Chapter 49
49. It's Still the Same Now
2023.06.18.
Madam Kim Mal-hee's husband, Yang Gyu-chil, was a man with absolutely no investment luck. If he bought land, the land value would plummet, and if he started a business, it wouldn't last three months. Every stock he bought led to the company's downfall, and he had been banned from stock investments by Mal-hee long ago. Fortunately, he had inherited a house and assets, so she left him alone; if he hadn't had that inherited wealth, Mal-hee would have nagged Gyu-chil day in and day out. Because he had no investment luck, Mal-hee had no choice but to live diligently.
To her, Hyun-ji was more of a benefactor and a lucky charm than Han So-eun.
The million won worth of cryptocurrency that Hyun-ji had bought for her actually turned into two million won in less than a week. Mal-hee applied for an exchange to see if the coin could really be converted into cash. The money, over two million won, was quickly deposited into Mal-hee's account. Mal-hee checked the amount printed on her account and marveled. But Mal-hee's marveling quickly turned into lamentation.
"Oh, what do I do! What do I do!"
In that short time it took to cash out the money from the coin wallet, the coin had soared again. She felt like she was going to die of regret. Mal-hee became impatient. Hyun-ji said it would go up eight times. She had to put the money back in quickly.
In the midst of that, she paused, and greed sprouted.
'She said it would go up eight times, so that means it will go up more than three times more, right? The more money I put in, the bigger it will grow.'
Maybe she could make 2 billion won without selling the house. Couldn't she just grow the borrowed money and then quickly pay back the principal?
'If I had just 1 billion won, I could make 3 billion won!'
The coin was supposed to go up eight times in a month, so she could pay back the borrowed money quickly.
Mal-hee's eyes shone with a golden light. Her heart pounded as if it would burst just from imagining it.
Mal-hee immediately called her daughter, Heejin.
\
So-eun had set an alarm before going to sleep, but she didn't wake up until after 11 o'clock.
'Aaaah, I didn't even hear the alarm!'
Actually, Tae-joon had quickly turned off the alarm that rang at 9 a.m., but So-eun, unaware of this, thought there must be a sleeping demon in this house.
Just like yesterday, her head was clear today, but her body was still stiff. She actually wanted to lie down longer. But she didn't want to be branded as a lazybones by Tae-joon any longer. So-eun got out of bed and went to the bathroom, washed her face, brushed her teeth, recalling yesterday's embarrassment, changed into clean clothes, and came out of the bedroom.
"Director...?"
A meal was prepared in the kitchen, but Tae-joon wasn't there. So-eun cautiously moved her feet. The door at the very end was slightly open. So-eun quietly approached and pushed the door open, and Tae-joon's figure came into view. Tae-joon was sitting in front of the PC, staring at the monitor with a serious expression. He somehow looked a little tired. It seemed he had important work to do over the weekend.
Tae-joon, sensing someone's presence, turned his head.
"Did you wake up?"
"I'm sorry, Director. Please continue what you were doing."
"I'm done."
So-eun, feeling embarrassed that she had interrupted him, was about to leave, but Tae-joon turned off the PC first and got up from his seat. As if it were nothing, the creases had already disappeared from his face.
"How's your body?"
A sparkling face and a polite question are foul play. Moreover, his tone was even more affectionate than usual today.
Actually, I'm tired, Director, keeping up with you is too much, I wish you would restrain yourself a little, I should say this, but even the desire to complain melts away on its own when I see this face.
It was strangely amazing that a man who was eager to eat me alive just a few weeks ago could change so much.
'No. It's still the same now.'
Only the method has changed, Han So-eun was still Kim Tae-joon's target. He was still eager to eat her alive.
"I'm fine."
Still, So-eun answered that she was fine. Recalling the expression she had seen on his face yesterday.
There are people in the world who are so full of energy.
There are people who change so drastically.
Cool.
A real man is cool.
If I want to keep going like this, am I being too forward?
It was overwhelming and difficult, but it was good. She wanted to continue to be loved like this, for a long, long time.
\
So-eun, who had eaten brunch, went to the swimming pool with Tae-joon as planned yesterday. Unlike yesterday, when she was impatient, she decided to change her clothes at the swimming pool today. After changing into the swimsuit she bought yesterday and coming out, she saw Tae-joon, who had changed his clothes first, waiting for her in front of the changing room. She also saw people passing by glancing at him. Men and women alike.
So-eun's heart also trembled anew. So-eun, who had never shown her body to Tae-joon, realized that she had never seen Tae-joon's body either. He was, as she had guessed, no, a man with much more impressive muscles than she had guessed.
The abs are one thing, but is it necessary for the back muscles to be so cool? I've never seen him working out, when does he do it?
So-eun realized that there was still a lot she didn't know about Tae-joon.
Suddenly, she thought it was a good thing she had been turning off the lights every night. If she had seen that overwhelming physique in that stimulating moment, she didn't know how much more her heart would have pounded.
"What are you doing?"
Tae-joon approached So-eun, who had stopped walking for a moment. So-eun, who had been staring blankly as if she were in a daze, finally came to her senses and smiled blushingly. Tae-joon looked at such So-eun with a straight face and firmly wrapped his arm around So-eun's waist.
In fact, attention wasn't only focused on Tae-joon. Even in a simple navy blue one-piece swimsuit, So-eun was attractive enough. Tae-joon shielded So-eun with his body to block the gazes of other men, but her beautiful lines couldn't be hidden even if he tried to hide them. Thanks to that, Tae-joon couldn't take his eyes off So-eun for a moment.
Tae-joon, who knew how to swim, took So-eun and swam in the water. So-eun held onto Tae-joon's arm like a paddle and completed the course from one end of the swimming pool to the other.
So-eun, who was at a swimming pool for the first time, was just happy. She had seen and heard something, so she tried various swimming styles, but the only one that suited her level was the dog paddle. Just floating in the water in that awkward position made So-eun feel like a child.
After playing for a while, So-eun's lips turned blue. Tae-joon's complexion, who had been watching So-eun, also changed.
"Let's go now. We played for too long."
I didn't play for long? I can't say I played for long?
In her heart, she wanted to say, 'Director, you go first, I'll play more,' but she became timid at Tae-joon's serious face. So-eun took Tae-joon's hand and came out of the swimming pool.
"Just take your clothes and come out. We'll wash up upstairs."
Tae-joon put a large towel around So-eun's shoulders.
Why did he tell me to come out so quickly, does he have something urgent, or is he hungry? So-eun, making guesses that matched her level, had a light bulb flash in her head.
He's a man with strong sexual desire, so maybe seeing her in her swimsuit pushed his buttons and he wants to have some time alone again. If that's the case.
It was overwhelming just thinking about it, but on the other hand, she was excited. It was amazing that he wanted her so passionately. Also, the look on his face when he wanted her was so sexy that it gave her chills, so she was secretly looking forward to it.
'I have to hide the secret until today. Just today. Just until today.'
Just one more day, she wanted to be greedy. Her steps returning to the 30th floor trembled anew.
However, Tae-joon, who arrived at the 30th floor and opened the front door, showed no signs of seduction. He took her to the bedroom and closed the door after leaving a short request.
"Wash up comfortably. Dry your hair well."
His attitude and tone were as dry as a dryer's wind. It was as if she could hear a resolute voice saying, 'I won't touch you anymore, so don't expect it.'
He suddenly comes on when I'm not expecting it, and now that I'm secretly harboring a fluttering heart, he's so cold, I think he's a genius at push and pull.
When So-eun came out after washing up, Tae-joon, who had been waiting for her in the living room, got up from his seat. Still with a straight face without a trace of a smile, he tilted his head and briefly looked at So-eun before suddenly taking her hand and heading to the bedroom.
Ah, this is it, she thought.
The place he headed to was none other than the dressing room next to the bedroom.
Tae-joon sat So-eun down in the dressing room, took his cardigan and put it on her shoulders, and took out the dryer himself. Vroooom. The dryer's wind scattered So-eun's hair. Now Tae-joon's straight face had moved to So-eun. Repenting for her earlier self who had had vain expectations, So-eun received Tae-joon's care with blurred eyes. She felt like she had become a wealthy madam's precious pet dog.
"Shall we go out for dinner?"
Tae-joon, who had dried So-eun's hair thoroughly, suggested. It was already 5 o'clock. The 2-night, 3-day date was over, and now it was time to separate for tomorrow's work. It was a long time if you said it was long, but after it was all over, it felt as short as a half-day picnic. It felt like she had a dream.
*
After dinner, Tae-joon took So-eun home and went straight to the university hospital. There was someone he needed to meet urgently. Tae-joon, who arrived earlier than the appointment time, heavily paced in front of the doctor's office.
"Tae-joon."
After a while, the doctor walked over and called Tae-joon's name. The son of his deceased mother's aunt's aunt. Shin Dae-han, a distant uncle on his mother's side.
"I didn't think you would contact me. You've become more handsome."
Was it 10 years? It had been a long time since they had met, but Dae-han greeted Tae-joon warmly without any awkwardness.
"Yes. Have you been well, Uncle?"
"I'm always the same. I heard you became an executive. Are you back in Korea for good?"
"Yes. That's how it happened."
"Oh, if we had some time, I would have bought you a drink and talked for a long time."
"Please contact me anytime when you have time, Uncle."
"Okay. Let's do that."
Dae-han, smiling kindly at Tae-joon's somewhat nervous smile, led Tae-joon to his office.
The reason Tae-joon urgently contacted his distant uncle, Shin Dae-han, a specialist in general surgery, was because he had an important matter. To Dae-han, who asked about the matter, Tae-joon immediately drew a picture to show him.
Last night, Tae-joon came out of the bedroom and searched the internet all night. He was suspicious of the scar on So-eun's abdomen. There was something suspicious, but he didn't want to be sure.
"What do you think this is?"
The picture Tae-joon drew was simple. A person's chest with five short scars centered below the right breast, and a long scar below the navel.
Dae-han, who carefully looked at Tae-joon's picture, answered.
"Well. Judging from the picture, is it a right hepatic lobectomy?"
Tae-joon's body stiffened as if he were holding a scalpel at that nonchalant answer.
