Chapter 5
Cold.
That single word sent Taehwa, who had been growling as if ready to devour, shoving Minju into the room. The same room she had been thrown out of just a week ago.
He brought towels and blankets for her wet hair, placed warm cocoa before her, yet his expression remained hard and unyielding the entire time.
“On days like this, even a passing dog wouldn’t get a break.”
“Why, because it’s Christmas?”
As if on cue, their eyes met. Both faces carried the memory of the same thought. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was the promise made just before Christmas—a promise she had failed to keep back then.
“I hope it snows on Christmas. We’ll have a warm drink, and—ah—use that snow as our snack. Then we’ll kiss. Merry Christmas to each other, promise?”
Minju pointed at the cocoa cup she held with both hands.
“Since you’re being sentimental, why not make it liquor?”
“You might as well say you just got out of an alcohol detox.”
“Then let’s pretend we drank, step outside, use that snow as our snack, and try kissing?”
“Hey!”
“Why not?”
Taehwa shed his smooth exterior, letting his smoldering anger surface as his voice rose. It was the familiar Taehwa from before—someone Minju knew how to handle.
“So you want to stick with me and still cozy up to Jeong Hyeongwoo? You’re living like a punk.”
Seeing him act as if he had forgotten everything she had done and given him, Minju couldn’t help but feel a flash of indignation.
“Drink it all, then get out before it gets any later. Don’t spend the night on the street trying to catch a taxi.”
Yet, she noticed the faint concern hidden at the end of his words. Loud as his speech was, he couldn’t bring himself to be cruel. Minju smiled softly, acknowledging his consistent, if gruff, care.
“I was thanking you, yet you’re still stingy.”
She slowly blew on the cocoa, trying to sip. Though it should have tasted sweet, her tongue only registered bitterness.
She should have been left outside to freeze. To become an icicle on the pavement, so that her lips wouldn’t blabber recklessly. Even if she had been brought up here, all she would hear would be scratches at her patience.
“You still can’t forget me?”
“…Huh.”
“Or else why are you getting so angry? You wouldn’t have any feelings left between us anyway.”
She could already imagine the expression born of that low, chuckling breath. His dark eyes would be endlessly sunken. The slender, alert eyes would remain fixed solely on her.
And when frustration bubbled, he would brush his mouth or stretch his neck, one hand…
“…!”
Minju couldn’t tear her eyes away from the small object rolling in Taehwa’s hands. It was the lighter he used to hold, which he once lit for her just for fun—the one he had received as a gift for his twentieth birthday.
Why now…? It was hard to maintain her composure in front of a man still habitually clutching the lighter she had given him. She decided it was better to rattle his nerves than to try hiding her feelings.
“Politicians and top CEOs come here too, right? If you’re dealing with important people, shouldn’t you at least hide how hot-headed you get?”
“That depends on the client.”
“Anyway, it’s a client. Then at least pretend to listen. You think I waited here to argue with you on a day like this?”
It wasn’t hard to remember what she had cast aside to come here: shame… the restraint that makes a person humane. With that gone, anything was possible.
“I’ve said I want to marry Vice Chairman Jeong Hyeongwoo multiple times. Why do you keep ignoring me?”
The lighter in Taehwa’s hand flickered playful blue flames before going out. Then his calm, explanatory voice followed.
“To marry the heir of Jeongseon Group is business. Only a partner of equivalent standing can even broach the topic, madam.”
“That’s why I came. You, Taehwa, could handle it.”
“That means even if the calculation aligns, we can only talk, madam.”
She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t get the point. Taehwa didn’t push further, though she sensed he understood the unspoken words. Minju seized the gap again.
“If my brother sets the stage and presents me well, wouldn’t the conversation go smoothly? At my age, I can’t just leap straight into the arms of a conglomerate heir. I want this to proceed elegantly, without it looking like I schemed.”
Even as she spoke, she knew how ridiculous it sounded. Where in their business-driven world could romance fit? Especially against the heir of Jeongseon—it made no sense.
But marriage to Jeong Hyeongwoo was only an excuse. What Minju wanted was Taehwa, hoping to ignite whatever lingering feelings he might have. She needed to provoke his interest to seize what she desired.
“You even said I was pretty. Siblings usually share tastes.”
With a faint pop, the cigarette in Taehwa’s mouth was lit. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, leaning toward Minju. The familiar scent of smoke mixed with his body left her slightly dizzy.
“His father runs the company, right? Around ten affiliates?”
“….”
“Assets over a trillion, foreign degrees preferred, same alma mater as his parents if possible—that adds drama, an advantage. Even if he dated before, no trace should remain. No current partner. Just that, simple criteria.”
It was obvious—could it be done? Minju could tell it was a rhetorical question. The smug lift of his brows confirmed his pride.
“I can’t say there hasn’t been dating. That was five years ago, we’re thirty now. You don’t expect me to live like a chaste nun… you have a girlfriend too, don’t you?”
“You’re missing the point. I asked if it’s possible, not about nonsense.”
Taehwa scratched his forehead with the cigarette hand and smirked. A fleeting look of disdain spread across her face and cheeks.
“You have money? Connections? Could you keep your affair with me hidden? Shall I ask like that?”
“That’s why I came here. But I still want to have your half-brother. After sizing things up, this seemed like the only way, Taehwa.”
“Just say you need money. That’s more reasonable.”
Even with her sharp jabs, Taehwa responded with calm skill. The poise of a man accustomed to power. Minju, in turn, continued with unrestrained desire.
“The man is desperate. I want a rich, powerful man. How many times do I need to say it…?”
“Exactly how many times, madam, before you listen?”
The vein on Taehwa’s forehead throbbed as if about to burst. Watching his anger, Minju recalled her father. She thought of the company she had to reach. To break through his firm rejection, she would need to provoke him further.
“If you can’t do it, just say so. Don’t twist your words pretending to advise.”
“Ask for money in return for helping.”
“I’m not shameless enough to ask with empty hands. Don’t know how much, though.”
“Then in kind.”
“…Ah.”
A small sigh escaped her as her wild desires collided with an unyielding wall.
She had briefly considered giving her body, but only after regaining his heart—not to buy it physically… though maybe he would move faster.
Her lowered eyelids followed as Minju slowly nodded.
“Vice Chairman Jeong Hyeongwoo is worth it. If that’s the price, so be it.”
“…!”
She didn’t avert her eyes from the man staring intensely. Instead, she silently begged him with that gaze, wanting him to hate her, torment her, let her slip gradually into his heart, to emerge with what she desired.
“One night. If needed, more nights. Just tell me yes or no.”
She threw the final harsh card at the man she loved. A low curse escaped, followed by a strange, soft chuckle.
When Taehwa spread his legs toward her, creating space enough to kneel, Minju had no choice but to take a deep breath.
“Is it okay?”
It wasn’t coercion. She had only asked for a decision. Looking back one minute prior, it was clear who had orchestrated this situation.
Calmly, Minju took her place between Taehwa’s thighs. Meeting his intense gaze, she lowered herself slowly. Hoping the relentless stare contained no impure intentions, she traced his firm chest with her fingertips.
“Yes. It’s okay.”
Instead of undoing his buckle, she tucked a business card into her handkerchief. Taehwa’s eyes flickered slightly.
“Contact me. Whenever you want.”
After passing it to him and leaving the room, Minju collapsed against the closed door, burying her face in her hands. Her lips, which had spoken harshly, trembled uncontrollably.
She would never be able to ask again.
‘What would you do if I said I loved another man, huh?’
Though she had stepped out of the time that always bound them together, the answer she had clung to like a charm seemed to have lost its power.
At the moment she parted with her shame, all she could feel was the heat of her eyes.
