Chapter 4 …
Why is he here…?
Juyeong’s pupils wavered. All kinds of suspicions poured through her mind.
Was it a coincidence? Or had he been called here by her father?
Considering that it had been Chairman Choi Gwon-yong who arranged her blind date with him before, it wasn’t an entirely far-fetched theory.
“…It’s been a while, Mr. Bae Seonghun.”
“Indeed. I figured we’d run into each other again someday, but I never imagined it would be like this.”
At Seonghun’s words, Juyeong bit the inside of her lip.
She’d made a mistake.
Even if the man she called a father had deliberately stabbed her in the back, she shouldn’t have dashed out into the rain without thinking about the consequences.
She’d acted far too impulsively.
“I forgot my umbrella.”
Trying to hide her still slightly ragged breathing, Juyeong put strength into her voice.
What was done was done, and time couldn’t be turned back, so she needed to smooth things over with the most plausible excuse she could come up with.
Still, she couldn’t suppress the faint trembling of her eyelashes over eyes she forced to look sharp and defiant.
Seonghun slowly ran his hand along the umbrella shaft.
He had already seen it. Just minutes ago, Choi Juyeong, pale as a sheet, running through the rain. There was no way he could take her words at face value.
“Forgot your umbrella, huh….”
Even though he knew the truth, Seonghun went along with her story out of simple curiosity.
Choi Juyeong lived in a world where she had to be constantly mindful of others’ gazes, yet she’d run into the rain without a second thought.
What had driven her to that point?
What had shaken her composure and dragged out such impulsiveness? Seonghun suddenly found himself curious.
Normally, he wouldn’t have spared a thought for someone else’s circumstances.
“If you’d spoken to the hotel staff, you could’ve borrowed an umbrella. Didn’t you know?”
“It didn’t occur to me at the time.”
It seemed Juyeong had no intention of admitting she’d chosen to run into the rain of her own accord.
Well, of course. If she did, she’d be branded crazy.
And then CS Group’s stock would take a hit, rumors spreading that the group’s sole heir, Choi Juyeong, had lost her mind.
“So you’re smart but foolish.”
“They say even monkeys fall from trees. Today’s just one of those days for me.”
“Monkeys…?”
A snort escaped Seonghun.
Juyeong clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes. A crease formed between her brows.
“Why are you laughi—”
“You’re cute, Ms. Choi Juyeong.”
“Are you—”
She almost asked if he’d lost his mind.
Cute? Why on earth would Bae Seonghun call her cute unless he was crazy?
“Ha….”
Juyeong started to say something, then stopped.
It was a waste of time. Even as she stood here trading words with him, she couldn’t fathom why she’d ended up in this situation.
Just as she was about to excuse herself, she spotted Secretary Shin running toward them from a distance.
This was her chance.
“My secretary’s coming. I should get going.”
Following her gaze, Seonghun turned his head and saw a man running toward them with an umbrella.
Tilting his head, Seonghun asked,
“Your secretary’s a man?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“I’ll give you my jacket. Put it on.”
The sudden offer left Juyeong momentarily speechless.
But only for a moment. She waved her hand dismissively.
“No, it’s fine.”
She didn’t understand his intention in offering his jacket, and she didn’t particularly want to. She had no interest in finding out.
“Then I’ll be off.”
Juyeong gave a small nod and turned to leave—or tried to.
If only Bae Seonghun hadn’t grabbed her wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
She snapped, her voice rising. Her head was already a mess because of her father’s proposal, and the unwanted physical contact made her emotions explode.
“Ms. Choi Juyeong.”
The casually mocking tone he’d used earlier suddenly grew heavy.
“Are you screwing around with your secretary?”
“What…? Are you insane?”
“If not, then wear this.”
Forcing the umbrella into Juyeong’s hand, Seonghun shrugged off his navy jacket and draped it over her slender shoulders.
The scent of his cologne clinging to the jacket made her head spin.
“Black.”
Holding both shoulders through the jacket, Seonghun leaned down and murmured right next to her ear.
“You’re showing everything right now.”
“……”
It wasn’t hard to guess what “black” he meant.
The rain-soaked ivory blouse she was wearing couldn’t possibly be doing its job properly.
The hand gripping the umbrella began to tremble.
She’d been in the rain for quite some time, and she’d spent a fair while talking with Bae Seonghun. Hadn’t there been plenty of chances for him to tell her her bra was visible?
No. There had been many.
“You kept your mouth shut all this time, and only tell me now, when my secretary shows up and I say I’m leaving. Where did you learn such a nasty habit?”
“I don’t like others getting the fun.”
Seonghun shrugged.
The sight was so infuriating that Juyeong was left speechless, letting out only a hollow breath.
So it was fine for him to enjoy the view, but not for anyone else? That was why he’d told her?
Ha… he really knew how to provoke someone.
A surge of emotions welled up inside her, but Juyeong forced a relaxed smile.
If he wanted to play dirty, there was no need for her to play clean alone.
She brushed the wet hair clinging to her face aside and took a bold step forward.
“If you’re going to enjoy it, enjoy it properly. Why stop halfway?”
They were close enough that their noses almost brushed. If she leaned in just a little more, their bodies would touch.
But they didn’t.
Standing just inches away, Juyeong stared straight into Seonghun’s eyes.
“It’s a really hot brand in the U.S. these days. Our CS Department Store is the first to bring it into Korea.”
She handed the umbrella back to him. As their hands met, a sharp jolt of static electricity snapped between them.
Seonghun felt it too; his straight brows twitched.
“What I’m wearing now is a new piece I bought just a few days ago.”
She withdrew her hand slowly.
As if to provoke him further, Juyeong traced her fingertips lightly over each joint of his fingers.
“Curious where it’s from?”
Before he could answer, Secretary Shin arrived with the umbrella and called out to her.
“Madam President.”
“Oh, Secretary Shin.”
After deliberately provoking Seonghun, Juyeong moved under the umbrella held by her secretary without a shred of hesitation.
She looped her fingers naturally around Secretary Shin’s arm.
The gesture was so natural that, for a moment, Seonghun wondered if the two were lovers.
“Shall we go?”
“If you’re curious?”
As Secretary Shin and Seonghun spoke at the same time, Juyeong turned slightly to the side.
Unlike before, there was now distance between her and Seonghun, rain pouring down in the space that separated them.
“Come see for yourself. The bottom’s black too.”
It wasn’t a brief shower that would stop anytime soon.
Standing beneath the torrent of rain, Seonghun slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“Getting soaked made me feel sticky. You don’t mind if I shower first, right?”
As if coming up to the hotel room together wasn’t enough, Choi Juyeong leisurely looked around before heading into the bathroom.
She acted as though this wasn’t her first time doing something like this.
He’d heard she was conservative when it came to men—was that not true?
The look in her eyes, her gestures, her tone toward him resurfaced in his mind. They’d been so blatantly seductive it was harder to ignore than to acknowledge.
What had happened to make Choi Juyeong act so impulsively?
This was different from rudely sabotaging a blind date.
A hotel room. Fun. Two consenting adults.
Even teenagers knew what happened when those things came together.
Fun.
How far could this woman go on sheer impulse alone?
Curious about the answer, Seonghun had followed her up to the hotel room.
Bae Seonghun had become curious about Choi Juyeong.
But when she finished showering and came out, Choi Juyeong was nowhere to be found.
The hotel room was empty.
“Ha.”
A laugh escaped him. Was this what she’d meant by “fun”?
How ridiculous.
Running a hand through his damp hair, Seonghun returned to the bedroom, where a yellow memo caught his eye.
Is it because you’re so big? You took a long time to shower.
The handwriting was neat—just like her.
I was going to wait, but an urgent meeting came up. I’ll be going now. I had fun today.
What exactly had been fun?
He hadn’t even gotten to enjoy anything.
Oh, and what I left on the nightstand is a gift. I picked black on purpose. Wear it well.
Seonghun lifted his gaze.
On the bedside table lay an unopened package of men’s underwear.
Just as she’d said, the bottom was black too.
