I'm an Expensive Man
“No.”
“A person should be raised in a proper household. After all, one’s sense of taste comes from what they’ve grown up seeing……”
Oh Jin-hee sighed as she insulted Tae-yeon’s family. Tae-yeon drew a slow, deep breath and remained silent.
Oh Jin-hee went on at length, listing every way Tae-yeon fell short as Choi Hyun-seo’s wife. After another long sigh, she continued.
“Fine. You’ve come this far, so what can I do? Besides, Yun-woo is my grandson no matter what. And he looks exactly like Hyun-seo did at that age—as if he were determined to be loved. I can’t very well turn you away. Do your best to endure. I don’t know how long you’ll last.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re thanking me for that?”
Oh Jin-hee stared at her in disbelief. Tae-yeon answered calmly.
“You may not like it, but you’re still saying you’ll accept me.”
Though every word was barbed, the core message was acceptance. Tae-yeon had spent months buried in documents; she could cut through pleasantries and recognize whether the conclusion was negative or positive.
When Tae-yeon pinpointed the heart of the matter, Oh Jin-hee nodded, apparently satisfied.
“Good. At least you understand. I’ll see you later.”
After Oh Jin-hee left, Tae-yeon waited, wondering if Hyun-seo might come in. He didn’t appear until the videographer came looking for the groom.
“Let’s keep the photos simple.”
The videographer answered at once.
“Understood, Director. We’ll finish as quickly as possible.”
Video and camera flashes went off together.
“A little more affectionately, please. Could the two of you share a light kiss?”
Choi Hyun-seo moved without hesitation, as though he were an actor following direction. His lips brushed hers and his arm settled gently around her shoulders.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. She stood for what felt like hours among countless guests and in front of the politician who gave the address.
Countless greetings were exchanged. When she finally came back to herself, she was alone with Choi Hyun-seo in a hotel suite.
Their entire honeymoon consisted of two nights at the hotel; they had skipped the trip abroad. Publicly they claimed busy schedules would allow a longer journey later, but both knew no such trip would ever happen.
Still, being alone with him in the suite made her nervous.
She stood before the mirror, smoothing her face and straightening the lines of her wedding gown. This was their first night together, and there was nowhere to run.
Her faint hope rested on last night’s long kiss and the way he had touched her. Something had shifted; she wanted to ask him outright.
Whether he remembered the one-night stand they had shared.
Yet he did not return even after dinner time. Alone in the suite, hungry and tense, Tae-yeon opened a bottle of wine from the minibar.
She tore into the finest cheese, olives, chocolate, and beef jerky, sipping steadily.
The alcohol eased her mood. Before long she had finished one cheese and opened another; its smoky flavor paired well with the wine.
She popped a salty olive into her mouth and opened a second bottle. She had known she might spend the night alone, but she had never imagined she would do so dressed in full wedding finery, drinking straight from the bottle.
She washed the bitterness down with a bite of chocolate. The door opened while she was still drinking.
“Drinking by yourself—and straight from the bottle. Enjoying it?”
Whether from the wine or something else, Tae-yeon’s gaze was sharper than usual. She lifted the bottle again, determined to finish what was left, but he took it from her.
To Hyun-seo she looked like a drunken rabbit—wide-eyed and suddenly bold after two bottles.
He sat on the living-room sofa and loosened his tie.
“Isn’t that uncomfortable? Change out of it.”
“It’s fine, Director.”
Instead of answering, he let his eyes travel slowly over her dress. The high-collared gown was so tight that even eating would make her stomach show; anyone could see how uncomfortable it was.
“You probably can’t get out of it by yourself.”
He stepped behind her and slid the long zipper down from her neck to the small of her back. Bare skin appeared, along with the strap of her bra.
He showed no reaction. He tossed his tie aside and simply looked at her. Tae-yeon gazed up at him, heart pounding, hoping he remembered that night.
“Can you manage?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked if you can manage. Whether you regret changing jobs.”
The word “job” still sounded strange. She had been living as his employee for nearly three months. It was too private to be called work, yet every day she raised Yun-woo while maintaining a precarious balance with Hyun-seo.
Only she had felt the precariousness. He had drawn a clear line; aside from morning and evening encounters, he had done nothing—until last night.
Tae-yeon was still debating how the night would unfold when he spoke.
“I’ll give you a choice. How we spend tonight. If you don’t want it, I won’t touch you. But if you do, we might as well do it properly.”
He lifted her chin. Their lips hovered a breath apart. His scent filled her nose and her throat went dry.
“What about you, Director? How would you like to spend it?”
“I’m willing to pay extra.”
Shock left her wondering if she was the foolish one.
This was a contract, a job change. Yet the contract had never mentioned sex. His offer to keep his hands off if she refused was simply him honoring the terms.
Paying her separately? Did that make her a prostitute?
She looked at him with unsteady eyes. His dark, indifferent gaze seemed bottomless. At least she did not want to sell herself. That would make him truly despicable.
“No. I’ll pay you.”
“What?”
“I said I’ll pay. I have money too. Um…… I mean, I have nowhere to spend it. So I’ll buy you.”
Hyun-seo thought he had misheard. She was offering to pay him for the night—him, Choi Hyun-seo. Drunk, slurring, yet declaring it with absolute confidence.
“There’s no such thing as an employee paying the employer.”
In other words, he still insisted on the employer-employee relationship. Resentment rose in her wine-fogged mind. Was he born an employer?
“This is outside the contract, isn’t it? So we can renegotiate the terms right here. I’ll be the employer. Try satisfying me. I……!”
She slapped her own chest and left her hand there. Whether from the alcohol or not, her senses felt different—her hands and feet moved faster, stronger, and it felt good.
“Director Choi Hyun-seo. I’ll pay your bonus.”
“I’m an expensive man.”
“No. I decide your price—based on how you perform.”
A laugh bubbled out of her. The thought alone was satisfying. Maybe Choi Hyun-seo was cheap after all. The idea felt liberating.
“All you ever do is criticize.”
“You’re crossing the line, Assistant Manager Min.”
“You’re the one who crossed it first. Treating people like they’re invisible…… hic!”
A hiccup escaped, but she kept talking.
“Besides, just because a man makes a lot of money in business doesn’t mean he’s good in bed, does it? Though you were pretty good. You’re big, after all.”
After speaking she exhaled, lips parted, heat spreading through her. The sweet scent of wine and raw desire mingled, tempting him.
It was not subtle provocation; it was blatant. Hyun-seo laughed out loud.
“You’ve got an interesting side, Assistant Manager Min.”
“What’s so interesting? I’m precious at home too. I’m a woman with plenty of desires…… Yes, I’m reckless. That’s why I took this ridiculous job. Who else but me would work at such a pathetic place……?”
Her tongue, soaked in alcohol, began to run away with her. Watching her, Hyun-seo murmured softly.
“That just means you were that desperate.”
As he spoke, he pulled her wedding gown down. The bodice slipped away, baring her upper body and the full, firm curves of her breasts, their peaks a deep rose.