EPILOGUE Part  10

After finishing their meal, Sangjin sternly sent Minhee and Taejun home, despite their offer to help close up. As they were practically pushed out of the restaurant, Minhee turned to Taejun with a bright smile.

“I think my dad really likes you, Taejun.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“And how about you, Taejun? Do you like my dad?”

“I’ve always wondered how you could grow up to be such a lovely and warm person, but after meeting your father, my curiosity is satisfied.”

Minhee was at a loss for words, blushing at the unexpected compliment. Taejun looked down at her with a serious gaze.

“If we ever have a child, Minhee, I want them to grow up to be someone like you. And Rose too.”

When Minhee looked up at Taejun with tears in her eyes, a faint smile appeared in his eyes, filled with unpretentious, steadfast love.

The sea breeze from the Atlantic Ocean carried the refreshing night air past them. Above Taejun’s head, the stars of Hilton Head Island twinkled brightly.

* * *

Minhee opened her door and felt her way along the familiar wall. With a click, she turned on the switch, and the lamp flickered to life. Minhee was startled. There had been a significant change in her room.

The single bed she had used until her last visit was gone, replaced by a newly purchased queen-size bed. With the larger bed, the desk and bookshelf that had been clustered in the small room were pushed aside slightly.

“It looks like Dad changed the bed to a bigger one because you are here.”

Minhee found it surreal to have Taejun standing in the room where she spent her childhood.

The girlishly decorated room seemed even smaller with the presence of a large man.

Taejun was already standing in front of the mirror on the wall, looking at the photos stuck around its frame.

“Ahh!! Taejun!!”

Minhee squeezed between Taejun and the mirror, covering his eyes. His lips curved into a long smile, showing his white teeth.

“You’re really cute. Makes me want to bite you.”

Minhee kept glancing back, checking the photos stuck to the mirror.

‘Oh no, there are too many to take down.’

With a sense of resignation, Minhee lowered her hands covering Taejun’s eyes and pouted.

Taejun, still chuckling, grabbed her wrist and pressed his lips to her palm, gently nibbling on the soft, plump flesh.

When Minhee pulled her hand away in shock, Taejun turned her around and hugged her shoulders from behind. He rested his chin on her head as if leaning on her.

“Ha. He’s here too.”

Taejun pointed to Noah in a summer camp group photo and then made a slicing motion across his neck with his finger.

“…And who is this?”

He pointed to another photo of an Asian boy with his arm around Minhee’s shoulder.

She squinted at the photo, trying to remember. 

What was his name again? 

Her memory was hazy.

“I think he was my dad’s friend’s son? I don’t even remember his name. We took that photo when we went to Disney World in Florida when they visited the U.S. We exchanged a few letters, but I don’t know what he’s doing now.”

Taejun mumbled something under his breath and then stopped abruptly, bursting into laughter.

“What! Why! What are you laughing at?”

“This. It’s just like now.”

Taejun pointed to an old photo.

Minhee, about five or six years old, was in pigtails, holding a candy, and pouting as if about to cry.

“How is that even…”

When Minhee glared at Taejun through the mirror, he couldn’t hide his laughter as he showered kisses on the top of her head.

“Give me that photo.”

“…You have a peculiar taste, Taejun.”

Grumbling, Minhee carefully peeled the photo off the mirror and handed it to Taejun.

Taejun placed the photo in his palm, stared at it for a while, then took out his wallet and slipped the photo into a transparent card slot.

Standing behind Minhee, Taejun leisurely looked around the room, his gaze returning to Minhee in the mirror.

As soon as she thought his gaze was intense, Taejun’s arms wrapped around her shoulders and waist. His head slowly lowered as he whispered into her ear like a breeze.

“When did you grow up like this?”

“Ugh…!”

The tingling sensation vibrating in her eardrum sent shivers down her spine, clearly reflected in the mirror.

Taejun’s large hand slowly stroked her waist before covering her lower abdomen. His pinky finger brushed tantalizingly between her legs.

As she gasped for breath, her lips parted, and her red tongue licked her dry lips. Minhee was shocked at how sensual her expression looked in the mirror.

When she lifted her gaze, Taejun was watching her with eyes openly displaying intense desire.

“Ah!”

Taejun’s hand grasped her br*ast, groping through her clothes to find the small, er*ect n*pple. As he rubbed it slowly, the peak became visible even through her clothes.

Breathing heavily, Taejun locked eyes with Minhee in the mirror.

“I wondered what it would have been like if I had met you earlier… It would have been a disaster. Waiting for you to grow up, I would have…”

Taejun’s lips traveled up her neck to nibble on her earlobe. Minhee, her focus blurred, glanced at her childhood photos stuck to the mirror frame.

“…Gone crazy, right?”

Taejun’s half-lidded eyes glinted dangerously. Minhee inhaled sharply, almost sobbing.

“Kyaa!”

Suddenly, she was lifted, and the ceiling came into view.

Taejun gently laid Minhee on the bed and pressed his lips to hers. Their panting breaths mingled as their tongues entwined deeply.

As Minhee’s fingers tangled in Taejun’s hair, his hand slid under her T-shirt, pushing up her bra. It was then that—

“Seol Minhee! Dad’s back!”

With the sound of the front door closing, Sangjin’s voice echoed. The two froze in place, still entwined.

Taejun sprang up from the bed, pulling Minhee up with him.

The man who had shown no change in expression even when apprehending kidnappers was now wide-eyed and pale, not knowing what to do. Minhee almost burst into laughter but had no time for that.

Quickly pulling down her bra, Minhee stood in front of the mirror, tidying her disheveled hair, and shouted.

“Dad, welcome back!”

Minhee whispered quietly to the dazed Taejun.

“What are you doing! Fix your tie and tidy your hair.”

“Minhee, just give me a minute. No, just thirty seconds.”

Taejun adjusted his tie, pressed down on the bulge of his inner thigh, and with one hand, tidied his hair in the mirror while b*ttoning his open jacket with the other to cover himself.

Minhee fanned her flushed face, opened the door, and went out to the living room.

Sangjin carefully placed a bottle of ginseng liquor on the sink as if it were a sacred object and washed his hands.

“Where’s Baek Taejun? Why are you out here alone?”

Sangjin glanced behind Minhee as he asked. She opened the refrigerator door, pretending to look inside to hide her flushed face. Ah, the cool air felt refreshing.

“Oh? Uh… He went to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Did you unpack?”

“Not yet. Dad, is it okay if Taejun stays over at our place?”

Minhee asked cautiously, hovering behind Sangjin, who was plating snacks they brought from the restaurant.

“Of course, you’ve already gotten engaged. Why would I kick him out? Minhee, I’m not such an old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud.”

“Wow, Dad. You’re so cool.”

Minhee gave Sangjin a thumbs-up.

“…Should I let him sleep in my room since it’s bigger?”

“What are you saying? That’s not right!”

Sangjin leaned on the sink with both arms and hung his head low.

“Ha. I can’t get used to this. Being a Father-in-law!! I’m sorry!! How much must I have looked like a thief before? Now that I’ve experienced it firsthand, I feel it in my bones, it’s excruciating.”

Minhee playfully bumped her head against Sangjin’s shoulder, tapping his shoulders with her fists as if giving a massage. He sighed deeply and gestured toward the parking lot with his chin.

“The sports car in the parking lot is impressive. Did you come in that?”

“Yeah, we rented it at the airport.”

“I’ve heard financial guys make good money, but if they spend lavishly, it’s worrisome… You’ll need a lot of money to buy a house and have kids, especially in a place like New York.”

“Taejun already has a house. As for the car… it’s more Luca’s taste, I mean, his personal assistant’s taste. The assistant made the reservation.”

Sangjin, slicing smoked salmon, spun around with the knife in hand. Minhee took a step back in surprise, and he carefully placed the knife on the sink.

“Seol Minhee, why are you telling me such important things only now? He has a house? Where? In Manhattan?”

“Yeah. On the top floor of a penthouse on Park Avenue in the Upper East Side.”

“Pe-penthouse?? Have you been there?”

“…Of course. It’s huge and beautiful.”

Dad, I’m actually living with Taejun in his house.

Minhee quickly lowered her eyes, worried that her dad might catch on to something. Such trivial details could be revealed later.

“He even has an assistant? Is he, like, someone high up?”

“He’s a co-CEO of a hedge fund, so yes, he’s someone high up. A CEO.”

Sangjin’s eyes widened.

“A hedge fund CEO…? Like those bad guys from Wall Street in the movies? With tons of money, lighting cigars with cash, popping champagne, and throwing parties with models—”

Minhee burst into laughter at the absurdity of it.

“Dad, that’s only in movies—”

“Father, you’re back?”

At the deep, resonant voice of Taejun coming from the living room, both father and daughter jumped in surprise.

“Ahh!!”

“Taejun!”

Sangjin muttered in a voice only Minhee could hear.

“Oh my, I almost lost my soul.”

Taejun walked towards the kitchen.