Chapter – 64
Seola felt that she shouldn’t answer the phone while she was with Jeong-wook and Buhyeon.
If she answered Taeuk’s call while they were at her family home, who knew what might happen? The thought made her nervous.
Finally, she pressed the “decline” button and immediately sent Taeuk a message:
[Team Leader, I can’t take your call right now. I’m having a meal with my mother and Jeong-wook.]
After sending the message, a brief silence followed.
Seola’s mouth went dry as she tried to eat, barely aware if the food was going down her throat or not. Soon, a reply came from Taeuk:
[Wait. I’m coming right now.]
Bang.
The front door of the main house opened unexpectedly.
Buhyeon, Jeong-wook, and Seola, who had just finished their meal in the kitchen and were about to move to the living room, turned toward the noise.
There, Taeuk was walking toward the kitchen at an intimidating pace.
“…!”
Seola, startled, opened her mouth slightly in shock, while Jeong-wook, unlike Buhyeon, let out a small chuckle and turned his head casually.
“Seola, your brother is here. Looks like he finally finished working overtime.”
Jeong-wook, leisurely wiping his lips with a napkin, seemed unbothered.
Soon, Taeuk entered the kitchen and bowed his head slightly to Buhyeon first.
“Mother.”
“Taeuk, what are you doing here without telling anyone?”
Taeuk pulled a chair next to Seola and sat down, resting one arm on the table.
“I just felt like coming. Looks like you’ve finished your meal.”
Buhyeon, confused by his sudden entrance and calm demeanor, replied awkwardly:
“Ah… yes. We just finished. Did you eat? If not, I can prepare a meal for you.”
“No, that’s fine.”
Then, Taeuk slowly turned his gaze to Seola and Jeong-wook sitting across from each other.
“Mother.”
“Ah, yes. Taeuk.”
“Since you’ve finished eating, may I take Kim Seola with me now?”
Seola’s eyes widened in shock at his words.
He grabbed her wrist, lifting her from her seat.
“We have another engagement to attend to, so we should be going now.”
Buhyeon looked at Jeong-wook, blinking rapidly.
“Jeong-wook, what’s going on? Weren’t you supposed to introduce me to the woman you like?”
Introduce the woman he likes…
Taeuk scoffed, his voice sharp and firm.
“Seems there’s been some misunderstanding. Seola shouldn’t be here today. It’s inappropriate to introduce her to your mother like this.”
Seola’s heart pounded in her chest, unsure of what to do.
So… she thought, am I caught in a battle of wills between Team Leader Taeuk and Jeong-wook?
“Seola, let’s go. Mother, we’ll explain everything in detail next time when we visit. Please excuse us for leaving like this.”
Buhyeon, still confused, glanced between Taeuk and Jeong-wook.
Jeong-wook, who had been watching silently, exhaled slowly. He tilted his head and cast a sidelong glance at Taeuk standing up.
“Your brother’s quite rude.”
He put his hand on the armrest and stood up with a grunt.
“Taking my guest away, huh?”
Jeong-wook stared at Taeuk with a grin.
Taeuk, holding Seola’s wrist, met Jeong-wook’s gaze calmly and spoke slowly:
“Trying to play games like this? Planning to take her away again like before?”
“I’ve told you dozens of times I never took anything from you before. It was Jumijin’s lies that caused the problem.”
“Doesn’t matter, either way, it’s all the same to me.”
“So what now? Seola is your guest here.”
“She’s not your guest.”
“Then you should have acted faster. I’m introducing her to Mother first, right?”
Jeong-wook grabbed the opposite wrist of Seola, who was now held by both brothers, leaving her unable to move, sweating nervously.
“What is this… what kind of conversation is this? Why are you talking like this in front of Mother…?!”
Buhyeon was utterly bewildered by the strange exchange.
Taeuk, his eyes sharp and voice firm, made one thing clear:
“Kim Seola will never be your guest, Jeong-wook. Remember that.”
“She decided to come to the family home with me today. Why are you denying it?”
Seola, panicked, turned to Jeong-wook to explain:
“I… I came here because… Team Leader said he would come to the family home too. I thought we were all invited to have a meal together.”
Saying this, Seola managed to twist her wrist free from Jeong-wook’s grip.
“What are you two talking about?”
Buhyeon asked, still trying to make sense of the situation. Taeuk finally understood everything and explained:
“Mother, Kim Seola is not Jeong-wook’s guest. I will explain everything properly soon, so please allow us to leave for now. I apologize for cutting the meeting short.”
He bowed slightly to Buhyeon and held Seola’s hand firmly.
It was clear: Taeuk would not allow Seola to be introduced as Jeong-wook’s woman, nor to be considered his guest.
“Let’s go.”
Following Taeuk as he strode toward the front door, Seola quickly greeted Buhyeon before leaving.
Buhyeon, still dazed, nodded in acknowledgment, while Jeong-wook simply narrowed his eyes at the departing pair.
He had wanted to introduce Seola to his mother as his guest, but things had gone awry, leaving him frustrated with a deep sigh.
“Te-Team Leader…!”
Taeuk, still holding Seola’s hand, crossed the garden without slowing down.
Seola struggled to keep up with his long strides, nearly running to catch up.
“Can you… let go of my hand?”
She tried to ask, but Taeuk ignored her and led her to the car, placing her in the passenger seat.
He started the car as if eager to leave the place behind, driving up the slope toward the residential complex.
In about five minutes, they would reach a viewpoint with a spectacular city view.
Taeuk parked there, returned to the passenger side, and opened the door.
“Get out.”
Seola glanced at him cautiously and stepped out.
Beeping, Taeuk locked the car with the smart key and slipped his hands into his pockets.
He exhaled lightly, tilting his head toward her.
Seola stood in front of him, unsure what to do.
At the viewpoint, the stars shone brightly, and the city’s tall buildings glittered magnificently.
Taeuk watched Seola quietly, fidgeting slightly with his tie, loosening it and pulling it down a little.
“Why did you follow me to the family home?”
His deep, serious voice left Seola flustered, her eyes wavering.
“I… I didn’t know either…”
“I told you it’s fine for us to be close at work. But I also said to avoid private meetings after work. Did you forget?”
Taeuk, one hand in his pocket, the other hanging down, stared at her with unwavering eyes.
