CHAPTER 93

When the song ended, Minhee was out of breath. She high-fived Noah’s palm and then placed her hand on her chest.

[Phew… It’s been a while since I danced, so I’m completely out of breath!]

[It was fun, wasn’t it? Brings back memories.]

Noah brushed a stray strand of hair over Minhee’s face and tucked it behind her ear. When 

[Noah, I really need to go now…Huh?]

Minhee didn’t get to finish her sentence as Taejun grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her away.

She looked around as Taejun led her through the crowd and out of the party. Seeing how few people were around, she stopped in their tracks.

“Taejun! Wait a minute. Why are you-“

“Don’t you know?”

“What did I do?”

Taejun approached her threateningly, his eyes burning like smoldering coal. But Minhee glared back at him, undeterred.

She wasn’t afraid of him anymore; he was the kind of man who imagined the worst when she held a pointed steak knife, the kind of man who would rather put his own palm in front of the blade than let her get a small cut on her finger.

The way he was gripping her arm now was like that – just tight enough not to let her go, but not strong enough to leave a bruise. 

And sure enough, Taejun was the first to break their intense eye contact.

“Let’s just …… go home.”

Taejun’s voice was tired as he turned around, letting go of Minhee’s wrist and grabbing her hand instead. But after just a few steps, Minhee was pulled back as Noah grabbed her arm.

Minhee stood with her arms spread wide in panic, looking back and forth between the two men as they pulled her from either side. Passersby slowed down and stared, wondering what was going on.

[Min! What’s going on? Do you need help?]

[No! Noah, it’s nothing like that].

Noah’s fierce gaze was fixed on Taejun. It was an expression Minhee had never seen on him before. When he was the quarterback of the football team, he relied more on intelligent plays than brute force, and he had never been in a fight at school. After all, there was no one at Rosewood High reckless enough to provoke Noah Brown.

[Let go of her hand.]

Taejun’s face hardened, and his voice took on a sinister tone. Minhee felt goosebumps rise on her forearms. Noah, a former athlete, was similar in height and build to Taejun. But Taejun was a professional soldier, a Green Beret, who had fought in a war where people actually died.

Taejun looked Noah up and down with a cold, calculating gaze, without even blinking.

The calm, icy rage felt more dangerous than the uncontrolled fury that was burning like wildfire. Minhee shivered at the chilling aura emanating from Taejun. Sensing the invisible threat, Noah gripped Minhee’s arm tighter.

[…Who do you think you are?]

Noah spat out, revealing his hostility towards Taejun.

[Noah, let go of my arm, it hurts…….]

Noah was gripping her arm too tightly.

[Hurts?]

Taejun muttered, then strode towards Noah. Quickly, Minhee stepped between the two men. Noah jerked his hand away from her forearm in surprise. A bright red mark was left behind.

Taejun exhaled a long breath over the top of Minhee’s head. 

‘Hold it together, Baek Taejun! Stay in control!’

[I’m sorry, Min! I didn’t realize I was gripping so hard out of caution. Oh no, there’s a mark. I’m really sorry.]

Noah apologized repeatedly, distressed at seeing the imprint of his hand on Minhee’s pale arm.

[It’s okay, it’ll fade soon. This is my employer, Baek Taejun. I told you earlier that I work as a live-in tutor. He came to pick me up since it was time for me to go home.]

[…Employer?]

Taejun muttered in disbelief from behind her. Minhee quickly turned around and glared sharply at him.

‘You introduced me to Lara Rosenburg as just “Rose’s teacher”!’

Seeing Minhee’s expression, Taejun pressed his lips together.

[Noah, I’m afraid I have to go now. It was nice seeing you again.]

[Wait! Min, can I call you? There’s something I really need to tell you]. 

[Yeah. Later.]

Minhee nodded curtly. She was worried about the predatory creature, Taejun, looming behind her, ready to pounce on Noah, and she wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

[Be careful going in, I’ll text you my number so you can call me if anything happens.]

Noah bowed his head to meet Minhee’s eyes, then glanced towards Taejun.

‘Oh, Noah. Why did you have to say that useless thing when I’m barely restraining the beast?’

[Okay, I’ll go now!]

Minhee hurriedly said goodbye to Noah and tugged on Taejun’s arm, reversing their positions so that she was now leading him out.

Just before Taejun turned to leave, he turned to face Noah.

[A word of advice: if you want to keep your fingers intact, I’d refrain from it.]

It was a cold threat, so thoroughly emotionless as to sound businesslike, which made it all the more threatening.

[What……?]

Noah stepped forward, his voice raised. Minhee wrapped her arms tightly around Taejun’s waist, pleading.

“Let’s go, Taejun. Please…”

*

Taejun pressed a button on the armrest, and the opaque glass partition separating the driver’s seat from the rear compartment slid up with a smooth, mechanical hum. The trendy restaurant district of the West Village whizzed by outside the window. Minhee, who had been silently gazing out, suddenly blurted out.

“Baek Taejun, you’re so childish.”

She was angry at this man who vehemently denied the fact that he loved her, even though all the signs were there.

Taejun had been endlessly staring at Minhee, who was ignoring him and looking out the window, like a dog craving its master’s affection. Finally, he was at a loss for words, as Minhee had hit the nail on the head.

He reluctantly acknowledged that his behavior today had been embarrassingly juvenile, like a pubescent teenager with “middle school syndrome,” as Minhee had once described it.

But Taejun couldn’t control himself. His heart was still burning black. 

‘What had Minhee told that bastard about me again?’

“…Am I just your employer to you?”

Minhee turned her head sharply to glare at him, her hair fluttering. Taejun inwardly flinched at the bright flame in her usually soft, large eyes.

“Isn’t that what you are? Would it make you feel better if I said you’re my employer and also my regular s*x partner? You introduced me to Lara Rosenburg as just ‘Rose Teacher,’ didn’t you? And why were you so rude to my friend?”

“…Friend? Since when was Noah Brown your friend?”

Taejun growled, his brow creasing. He remembered every detail of the first love story Minhee had drunkenly confided in him, and right now, he wanted to dig a knife into it and cut it out. 

“Are you just nitpicking? He’s my high school classmate! Is that clear enough for you?”

“That guy was your…first…Forget it. So, are you going to see him again?”

Taejun had never engaged in such a verbal fight with anyone before. The mental battle with Minhee was far more taxing than any special forces mission where his life was on the line.

It was worse because he didn’t feel like there was a single logical argument in his favor, and strangely enough, everything she said sounded right, logical or not.

Accustomed to people who would crawl away at the slightest touch, people obediently following his lead, Taejun was at a loss on how to deal with Minhee. He wanted to be as angry as she was, but when he looked at her face, his whole body sank into a sinking feeling of loss, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

“Are you jealous of Noah? By what right?”

Minhee confronted him in a trembling voice. Her inner thoughts were screaming, ‘Just admit that you love me, and that’s why you acted that way!’

Jealousy. The terrible word. Even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t.

His entire body was burning with jealousy and an endless possessiveness towards Minhee. Feeling sweat breaking out on his forehead, he roughly took off his tuxedo jacket and loosened his tie.

The emotion that made him so embarrassingly childish was clearly jealousy. Reflecting on his actions, as if his brain had been replaced with muscle, a belated heat rose from the back of his neck to the top of his head.

“There’s a clause in the contract that prohibits having s*xual relations with others during the contract period, and that we’re sexually exclusive. Don’t you remember?”

Taejun was filled with self-loathing at the pathetic logic coming out of his own mouth.

‘Damn, why did I say that?’

“Who said I’m having s*x with him? And I haven’t even signed the new s*x partner contract yet! I don’t have to follow that new Clause 7!”

“…You won’t sign it?”

“I don’t know!”

Minhee snapped, turning away from him and looking out the window. Taejun could see her slender hands trembling as she gripped her dress skirt. Taejun rested his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands, letting out a long sigh.

A moment later, the car came to a stop, and with a click, the limo door slid open smoothly. Anton stepped aside, holding the door, and his eyes widened slightly at the scene inside the car.

[Uh… Should I close it again?]

Taejun shook his head, got out of the limousine, and gestured for Anton to let him handle the door.

[I’ve got it.]