Hey, Kid

She wondered how he had ended up brazenly playing the real power in this house that he himself had clearly driven her out of nine years ago, using such tactics.

Whether it was the truth, an excuse, or a lie, he seemed to want to hear it directly from her own mouth.

With that distorted expression and those profoundly deep eyes relentlessly pressing down on her, she too wanted to question him in return.

Just what exactly was he trying to confirm, and what words did he need to hear before he would feel relieved? she wanted to ask.

No matter what the truth was, nothing would change, and he knew that just as well as she did, yet here he was, engaging in such pointless emotional games.

On top of that, she had things she absolutely had to accomplish and was extremely busy.

Pursing her lips and letting out a faint sigh, Seol-hye straightened her back once more and continued.

“The extraordinary shareholders’ meeting is only a month away.”

She turned on the tablet she was holding and opened a file containing the meticulously prepared materials that prioritized simplicity and clarity.

It could have been taken as ignoring him or avoiding the topic. However, she was merely performing her assigned duty.

Any further expenditure of her soul was meaningless.

“Please take a look.”

She turned the tablet around, set it down on the table, and slid it toward him with her fingertips. Naturally, Tae-yul’s gaze was drawn to the illuminated screen.

“Focus only on gains without any losses?”

“Yes. Even the mere occurrence of risks will result in losses.”

Tae-yul, flipping the pages with a tap of his finger, raised his chin with an astounded expression.

“Drinking, drugs, gambling, scandals, and all sorts of civil and criminal issues?”

“Yes. These are the items that must be blocked without fail for at least the next month.”

“What if I refuse?”

As he uncrossed the leg he had kept crossed and leaned his body forward, his eyes were exceedingly sharp.

“You’re going to ascend to the vice chairman position, aren’t you?”

She resolved to do her best to maintain her composure while facing him as he deliberately flared up.

“So stop throwing these fits and properly separate your public and private affairs?”

“You said my very existence makes you uncomfortable. The more you keep to the line, the more that discomfort should lessen.”

“A line, you say. Are you asking if I have no pride after already being kicked out like a dog nine years ago?”

“No.”

She had never separately thought that he would still be hung up on that incident.

“Or are you telling me not to approach without any dignity the daughter of someone who is no different from an enemy?”

“Young Master!”

Because he had brought up the past first, it had unconsciously burst out before she could stop it.

She had told him not to call her that again.

“Hearing that tone after so long feels oddly stirring.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t come up with an appropriate form of address.”

It seemed her skin had sensed first that she had reached a point where she could no longer look him in the eye. A warmth she didn’t usually feel began to make itself known, as though she were growing damp.

Seol-hye, upon receiving a message from Director Cho who had arrived just in time, informing her of the Chairman’s summons, quickly moved to conclude the situation.

“The Chairman is calling for me, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”

She had no expectation that a willing answer would come in return.

“Please look over the file in detail. If there are any additional points you wish to mention, please inform me separately.”

With the conviction that she had wrapped things up, she stood up from the sofa.

“Then, if nothing special occurs in the meantime, I’ll see you tomorrow when you move in.”

“Now I see. You’re the type who kills people with your soft-spoken words.”

With that perfectly composed finish, she turned and headed toward the still-open door.

Once she passed through the door, she would close it.

That way, her breathing—which had been uneven since some point—might finally settle properly.

After passing the corridor that wasn’t very long, quickly descending the stairs, and crossing the entrance hall, the sole thought occupying her mind was that she could finally escape Lux.

Bang.

Before the silhouette of the figure that had swiftly brushed past her eyes could fully register in her vision, the resounding thud of the door slamming shut rang out.

In the completely unforeseen situation that had occurred in the blink of an eye, two arms extended through her hazy vision and seized her by both shoulders.

“Hic?”

“Kid.”

The term she hadn’t heard in nine years seemed as though it would trigger a major issue.

Or perhaps the cause was the powerful grip of the large hands clutching her shoulders with such force that they seemed on the verge of crushing them.

Her already disarrayed breathing now appeared to have lost its function entirely.

Not only her lips but even her eyelids stiffened beyond her control.

“You seem to be under a rather serious misunderstanding. To me, you’re simply a ‘dog.’ A dog. Do you get what I’m saying?”

Was it because of the refreshing fragrance coming from his face as it approached at the exact same interval as when they had met under the parasol to avoid the downpour all those years ago?

Saliva gathered in her mouth, which she had thought was frozen, and the space between her legs drew tight.

“Especially in front of me, don’t get all high and mighty. Keep yourself flat on the ground.”

It was as if all the strength in her body was gathering in the area around her lower abdomen, where an aching sensation spread.

“Don’t make a quiet person’s eyes roll back in their head.”

What was he saying?

His voice was clearly continuing to fall upon her ears, yet her consciousness was only growing more muddled.

Perhaps it was because the body that had felt the heat on the sofa moments ago was now feeling a chill.

“If you’re a lackey, act like a lackey, I said.”

Were it not for the firm strength of the two hands gripping her captured shoulders without warning, she felt as if her body would continuously lose all power until she collapsed.

“My patience isn’t unlimited, you know.”

A distinctly sharp voice sounded, buzzing like an indistinct tinnitus.

Strange. Why were her eyelids so heavy?

Thud.

The sun had set before she realized it.

Tae-yul wandered around the bar with an empty wine glass he hadn’t filled.

If you’re a lackey, act like a lackey.

He had gotten a vague feeling from that moment, but just as the preceding context implied, she had collapsed powerlessly and remained unconscious.

What in the world was this?

It wasn’t as if he regretted having interrogated her too aggressively.

He was simply very uncomfortable with this abrupt situation.

He had told her not to get cocky and to stay down, but the fact that she had outright lain down was beginning to truly grate on him.

Was it intentional resistance?

At that moment, the cell phone on the table rang with a loud vibration.

Tae-yul set down his phone and filled the empty glass to the brim with wine.

It seemed he needed to soothe his strangely soured mood.

Could the source of this unpleasant feeling that refused to be washed away truly be that kid?

It was as if his anger or contempt had oddly mutated.

If that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to thoroughly sully her?

Tae-yul’s narrowed eyes grew deeper than ever as he downed the wine in quick succession.

He was attempting to suppress the twisted desire welling up inside him.

It should have been repulsive, yet it had stimulated his appetite.

Now he saw that his head and body hadn’t been operating separately after all.

It seemed his body had taken control of his head.

Otherwise, such an abnormal phenomenon couldn’t have occurred.

Just what had made him this thirsty?

For An Seol-hye—that woman who was no longer the kid she used to be.