Chapter 07
“N-No, that can’t be true.”
Heeyeon was startled. What she had heard made it sound like the personal keeper he hired even shared his bed.
“Maybe you’re not like that? Aeri, who got fired recently, used to be the CEO’s personal keeper. She kept bragging… saying she slept with him.”
“…What?”
“She said it was amazing and couldn’t stop talking about it. She might exaggerate sometimes, but something must have really happened. She even had marks on her body.”
Her head rang.
Since everyone working in the mansion seemed to believe this, there must have been some kind of relationship between him and that woman.
Suddenly, she remembered the woman’s stockings she had seen in his room. Then the traces she had noticed on his bed that day…
Were they hers?
In Heeyeon’s mind, an image formed of him and that woman on the bed. Him climbing over her bare body, kissing her skin.
His well-shaped lips brushing against her soft flesh. His secretive hands touching her intimately.
The uninvited imagination made heat slowly spread through her body. She felt embarrassed by the unfiltered, indecent thoughts unfolding in her mind.
Heeyeon had no experience with men. Every time Pilmo caused trouble, she had to clean up after him, leaving her no time for relationships. In the first place, she had been too busy just trying to survive to care about men.
She shook her head as if to chase away the useless thoughts.
“Maybe the previous keeper was like that, but I’m a mother.”
“Oh right. That’s why everyone feels relieved.”
“….”
It sounded like they meant a mother didn’t suit a man like him. Well… that was a relief.
“Anyway, the CEO is a kind person. You just need to be careful around Executive Director Cha Giheon.”
“…Executive Director Cha Giheon?”
“He’s the chairman’s only son. Though he doesn’t come here very often anyway.”
The only son of JM Capital’s chairman was just an executive director? That was unexpected. Wouldn’t a successor normally become the CEO?
Then that meant the chairman must trust Kang Seokwoo more than his own son.
Was he like the chairman’s right-hand man?
Wait… this was supposedly the chairman’s house. So why had she never seen the chairman even once?
Heeyeon immediately took out her phone and searched JM Capital. News articles showed that the chairman was currently being held in detention.
Detained during investigation. They hadn’t found evidence yet? That meant he might still be released.
So this really was the chairman’s house. That explained why nobody knew about his lover.
Knowledge really was power. The more information she gathered, the better her chances of escaping Seokwoo.
Especially for when her brother eventually returned, she wanted to understand everything about this place.
Oppa… where are you? You’re not really abandoning us like this… are you?
If she were alone, it might be different, but she worried most about Yerim’s safety.
* * *
After abandoning the boat and escaping, Pilmo and Sea entered the forest while trying to stop the bleeding.
The forest was full of thorns, but they found an abandoned hut and hid there.
They survived for several days on emergency medicine and food they had prepared. The bullet hadn’t fully penetrated, but he had lost too much blood and could no longer run.
“It’s because I got hurt…”
“It’s my fault… sob…”
“Ugh…”
“You’ve lost so much blood. What do we do…”
Pilmo’s face had completely lost its color. His pale complexion made him look like he might die at any moment. Sea, whose eyes were swollen from crying for days, could only panic helplessly.
“Don’t worry. I just need to rest like this.”
“Is there no one who can help us?”
“Everyone connected to me must already be in chaos. I have to… fix this myself… ugh…”
“Baby…”
“Absolutely… not…”
Pilmo lost consciousness.
Sea grabbed his hand and began to sob loudly. Deep in the forest, her cries echoed eerily like the sound of a ghost.
* * *
While cleaning, Heeyeon quietly stared at his bed. Mina’s words kept echoing in her head.
After hearing about what had happened between Kang Seokwoo and his previous personal keepers, she finally understood why the women who admired him treated her like an enemy.
They must have assumed she would also become secretly involved with him under the title of personal keeper.
Ha…
That’s ridiculous.
She brushed back her falling hair. Her eyes landed on the glossy silk sheets. When she ran her hand across them, they slid smoothly beneath her fingers. She had never felt such luxurious fabric before.
It must be top quality.
The clothes and watches in his dressing room were all luxury brands. Even a single shirt cost hundreds of dollars.
Why am I remembering such useless things?
She even remembered the logo from a shirt a customer once proudly bought after saving up just to eat tteokbokki.
The thought made her let out a bitter laugh.
Suddenly, she sensed someone’s presence and stiffened. It seemed Seokwoo had returned from work.
Click. The door opened and he walked in.
Perfectly composed.
A sculpted face. Broad shoulders. Excellent proportions.
She resented her own eyes for noticing his appearance. Instinctively appreciating beauty was the same for both men and women—but this man held her life in his hands.
The man holding her leash.
But deep down, some hidden emotion seemed to be saying something else.
The charm of a male exuding overwhelming pheromones.
“Run the bath for me.”
“I’ll prepare it.”
He removed his tie and shirt at the same time.
She flinched in surprise. Before she could even process his sudden half-naked state, her eyes were drawn to his muscles.
Those muscles…
The physique hidden beneath his shirt was beautiful. Thick yet defined muscles that she couldn’t look away from.
His gaze fell on her.
“Are you going to keep staring?”
“N-No.”
Flustered, Heeyeon hurried into the bathroom.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded violently. Even while filling the spa bathtub with water, his image wouldn’t leave her mind.
She bit her lip.
In the middle of her confusion, she heard approaching footsteps.
No way.
He wasn’t coming in naked… was he?
She quickly lowered her gaze. She saw his feet stop in front of her.
His clothes…
Was he not wearing any?
Her heart dropped. Since she was looking down, she could only see his legs—but they were bare.
She didn’t know what to do.
“It’s not your first time seeing a man’s body.”
“….”
“Look up.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. It felt like she might see something she shouldn’t.
Suddenly, he grabbed her chin and lifted her head. When she opened her eyes in surprise, she saw his lips curved in a dangerous smile.
“Ah…”
“Your face is red.”
“It’s not.”
“I’m not naked. Were you hoping I was?”
Only then did she realize he was wearing shorts. She let out a breath of relief.
Coming back to her senses, she slapped his hand away.
“I don’t have a hobby of looking at men I’m not interested in.”
“There are quite a few women who want to see my body.”
“So? I’m not one of them.”
“Are you more curious about what’s below?”
Her face burned.
“What kind of—”
“Don’t act innocent. You know men well enough.”
Did she really look like that? Well, since people thought she was a mother, it wasn’t strange they assumed she had experience with men.
She could have just brushed it off, but strangely she didn’t want to lose to a man who played around with women so easily.
“I know very well. Very well.”
Suddenly, he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her close.
Their faces stopped just short of their lips touching. When she saw his eyes up close, her body trembled.
His gaze looked dangerous.
His pupils gleamed like those of a hungry beast.
It felt as if at any moment he might strip her clothes, pull her into his arms, and devour her lips and body.
Without realizing it, heat began spreading through her body.
His breath against her skin made her heart race even more. She frowned, worried he might hear how violently it was pounding.
“You seem very skilled at handling men.”
