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Chapter 12
“Thanks for the meal, Yeo Jaekyung.”
“You’re welcome.”
The tteokbokki date that had started as a “thank-you gesture” ended successfully.
As they walked out of the restaurant, Seo Taejoo glanced at Yeo Jaekyung, who was walking ahead of him.
‘She’s pretty.’
The thought came to him unconsciously.
Then he snapped back to reality.
‘What the hell am I thinking right now?’
The tteokbokki date, begun under the excuse of Yeo Jaekyung’s “repayment,” had gone much smoother than expected.
Yeo Jaekyung was appropriately refined, a better conversationalist than he’d imagined, and above all, prett—
Ah, seriously.
‘Why does every thought end with “Yeo Jaekyung is pretty”?’
This is driving me crazy.
Seo Taejoo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the woman ahead.
Her long straight hair swayed with her steps, and her legs stretched elegantly beneath her skirt. The fitted top hugging her upper body and the skirt flowing naturally downward emphasized her distinctive grace and femininity.
And that wasn’t all. The bracelet around her wrist made her already slender arms look even more delicate.
…Enough to make someone want to grab them.
Gulp.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
He quickly came to his senses again. At this rate, he really needed to stay alert.
‘Repeat after me, Seo Taejoo.’
He muttered inwardly.
‘That’s an arcade machine.’
You’re a bad guy, and she’s someone you’ll use to your heart’s content and throw away later—an amusement device. Temporary entertainment.
‘Good.’
Seo Taejoo finished fortifying his mindset.
‘Right, Seo Taejoo. You already knew Yeo Jaekyung was seriously weird. Just because her appearance is your type doesn’t mean you should fall for—’
“What are you doing?”
Seo Taejoo narrowed his eyes at the strange behavior of the woman ahead.
Yeo Jaekyung was gripping the restaurant’s standing signboard.
“Just… a second. The sign is crooked.”
A baffled sigh escaped Seo Taejoo.
Yeo Jaekyung, whose build leaned toward delicate, was straining against the wooden sign with all her strength.
“Move.”
Seo Taejoo walked over and effortlessly turned the sign in the direction she’d been trying to fix.
Scrape.
The heavy wooden sign, which Yeo Jaekyung had been holding with both hands, slid back into place with a single push from Seo Taejoo’s thigh strength.
“Phew…”
“I’m the one who fixed the sign. Why are you sighing?”
Yeo Jaekyung glared at him.
“…It had been bothering me since we came in earlier. The sign was subtly blocking the entrance, but I don’t think the owner noticed yet. Someone could get hurt walking by.”
Seo Taejoo stared at her in disbelief.
How could a person be that burdensomely upright?
…Which somehow made her stand out more.
Deliberately using a flat tone, he asked:
“Did your family teach you this kind of thing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Character education. Or noblesse oblige lessons or something.”
If it was Chairwoman Hanlim Yeo, that kind of upbringing sounded entirely plausible.
“…I just get stressed when things that should be in their proper place aren’t where they belong.”
“You really live life in a strict way, huh?”
“Have you ever considered that you live too loosely?”
“At times like this, I realize you’re not actually some endlessly kind Mother Teresa.”
You always talk back, too.
Seo Taejoo felt it again.
This woman wasn’t easy to handle.
On a difficulty scale, she was Level MAX.
Though dealing with her was thrilling for exactly that reason.
Seo Taejoo took a long stride and matched her pace.
“Anyway, since today was tteokbokki, how about fish cake skewers next time?”
Naturally, he set up their next date.
Of course, his true thoughts were different.
‘If my rumor-spreading plan is going to work properly, I need a few more photos of us together.’
Seo Taejoo smiled outwardly.
This absolutely wasn’t because he wanted to know you better.
“Okay.”
But unexpectedly, Yeo Jaekyung agreed almost immediately.
“What?”
“I said okay.”
Seo Taejoo, who’d expected at least a few rounds of arguing, was genuinely surprised.
What? She agreed that fast?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Before he could answer, Yeo Jaekyung spoke coolly while continuing to walk.
“I’m pretty sure I made my intentions clear from the first time we met—that I wanted to seriously pursue something with you.”
…What?
Seo Taejoo froze for a moment.
Like cold water had been dumped over him, his wavering emotions suddenly settled.
‘With me… seriously…’
For the first time in his life, Seo Taejoo felt an unfamiliar emotion begin to bloom.
He hated admitting it, but this was…
Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat was slowly increasing.
He wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but he vaguely realized something was starting to go very wrong.
…His rumor strategy was somehow backfiring.
‘Phew… Seo Taejoo. This isn’t it. Absolutely not.’
He hurriedly tried to rein in his heart.
Ahem.
Clearing his throat, he struggled to remain calm.
Though his ears had already turned red.
‘Are you seriously into this kind of thing, Seo Taejoo?’
He clenched his teeth inwardly.
He’d always thought he was the type to lead people around.
…Yet in reality, Yeo Jaekyung was completely leading him by the nose.
This woman who shattered every stereotype of existing chromosomes—someone he couldn’t tell was human or artificial intelligence.
“So, Seo Taejoo.”
Ignoring his reaction, Yeo Jaekyung continued casually.
“I’ve come up with a plan to help advance our relationship. Hear me out.”
…Our.
Relationship… progress.
After hearing those words, Seo Taejoo honestly stopped hearing anything else properly.
“Listen.”
Like an AI reciting encyclopedia entries, Yeo Jaekyung began listing information.
“First, for a man and woman to enter a serious dating phase, mutual curiosity is an absolutely necessary condition. From what I see, I don’t think that’ll be a problem for us.”
“What exactly are you—”
“When we first met, we were both fascinated by each other, weren’t we? You probably thought, ‘What kind of lunatic is this?’ And I’d never seen such a hopeless delinquent like you before.”
“…”
“And have you heard the saying that strong dislike can indicate strong attraction?”
“I mean… I’ve heard it…”
“There are studies showing that between men and women, negative emotions can increase sexual tension toward the other person more than positive feelings. In that sense, our beginning is perfect.”
Sexual… tension…
Ah…
His mind was going blank.
Seo Taejoo listened numbly to Yeo Jaekyung’s machine-gun stream of information before suddenly snapping back.
Wait.
If our beginning was perfect, then…
“Are you saying your first impression of me was the worst?”
Seo Taejoo raised one eyebrow sharply.
“I’m saying that’s why it’s good, Seo Taejoo.”
Yeo Jaekyung frowned as if asking whether she really had to explain this.
A strange sense of foreboding crept over him.
“If my first impression of you was terrible, that means I felt strong sexual tension toward you. Which means my body released phenylethylamine—a hormone necessary for effective sexual arousal—while looking at—”
“Okay! That’s enough.”
Seo Taejoo hurriedly covered her mouth.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“Seo Taeju…! Wha are oo doin…?!”
He could feel her immediately resisting, but he didn’t let go.
“Yes, yes, keep moving. Sorry about this.”
Avoiding the stares of passersby, he dragged her toward a quieter side of the street.
Whoosh.
“Phew… Why are you covering people’s mouths?”
The moment he released her, Yeo Jaekyung protested.
Seo Taejoo shouted, face flushed red.
“Why are you like this?! Don’t you see people walking around?”
“What did I do?”
“You seriously don’t know?”
Did she forget this was South Korea—the land of Confucian values?
I think I underestimated you.
You’re not just weird.
You’re insanely weird.
Yeo Jaekyung laughed in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me this is because of the words I used? Seo Taejoo… you’re more conservative than you look.”
Not very delinquent-like.
“The words I used are all officially in the dictionary. Sex, intercourse, sexual relations—”
Mmph!
Her lips were blocked again by Seo Taejoo’s hand.
“Dictionary or not, one thing’s certain.”
Restraining the struggling Yeo Jaekyung, Seo Taejoo spoke.
His ears had turned bright red.
“You’ve got a talent for getting people worked up with words.”
Worked up.
Because she was driving him insane!
Then, with her mouth still covered, one corner of her eyes curved upward.
“Reawee? Tha’s a goo sign?”
“…What are you even saying?”
Seo Taejoo lowered his hand slightly.
“Haah! …Right? It’s a good sign, isn’t it? It means you feel excited when you’re with me.”
Freed from his hand, Yeo Jaekyung asked while breathing heavily.
Her expression looked like someone who’d made an incredible discovery.
…As if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“…I am experiencing a slight destruction of my preferences right now.”
Muttering to himself, Seo Taejoo suddenly realized they were standing face-to-face with only inches between them.
Ah.
Their eyes met.
At this distance.
Yeo Jaekyung’s eyes reflected in his.
And at the same time, he noticed something hidden in her gaze.
‘…Desperation?’
Seo Taejoo frowned slightly.
Why?
‘Why would you be desperate for me?’
Yet instinctively, he felt his body leaning toward her.
The heart may lie, but the body is honest.
The tiny distance between them shrank from inches to mere centimeters.
Seo Taejoo moved closer.
Yeo Jaekyung made no effort to avoid him.
He furrowed his brows.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Again, his heart began racing violently without his permission.
Yeo Jaekyung, you really…
You seriously…
At that moment, a familiar melody pierced his ears, making him blink.
♪ Doo doo doo~ Now it’s time for us to say goodbye, see you again next time~ ♪
…What the hell.
Why does this ringtone sound like some embarrassingly outdated relic from decades ago?
