TBOMW 04

Episode 4

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Hongshi held her breath and perked up her ears as she listened to him speak.

“She’s still from a servant background anyway, isn’t she?”

“What did you say?!”

Chairman Kang exploded in anger at Taesan’s cynical remark.

Hongshi snickered inwardly.

Just as expected.

It looked like Taesan was trying to ruin another arranged marriage proposal brought by Chairman Kang.

“I respect you, Grandpa. Building a company this big from absolutely nothing isn’t something just anyone can do. So you don’t have to pretend to be some nobleman. You already deserve respect as you are.”

Listening quietly, Hongshi nodded to herself.

Chairman Kang really had once been a servant for a noble family.

After doing every kind of dirty and difficult chore there, he went on to create the global corporation called Taejeong Group.

Even after accomplishing something so incredible, perhaps the life he had lived as a servant still gnawed away at him, or maybe he regretted never being born a nobleman. The moment he made money, he bought a grand hanok that had belonged to a prestigious noble family since the Joseon era, wore hanbok every single day, and practiced mediocre calligraphy as a hobby.

“You must be attending some speech academy or something. Your damned tongue gets sharper by the day, you little bastard!”

“If you’d stop dragging your busy grandson here all the time, my tongue wouldn’t get sharp in the first place.”

“So you’re planning to ruin this one too?!”

“I’m busy this month.”

Hongshi, who had been shaking her head pityingly at Chairman Kang, suddenly froze.

What was that supposed to mean?

“The first Wednesday of next month. Two o’clock.”

No way…

Hongshi’s face stiffened completely.

“Well then, I’ll get going.”

Slide.

The door suddenly opened, and Taesan appeared.

“Next time you call me over, at least come up with a more creative illness.”

With his usual lazy expression, he stepped down from the wooden porch and started putting on his shoes before finally noticing Hongshi standing right in front of him.

One of his smooth brows slowly lifted.

“Hongshi’s grown up a lot. You even know how to eavesdrop now.”

The corners of his lips curved loosely upward.

“I-I wasn’t! Your voice was just so loud that I heard it. I wasn’t eavesdropping!”

“Really?”

He chuckled softly.

Watching Taesan put on his shoes and walk down, Hongshi bit her lip tightly.

Words felt like they were about to pour out in a flood.

Hold it in.

If she said it, everything would be over.

She wouldn’t even be able to stay by his side anymore.

But what if he really went on the blind date?

What if he ended up marrying that woman?

Unable to endure the anxiety, Hongshi impulsively asked,

“Are you going to do it?”

“Do what?”

“The blind date.”

His pitch-black eyes silently stared at her for a moment.

Hongshi stepped a little closer to him.

“You always ruined them before.”

And she meant every single one.

As if he had no interest in marriage whatsoever, he had stubbornly rejected every arranged meeting despite the pressure from his family.

That was why she had felt safe.

But now…

Now he was suddenly saying he would go.

“Then why aren’t you ruining this one? Why are you agreeing so easily?”

“How old are you again?”

“I’m twenty-four.”

“You need to grow up more. You still smell like a kid.”

“I’m not a child. I’m all grown up.”

“I’m leaving.”

Ignoring her words, he walked away.

Hongshi hurried after him and blocked his path.

Taesan stopped, tilting his head slightly.

“Why do you keep bothering me? Need money to buy snacks?”

“You bother me all the time too, so why can’t I?”

At her backtalk, Taesan looked down at her with an expression that said, Well, look at this.

“And I told you, I’m not a little kid.”

Her upturned eyes sparkled like glass beads in the sunlight.

“What you’re doing right now is exactly what little kids do.”

Hongshi’s gaze wavered at his cold words.

“I’m busy, so move.”

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Why did I freeze up there, Kim Hongshi?!

You idiot!

If you were going to do something reckless, you should’ve gone all the way!

Instead, you just let him leave without doing anything?!

Cursing herself, Hongshi sniffled before suddenly gulping down soju.

Startled by the sight of Hongshi doing something she never normally did, Jongho, who had been tearing into a fried chicken drumstick across from her, hurriedly tried to stop her.

“Hey! You pass out after one shot of soju, what are you doing drinking like that?!”

But Hongshi ignored him and kept chugging.

Bang!

She slammed the bottle down on the table.

Nearly half the bottle was already gone.

“Hey, Jongho.”

Her cheeks flushed pink, Hongshi looked at him and spoke.

“Wanna hear a secret?”

Jongho swallowed dryly.

“What secret?”

“The truth is… I’m in love. And I’ve been in love for a really long time.”

Her tongue slurred clumsily, making it obvious she was drunk.

Jongho looked utterly doomed.

“Why are you suddenly talking about unrequited love? And how could you drink that much?! If the young master finds out, I’m dead!”

“But Jongho… never fall in unrequited love… It hurts so much.”

“What are you muttering about?”

“If you’re gonna do it, at least love someone within reach… If they’re too far away, you can’t even touch them…”

Hongshi whimpered as she pressed a hand to her chest.

Jongho shook his head at the nonsense pouring from her mouth.

“But I worked so hard. I studied until my butt went numb, got into college…”

After graduating, she had even secretly applied for an interview at Taejeong Group just to stay by his side. Of course, he found out immediately and scolded her harshly, but she stubbornly endured it.

When she finally became a proper career woman, she wanted to confess to him proudly.

Of course, the chances of rejection were much higher.

Still, maybe there’d be even the slightest possibility.

But now there was a chance he might get married.

“And he doesn’t even know that! He just got mad at me for going to the interview! Do you know how hard I worked?!”

After suddenly shouting, Hongshi slammed her forehead onto the table with a thud and collapsed.

“What a damn mess. Total damn mess!”

Staring blankly at Hongshi, who had passed out clutching the soju bottle, Jongho grabbed his hair with both hands.

“Damn it, if he finds out she drank, I’m dead. He might throw me into a lake.”

Should I just run away?

Jongho slowly started getting up when someone’s hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

“You know me too well, Jongho.”

Forced back into his seat, Jongho slowly turned his creaking neck and nearly screamed.

“H-Hiiik!”

His face went pale as if he had seen the Grim Reaper—or the devil himself. He jumped up and bowed deeply.

“Y-Young Master!”

Taesan looked coldly at Jongho and at Hongshi, who was muttering nonsense while hugging the soju bottle, then let out a hollow laugh.

“I told you to stop calling me ‘Young Master.’”

“My mom beats me if I don’t.”

“You gave her the alcohol?”

“N-No way!”

“Right? Because I told you I’d kill you if you ever made her drink again.”

It had been right after they graduated high school.

Hongshi had wanted to celebrate finally being freed from everything that had been suppressing them, so Jongho had persuaded her to drink.

She ended up in the emergency room.

Not because of alcohol poisoning, but because she got drunk, wandered off alone, and smashed headfirst into a utility pole.

That day, Taesan had beaten Jongho half to death.

Ever since then, Jongho had sworn never to drink with Hongshi again.

Today’s disaster was entirely Hongshi’s doing.

“I swear it wasn’t me this time! She drank on her own!”

“Couldn’t you have stopped her?”

“I deserve to die!”

“Go.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jongho bolted away as if he had been waiting for permission.

Taesan crossed his arms and silently looked down at Hongshi when the restaurant owner passing by clicked her tongue.

“Hongshi, this brat’s passed out drunk here again?”

“Oh?”

Listening quietly, the corner of Taesan’s lips twisted.

“So she’s a repeat offender?”

No wonder there were times she wouldn’t answer his calls.

To think she’d been secretly pulling stunts like this behind his back.

Wondering what to do with this insolent little thing, Taesan first picked Hongshi up into his arms.

Like when she was younger, Hongshi squirmed and burrowed into his chest.

I can’t exactly hit her.

She’s way too cute for that.

Thinking that, Taesan headed toward the car.

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“An interview, whatever… What’s the point anyway…”

“…”

“He’s a prince, and I’m a beggar… You shouldn’t repay kindness with betrayal, right, Jongho?”

Taesan looked at Hongshi with an exasperated expression as her plump lips kept moving nonstop in drunken rambling.

The urge to smoke—a habit he had long quit—suddenly resurfaced.

Taesan had quit years ago because Hongshi hated cigarette smoke. Instead, he rolled down the window.

The car was parked in front of the house gates.

Even though summer was approaching, the night breeze was still cool enough to calm his heated head when Hongshi, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly jerked her head up.

“So you’re awake now.”

Already flushed like a peach rice cake, both her cheeks were red.

Her dark grape-like eyes were hazy with alcohol.

He despised people who drank without knowing their limits more than anything.

But maybe Hongshi was an exception.

Even with the smell of alcohol all over her, she still looked adorable.

Not that he intended to let her off easily.

“Kang Hongshi.”

Even though her real name was Kim Hongshi, Taesan sometimes called her “Kang Hongshi” like she was his own daughter.

“Who told you to go around drinking? Just because I’ve been busy and couldn’t keep an eye on you, you go out and start causing trouble?”

Taesan spoke in a restrained voice.

“The world’s dangerous these days. Do you have any idea how many bastards are targeting clueless girls like yo—”

At that moment, Hongshi suddenly threw herself into Taesan’s arms.

Taesan froze mid-breath.