Tae Seo, who had been about to pull out his card from his jacket pocket to ask the staff to charge it for him, tilted his head in response to Jae In’s sudden laughter.
Was Jae In amused that Tae Seo was being considerate of his friend’s feelings? Tae Seo thought he knew why she was laughing, but he found her laughter so pleasant that he waited for her response with a smile.
Soon, Jae In stopped laughing, stepped closer to Tae Seo, and whispered.
“Tae Seo.”
“Yes?”
“Sometimes, you’re really cute, you know?”
“Is being called cute a compliment for a grown man?”
“Yes. It’s a compliment.”
Jae In tiptoed to plant a quick kiss on Tae Seo’s cheek, then stepped back. Both Tae Seo and Jae In were aware that people were watching the tall man carry a drunk woman, but they didn’t care.
Despite others’ gazes, Jae In was the one who had approached and kissed his cheek. Tae Seo bit his lower lip and let out a chuckle.
“I almost lost strength in my legs.”
“Should I not have done that?”
“No. I should just do more leg exercises from now on. Let’s go.”
Jae In followed him with a bright laugh.
“Sang Hwa’s mother seems quite scary.”
“I’ll probably get scolded. It’s the first time Sang Hwa has been drunk and carried home by a man…”
“It’s also my first time carrying someone.”
“For someone who’s not used to it, you were quite adept.”
“That’s because it’s no different from when I do lower body workouts.”
“Ah…”
Sang Hwa had completely passed out. They had arrived at her home, but she was still unconscious, so Tae Seo had to carry her again.
As Jae In rang the bell and explained the situation to Mrs. Bae who opened the door, Tae Seo had no choice but to enter Sang Hwa’s room and place her on the bed.
During this, Mrs. Bae kept hitting Sang Hwa’s back so hard that the force made Tae Seo sway.
Jae In, seemingly embarrassed by the situation, kept saying sorry and thank you to Tae Seo as they got into the car afterwards.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. It must have been startling for you to suddenly meet Sang Hwa…”
“It’s fine. I had fun.”
“And thank you. For being kind to my friend.”
“You’ve said that three times now.”
“…I’m just really grateful.”
Tae Seo gave a slight smile and turned the steering wheel.
“Sang Hwa will probably be very sorry when she sobers up.”
“Tell her she doesn’t need to be.”
Unable to even take a sip of wine, Jae In only watched as Sang Hwa downed an entire bottle by herself. Leaning against the table, Sang Hwa kept swaying on the spot.
“Really, she can’t even handle her liquor…”
“Now’s not the time to worry about others.”
“Huh?”
The car came to a silent halt with a squeak. It was only then that Jae In realized they weren’t on the road anymore but had entered an unfamiliar garage.
“Ah…”
When Jae In locked eyes with Tae Seo as he shifted gears, she found the spreading smile on his face somewhat dangerous. Yet, it was irresistibly charming and she couldn’t look away.
“Welcome to the tiger’s den.”
Whispered at a kissable distance, Jae In could clearly see the muscles in Tae Seo’s jaw tighten then relax. He seemed like a tiger trying to suppress its fangs, now flashing a sunny smile.
“I didn’t want to contact you, but I’m sorry.”
“…It can’t be helped. It was an emergency.”
Tae Seo nodded towards Manager Jang, who was glancing back from the passenger seat. He knew as well. Manager Jang was only doing what needed to be done.
Tae Seo should have been spending a sweet time holding Jae In in his arms. Regardless of what Jae In thought, that was what Tae Seo believed was proper. Up until 30 minutes ago, that was the plan.
But as Tae Seo was about to step out of the car with Jae In to enter the house, his personal phone vibrated. Knowing he had to answer because it was an extremely private number, he still hesitated.
“What’s the matter.”
After asking for Jae In’s understanding, he took the call. Though he knew Manager Jang wouldn’t contact him late without a serious reason, Tae Seo’s voice was curt.
―Joo An Group has sent a notice of passing. This afternoon, Chairman Jeong Un Pil has passed away.
“…”
―I’m sorry. Director Lim personally called. He suggested that as the representative of the Kang Sun Group, it would be best if you attend.
Chairman Kang Shin Jae was away on a business trip. It was clear that Director Lim wanted to present Tae Seo as the rightful representative of Kang Sun Group while his father was absent.
The reason Tae Seo had avoided the media spotlight was entirely because of Chairman Kang Shin Jae. Whether that was fortunate or not, it was certain.
Chairman Kang Shin Jae did not want his successful son to be known to the world. People thought it was because he cherished his son too much, but that was not the case. It was the opposite.
He didn’t want his son’s existence to be known, and he did not want to hear that his son resembled him. It wasn’t out of fondness but rather out of shame, unwillingness to acknowledge, and a desire to avoid seeing.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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