CHAPTER 69

Hyunyoung knocked instead of the hesitant Yeonseo. Yeonseo took a deep breath and entered.

“I thought I told you not to let anyone in. Now….”

Taeheon stopped talking when he spotted Yeonseo. She stopped walking as well, facing him.

Taeheon was covered in bandages and slung his arm in a sling, as if revealing the ordeal he had gone through. Except for his neatly shaved face, the extent of the injuries seemed severe.

He wore only the patient’s pants, and his boldness, without covering himself with a blanket, made Yeonseo feel a mix of anger and sadness, as if she was witnessing a facet of someone who had lost the will to live.

“You look awful.”

Her throat tightened, and her eyes burned. Despite preparing herself, facing him directly was challenging.

“Who contacted you?”

“They said you didn’t hit the brakes.”

“Who told such nonsense?”

“Why did you do that?”

“Even if that’s the case, it’s none of your f*cking business now. Go back.”

Taeheon said tiredly. It was bad. Really bad.

To act like that and then tell her to leave?

“Were you trying to die? How could you do that? Seriously, to die alone, and then what? Is that how you take revenge on me?”

“Why the hell did you come?”

“If you had died alone like that, I would have… felt guilty…”

“Go when I tell you to go!”

Taeheon shouted with bloodshot eyes. He covered his forehead with his palm and breathed heavily.

“I’m sorry for yelling, but please go.”

With teary eyes, Yeonseo spat out her choked voice as if holding back tears.

“Assh*le.”

“Yeah. So go. Don’t worry about the assh*le.”

“Woo Taeheon, you’re such an assh*le!”

Yeonseo screamed, bursting into tears.

From the beginning, she didn’t want to be someone pitiful to him. She didn’t want to become a pitiful person, didn’t want sympathy, and certainly didn’t want to become a mistress. From the beginning, Woo Taeheon was a man to Yeonseo.

When he slowly climbed the stairs of the Yongin house, when he threw the money envelope, she liked him. It was love from the beginning. And because of love, it hurt.

If he were nothing to her, she wouldn’t have been entangled to this extent. She wouldn’t have been lost.

Her love was bitter, struggling in discomfort. While picking up tiny grains of happiness, she inadvertently picked up wounds. Yet, within that, there was undoubtedly a small grain of happiness.

If she meets Taeheon again, would it be okay this time?

Yeonseo couldn’t be sure, but at least she could hold onto the hope that Taeheon wouldn’t intentionally cause her pain this time.

Because he was saying he loved her.

He said he loved her to the point of death. 

How could she push him away more?

“Do you really… love me?”

Taehun’s eyes were red as he looked at Yeonseo. He didn’t say anything harsh anymore. He didn’t say anything to make Yeonseo feel bad, as he did before.

“Do you really… love me?”

Because he loved her.

“You said you love me. Why did you try to die?”

“I thought I would ruin you. I couldn’t bear it, and I felt like I would… do something to you.”

Taeheon’s voice was tinged with agony.

“I know I have to leave, but I don’t want to. I think about ways to forcibly possess you several times a day.”

“Sob…”

“I went to your house and ran away because I was afraid I might harm you, and even going to the United States didn’t seem to make it better.”

Taeheon was experiencing a painful love just like Yeonseo.

“Knowing I can’t stop myself, I thought it would be best to just die. It would be better than hurting you.”

“You… you’re crazy.”

“Yeah. So, you better run away from a crazy guy like me. Do you even know where this is?”

“How can I run away like this?”

Yeonseo asked with tears streaming down her face. She had been thinking on her way here.

Taeheon must have planned this deliberately. He probably didn’t actually intend to die.

He must have done all this to make her come back.

If she didn’t think that way, his seemingly selfless love would be too pitiful. She had tried hard to convince herself that she should feel sorry for him, who until now didn’t understand what emotions like love were.

However, what she felt from Taeheon was a desperate sense of blind love. If he wanted her to come back, he wouldn’t have pushed her away.

“… Sob, after doing all this, you’re telling me to go? How can you be like this?”

“Han Yeonseo, stop crying. Don’t faint and make people worry again.”

Taeheon narrowed his eyes and tried to get up, so Yeonseo ran over to him. If he had undergone general anesthesia, he should have been lying down without moving for a while.

“How can I run away if the patient gets up? Sob… Hmhm…?”

Tears burst out like a dammed river, making it difficult for her to speak. As she lightly pressed his chest, the strong scent of disinfectant filled the air.

Red marks from the disinfectant and bloodstains that hadn’t been wiped away yet were terrifyingly evident. Despite the shivers from his daring act of trying to die, Yeonseo cried with relief, like a child, grateful that he was alive.

“I told you not to cry. Han Yeonseo. Yeonseo….”

Taeheon awkwardly comforted her, not knowing what to do, as he gently stroked her back.

After crying for a while, Yeonseo barely managed to wipe away her tears. She had to stop crying now. A resolute response suited this crazy man more than her weak appearance did.

That way, he won’t have such thoughts again. Yeonseo sniffled and wiped away her tears.

“I won’t just sit back and watch, for real.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and closed her lips tightly against the tears that flowed again.  When she did that, Taeheon, who had been quietly watching her, raised his hand and gently stroked her small face. Afraid that he might caress her again, she pushed his hand away.

“Don’t do that. It’s okay, just lie down properly.”

“….”

“Can’t you just listen to me?”

Taeheon finally leaned his head back on the bed. Now that he’s lying down properly, he truly looked like a patient. A patient who had recently undergone surgery. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about it again. Eventually, with a sob, Yeonseo straightened the hanging IV line and pulled the covers over Taeheon’s body

Taeheon reached out with his uninjured arm and lightly wrapped his hand around Yeonseo’s wrist, trying to stop her from wiping her eyes again.

“How long are you going to cry? Tell me. So I can prepare myself.”

“What do you want me to do about my tears? Do I need your permission for this too?”

“I want to wipe them away for you.”

“It’s fine.”

After hesitating, Yeonseo pulled out a tissue and wiped her face. Seeing her blushing face, Taeheon smirked.

“Even at times like this, I’m getting turned on.”

“…What?”

“My c*ck’s standing.”

Looking at Taeheon’s nonchalant lower body, Yeonseo burst into tears again. It was absurd and sad. As relief set in, he seemed even more pitiful.

Still, he had to tell her firmly.

“Don’t ever think about that again.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I can, seeing you crying like this.”

“Just try to kill yourself again. Then, I’ll follow suit. As a ghost, I’ll follow you and torment you, just to bother you.”

“That sounds like a threat.”

Wiping away tears with a serious expression as she glanced at his lower body again, she opened her eyes fiercely.

“I’m not kidding.”

He squeezed Yeonseo’s wrist lightly. His bloodstained hand gripped her slender wrist.

“Now you know you can’t leave.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t I tell you that if you come, I won’t let you go?”

Taeheon’s stubbornness remained. Yeonseo, who had been glaring at him, snorted.

“I can’t remember every little thing.”

“Han Yeonseo.”

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Yeonseo replied coldly and went into the bathroom. It took her quite a while to straighten up her messed up face.

As she came out again, drank water and tied her hair, Taeheon’s gaze never once left her.

“You can’t do it twice. Coming here like this and then leaving, you can’t.”

“You’re being noisy.”

“Ha…”

Taeheon exhaled as if he were about to laugh. After checking his bandages ,and the IV line Yeonseo drew the curtain. Then she headed towards Taeheon’s bed.

She took off her shoes and lay down next to him. The bed was spacious, but she carefully occupied the space that didn’t touch his wounds. As she curled up like a shrimp, surprisingly, sleep overwhelmed her.

“I’m going to sleep, I haven’t gotten any sleep because of someone, so I need to rest. You can either sleep or reflect, whatever.”

There was a gentle touch carefully caressing her eye area. It brushed over her hair, touched her forehead, then traced her cheek. Like handling something precious, it delicately drew closer, finally reaching her lips.

“Am I already dead? Is that why I’m dreaming?”

“Yes. It’s a dream. Maybe because you’ve contributed a lot to society, you’re rewarded in your dream.”

“If that’s the case, I don’t want to wake up.”

His voice was sweet as he said he would dream of her forever. The corner of Yeonseo’s lips twitched, then lifted.

“I’m not being held back by you, I’m choosing not to go. It’s my choice.”

When she opened her eyes slightly in response to the lack of any answer, she saw the black pit she had encountered before. The swaying shadow drew closer.

“Wait. Don’t move…”

Soft, full lips overlapped. A very light touch, then a slow lick. Breaths mingled as they explored each other, tracing and gently caressing.

He spat out her soft lips and then carefully sucked them in. The sensation flowed like water. She wasn’t sure who the hot tears belonged to.

Taeheon was tender. He filled the moment with gentle touches, caressing her like soothing whispers, exploring the depth of passion that tingled in her lower abdomen. This was the moment they had both been waiting for.

When her breathing became slightly ragged, he broke the kiss and pulled his lips away.

“I actually f*cking love that you’re crying for me.”

His voice was husky with excitement and amus*ment.

“I want to comfort you, but I also want to see you cry more. Because the sound of you being shaken by me is music to my ears.”

The naughty confession filled Yeonseo with emotions.

Perhaps that’s what love is. When the hearts are connected, it completes an emotion like a puzzle.

Her heart was overflowing like a warm balloon filling her chest.

“Now lie down properly. You need to sleep.”

“Don’t act too cute.”

Taeheon looked at Yeonseo with a wry smile and then gazed at the sky before lying down.

With Taeheon by her side, Yeonseo felt like she was in a dream. She hoped it was a dream, but at the same time, she wished it wasn’t.

For the first time in a while, Yeonseo slept peacefully. It seemed like she wouldn’t have sad dreams anymore.