CHAPTER 20

Taejun left work much earlier than usual to prepare for the job interview for the weekend nanny. His employees glanced at him as he left, then turned back to their computer monitors. Although he left work early, everyone knew he would be working from home until late at night, so there was no longer the same sense of excitement as before.

Walking out of the building, Taejun braved the cold wind between the tall buildings, taking large strides. But unlike usual, his mind was filled with a single thought.

‘Miss Minnie.’

The conversation with Jaehee during lunch and the subsequent thoughts that followed had captivated Taejun. Lost in contemplation, he mechanically turned the key when he reached the entrance.

As soon as the door opened, the lively Latin music pouring out was so invigorating that it swept away the preoccupations in his mind.

‘What is she up to today again?’

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to this moment. Even while working, he found himself looking forward to this time, thinking about it from time to time.

Returning to his dark and quiet home, where traces of human existence were scarce, was just the mundane end to his routine.

‘This is different now…’

As he entered through the front door, the lights were already on. The living room was filled with the sweet smell of cookies, Rose’s pink unicorn backpack lay in the hallway, cushions from the sofa were rolling on the living room floor, and music was playing.

It felt strange. Taking a short, deep breath, Taejun stepped quietly into the hall. Taking off his coat and tossing it on the bench, he entered the living room to find Miss Minnie and Rose dancing, facing each other.

[Hey Macarena!]

[Eh macarena!]

Miss Minnie, who laughed and changed direction, stretched out her arms, crossed them, then placed both hands on her head and swayed her waist, froze in the same dancing position as soon as she spotted Taejun. Her waist, which had been shaking seductively, became stiff and she lowered her hands that were on either side of her head.

Rose, who had been dancing excitedly beside her, saw Miss Minnie stop and turned her head to follow her gaze, finding Taejun.

[Santon!!!]

With light footsteps, Rose ran towards him and hugged him tightly. Rose looked back at Minhee and motioned for her to come quickly.

There was an awkward silence as Minhee smiled and lifted her phone to turn off the music. Taejun hesitated and made eye contact with Minhee, who took a couple steps toward him as if being dragged. Taejun shifted Rose to his right arm, extending his left arm with a flourish, signaling Minhee to join.

Her heart fluttered at the sight of Taejun’s arms spread wide, as if he had left Min-hee’s place vacant.

‘Relax, I’m just a bystander here. You know this hug means nothing.’

As she slowly approached him, her breathing a little labored from dancing with Rose, Taejun took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. His left hand across Minhee’s back, his right arm around Rose’s waist, and Minhee was trapped in his strong arms, pressed tightly against him.

‘Is there a need to go this far…!’

When Minhee looked up, wide-eyed, Taejun was staring down at her. In the relentless rise and fall of their quickened breaths, her chest tightened against his firm abs.

Taejun’s expression remained impassive, no different from usual, but his gaze was slightly different.

His gaze was still intense, almost unbearably so. But instead of his usual nonchalant stare, his eyes were filled with a mixture of curiosity and a strange impatience, as if he was looking at something new.

‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

Minhee squirmed like a trapped butterfly in a spider’s web. As if an invisible hook extended from Taejun’s gaze, she couldn’t look away from him.

[Santon, I can count to thirty by myself, I even know how to count to a hundred, Miss Minnie, should we try counting to a hundred today?]

At the sudden voice, their gazes snapped back to Rose.

[……Huh? No, no, no, thirty is enough, now go ahead, Rose].

Minhee whispered to Rose under her breath. Taejun felt his arm around Minhee’s waist straining too hard.

The sweet fruity scent emanating from Minhee, pressed against him like a soft plush doll, tickled his nose. Then he remembered his dream from last night, and it became even harder to control himself.

The sensation of her skin against his tongue in the dream flashed through his mind. The erratic beats of his heart, now synchronized with the rhythmic thumping coming from her chest, intensified the connection.

[……fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…….]

‘Maybe Rose is counting too fast, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to count to a hundred slowly.’

The warmth of her body against his chilly suit warmed his heart.

The woman who disturbed his dreams wriggling in his arms felt like a small bird’s feathers gently tickling his heart, now thoroughly warmed.

‘What do you call this feeling of blood rushing to my head and down my spine?’

Whatever it was, one thing was certain.

‘I don’t want to let go.’

Against Taejun’s wishes, Rose counted out loud and steadily.

[……Twenty-nine, thirty, Santon, I did good, now put me down!]

[Good girl].

While Taejun still didn’t release his grip, Minhee whispered to Rose.

[Rose, haven’t you forgotten anything? Didn’t we practice earlier?]

[Huh? Ah……! I forgot while dancing the macarena. It was in Korean, ‘Annyeong…’ What was next?]

Minhee whispered into Rose’s confused ear, her head tilted.

[Oh, I remember now!]

When Rose tried to say it, she seemed unsure and shy, her body twisting.

[Ssanton annyeoi danyeosyeosseosseoyoo.]  (Mispronounciation of ‘Samchon Annyeonghaseyo’ = Uncle, hello)

[…….]

Minhee smiled with satisfaction, looking at Taejun. Then she lifted her head to look at Taejun, as if urging him to answer, and took a small breath.

Taejun’s mouth twitched a few times before gracefully curving upward. Simultaneously, his eyes elongated, and the half-hidden irises beneath his eyelashes emitted a soft glow like black jewels.

“Yeah. Well done.”

As Taejun revealed his smile, Minhee couldn’t take her eyes off his dazzling face.

Suddenly, the intercom rang loudly.

Startled by the unexpected loud sound, Minhee flinched and grabbed Taejun’s jacket, then slowly let go. Taejun reluctantly removed his hand from around her waist and set Rose down on the floor. Then, he picked up the intercom next to the entrance.

[Send them up.]

A low, bass voice echoed chillingly in the entrance hall. The hairs on Minhee’s forearms and the nape of her neck stood on end.

* * *

The interview for the weekend nanny went smoothly. Taejun, having memorized all the questions Minhee prepared, asked sharp questions at appropriate times while interviewing three candidates.

The last of the three candidates was a middle-aged Korean woman in her late fifties.

She mentioned that she has children who are grown up, and even grandchildren. Recently, after parting ways with her husband, she was looking for something she could do on her own. Since she loves children, she decided to look after children around her grandchildren’s age and she said that she liked the fact that she only had to work on weekends.

When Minhee asked her how she would like to be addressed, she shyly smiled and said,

“It’s been over 20 years since I immigrated from Korea, and I’m still not used to being called by my first name. How about ‘Mrs. Kim’ or ‘Auntie’ in Korean?”

Despite her lack of childcare experience, Minhee liked the calm and warm “aunt” at first sight and cautiously told Taejun her opinion. Without much discussion, Taejun called Luca and instructed him to hire “Mrs. Kim.”

After the interview, the evening passed uneventfully, following a familiar routine. After Rose went to bed, Minhee decided to exercise for the first time in a while.

‘The chef’s food is so delicious that I feel like I’ve gained weight! I don’t want to sweat and work out anymore……. Hmph.’

Minhee pouted as she looked at herself in the mirror. With chubby cheeks and extra fat seemingly sticking out, she felt conscious of looking even younger than she was.

In the past, she would go for a jog or skip dinner if she felt like she was gaining weight. But now she couldn’t skip dinner because she had dinner with Rose and Taejun, so the only way was to exercise.

‘It’s a good apartment, so there must be a gym in the building, right?’

She planned to go down to the lobby and asked the doorman. If there was no gym, she planned to run in Central Park after changing clothes. As she pushed open the door to leave before her resolve faltered, her eyes locked with Taejun’s as he walked through the doorway.

Instinctively, she almost pulled the door closed, realizing it was rude, she stopped and awkwardly smiled at Taejun. He nodded slightly toward Minhee and continued past her.

[Mr. Baek!]

When Minhee called Taejun, he noticeably stiffened his back, slowly turned around, and looked down at Minhee.

‘I shouldn’t have called him! I should have just gone down to the lobby and asked the doorman.’

Encounters with Taejun without Rose were rare, but whenever she did, she found herself fumbling awkwardly, like a person with their hands and feet reversed, and would end up running back to her room with her face turning red.

Dressed in a tight black sleeveless T-shirt and black athletic shorts, this was the most casual she had ever seen him. But his thick, toned muscles were on full display, and it was hard to look away.

‘There was a reason why suit fits him so well. Those are the fashion muscles I’ve been hearing about.

She slightly averted her gaze and looked at his relatively safe forearm.

‘Wow, the muscles and veins are so rugged, like tree roots….’

[…..Is there a problem?]