CHAPTER 38

The chef was excited to finally be able to put his culinary skills to good use. At dinner on Wednesday, Minhee gulped down a mouthful of the chef’s truffle risotto, her eyes widened, and she gave the chef two thumbs up. The chef, accompanied by a burst of booming laughter, exclaimed, ‘Grazie Senorina!’.

“How is it, Mr. Taejun? Does it suit your taste?” 

When Taejun looked up, he locked eyes with Minhee. With her clenched fists crossed over her chest and her shoulders squared, she was gauging his reaction, and the look of anticipation was so ridiculously cute that the corners of his mouth twitched upward without restraint.

“Well, it’s delicious.”

Indeed, all the dishes served were delightful. Taejun used to think that Junhee’s habit of constantly searching for and reserving exclusive restaurants was a waste of time. But now he understood a little bit why he did it. He had long forgotten that there was such a thing as the pl*asure of eating.

Rose, too, hadn’t eaten Korean-style food for a long time, continuously scooped up spoonfuls of white rice without any side dishes. There was silence at the dinner table for a while as all three of them focused on their meals.

 [Rose should have a side dish.]

From across the table, Minhee broke the silence, placing a bite-sized piece of grilled fish on top of Rose’s rice. She then puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips.

Taejun looked down at his plate and dishes in front of him. They were almost empty now. He felt more satisfied than ever, but the sight of Minhee made him hungry again. He couldn’t tell if he wanted more food or if he wanted to nibble on those plump lips. It felt like his teeth were itching to bite into something like a beast.

‘Damn. When does the temptation even begin? Isn’t it flirting when you just stick your lips out like that and breathe?

Taejun gulped down the cold water, looking at Minhee through the transparent glass.

‘Can’t I just make a move first, and make up a plausible reason for being seduced later?’

Minhee ate diligently, still placing small pieces of fish on Rose’s cutlery. Taejun sighed short of breath, suppressing his impatience.

‘I shouldn’t think about such things at the dining table with Rose, beast.’

It had been almost a week since Taejun had been able to see Minhee at the dinner table without sharing her with other variables besides the constant of Rose. This week, Luca had practically stayed at their house until Thursday night due to the playroom construction.

‘Damn Luca Lopez. He intruded even with our 30-second hug, and had dinner at our house.’

Despite knowing Luca’s nature, a dark, twisted feeling welled up in him every time he saw him and Minhee link arms, shoulder to shoulder, and whisper in each other’s ear.

‘Is his orientation really that?’

On Wednesday, witnessing Minhee cozying up to the chef, whispering sweet nothings, Taejun’s discomfort reached its peak. When Minhee burst into laughter and put her hand on the chef’s forearm, he could feel his pulse pounding in the artery on the side of his forehead.

‘Did she choose the chef as her practice target for seduction, not me?’

Taejun struggled with the urge to fire the chef.

‘Do you like a married man who is around your father’s age and has a generous physique?’

Wednesday night. Taejun, overwhelmed with impatience and irritating emotions, summoned Luca to his study. Although he knew it was unfair, he couldn’t restrain himself.

As Taejun stared at Luca without saying a word, Luca lowered his head, and his fingers clenched visibly.

‘Is my impression really that intimidating?’

Taejun just stared, but most of the employees’ reactions were similar to Luca’s.

[Is there a particular reason why the playroom construction is going so slowly?]

Luca looked up, briefly scanning Taejun’s expression, and turned pale. He’d had Luca as his personal assistant for quite some time because he was a perfectionist and a fast worker. Moreover, he always met deadlines, and Taejun didn’t know how he managed to do it.

[I’ll do my best to finish it by tomorrow!]

[Lopez. Make sure to keep your word. I don’t care how much it costs].

[Yes, Boss!]

The next day, Luca skipped dinner and hounded the contractor until, at nine o’clock, he finally reported that the playroom was finished and disappeared from the house, rubbing the dark circles under his eyes. As a reward for completing the work on time, Taejun granted him a day off on Friday along with a bonus.

‘Come to think of it, Chef and Minhee being close on Wednesday might have been planning the Korean menu.’

His frown instantly softened.

‘I’ll talk to Luca about giving a bonus to Chef and Minhee too.’

Making a mental note to himself, Taejun neatly emptied his plate of leftovers.

* * *

“Taejun, wait a moment!”

Minhee called Taejun as he was leaving the dining room after dinner. It bothered her every time she saw the lip marks on the white dress shirt he was wearing.

‘If the housekeeper sees it during laundry, it’s embarrassing.’

Furthermore, she was worried that the red tint might seep into the white clothes and not come out. Taejun usually changed his clothes as soon as he got home, but it seemed like he didn’t have time today.

‘Take off your shirt and give it to me. I’ll wash it for you.’

Taejun’s gaze dropped to his pecs, observing the lip marks, then looked up again. His lips slightly curved, and the shallow dimples vanished in an instant.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, you really should give it to me.”

After a moment of silence, the corners of Taejun’s mouth slowly turned up. Minhee felt a chill run down her spine for no reason.

“…,well, alright.”

Taejun’s long fingers quickly started unb*ttoning in front of Minhee’s eyes. The hem of his neatly b*ttoned shirt fell open, revealing a scar across his toned chest.

“N-no, not that… I mean, I’m not asking for it now, but-“

Taejun’s fingers didn’t stop, continuing to unb*tton. When Minhee looked down in embarrassment, she saw him roughly pull the hem of his shirt out of his pants.

‘Holy macaroni! I want to see it! I want to openly admire Baek Taejun’s chest. I want to touch it, I want to feel what it’s like!

Feeling a sudden, explicit, and strange desire, Minhee’s whole body heated up. The adult video she had watched a few days ago played vividly in her mind, with Taejun’s body overlapping the man who writhed on top of a woman.

‘Seol Minhee, you must be crazy!’

Suddenly, the sound of her own breathing was deafening. Unintentionally, with her mouth agape, she found herself gasping for breath. Minhee clenched her teeth, swallowing hard.

As she sneakily looked with side glances, Taejun was pulling his arms out of the shirt. His upper torso twisted slightly, revealing a set of tightly defined abs that bulged and rippled.

With her head lowered, a hand clutching a white shirt slipped under her nose, and she hesitantly snatched it up and lifted her head. Her vision blurred as if her fevered brain was losing focus.

Taejun stared down at her, eyes half-lidded, an unfamiliar gleam in his pupils. Minhee took an involuntary step back.

“Huh……!”

Taejun exhaled sharply and stormed out of the dining room, leaving a frozen Minhee behind. The man without a shirt on looked even more imposing than when he was dressed.

From his broad shoulders, past his prominent wingbones, to his muscular back, to his lean waist, to the silhouette of his toned thighs, which were revealed with each crossing step, to his long legs.

Minhee leaned against the wall, her eyes tracing Taejun’s back as he walked away toward his study. The faint scent of his cologne lingered in the shirt she tightly gripped against her chest. Shivering as if experiencing chills, her body trembled lightly. It was only now that Minhee realized.

‘I’m ready.’

* * *

To hear the sound of Taejun opening and coming out of Rose’s room, Minhee pressed her ear against her own door. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she was afraid she wouldn’t hear the door, so she left it open a little.

For the past few days, Taejun had been the only one reading Rose a bedtime story. It was something he would have to do on his own once Minhee’s tenancy was over.

By June, along with the termination of the home tutor contract, the ‘practice partner contract’ would also come to an end. It was still unimaginable. Minhee closed her eyes, shaking her head as if shaking off thoughts.

In June, his contract as a live-in tutor would end, as well as his ‘practice partner’ contract. He couldn’t even imagine it yet. Minhee closed her eyes tightly and shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.

‘Carpe Diem! Let’s just focus on today!’

She stood with her hand on the doorknob and looked around her room. The guest room, which had been plain, felt much cozier with the pictures and frames she received from the kids, cushions brought from home, and other decorations.

By the half-closed curtains at the window, there were two single sofas with a small table in between. On the table, a white vase held sweet spring hyacinths, filling the room with a pleasant fragrance. Next to it was a bottle of wine and a simple cheese plate prepared in advance.

Minhee absentmindedly wiped the sweat from her palms onto her clothes and stopped when she saw her reflection in the window. She was wearing a short, airy dress she didn’t usually wear.

The pearl-b*ttoned dress, with its square neckline, teasingly revealed her collarbone. The skirt swayed around mid-thigh, giving off a flirtatious vibe.

At Miho’s urging, she’d paid a fortune to buy it for parties and dates, but she’d never worn it because she knew the slightest breeze would reveal her *ss under the skirt.

‘I’m glad I wore my new underwear.’