CHAPTER 11

Minhee stared at his lips, which were drawn into a long arc in a breathtakingly sexy shape, and licked her dried lips before her eyes locked with Taejun’s. As he slowly withdrew his hand from Rose, his smile slowly faded, and a thick wall seemed to descend again.

Minhee swallowed a wistful sigh. She felt as if a precious, shiny, rare treasure had been snatched away from her.

Averting her gaze from Taejun, who was looking at her with a strange mixture of anger and embarrassment, Minhee turned her attention to Rose.

[Rose, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when your uncle gets home?]

[Hug!]

[How long?]

[Thirty minutes!]

[No, not thirty ‘minutes’, but thirty ‘seconds’. Rose will count to fifteen, and Uncle will count the rest].

It’s a technique she learned in one of her graduate school classes in “Family Therapy,” and it’s been an effective way to increase intimacy in families where attachment relationships were not well formed.

It was a simple form of physical contact—hugging each other for a set period—yet it facilitated the breaking down of barriers and enabled emotional exchanges that were difficult to express in words.

For Taejun, who found expressing affection the most challenging according to the study plan, it was also the easiest way to teach him how to do so.

 [Yeah! I’m good at counting. Give me a hug, Santon!]

When Rose spread her arms to be embraced, Taejun awkwardly extended his arms and lifted the child from the sofa. Rose squirmed with her legs dangling.

[Whoa! It’s dangerous, you have to hug her tightly!]

Taejun panicked at the mention of danger and pulled Rose to his chest, holding her awkwardly. Rose squirmed uncomfortably in his arms.

For Taejun, who didn’t know what to do, Minhee lightly pulled his arms to support his thighs and waist to help him maintain a stable posture.

After looking at him with satisfaction, Minhee was about to take a step back when Rose, who had been nestled against Taejun, swiftly turned around and wrapped her arms around her neck.

[Miss Minhee, hug me too!]

[It’s dangerous, Rose!]

Rose’s upper body tilted acrobatically towards Minhee, who was much shorter than Taejun. Supporting Rose, Minhee took a step closer to Taejun, and her elbow jabbed him in the chest. Taejun swallowed a silent gasp at the unexpected attack.

[Okay, I’m going to hug you, but put your arms around your uncle. You’re going to fall, Rose!]

With that, Rose wrapped one arm around Taejun’s neck and pulled her other arm around Minhee’s neck. With Rose’s arms around her neck, Minhee’s face buried in Taejun’s hard chest.

[Rose! Wait, wait, wait!]

As Minhee tried to lift Rose’s arm to release herself from the little arm wrapped around her neck, this time her chest came into contact with the arm around Rose’s waist.

As she struggled in panic, she could vividly feel his forearms burning against her chest. Minhee’s face went pale, then quickly turned red.

[Santon also hugs Miss Minnie!]

As his forearm that touched Minhee’s chest slid away, it crossed her shoulder. Minhee, trapped in Taejun’s embrace, adjusted her awkward posture.

She could smell the cold winter air from the hem of his suit that brushed against her cheek. The image of his face smiling at Rose flashed through her mind, and Minhee’s already pounding heart surged even more.

‘Calm down! I’m a teacher, and he’s… my employer!’

Minhee recalled a phrase she’d heard many times before and tried to force her breathing down, which was almost as dizzying as her heartbeat.

“I’m just demonstrating, setting an example, you know. A little physical contact is inevitable. It’s even weirder to be overly conscious about it. After all, he probably doesn’t see me as a woman.’

Practical thoughts spread through her mind like a bitter pill. Minhee took a small, deep breath to calm her heartbeat.

In truth, she liked the physical contact. There was something relaxing about touching and feeling his body heat.

When she was young, she was always glued to her mom, earning her the nickname ‘Mom’s Gum.’ The habit continued, and she even clung to Miho, prompting Miho to unconsciously call her by the name of the dog they had raised in the past.

‘So, let’s teach this stiff guy that a hug is supposed to be like this, shall we?’

She put one hand on Rose’s back, pulling her a little closer to him, and the other lightly around his waist. Although her side and thigh touched his body, it felt more comfortable as she leaned in, relaxing her whole body against him.

His hard, muscular body was more comfortable than she’d expected.

[Rose, count. Quickly].

Minhee flinched at the sound of Taejun’s rough, low voice and then an excited Rose began counting.

[……eleven, two-twelve, fourteen-]

[Rose, you missed thirteen.]

As Minhee pointed out the number Rose had skipped, a short gasp escaped Taejun’s mouth. Minhee glanced up at him, but his chin was up, so she couldn’t read his expression.

[Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen! Done!]

[Sixteen, seventeen, eight—]

As Taejun continued counting in a calm voice, Rose, who had grown bored during his turn, pushed him away, wiggling her arms and legs.

Taking advantage of the slack in Taejun’s arm strength, Rose twisted her tiny body around and slipped away, climbing the back of the couch and settling into the cushions. It all happened in an instant.

As Taejun’s arm, attempting to catch Rose, swung into the air, he ended up embracing Minhee instead. Minhee’s nose pressed against his silk tie, her body pressed tightly against his.

The faint scent of lavender disoriented Minhee’s senses. Her soft br*asts pressed flat against his rock-hard abs.

Contrary to her expectations that he would panic and pull away as soon as he realized the situation, Taejun didn’t loosen his hold on her.

[Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty…….]

A low, bass voice from above Minhee’s crown began to count the remaining numbers slowly.

Minhee’s heart raced, forgetting even to breathe for a moment. She anticipated that Taejun would also feel her heartbeat, making her feel dizzy.

[……twenty-nine……. Thirty].

As Taejun gradually released his arms from around Minhee, she took a step back, gripping the back of the couch and leaning against it. Her big, clear eyes looked up at him, confusion and question in them. Taejun was the first to avert his gaze, his throat visibly bobbing as he turned his head.

[You go ahead and start dinner, I’ll…… wash up and join you].

Walking out of the living room and toward his room at the end of the hall, Taejun carried his jacket and loosened his tie with a rough gesture. As soon as he opened the door, he unbuttoned his shirt, removed his belt buckle, and discarded his clothes.

Standing n*ked in front of the shower, he tilted his head back, letting the water cascade down, chuckling as he wiped the streaming water from his face.

The icy cold water felt like needles pricking his whole body. As his c*ck half-stood up, his earlier suspicions became certain. 

He was aroused by Rose’s teacher, Miss Minnie. Uncontrollably.

* * *

Luca Lopez, Taejun’s personal assistant, stood in front of the penthouse, gently brushing off the accumulated snow from his coat. March in New York leaned more towards winter than spring, and days with heavy snowfall were not uncommon.

Luca, as usual, didn’t even bother to ring the doorbell but used his key to open the front door. Stepping inside, he stopped abruptly.

The usual silence in Taejun’s apartment was disrupted by the lively sound of footsteps and faint laughter, which seemed out of place.

He looked around the living room to make sure he was in the right place, but it was definitely Taejun’s apartment.

[What kind of cookies did you make, Rose?]

[Rose’s cookie is a bunny-shaped cookie, here!]

With the ingredients they’d requested from the chef, Rose, and Minhee sat down in the spacious dining room and excitedly kneaded the cookie dough, sprinkling flour around and occasionally grabbing chocolate pieces to eat.

Minhee had promised Rose, a picky eater, that if she ate at least five pieces of grilled salmon, she would let her have a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

[Hello, Luca!]

With cautious steps, Luca entered the kitchen. Rose greeted him with a quick glance and then turned her attention back to the attractive woman.

[Miss Minnie,  let’s quickly bake the cookies!]

As the woman placed the cookies in the oven, she bent her waist towards Rose.

[While the cookies are baking, Rose, why don’t you draw today’s menu on a piece of paper, so that when Uncle comes over, he’ll know exactly what’s for dinner].

[Yes, I’ll do that!]

[I left the paper and colored pencils on the living room table].

As Rose scurried out into the living room, Minhee’s large eyes turned to Luca, both wary and curious at the arrival of a strange man. Luca extended his hand and introduced himself.

[Hi, we’ve met via email, but this is the first time we’ve met face to face. I’m Luca Lopez. I came to deliver the credit card as per the boss’s instructions.]

Luca, a personal assistant who helps with personal matters not related to company business, was a tall Latino man about half a foot taller than Minhee, with a smooth complexion.

[Nice to meet you, Luca! I’m Minhee, thanks for all the help you’ve given me].

Luca was impeccably groomed, with neatly trimmed hair and eyebrows, shiny clear nail polish, and a form-fitting pale pink shirt and white pants.

Without needing to ask, Luca exuded his personality confidently through his attitude and style, making it easy to discern his orientation.

Luca handed a robust, black credit card with a print of a Greek warrior in a helmet to Minhee while observing her with curious eyes.

Minhee stiffly took the credit card and smiled slightly as she locked eyes with Luca. He met her gaze and playfully smiled.

[Wow, this is so different from what I imagined!]