Chapter -06
A black whirlwind swirled around Taewook, emanating an aura that seemed as though it could swallow everything nearby.
When he reached the stairs of the duplex, Taewook looked up sharply at Jungwook, who stood two steps above him.
Then he spoke quietly — in a voice low enough that Hweichan, sitting in the living room, couldn’t hear.
“Where is she — Kim Seola.”
Jungwook tilted his head slightly to the side.
“Oh my, how scary.”
“I asked where she is. Answer me.”
“Do you really want to know?”
His lips curled with a mischievous grin, amusement glinting in his eyes.
“Want me to tell you?”
“What the hell are you trying to do with me.”
Taewook’s cold voice — directed at his twin brother — was as biting as the chill of midwinter air.
Jungwook decided not to provoke him any further and shrugged lightly.
“Upstairs.”
As Jungwook tilted his chin toward the second floor, Taewook glared at him for a moment before climbing the stairs.
At the top, a long hallway stretched out. There were several doors on either side — Jungwook’s room was right by the stairs.
Knowing his younger brother, Taewook was certain Jungwook wouldn’t have put Seola in his own room, at least out of respect for their mother.
So he began opening each guest room door one by one.
He opened one — empty. Closed it.
Opened the next — also empty. Closed it again.
When he opened the fourth door, he froze.
There, lying peacefully on the bed, was a woman with pale skin — asleep.
Taewook’s steps halted.
Through the curtain-filtered dawn light, a soft beam fell across Seola’s face.
He walked slowly into the room and stood over her.
“……”
She hadn’t washed before sleeping, but since she rarely wore much makeup anyway, her skin still looked clear and luminous.
Her long lashes rested gently on her cheeks, her breathing soft and even — as if she were an innocent child, blissfully unaware of the world.
He didn’t know why Kim Seola was asleep at his family home, but at least he was relieved that Jungwook had brought her here instead of leaving her drunk somewhere unsafe.
“She can’t even drink at company dinners — so why on earth did she drink herself unconscious outside?”
It didn’t make sense.
And the more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.
None of this made any sense.
Pulling a chair from the table, Taewook set it beside the bed and sat down.
It was still early, and since she was asleep from drinking, he decided to wait until she woke up on her own.
Leaning forward, elbows resting on his thighs, he quietly gazed at her.
“……”
Under the dim, silvery dawn light, Taewook’s eyes gradually softened — deep, subdued.
She wouldn’t remember, but Taewook recalled a brief connection they’d had before she joined the company.
As that memory gently surfaced, a faint smile flickered across his lips before fading again.
* * *
“Mmm…”
Seola stirred, her face scrunching as she turned slightly on the bed.
Her body ached everywhere.
Turning onto her side, she groaned softly — but suddenly froze when her fingers brushed the unfamiliar texture of the bedsheets.
‘…Wait, this isn’t my bed.’
Sensing something wrong, she kept her eyes closed but darted them side to side —
and then, in a flash, she opened them wide.
The first thing she saw was Choi Taewook, sitting right beside the bed, leaning forward, watching her silently.
That man!
“Huh— Team Leader…! Ah—”
A sharp headache hit her like a hammer. She instinctively clutched her head.
“Lie down.”
Taewook’s calm, low voice made her stop halfway up and sink back against the pillow.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t piece together the events of last night.
Her drinking tolerance was low, but after meeting Chahee she’d let herself get carried away — drinking and drinking until her memory went black.
Somewhere between those lost fragments, one blurry scene flickered.
Last night — angry, hurt, and still clinging to the faint remains of her feelings for him — she’d thought: Fine. To hell with it all.
And in that reckless moment, she’d tried to kiss him.
After all, he had kissed her once in the break room before — so surely he wouldn’t push her away this time.
But in that faint, broken recollection — he had stopped her.
He had blocked her lips with the back of his hand and rejected her.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Why are you doing this to me?! Don’t you think you’re being cruel?”
Yes — he had refused her kiss.
Now, glaring at the infuriatingly composed man before her, Seola sat up despite her pounding head.
She couldn’t forgive him — this man who toyed with her emotions.
“Where… where am I?”
Her voice came out quiet, almost desolate.
“My parents’ house,” Taewook said calmly.
“What? Your parents’ house? Why on earth am I here?”
“You don’t remember last night?”
“Of course I do!”
“You do? Then let me ask — why did you try to kiss Choi Jungwook?”
“Huh? Choi Jungwook… who’s that?”
Her bewildered blinking made him sigh and rub his face with his hand.
Of course.
She must have mistaken his twin brother for him.
Seola’s expression hardened as she glared up at him.
“All I remember is you rejecting my kiss last night, Team Leader. But now suddenly you’re acting all familiar with me again? You ignored me at the matchmaking meeting, then again last night, every single time in public — but now that we’re inside, you’re friendly? Thanks a lot for finally acknowledging me.”
Her tone dripped with sarcasm and pent-up frustration.
Taewook looked down at her impassively, eyes steady and cool, before standing up.
“So you even met Jungwook at that matchmaking event. Just how long have you two known each other…? Whatever. Get dressed.”
“What?”
“We’re going to work. Or do you plan to skip the office today?”
“Wait— I don’t even know how I ended up here, and now you’re saying we’re going to work together? Team Leader, please just tell me straight. Why do you keep acting hot and cold with me? If you’re going to keep confusing me like this, then why did you even kiss me at work—”
“Arguing here won’t solve anything. Wash up and get dressed. I’ll wait by the stairs.”
“Team Leader…”
Taewook pushed the chair back, walked to the door, and left — closing it behind him.
Seola looked around the small guest room.
A bed, a wardrobe, a tiny table with a chair. A door to a small bathroom in the corner.
So that’s what he meant — wash up there and come out.
“What on earth happened last night? Why am I at his parents’ house of all places…?”
She sat dazed on the bed, trying to recall the missing pieces — but nothing came.
* * *
Taewook knew that his father would soon finish breakfast and leave for work with his driver.
That meant by the time Seola finished washing up, his father would be gone — and then he could quietly escort her out as well.
He had just closed her door behind him when he spotted his mother, Buhyun, standing right outside — pressed close to the door, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Mother. What are you doing here.”
Startled, Taewook asked.
“Oh, Taewook. What were you talking about in there with that young lady? Jungwook said last night you were supposed to pick her up yourself, but you never showed. And now here you are, barging in at dawn. What’s going on, hmm?”
Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she bombarded him with questions.
“Is it you — not Jungwook — who’s involved with that girl? You said you’d never marry! Did you finally change your mind? I think I even heard something about a kiss — did I hear wrong?”
…Good grief. This was getting messy.
Taewook rubbed his face again.
“It’s nothing. Please don’t concern yourself.”
His tone was cool and detached as he brushed past her.
But Buhyun — who had never stopped worrying about her stubborn, marriage-averse eldest son — followed him eagerly.
“It’s nothing? Then why did that girl mention a kiss? Did something happen between you two? You didn’t… get her into trouble, did you?”
That last question made him stop in his tracks.
He turned, met her eyes squarely, and said evenly:
“Should I?”
“What— what did you just say?”
Buhyun blinked rapidly, utterly flustered.
