Chapter 08
“….”
“Of course, I won’t fall for it though.”
“Please… make sure you don’t.”
“….”
His face twisted into a deep frown. Even though she gave the answer he wanted, he still didn’t seem satisfied.
“So please let go of my hand.”
“I’ll let go when I feel like it.”
The grip on the back of her head tightened. His crooked lips made it feel like she was being mocked, but she pushed his shoulder with all her strength. He let go easily, but she couldn’t hide her embarrassment.
“If anyone lets go, it’ll be me.”
“Haha….”
“Why are you laughing?”
“You and your brother seem alike. No… maybe you’re even bolder than him.”
“Even if I’m being held hostage, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want to me. I know your weakness too.”
“You even know how to threaten someone?”
He chuckled as if it amused him greatly. If he considered it a threat, then that only made it a better weapon.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
“This is getting more interesting.”
As he brushed his hair back, a strangely sweet tension pierced deep into her throat.
It felt like a calm sea suddenly beginning to rage with waves, making her even more conscious of him.
“Well then…”
“You should go. I still need to finish undressing.”
“Oh… yes. Yes.”
As he slipped his hand into his pants to take them off, she hurriedly escaped the bathroom.
She rushed out of the room and crossed the wide hallway. The more anxious she became, the more every cell in her body seemed to go wild.
Why.
Why.
Why is this happening?
Am I scared?
Yes. I’m scared.
That man holds my family’s lives in his hands. But even so…
Why does my mouth keep moving freely when I’m in front of him?
When I should be groveling instead.
Why.
Am I like this?
The firm skin she had touched earlier still felt burning hot, like a fever. The unfamiliar sensation made Heeyeon almost want to cry.
Please.
I need to get myself together.
Only then can my family stay safe.
Even while listening to Yerim chatter sweetly, Heeyeon couldn’t focus.
Before she knew it, the moon was high in the sky.
9 PM.
Since coming here, Yerim had been going to bed later and later.
“Mom.”
“Yes? What is it, Yerim?”
“I want tteokbokki…”
“Tteokbokki?”
She barely ate dinner and now wanted a snack. It had already been a week since she last ate her favorite tteokbokki.
“Yes. The one you make.”
“Then let’s go to the kitchen.”
“Okay!”
Since Heeyeon always cooked herself for the growing child, she took Yerim to the auxiliary kitchen.
Since it was mainly used by staff, it had most basic ingredients. With practiced hands, she quickly made the tteokbokki.
As soon as she placed the plate of spicy-sweet rice cakes in front of her, Yerim immediately began eating with a fork.
Just watching her eat so happily made Heeyeon’s heart swell.
Even if she hadn’t given birth to her, raising her since infancy had created a bond no different from motherhood.
“Is it good?”
“Yes! My mom is the best!”
“Chew slowly.”
Yerim nodded.
While Heeyeon was calming her complicated thoughts by watching the child, Yerim suddenly raised her finger.
“Oh! It’s mister!”
Startled, Heeyeon turned her head and saw Seokwoo leaning against the kitchen door. It was strange seeing him in the staff kitchen.
“Do you… need something?”
“….”
Without answering, Seokwoo stared at Yerim.
What is this? Wasn’t I the only one feeling awkward earlier?
His expression was still cold, but somehow his gaze toward the child looked different.
Seeing a handsome man, Yerim smiled brightly.
“Mister! Eat tteokbokki with us!”
“…Yerim.”
“Don’t make the kid feel awkward.”
“….”
He sat beside Yerim.
Yerim personally picked up a rice cake with her fork and offered it to him.
He ate it in one bite.
“My mom’s tteokbokki is the best, right?”
“It is. It’s good.”
Just hearing him praise the food made her heart flutter.
What am I doing? Getting excited over a food compliment?
Heeyeon cursed herself for her wavering heart.
After eating quietly beside the child for a while, he suddenly seemed lost in thought.
What is it?
What is he thinking about?
Then—
A sharp voice suddenly echoed through the entire house.
“Seokwoo! Kang Seokwoo! Where are you?!”
His hand holding the fork froze.
Moments later—
A glamorous woman in her 40s stormed into the kitchen. As soon as she saw Seokwoo, she raised her hand and slapped him.
Smack—
She struck his cheek, but when she tried again, he caught her wrist.
Heeyeon’s heart pounded in shock.
The middle-aged woman was clearly extremely agitated.
“What are you going to do, huh?! Aeri took pills! Why do all the girls end up like that after getting involved with you?! Are you trying to ruin my business?!”
“Keep your voice down.”
“Do I look like I can keep my voice down?! She was my star employee! Do you know how many men wanted to buy her— mmph—”
Guards quickly rushed in and covered her mouth.
“Take her out.”
“Mmph! Hey! Kang Seokwoo! You— mmph—!”
She was dragged out almost like an animal.
Seokwoo gritted his teeth watching her leave.
Before she could say anything worse, Heeyeon covered Yerim’s ears. The child looked very startled.
After calming his anger, he smiled at Yerim.
“Kid, I think I’ll finish the tteokbokki later.”
Their eyes met briefly.
Knowing it was best to leave, she took Yerim back to their room.
Still…
She mentioned Aeri earlier.
That was the name of his previous dedicated keeper.
The shop’s ace…
Then…
Was that woman a bar madam?
With her tall figure and glamorous beauty, she certainly looked like someone from the nightlife world.
Heeyeon fell into complicated thoughts.
The woman dragged to the garage was Seokwoo’s mother, Park Sunhee.
Once the top hostess of the nightlife world, she had given birth to Seokwoo without even knowing who the father was. After that she started her own business and now ran one of Gangnam’s top luxury hostess bars.
Park Sunhee glared at her son.
“You ungrateful brat.”
“I believe the women brought here already had their debts cleared.”
“Do you think I train star girls just to earn a few hundred million won?”
“Handle your business there. And don’t come here in the middle of the night like this.”
“Am I a stranger? I’m your mother.”
“This is the chairman’s residence. That’s exactly why outsiders must be controlled.”
His voice remained cold.
Even though he saw his mother only a few times a year, there was no affection.
“You really are something. I worked myself to the bone raising you, and my only son treats me like a street vendor.”
“Who told you to raise me like that?”
Seokwoo forced a smile.
She pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
Click.
The smell of her smoke felt especially unpleasant today.
“Anyway… I saw a new face inside. With some grooming she could be quite useful. Where did you get her?”
“Don’t touch her.”
“What?”
“She’s not that kind of woman.”
Without realizing it, he defended Heeyeon.
Even though he knew all the women brought here were in similar situations.
Park Sunhee looked him up and down suspiciously.
“Oh my… that look in your eyes. You’ll eat your own mother alive. Anyway, when is the chairman coming back?”
“Soon.”
“He should hurry. We had business plans.”
“He doesn’t do that kind of business anymore.”
“Yeah right. Then why would he keep you here? Dirty money is still money. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”
He couldn’t argue.
He was Chairman Cha Myunghwan’s attack dog. The money earned from the underworld became the chairman’s slush fund.
“You should go now.”
“Alright, I’m going.”
She crushed her cigarette and started her red luxury car. As it roared away, irritation filled him.
Seokwoo clenched his fist.
“Damn it… everyone’s getting on my nerves.”
He suddenly remembered the tteokbokki from earlier.
As a child, instead of proper meals, his mother would throw him convenience food before going off with married men.
The smell of their lust used to make him nauseous.
He had long since become used to the filth of that world.
But unlike himself—
A woman as clean as a blank sheet of paper kept bothering him.
“So clean… it almost makes me want to dirty her.”
