TE 10

A heavy silence fell between them despite the man’s polite greeting.

It was understandable.

Because of him, Seo-ha had been dragged to the disciplinary room and only released after re-education. And though she wasn’t entirely sure, he must have suffered some consequences too.

She no longer cared whether he got involved with Park Hee-jung or not. Even if they both ended up dead in plastic bags, it wouldn’t be her responsibility. It would be the fault of people driven mad by their carnal desires.

“I thought you’d have lost an arm at least, but you look perfectly fine?”

Recalling Nam Shindo who had confessed to her and then vanished without a trace, Seo-ha looked over Tae-beom’s uninjured body and spoke with hostility rather than relief.

When she thought about it, this was all Ki Tae-beom’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten involved with Park Hee-jung, she would never have been dragged to the disciplinary room that day.

What was so special about him that Park Hee-jung would risk such reckless behavior, knowing how terrifying her father was? What made him so irresistibly attractive that she would provoke such devastating consequences with her spiteful actions?

While Park Hee-jung may have initiated everything by provoking her father, Seo-ha felt more resentment toward Ki Tae-beom for driving her to such madness.

“The pastor hasn’t discovered my sin of adultery yet.”

Seo-ha wasn’t the only one who could assess someone’s appearance.

“Thanks to a certain kind person who kept their mouth shut.”

Just as Seo-ha had done earlier, Tae-beom’s gaze traveled up her body from toe to head, noting how she’d grown slightly thinner. For a moment, his pitch black pupils  seemed to gleam yellow like a snake’s, making Seo-ha blink hard before reopening her eyes.

Ah, his scrutinizing gaze had already fixed itself on her face.

“Don’t misunderstand—I didn’t stay quiet for your sake. I did it because I was worried about my aunt.”

“How filial of you.”

“Don’t mock me. If I had said anything, you would have been—!”

Did her life-threatening warning offend him? The man who had been leisurely leaning against the car approached her. Though the distance wasn’t particularly close, it seemed to shrink rapidly.

Her body froze, unable to retreat, likely due to instinctive fear of being alone with a large, potentially dangerous man who was approaching quickly.

His hand, large enough to cover her entire face with room to spare, moved toward her without warning. Though she tried to hide her fear by keeping her eyes wide open, she couldn’t suppress the trembling of her eyelids.

How embarrassing.

Though her eyes were open, she felt dizzy, unable to think clearly. What brought her back to her senses was the warm breath she felt on her forehead.

“…”

The man let out a soft laugh, deep yet light like a sigh.

“There was a hair stuck to your face.”

The hand that she thought would come at her forcefully had only gently removed a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch as light as a tickle.

“Shall we head home now?”

His attitude was cautious, as if dealing with a frightened small animal.

It felt different from before. Though she hadn’t had many interactions with him, she distinctly remembered him treating her with casual familiarity, as if he knew everything about her…

But now…

“Move aside.”

Seo-ha brushed past Tae-beom, bumping his body with her shoulder despite their uncomfortable proximity. But if his body was actually human, it must have been quite solid—her left shoulder stung from the impact. That only irritated her more.

As Seo-ha tried to open the back door by herself—

The door, which had opened slightly, was promptly shut by someone else.

“Huh…?”

Before she could process what had happened, Seo-ha found herself grabbed by the shoulders and deposited in the passenger seat by Tae-beom.

“What… what do you think you’re doing!”

It happened too quickly. Her slight frame was easily maneuvered into the passenger seat without any chance for resistance. He ignored her bewildered reaction and simply closed the door.

It had been too unexpected to be wary, too sudden to resist, and by the time she thought about getting out, he had already locked the doors from the driver’s seat.

“Hey, Mr. Ki Tae-beom!”

“Yes, that’s better.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you to call me by my name properly.”

Though his actions were clearly inappropriate and forceful, there was still something different about his attitude compared to before.

And Seo-ha wasn’t stupid.

She had some idea of what his actions might mean.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something… I’m your employer’s daughter, and you’re hired as my bodyguard and driver. Your only job is to ensure I get home safely.”

This was the same man who had made that disgusting comment in the confessional about wanting to embrace the daughter of the woman he’d voyeuristically watched. Of course, her thoughts would turn to immoral motives when such a person suddenly changed his attitude and started touching her in such ambiguous ways.

“However I address you… yes, I suppose you might feel disrespected. That was my mistake.”

Tae-beom silently listened to what she had to say.

“But I’d appreciate it if you maintained proper boundaries. Like earlier, suddenly pulling me around without reason…”

However, he didn’t seem particularly interested in her words.

He didn’t appear to find her reaction intriguing either.

“And I’d prefer if we could avoid having uncomfortable conversations…”

It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Put your seatbelt on.”

“What…?”

“Does the princess not know how to fasten her own seatbelt?”

She had been seriously expressing her concerns when his completely unrelated comment about the seatbelt caught her off guard. Worried that he might actually try to fasten it for her, Seo-ha hurriedly grabbed the belt from behind her seat.

After confirming she had buckled up, Tae-beom started the engine and put the car in gear. The car smoothly departed, passing through the small rural village until they finally encountered the bright neon signs of the bustling downtown area. Of course, since Seo-ha’s house, though not as remote as the church, was still in a secluded area, those brilliant lights would fade away to darkness again by the time they arrived.

Seo-ha usually enjoyed watching the sparkling downtown area during her rides from church to home.

She found it fascinating and curious to see people her age hanging out normally with friends. They say people are always curious about lives different from their own, and her life was certainly far from ordinary.

But not today.

Instead of observing the ordinary people on the streets as usual, Seo-ha observed Tae-beom.

Being family, she could somewhat understand what type her father is. She could predict to some extent what motivated his actions and how he might behave next.

But this man—she couldn’t understand why he suddenly acted as if he were interested in her.

“We got away with it this time because nothing happened between us, but next time we might really die. My father absolutely despises me getting involved with men, and he won’t leave the man involved alone either.”

Whatever his reasons for sending these signals of interest, she needed to stop this here.

She was about to warn him coldly that if he didn’t want to die, he should stick to just doing his job.

“Are you interested in getting involved with me?”

If only he hadn’t beaten her to it.

“Mr. Ki Tae-beom, do you realize what you’re saying?”

“Seems like you understand perfectly well why I’m acting this way.”

“That’s not an appropriate thing to say to the daughter of the woman you’re dating.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Do what!”

“Peek at the naked body of the man sleeping with your stepmother.”

The traffic light changed, and the car came to a stop. Tae-beom’s eyes, as he leaned back in his seat, looked particularly dark despite the flickering lights around them.

“That was…!”

Seo-ha needed to explain. To him, and to herself.

“First of all, she’s not anything like a stepmother. And when a woman living with my family is… doing that with another man behind my father’s back, who wouldn’t be shocked? I froze because I was shocked! I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable… no, wait. Shouldn’t you be the one apologizing to me?!”

Yes, she had watched their intimate moment, but she hadn’t been watching ‘Tae-beom’s body’ entwined with Park Hee-jung.

If he was offended by her watching, she could apologize… but wouldn’t any normal person freeze in shock at such a scene?

Why is she the one explaining?

Though she felt pathetic making excuses, she couldn’t stop. Meanwhile, as her defensive voice grew louder, an elegant smile spread across Tae-beom’s lips.

He looked like a skilled hunter watching prey caught in his trap.

“You’re curious.”

His response was remarkably brief compared to her lengthy explanation. Yet it created stronger ripples in her heart than any long speech could have.

Because he had precisely identified her true feelings, as if he could see right into her mind.

Ah, perhaps he wasn’t a hunter after all.

“Shall I show you?”

His expression more closely resembled that of a serpent watching Eve approach the forbidden fruit.

She should tell him to shut up. She should threaten him she would tell her father. That would stop him from crossing lines with her like this.

“I-I’ll tell father…”

“Pastor Moon has a saying he likes to repeat. That sins of the heart are still sins.”

“Why are you bringing that up now…”

“By that logic, you’ve been sinning for quite a while now.”

She wanted to shut his mouth. She didn’t want to hear her raw inner emotions spoken aloud by someone else.

“If you meant to condemn my affair with your stepmother, those pretty eyes should have shown disgust.”

“…”

“Instead of watching with such curiosity.”

The serpent’s long tongue penetrated her ear.

“I’ll show you what you’re curious about.”

It was uncomfortable, unpleasant, and frightening.

“Play the role of an innocent young lady falling for a bastard’s schemes.”

“…”

“I’ll gladly play the role of that bastard.”

Yet she had no desire to cut off the serpent’s tongue invading her ear. It felt as though doing so would truly end everything.

Despite knowing it was a temptation she shouldn’t yield to, Seo-ha hoped the man’s seduction wouldn’t stop.