TIN 85

“…”

I knew what he must be thinking. Due to habits ingrained in my body, I would instinctively shrink my shoulders whenever he touched me. It was a defense mechanism born from tension over what was to come.

However, unfortunately, that wasn’t the only reason this time. When his hand touched me right then, my stomach trembled.

Ah, damn…why am I acting like this?

Even though it was just the lightest brush, the part he touched felt hot. The reaction, which was subtly different from a fever, was dangerous enough to make my spine tingle. Especially since it was a feeling I had never experienced before in my life.

I adjusted the clothes covering my legs to ensure no bare skin was exposed. The pheromones clinging to the clothing wafted strongly, but this was more bearable. No, it even felt somewhat stabilizing.

“I thought you weren’t cold.”

I pretended not to hear the gentle voice. Though I could detect a slight hint of laughter in his playful tone, I couldn’t confirm his expression. I simply avoided his gaze by pretending to look around.

Even without chandeliers and champagne towers, the party was extremely lavish just by the size of the pool. One side of the bar was filled with food prepared by the chef, and beer and wine were neatly displayed in rows. People holding beer bottles instead of crystal glasses were busy laughing and chatting in a more relaxed atmosphere than usual.

Most faces were unfamiliar, but some were recognizable. Like that Oceans’ VIP smoking a hookah, the famous actor flirting with women, or the politician already high on drugs.

I wouldn’t know for sure, but each person attending must be a big shot that ordinary people couldn’t dream of walking up to. Like those “worthwhile guests” Theo sometimes talked about—the ones who could change your life if you played your cards right.

But the age range of the guests seemed unusually young. Though it was hard to judge their age by appearance alone, they seemed to be in their early thirties at most.

‘These young kids usually don’t come to places like this.’

If Chairman Joo said that, would Yoon Ji-soo be any different? Yoon Ji-soo was over forty, so there was no way she would be interested in parties with such young people.

At that thought, I furrowed my brow as I sensed something odd.

…Wait, would Yoon Ji-soo even attend parties like this in the first place?

It was such a fundamental question, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before. The Yoon Ji-soo I knew wasn’t social enough to attend such crowded gatherings. She had lived hidden away on an island with no one around and had even been driven out by her family.

“…”

Where did these rumors come from? Even if they were half-lies now, when Henry first shared information about Yoon Ji-soo, there must’ve been some truth to those rumors.

And if there was a reliable source of information, why couldn’t Chairman Joo get access to it?

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Joo Do-hwa asked subtly while I was deep in thought. The question was so subtle that I found myself moving my lips without even thinking.

“Yu…”

I almost asked where he heard about Yoon Ji-soo. But I quickly caught myself and changed my words.

“…Is Yuna not coming today?”

It was a random question. With so many people attending the party, I thought his fiancée might at least make an appearance. Honestly, I wasn’t even curious, let alone interested, but it was the only thing I could think of to say.

“Since when are you close enough to call her Yuna?”

Joo Do-hwa shot back lightly with a snicker. His voice had dropped noticeably.

“She doesn’t come to such vulgar parties.”

Vulgar? Isn’t that too harsh an assessment for a party he himself is hosting?

“What? Are you curious about Yuna because you’re a man too?”

It took me a moment to understand his following question. I furrowed my brow wondering what he meant, until I noticed people playing in the water behind him. Seeing their revealing outfits, as if committed to the purpose of a pool party, I belatedly understood his meaning.

“…Why would I be curious about your fiancée?”

What does he take me for? Does he think I’m the kind of pathetic guy who wants to see someone else’s fiancée in a swimsuit?

“So you’d be curious if she wasn’t my fiancée?”

“I’m not curious. Why are you suddenly saying this?”

“Just wondering if you’re into women since you’re a beta too.”

I expected him to argue more, but surprisingly, Joo Do-hwa backed down easily. I could tell by how he shrugged his shoulders and softened his expression that he wasn’t going to press any further. He’d been strangely compliant lately.

“There were quite a few guys who liked her, just because they happened to have something between their legs.”

I didn’t need to ask who he meant. The only betas who might have liked Lee Yuna would be those who had played the role of “hyung” in this house. It wasn’t strange for betas to like a beauty like Lee Yuna, since they were generally more attracted to the opposite sex.

“If not that, why are you looking for Yuna? To apologize?”

Thankfully, he provided me with a suitable excuse. It was what I had said to Joo Do-hwa on the day Wang Wei slapped me, in a moment of anger.

‘I feel sorry toward Yuna. I’ll apologize next time I see her.’

“Yeah…I was planning to if she came today.”

“You don’t need to.”

It was a simple answer, and the conversation seemed to end there. That is, until someone approached from behind and called Joo Do-hwa’s name in a familiar manner.

“Do-hwa.”

The soft, gentle voice belonged to someone both Joo Do-hwa and I knew well. As I slowly turned around, I saw a woman tucking her long hair behind her ear. She greeted Joo Do-hwa with an affectionate smile.

“Here you are. I found you.”

“…”

A look of disbelief crossed Joo Do-hwa’s features. Speak of the devil, as they say. It turned out to be none other than Lee Yuna, who supposedly didn’t come to such vulgar parties.

An awkward silence settled between us. Unlike the noisy surroundings, no words were exchanged at the sunbed where the three of us were. I was awkwardly half-sitting up, Joo Do-hwa was perched beside me, and Lee Yuna stood firmly in front of us.

Lee Yuna, wearing a flowy dress with her long hair down, stood with her arms crossed and her brows deeply furrowed. She clearly didn’t like this situation, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it.

This subtle standoff began about 10 minutes ago when Lee Yuna had appeared with surprisingly perfect timing just as we were talking about her.

“Hello, Bada-ssi.”

Lee Yuna greeted me and made the usual polite small talk. How pretty the pool was, how different everything looked, how she should have visited earlier. After rattling off these clearly insincere comments, she turned to me without waiting for Joo Do-hwa’s response.

“I have something to tell you. Could you spare a moment?”

Lee Yuna asked me, and I naturally turned to look at Joo Do-hwa. Whether I could spare time for Lee Yuna was his decision, not mine. Until then, Joo Do-hwa had been giving us incredulous looks, but this time he let out a small laugh and answered.

“Talk here.”

“It’s a simple conversation. It won’t take long.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m telling you to talk here.”

Despite his sweet voice, his attitude was firm, and Lee Yuna hesitated with a very uncomfortable expression on her face. She looked alternately at Joo Do-hwa and then at me behind him, trying to maintain her composure.

“Are you worried I might do something to Bada-ssi? Don’t worry. I won’t touch a hair on his head.”

Honestly, I thought it was a pointless attempt. No matter how much Lee Yuna tried to persuade him, she couldn’t win against Joo Do-hwa. Not only was this Joo Do-hwa’s house, but their relationship had always been that way.

“It’s nothing serious. You know that.”

As expected, Joo Do-hwa didn’t properly listen to what Lee Yuna was saying. He just gave her an uninterested look with an annoyed face and spoke in an incredibly soft tone.

“Yu-na, it doesn’t look good to have a private chat with another man while leaving your fiancé behind.”

“…”

It sounded like he was interrogating a cheating lover, and at that moment, I clearly saw displeasure flash in Lee Yuna’s eyes. As if she found Joo Do-hwa truly disgusting for saying such things. Or as if Joo Do-hwa was despicable for suddenly bringing up their engagement now.

In the end, Lee Yuna failed to take me aside. It was quite unexpected to me because I remembered that Joo Do-hwa had readily let me go when Kei called for me earlier. Could he actually be concerned because she was his fiancée? I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

“…”

I fidgeted with the buttons on my shirt while staring at Joo Do-hwa’s back. His exposed upper body was still flawless without a single scar on it. Unlike when he was clothed, his clearly visible muscles stood out each time he moved his shoulders.

What came into view next was Lee Yuna, standing without a chair to sit in. It bothered me that someone of Lee Yuna’s status was being made to stand while I was practically lying down.

“Would you like to sit?”

When I asked out of discomfort, both of them turned to look at me. Unlike Lee Yuna who seemed somewhat surprised, Joo Do-hwa called out to me in a rather low tone.

“Hyung.”

It was just one syllable, but why did it sound so much like a warning? And the words that followed slowly didn’t help matters, not in the slightest.

“Why are you trying to seduce a woman in front of me?”