🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 7
“What—what are you talking about? That can’t be.”
Hee-yeon was startled. It sounded like the dedicated keeper he hired even slept with him.
“Oh, so it’s not you, Ms. Hee-yeon? The one who got kicked out recently—Aeri—used to be the CEO’s dedicated keeper. She bragged about it… said she slept with him.”
“…What?”
“She said it was ecstatic, went on and on about how amazing it was. She might’ve exaggerated a bit, but I guess something really did happen. She even had marks on her body.”
Hee-yeon’s head rang.
If everyone working in the mansion believed this, then there must have been some kind of relationship between him and that woman.
Suddenly, she remembered the pair of women’s stockings in his room. Then the traces she had seen on his bed the other day—were those from that woman?
An image formed in her mind: him on top of a naked woman on the bed, kissing her body. His well-shaped lips brushing over soft skin, his hands roaming in intimate places.
The involuntary fantasy made heat slowly spread through her body. She felt ashamed of the raw, unfiltered images unfolding in her head.
Hee-yeon had no experience with men. Every time Pilmo caused trouble, she had been busy cleaning up after him. There had been no time for dating. In the first place, she had been too busy surviving to have any interest in men.
She shook her head, trying to dispel the unnecessary thoughts.
“Whatever the previous keeper was like, I’m a mother.”
“Oh right. That’s why everyone feels relieved.”
“……”
It sounded as if they meant that a mother didn’t suit him. Well, that was fine.
“Anyway, the CEO is a kind person. Just be careful around Director Cha Gi-heon.”
“…Director Cha Gi-heon?”
“He’s the chairman’s only son. Though he doesn’t come by very often.”
The only son of JM Capital’s chairman was merely a managing director? That was unexpected. If he were the heir, shouldn’t he be the CEO?
Which meant the chairman trusted Kang Seok-woo. A man he trusted more than his own son. Perhaps he was like the chairman’s right-hand man.
Come to think of it, this was the chairman’s house. Then why had she never once seen the chairman?
Hee-yeon immediately pulled out her phone and searched for JM Capital. Articles came up stating that the chairman was currently in detention.
Under investigation while in custody. They hadn’t found evidence? Then he could possibly be released.
So this house belonged to the chairman. That must be why no one knew about his lover.
Knowledge was power. The more information she gathered, the better her chances of escaping Seok-woo.
For the sake of her brother’s eventual return, Hee-yeon wanted to know every detail about this place.
‘Oppa… where are you? You’re not really abandoning us like this… are you?’
If she were alone, it would be one thing. But she was most worried about Yerim’s safety.
Pilmo and Se-a, who had fled after abandoning the boat, erased the bloodstains and entered the forest. The woods were full of thorny paths, but they found an abandoned hut and hid there.
With emergency medicine and food they had prepared in advance, they managed to survive for a few days. The bullet hadn’t penetrated, but he had lost too much blood to keep running.
“It’s because I got hurt…”
“No, it’s because of me… sob…”
“Ugh…”
“You’ve lost so much blood. What do we do…”
Pilmo’s face was drained of color, as if he might die at any moment. Se-a, her eyes swollen from crying for days, could only panic helplessly.
“Don’t worry. I just need to rest like this.”
“Isn’t there anyone who can help us?”
“Everyone connected to me must already be in chaos. I… have to fix this… ugh…”
“Baby…”
“Absolutely… not…”
Pilmo lost consciousness.
Se-a clutched his hand and began to wail. Her cries echoed through the deep forest like the shrieking of a ghost.
While cleaning, Hee-yeon quietly stared at his bed. Mina’s words kept circling in her mind.
After hearing about what had happened between Kang Seok-woo and his previous dedicated keeper, she understood why the women who admired him had treated her with hostility.
They must have assumed she, too, would enter into a secret relationship with him under the title of “dedicated keeper.”
Ha…
That’s ridiculous.
She brushed back her falling hair. Her gaze shifted to the glossy silk sheets. When she ran her hand over them, they slid smoothly beneath her palm. It was the first time she had felt fabric of such luxury.
‘It must be top grade.’
The clothes and watches in his dressing room were all designer brands. Even a single shirt cost hundreds of thousands of won.
‘Why do I remember useless things like that?’
She even remembered the logo of a shirt that an office worker had proudly bought after saving up, when he came in for tteokbokki. The thought made her let out a bitter laugh.
Suddenly, she sensed someone’s presence and tensed. It seemed Seok-woo had returned from work.
Click—the door opened, and he walked in. Neat and flawless as always.
A face sculpted like marble. Broad shoulders. Perfect proportions. She resented her own eyes for noticing his looks.
Instinctively, both women and men were drawn to beauty. But that man was the one holding her life in his hands.
The man holding her leash.
Yet, somewhere deep in her core, another feeling seemed to whisper differently.
The charm of a male radiating pheromones.
“Run a bath for me.”
“I’ll prepare it.”
He removed his tie and shirt at the same time. She flinched in surprise. Before she could even react to his sudden half-naked state, her gaze fixed on his muscles.
‘Those muscles…’
Hidden beneath his shirt, they were beautiful—thick and finely defined. She couldn’t tear her eyes away. His gaze landed on her.
“Are you going to keep staring?”
“N-no.”
Flustered, Hee-yeon hurried into the bathroom.
Thud. Thud.
Her heart pounded violently. Even as she filled the spa tub with water, the image of him wouldn’t leave her mind. She bit her lip.
Through her confusion, she heard approaching footsteps.
No way.
He’s not coming in naked, is he?
She quickly lowered her gaze. A pair of feet stopped in front of her.
Is he… not wearing anything?
Her heart dropped. She could only see his legs—but they were bare.
Frozen in panic, she didn’t know what to do.
“It’s not your first time seeing a man’s body.”
“……”
“Look up.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. It felt like she’d see something she wasn’t supposed to.
Suddenly, her chin was gripped, and her head was forced up. Startled, she opened her eyes to see his lips curling in a sly smile.
“Ah…”
“Your face is red.”
“I-it’s not.”
“I’m not naked. Were you expecting that?”
Only then did she realize he was wearing shorts. She let out a sigh of relief.
Coming to her senses, she slapped his hand away.
“I don’t have a hobby of looking at men I’m not interested in.”
“Quite a few women want to see my body.”
“So? I’m not one of them.”
“Are you more curious about what’s below?”
Her face burned hot.
“What are you—”
“Don’t act innocent. You know men well enough, don’t you?”
Did she look that way? Well, since he believed she was a mother, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to assume she had experience with men.
She could have brushed it off casually, but strangely, she didn’t want to lose to him—especially not to a man who enjoyed himself with different women all the time.
“I know very well. Extremely well.”
In a flash, he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer. At a distance close enough for their lips to touch, she met his eyes—and her body trembled.
His gaze looked dangerously intense. His eyes glinted like a hungry beast’s.
It felt as though, in an instant, her clothes would be stripped away, she’d be pulled into his arms, her lips devoured, her body explored.
Without realizing it, heat was rising through her body.
His breath brushed against her at close range, making her heart race even faster. Afraid he might hear its pounding, she tightened her expression.
“You seem very skilled at handling men.”
