Runaway Secretary - Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

By the time Yongin house came into view, Taeheon made a phone call. It was time for Mrs. Kang to fall asleep, so Yeonseo would be resting as well.

After a few moments of silence, a clear voice answered.

–        Hello?

She sounded slightly out of breath, as if she had been running. Taeheon cleared his throat and spoke.

“Come out for a moment.”

–        Now?

“Yes. I’m outside.”

Taeheon hung up and sank back into his seat.

If he looked at Yeonseo right now, he couldn’t help but want to kiss her and grind their bodies together. The very idea, though, seemed beastly and awkward, his own lust rising like a foreign entity.

But now that he had Yeonseo within his grasp, it wasn’t too late to gently comfort her, to ease her fears.

Taeheon was in the midst of some loose thoughts when Yeonseo tapped on the passenger window. Before Taeheon could roll down the window, she pressed her face against the glass, trying to peer inside.

Normally, he should have frowned at such behavior, but instead, a chuckle escaped him. Taeheon rolled down the window.

“Get in.”

Yeonseo opened the car door and climbed into the passenger seat. It seemed she had been running; her shoulders were slightly heaving.

A faint scent of shampoo was coming from her slightly damp hair. The faint reddish tint on her cheeks reflected in the lamplight. Somewhere at the root of his tongue, he feels his thirst crack.

“I thought you weren’t coming today.”

He inwardly sighed at Yeonseo’s innocent gaze fixed on him.

Unless someone had sent Yeonseo to turn his life upside down, where on earth had this woman come from?

An uncomfortable feeling settled in his chest, like a stone stuck, one that wasn’t likely to be resolved by greedily driving his lust into her. He doubted he could endure without touching or embracing Yeonseo.

“Mrs. Kang has been asleep for an hour now. Aunt Yoon-hae is taking care of things tonight.”

“I see.”

“So, I wanted to tell Mrs. Kang the truth today, but I didn’t get a chance.”

Yeonseo was good at saying things without being asked. Her voice sometimes sounded soothing, like a nursery rhyme or a lullaby. In Taeheon’s barren world, she sparkled as the only glimmer of light, like the sun in a peaceful meadow.

“Aren’t you going inside? Don’t tell me you’re going back to Seoul?”

She asked, sounding hopeful.

When Taeheon stared at her without answering, she rolled her eyes and smiled, as if realizing something.

“I see. Did you come to see me?”

He gasped.

“You’re quite confident.”

“…Because I’m your lover?”

Even as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in embarrassment, Yeonseo managed to say something.

“But you should at least see Mrs. Kang before you go.”

“Stop talking and give me your hand.”

“Like this?”

She held out her hands, displaying them innocently.

Taeheon placed a card over her hands.

“This is……. What is it?”

“Keep it because it’s a hassle to give it back and forth whenever you need it.”

Yeonseo pressed her lips together, clearly not understanding what he meant. She disliked receiving personal things.

“Since we agreed you work as my secretary, it’s necessary for you to have one.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, I’ll keep it. And by the way, Director Woo called earlier.”

Yeonseo was surprisingly talkative. Even though Taeheon had realized this fact in the hotel, her tone also carried a hint of cuteness.

Taeheon wasn’t sure why that was something to get excited about, but he couldn’t deny that he found Yeonseo’s voice adorable. His fingers gripped the steering wheel in response to his feigned adoration.

“He said he was sorry and that I shouldn’t have to contact him again. Did you ask him to apologize?”

“You’re not so clueless.”

“Thank you. I think you’re really, really great.”

Taeheon’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

“You’re interested in the inheritance, too, right?”

What is she talking about?

“Mrs. Kang told me. Woo Seungbin and the others are interested in me… because of the inheritance.”

“Whether Seungbin is interested or not, why am I involved in this?”

“Sir Taeheon… aren’t you as well?”

“You were making sense until you started talking nonsense.”

Taeheon’s temper flared up after a long time.

The inheritance? Was I so lowly that I’d raise a fuss over a penny?

No, more than that, Yeonseo had undoubtedly not listened to Taeheon all this time.

To think that all the time he’d spent teasing Yeonseo about being his diligently seemed to be in vain just for the sake of the inheritance.

When he thought about it, he felt that the consideration he had prepared was useless. He had tried to let go, thinking she was just scared, but unexpectedly, Yeonseo jabbed at him in an unexpected way.

Indeed, she was a troublesome existence for Taeheon.

“Han Yeonseo.”

Taeheon’s voice, low and cutting, startled Yeonseo. She had been quick to catch on to this but dull in other matters, scratching at Taeheon’s nerves.

“I apologize if I was presumptuous. But if I tell Mrs. Kang the truth about my mistakes, you might not be able to receive any inheritance, so I wanted to let you know in advance…”

“So you’re saying I’m doing all this with you for a measly sum of money?”

“…Aren’t you?”

Ha, Taeheon cursed briefly after sighing.

“You really cheapen people.”

“If it’s not that…….”

Yeonseo’s eyebrows arched sullenly. She was showing all her emotions on her face.

Suddenly, Taeheon wondered how far that face could crumble.

When Taeheon thought about how Yeonseo had been wronged by Seungbin, he wanted to inflict even more pain on him. He was torn, not knowing how to handle Yeonseo despite understanding his twisted emotions.

If he let go, she would disappear, and if he held her too tightly, she seemed like she would break apart.

“Then, should I marry you and cunningly accept what my grandmother gave me?”

“…Marry?”

Yeonseo’s eyes widened. Marriage was such a surprise. Taeheon brushed his fingertips across her dry lips.

“So you thought I’d lose my inheritance just for having a little fling with you?”

“Of course, I also think it’s strange. I mean, what can I say? You’re going to get an extra inheritance just because you’re dating me……. It’s weird.”

Yeonseo’s voice cracked as if she was going to cry. Taeheon felt strangely amused and uncomfortable at the same time.

“I told you before. I like you. I thought that would explain everything. You must have felt it too when we had s*x. My desire is for your body.”

“I did feel it, but…”

It’s a complicated situation. Although she was sharp, she had experience in turning people upside down. At this point, she was like a sniper targeting only Taeheon.

Taeheon’s grip on the steering wheel loosened. He started tapping the steering wheel.

“You were the first one to talk about marriage to me, so of course I assumed there was more you wanted from me…….”

“I thought that word was forbidden?”

Unless he was deliberately trying to turn things upside down, it was a word that should not be mentioned now. It was a word that Taeheon had said it with discomfort, not with any intention, and he couldn’t correct himself because of Yeonseo, who kept scratching at him one after another.

He needed to say it was a mistake, that he didn’t mean it in that way. But Yeonseo’s expression was too indifferent.

Yeonseo didn’t like receiving such treatment as if it were natural, and even though they were labeled as lovers, the unbridgeable gap between them bothered her.

Being exploited for inheritance was one thing, but marriage was an unthinkable matter. What Taeheon offered was financial support; it was ultimately a sponsored relationship.

Understanding Yeonseo’s thoughts or whatever, Taeheon’s temper flared. He didn’t like Yeonseo cheapening their relationship. Taeheon let out a resigned sigh.

“So what are you trying to say?”

“If it’s not because of the inheritance… I’m okay with it.”

Okay.

“It means you like my body, doesn’t it?”

Han Yeonseo continued to protect her ego.

It felt like Taeheon had something persistent stuck to her, something she couldn’t easily brush off. It was sweet enough to overpower minor irritations, maddening even, if that were the case.

Taeheon pushed into his seat back and pinched his brow.

“Do something nice, then.”

The steady rain began to pound down hard.

He held onto Yeonseo until raindrops splattered on the windshield, obscuring their view, then relentlessly drove relentlessly, not giving Yeonseo a chance to catch her breath.

***

The weather had cleared up after a long time. Yeonseo stopped at an old bakery in downtown Yongin. Mrs. Kang had expressed a strong desire to eat the red bean buns from this particular bakery.

Although Yeonseo wanted to stay by Mrs. Kang’s side, she couldn’t send Yoon-hae on this errand, so she came herself.

She hasn’t been able to tell Mrs. Kang the truth yet. She used Yoon-hae, who stuck to her side day and night because of the constant stream of visitors, as an excuse, but it was just a pretext.

“That will be 59,000 won.”

“Please add this to the bill.”

After handing over her card, Yeonseo hurriedly extended a teddy bear-shaped chocolate near the counter. She waved at the employee who handed her a paper bag with the card and bread and headed out the automatic door.

The warm sunrays brushed against her eyelids.

Today, she had taken out one of the cars used by the security team. She had declined it casually, but Mrs. Kang had handed her the car keys to save her a long trip.

This made the outing even more nerve-wracking. Once in the car, Yeonseo reached for her cell phone.

[Director Woo Taeheon].

She stared silently at his name in the call log.

That day, the day she’d made out with him in the car.

After that encounter, Yeonseo had broken down into tears, clutching her clothes that were in a mess. Taeheon had pulled his jacket over her and hugged her, an unexpected gesture.

She had asked him to take it off, worried that someone might see them. Then, he had acted unexpectedly again, moving her to the second-floor and into the bathroom attached to his room.

He casually stripped off his clothes and pinned Yeonseo down in the tub as she tried to flee.

They took a shower together for the second time. Yeonseo couldn’t bring herself to look at him as he entered the shower booth first. She just gazed at the slowly filling water from inside the bathtub.

When he asked if she was going to leave, she finally lowered her knees that she had been clutching. Then Taeheon left the bathroom first.

As she let out the breath she’d been holding and hid her heated heart, Yeonseo was glad that he hadn’t approached her because of the inheritance, but out of pure s*xual desire.

Fast, wasn’t he?

Despite being fully occupied with Mrs. Kang’s health, thoughts of Taeheon kept creeping in. Yeonseo pushed away her conscience and answered the call.

–        Okay, tell me.”

A low, monotonous voice came from the phone on the other side.