Runaway Secretary - Chapter 56

CHAPTER 56

It’s the right thing to say, Yeonseo couldn’t burden Hyeonho with it.

“And since my trip to Taiwan was canceled, I’ve cleared my schedule for now. Stay with me for a while. Don’t find another place like a boarding house, okay?”

The trip to Taiwan was canceled. Taeheon must have intervened again.

Yeonseo was worried Hyeonho might avoid her after her broke up with Taeheon, so she’s relieved.

What’s there to be relieved about? I caused trouble for Hyeonho.

Yeonseo thought about it for a moment, and then realized that it was weird to hide this, so she spoke up.

“Hyeonho, about your Taiwan trip. It was his doing. So, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…”

“What?”

Hyeonho’s nonchalant expression sharply changed.

“I guess he didn’t like the fact that I was close to you. That’s why he did it.”

“Absurd.”

“So when we broke up, I asked him to put things back the way they were. I’m so sorry for what I did.”

“That guy is a total assh*le.”

As Yeonseo lowered her head, Hyeonho took out a coffee and pushed it in front of her.

“Let’s consider it a life lesson and have lunch. What do you want to eat? Do you have luggage to pick up?”

“…I’m really sorry.”

“Ah, stop with the self-blame. You’ve got no boarding house now, so what are you going to do?”

“I should think about it slowly.”

“Okay, I’ll buy you everything you need. Let’s go.”

Hyeonho took the wheel. His grip was so tight that she felt guilty.

“Hyeonho, there’s a place I want to stop by before that.”

“Where?”

Yeonseo pulled a business card out of her bag. It had her name on it, Woo Taeseon.

“I want to see the Mrs. Kang’s face once more before leaving.”

Yeonseo dialed Taeseon’s number carefully and took a deep breath.

–        Hello.

“This is Han Yeonseo.”

*

The heat in late July was killer, and Gangwon province, in the middle of summer, was the perfect place to get out of the heat wave.

Yeonseo was currently on a long vacation in Gangwon Province with Hyeonho. It had been a week since they arrived at a guesthouse with a view of the sea, thanks to Hyeonho’s acquaintance. It was more like renting an entire ordinary house, truly a generous arrangement.

Standing in the yard, the horizon was visible, and just across the two-lane road, the sandy beach stretched out. The small beach was sparsely populated, with a 50/50 ratio of tourists and locals.

Yeonseo liked standing on the porch and watching people. The lively people blurred the pain of the past.

The house, consisting of three rooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and living room, kept her quite busy. Between eating, cleaning up, and managing the yard, the days quickly passed.

Late at night, after making plum tea for the next day and putting it in the freezer, Yeonseo peeked into Hyeonho’s room. Snoring. He was asleep, making faint snoring sounds. After drinking five cans of beer, he had fallen asleep.

Yeonseo slipped on her slippers and went out to the yard. Guided by the light from a bulb that was separately lit in the yard, she moved around.

Apart from the faint lights sporadically visible from the direction of the beach, it was quite dark.

Using the blurry vision that could barely identify a person’s face a few meters away, Yeonseo moved comfortably towards the porch.

“Haah….”

She took a deep breath of salt-laden air into her lungs. Good. She liked everything, the lukewarm heat, the sticky breeze; it all pleased her.

Should I sit here as Hyeonho suggested?

Before leaving, with Taeseon’s help, she visited Mrs. Kang. She contacted Taeseon, to see if she could help with her visit, and she graciously agreed.

Mrs. Kang was more relaxed than she had been in a long time. Yeonseo tried hard not to cry while listening to the explanation that Mrs. Kang was stabilized but unlikely to regain consciousness..

After leaving a brief farewell to the sleeping Mrs. Kang, she felt the lingering image of her face, now becoming increasingly gaunt like a stain.

To respond quickly to the news about Mrs. Kang, staying in Seoul would have been more appropriate, but she chose to go farther. She wanted to escape.

From the lingering attachment that clenches her heart.

From his memories.

From everything about Woo Taeheon.

“….”

Yeonseo froze in place as she looked toward the beach.

Beyond the low wall, across the two-lane road, she saw a familiar car. And beside it was the man who still held her heart.

Taeheon was silently looking in her direction.

Am I hallucinating?

No, it was too clear and intense to be an illusion. A feeling like falling off a cliff snagged on a rock overwhelmed her.

“….”

She couldn’t say anything. Taeheon also remained silent, just looking at her.

There was only silence, even though they were close enough to hear each other if they spoke loudly.

She didn’t want to reveal her unsettled emotions. She wished he didn’t know about the lingering escape, hoping that the past, which she missed and couldn’t let go of, would eventually fade away.

She hadn’t heard from Taeheon since they parted ways that day. So, she thought that the cool-headed man had completely turned away.

But why did he come looking for me?

Feeling dizzy, Yeonseo took a few steps.

“Hey! What are you doing here? If you stand there idling, you’ll get bitten by mosquitoes again.”

As if waking up, Hyeonho’s voice tapped her shoulders. His arm went around Yeonseo’s small shoulders.

“Let’s go inside. We need to get some sleep so we can go to town tomorrow and buy groceries.”

Her back was turned by Hyeonho, so she couldn’t look back. In truth, she wanted to see him one more time, but if she did, she felt like she would be exposed to Taeheon without a doubt.

Whatever reason he had for coming, it was over now. Hyeonho had arranged the money and planned to convey it to Taeheon through Hyunyoung next week. Once the debt was repaid, it would truly be the end between them.

“Hyeonho, I’m going to bed.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Yeonseo entered the room and closed the door. And there, she just sat down.

Unable to breathe, feeling pain in her chest, she cried.

The pain she’d been holding in burst out, wetting her cheeks and soaking her knees.

She sanked beneath the surface, floundering and suffocating, all the memories with him engulfed her like a storm.

To avoid running to him, she bit her lips until they turned pale.

*

Late at night, the quiet neighborhood in Gangwon Province was serene and peaceful.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

Taeheon tore his gaze away from the car window and stepped out of the car. The sound of waves could be heard from afar.

Coming here to see Yeonseo had been an impulsive choice. On his way home from work, he suddenly remembered her and rushed here.

It was about ten days ago. While the security team was briefly reorganizing to add more guards, Yeonseo ran away from the hospital.

Hearing that Yeonseo had disappeared, he abandoned his work and rushed to the hospital himself. But, she had smoothly left with Hyeonho after a leisurely visit to Mrs. Kang.

It was a meticulously planned escape. If Yeonseo wanted to distance herself so much, it was right to let her go.

But he’d been keeping an eye on her whereabouts ever since. Yes, Taeheon hadn’t been able to accept the end of their relationship.

Taeheon narrowed his eyes at the red brick house.

In a place like this, are you trying to forget about me?

As he sighed in frustration, someone came out of the house. Without even trying, he recognized the petite lady as Yeonseo.

Her hair was long and loose. Soft hair that fluttered in the breeze.

Her breath, which he could hold in his hand and bury his lips in the nape of her neck, sending a tingling sensation of satisfaction through him.

Hot longing surged through his veins.

At the same time, Yeonseo spotted him, and they looked at each other.

If she came back now, he would pretend that nothing had happened. Taeheon waited for her with his head held high.

But Yeonseo didn’t move. Hyeonho appeared, put his arm around her shoulders, and disappeared.

They hadn’t harbored emotions beyond friendship for each other. But Yeonseo choosing someone other than Taeheon as her support was intolerable.

Well, if that’s your choice.

Taeheon took one last look at the ocean and climbed into the car.

“Let’s go.”

The driver, glancing at the rearview mirror, took hold of the steering wheel.

“Yes.”

Taeheon disappeared into the dusk.

‘You can never give me what I want.’

So, what did you want exactly?

Affection? Not meddling in blind dates? Not interfering with Baek Hyeonho?

Taeheon closed his eyes, contemplating the puzzle.

* * *

During this time, Taeheon worked diligently even when he didn’t have to be busy. Like a nagger, Secretary shin poured out complaints, and Taeheon  just busied himself with work absentmindedly.

Two hours of sleep a day, work, and consistent exercise. If you added drinking sessions for entertainment, it was a miracle that Taeheon didn’t collapse.

“Sir, are you going to Han Yeonseo’s place again today?”

“Yes.”

Taeheon, engulfed in a heavy smell of alcohol, settled into the back seat. A deep sense of exhaustion washed over him.

But he couldn’t sleep. He wondered if he should take a sleeping pill or visit a psychiatrist, but he realized that going to a doctor wouldn’t solve anything.

Was this what they meant by relative time? Reflecting on it, Taeheon realized that it had only been a week since he visited Gangwon Province.

Taeheon was well aware of his problem. It was Yeonseo’s absence that made the world feel like a shitty place.

“Shall we adjust your schedule a bit for next week, sir? You really need to take it easy.”

“Quiet My head is ringing.”

“……Ms. Han Yeonseo went to the airport today.”

Troubled, Secretary Shin opened his mouth with difficulty. Taeheon opened his eyes, his pupils dilated in the light of the car’s headlights.

“Where did she go?”

“Uh. She recently got her passport…”

“No. Don’t tell me.”

Wherever she was going, it was time to look away.

I know it well, I know.

It wasn’t easy, so he had to clench his fist so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh.