CHAPTER 67

He stepped onto the porch and opened the sliding door, but it was firmly locked.

Judging by the lock on the outside, it seemed like no one was home. Reminded of the lack of security, Taeheon ran out of the house once again.

It wasn’t a confession. It was not about professing love, but she ran away.

Yeonseo, who used to be shaken easily, was different this time. The evidence that her heart had completely left was so clear.

Instead of the shy woman who didn’t know what to do every time she saw Taeheon, now only the indifferent Yeonseo, wearing an expression of annoyance, remained.

Taeheon scanned the neighborhood supermarket and the park where Yeonseo often hung out. He’d watched her from afar on days when he didn’t dare appear in front of her, so he was familiar with the paths she used to take.

Splash.

As the raindrops became thicker, even pedestrians disappeared from the small neighborhood, leaving Taeheon alone. He searched the surroundings for a while but had to turn around with no luck.

Is she at Baek Hyeonho’s house?

Now, without any other choice, should I assign people to track her?

Despite knowing that Yeonseo disliked it, there was an insatiable desire to not let her go. At least, he needed to confirm that she was safe.

Taeheon stopped by the officetel to check on the faint traces she left behind, then headed back to his residence, hoping she might be there.

• Hello?

Screech. Taeheon’s car slid roughly into the parking space at the sound of Yeonseo’s voice.

“Where are you?”

• Home.

“Whose home?”

Yeonseo remained silent.

“Don’t make me crazy, just tell me. Whose house is it?”

• Your house.

“Wait.”

Taeheon got out of his car and sprinted. Without considering his appearance, he rushed into the elevator, only eyeing the floor numbers.

The elevator’s two stops gnawed at his patience. Only when he reached his limit did the doors open. Without waiting for the doors to fully open, he dashed to his house.

“Han Yeonseo.”

Taeheon called out to Yeonseo as he ran through the house. He dialed her number again, deciding that a phone call would be faster than wandering through the spacious house.

“Seriously! Where are you?”

• Here at the flowers and potted plants…….

Taeheon hung up and ran. The terrace leading outside had a peculiar design. There used to be a door before the curve, but he didn’t think Yeonseo would bother opening it.

It was a small room with a round glass ceiling. It was meant for viewing the night sky, which is why Taeheon had never visited it.

Sitting on a bench, watching the rain pour down, Yeonseo spotted Taeheon and raised her eyes.

“Sir.”

Taeheon swept a hand through his wet hair and walked over to her. He smiled with disappointment, yet a sense of relief.

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?”

“I didn’t know. I was surprised to see so many missed calls, is something wrong?”

“I thought you left.”

“…”

“I thought you had left.”

Yeonseo slowly parted her lips.

“There was heavy rain, so I couldn’t go. I didn’t want to catch a cold.”

Okay, I’m glad she’s okay.

Fearing that Yeonseo might have left, that she might be trying to completely hide herself, Taeheon was worried.

He kneeled in front of her, one knee at first, and soon both knees, aligning his eyes with hers as if a fallen soldier seeking understanding. His firm thighs clung to the wet fabric of his suit, revealing defined contours. His labored breath resonated clearly with Yeonseo.

“Sir. Why… get up, please.”

“Can’t I?”

“…”

“Can’t I? Can’t I beg for forgiveness, can’t I crawl on the floor until you forgive me? Can’t we make it work?”

If only he could do anything to win over the clarity in Yeonseo’s eyes. If he could touch her hair, if he could be stained by her, if only he could reach her, he thought he would be fine with dying like this.

Taeheon rested his fists on his spread thighs.

“It was hard. I made a mistake not knowing my feelings and dismissing them as lust.”

Unsteady emotions swayed dangerously and pricked Yeonseo.

“I know it’s too late.”

Taeheon was at his limit now. He wanted to possess her by force, even if she resisted. But he wanted Yeonseo’s heart willingly.

I want you to look at me like sunshine again.

Then I can do anything.

“I want you to be happy.”

Taeheon spoke his mind, relying on Yeonseo’s silence.

“For that to happen, I’ll have to let you go.”

Yeonseo’s happiness won’t be complete until he is out of her life.

“One day, I want to hold you desperately, and the next day, I hate myself.”

“Sir.”

“Without you, it feels like there’s only an empty shell left.”

“….”

“I tried to distance myself, but it didn’t work. Even now, I’m groveling messily, trying to beg for forgiveness.”

Taeheon frowned. He couldn’t think of a way to get over Yeonseo.

The more he thought about her, the deeper his feelings became. He realized too late that he was trapped in an inescapable swamp. He was trapped in the poison of Han Yeonseo, and the only lifeline, Yeonseo, had let him go.

Now, the remaining days of his life were filled with even more profound darkness than before.

“……I keep suspecting you. Why are you doing this to me now? What do you want from me? Do you need my body? Are you trying to take my child?”

Yeonseo’s voice remained remarkably calm. It was a clean, unemotional voice, like delivering a death sentence without any warmth.

“I even thought about dying.”

“…Sir.”

“Because I don’t see any reason to live. But when I try to die, your kindness holds me back.”

Taeheon tried to contain Yeonseo in his empty pupils. Even though it seemed impossible, he desperately pleaded for a touch.

“If I could just hold onto you, or if you looked at me even once like you used to, I would do anything.”

Even more than taking his own life, he was willing to do anything. If love was like this, then love was too cruel. On the days he didn’t know, he had destroyed Yeonseo, and after he knew, he was destroying himself..

“I love you.”

Still, it was love.

“…”

“I love you, Yeonseo.”

“I’m scared.”

Tears filled Yeonseo’s eyes as she smiled.

“If I stay with you, I’ll always be scared and insecure, because we’re not right for each other.”

“Do you think it would be hard for me to abandon Sewon, to leave them all behind and see only you?”

“That’s absurd.”

Perhaps fueled by anger, Yeonseo stood up. She wanted to leave. Taeheon hastily stood up and grabbed Yeonseo’s wrist.

“Yeonseo, look at me.”

“Please stop now.”

“Yeonseo.”

Avoiding eye contact, Yeonseo finally rejected him.

“Let go of me. I want to go home.”

The rain had subsided, as if everything had been poured out. Taeheon said the fullness in his heart was just the beginning, but Yeonseo’s love had already come to an end.

Taeheon stared intently at the wrist he held. If he continued like this, he would desire to possess her, so he couldn’t bring himself to pull any harder. He couldn’t hurt Yeonseo any further.

The fading sound of footsteps was painful. They moved away, leaving a mark on Taeheon’s throbbing heart.

Alone, Taeheon breathed a hungry breath in the deep abyss. He had to give her time to escape.

***

As Yeonseo entered the mid-term of her pregnancy, she grew bored with sitting and resting all the time. Whenever she stayed still, only unnecessary thoughts filled her mind.

She thought she’d rather work part-time and interviewed at a local clinic. The position was to replace an employee who had gone on maternity leave, so it was a good fit. She left the clinic after the director told her he’d be in touch.

A week had passed since she returned from Taeheon’s residence. During that time, her emotions not only failed to settle but became even more confused.

‘I love you.’

The humidity, temperature of that day, Taeheon’s wet cheek, and his voice remained vivid.

‘I love you, Yeonseo.’

After repeating it several times, she can almost hear him say it slowly, like an old tape.

Woo Taeheon saying he loves me.

He was a smart person, so it couldn’t be a mistake. However, Yeonseo dismissed it as a delusion.

Even if it was true at this moment, over time, genuine feelings would turn into delusions. That’s what love is like.

Many people forget love as time passes. Yeonseo and Taeheon will soon do the same. But it takes a lot of time for that to happen.

It was painful to live with a lump of regret, so Yeonseo traveled abroad with Hyeonho to clear her mind.

In the past, Yeonseo was alone, but now she had a child with her. 

In case Taeheon ever got tired of her, he’d throw her and their child out. Or perhaps he would push her out, but take their child with him. The worst thing that could happen was that she would be separated from her child for life.

Around the time Yeonseo barely managed to pull herself together, she encountered Taeheon again, and their lives became entwined once more with the death of Mrs. Kang.

The day she left his residence. Taeheon didn’t move a muscle until Yeonseo changed her clothes and walked out the front door.

She thought he’d catch her, then lock her up by force, but he didn’t, and the last thing she saw of him was the back of a towering man.

Why does he show such a painful appearance, as if he’d been abandoned?

Her eyes often went to her phone several times a day. And when it was 7 p.m., she looked toward the front gate. But now, Taeheon’s shadow was no longer there.

As Yeonseo walked slowly along the sidewalk, a sedan approached slowly. Only after she snapped out of her daze did she realize the car’s presence.

When Yeonseo looked at the sedan, the wheels came to a stop. The passenger window rolled down. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them again, trying to confirm who it was.

A tall man with broad shoulders, emanating a sharp aura, got out. It was Woo Taeheon, whom she had thought about countless times, that she could draw his face with her eyes closed.

“Get in.”

“Is there still something we need to talk about?”

“This is the last time.”

Taeheon got into the driver’s seat first. Yeonseo hesitated for a moment before climbing in the car.