CHAPTER 91

Minhee couldn’t tell whether she felt more hurt by Lara’s condescending treatment of her or by Taejun introducing her simply as Rose’s teacher.

‘Probably both.’

So she focused on eating, pretending not to have heard their conversation. She was also aware that the people at the table were watching her, Lara, and Taejun with keen interest. But she had no intention of becoming their plaything to be casually gossiped about again.

When she was younger, she had reacted to every thoughtless remark others threw at her, only to end up giving the cruel children an excuse to hurt her even more.

She now understood the sadistic tendency of crowd psychology – they tend to mock and ignore the wounded and weak rather than the ones bullying them. Minhee straightened her shoulders and lifted her head.

***

Taejun had been irritated by Lara ever since earlier. He brushed off the arm she had draped over his shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

[Watch what you say.]

Lara pursed her lips like a child, the expression she made whenever she was yelled at by her father, and he could already see what she was going to do next.

‘She’ll probably start trembling and then drink herself silly, making a spectacle.’

That woman tended to overestimate the influence her father, George Rosenburg, had within the company. 

George Rosenburg was an advisor to the board, but he had no real power within the company. Moreover, the small initial investment he had made had grown to the point where both he and Lara could live comfortably in their retirement, so Taejun and the company no longer owed him anything.

The only reason Taejun and Junhee treated George with utmost respect was because he had helped them in the early days. But Lara seemed to think that gave her the license to act however she pleased, which was a grave misconception.

So far, Taejun had simply ignored her because he respected George, and because he hadn’t been interested in her enough to find a reason to say anything.

When the waiter came to take dessert orders, Minhee debated between the chocolate mousse and the sorbet but ultimately chose the chocolate mousse. Listening quietly, Taejun ordered the sorbet.

As the waiter was about to set down the sorbet in front of Taejun, Taejun shook his head and pointed towards Minhee.

[Give it there.]

Minhee sighed but took the plate without a word. She could feel Taejun’s gaze burning into her. Just then, someone called out to him from behind.

[TJ, can you spare a moment? There’s someone who really wants to meet you.]

[Who is it?]

Taejun responded in a bored tone.

[Gus Westman, the CEO of a defense contractor. He said he wanted to meet you since he heard you were in the Green Berets’ Alpha team deployed to Afghanistan.]

Furrowing his brow, Taejun looked reluctant, but Junhee pleaded with him.

[There are a lot of mergers and acquisitions in the private military sector these days. It will benefit you in many ways. Please, just do it for my sake. It’ll only take a minute, just a greeting, that’s all.]

Heaving a sigh, Taejun glanced at Minhee, then shot a warning glare towards Tyler, who quickly averted his eyes.

Minhee watched as Taejun, visibly reluctant, got up and walked towards the VIP table. She had a pretty good idea who the strikingly handsome man walking with Taejun was.

‘He looks so much like King J!’

Minhee chuckled inwardly, recalling Luca’s surprisingly accurate description of the two brothers. Now that she had seen Junhee, the older brother, in person, she no longer had any reason to stay at the party.

She had used getting King J’s autograph and taking a photo as excuses for Taejun, but after seeing the man himself and even talking to his fiancée, she was satisfied.

Feeling suddenly exhausted from the tension, she decided to just have the chocolate mousse and go home to rest. But then she caught a whiff of alcohol. Lara had moved to Taejun’s seat and was leaning towards her, chin propped up on her hand.

[So……. you’re Rose’s teacher, huh.]

[…Yes.]

Minhee wanted to pinch her nose, but that would have been too rude. Even so, this woman seemed like the type to do as she pleased, regardless of propriety.

[I’m Lara Rosenburg. Nice to meet you.]

Lara stuck out her freakishly thin arm to Minhee.

[I’m Minhee Seol. Nice to meet you too.]

As soon as Minhee shook Lara’s icy fingers, the woman’s hand slipped away. 

‘What kind of handshake was that??’

Lara leaned her elbows on the table, chin resting on her hands, and stared at Minhee with a wry smile.

[Have you slept with TJ?]

[…!]

Minhee’s mouth fell open at the shockingly direct and rude question. She put down the spoonful of chocolate mousse and sat up straight.

Her heartbeat instantly sped up and her hands shook as if she were watching a scary scene in a horror film, so she quickly hid them under the table, not wanting to appear weak in front of this ill-mannered drunkard.

[That’s quite rude. Why should I disclose my private life to a stranger? Even if that were the case, it’s none of your business.]

Lara smirked, her eyes half-lowered and her lips twitching.

[Well… so what if it is? The sordid affair between a rich man and his poor maid has a long history, so it’s not that surprising. You’re living in the same house, and for those types, you’re probably the most convenient outlet for his desires.]

The color drained from Minhee’s face. Her body trembled, and her throat felt constricted.

‘What kind of woman is this?!’

The vile malice that had torn through her veneer of elegance was as repugnant as the alcohol on her breath.

[…You seem to have had too much to drink. You should stop before you say something even more regrettable.]

At Minhee’s calm words, a flash of furious resentment flickered in Lara’s languid gaze. Her voice lowered to a whisper, her thin, lipsticked lips curled into a sneer.

[Cheeky.  Do you really think that just because you’ve spread your legs for that man, you mean anything to him? I’ve seen your type before, thinking they can cling to a wealthy man. Don’t delude yourself. You’re nothing but a cheap s*x toy for him. As I said, I don’t care if you’re sleeping with TJ. He’ll just use you up and discard you, like he always does. The only one who’ll stay by his side in the end is me. It’s just… you’re a low-class, it’s pathetic.]

Even as Lara sharply clawed at her with blatant malice, Minhee couldn’t say anything. This was because the truth was that she was only Taejun’s ‘s*x partner’.

Mulling over Lara’s tirade, Minhee felt a nagging sense of unease deep within her subconscious. She looked at Lara with a questioning gaze, and the woman seemed to be searching for something as she scrutinized Minhee up and down.

That’s when Minhee realized what she had missed – Lara’s distorted expression, her anxious demeanor, her wavering gaze. 

‘Could it be… that this woman is jealous of me?’

As their eyes met, Minhee was certain. Lara was furiously jealous, despite her disdainful dismissal of Minhee as “low-class”.

‘I wonder how Taejun looks at this woman?’

Minhee tried to recall Taejun’s gaze towards Lara. Despite Lara’s clingy behavior, Taejun’s eyes were indifferent and detached, similar to how he had looked at Rose’s previous nanny, Chloe.

Realizing this, a bitter laugh escaped Minhee. Lara’s eyes widened, her pupils burning like the color of Minhee’s hair.

[You’re laughing…?]

Minhee nodded casually.

[Yes, it’s funny. That ‘TJ’ taste isn’t for someone like you, someone… ‘expensive.'”

Lara’s lips quivered, her white face turned pale, the freckles on the bridge of her nose stood out, and then suddenly she burst into loud laughter. Her face contorted like a madwoman as she clutched her stomach. After catching her breath, she spoke.

[Hah, it’s amusing. Let’s say that man’s type is someone as dull as a maid-like teacher like you. So what? Do you think that stone-cold man could ever love you? No way. They may be driven by lust to have s*x, but they’re a breed that can never truly love. Seeing you reminds me of my mother, who was naive and stupid until the day she died. It’s disgusting.]

[Ah, I see….]

Minhee listened to Lara’s words dryly. As she realized that the words that had stung her like snake venom from Lara’s mouth had been borne out of jealousy, her anger dissipated like a fish out of water, like the wind out of a balloon. Instead, confusion and questions took their place.

Lara Rosenburg had shed her elegant upper-class mask and was openly asserting her jealousy, clawing at Minhee. This paradoxically proved that Taejun’s attitude towards Minhee was somehow special in Lara’s eyes.

If Minhee were simply Taejun’s “s*x partner,” Lara would have looked down on her, sneered at her, and completely ignored her.

[Lara, this is my seat.]

A deep, resonant voice suddenly interjected between the two women.