CHAPTER 16

*

A man with fair skin, tall and slim, and a pretty face was greeting her with a welcoming expression. Yeonseo was surprised and looked up at him

“Baek Hyeonho! When did you come?”

They had promised to meet at a bar. She was just about to hail a taxi to go there.

“It’s nice to go there together. This oppa has a car.”

Though they were only a year apart, Hyeonho has always emphasized that he was her oppa. Of course, Yeonseo didn’t pay much attention to the few months’ difference and simply considered him as a friend.

“I could have just taken a taxi.”

“No, we’ll take my car.”

“Then, will I be comfortable going with you?”

“Do you want me to drive or not?”

Hyeonho frowned slightly. Though he had a large frame, he probably only ate salad leaves to manage his weight. But even so, making her pay for a ride was a conscienceless act.

“Alright then. Let’s go and have fun.”

“Hey, I’m a guy, you know?”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

“Stop teasing you little..”

Hyeonho lowered his arm around Yeonseo’s shoulders and playfully choked her. Yeonseo didn’t give in and bit down on his flat stomach.

“Ouch! You’re crazy, you actually bit me!”

“Who said you can headlock me?”

Though they were in their late twenties, it was sometimes nice to playfully laugh and fool around like this. Yeonseo started running, and Hyeonho chased after her, urging her to come back.

At that moment, a phone rang from Yeonseo’s bag. When she checked the caller ID, the name ‘Director Woo Taeheon’ flashed across the screen.

*

Inside the stopped car, Taeheon stared intently at the cheerful face of a woman. He tapped on the steering wheel with his fingers.

Yeonseo was laughing. A fair-skinned man was laughing with her.

“Baek Hyeonho.”

In that moment, Taeheon’s two eyes confirmed that Yeonseo and Baek Hyeonho were genuinely close like childhood friends. Ironically, seeing Yeonseo’s bright smile made him feel a sense of betrayal.

Why?

Thinking about Han Yeonseo only raises more questions. Problems are piling up without being solved. Taeheon, who was usually capable of solving problems, stumbled as if his mind was paralyzed when it came to her.

It felt like an unpleasant bug wriggling in his stomach.

Well, then, I should scratch it away.

Taeheon picked up his phone and called Yeonseo.

Yeonseo, who had stopped Hyeonho lunging towards her with her hands, looked down at the phone and slowly erased her smile. With an uneasy expression, she narrowed her eyes and then let out a deep sigh, her shoulders slumping.

Taeheon saw every detail of Yeonseo’s behavior. Even the way she forced herself to answer the phone.

• Hello?

Yeonseo gasped softly, her breath was short from running. Her breath sounded thin, just like when she gasped while trying to respond to Taeheon’s lips.

“I need a report.”

• Ah, I just came out of the hospital. Mrs. Kang is doing well with her meals and test results. Tomorrow, she will have a sleep endoscopy.

Yeonseo rambled on, ducking down while avoiding Hyeonho’s big hands. Laughter spread across her face again.

Even as she answered the phone, Yeonseo’s gaze remained on Hyeonho. The two of them playfully attacked and defended each other with playful punches and kicks.

Taeheon tightened his lower abdomen. He was not feeling ill, but he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach.

“Wait for a moment. Meet me at the convenience store alley behind the hospital. Car plate number xxxx.”

Taeheon hung up the phone and tilted his head back slightly. He was still looking at Yeonseo.

Seeing Yeonseo raise her middle finger at the disconnected call, Taeheon narrowed his brow disapprovingly at her crude gesture.

“Really annoying.”

Sighing, Taeheon turned the steering wheel and made a U-turn with the car. He must have waited for Yeonseo at the agreed place for about 10 minutes.

With the window slightly open, he could hear Yeonseo and Hyeonho bickering outside.

“I told you to wait in the car for a moment. How far are you going to follow me?”

“What’s the big deal? Are you meeting a guy?”

“I told you, he’s Mrs. Kang’s grandson. Seriously, stop acting like this and just wait in the car first.”

“If he’s Mrs. Kang’s grandson, then let me greet him too. This all seems suspicious, you know?”

“I’m not joking, he’s someone we really shouldn’t be disrespectful to.”

Someone they shouldn’t be disrespectful to.

By now, Taeheon’s existence had left such an impression on Yeonseo.

Despite that, he’s been quite disrespectful himself.

He continued to grumble, and then quieted down. He had parked in a secluded area, so her footsteps echoed as she moved around.

She seemed to be searching for his car, but Taeheon didn’t feel like getting out and telling her he was parked here. He thought it would be better to see her coming on her own.

After waiting for a while, Yeonseo tapped on the backseat window. Taeheon rolled down his driver’s side window.

“Get in this side.”

“Yes.”

Yeonseo, who shrugged her shoulders, slowly walked towards the bonnet of the car. Her long hair fluttered in the wind as she walked.

When she tied her hair up high, it used to bounce in tune with her steps like a silk thread tied together, but now it flowed gently as if melting in the ocean waves.

He remembered how it fluttered like that when he was talking to Baek Hyeonho a little while ago. She ties her hair up when on caretaking duty, but always let it loose like smooth silk outside of work. He recalled the feeling of it wrapped around his fingers.

Thunk. The door opened, and Yeonseo climbed into the passenger seat.

“Hello.”

Yeonseo greeted with a subtle smile, reminiscent of the warm smile Taeheon had seen when he met her at the Yongin house.

Perhaps because he knew she didn’t smile like this when she was with Baek Hyeonho, he felt twisted by her insincere smile. Suddenly, he found it tiresome to react to everything she did. He would rather just ignore her, though it might greatly disappoint Mrs. Kang as Yeonseo’s position couldn’t be replaced by just another employee. Perhaps this discomfort will eventually fade away if he continues to endure it.

No. He had a hunch that it would be more frustrating not to see through what was hidden behind her pretense.

Amidst the confusion within him, Taeheon remained expressionless.

If something bothered him, he would usually deal with it swiftly and resolve the issue, but Yeonseo wasn’t allowing that to happen. Even though he was coming to see her to make an exception, Taeheon was still feeling indecisive and uncertain.

“Mr. Taeheon?”

Taking a deep breath, he recalled his purpose for coming here again. Yes, he was curious about how far this would bother him.

Taeheon reached into his inner pocket and handed her a card. Yeonseo’s hazael eyes met the solid square material.

“Take it.”

“What’s this?”

“An officetel key.”

“Why are you giving me this…….”

Yeonseo hesitated to accept it right away.

“It’s 7 minutes from the hospital, the address is in the message left by Secretary Shin. You can stay there on your days off.”

“Is this some kind of lodging?”

Lodging. That was a word that seemed to come naturally to Yeonseo, who was used to living in small, single rooms like a boarding house.

“If you don’t want to go back to the Yongin every two days, you can use it. It’s not like you have any other place to stay in Seoul.”

Yeonseo’s eyes slowly lowered.

“Thank you, but really, it’s fine. I have somewhere to go.”

“Where? Baek Hyeonho’s place?”

“How do you know about Hyeonho?”

Yeonseo’s eyes flickered restlessly. It was both unsettling and satisfying to see her reaction.

An sudden urge surged within him, as if he wanted to tease her like an elementary school student bothering a girl he liked.

“I’m responsible for Grandma, so I need to know about your personal details, Han Yeonseo.”

“I see, but you don’t have to give me an officetel key.”

“But I want to give it to you.”

“I’ll take care of my living arrangements myself.”

With her shoulders shrugged, Yeonseo seemed both resolute and nonchalant as she said all that needed to be said and Taeheon felt torn with his conflicting emotions.

“Your well-being is also part of my responsibilities.”

“Isn’t it too much meddling… perhaps?”

“Meddling?”

Meddling, she said. Was it really considered meddling to look into an officetel for a live-in employee’s sake?

He considered it adequate compensation.

“Then think of it as a bonus.”

The inside of the car fell into silence. Taeheon, who had metaphorically thrown a bomb, didn’t seem to pay much attention to the aftermath.

Yeonseo glared at him with a cloudy expression.

“How could you… say something like that?”

“It seems like you enjoyed being close with me. That’s how I see it, so just accept it.”

“Enjoyed… being close?”

“Why would I be making this up? You seemed to like it that day too. You were wet, weren’t you?”

“You…!”

Yeonseo’s face contorted, and for some inexplicable reason, a sense of satisfaction filled Taeheon’s chest.

He hadn’t realized that such lowly emotions were lurking inside him. Every time he faced Yeonseo, it felt like he was exploring a corrupted wasteland.

Taeheon’s brow twitched with unease.

“Why do you treat me like this?”

Taeheon tilted his head at an angle.

“If you don’t like being treated badly, then take the key.”

“I don’t want it. You said it’s a bonus, didn’t you?”

“Then just think of it as a bonus.”

“I’ve already received a lot before. It’s more than enough.”

She was talking about the 50 million won. Taeheon checked her bank account history and felt unbothered that she didn’t touch the money.

Baek Hyeonho freely gives a large sum of money, and Yeonseo’s pride in refusing to accept anything Taeheon gives was laughably insignificant.

It’s hard to break that kind of pride.

“Just do the work for the money you received.”

“That’s why I want to return the money. It just feels… strange.”

Taeheon’s long arm wrapped around the back of the passenger seat headrest.

“You haven’t done anything to feel strange about, have you?”

In an instant, Taeheon moved from his seat and hovered over her. As he straddled Yeonseo, who was squirming, he placed his palm on the back of her head to cushion the impact as her seat lowered. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him.

Her quivering lips made it evident that she was frightened.

“Mr. Taeheon, we shouldn’t do this here…”

Yeonseo seemed to be wary of their surroundings but from the looks of it, Taeheon didn’t seem bothered by the possibility of being seen, indicating that he had no qualms about their intimate activities in the darkened car. She could sense that he was eager, but Yeonseo hesitated, even when they kissed in the hospital restroom, but eventually she got carried away and passionately engaged in the act.

“Who’s going to see us? Nobody.”

Taeheon’s chest swelled with desire. With the dark interior of the car, nobody would see anything unless they intentionally peeked closely inside. The darkness provided them with a sense of privacy, and Taeheon seemed determined to seize the opportunity.

As long as Baek Hyeonho didn’t go around searching for Yeonseo, there was no way they’d be caught.

“As long as you stay quiet, it’ll be fine.”

“Mr. Taeheon…”

Her trembling voice seemed to reverberate in his lower abdomen.

“I’ve acted rashly at my age.”

Unlike the fierce look in his eyes, the touch of his lips on hers was soft. A soft sigh escaped from her lips when their lips pressed together.

“You enjoyed it, didn’t you? Don’t you feel anything?”

He teasingly licked her earlobe.