Chapter: 14
I’m an Expensive Man
“No.”
“A person should be raised in a home with some class. Discernment comes from what you’re exposed to while growing upā¦”
Oh Jin-hee even let out a sigh, her words an insult to Tae-yeon’s family. Tae-yeon took a small, quiet breath and still offered no reaction. For a while, Oh Jin-hee rambled incoherently about how unqualified Tae-yeon was to be Choi Hyun-seo’s wife. Then, with a long sigh, she continued.
“Fine. But you’re here now, so what can I do? Besides, if nothing else, Yoon-woo is my grandson. And for whatever reason, whether he’s trying to be loved or not, he’s the spitting image of Hyun-seo. He looked exactly like that when he was little. So what choice do I have with you? Do your best to endure. Though I wonder how long you’ll last.”
“Thank you.”
“Is this something to be thankful for?”
Looking at Jin-hee, who seemed to find this absurd, Tae-yeon calmly replied.
“You’re saying you’ll accept me, even if it’s not what you want.”
Though she was only saying unpleasant things, the core message was one of acceptance, after all. This was the benefit of a life spent buried in documents. No matter how embellished the language, she could discern whether the conclusion was negative, or conversely, even amidst a litany of bad terms and harsh words, whether the final verdict was positive.
When Tae-yeon pinpointed the essence, Oh Jin-hee nodded, seemingly pleased.
“Right. You’re quick to understand. I’ll see you later.”
After Jin-hee left, Tae-yeon waited, half-expecting Hyun-seo to come in. She wondered if he might not show up at all, but then the videographer came looking for the groom. It was then that Choi Hyun-seo entered.
“Let’s keep the photos brief.”
At Hyun-seo’s words upon entering, the videographer quickly responded.
“Yes, sir, understood, Director. We’ll be as fast as possible.”
The video camera and photo flashes went off simultaneously.
“Could you be a little more affectionate? Yes. Would it be possible for the two of you to share a light kiss?”
As if he were an actor, Choi Hyun-seo swiftly followed the videographer’s directions. There was no time for hesitation; their lips brushed, and his arm draped gently over her shoulder.
She couldn’t remember the wedding ceremony at all. Amidst a sea of people, they stood for a long time in front of a politician giving the congratulatory speech.
Countless greetings were exchanged, and then, at some point, she came to her senses and found herself alone with Choi Hyun-seo in a hotel suite.
Skipping the honeymoon and spending two days at the hotel was the entirety of their honeymoon schedule. Publicly, they claimed they would take a long trip later due to busy schedules, but she knew such a trip would never happen. Still, being alone with him in a hotel room made Tae-yeon nervous.
She fussed with her face in the mirror and straightened the folds of her wedding attire. It was the first night in a hotel room with no place to escape.
The ground for an inexplicable sense of anticipation was that long kiss from last night and his caresses. Something had changed somehow, and she wanted to grab him and ask.
Did he remember that one night he’d spent with her?
But he didn’t return, even after dinner time. Waiting alone in the room for Hyun-seo, feeling hungry and her frayed nerves pressing down on her, Tae-yeon opened a wine bottle from the stocked minibar.
She tore into the premium cheese, olives, chocolate, and even jerky, and began to sip the wine.
As the alcohol kicked in, she felt a little better. Being hungry, she’d already finished one cheese and pulled out another. This one had a strong smoky flavor, but it paired well with the wine.
Popping a salty olive into her mouth, she opened another bottle of wine. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the possibility of spending it alone, but to have a first night like this, all dressed up in her wedding gown, just drinking wine alone!
She diluted the bitter feeling with a bite of chocolate, and too lazy to pour another glass, was drinking straight from the bottle when the door opened.
“Drinking alone. And straight from the bottle, too. Enjoying yourself?”
Perhaps the alcohol had given her courage, Tae-yeon’s gaze towards Hyun-seo was fiercer than usual. She brought the bottle back to her lips, determined to finish the last of the wine, but it was promptly snatched away.
In Hyun-seo’s eyes, Tae-yeon was a drunken rabbit. The sight of a timid rabbit, drunk on two bottles of wine, glaring at him fearlessly was amusing.
He sat on the sofa in the living room and loosened his tie.
“Isn’t that uncomfortable? Change your clothes.”
“I’mā¦ fine, Director.”
In response to her claim of being fine, he instead gave her attire a slow once-over. The tight-fitting gown with a high mandarin collar was the kind that would expose her belly the moment she ate even a little. Wearing such an obviously uncomfortable dress and claiming to be fine was almost ridiculous.
“Looks like it might be hard to get out of alone, doesn’t it?”
Hyun-seo approached her from behind and easily lowered the zipper that ran from the nape of her neck all the way down below her waist. As the zipper went down, her bare skin was revealed, and the strap of her bra came into view.
But Hyun-seo remained unruffled. He tossed his loosened tie aside and stood there looking at her. Tae-yeon looked up at him with a fluttering heart, wishing he would remember the night they’d shared.
“Worth it?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if it’s worth it. If you regret changing jobs.”
The phrase ‘changing jobs’ felt strange. She had been in this changed job for nearly three months now. It was too private a space to call a workplace; she spent her days raising Yoon-woo and maintaining a precarious relationship with him.
But the precariousness was probably only felt in Tae-yeon’s heart. He, on the other hand, drew a clear line and took no action other than their brief encounters morning and evening. Except for that physical contact last night.
Tae-yeon was conflicted about how to spend this night. Then he spoke to her.
“I’ll give you a choice. About how we spend this night. If you don’t want to, I won’t touch you. But if you do, wouldn’t it be better to do it properly?”
He grabbed her chin and tilted her head up. His lips were so close they almost touched. His scent flooded her senses, and inexplicably, her throat felt parched.
“And you, Director? How do you want to spend it?”
“I’m willing to pay you extra.”
If she felt shocked, was she being foolish?
This was a contract, a job change. But there was no mention of sex in it. Him saying he wouldn’t touch her if she didn’t want to was also just adhering to the contract.
Pay her extra? So, was she selling her body?
Tae-yeon looked at Choi Hyun-seo with wavering eyes. His impassive, jet-black eyes seemed dark and deep. She didn’t want to sell her body, at least. That would truly make himā¦ a bastard!
“No. I’ll pay you that money.”
“What?”
“I said I’ll pay. I have a lot of money too. Mmmā¦ so, I have nowhere to spend it. So I’ll buy you. You.”
Hyun-seo thought he had misheard. She said she would pay him to spend the night together. And to Choi Hyun-seo, of all people. Drunk, slurring her words, she boldly declares she’ll pay him!
“No employee pays their employer.”
In short, this man was clinging to the employer-employee relationship. In her intoxicated mind, resentment welled up. Was a person born an employer?
“This is outside the contract, isn’t it? So, can’t we redefine the employer-employee relationship here? I’ll be the employer. Try to satisfy me. I’llā¦!”
Tae-yeon slapped her palm on her own chest and left her hand there. Whether it was the alcohol, even her sense of touch felt different. Her dizzyingly quick hands and feet seemed much faster, and she felt stronger too, which pleased her.
“Director Choi Hyun-seo. I’llā¦ pay your allowance.”
“I’m an expensive man.”
“No, that’s not it. I decide your price. Based on how you treat me.”
A chuckle escaped her. Just thinking about it felt good. Choi Hyun-seo, you might just be cheap. The thought alone was satisfying.
“Always nitpicking everything.”
“You’re crossing the line, Assistant Min.”
“You’re the one who crossed it. Always treating people like they’re invisibleā¦ Hic!”
A hiccup escaped. But she still had to say what she needed to say.
“Butā¦ just because a man makes a lot of money in business doesn’t mean he’s good at night, is there a rule? Well, you were good, though. Yours is big, you know.”
After speaking, as if heat was radiating from within, Tae-yeon parted her lips and exhaled. The sweet scent of wine and fiery passion combined, bewitching the man.
It wasn’t a subtle provocation, but a blatant one. At Tae-yeon’s words, he laughed out loud.
“You’ve got an interesting side, Assistant Min.”
“What’s so funny? I’m a precious daughter at home too. I’m a woman with lots of things I want to doā¦ Yeah. I’m unpredictable. That’s why I took this absurd job change. Who else but me would be crazyā¦ I mean, who would work at a god-awful place like thisā¦?”
Now, her alcohol-soaked tongue began to move on its own. Looking at her, Hyun-seo muttered quietly.
“Meaning you were desperate enough.”
As Choi Hyun-seo said this, he pulled down Tae-yeon’s gown. As the dress slid down, her upper body was revealed, and the swell of her breasts came into view. The peaks of her full, firm breasts were a deep crimson.
