Thrilled by Madness - Chapter 107

Won Hoo went straight to Do Soon’s house after leaving work.

Addicted to Yeo Do Soon’s bold charm, he now couldn’t even give up having dinner with her and smiled softly as he ate the ramen she cooked for him.

The other evening, he suddenly found it amusing how excited he had been by Do Soon’s words to leave everything behind and come to her.

During the meal, Won Hoo thought about it realistically.

Even if his father withdrew all the vast funds invested in CN, it was a problem that could be recovered from. Although he would have to endure some hardship for a while, those obstacles were what made him who he is today.

But what does this woman see me as, she says she’ll take care of me unconditionally. She’ll feed me, clothe me, give me a place to sleep, and even set up a company for me someday, no matter how long it takes. She says she doesn’t care if I become unemployed, just come to her as I am.

He had never met a woman like this before, but she was also a woman he absolutely didn’t want to let go. Does it make sense to distance himself from Yeo Do Soon just because he liked her friend? No, he couldn’t do that anymore. He couldn’t even imagine his life without her now.

Given this situation, today was the day he had to honestly confess his worries to her. Only then could he get closer to Yeo Do Soon.

After much thought, Won Hoo opened his mouth as he chewed and swallowed the last noodle.

“I have something to say.”

“Just say it, why build up suspense? You’re making my heart race for no reason.”

Do Soon retorted as she moved the empty ramen bowls to the sink. Won Hoo then recited what he had decided.

“I used to like Eom So Yeon. I’m not sure if someone like me should desire you, Yeo Do Soon.”

“So you mean I was just a substitute for the CEO?”

“No. I did have a high level of interest in Eom So Yeon, but after meeting you, Yeo Do Soon, it was literally just interest.”

“If that’s the case, it’s already in the past. Why are you suddenly telling me this?”

“It kept bothering me. I felt like I was committing a sin.”

“Hmm…”

Do Soon, who had exchanged a few words in her usual tone, said nothing more as she finished clearing the table. Her expression remained calm, with only a slight furrowing of her brow.

After finishing the kitchen cleanup, Do Soon moved to the living room, told Won Hoo to wait a moment, and went into the room.

Just as Won Hoo was starting to feel uneasy, wondering if this was the calm before the storm, and brushing his palm over his chest, she came out of the room with her hands full of something.

Do Soon sat on the sofa and patted the seat next to her.

“Come sit here. I’ll sort out your thoughts for you clearly.”

“You mean you’re going to change my mind?”

“Yes.”

As Won Hoo sat down next to her, Do Soon spread out the things she had brought from the room on the living room table and said,

“You know, I liked one man for a very long time. This man right here!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Do Soon spread out a T-shirt and held it against her chest. In the center of the shirt was Tae Seo Jun’s face.

“Isn’t that a Tae Seo Jun fan club shirt?”

“Yes. I’ve been a member of Tae Seo Jun’s fan club since the beginning. My fangirling was no joke. By your logic, am I also unqualified? Should I not like Gu Won Hoo?”

“Ha…”

A laugh involuntarily escaped Won Hoo’s lips as he looked over the items Do Soon had carefully collected.

Several T-shirts with initials and hearts. Headbands with similar designs, and even limited edition Tae Seo Jun merchandise produced in small quantities by the company. Every single item was filled with affection for Tae Seo Jun.

“Whether it’s fan love or romantic love, I’m the one who liked another man a lot. But I don’t feel sorry at all. Why? Because even when I liked Tae Seo Jun, I never thought of him as my man. Am I not qualified to have Gu Won Hoo?”

“…”

As Won Hoo slowly shook his head, Do Soon asked again.

“Do you… love me?”

Her heart pounded as she asked the question she had asked before. Although she hadn’t received an answer saying he didn’t love her, she had always seen similar reactions.

Still, in true Yeo Do Soon fashion, So Yeon’s words to cherish and respect your love gave her the most strength at this moment, and she waited for an answer with unwavering eyes.

“So?”

“Tsk, your answer isn’t very satisfactory. I’m disappointed!”

Relief flickered in her eyes. Do Soon narrowed them and pressed Won Hoo further. Be more honest, she seemed to say. Love me freely now.

“Why are you making this difficult?”

“Oh my!”

Won Hoo suddenly wrapped his arm around Do Soon’s waist and pulled her close. Though startled for a moment, Do Soon soon tightly hugged Won Hoo’s neck and blinked her eyes cutely.

“You know all this and still ask? That I can’t live without Yeo Do Soon, that I like Yeo Do Soon tremendously?”

“Don’t you have anything else to say besides liking me?”

As if understanding that she needed to hear a specific answer, Won Hoo spoke in a gentle voice, as if admitting defeat.

“I love you, Yeo Do Soon.”

Very satisfied with Won Hoo’s answer, Do Soon’s eyes welled up with tears as she grinned.

“No taking back those words!”

6:30 AM.

It was before sunrise. While the baked dough was in the oven, Seo Jun prepared the whipped cream. Just as the white liquid was turning into a soft solid, Hyun Woo scampered into the kitchen.

“Dad!”

“Our son, you’re up early?”

“I almost overslept, but Black woke me up.”

At the mention of his name, the furball Black sat primly at the kitchen entrance, wagging his tail. The puppy, brought from their main house 3 weeks ago, had already grown significantly and become Hyun Woo’s constant companion and reliable friend.

As promised yesterday without So Yeon knowing, Seo Jun and Hyun Woo bumped their large and small fists together as they spoke.

“What will Hyun Woo do while the cake is baking?”

“I’ll practice spreading cream on the cake and squeezing the tube.”

“Then, while the seaweed soup is cooking?”

“Hyun Woo will make bulgogi with Dad.”

“Great! Shall we start cooking now?”

“Yes!”

The two males exchanged confident looks as they rolled up their sleeves before starting to cook.

An hour later.

So Yeon, who had been reviewing the script for a movie set to begin filming in three days until dawn, completely forgot it was her birthday and woke up a bit later than usual.

But as soon as she opened her eyes, she noticed he wasn’t there, and the whole house seemed unusually quiet. So Yeon put on a silk robe over her pajamas and first checked Hyun Woo’s room. But that room was empty too.

Thinking the child might have followed her father to the training room for morning exercise, So Yeon opened the glass windows wide to let in some fresh air.

The autumn wind urging winter was refreshing.

So Yeon rested her elbows on the windowsill and took a deep breath of fresh air. The scent of thick grass reached her nostrils. The season when dry leaves fall in droves had come without fail this year too. But it would no longer be a lonely season.

But what was this savory smell mixed into the morning air?

Sniffing, So Yeon hurriedly moved her feet.

As she got closer to the kitchen, the food smell grew stronger. Naturally assuming the housekeeper had prepared breakfast, So Yeon was about to step into the dining room when…

Bang!

Clap clap clap clap clap…

Firecrackers went off, and along with applause, Hyun Woo and Tae Seo Jun began singing the birthday song.

“…!”

Overwhelmed by the unexpected birthday celebration from the two males, So Yeon covered her lips, from which an exclamation of joy was about to escape, with both hands and her eyes welled up with tears.

After finishing the song, Seo Jun and Hyun Woo urged So Yeon to blow out the candles as they brought the cake closer to her.

“Happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday, Mom!”

“Dad and Hyun Woo made the cake. Make a wish and blow quickly, Mom.”

“Oh, okay…”

As So Yeon raised her head after blowing out the candles in one go, Seo Jun kissed her cheek and Hyun Woo hugged her legs tightly.

So Yeon looked at Seo Jun with an apron tied around his waist, Hyun Woo with clothes covered in whipped cream and chocolate cream, and then at the kitchen behind them, and chuckled while wiping away the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand.

“What’s this? Did you two prepare my birthday meal while turning the kitchen into a disaster zone from early morning?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes!”

The two males, who looked exactly alike, had the same expression and timing in their answers.

On the table were appetizing well-fried bulgogi, various types of pancakes with pumpkin, mushrooms, and other ingredients that the two males had made, and several side dishes. Along with a milky seaweed soup and well-cooked rice, it was a birthday meal full of sincerity that couldn’t be better.

Others might not see it that way, but So Yeon sat down at the table, genuinely exclaiming in admiration as if facing a feast fit for a king.

Now it was time for the birthday gift presentation.

“Give me your hand.”

“My hand?”

“Yes, let me put this on.”

With those words, Seo Jun placed a sparkling platinum chain on So Yeon’s wrist. A few days ago during the proposal it was a necklace, and now it was a bracelet.

“A necklace and a bracelet, so an anklet for the next birthday?”

“No, I’ll give you that now too.”

Seo Jun grinned and pulled out another jewelry box from his apron pocket. So Yeon received it, opened it, and couldn’t close her gaping mouth for a while in amazement.

“Oh my! The bracelet and anklet were a set?”

“A mark that you’re mine.”

Because Hyun Woo was present, Seo Jun whispered discreetly.

While you can’t possess a person, you can have their heart. So Yeon didn’t dislike his expression. Rather, it was thrilling. From the moment she loved him, her heart was already his. However, contrary to her inner feelings, she looked at him coyly.

Then Seo Jun spoke playfully as he slowly extended his hand towards So Yeon.

“If you don’t like my gift, you can return it.”

So Yeon quickly hid the jewelry box and the bracelet on her wrist behind her back. It meant she absolutely wouldn’t give it back, that she already liked it.

“How petty, trying to take back what you’ve given? Once it’s in my hands, it’s mine!”

“You seem to find it precious since you don’t want to give it back? You used to say you didn’t need anything, but now you know how to be greedy.”

In truth, So Yeon didn’t care whether it was jewels or stones. As long as she could spend ordinary yet precious time with Tae Seo Jun and her child for a long time, as long as she could be happy like this, she didn’t want anything more.

“Mom, Hyun Woo’s gift!”

While So Yeon and Seo Jun were bickering like children, Hyun Woo, who had gone to his room, came back and handed So Yeon a box as big as his face before climbing back onto the dining chair.

“What’s this?”

As Seo Jun also didn’t know what it was, he asked Hyun Woo, and the child said without hesitation that it was a drawing.

“It’s a drawing I made over three nights. Hyun Woo worked really hard to make it for Mom.”

Inside the box was a family portrait Hyun Woo had painted with acrylic paints. For a 4-year-old child, his drawing skills were quite good, and it looked even more impressive in a gold frame.

So Yeon held the frame with both hands and looked at it intently, as if appreciating a masterpiece.

“You drew this really well. Did Hyun Woo really draw this?”

“Yes.”

But in the picture, there were five family members including Black. She could tell who four of them were, but she had no idea who the very small girl was.

“Who is this little girl?”

When So Yeon asked, Hyun Woo wrinkled his nose and said seriously,

“Um… Hyun Woo would like to have a sibling. But Grandma in Canada said that’s a difficult thing, and if you do many good deeds and make a wish, it might come true.”

So Yeon burst into a small laugh while listening to Hyun Woo’s story. It was because she felt that Hyun Woo’s method of getting what he wanted was quite clever and high-level for a young child.

When was it? When they visited the toy store, Hyun Woo silently stared at the toy he wanted for a long time. Then he shook his head.

A child who thinks that’s enough to convey his intention, and adults should buy it if they’re perceptive, and if not, he won’t have any regrets. Hyun Woo, who could move adults’ hearts without throwing a single tantrum, was excessively wise.

“So, Hyun Woo drew our future family. My son is really a genius, isn’t he?”

Seo Jun laughed loudly as he patted Hyun Woo’s head in praise, and So Yeon also smiled brightly as she conveyed her gratitude to Hyun Woo.

“Like Dad said, Mom was really surprised that our son drew such a wonderful picture. Thank you so much, Hyun Woo.”

So Yeon was truly grateful for everything.

For being able to greet the morning with the people she loved most. For receiving such a perfect birthday celebration for the first time in her life.

And she couldn’t help but smile more joyfully, more happily.

All three were still in their pajamas. The two males and herself sitting naturally at the table in informal attire were now really telling her that they were a family.

So Yeon found it amusing but also felt as if she had the whole world, proud.