Runaway Secretary - Chapter 62

CHAPTER 62

Anyway, Taeheon did not overlooked the fact that he was the father. If he was willing to support, he had rights.

He hadn’t thought that the presence of the child could be as exciting, surprising, and sparkling a new life as it was for Yeonseo.

Perhaps because he was a bad person, he had subconsciously thought he would be bad to the child too. You can be mean to your own blood.

“It’s your child.”

Yeonseo acknowledged it softly. Taeheon’s fingertips were trembling slightly.

It was an arbitrary decision for Yeonseo to raise the child, though it was something she and Taeheon needed to talk about. The child was in Yeonseo’s arms, but he also had some rights.

Now that she realized that, she had to make him give up the rights that he would demand. Yeonseo looked around.

“Where’s the car?”

“I left it behind.”

“Then let’s go somewhere and talk.”

“Hold on.”

Taeheon extended his hand, but Yeonseo refused.

They headed to a nearby cafe. The private cafe was quiet on a weekday. Yeonseo’s nerves were somewhat soothed by the calm air.

Taeheo ordered warm citron tea and strawberry cake at the counter and brought it himself. Although there was iced coffee on Taeheon’s side, he seemed to have no intention of drinking it. He just silently looked at Yeonseo.

His eyes, as always, were deep and dense, like a threatening black forest, making it difficult to meet his gaze directly. She didn’t want to become lost again and feel lonely.

Yeonseo drank the citron tea without hesitation. She also ate the cake to settle her rumbling stomach.

She smiled bitterly as she realized how natural it felt to sit down and eat cake with the man she’d just broken up with.

Hormones were amazing. The desire for food overpowered pride, and she scraped the cake off the plate.

“Should I order more?”

“It’s almost lunchtime, so I’ll stop eating. Thanks.”

“Let’s have lunch together, something you like.”

Lunch together?

“I was thinking of having tteokbokki… but Sir, you don’t like that, right?”

“I can compromise.”

He answered smoothly. Yeonseo was wondering where the previous Woo Taeheon had gone.

“Tteokbok is fine, where do you want to eat?”

He reached for his phone as if he had to do the search himself.

How embarrassing it must be for the people waiting in line to eat with Taeheon to see this scene.

How baffling it must be for them to see Taeheon willing to put his mouth on tteokbokki.

He seemed more suited to being treated to upscale food than eating tteokbokki with Yeonseo.

But why?

“Why are you doing this?”

Taeheon sighed for a moment. Then he said.

“Like I said, I want to raise the child with you.”

Raising a child together was something couples did.

A couple, Taeheon and me It was ridiculous.

But in Taeheon’s world, which she didn’t understand, there might be such a thing as a relationship that only involved raising a child together. He was the kind of person who could do that.

Like a sponsor and a s*x partner, a person for whom an unconventional relationship was nothing unusual.

“It’s not going to be easy raising the child on your own. It’s going to be a lot of work.”

“I know, but how can I raise a child with you after we broke up? It doesn’t make sense.”

Yeonseo furrowed her brow.

“Just come back to me. It would be better for the child to grow up in a good environment.”

Yeonseo realized the awkwardness she’d felt earlier. Taeheon still saw her as a possession, which was why he was casually asking her to come back.

“By any chance, does your family know about the existence of the child?”

“Does it matter?”

“Please answer the question.”

“Whether they know or not, you won’t be seeing them again.”

Not seeing Seonye and Taeseon again was good news. But raising the child together and then not seeing them again was creating an odd relationship with Yeonseo.

A relationship of just raising the child together.

Could he be suggesting that the child be labelled as illegitimate?

Raise the child in secret…

Her chest sank.

“If anyone does such a thing to you, then…”

Taeheon narrowed his eyes and closed his mouth.

What was he trying to say?

It didn’t matter anyway. Yeonseo took a deep breath. She couldn’t raise the child under Taeheon’s shadow.

“I don’t want our child to be illegitimate.”

“Illegitimate?”

Taeheon repeated, his expression sharp with anger.

“Isn’t that what you’re asking me to do, raise the child in secret and be your mistress? That’s why you don’t want me to see your family, right?”

“Ha…”

Taeheon turned his head slightly. Yeonseo felt a surge of anger, as if she had heard a curse.

“Should I be more straightforward?”

His voice was low. Yeonseo found it somewhat welcoming, thinking he was finally revealing his true colors.

“Go ahead.”

“I want to marry you.”

A silence fell. Taeheon picked up his iced coffee and downed it in one gulp.

Yeonseo remained frozen until the empty cup was placed on the table.

No. This must be another tactic to reassure me.

It was an unexpected proposal. They were already broken up, so why suggest marriage?

Her moody mind spun furiously, taking in too much information. She lightly pressed her warm fingertips against her throbbing temples.

“Ha…”

No. He just needs the child.

He’s a stubborn man, so he must have calculated that it would be quicker to do this than to mate with someone else and have an heir. That’s Woo Taeheon.

The emotions that she thought had stabilized once again quivered. If this continued, she felt she would be swallowed by a massive darkness once more.

“Marry me. I need him, I need you, I need both of you.”

She had to get out of here. Yeonseo reached for her bag. Crash. The glass at her elbow fell to the floor, shards flying everywhere.

“Are you okay?”

Taeheon got up and knelt in front of her. He was surprisingly quick.

He took out a handkerchief and gently held Yeonseo’s arm, then carefully wiped away the blood.

“Is there anymore cut?”

“…”

“Don’t hold it in, tell me if it hurts.”

“It’s okay, I’m not hurt….”

Yeonseo stopped talking. The back of Taeheon’s han, covered in abrasions, caught her attention. Her eyes widened. A long red scar ran down the inside of Taeheon’s collar, near the nape of his neck.

Without realizing it, Yeonseo reached up and pulled the collar open. Taeheon, who had been checking her arms and feet, stopped dead in his tracks.

“What’s this?”

“…You’re not hurt, are you?”

“What is this? What kind of wound is this?”

“It’s nothing.”

As Taeheon stood up, a staff m*mber with a broom appeared. Yeonseo observed his broad back as he paid for the broken teacup.

Strange.

“Wouldn’t it be better if Secretary Kim Hyunyoung took you? I’ll call a car for you, so ride with her.”

“…Alright.”

She didn’t have the strength to refuse. Part of it was because she felt drained, but more than that, the scars around his neck seemed to… as if he had been strangled… Her heart sank ominously.

No, that can’t be. Maybe my imagination has become more vivid since I became pregnant.

Taeheon, who suggested eating tteokbokki together, suddenly seemed to be trying to send Yeonseo home. It was an oversensitive reaction to feel as if he was trying to hide the scars on his neck.

“The sidewalk. Stay back.”

He grabbed Yeonseo by the waist as she tried to move down the sidewalk, positioning her on the inner side. They stood side by side, waiting for the car.

“We should have waited a little longer before coming out. If your leg hurts, shall I carry you?”

He asked. It was strange. It felt too odd and stifling, as if something heavy had settled on her chest…

Yeonseo quickly examined the back of his hand, but Taeheon caught her gaze and turned his palm over.

“Call me if you want to visit grandmother again, and if you erased my number, I’ll give you it again.”

“I know, the number.”

“Call me anytime. It doesn’t matter when.”

“Is Ms. Kang okay?”

Taeseon was supposed to call her if anything happened to Mrs. Kang, but she hadn’t heard from her yet. Taeseon had once asked if she was coming to visit, but she hadn’t answered. She was in Japan.

“She’s the same. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”

“…Then I’ll visit later.”

Yeonseo glanced again at the collar around Taeheon’s neck. It was frustrating not to see the lower part.

It was a red, spread-out wound, as if something had brushed against it, or as if he had been strangled.

She had seen a patient that attempted to hung themselve during her emergency room training. Although the color of those subtle bruises was slightly different from the vivid blue, the shape of the wounds was similar.

No. Why would he do such a thing?

Why would he do that? What’s wrong with him?

A few moments later, Hyunyoung arrived. She got out of the car, greeted Yeonseo, and opened the back door. It had been a long time since they’d seen each other, but the way she didn’t ask where she’d been or what had happened was typical of someone Taeheon had hired.

There was no need to exchange unnecessary emotions.

“Please take care of her as she is not alone, and make sure she gets home safely.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He was clearly advertising her pregnancy. When she decided to become a single mother, she had resolved to be confident and proud, but in this situation, she felt awkward.

“Congratulations on your pregnancy.”

“…”

Congratulations.

Yeonseo hesitated, not sure how to react to the first congratulations she’d ever received. Meanwhile, she almost bumped to Taeheon as she got into the back seat.

As Taeheon held the door, he lowered his head.

“Call me if you’re sick, and think about what I said earlier. I mean it.”

“…It’s strange.”

“I understand.”

Taeheon looked like he was about to walk away, like he was about to go on a long journey, but it was an illusion.

Yeonseo stared at the back of Taeheon’s neck, hidden from view, and hesitated for a moment.

It’s better to say it clearly now. If she wasn’t going to see Taeheon again and have the same confrontation as today, she needed to finish the conversation.

“Can I answer now?”

“…”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

Marrying him.

It was a different story than becoming a s*x partner and receiving sponsorship.