Runaway Secretary - Chapter 63

CHAPTER 63

Yeonseo had no intention of living as a puppet in Sewon Group’s shadow. If she wasn’t happy, it wouldn’t be good for her child.

She should feel a little sorry for not being able to provide a wealthy environment for the child.

“And I hope I never have to see you again.”

“Is that what you want?”

Yeonseo nodded at Taeheon’s calm question.

“I’m going to raise the child alone. That’s what I want. If you feel even a little sorry for me, please do stay away. I’m begging you.”

There would be many things more important to Taeheon than the child. As a person burdened with responsibilities as heavy as the child’s existence, there would come a day when he would regret today’s impulsiveness.

“That’s my answer.”

After a moment of silence, Taeheon smiled bitterly.

“If that’s what you want, then so be it.”

“If you ever want to see the child, I’ll occasionally send you pictures. If the child wants to meet you when they grow up… then we’ll meet then.”

“Okay, I won’t show up anymore.”

“…….”

“I have one request too. Don’t get hurt.”

Taeheon, who had bent over, carefully closed the car door. The car then slowly started to move. Yeonseo wondered how he looked standing there, but she couldn’t bring herself to look back.

He must have come for the child.

Taeheon easily retreated without even listening to what she had to say more.

Perhaps he came because he couldn’t forget me.

Maybe he meant it when he said he was sorry, when he apologized so uncharacteristically.

It sounded ridiculous. But instead of laughing, tears welled up in her eyes. Yeonseo raised the back of her hand and quickly wiped them away from Hyunyoung’s view.

Woo Taeheon was always a storm.

***

Before lunch, Yeonseo took a light stroll in the neighborhood park. The autumn breeze was quite refreshing, and the sky was clear. Her mood seemed to clear up, as did the weather.

15 weeks and 5 days. Her body condition had improved since the end of morning sickness. She ate without a break, indulging in three meals a day plus a sweet dessert.

Eating well was good, but at this rate, she was about to gain a lot of weight. The high cost of food was also a problem.

The compensation for the short time as Taeheon’s secretary was fully deposited in her bank account. At this rate, she would have to spend it soon.

Her body felt lighter now. Considering her close neighborhood, she thought about finding a short-term part-time job.

It was supposed to be a short stroll to take a break. When Yeonseo leaned on a bench for her child, Hyunyoung called.

“Hello?”

• Hello. Are you available?

“Yes. What’s going on…?”

Being someone related to Taeheon, she naturally felt tense.

• Mrs. Kang has regained consciousness.

“What?”

Yeonseo stood up abruptly.

• She’s looking for you, Miss Yeonseo. I’m on my way to your home now. Can you come down in 10 minutes?

“Yes. Yes, I’ll be there.”

She hung up and immediately headed downstairs. There was no time to stop by her home and change clothes.

When she got into Hyunyoung’s car and headed to the hospital, she thought she would be able to go straight inside the intensive care unit

The hallways were filled with family and relatives who had rushed in when they heard Mrs. Kang was awake. Their secretaries, lawyers, and Mrs. Kang’s lawyer were also there. The hallway was noisy as they discussed the inheritance.

Today would be the last time she would say goodbye to her. The visitation order was decided based on the relationship with Mrs. Kang, and naturally, Yeonseo was at the back of the line.

In fact, she had occasionally visited the hospital. She would come early in the morning when no one was around, quietly look at the intensive care unit, and then leave. Since she had broken up with Taeheon, she couldn’t rely on his help, so she went back to see Mrs. Kang on her own.

Hyunyoung, who was talking to someone, returned with a troubled look.

“I’m sorry. Mr. Taeheon is on his way now, so please go in when he comes. Please wait a bit.”

Nodding, Yeonseo walked towards the corner of the hospital corridor

Yeonseo nodded and headed to a corner of the hospital hallway. The mixture of various perfumes in the air was overwhelming. When she leaned against the window and took a breath, it felt like morning sickness was coming back.

“Excuse me, are you the caregiver?”

Yeonseo turned away from the wall and greeted the man who approached.

“Yes. Hello.”

He was Yunbin, Seungbin’s younger brother. She remembered seeing him in a photo album that Seungbin showed her before. He was studying abroad, and Seungbin was worried because he had been in a lot of accidents. Now that she thought about it, was Seungbin coming too?

Memories that had been buried resurfaced like a foul odor.

“They said that you were pretty and you are.”

The man grinned. He was dressed appropriately, but his attitude and gaze were light.

“If you have nothing to say…”

As Yeonseo was about to pass by him, Yunbin approached her and grabbed her wrist, spewed out a curse.

“Interrupting someone talking, huh?”

“Let me go.”

“It must be fun to make fun of someone with a mixed-race face. But it won’t work with me.”

What kind of upbringing did he have? Seungbin could at least pretend to be decent, but Yunbin wasn’t even capable of that.

A human trash. If compared to cousins, Taeheon might not be so bad.

“I’ll give you money. Let’s have some fun. Huh? Grandma looks like she’s about to die anyway, so you’ll be unemployed soon. Would you rather work for me?”

“You’re being harsh.”

“Oh, I’m just naturally shameless. Please understand that.”

“Sir, Mrs. Kang is going to get better.”

“Who? My grandmother? She’s old, she shouldn’t be bothering people for her suffering. She should just hurry up and die quickly.”

Slap.

Yeonseo slapped him across the face. She knew it was impulsive and violent, but she had no regrets. She glared at him venomously.

“Trash.”

“Ha, are you crazy?”

Yunbin, with a flushed face, raised his hand. Yeonseo reflexively closed her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

A low, monotone voice called out. It was Taeheon’s.

Yeonseo quickly opened her eyes and twisted her grabbed wrist free. A lingering unpleasant sensation remained on her wrist.

“Hyung?”

“I’m asking you what you’re doing.”

“No, hyung, this b*tch keeps pissing people off.”

Taeheon’s eyes shifted, coldly assessing both of them.

“Can you see my face? She’s beating people up for nothing.”

Yunbin, looking somewhat unjustly accused, made excuses to Taeheon and then threatened to hit Yeonseo.

“Oh, this is ridiculous!”

However, Yeonseo was not intimidated, as she had been before. She simply looked at Taeheon, who had gained some weight and become tidier.

Though she felt he looked quite unpleasant before, maybe it was just fatigue at that time.

Yeonseo quickly examined the back of his hand. It was strange. Despite his clean appearance, new wounds were increasing.

What on earth is he doing?

“If you did something wrong, you should take the hit.”

“What?”

“I’ll deal with you later. For now, get out of my sight.”

“Hyung?”

“Get lost.”

Taeheon shook his head and took a step toward Yeonseo, his gaze slowly trailing from her shoulders to her toes.

Backed into a corner, Yeonseo lowered her head and took in her outfit. T-shirt, shorts, sneakers. It was probably the wrong outfit for this moment.

“Are you doing this on purpose to hurt my feelings?”

“What?”

“It’s chilly. Put this on.”

Taeheon took off his jacket and draped it around Yeonseo’s shoulders.

“Shall we go?”

He held out his hand.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Just in case, hold on.”

Yeonseo hesitated but eventually took his hand. Even if it was for tactical reasons, she needed Taeheon’s help to meet Mrs. Kang.

Taeheon sighed softly as she held his hand gently, and then pulled her around the waist to stand in front of him. He tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear. His fingertips were cold, causing Yeonseo to scrunch her eyes.

“Tell me where that asshole touched you, later.”

“Hyung, what the hell…. What’s your relationship with her?”

Yunbin grabbed Taeheon with a puzzled look.

“Get out of the way. Before I kill you.”

When Taeheon’s gaze turned fiercely menacing, Yunbin stepped back. He watched Yeonseo’s back as she walked away, holding Taeheon’s hand, and racked his brain. He finally realized who Yeonseo was

F*ck, I’m screwed. I shouldn’t have messed with Taeheon hyung.

While Yunbin gaped, agonizing over the misery that was to come, Taeheon fretted over the loss of the little warmth in his hand.

He once contemplated taking his own life. Overwhelmed by the challenges of a world without Yeonseo, he considered disappearing, pinning his hopes on finding solace in her world.

But he couldn’t do it. He almost strangled himself with Yeonseo’s clothes around his neck, pushing himself to the limit, but he released the pressure, fearing that she might feel guilt for this and blame herself.

‘Someone died because of me.’, he thought Yeonseo would said that.

Then, the kind-hearted Yeonseo would spend her whole life in pain, pitying Woo Taeheon and that might not be so bad, but for Yeonseo, who had to raise a child alone, it would be an unbearable burden.

And she had to think about what would happen if the child was taken away from her. If Taeheon disappeared, they would covet a child with Taeheon’s blood. As he considered the worst case scenario, he decided that dying was a luxury.

Even if he couldn’t be by Yeonseo’s side, maybe he could somehow be allowed to be the child’s father, and that would be a link to Yeonseo.

A little hope brought him back from the brink of death, and that’s what kept him going now.

He went back to work, took care of himself, and ate his meals on time. He still couldn’t sleep, but he made an effort to get some rest.

Even if his insides were rotting away, he had to remain Woo Taeheon on the outside. If he wanted to claim his place as the child’s father when he met Yeonseo, he would have to appear sane.

So even a meeting like this was precious to Taeheon. Even if he had been late to the hospital due to piled-up work, he wouldn’t have left Yeonseo waiting in the hallway.

Secretary Shin quickly clears up the mess, and soon, they could enter the intensive care unit with Yeonseo.

Mrs. Kang’s eyes fluttered as she recognized Yeonseo. Taeheon gently nudged Yeonseo forward.

“Talk to her.”

Without hesitation, Yeonseo rushed to Mrs. Kang’s bedside.

“Mrs. Kang!”