Episode 14
“…Even Seorin?”
—Please, Mother. I’ll text you the time and place.
Jaehee hung up immediately after saying her piece. As the beeping sound of the disconnected call rang in the air, Youngsook threw her phone onto the sofa in frustration.
“Ugh, getting in with the Ohseong Group is seriously tough.”
That young brat ordering her around like that—it was unbelievably annoying.
Fuming for a while, Youngsook bit her lip hard.
But what could she do? It was the Ohseong Group. The madam of Ohseong was known for having tight control over the women in high society. If she could become in-laws with her, she’d finally get to put all those women who looked down on her in their place.
“But how am I supposed to convince Taeyoon?”
Oh dear, what a mess.
Youngsook had planned to spend the day doing a face mask and relaxing, but her head started to ache, and she collapsed back onto the sofa.
No matter how much she hesitated, time passed steadily. As the sun began to rise, Seorin headed to the main house. Standing in front of Taeyoon’s room, she took a deep breath.
Though it had been several days since she started bringing Taeyoon his morning attire, she still got nervous every time. Since the first day he had kissed her hand in secret, Taeyoon had continued with his subtle physical touches.
The other day, he’d pretended to take clothes from her just to hold her hand, and yesterday, he’d caressed her cheek. Seorin had flinched and pulled away every time, but she couldn’t make a big scene with Madam Kang around. These incidents piled up, making her uncomfortable.
With a sigh, Seorin knocked on the door.
“Yes, come in.”
The voice that answered wasn’t Taeyoon’s—it was Madam Kang’s. When Seorin entered the room, she saw Madam Kang standing like a statue in the middle of the living room.
Clearly, she had arrived first and was waiting. It was obvious that Youngsook was determined not to leave Seorin and Taeyoon alone together.
“Seorin, you’re here? Master Taeyoon is in the shower. Go ahead and prepare his clothes.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Seorin went to the dressing room and picked out clothes and a tie for Taeyoon to wear to work. Just a little longer, and she could get this over with.
At least while he was away at work wearing the clothes she chose, she could breathe a little easier.
With the clothes in hand, Seorin stood beside Madam Kang. Soon enough, Taeyoon came out. Without hesitation, he stripped off his gown and began changing in front of them.
At first, it had been shocking, but after it happened every day, she stopped reacting. When he took off his gown, both Seorin and Madam Kang instinctively lowered their gazes.
While putting on his shirt, he beckoned to Seorin.
What now? Seorin felt annoyed, but she had no choice but to approach him. She glanced nervously at Madam Kang before walking up to him.
“Help me with my tie. I can’t seem to get it right today.”
“Why do you keep doing this?”
“I forgot how to tie it.”
Even though he’d dressed himself for years, Taeyoon gave a ridiculous excuse. When Seorin hesitated, Madam Kang’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Left with no choice, Seorin picked up the paisley tie she’d selected. She stood on tiptoe to place it around his neck, and Taeyoon bent down to help her reach.
“Just for today. Do it yourself from now on.”
She muttered under her breath as she adjusted his tie. Taeyoon responded with a soft smirk.
“No way. Why would I give up the chance for Eun Seorin to tie my tie?”
“You’re unbelievable.”
Annoyed, Seorin hurried her hands to escape the awkward situation. But in her rush, the tie didn’t come out neatly.
“That’s not how you do it.”
Taeyoon gently grasped her hands as if correcting her. Surprised, Seorin tried to pull away, but he held on tightly.
Thanks to his large frame, Madam Kang couldn’t see what was happening. But if she did, Seorin would be in trouble again.
“Why are you doing this?”
Seorin frowned in frustration. Taeyoon calmly answered.
“What can I do when a pretty girl keeps lingering in front of me?”
“Seriously… do you want to see me drop dead from embarrassment?”
Seeing her teary expression, Taeyoon finally let go. Seorin quickly finished tying the tie.
This time, Taeyoon quietly stood still, watching her. His lashes fluttered slowly as he avoided her gaze, making his large eyes seem even more expressive.
“Haah…”
When Seorin finally finished tying the tie, she let out a long breath and stepped back. But Taeyoon stopped her again.
“Wait a second.”
He picked up a round tin nearby and opened the lid. A lemon scent wafted out, revealing neatly arranged yellow candies.
“What now…”
Before she could protest, Taeyoon popped a candy into her open mouth. A sharp lemon flavor burst inside her mouth before she could refuse.
“Good job.”
She had done nothing but tie his tie, yet Taeyoon patted her head as if praising her. He then licked the sugar off his fingers—fingers that had just touched her lips.
Seeing his red tongue pass over the same spot made Seorin’s face flush as if she’d been kissed.
At that moment, her eyes met Madam Kang’s. Though she had done nothing wrong, Seorin felt like she’d committed a crime and quickly lowered her head.
She had wanted to ask what he thought he was doing, but the candy in her mouth stopped her.
Seorin furrowed her brows in frustration, silently questioning his actions.
Taeyoon chuckled at her helpless, flustered expression. Watching her struggle because of him made him oddly pleased.
The same Seorin who used to always pull away now stood right in front of him whenever he called.
Smiling gently, Taeyoon said,
“Keep your evening free tonight.”
“Tonight? All of a sudden?”
Seorin pushed the candy to one side of her mouth and asked, causing her right cheek to puff up. Taeyoon smiled and stroked it with a fingertip.
“Yeah, tonight.”
Seorin tilted her head. Whether she could or not wasn’t up to her—Youngsook had plans in the afternoon, but nothing scheduled for the evening.
Still, Seorin couldn’t give an answer. Youngsook often made sudden demands on her time.
“I’m not sure…”
“You will keep it free, right?”
Cutting off her sentence, Taeyoon imposed the plan on her like it was nothing. Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out.
“Don’t forget your briefcase, Director!”
Madam Kang’s voice followed as she hurried to bring him his bag.
Left behind, Seorin rolled the candy in her mouth. The sweet and sour lemon flavor still lingered.
“What am I going to do with him…”
Feeling heat rise in her cheek where Taeyoon had touched her, she covered her face with her hand. She rubbed it as if to erase the memory, then lowered her head and hurried down the stairs.
From a distance, Youngsook watched her with a suspicious look.
As Madam Kang returned after handing off the briefcase, Youngsook gestured for her to come over.
