Runaway Secretary - Chapter 41

CHAPTER 41

Gripping her phone tightly, Yeonseo spoke.

“I went out briefly in the city.”

–        For what?

“I went out to get some bread. Red bean paste bread, soboro cream bread, and something filled with sweet bean paste. They’re really delicious.”

–        And?

“Before I left, people from Sunyoo Chemical came by, I think they were Lee Chang-won and Kim Young-woong. I don’t know the details because I left before they could tell…”

–        Stop talking about that. Just forget it.

Yeonseo realized belatedly what she had been saying and was shocked. She had been reciting Mrs. Kang’s activities like she’d been telling Director Woo.

Actually, she was a mess right now. Her mind was completely filled with Taeheon. But she knew this wouldn’t serve as an excuse, so she clenched her fists.

“I’m sorry.”

–        Come to Seoul for a while.

“Why Seoul?”

–        In the second drawer to the right when you enter my room, there are some documents. They’re important. Can you make it to the office by three o’clock?

“Are you talking to me as a secretary?”

–        Is the title important right now?

At that time, Mrs. Kang would usually be taking her afternoon nap, but Yeonseo didn’t feel comfortable leaving her behind.

“Do I really have to be the one to go?”

–        Then who will go? My grandmother? Another caregiver? Or maybe a guard?

She briefly thought about Si-eun wandering around the house in Yongin with nothing to do, but shook her head. As long as she didn’t forget the documents, everything would be fine.

“I’ll make sure to be there on time.”

–        Don’t be late

The call ended. Yeonseo bit her lip before putting down her phone. She was annoyed, yet she found herself wanting to see Taeheon as soon as possible.

*

It was the second time she’d visited the company, but she still didn’t feel comfortable. In the lobby, which seemed busier than before, Yeonseo wandered like a lost soul, gazing into the distant.

As she stared longingly at the speed gate, someone approached and called out to her.

“Are you Miss Han Yeonseo?”

“Yes.”

“Please follow me. I’ll guide you.”

“Um, can’t you just give this to Director Taeheon?”

Yeonseo held out the envelope.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t take it, please follow me.”

Yeonseo had no choice but to follow him. They took a regular elevator, not the one reserved for employees, so it was quite crowded inside.

This wasn’t where she belonged. But considering her unfitting role as Taehun’s secretary, she had to get used to the discomfort.

Emotion aside, Taeheon had been her savior—an unexpected benefactor who had relieved her of an enormous burden and brought a miracle into her life.

However, she didn’t consider her body valuable enough to repay such a significant debt.

For a moment, curiosity flashed through her thoughts. A poor, pitiable woman must have seemed intriguing to him. Perhaps he felt sympathy.

Taeheon just probably helped her like he was donating money, unable to contain his overflowing wealth.

Would I ever be able to repay the debt I owed him?

Taeheon’s offer of a six-month relationship wasn’t going to erase the huge debt. She’d have to pay it off little by little over time, but even that was an awkward arrangement that would require her to rely on Taeheon’s salary.

“Let’s get off.”

She followed the man and stepped out of the elevator. Every movement felt like her whole body was being pounded. Each time she felt the proof of accepting Taeheon, her breath grew hot, as if she had caught a fever.

An impudent feeling was growing shamelessly. A foolish sprout of ugly love had taken up residence in the center of her heart.

Before she knew it, they were in front of Taeheon’s office. After the man knocked on the door, the man beckoned her forward.

“You can enter.”

With an almost comically solid security system, the door automatically opened after the rigorous check. Yeonseo cautiously stepped inside like a poor commoner invited into a noble’s house.

She stood behind Taeheon, who had his back to the desk, facing the window, and was on the phone. Despite opening the door for her, he didn’t spare her a glance, focusing solely on the conversation at hand.

Shoving his hands into one of his pockets, he stared down at the part of the city reflected in the window as if it were his own.

Taeheon’s back was as wide as his world, his gaze as far away as the unreachable. Yeonseo clutched the documents and waited patiently for him to end the call.

“At first, I planned to teach him a lesson. When I came back, grandfather would push him out from the family, and you know that, father.”

By father, he meant Woo Lee-hyuk, vice president of Sewon Holdings.

Yeonseo had never seen him in person. With Mrs. Kang in the hospital, they had never run into each other, and Lee-hyuk would often visit the Yongin house when Yeonseo was out of town.

“Director Woo had planted Han Yeonseo as a spy. So I met Yeonseo to ruin his marriage plans. Since she became my woman, I told him not to do anything sneaky.”

Yeonseo tilted her head in confusion.

Ruined marriage plans?

“Director Woo will discard the potential fiancée he was preparing for me. The fortune he was eyeing is gone too. Is there a problem?”

Yeonseo’s cheeks gradually turned cold.

“I have to convince mother too. You know, right? I have no interest in any engagement or marriage.”

It felt like hard ice cubes rolling around inside her head.

“Yeonseo is just temporary. Even if it drags on, marriage is still out of the question. I brought that girl in to fend off the potential fiancées Director Woo had in mind from the start. How long do you think it will last?”

The girl he brought in to fend off potential fiancées was Yeonseo herself. He continued to speak of her in derogatory terms.

“If you want, I can arrange some meetings, a few times at most. If that’s what mother wish.”

Yeonseo tightly clenched her trembling hands. She had known, but this was too cruel.

She’d never had any expectations of marrying Taeheon, but it still hurt to feel like she’d been denied him.

The fact that she had been used by Taeheon was painful, but it hurt even more to hear him explain that it was only temporary, that it wouldn’t last.

She had deluded herself into thinking that they shared a deep connection. She had inflated her own dreams. His touch and lips may have been hot, but his heart wasn’t at the same temperature.

“Bye.”

Taeheon hung up the phone and turned around. He extended his arm as if expecting Yeonseo to be there and took the documents.

“Go ahead and sit down.”

“Did you talk to your father?”

Yeonseo’s voice and eyelashes trembled as if they had a mind of their own. She wanted to sound composed, but she also wanted to ask, as if she had no obligations in this relationship.

She could barely stand up straight; her legs felt like they were going to give out.

“I called about Director Woo’s business, why?”

He seemed to be asking purely out of curiosity, but it made her nervous.

Yes, Taeheon was this kind of person. Someone who prioritized reason over emotions, objectives over feelings. But Yeonseo didn’t want to ask anything; she didn’t want to stammer or falter.

“So, you wanted to meet me initially to reject the fiancée candidate Director Woo prepared… Is that what it was?”

“At first, that was the reason. If I had told that Han Yeonseo, Director Woo’s spy, had become my girlfriend, it would have been a shock.”

“…Do you realize how cruel that is?”

“Does it matter? In the end, you’re the one who stayed here.”

“Ha…”

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. He said it was because of desire. He said it was simply physical attraction.

But regardless of his reasoning, the fact remained unchanged: she was still here with Taeheon. It infuriated her even more that every word he uttered was painfully true.

Taking a deep breath, Yeonseo managed a forced smile and brushed her hair back.

“Are these the documents you mentioned?”

Taeheon nodded slightly, reaching for the document and pulling out a fountain pen.

“Have you eaten?”

He asked, bendinf his waist, his golden cufflinks moving along the pen’s path as he prepared to sign.

“I’m asking if you had lunch. Why do you have to make me talk so many times?”

“Yes.”

“What did you eat?”

“Chocolate.”

“I didn’t know that counted as a meal. That’s why you’re skinny.”

When Taeheon straightened his back, his deep eyes seemed to intensify. Yeonseo lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze.

“If you hadn’t called me in, I would have had a good lunch.”

Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke. She hated Taeheon for being so mean with his attitude and yet showing concern about her meals.

“Should I take responsibility? Is a packed lunch okay?”

“Packed lunch?”

“I didn’t eat either, so sit over there.”

Taeheon pointed towards the table. Only now did she notice several packaged dishes on it. But in her current mood, she didn’t feel like sitting across from him and sharing a meal.

She wanted to slap that smug face or yell at him for being an insufferable jerk

“I have to go in early.”

“Yeonseo.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Boss and secretary, or lovers? What should I choose? How should I ask you to have a peaceful meal together?”

No matter what the relationship, Yeonseo felt like a tool. She knew that whatever she chose would just be a way to eat with him, even though she felt certain that she wouldn’t be able to eat anything in this mood.

“Is thirty minutes enough?”

“How about Japanese cuisine? I ordered something odorless and simple.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Yeonseo said yes, even though she hadn’t actually had proper Japanese food. Taeheon washed his hands, so Yeonseo went to the sink behind the false wall and washed her hands as well after him. When she returned, he was already seated.

“It’s just a formality.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s just for show. There’s no need to act like a cornered animal.”

“Yes. Thank you for being considerate.”

“Don’t waste your energy on meaningless things. Let’s eat.”

Yeonseo quickly cupped her own cheek. Her freshly washed, cold hands contrasted sharply with the warmth rising from her reddened cheek.

Taeheon had said it was a meaningless thing. It was probably the best approach for someone like him.

She understood vaguely how troublesome it was to marry someone like Taeheon. It wasn’t like she had the right to say as his time-limited lover.

“Sit down.”

Although she didn’t understand his indifferent explanation at all, Yeonseo had to nod her head.

It’s just a formality.

Yeonseo approached Taeheon instead of going to her own seat. And she stood in front of him. Taeheon looked at her strange behavior with an unimpressed expression.

Yeonseo had to confirm that she was a necessary existence for Taeheon, so that her restless heart could calm down a bit. She wanted to cling to his collar like a child.

“Kiss me now…….”

She muttered softly, and Taeheon immediately grabbed her wrists and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist to catch her crumbling little body.

“Lift your legs and sit properly. Make it easy to put my tongue in.”

His voice, sticky and seductive, disrupted Yeonseo’s hearing like his tongue was rummaging in her ear canal. Yeonseo lifted her legs and sat on his lap. Sitting against his hard body reminded her of the night she’d spent with him.

His fingers brushed against her cheek. He had no hesitation in leaning in towards her.

“It’s strange. Every time I see your face, I get aroused.”

“It’s shameful.”

“Say my name.”

“Mr. Woo Taeheon…?”

Yeonseo’s wavering pupils focused on Taeheon. Taeheon just stared at her lips, without saying anything.

Wasn’t that enough of an answer?

Yeonseo gathered her courage and spoke again.

“Taeheon… I want to kiss you.”

But there was still no answer. Yeonseo felt embarrassed by his intense gaze, so she pressed her lips against his first.

As their lips met, Taeheon gently invaded Yeonseo’s mouth and stole her breath away. The mixed sensation of excitement and shame felt like she was drowning in a sea of obsc*ne shivers. She felt like she’s sinking deeper and deeper.

When he pulled away from her lips, he buried his nose in the nape of her neck.

“You’re the only one who makes me feel this way, so you don’t have to worry about going somewhere else to satisfy.”

That’s nice.

Yeonseo smiled weakly and hugged him tightly. She needed Taeheon more than ever to comfort her.