonseo’s trembling arm, trying to help her up.

“I can’t get up.”

“What?”

“I’m too shocked…”

“Hah, is this the first time you’ve seen someone you get along in a situation like this?”

“He’s someone I know…”

Yeonseo shook Taeheon off with her weak hands and cautiously grabbed her bag. Staggering to her feet, Yeonseo was even more frail than she thought.

No, it wasn’t just that.

Tears welled up in Yeonseo’s eyes as if she had been betrayed by Seungbin. She was devastated.

“Are you disappointed because that person was someone you know and it’s Seungbin?”

“Mr. Taeheon, please stop. I really can’t do it. I want to leave.”

Yeonseo opened the door with a creak and stepped into the hallway. Taeheon followed silently and put on his shoes.

It was dark in the cobbled courtyard. The night had fallen without them realizing.

There was the occasional sound of a grasshopper that filled the air, and the sound of people talking not far away.

Yeonseo walked briskly, piercing through the tranquility. Her footsteps raked across Taeheon’s nerves like hacksaws.

Taeheon grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop, but Yeonseo immediately shook him off.

“Let go, please.”

It wasn’t a misunderstanding.

Yeonseo was desperately running away from him now.

This is real. Whom should she be disgusted with?

“Han Yeonseo, why do you think I brought here?”

“You’re basically torturing me to death.”

Yeonseo raised her reddened eyes to face him.

The expensive clothes and shoes, the elaborate meals-these things felt like Taeheon’s pity, like a tool to keep Yeonseo down.

In reality, Yeonseo feels like she’s been pushed to the bottom of the barrel. If Taeheon really treated her as a person, he wouldn’t have created this situation.

Unable to hide her broken heart, Yeonseo let the tears roll down her cheeks.

“Do you finally realize who you’re working for now?”

“I didn’t need you to do this. I just came here because you called me.”

“No, you still haven’t grasped it.”

“Let go of my hand, please.”

Yeonseo’s voice trembled as Taeheon grabbed her hand again, firmly clasping it.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to comprehend the reasons why Taeheon was doing this.

His demeanor and the fact that he’d been so calm when they had seen Seungbin earlier had convinced her. It must have been intentional to have her meet Seungbin.

Because he is Woo Jang-hyeok’s son, it must have been a warning to keep her distance.

I would understand if Taeheon had just said so but why did it have to be done in this manner?

And why did it have to be at a time when Seungbin was with a woman? Is Taeheon an incredibly twisted person, or does he lack even a hint of remorse for ruining someone’s life?

She didn’t know. She couldn’t understand Taeheon at all, and the more she thought about it, the more her mind seemed pitch black. He was indeed inscrutable.

“Please let go of me.”

“We’re here to eat together, and I’ll be in trouble if I let you leave crying alone.”

“…”

Yeonseo turned to look at him, but her blurred vision made it hard to see Taeheon’s expression.

“If you are my person, then act accordingly. Whether it’s about manners or standards, or even relationships with other men.”

“Relationships with other men?”

“I’m telling you not to have further involvement with Woo Seungbin anymore.”

Taeheon tightened his grip on her hand and walked ahead. As they moved, the sound of voices grew louder, and a group of people poured out from a nearby building.

Yeonseo felt a strong sense of discomfort from the curious gazes directed towards the man leading the way and the woman being pulled along.

“Mr. Taeheon, if you continue like this, people will think…”

“I wonder if Han Yeonseo’s identity as someone’s mistress will be revealed.”

“…What?”

“Unless it’s just a rumor that my cousin is having an affair with a woman, Seungbin won’t be able to act recklessly anymore.”

“What are you saying? Sir…!”

“Should I confirm it here, then? Will that help you understand?”

Yeonseo looked at him, frightened, and then hesitantly moved her lips.

“So, you mean, I should be seen as your mistress… Is that what you’re saying?”

Why?

She couldn’t comprehend what she was saying anymore. The corners of Yeonseo’s lips twitched as she sucked in a breath.

“You seemed to get along quite well with Woo Seungbin. If you want to cut off your relationship, you have to give him the impression that you’re with me.”

So, to sever ties with Seungbin, I would have to become Taeheon’s mistress. Even if it’s to cut ties, being a mistress is still…

The outdated and disgraceful term made her forget everything about the shock of witnessing the lewd sight.

“No, even without doing this, I can naturally distance myself from Seungbin. It can be done through words.”

“You think Seungbin would let you do that? Don’t underestimate him.”

Yeonseo shook her head. She couldn’t understand why he would go to such lengths.

Mistress, the kissing, the cousin’s affair—they were all unrelated to me.

When they arrived at the parked car, Yeonseo forcefully pulled her wrist away and stepped back from him.

“I will go home separately.”

“Han Yeonseo.”

“I will handle everything with Director Woo, as well as distancing myself from Woo Seungbin on my own.”

Yeonseo brushed aside the hair that had fallen on her pale cheek with a determined hand.

“And my relationship with Woo Seungbin is personal, and I don’t think you have the right to interfere in something like that.”

“Get in. Don’t be so insolent.”

Taeheon gestured towards the car, but Yeonseo turned her back. She thought that if she walked along the road, there would be a way for her to return.

Thud. Her aching body slammed into Taeheon’s once more.

“Mr. Taeheon!”

Taeheon pushed his way inside, next to Yeonseo, who had been thrown into the backseat. Unable to sit properly, her disheveled body lay in disarray, and Taehun’s gaze settled upon her like a dark shadow.

“You’re heartbroken, and you’re taking it out on someone.”

“It’s not like that, it’s because you’re……!”

“You should be thanking me for letting you know he’s such an asshole. Isn’t it a good thing for you that I weeded out the bastard who fools around with different women several times a day?

Yeonseo fell silent, and the car moved quietly in the meantime. Taeheon’s words hurt a little.

Just because Seungbin was kind to her and they shared meals together, it didn’t mean that she could be involved with him in any way.

It was only after witnessing Seungbin’s unfamiliar side today that Yeonseo snapped back to reality as if she had been splashed with cold water.

She had completely mistaken Seungbin’s kindness. Seungbin was a man who could pick and choose who he wanted to meet, and he could mingle wherever he wanted.

It was a world that Yeonseo couldn’t understand or follow.

What was I dreaming about, was I secretly harboring a crush on Seungbin?

Taeheon was the one who had brought her back to reality from her cluelessness and excitement. Should she be grateful for his words? No, Taeheon was the one who had thrown her into chaos.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“If you had understood my words, then yes.”

Yeonseo clutched her throbbing wrist. Woo Taeheon truly seemed like a crazy person.

*

The next day, after seeing off Yoon-hae with swollen eyes, Yeonseo spent her time in front of the refrigerator in the multipurpose room under the excuse of organizing medicines.

After Taeheon went to work, she quietly went outside and kept watch over Mrs. Kang, who was napping. She wanted to avoid crossing paths with Taeheon.

Mrs. Kang’s morning sleep was longer today. But there was nothing unusual about it, so there was no reason to worry about her health.

As she blankly stared out the window, the thoughts that she had been intentionally pushing away surged in Yeonseo’s mind like waves.

Director Woo’s problem was the most burdensome. The guilt that weighed heavily on her chest made her constantly doubt Director Woo.

Yesterday, for the first time, she felt a coldness from Director Woo. When talking about Seungbin, he clearly seemed wary of Yeonseo.

He acted sensitively, as if a layer of his mask had been peeled off. The speculation that Director Woo was not a good person became more and more clear.

Why hadn’t I realized it before? I feel like an idiot.