Secret Cohabitation Love - Chapter 35

The woman frowned when their eyes met and looked away. However, her comfortable attire suggested she lived nearby, so Butler Jang hastily followed her.

“Madam.”

When the woman ignored him and kept walking, Butler Jang called out to her again.

“Madam!”

Finally, the woman turned around.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Butler Jang quickly ran over, carefully avoiding Solnae Store, and stood in front of the woman.

“Excuse me, I’d like to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if around here…”

As Butler Jang hesitated with an uneasy feeling, the woman frowned impatiently.

“Hurry up and ask. At this rate, we’ll be standing here until they dig my grave.”

Worried the woman might leave, Butler Jang blurted out what he wanted to say.

“Um, here, there’s an elderly lady named Song…”

“How many Songs do you think there are? My goodness, such a frustrating fellow.”

Though she didn’t seem much older than him, the woman’s curt and rough speech made Butler Jang feel rather offended.

“I mean Grandmother Song Bok Soon.”

“Song Bok Soon? Bok Soon…”

As she repeated the name, her brow furrowed, and the woman gathered saliva in her mouth and spat forcefully onto the street.

“Ugh, just my rotten luck. Don’t even mention that old woman! That family makes my skin crawl.”

Butler Jang nodded, thinking it unlikely the old lady got along well with people given her personality. But that was besides the point – he was in a hurry. He needed to find Song Bok Soon.

“It’s important, but I haven’t been able to contact her.”

“This lady, really.”

“Please, if you know something, tell me. It’s urgent.”

“That grandmother died ages ago, and you didn’t even know?”

“What?!”

Butler Jang instinctively covered his mouth at the loud exclamation that escaped. His eyes widened like saucers and the color drained from his face as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Dead? Are you sure it’s the same Song grandmother? Not someone with the same name?”

No way… it can’t be. It won’t be. There’s no way that lady would have passed like that.

“What would I gain by lying?!”

“She really… died?”

“That’s what I’m telling you. Have you been living under a rock?”

“When exactly did this happen?”

“It’s been a few months now.”

Dead, she really died.

Leaving Butler Jang standing there like a wooden statue, half in shock, Jo Sung Tae wrinkled his nose and began to walk away.

After a moment, Butler Jang snapped back to his senses and hurriedly chased after Jo Sung Tae. He grabbed her arm firmly.

The momentum made Jo Sung Tae stumble.

“Seriously, this lady has been so annoying since earlier.”

“Then, that child, the grandmother’s granddaughter, no, daughter, Song Eun Seo, where is she?”

With his heart pounding, mouth dry, and insides burning like a wick, Butler Jang asked without even knowing what he was saying.

“How would I know that! Because of that wretched girl, my only son is suffering so much right now!”

Jo Sung Tae shook off Butler Jang’s hand forcefully while breathing heavily, then disappeared wobbling between the farm ridges.

Butler Jang slumped to the ground, his arms hanging limply at the unbelievable news.

Gone.

Then where on earth did Eun Seo go?

* * *

On a lazy, sun-scorched afternoon in Bali.

Tae Ha headed to the annex. The woman who said she’d change into her swimsuit hadn’t appeared even after 40 minutes.

The annex door was made of glass, so the inside was clearly visible.

Tae Ha grabbed the handle and pushed. But it didn’t open.

What was she guarding against in a villa where only the two of them were staying?

I’m coming.

A chuckle escaped. How tightly she had locked it.

Only after knocking several times did Eun Seo appear, looking nonchalant.

When Tae Ha pointed at the lock with his finger, Eun Seo opened the door.

“You’re ready already? I was just about to come out.”

“40 minutes isn’t exactly what I’d call ‘just about’.”

Tae Ha replied, nodding toward the clock on the side table.

“Has it been that long?”

It seems Song Eun Seo was having fun even without Kwon Tae Ha. For 40 minutes to feel short.

Tae Ha frowned, feeling somewhat displeased.

“If you’re ready, come out.”

The two enjoyed a leisurely afternoon, placing colorful drinks and beer by the pool. The sound of splashing water could be heard continuously from inside the villa.

Both Tae Ha and Eun Seo liked water, and they were both good swimmers. Tae Ha had requested swimwear from the front desk for Eun Seo, who hadn’t brought any.

Last night, the soft curves beneath the thin t-shirt.

It had taken all his willpower to restrain his desire. Tae Ha couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to exercise the same patience today as he had yesterday.

The swimsuit was for himself, not for Eun Seo.

It wasn’t a bikini, tankini, monokini, or even a one-piece, nor was it something you’d see in an early morning swim class at a sports center. It was the kind of swimsuit that would receive a standing ovation if placed in an Arab cultural context.

Of course, Eun Seo was also very satisfied. Without knowing why.

However, after a while, Eun Seo’s movements in the middle of the water became very cautious. Her body seemed to stiffen like a rock, then she fixed her gaze straight ahead and carefully scanned the bushes.

Sensing the uneasy atmosphere, Tae Ha glided over to where Eun Seo was.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shh.”

Eun Seo quickly covered Tae Ha’s mouth with both hands. Then, with her dark pupils frozen, she stared at the bushes as silent as a mouse.

Rustle.

A moment later, with a sharp scream that pierced the air, “Eek!”, Eun Seo clung to Tae Ha’s neck and pressed against him.

That startled Tae Ha even more. Suddenly, Eun Seo violently lunged at him, hugging his neck so tightly he could barely breathe, and wrapping her legs around his waist.

So tight it seemed almost inappropriate.

The arms around his neck conveyed intense fear. Waves splashed vigorously outside the pool.

She must have been really startled. Tae Ha held Eun Seo in his arms and carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Rustle. The bushes in front moved.

There’s something there.

As Tae Ha tried to move closer to the bushes, Eun Seo resisted fiercely, shaking her head and putting her weight on him.

The force of the arms around his neck intensified.

“Please, let’s go inside. Let’s go inside.”

Following Eun Seo’s whispered words, the bushes shook violently, and a long brown arm suddenly appeared.

What is it?

Tae Ha narrowed his eyes to examine the identity.

A few long, dark, hairy fingers appeared over the railing of the bushes.

Having been born without any sense of fear, Tae Ha moistened his lips and took a stance ready to attack if necessary, when the dark fingers seemed to exert force and the body beneath suddenly rose up.

Ridiculously, it was a small brown monkey.

“It’s a monkey.”

“A monkey?”

Eun Seo lifted her face from Tae Ha’s nape and slowly turned around.

The monkey, completely oblivious to the humans, lingered a bit longer before disappearing. After the monkey was gone, Eun Seo exhaled in relief and finally climbed down from Tae Ha’s arms.

“I was really scared.”

“How can you be scared of something like that? You’re the one who catches snakes.”

“I’ve never caught a snake. I can’t catch them because I might die or get hurt if bitten.”

“What should we do? From now on, I’m going to bite you instead. …Will it hurt?”

“…”

“If you’re scared, you bite me.”

“…”

“Really hard. I’ll endure it even if my bones crumble.”

Tae Ha didn’t even show a brief smile. Then, without changing his expression, he gently placed Eun Seo on the pool railing before disappearing back into the water.

Eun Seo stared blankly at him for a long time before coming to her senses. Even after she had changed into dry clothes and come out, Tae Ha was still enjoying the water.

With a splash, Tae Ha dives underwater.

Eun Seo sat on the edge of the pool, dipping her calves into the water.

Every time he moved, the densely packed muscles revealed dynamic contours.

A moment later, when he surfaced and stared at her with blatant eyes, Eun Seo deliberately focused on the distant sea. It reminded her of yesterday’s Tae Ha.

The firm pectorals and angular shoulders that brushed against her with every breath.

The hot nape of her neck where her cheek had rested. The soft hair.

No. Get a grip. Don’t look. Don’t fall for him. Don’t be enchanted.

However, despite all those resolutions, Eun Seo’s eyes were drawn to him like a magnet.

He rarely rested. He seemed to enjoy pushing his body to the limit. Beautiful things she hadn’t noticed last night came into view.

The elegant and neat skin, the nose bridge so high it seemed arrogant, the straight forehead and thick eyebrows.

All those movements that seemed to house the primal instincts of a panting beast.

But what’s that?

The moment Tae Ha exposed his body out of the water, she saw it.

Something in the dazzling water droplets reflecting light.

There was something faint, like letters, on Tae Ha’s left scapula. Eun Seo instinctively covered her iliac bone and narrowed her eyes.

“Is that…”

“It’s a tattoo. Surprised?”

Tae Ha, who had come out of the pool, answered casually while catching his breath.

“Um… no.”

“My mother had it done when I was young. It wasn’t my choice. I’m not fond of tattoos.”

“It looks like Latin. Unus fatum?”

“That’s right. One fate.”

“But the letters below that…”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing important.”

As Tae Ha put on the robe he had left on the sunbed, the two initial letters were completely covered.