Secret Cohabitation Love (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5

At his unusually tense remark, Eun Seo’s pupils trembled and swirled rapidly.

Tae Ha flattened the faint upward curve of his lips and lightly pulled the paddle shift on the left side of the steering wheel.

Instantly, the car accelerated, and the black vehicle began racing down the silent road.

“So don’t speak carelessly. What’s with that talk about giving up so quickly?”

“…It’s not that I give up quickly. There are people who are forced to give up—like me.”

“Then let me force something on you today too.”

“Is this really the moment for me to be scared?”

“We’ll see.”

Knowing she likely wouldn’t get an answer anyway, Eun Seo stared blankly at the road rushing toward her, then buried her weary head into the seat.

* * *

The car crossed Gyeonggi Province and entered Seoul.

Tae Ha drove up the hill along Itaewon-ro, turned around a gleaming cream-colored wall, and steered the car into the entrance of a parking area.

Feeling the car slow down, Eun Seo tensed up instantly. It obviously wasn’t the police station—and upon closer look, she realized it was the same place she’d visited yesterday searching for Kwon Tae Ha.

Dark gray, wide rectangular tiles were neatly laid on the ground, rough stone walls rose unevenly on both sides, and several white, arched pillars stood ahead of the wall.

Between those pillars sat multiple cars featuring uncommon designs—some glossy black, white, red, or yellow, others matte-finished.

“Where is this?”

“Home.”

Tae Ha replied casually, turned the key with a flick, and stepped out of the car.

He’d said he’d force something on her—and now it was his home?

While Tae Ha walked ahead, Eun Seo neatly folded Woo Young’s jacket, draped it over her arm, and trailed slowly behind, unable to relax her tension.

Noticing her footsteps grow sluggish, Tae Ha turned around—and immediately slid off his suit jacket from his broad shoulders. Eun Seo had halted a proper distance away, her expression stiff.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking—I could go somewhere else… The police station would be fine too. I’ll give you my contact info.”

“Are you scared of me?”

If she admitted she felt this house resembled Bluebeard’s castle and couldn’t bear stepping inside, would he get angry?

She thought she didn’t care where she went—but if her body still clung to survival, would he find that ridiculous?

“You’re scared.”

“It’s less fear and more… the situation’s a bit…”

“It’s alright. You’re not the only one who feels that way. Everyone gets scared when they see me.”

Before his bland smile even faded, the glass doors behind him slid open.

“Welcome back, Representative.”

A woman with a short bob, appearing to be in her early forties, greeted Tae Ha with a light bow.

“Didn’t you get any sleep?”

“Team Leader Choi called—said you were injured.”

“News travels fast today, doesn’t it?”

“Dr. Baek is waiting for you in the reception room.”

“I’ll be right there. Also, please have this nurse check on her—see if she’s injured anywhere. If not, no need to report.”

The nurse looked at Eun Seo with curious eyes. She appeared worn out—it was the same woman who had come looking for Tae Ha at the door yesterday.

“By the way, she probably won’t want to come inside, so do your best to coax her in—and don’t let her leave anywhere. She’s important.”

Tae Ha emphasized the word “important” with unnecessary weight, his face expressionless.

Eun Seo never took her eyes off him as he walked inside. Only after he disappeared down the corridor did the nurse gently take hold of Eun Seo’s arm.

“Excuse me, may I take a look?”

“I’m fine, really.”

“Let’s go inside—the equipment’s in there.”

“I’m not hurt. Honestly.”

“If the Representative says I should check, then I must. He called you important, so I absolutely can’t be careless.”

Representative? She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he did for a living.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep everything that happened here tightly sealed. The GK family doesn’t just let things go unnoticed—not even when someone dies. Ah, maybe that’s even scarier?”

The nurse giggled, but Eun Seo couldn’t bring herself to laugh along.

A phrase floated through her mind: GK family… GK… GK. Could it possibly be that hotel and resort group? The conglomerate with subsidiaries in shopping, construction, energy, and finance—chaired by Kwon Ki Hoon. Which meant… the Kwon family. Kwon Tae Ha.

Her thoughts, starting from “GK,” branched out steadily until she became certain of Tae Ha’s true identity.

Eun Seo scanned the unusually lavish parking area once more. Immense wealth was evident.

[You picked the wrong opponent.]

His firm self-confidence.

[Who sent you?]

Someone in a position worth attacking—and proof that more than one person might want to attack him.

[One thing’s certain: whether this document is fake or genuine, you’ll still have to wait for my lawyer.]

His genuine-seeming expression and tone, and the controlled mastery he’d shown when pressing his foot against Sung Tae’s neck.

“Shall we go in now?”

“Um… Mr. Kwon Tae Ha—or, Representative Kwon—is this the GK Hotel…?”

“Oh my, you didn’t know? I assumed you knew everything since you came looking for our Representative yesterday.”

That casual remark drove a solid nail into her speculation.

Grandmother—how on earth did you get tangled up with someone like this?

While Eun Seo reeled in shock, the glass automatic doors slid open. Just five meters ahead down the short corridor stood an elevator.

The floor indicator started at B2 and went up to Floor 2.

Overwhelmed and flustered, she nearly collapsed—then the elevator stopped at the first floor. The moment the nurse blocking her path vanished before her eyes, Eun Seo quietly rolled her eyes.

White marble floors, lofty ceilings, a dazzlingly grand chandelier, an antique spiral staircase leading to the second floor, a spacious living room beneath a split-level design, and a grand piano.

Countless soft, ambient lights—too many to number.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were so vast that “spacious” felt inadequate; through them poured a sweeping view of the Han River in the distance.

It was a beauty so striking it briefly made her forget her own predicament.

“This way.”

The corridor branched into several paths, and the nurse led her into a room containing a dressing cart.

“My name’s Lee Ji Hye—I’m GK’s in-house nurse. I’m so nervous telling you this.”

She did have injuries—Sung Tae’s grip on her throat had left marks. Bruises were already appearing, and there were several scratches. Yet true to her word, the nurse asked no questions.

After her treatment ended, Eun Seo had to listen to the nurse talk for a long while—only later realizing it was because Tae Ha had ordered her not to let Eun Seo leave anywhere.

By the time Eun Seo stepped out of the room, Tae Ha had already finished his own treatment.

“Follow me.”

After the nurse left, this was the first thing Tae Ha said to her. They walked past a corridor decorated with various objets d’art and arrived at a room. As the double doors swung open, a space easily ten times larger than the room she’d stayed in yesterday unfolded before her.

“Sleep here tonight. No one will come—rest assured.”

When Eun Seo hesitated and didn’t immediately enter, Tae Ha stepped aside to clear the path—but still, she didn’t cross the threshold. Instead, she just stared at him with questioning eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…You think I’m a fraud.”

“Oh, right—we are like that with each other.”

Kindness shown to a fraud wasn’t just excessive—it defied reason. Naturally, she wondered about his intentions behind this help.

“We’ll talk about that later. Rest now. Whether Song Eun Seo is a fraud or not, it wouldn’t be right to press the issue at this moment. I’m human, not a beast.”

With an indifferent expression, the double doors closed firmly behind him, and he disappeared.

Not a beast—but a human.

Hah. All her tension drained away at once.

Eun Seo let out a long sigh and sank directly onto the floor.

An absurd marriage, an almost-empty bank account, and Jo Sung Tae… And now, once again, GK—Kwon Tae Ha.

She’d assumed Tae Ha had deceived her and her grandmother had been tricked.

But Kwon Tae Ha of GK wouldn’t possibly go to such lengths for someone like her.

Yet—if her grandmother really had been manipulated by someone else to deceive Tae Ha…

[What exactly am I lacking that I’d need something like this?]

Obviously, someone who lacked nothing.

[You can’t tell a fraud just by looking at their surface.]

She should’ve kept her mouth shut.

Was her chance at the life she wanted slipping away again? If Tae Ha believed he’d been scammed, he absolutely wouldn’t let it go—and whether he’d trust her innocence was doubtful. Nothing was going her way.

Much later, Eun Seo barely lifted her body, heavy as a soaked cotton pad. All around her was frighteningly quiet.

Outside was hidden behind blackout curtains, and though the room was large, the furnishings were minimal—not simple, just understated. Several doors branched off from the room.

Just as Eun Seo, exhausted by her thoughts, stood to find a place to put Woo Young’s jacket, a soft knock sounded. When no answer came, another knock followed—and she realized the door would never open unless she responded.

Knowing her voice wouldn’t carry through the heavy door, she chose to open it herself.

Outside stood Tae Ha, holding a tray. He’d showered—his neat black bangs now naturally covered his forehead.

“Did I interrupt you?”

Instead of answering, Eun Seo simply shook her head.

“There’s a bathroom inside. It’s not visible from outside, so you can bathe without worry. Fresh clothes should be in the dressing room. And this.”

He extended the tray toward her. Steam rose from a pale brown liquid, with a slice of lemon floating on top.

“It’s cinnamon tea. Drink it while it’s warm.”

Caught off guard by this unexpected kindness, her hand hesitated.

“I didn’t put anything in it.”

“Huh?”

“You looked unsure.”

Though clearly meant to sound intimidating, his words somehow eased her tension absurdly.

“Thank you… for your consideration.”

Yet even after her thanks, Tae Ha neither handed over the tray nor showed any sign of leaving. Instead, he stood firm as a rock on his long legs, watching her intently.

“Is there something you wanted to say…?”

“Song Eun Seo.”

“…”

“Just a moment.”

Tae Ha cut off his own words mid-sentence and grasped her wrist.