SIDE STORY 4
With one hand in his pocket and his tie half undone, Taejun leaned his upper body toward her, adding strength to the hand supporting her waist, causing her raised hips to point back toward the ceiling.
In the awkward pose with her hips high, Minhee met his gaze in the mirror.
Taejun looked down at her, his thick eyebrows twitching. His gaze was intense.
‘Did he hear the whole call?’
Sometimes, Taejun moved silently. It was astonishing how someone with such a large build could walk without making a sound.
His face seemed slightly flushed.
As Minhee tried to get up, Taejun gently pressed her back down.
“Continue.”
He murmured in a low voice that seemed to hover just above the floor, then took a few steps back, standing with his legs apart, slowly crossing his arms. He nodded toward her, as if expecting her to perform a circus act.
His expression was as indifferent as ever, yet he somehow looked angry. Though he pretended to be relaxed with his arms crossed, his shoulders appeared tense, and the muscles of his forearms bulged with protruding veins.
Unable to do anything but remain in the pose with her hips raised high, Minhee swallowed hard. She was flustered and somehow embarrassed, making it hard to breathe.
Under his persistent gaze, she felt like a fish on the chopping board, restless and fidgety, until she finally resumed her movements.
— Min, are you okay? Hello?
Noah’s concerned voice urgently came from the phone.
Startled, Minhee quickly lowered her leg from the air. Taejun’s sudden appearance had made her forget she was on a call with Noah.
A quick glance at Taejun showed his eyes had suddenly turned cold. His gaze was fixed on the phone lying on the floor.
Receiving a call from a hometown friend wasn’t her fault, but her heart sank as if she’d been caught cheating. Taejun, who was indifferent to most things, was particularly sensitive when it came to Noah.
It felt as if Taejun’s imposing presence had sucked all the air around her, making it hard to breathe.
— I thought I heard a scream; what’s going on? If you need help—
Sensing danger instinctively, she reached for the phone. Her breathing pattern became erratic in her panic.
[Ha, Noah, sorry, but I’m a bit… right now…]
But Taejun was faster.
He snatched the phone from the floor just in time, frowning deeply as if the phone were Noah himself.
Unaware of what was happening, Noah teased her with a voice full of laughter.
— What kind of yoga are you doing to make you scream and breathe so heavily? Ashtanga? Bikram? If someone heard, they’d think it’s not yoga but…
He trailed off, perhaps sensing something was off.
Minhee rose from the yoga mat and reached for the phone in Taejun’s hand. Taejun raised his arm high.
Minhee glared at him, jumping up to try and snatch the phone. Taejun chuckled and raised his arm higher.
Pulling down on his forearm, Minhee tilted her head up toward the phone and spoke urgently.
[Noah? I’m really sorry, but I’ll call you later—]
Even as she spoke, she jumped up to reach for the phone, but it was no use.
[Ah!]
As she landed, she stepped on Taejun’s foot and stumbled. Taejun’s eyebrow twitched slightly, and he pulled her close by the waist.
[Min? Are you okay? If your heart rate suddenly spikes from intense exercise—]
“It was dangerous.”
Taejun lightly scolded Minhee, and Noah’s voice abruptly cut off from the phone.
Taejun kissed the top of Minhee’s head as she struggled to reach for the phone.
— What the heck. You weren’t actually doing yoga? Damn, don’t answer! I don’t want to know. If I interrupted something between you two, you should have told me sooner.
Noah seemed to have completely misunderstood the situation.
[Noah! What do you mean! I was just doing yoga until a moment ago, but then my husband suddenly came in as I was about to fall—]
Flustered and blushing, Minhee rambled incoherently. Taejun lowered his raised arm slowly and glared at the phone.
[You did interrupt, Noah Brown. I’ll make a generous donation in Minhee’s name at the charity event in a month. Goodbye.]
Finishing his words in a cold voice, Taejun pressed the red button on the screen without waiting for Noah’s response.
Then he smiled at Minhee, who looked at him with disbelief.
Unlike when talking to Noah, his eyes were now filled with a warm glow, making him seem like a completely different person. Taejun knew well that Minhee was weak to his smiling face.
As expected, Minhee, who had been glaring at him with an incredulous expression, read the satisfied contentment on his face and burst into laughter.
Despite being older and larger than her, her husband acted like a child trying to get away with a mistake with a smile, which was both exasperating and slightly endearing.
“Taejun, you’re really mischievous.”
“Me?”
Taejun feigned ignorance, raising an eyebrow as he lifted her chin.
“Yes. You’re still especially concerned of Noah—mmph!”
As soon as the name Noah fell from Minhee’s lips, Taejun covered her mouth with his. His tongue explored her mouth familiarly, lifting her lightly. Then, as she became dazed from the kiss, he gently laid her back on the yoga mat and pulled away.
It took Minhee a while to open her eyes, which she had closed in surprise. Taejun was no longer in front of her.
Her gaze, which had been wandering around, stopped on Taejun as he picked up a folding chair from the corner. Tonight, her husband was behaving unusually.
“What are you doing?”
Minhee, watching him curiously, asked.
Taejun carried the chair over and stood at the edge of the mat.
He unfolded the chair with a light shake and sat down, crossing his arms. He nodded at Minhee, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
“Continue.”
Minhee, who had been watching with her mouth agape, snapped back and glared at him.
“What do you mean, continue?”
He slightly curled his lips, almost smiling.
“What you were doing before talking to damn Noah Brown. Yoga.”
It seemed Taejun had been watching her for longer than she thought.
“Why didn’t you make a sound when you came in?”
Taejun clamped his mouth shut and lowered his eyes, showing no intention of answering.
“Noah’s going to get the wrong idea. How am I supposed to face him now?”
Taejun frowned slightly, the scar crossing his eyebrow twitching menacingly.
“Damn Noah Brown said he’s sad about leaving New York.”
“…”
“I feel like celebrating with a toast.”
Minhee could only blink silently.
“Should I buy that resort so he never returns to New York and make him work like a slave?”
It was the first time Taejun had openly expressed his jealousy of Noah.
Minhee sat up diagonally on the mat.
Taejun, too, remained seated, watching her intently. His Adam’s apple bobbed significantly, and his eyes, boiling with intent, lingered on her.
His intense gaze, which had lingered on her lips, moved over the swell of her chest above the sports bra, her slender waist, and the tantalizing edge of her shorts revealing her hips and smooth thighs.
When their eyes met, Taejun blinked slowly and smiled at her. The dimples she loved formed deeply as he confessed out of nowhere.
“I love you.”
Surprised, Minhee stared at Taejun, her senses dulled. She caught a faint scent of alcohol.
‘He’s drunk!’
It was a side of him she had never seen before. The sight of that large man intoxicated.
She had heard that a well-known Russian oligarch, famous for his drinking, was attending the closing dinner tonight, so it seemed Taejun had had quite a bit to drink.
It explained his unusual behavior tonight.
At the same time, something undeniable caught her eye. Taejun’s right inner thigh bulged noticeably as he sat with his legs spread wide.
Minhee bit her lip to suppress a laugh.
Even knowing that she and Noah were just close hometown friends, Taejun still got jealous of Noah. And although it was sparked by something odd, he was so excited just from watching her do yoga.
‘Jealousy, seduction… Neither is a big deal.’
Suddenly filled with confidence, Minhee smiled at Taejun. Then she boldly lay back on the yoga mat.
Feeling Taejun’s intense gaze on her exposed skin, she began to move slowly.
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