CHAPTER 68

Suddenly, she remembered changing Rose’s clothes into pajamas in this bathroom.

“The plane is shaking, so Rose might wake up. If she wakes up and no one is there, she’ll be scared.”

Taejun briefly nodded and affectionately tucked Minhee’s disheveled hair behind her ear. Then he took her hand. She flustered and tried to pull her hand away, but it was no use.

“You want to come out with me?”

As Taejun unlocked the bathroom door, he pulled Minhee along as if it were the most natural thing to do.

“The plane’s still shaking, I can’t let you go alone.”

Minhee, taken aback, followed Taejun out, hiding behind his broad back, feeling like a guilty person sneaking out, her head bowed deeply. Fortunately, they reached their seats without encountering anyone. Taejun fastened her seatbelt and then glanced at Rose before returning to his seat.

Minhee realized that Taejun’s attitude towards her didn’t change whether they were in his house or out in public. He seemed completely unaware of how others might perceive their relationship.

‘At this level, aren’t we like lovers? If someone saw us, they would mistake this man for being in love with me.’

Minhee had been striving not to attach too much meaning to Taejun’s affectionate behavior. But today, Taejun had acted like a man in love, wanting to just kiss her. Of course, once they started kissing, it seemed he wanted to do more.

Even though Minhee had little experience with real relationships, Taejun’s behavior towards her was far too… intimate to be just that of a s*x partner.

She was certain of her feelings for Taejun. It was not the lukewarm admiration of a crush, but a deep love that made her heart ache just thinking about him. She liked this man, Baek Taejun, to the point where her heart ached just thinking about him. She loved him.

That’s why Minhee kept harboring hope, even though she shouldn’t. Her mind was in turmoil, so she put on the eye mask and tried to sleep.

***

The black taxi smoothly pulled up in front of the hotel lobby. A uniformed hotel staff m*mber opened the door for them, and Taejun and his group stepped out of the cab. From somewhere, Rose’s name was called.

“Grammy!”

As soon as she got out of the car, Rose, who had heard her name, ran towards her outstretched grandmother without letting anyone stop her.

Taejun had chosen a hotel close to his brother’s in-laws’ house in Apgujeong. It seemed that his in-laws had been waiting for them at the hotel. This was their third meeting, after Rose’s first birthday and the funeral of Taejun’s brother and sister-in-law.

The elderly couple held Rose in their arms, and when their eyes met Taejun’s, they awkwardly smiled, their eyes reddened with tears. They expressed their gratitude to Taejun while choking back tears.

When their gaze fell on Minhee, Taejun introduced her as Rose’s school teacher who had been helping her. The couple was startled and bowed deeply to Minhee several times.

‘After finishing the check-in process, it was almost 9 p.m. Rose was clinging to her maternal grandmother and refusing to come off her, so the in-laws asked Taejun if they could take her home and put her to bed.

“This child comes and stays here twice a year, so she’s used to staying with us. She has her own room, her own desk, and a playmat. When she comes to Korea, we take care of her.”

“Santon, please! I wanna go to Grammy’s house! I wanna see the chocolate and the puppy! So cute!”

Rose grabbed one of Taejun’s fingers and shook it vigorously while furrowing her brows. When Rose acted like this, Taejun was helpless.

He was supposed to take Rose to his in-laws’ tomorrow morning. He’d talked to the in-laws beforehand to see how she settled in and decide whether she’d stay with them or Taejun would take her, but it didn’t seem necessary.

“If anything happens, I’ll call you right away on the phone number I gave you earlier. Our house is within reach of this hotel, so don’t worry too much.”

Rose’s maternal grandmother smiled reassuringly at Taejun.

“Thank you.”

“No, we should be thanking you. You’ve gone through a lot taking care of Rose. It couldn’t have been easy for an unmarried bachelor to take care of a child. At least when you come to Korea, have a rest. And thank you, Miss, for coming all the way to Korea to help Rose.”

Rose’s gray-haired grandfather deeply bowed to Minhee, and the flustered Minhee bowed in return.

“Next time you come to Korea, don’t book a hotel. Just stay at our house.”

Rose’s grandmother patted Taejun on the back once again.

“…Yes.”

“Santon bye bye, Miss Minnie bye bye!” 

Rose, clinging to her maternal grandmother like glutinous rice cakes, waved to Taejun and Minhee. Taejun grinned and stroked Rose’s chubby cheeks with his fingertips.

“Okay, Rose. Listen well to Grandma and Grandpa.”

Rose nodded vigorously, mimicking Taejun’s words playfully.

“Yeah. Santon, listen to Miss Minnie well.”

“…Okay.”

Rose’s grandfather pulled Rose’s suitcase, while her grandmother held Rose’s hand, and they left the hotel lobby side by side. With only Taejun and Minhee left in the quiet hotel lobby, Minhee felt somewhat awkward being alone with Taejun without Rose.

“We should probably go inside.”

Taejun lightly placed his hand on Minhee’s back and led her toward the direction of the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, Minhee looked around and noticed the elegant Korean-modern artworks decorating the lobby and corridors. She quite liked this hotel.

When the elevator arrived, Taejun slid his hand into Minhee and led her inside. It felt like a signal that their private time together was about to begin. Leaning her head against Taejun’s arm, Minhee looked up at him.

As their eyes met, Minhee’s lips curved into a smile. Taejun’s gaze softened, and he gently brushed her lips with his thumb. She opened her lips slightly, biting gently on his thumb before releasing it.

“Heh. You’re really…”

“What floor?”

Instead of pressing a number, Taejun pressed the b*tton labeled “PH.”

“Penthouse.”

“Here too?”

“Yeah.”

“The view must be amazing.”

“Probably?”

But Minhee didn’t get the chance to admire the cityscape of Seoul through the large windows of the penthouse suite.

As the heavy door closed silently and the automatic lock clicked into place, Taejun lifted Minhee up.

Startled, Minhee clung to his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist, afraid of falling. Taejun walked over and gently placed her on the large sofa. Then, like a starving person, he captured her lips.

For a while, the only sounds filling the living room were the wet noises of their lips colliding and the occasional muffled moans. When their lips parted, Minhee’s heavily breathing chest rose and fell rapidly. Taejun buried his face in her chest and took a deep breath.

“How can a person smell this way…”

“Taejun, I haven’t showered… Ah!”

“You have a fruity scent.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Wait, there… Ooh!”

“…Your scent drives me crazy, you know? It turns me into a s*x-crazed beast.”

It was almost 11 o’clock when they finally sank into the round bathtub, the lavender-scented warm water enveloping them.

Minhee felt so drained of energy that she nearly spilled half the champagne Taejun had handed her. The first-class flight had been comfortable, and she had slept well, so she wasn’t feeling jet-lagged yet.

This was entirely because of the sturdy man leisurely leaning back in the bathtub. With Minhee sitting on his thighs, Taejun took the champagne glass from her and brought it to her lips, complaining.

“I can’t believe it’s Saturday night already, I feel like I woke up and had Friday night stolen from me.”

It was quite unusual for the stoic Taejun, who never batted an eye at anything, to complain. But-

“Ah… Taejun.”

“Huh?”

“Have you been secretly eating something good?”

“Me? What?”

Minhee slightly pulled back as she felt Taejun’s hard er*ect*on pressing against her waist. Immediately, Taejun wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, gripping her br*asts.

“I don’t know! Aren’t you ever tired, Taejun? You seem to have overly good stamina for someone not in your 20s anymore. Look, it’s… hardening up again.”

“…Why are we talking about age?”

Taejun’s voice in her ear sounded rough. It seemed that Rose’s comment about him being ‘very, very old’ had wounded him.

‘Does anyone else realize that this guy has such a cute side?’

Minhee wanted to tease him a little.

“They say that when a man reaches his 30s, his virility drops by half compared to when he was in his twenties.”

“Seol Minhee, don’t provoke me. I’m just holding back because you look tired.”

“Well, um, a person who holds back is someone who… Ah!”

Minhee’s hand, slick with soap, slipped as she tried to remove Taejun’s hand lightly twisting her n*pple.

“I’ll prove the error in your hypothesis that generalizes 30-year-old men so easily. Pay attention and feel everything carefully.”

“Ugh…!”

Besides the bathtub, a large glass window overlooked a night view of Seoul that twinkled more densely than the lights on a Christmas tree. Minhee, leaning against the edge of the tub with her palm pressed against the glass, rocked back and forth endlessly.