Chapter 40
**BACKTICK**CHAPTER_TITLE: The Secret Box**BACKTICK**
There was no such thing as aggressive selling like this. Yet the real problem was that she had said no, and until just moments ago she had felt zero desire to buy anything. But now she wanted this man who was smiling right in front of her. If only she could, she wanted his body and his heart to belong to her entirely.
Min Tae-yeon tensed her toes and wriggled her neck. Her mouth filled with saliva, which she swallowed as she tried to stay calm. She asked bravely anyway.
“Do you want to become rich by taking money from me?”
“Probably.”
Choi Hyun-seo turned his head to look at the man speaking nonsense and said, “Does that even make sense?”
The words “does that even make sense?” were swallowed by his lips in one gulp. His lips sucked in place. When even her moans were pulled in, her eyes automatically closed. His hand squeezed her breast, thumb and index finger pinching and rubbing the tip, while the other hand roamed under her panties, stroking her body.
Her body heated up instantly. He pushed the laptop aside and shoved everything off the table. Small pens and papers fell silently onto the thick carpet below.
The wide table was cleared in an instant, so Choi Hyun-seo immediately sat her down on it. Tae-yeon looked at him with bewildered eyes, only to be blocked from view. That was because he had tugged her pajama top up and over her head, covering her face. Once that pajama that had briefly hidden her face was gone, she saw herself sitting there in nothing but panties.
She had come to ask one question and now sat on the desk of the worst boss in the world wearing only panties. She felt ashamed.
“Maybe we should move to the bedroom.”
“No. Since you’ve come into my territory, we’ll do it right here today.”
His lips touched her chest, slid down, and then a hot breath brushed between her thighs. Tae-yeon’s body trembled.
“If you don’t like it, take the money today.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Then I’ll take it, Team Leader Min.”
He flashed a smile and pulled her panties down. The push of her shoulders made her lie back on the table, so he spread her legs.
“It seems you’re satisfied. That’s why if you trust your superior and follow them, they can handle anything without any danger.”
His firm tongue plunged inside. Tae-yeon arched her back like a bow and began to moan. It was definitely the worst boss imaginable. The problem was she liked this worst boss.
***
Chairman Choi was in a good mood. He sat at the table smiling at three side-by-side paternity test results. Beside him, Oh Jin-hee looked at them and spoke.
“You look so happy.”
The Chairman’s face was glowing with satisfaction, as if he had become younger and shinier.
“Of course, it’s good. Look. This is the paternity test proving I’m your father, this one is the test proving Hyun-seo is my son, and this one is the result confirming that Yun-woo is my grandson. All three have my name on them.”
“You’re right. After all, Hyun-seo is smart. Since it’s his own son, he added his father’s name just to make it clear that the grandfather-grandson relationship is solid.”
Chairman Choi looked at the clear results of the genetic tests for Choi Pil-seung and Choi Yun-woo and smiled happily.
“That’s right. Hyun-seo knew exactly what I wanted and did it this way. Yun-woo is my bloodline. Cancer. My bloodline.”
“Understood. Should I add these to the album when you’re bored?”
“What’s there to add? It’s better to keep them as they are.”
Oh Jin-hee took out the album and placed the test results side by side. She wasn’t impressed with the daughter-in-law from some random company at the bottom of the hierarchy, but Yun-woo was definitely their own.
“I still don’t understand how people can casually do these tests these days.”
“They do it in the morning and get results by evening. Better to be absolutely sure.”
“That’s true. Yun-woo looks just like Hyun-seo. Having these proof of the grandfather-grandson relationship makes me so comfortable.”
“I brought this today and told Hyun-seo he should have at least two more children.”
“Two?”
“The family isn’t poor, and having many grandchildren is good. I had no siblings and felt lonely. The ones sitting on the company are just cousins. So it would be nice if our grandchildren were many. We can have one more now too.”
“That’s nonsense.”
Of course it was nonsense. Suddenly Oh Jin-hee glared sharply at Chairman Choi.
“You’re not secretly having another child outside when you’re this old, are you?”
The sudden words made Pil-seung jump.
“What? Are you crazy? Why would I do that?”
“Of course. If my head spins, I might do something like that. Were there no women around? But if I see them, I won’t let them off. Especially—”
Even if he cheated, he had to do it without being seen. Chairman Choi cleared his throat twice and stood up to leave. The winter wind was quite cold. It was definitely mid-December, so he thought it was already winter.
“People are scary. Women… huh.”
Chairman Choi, who had cleared his throat twice, smiled at the thought of Yun-woo.
***
Once the paternity test whirlwind had calmed, Tae-yeon fell ill. She had been too nervous the whole time. Her mother called.
“Mom.”
“-Are you sick somewhere?”
“No. Maybe it’s because it’s winter and I caught a cold or something.”
“-You’re healthy. You don’t catch colds or anything like that.”
“That’s true. But when you raise a child, you probably get weaker.”
“That’s true. After having a baby, your constitution changes. And where did you buy so much furniture?”
She had bought furniture for her mom who was about to become a team leader. Originally it was money saved to move the house, but since Choi Hyun-seo had found an apartment for them, she wanted nice furniture to put inside it.
Until now, Mom hadn’t spent a single won on herself. She had worried about hospital bills since they were renting, so she refused to spend any money at all. That’s why Tae-yeon wanted to buy a beautiful dressing table for her mom and fill the top with expensive designer cosmetics.
They had signed contracts for the dressing table, bed, and dining table. That was what she was talking about.
“-Everyone called. They say deliveries will come tomorrow.”
“Okay. Mom, I asked for all deliveries three days before the move-in, so there’s nothing to worry about. Mom’s body isn’t good either, so don’t bother carrying things.”
“Got it. But at least roughly.”
“Don’t do that. I hope Mom gets better quickly. Kidney dialysis is so painful.”
“-If I could get kidney dialysis without worrying about hospital bills, it would be good. I don’t want anything else. You met such a good husband and had a beautiful child like Yun-woo, and you’re living well. Where should I live? It seems like you’re worrying about everything.”
Because their families were so different, even after marrying she probably hadn’t felt completely at ease. But now that she had given birth to Yun-woo, she had nothing to worry about. The choice Choi Hyun-seo made—having a child first then marrying—actually made her feel grateful.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’m happy just thinking about you living in the apartment.”
“Really? Even though it’s sad that No-eul and Cho-hee and I are moving away.”
“I’m grateful too, Mom. I’ll come on moving day.”
“Aigo. You don’t have to come. Just watch Yun-woo.”
“Even if it’s busy during the move, I should at least go see it. Mom, just rest in one place.”
Seeing that Mom liked it, Tae-yeon was incredibly grateful to Choi Hyun-seo. She had never bought him a cup of coffee even though she was secretly in love with him. She had only ever received, and occasionally given him 15,000 won. She felt guilty.
This Christmas she wanted to give him something more meaningful. She roughly knew his tastes. He wore woody fresh yet elegant cologne and tailored suits from the highest brand. Handmade Italian shoes, watches, ties—everything was something she would never glance at as expensive items. So she wanted something meaningful that wouldn’t be wasted.
Tae-yeon went to the walk-in closet to look at everything Hyun-seo had again. Suits, shirts, ties, and watches were neatly displayed. While she was looking inside the suit cabinet, her hand reached for something inside. It was a box.
“There was something like this? I never noticed it. After all, it was stored deep inside.”
Tae-yeon thought it might be one of Hyun-seo’s secrets. She felt uneasy. Was she about to find out some secret of his she didn’t know? She carefully opened the lid.
It contained various small items. A small commemorative plaque, a small frame, and notes. They looked old but seemed like things she wanted to keep. Tae-yeon picked up the small frame. It held photos of young children.
She was about to look closer when the door to Hyun-seo’s office, connected from the walk-in closet, opened. Choi Hyun-seo’s voice came from inside.
“What are you fussing about so much, Team Leader Min?”
Tae-yeon couldn’t answer right away. If he found out like this, it would be bad. Her hand trembled.