CHAPTER 44

The springs of the mattress creaked slightly as it gave way under the weight of the large man, and a strong arm draped over Minhee’s shoulders.

When Minhee pulled her hands away from her face, Taejun’s n*ked chest pecs came into view. His arm wrapped around her, awkwardly patting her back over the blanket. When they were having s*x, they were as affectionate as lovers in love, but this was awkward again.

‘Taejun has made it clear that he wants to have s*x but not get involved beyond that, so maybe he doesn’t want to do this…….’

Nevertheless, Minhee nestled into Taejun’s embrace playfully. His refreshing scent and reassuring weight felt so good.

Taejun initially stiffened all over, took a deep breath, and relaxed his body. As Minhee buried her face into his chest, she could feel his heartbeat. Tears ceased as she listened to the gradually shifting rhythm of his irregular heartbeats. Slowly, the trembling in her body stopped and drowsiness overtook her.

Minhee lay still, breathing evenly, unmoving, even as Taejun rubbed the corners of her reddened eyes. Her face looked so pale in sleep that his heart ached. Taejun quietly pushed himself out of bed, grabbed the cool towel, and headed for the bathroom.

He wiped her body with the warm towel, covered her with the blanket up to her chin, and felt a pang of self-disgust as he glanced again at her squirming under the covers.

‘Am I treating her like a human being or an animal?’

In order to refrain from disturbing the woman who had fallen asleep, Taejun forcibly turned away. He sat on a chair, gazing at the sleeping Minhee for a while.

It was close to dawn. The scent of hyacinths and the smell of s*x mingled in the small room. The dim light from a single lamp in the room enveloped Taejun in a drowsy, cozy atmosphere.

In fact, he had thought that after having s*x with Minhee, his abnormally obsessive physical desires toward her would disappear or at least come under control. But his p*nis, still stiff and rigid, mocked him, vehemently disagreeing.

Even though he had ej*culated once, it was like a drop of water on the searing thirst he’d been holding back. As the floodgates of desire opened, he found himself becoming even more impatient.

‘There’s still plenty of time. After a few more ‘practice’ sessions, I’ll eventually get tired of it.’

He had never slept with a woman in bed before. However, today, he found himself unwilling to climb onto his cold bed lying alone in his spacious room. The temptation of the small, white, soft woman sleeping soundly on the bed was too strong.

Resisting the urge to crawl onto the bed, shake Minhee awake, and start ‘practicing’ again, Taejun quietly opened the door and stepped out. The corridor seemed unusually long and cold to him as he made his way to his room with slow steps dripping with regret.

* * *

Saturday morning. It was a breakfast table set with omelets, toast, fruits, and coffee. Minhee brought her coffee cup to her lips and glanced across at the man sitting opposite her.

Taejun was wearing an ivory sweater with navy blue borders and dark blue pants. As he sat down, he pushed up the sleeves of his sweater to his elbows, revealing prominent veins on his thick forearms and a large dial of his watch.

Wearing a light-colored top instead of his usual dark attire seemed to loosen the strict and restrained atmosphere, making Taejun look refreshingly appealing, almost like a model fresh out of a watch advertisement.

It was hard to believe that he was the same man who had looked down at Minhee with burning eyes, sweating profusely last night. If there hadn’t been evidence left on her body, she might have thought that last night’s encounter was just a dream. 

Minhee woke up in the early morning, n*ked, with only the duvet around her, and didn’t get out of bed for a while. Her body, which she thought would feel sticky without a shower, felt surprisingly fresh.

‘Did he wipe me off after I fell asleep yesterday?’

While she should be thankful for his manners, recalling the scene made Minhee feel so embarrassed that she pounded the bed with her fists, struggling with embarrassment.

Getting off the bed, Minhee stumbled and had to sit back down. Her thighs and b*ttocks felt sore from using muscles she didn’t usually use, and there was a lingering soreness between her legs.

Though it had progressed faster than expected, Minhee didn’t regret going all the way with Taejun. He had been much more affectionate and considerate than she had anticipated.

Just then, a cheerful notification tone rang from her phone. Startled out of her reverie, Minhee looked at her phone. It was a message from the weekend nanny. Lately, it was not uncommon for the household staff to contact her.

Despite her misgivings, Minhee had blended seamlessly into the life of Taejun’s Park Avenue penthouse. So much so, in fact, that the nannies, chefs, and housekeepers all feel more comfortable communicating with Taejun through Minhee, and she’s even taken on the role of relaying household matters to Taejun.

In fact, she couldn’t remember living in such a way before. When her mother was alive, the house felt full even when it was just Minhee and her mom. But after her mother died, Minhee was always alone because her father worked until the restaurant kitchen closed and came home late. Minhee was always alone. Being alone at home was long, boring, and sometimes scary.

Thanks to Rose, Taejun’s house rarely had quiet days. Moreover, with the servants and Luca around, it felt like a bustling household. Come to think of it, since she came to this house, Minhee never felt lonely.

‘I already miss it when I think about leaving.’

When Minhee leaves in early June, Rose and Taejun will be the only two people left in the large apartment.

‘Can these two manage just fine without me?’

Minhee alternated her gaze between Taejun and Rose, wondering why she was already worried.

‘Don’t fool yourself. I’m not their family. I’m just an employee hired to assist Taejun and Rose in becoming a family. When this time is over… I’ll have to return to my place.’

A distant, indescribable sense of loss crept over her.

‘I seem to have developed quite an attachment in a short time.’

She remembered the advice given to her by the principal.

[It’s not easy to find the right line as an educator, given the realistic limitations of not being able to be there for them forever, but for your own sake and theirs, it will help to maintain a certain amount of objective distance.]

Minhee was confused.

‘How much objective distance is appropriate? Haven’t I already become too involved in their lives?’

She glanced at Taejun and cut a small piece of omelet and popped it into her mouth. Right now, she has a more confusing issue at hand.

‘How do I treat the man I spent the night in bed with in the morning?’

If it were just a one-night stand, she could simply ignore him. And if they were lovers, there wouldn’t be a need to treat him differently after s*x. But Min-hee’s ‘practice partner’ was her employer, who lived in the same house.

Apart from the “practice,” it was appropriate to maintain the demeanor of a household tutor. However, she wondered if she would be able to keep up the poker face for long, as she was not good at hiding her emotions.

Minhee steeled herself and sat up straight, stretching her back. She barely suppressed a groan that threatened to escape from her stiff muscles. Then she turned to Taejun with a businesslike expression.

“The weekend nanny just texted me that she has a fever and feels like she has the flu. It looks like she’ll be able to come out tomorrow if she takes some medicine and rests for today.”

Taejun, who had been staring at Minhee, nodded briefly with his usual expressionless face. Minhee then looked at Rose, who was sitting next to her, gently stroking her head.

[Rose, the nanny can’t come today because she has a cold].

Rose’s lips quirked up in a pout. Rose was sensitive to changes in routine these days. She could go from being perfectly fine in a routine she’d just settled into, to having her trauma triggered by the slightest disruption to her familiar routine, causing anxiety attacks and nightmares in the early morning.

[Rose, listen. Today is a very special day! After breakfast, shall we go to the Metropolitan Museum with me and have a scavenger hunt?]

It was Minhee’s responsibility to constantly remind and reassure that even with a little change in the daily routine, it didn’t necessarily lead to something bad. Rose’s face, just before bursting into tears, gradually brightened, and a bright smile lit up her face like a fluorescent light. Indeed, a child was always a child.

[Yeah! I love Scavenger Hunt! Santon! Santon should come with us!]

Taejun turned to Minhee and asked.

“What’s a scavenger hunt?”

Surprised by the unexpected question, Minhee quickly lowered her head and erased her startled expression.

“If you didn’t attend school due to certain circumstances or were homeschooled, you might not know what a scavenger hunt is.”

Just as Korean school trips included treasure hunts, American school field trips often involved scavenger hunts.

“A scavenger hunt is like a treasure hunt in Korea. I happen to have printed out materials for it. We’ll look for the artwork together according to the prints. It’ll be a fun way to explore the museum without getting bored.”

“Ah, I see.”

Taejun nodded slowly. Minhee smiled shyly at him as if asking him to do her a favor.

“I know you must be very busy, but it would be really nice if you could take some time for Rose and join us. I have a membership, so all three of us can enter for free. It’ll be fun.”

Taejun’s lips twitched a little as he looked at Minhee’s blushing face.

“…Alright.”