CHAPTER 29

Taeheon tilted his head slightly.

“It’s strange.”

His anger towards Yeonseo was diverted towards Director Woo and Seungbin. After that, he couldn’t concentrate on the ongoing conversation, let alone the meal.

But what about Han Yeonseo? She was crying in Seungbin’s arms, but she didn’t ask for help. Instead, she told him not to worry and stormed out.

At this point, it seemed that Yeonseo still had some resentment towards Seungbin. The alcohol Taeheon had consumed filled his lips again. Rain pounded against the windows relentlessly.

Taeheon was sure Yeonseo had gone outside, but there was no sign of her coming back in. She couldn’t have gone off into the mountains. He didn’t think she was that reckless. However, when he considered the route of her walk, it didn’t seem impossible for her to go off into the mountains. A hollow breath escaped his lips.

She was truly a woman who’d fearlessly climbed mountains.

“Damn it, seriously.”

Setting his glass down roughly, Taeheon opened his closet. He undid the laces and threw off his robe. Swiftly, he put on clothes over his bare body.

As he stepped outside, he heard voices coming from Seungbin’s room where the door was slightly ajar. Seungbin was on a call with a buyer, speaking nonchalantly despite the earlier fuss.

Seungbin’s face was thicker than Director Woo’s. Someday, Taeheon would like to peel off that thick skin.

After he get Yeonseo to do it, of course.

Taeheon descended the stairs and flopped onto the living room couch. Outside, the heavy rain pounded down.

Despite not understanding why Yeonseo had rushed off alone out there, as time passed, he became more anxious.

The unfamiliar feeling of impatience mixed with the sound of the rain. He had planned to wait just five more minutes before going to find her.

Just as Taeheon’s patience was reaching its limit, the front door opened and a petite figure stepped in. Yeonseo, soaked from head to toe, shivered uncontrollably and futilely shook off the rainwater clinging to her body.

“Haah, ha…”

Yeonseo’s breathing sounded unusually loud. Taeheon frowned slightly as the back of his neck tickled.

Opening a shelf, she took out a towel and began to dry herself off. Every action—drying her body, squeezing out the water that had drenched her hair—resounded with acute sensitivity.

It had been a while since all his senses had been focused on Yeonseo. Taeheon stood up from his seat. He walked slowly and leaned against a pillar, startling Yeonseo, who had been sneaking into the house.

“Director Taeheon……?”

“Where were you?”

“Why, why are you standing there like a ghost? You’re scaring people.”

“You think I’m a ghost now?”

“I guess I’ve seen a lot of bitterness in the world and now I just want things to go my way. If I had bad manners, I apologize.”

With an unapologetic tone and a forlorn appearance as if she’d just come from swimming in the rain, Yeonseo retorted. Seeing her like that, looking as if she had been submerged in water up to her chin, the pent-up frustration in his chest was slowly easing.

“Why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”

Yeonseo’s feeble attempt to change the topic wasn’t much help against Taeheon’s impatience.

The sight of Yeonseo’s thin, rain-soaked clothes clinging to her body evoked emotions beyond pity. Taeheon asked fiercely.

“You insisted that you would do it on your own and just to show yourself off like this?”

“Do you think I wanted to look like this? I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise not to get personally entangled with Mr. Seungbin, but did I want any of this?”

“It’s perplexing how quickly things have changed.”

“I did what I could, too. I hit him and pushed him away…”

Despite trying to put on a brave front, Yeonseo was shaking and wary of her surroundings.

“Don’t make a big fuss over trivial matters without being mindful of the situation.

“I was worrying about the situation.”

“Sure, of course. It would be embarrassing if you showed fear in front of me.”

Taeheon wanted to break free from the enigmatic grip of these unfamiliar emotions. All he needed was for Yeonseo to reach out first.

All she had to do was ask for help, if she gave him the signal that she wanted him, Taeheon would willingly become her refuge.

But even at this point, Yeonseo hadn’t budged. Taeheon, skilled in using people to his advantage, was now tasting the bitterness of helplessness.

“Why didn’t you say anything when Seungbin harmed you earlier?”

“What can I say, what could I have said at that moment?”

“You should’ve said that you’re with me, as my partner, and I would have taken care of everything afterward.”

Taeheon’s expression was devoid of emotion as he expressed his sincerity. Yeonseo sucked in a sharp breath, unable to hide her surprise.

“…You’re talking nonsense.”

“You should have been sleeping peacefully right now, not running anxiously around like this, wondering when Seungbin will approach you again.”

“I’m not being anxious…”

“It’s cute to have some pride, but you should do it in moderation.”

“Well then, what would happen if I asked you for help?”

Yeonseo asked a question she already knew the answer to . If she just prompted him for confirmation, that would be enough.

“I’ll make love to you, whenever I want.”

“And after that?”

“After that?”

Taeheon asked, as if he’d been pointed out something he hadn’t thought of. His mind momentarily blanked out, as he was always used to envisioning the entire scenario in his head.

But he quickly organized his thoughts.

How long should I continue this relationship with Yeonseo? Maybe six months. That would be enough time to get rid of these damned feelings and to thwart Director Woo’s attempts to set her up as Seungbin’s partner.

But he found it irritating to voice these thoughts aloud. They hadn’t even started yet, and she was already thinking about the end. He felt a sudden urge to push back against Yeonseo’s presumptuousness.

“Why? Do you want me like a curse for a hundred years?”

In that moment, a ripple passed through Yeonseo’s hazel eyes—a fleeting emotion that Taeheon had never noticed before.

He wondered what it was.

As Taeheon took another step closer, Yeonseo flinched.

“If you get tired of our relationship, we’ll break up, right?”

“What do you want me to do?”

There was a hint of mockery and excitement in his voice. Yeonseo batted her eyelashes.

Damn it.

For a moment, he felt an irrational urge to wipe away her tears.

Ever since he had met Han Yeonseo, things hadn’t been making sense. As Taeheon got a little closer, Yeonseo ultimately looked away. It was strange to see her shrinking away like a child caught hiding candy.

Taeheon was quite perceptive. He had thought she couldn’t forget Woo Seungbin, but…it was about ending things with him.

Was all that was weighing on her mind about me ending things with her?

It wasn’t Seungbin who Yeonseo was scared.

Taeheon tugged her chin up.

“Was it me?”

Under the dim indirect lighting, his presence filled Yeonseo’s pupils. Yes, she was trembling; she was trembling because of him.

Pleasure flashed through Taeheon’s body.

“Are you afraid to end things with me?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“You’re caught.”

The sweetly whispered words made Yeonseo squeeze her eyes shut.

“Han Yeonseo, just answer honestly. Are you worried about ending things with me?”

“It’s not like that.”

He understood that she’s hesitating, weighing her options multiple times, like a coward. If that’s the case, a little push from Taeheon should resolve things quickly.

In the short time he was downstairs in the living room waiting for her, Taeheon had become into a being that withdrew from the world, focused solely on Yeonseo.

“I’m thinking about around 6 months, how about you?”

As if she didn’t expect that answer, Yeonseo narrowed her eyebrows. Her droopy eyes made her resemble a puppy, but at the same time, she exuded the air of a mature woman who could tempt a man’s desires and stimulate their lust.

“Of course, it’s negotiable.”

“What difference does it make if we set a time frame? Being your s*x partner and then disappearing, there’s no guarantee that it’ll be better than the current situation.”

“I’m pulling you out of your shithole. Your debt, the unfortunate circumstances you were born into, I’ll give you even what you wouldn’t have in your next life, what’s so hard about that?”

“Ultimately, it’s sponsorship, isn’t it?”

Yeonseo smiled lightly.

“Sponsorship?”

Taeheon let out a heated breath and then spoke again.

“Do you know how you sound right now? It sounds like you’re throwing a tantrum because you want to play around with real love.”

“I just don’t like being used like an object.”

“Why do you think you’re the only one being used? I willingly offered myself to be your cash cow. Do you want a raise? House? Car? Or maybe I should secure you a position at the company? An executive role with all the perks?”

Taeheon’s voice was uncharacteristically angry, and Yeonseo’s eyes turned sharp.

“I didn’t realize I was that important to you.”

“You are. So stay by my side and don’t make me want to kill a bunch of people.”

“Maybe you go into a relationship with an end in mind, but I don’t.”

“At least 6 months. That should be enough time to know each other well.”

“Are we signing a contract for our relationship?”

Yeonseo scoffed, raising an eyebrow. Her cheeks were still damp from the water.

Even in moments like this, he wanted to bury his nose in her scent. The overwhelming urge for this carnal attraction felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable, and Yeonseo, the cause of it all, was like an elusive thread slipping through his fingers, making him grip tighter.

But to quench this thirst, he needed Yeonseo.

“If you allow me to end it when I want to…”

“That’s not going to work.”

Now that Yeonseo was showing signs of wavering towards him, he had to consider the possibility of her losing interest first.

It would be a shame if she called it quits after one or two sessions. Taeheon’s desires wasn’t something that could be solved with just a few encounters with her.

Even now, looking at Yeonseo, his thoughts spun in various directions. She was the only living creature that bothered him so much.

He couldn’t let go of Yeonseo until he resolved his unpleasant feelings.

“I determine when it ends.”

“Then we’re done negotiating.”

Yeonseo pushed away Taeheon’s wrist that held her chin.

“I told you before that was the last time I’d do this. Becoming more of an asshole than Woo Seungbin is no big deal for me. So before that, you better concede.”

Yeonseo walked towards her room as if she wasn’t listening.

Her slender waist, barely fitting into his grasp, make her look fragile. The thought of how her body was wrapped around Seungbin stirred a different kind of unpleasantness.