TNV 28

Chapter 28

Chaeyoon, who was still standing in front of the sink, lowered her gaze as if flustered. It was as though she had only just realized that she was stuck between the sink and Muhyun, unable to move either way.

“So you and I were actually quite close, Ms. Song Chaeyoon. Close enough to know each other’s eating habits. That’s probably why my mother was wary of you. And when I lost my memory, it feels like she came down here as if she’d been waiting for that moment, and tried to shut you up. Am I wrong?”

“No.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Can you prove what you just said, Director Seo Muhyun?”

“Of course.”

He took another step closer toward Chaeyoon, whose eyes widened in surprise. When he stretched out both arms and grabbed the sink, her small body was completely trapped within his reach.

From Chaeyoon, he could faintly smell a fragrance like wildflowers. It was so light that you could only notice it when you were this close, and perhaps because of that, it felt even sweeter.

Thinking that it was somehow a nostalgic scent, Muhyun let a barely visible smile form.

“Whenever I see you, my body reacts before my mind does.”

“What—what kind of proof is that? Stop saying ridiculous things and move away.”

A sharp retort spilled from Chaeyoon’s lips. But perhaps because her face was flushed and her expression flustered, it didn’t sound all that cold.

Muhyun let out a soft chuckle and lowered his head.

“Why? Doesn’t this seem like a familiar position to you?”

“There’s nothing—nothing familiar between you and me, Director Seo.”

Chaeyoon, who had been biting her lip tightly, suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked up as she continued,

“…There’s nothing at all. So stop writing fiction first thing in the morning and leave.”

But contrary to her words, Muhyun leaned even closer.

“Don’t you know that if you keep pushing me away like this, it only makes things more suspicious? Why not try clinging to me instead, saying you missed me? I really hate that kind of thing.”

He hadn’t said it because he truly wanted her to do that. Song Chaeyoon didn’t seem like the kind of person who would act that way to begin with.

He was simply irritated by how she kept insisting she didn’t know anything, and he wanted to see the look of disgust on her face when she reacted to his words.

But her response was completely different from what he had expected.

Muhyun thought Chaeyoon would glare at him and tell him to leave. Instead, she suddenly turned pale, her lips beginning to tremble. She then bit down hard on those trembling lips and lowered her head.

Instead of her shaking lips, her pale nape caught his eye, but that only made him feel more uncomfortable. Brushing away the hallucination that even her slender neck seemed to be trembling, Muhyun cursed under his breath.

Fuck.

He had wanted to see her look troubled, but when it actually happened, he felt filthy, as though he were some kind of brute bullying an innocent child who knew nothing.

With an uneasy expression, he spoke again.

“That’s the end of Chapter One. Let’s continue with Chapter Two this afternoon.”

Provoking Song Chaeyoon this much in the morning was enough. Now was the time to step back and wait for her reaction.

Chaeyoon still didn’t answer, her head bowed.

Muhyun took a step back, looked at her for a moment, then turned around. As he slowly left the kitchen, he suddenly stopped in front of the entrance, turned back, and said,

“I don’t eat breakfast, so there’s no need to prepare anything. Ah—did I say that for nothing? You probably already knew.”

He noticed her flinch as she kept her head down. With a twisted smile, Muhyun put on his shoes and left the annex.

The moment Muhyun left the annex, Chaeyoon collapsed onto the floor.

The words he had thrown at her were so close to the truth that even now, her heart was still trembling.

“…That’s probably why my mother was wary of you. And when I lost my memory, it feels like she came down here as if she’d been waiting for that moment, and tried to shut you up.”

It was true—and yet not true.

But one thing was certain: Muhyun’s mother had learned that he was staying in Yangpyeong.

Honestly, she wasn’t afraid of Muhyun.

No matter how sarcastic or cruel his words were, she didn’t believe he would actually harm her. Seo Muhyun was just a bit prickly by nature; he wasn’t a bad person.

But his mother was different.

When her son had been in an accident and even lost his memory, she had placed all the blame on Chaeyoon and poured her resentment onto her. Chaeyoon still remembered vividly the anger and bitterness that woman had directed at her back then.

So if Muhyun’s mother were to find out that Chaeyoon was near her son, she would never stay quiet. To her, Chaeyoon was no different from the source of all misfortune.

It wasn’t that Chaeyoon couldn’t understand her feelings. If someone’s only son had hovered between life and death and then lost his memory, who wouldn’t want someone to blame?

That was exactly why Muhyun’s mother frightened her.

A parent trying to protect their child could be braver—and sometimes more ruthless—than anyone else. You didn’t have to look far; just thinking of the parents of the children who came to the study room was enough to understand.

Was it a mistake to let Muhyun stay at the villa?

Chaeyoon thought, feeling like she wanted to cry.

She had tried to act distant whenever she saw him and to avoid running into him as much as possible. And yet, deep down, she liked having Muhyun stay at the villa. That was her honest feeling.

Every brief encounter seemed to gradually fill the emptiness in her heart that had been hollow with longing. It felt as though warmth was slowly returning to her chest, which had been scraping raw in the cold wind.

That was why she had grown greedy. She wanted to see him just a little longer, even if he couldn’t remember her. She felt like she needed that in order to go on living after he left for good.

Perhaps that greed had been too much. Judging by how things had turned out.

“Grandma… what should I do now?”

Chaeyoon muttered as if asking her late grandmother.

“I really don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

Of course, no answer came back. Thinking that today, more than ever, she desperately missed her grandmother’s embrace, Chaeyoon buried her face in her arms.

“Don’t be too hurt. You know how our Muhyun’s personality is.”

After Muhyun stormed out of the Sungil Cultural Foundation’s anniversary party, declaring that he would not marry Hayoung, his mother, Director Lee Soon-ok, had said that. As if to say, That’s just how my son is, so you should understand.

Hayoung reassured Director Lee, saying she understood everything and that there was no need to worry. She returned to the party as if nothing had happened and spent a couple of hours smiling and chatting with others.

But inside, she was far from fine.

After all the effort she had put into winning over Muhyun’s mother, to be publicly humiliated like that right in front of her—the disgrace and shame were beyond words.

Even so, she couldn’t afford to fall out of Director Lee’s favor now. So until she arrived home, Hayoung never wiped the smile off her face. All the while, she kept muttering curses to herself.

That bastard. That bastard. That bastard. Just wait until we’re married—I’ll get revenge for all of this, Seo Muhyun.

Although Muhyun had clearly refused, Hayoung had no doubt that she would ultimately be the one to marry him.

There were two reasons.

First, Muhyun’s mother was completely on her side. Second, Muhyun had never dated any woman before.

…Except for one time.

But that was something that had already disappeared from Seo Muhyun’s memory, so there was no need to worry.

After all, Muhyun had long since forgotten the granddaughter from that insignificant family.