Thrilled by Madness - Chapter 32

So Yeon’s back touched the wooden desk surface.

It was natural for a small, delicate woman to fall backwards when a large-bodied man collided with such force and weight. The atmosphere was such that even more intense actions wouldn’t seem strange, but So Yeon turned her head to the side with her palms pressed against Seo Jun’s unyielding chest.

“…Why.”

“Stop… please.”

Black eyes staring intently at the peach-flushed face against the white background revealed intense dissatisfaction.

“Are you able to stop right now?”

Seo Jun’s lips glistened with moisture. His words spoken with those lips were terribly seductive. Gasping like someone on the verge of suffocation, So Yeon barely held onto her precarious self-control and clearly conveyed her intention.

“See. It wasn’t practice after all. You’re trying to shake me, aren’t you?”

“Ha…”

The woman who had just been exchanging passionate breaths with him suddenly changed her attitude.

This stubbornness was also one of Eom So Yeon’s charms, but how did that man manage to break down such a resolute woman? If she happily bore a child for the man who abandoned her, how much must she have loved him?

Then what about me?

What am I, the first man in your life?

Am I not even worth that bastard’s toe?

Seo Jun laughed dejectedly as sudden jealousy and relative deprivation overwhelmed him.

“We made a promise.”

“What promise?”

“When we both want it. And you said I could use you, Director.”

This was the condition Eom So Yeon had set when they came here together, and Seo Jun had agreed. He should keep his promise, but what about this intense thirst? The half-burned passion throbbed painfully. So there had to be a reasonable compromise.

“Eom So Yeon, you’re really cruel. Then, when will you give in?”

“What are you saying? When did I ever say I would give in? Who was it that told me to hold out?”

“That was just to persuade you. Actually, I desperately hoped you wouldn’t hold out.”

“…”

Does this man really like me?

So Yeon asked herself, and the answer was affirmative. His candid response and more serious expression than ever made her feel like he really did like her.

After being lost in thought for a moment, So Yeon made a decision. To take one step closer to Tae Seo Jun. But not now. It was something to consider after experiencing Tae Seo Jun a bit more.

“How about tomorrow evening?”

“What?”

“I’ll come to your room, Director.”

“Do you know what you just said means?”

He seemed to have misunderstood when she said she’d go to his room in the evening. So Yeon quickly corrected that it wasn’t what he thought.

“I know it’s the tiger’s den. I just mean let’s talk seriously about us.”

“Ha…”

This woman, doing whatever she pleases.

Seo Jun, who let out a sigh, stared blankly at So Yeon beneath him before helping her sit up.

Suddenly sitting up after lying on the desk made her dizzy. So Yeon regained her composure as she slowly fixed her disheveled hair.

“Like an interview?”

“Building rapport? Let’s think of it that way. Honestly, I can’t deny I’m very attracted to you, Director. But you have to give me time to know what kind of person you are. Anything eaten too quickly causes indigestion.”

So Yeon loves Tae Seo Jun. Seo Jun said he likes Eom So Yeon. What could be more important than this for two people to develop into lovers?

But for So Yeon, that alone wasn’t enough. She couldn’t blindly believe his words that he liked her.

It could be the anxiety that inevitably accompanies those who have something to lose.

Whether his liking her stemmed from mere interest. Even if they became lovers, how far their relationship could progress. How much of a father’s love he could share with her child, and whether he could willingly accept the sacrifices a biological father naturally should make.

So Yeon’s urgent priority was to confirm how much he could meet these expectations.

Her decision could completely change Seo Jun’s life. So she was cautious. She wanted to know if he could really handle it. She didn’t want to ruin everything he had built with an unwanted truth.

So what she wanted was to first build rapport between them through sincere conversation. That’s why she accompanied him to Spain.

That way she could safely protect her precious son, and even if he fell short of her expectations, she could just keep the memories from here as beautiful reminiscences and return to her daily life.

So Yeon got off the desk she was sitting on, gently pushing aside Seo Jun who was blocking her way.

However, Seo Jun stepped forward as much as he was pushed back, trapping So Yeon within his arms as he placed his hands on the desk.

“Eom So Yeon, you’re really something. You wolfed down a whole steak without stopping, so those words don’t suit you. Well, anyway. Then why tomorrow evening specifically?”

So Yeon answered, unfazed by the much larger man’s oppressive gaze.

“As you know, we don’t have much time. Just a few days. So let’s explore intensively. In the evening, we can chat cozily about the day’s events.”

“And you might give in then?”

“Even if not, I’ll give you a definite answer on the last day.”

Just a few days.

Holding out that long shouldn’t be difficult.

That’s what he thought rationally, but his body disagreed. His body, aroused since they kissed, still strongly desired only her. Unless she fell into his arms, Eom So Yeon right before his eyes was nothing short of torture.

That’s why Seo Jun, who had come up to the second floor using the stairs behind the study, urged So Yeon to quickly go into her room as he escorted her to the door.

“Sleep well.”

It was when Seo Jun was about to turn away after leaving a brief goodnight greeting.

“Are you going to sleep right away?”

She had just rejected him. Though she knew she was being selfish, it was So Yeon’s spontaneous words, not wanting to part from him.

“…”

Seo Jun stopped and looked back at her standing stubbornly in front of the door, raising an eyebrow crookedly.

“No, it’s just… I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. Since I slept a lot during the day…”

While So Yeon trailed off vaguely, Seo Jun’s heart suddenly pounded. He too wanted to spend more time with Eom So Yeon.

“So, you want me to entertain you?”

“Oh come on, am I a child? I’m just saying.”

Seo Jun’s master bedroom was at the end of the hallway. Glancing that way, he said:

“If you’re not going to sleep, why don’t you come to my room?”

“N-now?”

“You said you’d come to my room tomorrow. There’s no problem starting to build rapport from now, right?”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Then, today as a preliminary survey!”

“Before that, can you drop the ‘Director’ thing?”

“That’s not difficult, Tae Seo Jun. It’s the room at the end, right?”

So Yeon smiled brightly and walked ahead of Seo Jun, her footsteps light.

“…”

This woman is determined to torment me to the end.

Somehow ending up following behind So Yeon, Seo Jun couldn’t hold back his laughter.

She was truly an irritating woman in every way.

But also the only woman he could never hate no matter what she did.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Myeongsu-dong Three-way Intersection is the place with the most traffic accidents in that area. Just last year, 14 accidents resulted in 36 deaths or serious and minor injuries. But this is the first time a car has invaded the sidewalk.”

Yoo Jung Hwa, who rushed to the hospital as soon as she heard the news of the accident through the police’s contact, kept vigil all night by her father’s bedside as his life hung in the balance.

Jung Hwa, who had been nodding with a haggard face while the detective who came early in the morning explained in detail the circumstances of Yoo Byung Hwan’s accident that had brought him to the hospital yesterday evening, slowly opened her mouth.

“That aside. A perfectly healthy person is now fighting for his life. Why hasn’t the person who caused the accident shown up yet? If they have a conscience, shouldn’t they come and apologize first?”

“I regret to say that the truck that hit part of the food stall had no license plate, and the driver fled immediately after the accident, so we’re also trying to figure out the circumstances of the accident and the elusive driver based on witnesses.”

Perhaps the word ‘witness’ was welcome. Jung Hwa, whose dull eyes suddenly came into focus, carefully swallowed her dry saliva and asked:

“Is there someone who saw it properly?”

“Well, the food stall owner saw it up close, but his testimony isn’t much different from people passing by, so for now…”

“I understand what you’re implying, Detective. The chances of finding the hit-and-run culprit are slim, right?”

“It’s still too early to conclude that. It hasn’t even been a full day since the accident, so we need to investigate more.”

“I understand. If you get any information, please contact me immediately. I must see the face of the person who did this to my father.”

“Why wouldn’t I understand Yoo Jung Hwa’s devastated feelings? Don’t worry. We’ll do our best to find them for sure.”

“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”

The detective, about to leave the hospital lounge after finishing the conversation, looked back at Jung Hwa.

“Oh, by the way! Do you know why Yoo Byung Hwan went to Myeongsu-dong yesterday?”

“He lived in that neighborhood for 20 years. He probably didn’t go for any specific reason.”

“The food stall owner said he saw Yoo Byung Hwan for the first time yesterday, so why that place specifically…”

“Well, I guess that’s something we can only know when my father wakes up.”

It meant she didn’t know either.

Jung Hwa, who stood up while answering, mentioned an urgent matter.

“I’ll have to excuse myself first. I need to meet the attending physician now.”

“Ah, please go ahead.”

“Then, I’ll wait for your call, Detective.”

Was it because he felt sorry for Yoo Jung Hwa, who might soon lose her father? Or was it because he finally realized he had met that famous actress in person? The detective watched her retreating figure leaving the lounge with quite brisk steps, his gaze lingering.

“Sigh, no matter how flustered she is, she asks about everything else but why doesn’t she ask about that… Who he was with. Yoo Jung Hwa probably doesn’t know well that Yoo Byung Hwan wasn’t alone there.”

The detective’s eyes sharpened as he muttered to himself, rubbing his chin with his thumb.

[This is the timeline separator]

Seo Jun and So Yeon sat side by side on the sofa in the master bedroom, drinking beer.

Four years had passed. The difference from that night was that it was Spain, not Korea, and a grand mansion, not a hotel. Going deeper, it was a relationship that had become as unfamiliar as it was familiar over that time.

“The Sun’s Master” is a strange story about the immortal Demon King Gi Cheon Yul, who never dies, and the reincarnation of So Yeo Hwa, the ill-fated woman he loved. It’s set to be filmed spectacularly with romance as the main focus, combined with a storyline that spans a thousand years of time and space, and elements of thriller.

While talking about that, Seo Jun, who was scaring her by saying the ghost role’s makeup would be quite realistic and scary, casually mentioned that ghosts often appear in this mansion too.

“Ugh… you’re lying, right?”

The clock hands were pointing toward midnight. Moreover, the two had only the small lamp next to them turned on. So Yeon, unable to ignore the eerie atmosphere of the night, narrowed her shoulders and glared at Seo Jun with thin eyes.

“I know you’re trying to scare me.”

“Is that so? The last time I saw that ghost was probably…”

“When was it?”

As Seo Jun dragged out his words, leaving them hanging, So Yeon, falling for his serious expression, blinked her eyes like big marbles and urged him to hurry and tell her.

“You know. Spanish ghosts also like to gather when you talk about them.”

“Eek! Don’t say things like that, when did you see it?”

“If I tell you, you’ll be surprised…”

All Seo Jun did was glance slightly over So Yeon’s shoulder. And one more thing – a realistic eye expression saying ‘It’s behind you right now.’

“Kyaa!!!”

It seems the joke went too far. So Yeon, suddenly terrified, rolled her body and jumped onto Seo Jun’s thighs. She even clung tightly to Seo Jun’s neck, tears welling up, and trembled.

“How can you be so weak-hearted?”

“Sob sob, don’t do this! How am I supposed to sleep tonight…”

It could have been revenge for not going further than the kiss earlier. Seo Jun, who was giggling at So Yeon’s exaggerated reaction, once again put on a serious face.

“But it’s true…”

“Eek! I said stop it!”

So Yeon, who had been clinging to him, now seemed more angry than scared.

“Hmph! You’re really mean!”

So Yeon glared at Seo Jun sharply, then stood up abruptly, opened the door, and stomped out.

After So Yeon returned to her room like that, Seo Jun went out to the balcony and stood there for a long time.

The cool night breeze somewhat cooled the heat that had been tormenting his body since early evening. Though he was used to holding back, pain was still pain.

But even that wasn’t enough.

Soon, Seo Jun went into the bathroom and took a very long shower.