CHAPTER 11

*

“Sigh…”

Yeonseo gently held the hand of the peacefully sleeping Mrs. Kang, as if holding a child’s hand. Sometimes, Yeonseo would hold her hand like this while Mrs. Kang was dreaming, and she would fall back into a deep sleep.

Yeonseo has come to her dreams, Mrs. Kang have said with a smiling face. It was a shame that she had been selling information instead of dedicating herself to such a wonderful person.

How can I repay this sin?

She wanted to atone for it somehow, but she couldn’t abruptly confess this fact to Mrs. Kang. She would be shocked, and if Yeonseo left because of this, Mrs. Kang would have to find another caregiver.

As Taeheon said, the stress was on Mrs. Kang. Yeonseo couldn’t share the punishment she should bear alone with her.

Seungbin called earlier in the morning, but Yeonseo didn’t answer the phone. She wasn’t sure she could talk to him as casually as before.

As long as he was Director Woo’s son, she wouldn’t be able to continue any relationship with Seungbin. It was a fact she had been reminded of once again. While she understood it in her mind, her emotions felt overwhelmingly dampened.

“Sweetie, is something the matter?”

“Are you awake?”

Yeonseo quickly retrieved her gaze from outside the window and observed Mrs. Kang’s complexion. After helping her sit up, Yeonseo handed her lukewarm water. The barley-colored water, infused with all sorts of good things, was about halfway gone.

She set the glass aside and gently wiped the corners of Mrs. Kang’s mouth. She wanted to fulfill Mrs. Kang’s will, as she often said that the older you get, the more you should strive for cleanliness.

“Maybe it’s because of the herbal medicine my eldest son, Jang-hyuk, sent yesterday, but somehow, I feel more energetic.”

Mrs. Kang seemed to enjoy it without knowing anything about it.

Wait. I don’t have to check the ingredients of the herbal medicine that Director Woo sent me, right?

Taeheon’s consent meant that it was okay, but it didn’t completely ease Yeonseo’s anxiety. Unless Director Woo is a fool, he wouldn’t do anything that would backfire. Just to be safe, she should arrange for the tonic to be tested.

“Even without that, Director Woo worries about you a lot.”

“Forget worrying about an old mother. It’s filial piety to do your job well when you have time for such things.”

“Mrs. Kang, you’re still in your prime.”

“When you say that, Yeonseo, it makes me feel youthful too.”

Yeonseo smiled brightly and gently brushed Mrs. Kang’s bangs aside.

“Director Woo… seems to have a deep sense of filial piety.”

“Sweetie, did you hear something from Taeheon?”

“What?”

Yeonseo couldn’t hide her shaking pupils and showed signs of panic.

“You’re such a good person, Yeonseo. That’s why Grandma likes you, but I’m worried because you can’t hide your feelings.”

Was it because I was praising Director Woo for no reason?

Mrs. Kang’s expression became noticeably serious.

“But Yeonseo, living like that is quite tiring.”

“Mrs. Kang…”

Mrs. Kang was kind-hearted and had a lot of affection for people. And very occasionally, she seemed to have a ghost-like ability to sense things. That’s why she had managed to uphold her authority and dignity until this day. Additionally, Mrs. Kang was skilled at observing everything around her.

Once, when Mrs. Kang realized that Yeonseo had no money to pay off her debts, she offered to pay off her hundreds of millions of won in one fell swoop. Exhausted from trying to dissuade her, Yeonseo received an allowance instead of accepting her offer.

Another time, Mrs. Kang noticed Yeonseo’s tattered underwear and gave her dozens of pairs.

“Yeonseo, do you know Taeheon’s father, my Lee-hyeok?”

“Yes.”

Taeheon’s father, Woo Lee-hyeok, was the vice president of Sewon Holdings and Mrs. Kang’s second son.

“He used to fight a lot with his brother Jang-hyeok. It’s all because of the issues between the two of them that reached Taeheon. It’s all the parents’ fault.”

“Mrs. Kang, please don’t say such things.”

Yeonseo tightly held her hand. She didn’t realize how precious the sense of comfort that came from her warm and comforting hand.

She couldn’t believe that Mrs. Kang, a person who possessed such warmth and affection, would be spied on by her own son.

“Taeheon will not look at Jang-hyuk favorably. But what can I do? He’s my child, so I have to protect him. So, Yeonseo, you don’t need to worry too much. Just stay as you are now.”

“…Okay.”

Yeonseo replied, trying to hold back her sadness.

It seemed that Mrs. Kang considered the possibility of Yeonseo getting caught in the fight between Director Woo and Taeheon without reason. Fortunately, she seemed unaware of the exact situation, so Yeonseo had to accept Mrs. Kang’s words and comfort herself that way.

After bringing Mrs. Kang a late lunch, Yeonseo pushed her wheelchair around the garden for a few laps. It was peaceful when she gave Mrs. Kang a massage while watching a drama series.

It was time for Mrs. Kang to take another nap. Yeonseo was helping Aunt Bok-hee trim bean sprouts as she prepared dinner.

“I’m here.”

Seungbin suddenly appeared without any prior notice.

“Oh, you’ve come.”

Bok-hee greeted him with a delighted expression, getting up from the table.

“Are you going to stay for dinner?”

“Yes. I’d like something sharp, please. Stewed rockfish, that sounds good.”

“Alright. I understand. Daikon radish is good these days. I’ll boil some for you.”

“I’m already hungry, you know?”

When Seungbin responded playfully, Bok-hee laughed joyfully. In the past, Yeonseo would have laughed along, but she couldn’t bring herself to fake a smile.

The image of Seungbin lewdly lusting after a woman in the restaurant was deeply embedded in her mind. It was as hard to erase like a graven image.

“And Yeonseo, please see me. I need to talk to you about grandmother.”

“Are we talking now?”

When Yeonseo hesitated, Bok-hee tapped her on the shoulder.

“Yeonseo, leave it to me. I’ll take care of it. Go on.”

“…Okay.”

Reluctantly, Yeonseo pulled out her chair and stood up slowly.

What does he want to say? Did he come all the way down here because of what happened yesterday?

I hope that’s not the case…

Seungbin, who seemed friendly, now appeared to be nothing more than a lowly troublemaker.

“The weather is nice. Would you like to take a walk?”

“Mrs. Kang will wake up soon, so I don’t think I can go far.”

“Then, let’s go over there.”

Seungbin head outside and turned his feet towards the greenhouse.

The greenhouse, built on the outer side of the building, had glass windows on all sides, allowing the greenery to shine through. It was a favorite place of Mrs. Kang, whose health prevented her from venturing far.

Inside the greenhouse, there was an alert bell installed, so they could immediately respond when Mrs. Kang called. It wasn’t far from Mrs. Kang’s bedroom either.

As Seungbin entered the greenhouse, he gestured towards the iron chair placed next to a round table.

“Let’s sit down.”

“No, no. I’m fine.”

“I said sit down.”

Seungbin grabbed her wrist. Yeonseo instinctively pulled her arm away without realizing it. Her arm burned where Taeheon had grabbed it yesterday.

“Yeonseo.”

“I’m sorry. It hurts.”

Seungbin’s eyes suddenly narrowed as Yeonseo awkwardly replied, turning her wrist.

“What’s wrong with your arm?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why is your arm like that?”

Seungbin asked in an angry voice and grabbed Yeonseo’s arm. The loose long-sleeved shirt fluttered open, revealing a bruised wrist.

“Handprints……. What is this?”

“Ah…”

Yeonseo’s words trailed off in embarrassment. She had seen the bruising on her wrist from being grabbed by Taeheon.

However, she couldn’t tell him that she had gotten into a fight with Taeheon.

“No way, Yeonseo, did Taeheon did this to you?”

“It’s not like that.”

Yeonseo denied it as she pulled her arm back.

“It can’t be. Are there any other bastards who would do this to you? You were together with him yesterday.”

“He just caught me because I almost fell.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

An eerie silence fell. As if to get rid of his anger, Seungbin washed his face dry.

“It’s okay, just tell me. Why did you come to that restaurant yesterday? Did Taeheon threaten you or something?”

Seungbin’s tone conveyed his certainty that Taeheon had done something bad. Yes, the family would know best what kind of person Taeheon was.

It felt like Seungbin was reaffirming how dangerous and opinionated Taeheon was.

“It’s not like that. Mr. Taeheon invited me to eat because this is the first time he’s seen me. It’s like a job interview.”

“Then why did it have to be where I was?”

“That’s something I don’t know.”

“Taeheon doesn’t even like that place. But he coincidentally showed up right on cue. Does that seem like a coincidence to you?”

Ha. Seungbin sighed and covered his mouth. Confusion lingered on his face but Yeonseo felt just as conflicted.

“Yeonseo, yesterday…”

“If it’s about yesterday, I’ll pretend that I didn’t see it. It was my fault for opening the door without knocking. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not it, Yeonseo.”

Seungbin, who was about to grab Yeonseo’s arm again, paused. Then, he stepped forward towards Yeonseo.

Yeonseo immediately stepped back. Seungbin’s lips twitched slightly at her reaction.

“Yeonseo, are you trying to avoid me?”

“Yes. Please don’t come closer.”

“What?”

“If you come any closer, it makes me uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable? Do you really feel that way?”

In an instant, Seungbin, as if angered, boldly stepped forward, cornering Yeonseo.

Even though Yeonseo’s back had touched the cold glass, Seungbin didn’t stop and came closer. He grabbed her shoulder as she tried to dodge to the side and pinned her down. It made her feel trapped.

“Listen to me. Yesterday was a mistake, I swear.”

“…You don’t have to explain that to me, Mr. Seungbin.”

“I like you.”

“…”

“I mean it. Don’t pretend you didn’t know.”

Feeling sick to her stomach for a moment, Yeonseo had to bite her lip as if she was going to vomit.

“You like me too, didn’t you? I thought we had a connection.”

“…No.”

“You’re lying.”

It was true that Yeonseo had admired Seungbin, but she had never seen him in a romantic light. She simply felt a liking for him as a warm person.

Yeonseo struggled to push away Seungbin’s hand that was gripping her shoulder.

“Are you really saying no? Then why were you so shocked? Yeonseo, you looked surprised as if you were shocked to see it was me.”

“Anyone would have been surprised to see that. Please step aside.”

“Is it because of Taeheon? Is he telling you to stay away because I’m such a flirt? Why? Who does Taeheon think he is? Why did he suddenly appear and act like he’s your master, huh?”

“Get off me……. Hmph!”