Love You
The ride jerked to life. At first it was gentle, then suddenly it surged higher, dropping with a thrilling plunge that mixed excitement and fear.
“Aaaaah! Aah! Aaaaaaa!”
Tae-yeon screamed at the top of her lungs. Her throat burned from the volume, and she swallowed hard. From her side, a constant stream of screams echoed. The man’s voice was too loud to ignore. Tae-yeon turned her head.
“Aaaaah! Ouch! Ouch! Let me down! I’m getting down!”
Tae-yeon could hardly believe it—Choi Hyun-seo, the cold and unyielding director, was screaming like a child in the thrashing Viking.
The sight was so shocking that fear melted away. Tae-yeon stared, mouth open. Hyun-seo remained silent the entire ride down. He turned his head, met her glare, and paled instantly. He bit his lip, pinched his nose, and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Ugh!”
Choi Hyun-seo squeezed his eyes tightly, fighting back the rising nausea with a hand clamped over his mouth. He had expected this. The ride wasn’t that intense.
Tae-yeon couldn’t hold back a tiny laugh, the corners of her mouth twitching. Hyun-seo gave her a deeply tired look.
“Should we ride again?”
“Yes! Next, that one!”
Tae-yeon pointed at the Azure Dragon Train. The train climbed slowly, then plummeted with terrifying speed. Hyun-seo closed his eyes.
No wonder. I didn’t know Tae-yeon had such a wild side. I should have pushed her harder at night.
“But I feel nauseous.”
“Director, you look quite ill.”
Tae-yeon’s face was pale. Tae-yeon’s expression held a smug, triumphant look as she studied Hyun-seo.
“It’s not very nice of you to comment on my appearance right now,” Hyun-seo replied, voice cold. “Your face is deathly white. Are you thinking about the restroom?”
“Me? Ugh.”
Tae-yeon nodded desperately and bolted toward the women’s restroom. Hyun-seo dashed to the men’s side at the same moment. A moment later they emerged from opposite restrooms and met in the middle. Both faces were ghostly pale.
Hyun-seo asked calmly, “You threw up?”
“No, not that bad. What about you, Director?”
“Me? I didn’t throw up.”
Tae-yeon laughed softly. They both burst out laughing together. They had lived only for the company and home. A single ride like this had them both looking like they’d survived a battlefield. They walked a little farther, and suddenly their stomachs settled.
“How did you ride so well if you’re such a weakling?” Tae-yeon asked.
“You don’t even have kids, and you’re riding this? The kids handle it better than us.”
“There’s no denying it, but riding the Viking well is useless. If you’re good at it, just practice more.”
This man. He always shows that stubborn streak. Maybe one day he’ll actually commute to the amusement park every day.
“Don’t say that. Everyone has things they can’t do. Besides, Director, you can’t even speak properly.”
“Me? What? Did I say something wrong? This is me!”
Tae-yeon nodded at the director’s shocked expression.
“Where do you find men who call women pigs these days?”
“Then are there employees who call you ‘no manners’?”
“Yes. I’m a pig, so there’s no top or bottom. What do you want from a pig?”
Both of them stared hard, eyes locked, then quickly looked away. They walked in silence for a moment, then suddenly found themselves walking side by side again.
“So? Are you going to ride the Azure Dragon Train again?”
“No. I want to go home. Yun-woo probably misses his mom.”
Tae-yeon could almost hear Yun-woo calling “Mom!” every few steps. Did raising a child cause phantom hearing?
“Icheon-daek is taking good care of him, right?”
“Even so, I want to find my mom. How much does Yun-woo miss his mom?”
The words felt heavier and deeper. She was truly beautiful now. She even blurted out “Mom?” in passing. It felt so real, like she was actually living with him.
“You like that so much?”
“Yes, I do. Just looking at Yun-woo’s face makes me happy. I’ll ride the Azure Dragon Train next time.”
“You’re getting greedy now.”
Tae-yeon pouted at Hyun-seo’s remark.
“Then why are you so weak, Director? In the army they do training even harder than this, don’t they?”
Hyun-seo shook his head.
“There’s no training harder than the Viking. I’m a healthy South Korean man. I never did that. Even if I look this way, I’m an Air Force man. An Air Force man.”
“Really? How could an Air Force pilot fly high planes and still get so nauseous on a train?”
“I’m Air Force. I’m a logistics soldier.”
Tae-yeon laughed. Hyun-seo explained, “I’m still a healthy South Korean man who completed my full military service.”
“Who said that?”
They continued walking slowly along the wide central road. When the breeze blew, the air filled with rose fragrance. An unfamiliar amusement park, yet the path with Choi Hyun-seo felt sweeter than the scent itself. He suddenly reached out his hand.
“Would you like to walk hand in hand? You know I’ve been very observant lately.”
Tae-yeon quietly looked at his hand, then gently placed hers on it. Hyun-seo slid his thick fingers between hers and laced them together. The night was dark, filled with the heavy scent of roses, and the sparkling lights looked like stars in a dream.
I always thought holding a man’s hand I loved in a place like this would change the world. But because I know the ground, even when we hold hands, my heart feels heavy. I’ve become a foolish woman in love with a bad man. The fireworks that exploded with every step have now landed in reality. The thrill sank like a firework onto Tae-yeon’s ears. Hyun-seo’s voice echoed beside her.
“I wish we could live like we did before.”
“Before…? When? As Director and Min Dae-ri?”
“No, not like that. I wish we could sleep together at night. Is that not allowed?”
Tae-yeon held her breath for a moment.
“It’s not allowed.”
“Why? We’ve been doing well so far.”
“Very subjective, isn’t it? I’ll think about it. Why it’s not allowed.”
She already knew the reason clearly. Because she loved Choi Hyun-seo. That was why she found it increasingly difficult to feel the empty shell of a person she had been mixing with. At first it was fine. But why was it not okay now?
At first there had been hope. If she stayed by the man she loved, if they only touched, if they mixed their bodies deeply and burned together at once, maybe the relationship would advance further. Maybe even a contract relationship could change that.
But a year had passed, and it remained the same. The man’s heart did not change. It never opened. If they continued sleeping with him, his soul would be stripped bare, leaving only the shell. That was terrifying.
Afraid that everything would be taken from him and nothing left? Tae-yeon stopped walking, lost in that thought. Hyun-seo stopped beside her and looked at her. Slowly, Tae-yeon pulled her hand away.
“What I’m about to say has nothing to do with our contract. But it seems….”
She stopped in the middle of speaking. She didn’t know how to continue. But she couldn’t stay silent. Tae-yeon looked at Hyun-seo and said, “I can’t just have sex with you like before.”
“Why?”
Why? Because he gave me shares first? Is that the reason we can’t sleep together?
“You’re angry because I gave Yun-woo shares, right? But because of that, we can’t sleep together?”
“It’s not because of that. It’s because I love Choi Hyun-seo.”
Tae-yeon spoke without hesitation. Her heart was racing wildly. Choi Hyun-seo stood still, watching her eyes, then let out a soft laugh.
“I love Min Tae-yeon too. So that’s not a problem. Loving each other is far better than not loving….”
“It’s not a joke. I said I love you, Director.”
Tae-yeon’s serious face made Hyun-seo’s expression harden instantly. Could a man who hears “I love you” from a woman have such a rigid face? A crack had formed in Tae-yeon’s heart.