TC 5

Chapter 5

“I once saw someone like you before. You looked completely Asian, but your eyes were blue.”

So what was he trying to say?

While Sorim was thinking that, the man walked toward her with long steps and stopped in front of her. She was still covering her eye.

His wide shoulders and tall body felt scary and overwhelming.

“So,” he asked, “was that man earlier your relative?”

“……”

The man tilted his head and quietly watched Sorim, who was trying hard to hide her left eye.

She really wanted to ignore him and walk away.
But somehow, she felt that if she moved now, he would stop her again.

“……”

Finally, Sorim spoke with a stiff face.

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden? Earlier, you were just standing there watching.”

The man gave a small laugh at her cold voice.

Then he crossed his arms. His dark eyes looked interested.

“Well, you mentioned ‘aunt’ earlier. I was just curious what your relationship was. How you ended up dealing with someone like that.”

“……”

There was no pity or kindness on his face.

He looked interested only because she was a girl being hit by her cousin.

Talking to someone this twisted made Sorim feel tired.

Without saying anything, she turned around and walked away.

She headed back toward her original destination—the powder room.

Just then, a side door at the end of the hallway opened wide.

A middle-aged man ran out and shouted,

“Vice Chairman Song Taeha!”

“……!”

Sorim stopped walking.

Song Taeha?

The moment she heard the name, her head turned by itself.

“……”

By chance—or maybe on purpose—Sorim’s eyes met the man’s.

But only for a second. The man turned to his staff member.

“Vice Chairman, we’ve been looking for you. You weren’t answering your phone…”

“Let’s go.”

He answered shortly and walked toward the banquet hall with his staff, as if nothing had happened.

Sorim watched him for a moment, then turned away.

She told herself there was nothing special about this meeting.

* * *

Sorim started washing dishes quickly and without thinking.

She wet the plates with warm water, added soap, and scrubbed them hard.

But the man’s cold, rude eyes kept coming back into her mind and distracted her.

“You can leave now.”

She didn’t know why she hadn’t remembered it before. His attitude had always been the same.

He only watched while she was slapped by her cousin.
He ignored her warning and finished his cigarette.
And he handed her some money like charity.

It all overlapped in her mind.

It was better not to deal with trash like him.

Sorim kept washing the pile of dishes like a machine, pushing down the anger rising inside her.

* * *

Several months had passed since the Yoonsan Group charity event.

During that time, Minseo was in a terrible mood.

Even when she tried not to think about it, memories from that day kept coming back.

“Hello, Vice Chairman.”

When she walked up shyly and greeted him, Song Taeha didn’t even look at her.

He only gave a small nod.

“How can someone be so cold?”

After the event, Seonga spoke angrily from the back seat of the car.

“I knew he had a bad personality, but I didn’t know he would embarrass people like that.”

“Mom, calm down.”

Minseo didn’t feel good about being ignored either, but she tried to comfort her mother.

“He must have been very busy. He probably didn’t even have time to look at my face.”

Seonga sighed and pouted.

“No matter how cold someone is, how can they turn away when someone greets them?”

Song Taeha was one of Seonga and Minseo’s main topics.

They talked as if he were already Minseo’s future husband.

“And you’ve met him before, haven’t you?” Seonga said.
“At that golf event in Yangpyeong. What happened?”

“Yes, but we didn’t talk much then… maybe he doesn’t remember me.”

Minseo bit her lip, looking upset.

Seonga looked heartbroken for her daughter.

She gently stroked Minseo’s cheek.

“That arrogant man. Does he think girls like our Minseo are easy to find?”

The car stopped at a red light.

Park Sang-sik, who was driving, looked at Minseo through the mirror and tried to comfort her.

“Minseo, don’t think about it too much. There are many men like him in the world. No need to chase such an arrogant—”

“What are you saying?! Are you crazy?!”

Seonga suddenly shouted at her husband.

“There is only ONE Song Taeha in this world! Don’t you know that?!”

“I was just worried about our daughter—”

“Do you think Chairman Song Ilsang would ignore his second son who built a huge company from nothing?”

“……”

“Just wait. In times like these, he will give everything to the most capable person. And then our Minseo will become the lady of that house.”

“Well… if things really turn out like that, it would be great.”

As always, Park Sang-sik backed down, and the conversation ended.

I shouldn’t have wasted that chance that day.

Minseo frowned.

After that day, time passed and nothing happened.

In a way, it was natural.

It was never easy to connect with someone like Song Taeha, one of the richest men in Korea.

She clenched her fist. Her long nails dug into her palm.

She fully agreed with her mother.

Song Taeha was one of a kind.

The only man who could satisfy her dreams and desires was him.

The problem was that her looks didn’t seem to attract him.

Minseo stood up and walked to the full-length mirror.

Big, gentle-looking eyes.
Light brown eyes.
Long eyelashes like a doll’s.

A straight nose, shiny lips, and soft pink cheeks.

Until now, Minseo had easily controlled men with just her looks.

A small smile was enough to make them fall for her.

But Song Taeha was different.

He never showed interest in her—not even once.

Looking at herself, Minseo whispered,

“I’m this perfect.”

How could she make that man hers?

She remembered the moment when he looked at her.

Cold eyes. Sharp like a predator.

That memory still stayed in her mind.

Just imagining him belonging to her made her heart race and her cheeks turn red.

“……”

Then, footsteps echoed in the hallway, breaking her thoughts.

Realizing who it was, Minseo smiled slightly.

She opened her door wide at the perfect moment.

“Ah—!”

Sorim, who was trying to sneak into her room, jumped back in surprise.

“Hey, Yoon Sorim.”

Sorim, carrying a backpack bigger than her body, lowered her eyes.

Her blank face, staring at the floor, looked dark and unpleasant.

If Sorim begged, Minseo would’ve let her go—it would be boring otherwise.

But Sorim was always like this.

Acting like she just wanted time to pass.
Like she was a helpless victim.

No matter how Minseo scared her, threatened her, or even raised her hand—

Sorim accepted it calmly, as if it was her fate.

And for some reason, that always made Minseo feel even angrier.