Chapter 26
“……Ha, ha.”
“What is this? Did we survive?”
“I thought we were gonna die for real…!”
The employees, who had barely escaped danger, collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
Fortunately, no one seemed seriously injured, but everyone was pale and shaken.
At just the right moment, loud sirens echoed from a distance.
It was the fire truck and police cars.
Only then did Taeha get to his feet and look in Sorim’s direction.
She was sitting on the floor, staring blankly at the burning restaurant.
Her dreams, her parents’ legacy, were turning to ashes before her eyes.
“……Yoon Sorim.”
Taeha stood up and approached, grabbing her shoulder.
Only then did Sorim turn her unfocused eyes to look at Taeha.
“The fire… our restaurant…”
“If you’re not hurt, that’s what matters. The building can be rebuilt.”
Taeha spoke firmly.
But Sorim didn’t hear him.
Her gaze was fixed beyond the flames, on a woman crouching in a corner of the alley.
It was Minseo.
It seemed she had panicked when the fire she set grew out of control.
Taeha’s gaze followed Sorim’s and landed on Minseo.
His expression turned cold.
A rage hotter than hellfire, ironically taking the coldest form, burned in his eyes.
Without hesitation, Song Taeha stalked toward Minseo.
“No, no… I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it…!”
Minseo stammered as she backed away.
Taeha looked at her with disgust, then motioned to the bodyguard behind him.
“Catch her before she runs. And turn her over to the police immediately.”
“Let go! Let go! I’ll call my dad! Unnie! Yoon Sorim! Help me!”
Struggling and screaming, Minseo was held by the bodyguard.
“Unnie! I made a mistake! I was just trying to scare you, that’s all!”
A mistake.
She was trying to scare them.
That shameless excuse made Sorim’s fist clench tightly.
People could have died. Her teacher and colleagues almost burned to death.
And she was calling it a mistake?
Sorim staggered to her feet and approached Minseo.
Slap!
Sorim’s palm struck Minseo’s cheek with all her strength.
A heavy silence followed.
Minseo, and even Taeha who was watching, looked shocked.
“……A mistake?”
Sorim’s voice trembled low.
“Do you know what you did? You almost killed someone. You were about to become a murderer!”
“I, I…”
“Never show your face in front of me again. If you do, I might just kill you myself.”
Poison seemed to ooze from Sorim’s eyes.
Minseo, intimidated by Sorim’s sharp aura, shut her mouth tightly.
Soon, the police arrived and cuffed Minseo.
As she was dragged into the police car, Minseo continued to glare at Sorim.
But her gaze no longer held the same confidence—it was full of bitter resentment from a defeated person.
“……Let’s go.”
Taeha shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Sorim’s shoulder, then turned away.
Sorim gave one last glance at the burning restaurant.
The firefighters were working hard, but the interior had already been completely consumed by flames.
The kitchen where she had once been celebrated by Jean Michel and the guests—where she had tasted victory—was now nothing but a blackened skeleton, slowly vanishing.
“……It’s all over.”
Sorim muttered despondently.
“Over? What’s over?”
Taeha grabbed Sorim’s hand tightly.
Blood seeped from the palm of his hand, which had been cut when breaking a window, and it soaked into Sorim’s hand.
The warm, sticky sensation pulled Sorim back into reality.
“I’m here.”
“……”
“We can start again.”
Taeha’s voice was firm.
It was as if the burned building could easily be rebuilt any time.
Yet, in that moment, his confidence felt more reliable than ever.
“Are you hurt? Let me see.”
He shook his head firmly and led Sorim to the car.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? It’s more than nothing…”
“Look after yourself. You’re in no state to talk.”
Trying to lighten the mood, he added a playful comment.
Sorim let out a faint laugh, as if she couldn’t help it, and gripped his hand tightly.
* * *
The two of them sat in silence in the car for a while.
Sorim stared blankly out of the window, and Taeha focused on driving.
When they hit a red light, Taeha leaned his head against the steering wheel.
“……”
He sighed deeply, and Sorim, startled, turned to look at him.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt?”
“No. Just… annoyed.”
Taeha raised his head and looked at Sorim. His eyes were deep with emotion.
“I almost went crazy. Thinking you were in that fire…”
“……”
“Don’t ever do something like that again without my permission. Don’t rush into danger to pull someone out of a fire, or something like that. If you do it again, I won’t let you off easily.”
The sedan, which had stopped at the red light, started moving again.
Sorim looked at Taeha’s profile with a strange expression.
He was staring straight ahead, furrowing his brows.
It wasn’t just anger.
It was fear.
The great Song Taeha, scared of losing something.
It was hard to believe, impossible to believe.
That unfamiliar sight stirred something in Sorim’s chest.
“I’m sorry. Because of me, you got hurt… and put yourself in danger.”
Sorim gently held his blood-stained hand.
“You saved me with this hand, right?”
“……It’s nothing.”
“You need to treat it. What if it leaves a scar?”
Sorim, who usually hid her emotions, looked ready to cry, and Taeha let out a small laugh.
“Are you really worrying about me? Look at yourself. You look a mess.”
With his bloodied hand, he wiped the soot off Sorim’s cheek.
“You’ve gotten ugly.”
“……Are you making jokes right now?”
“I’m not joking. I seriously can’t look at you like this.”
Taeha’s teasing words made Sorim burst into laughter.
The tension melted away, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Go wash up and rest a bit.”
Sorim tightened the jacket draped over her shoulders.
The mixed scent of him—his cologne, blood, and smoke—gave her a strange sense of comfort.
She thought she had lost everything, but there was still something she could hold onto.
The warmth of this man.
For a moment, she wondered if that would be enough.
It was a foolish thought, but it crossed her mind.
* * *
As soon as they arrived at the penthouse, Taeha immediately called his secretary.
“It’s done. Park Sang-sik’s daughter, no settlement. Proceed as planned.”
“Park Sang-sik’s office has contacted us.”
“Take the call and tell them. If they give up on the daughter and remove her from the family register, we’ll reconsider the company situation.”
Sorim, who had been listening nearby, inhaled sharply.
“It’s their choice. Their child, or money. It’s obvious what that man will choose.”
Taeha let out a small, almost mocking laugh, like it was a joke.
“And I won’t be controlling the media. Let the arson case get major coverage. Emphasize that the victim is the future daughter-in-law of Yoonsan Group. That way, they won’t have any room to move.”
After ending the call, Taeha looked at Sorim.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“……”
Sorim, who had been silent, shook her head.
“I just… I’m glad that Taeha is on my side. If you were my enemy, it would’ve been terrifying.”
“You know me well.”
Taeha didn’t deny it and gave a short nod.
“Don’t betray me. If you do, I’ll make it worse than that.”
