Chapter : 51
I was putting the book back in its place when Taeshin arrived.
I was trying to reach the topmost shelf, out of my reach, when someone took the book from me and placed it instead.
I could feel the strong presence of a man behind me.
“You’re here?”
“You came early.”
He lowered his head and whispered into my ear.
The voice, close and smooth, made my heart tingle.
One of his arms rested on the shelf above, while the other wrapped around me as if to hold me, and I felt trapped in his embrace.
Maybe I should have come a little later.
“I have something for you.”
When I moved, Taeshin stepped back slightly.
He held out a small box he had placed on the book cart.
“What is this?”
“It’s really modest, but I thought it would suit you, so I bought it.”
Taeshin took out a bottle of perfume from the box.
“I wanted to show my gratitude, but I didn’t know what else to get… I hope you like it.”
He opened the lid and smelled it, then handed it back to me.
“Why… you don’t like it?”
Was it still insufficient as an expression of thanks?
Or did he not like the scent?
“Maybe something else…”
“I wasn’t sure where to apply it.”
“Never used perfume before?”
He always smelled good.
Naturally, I assumed he had used it.
“Not even once.”
“Oh…”
That was unexpected.
“I wish I could apply it for you.”
“Hold out your wrist.”
He extended his wrist.
I sprayed the perfume on it and dabbed a little on my fingers to lightly touch behind his ear.
He lowered his head so I could reach easily, gazing deeply into my eyes.
My heart fluttered.
The closer I got to him, the stronger the pounding became.
“How is it?”
At first, the bright notes of lemon and bergamot spread, followed by a calm, deep woody scent.
“It’s a shame your natural scent mixes with the perfume, but it’s nice.”
I blushed and added,
“When I first smelled it, I thought it would suit you well.”
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
He didn’t take his eyes off me as he put the perfume into his jacket pocket.
“Your hair suits you.”
“…Thank you.”
Not wanting him to notice that I had dressed up to look good for him, I quickly asked,
“How was the test? I heard math was a bit difficult this time.”
“So-so.”
Apparently, not bad.
Even though he probably didn’t have much time to study over the weekend when he went to Seoul.
“I heard Yushin got a perfect score earlier.”
Taeshin smiled.
“He’s always gotten perfect scores since he was young. As if no problem in the world is difficult. He’s my younger brother, but sometimes I wonder what’s going on inside his head.”
Though his words were casual, the pride and affection of an older brother shone through.
“I’m curious too.”
“Choi Mugwang came by and ransacked the house, right?”
He changed the subject.
“Yes. He suddenly yelled at grandma, asking where the money came from.”
I hadn’t told him, worried he’d worry, but he already knew.
Grandma spoke as if it was no big deal to avoid worrying me, but according to Kanghoon, the entire house was left in a mess, and my bedroom window was broken.
What exactly was he looking for?
“I wanted to go right away, but grandma insisted it was fine, so I couldn’t.”
Luckily, no one was hurt.
“Let me see your phone.”
I unlocked it with my fingerprint and handed it over.
“It seems Choi Mugwang tried to hack Yoon Iseol’s phone. I’ll strengthen the security patch to block hacking, but don’t click on spam messages, and be careful not to lose your phone.”
He said this while manipulating the phone.
No wonder spam messages had been arriving more often lately.
“Could he have noticed… about you?”
“He must have thought that the embezzler wouldn’t return the money willingly, so he might suspect there’s someone behind it.”
“What if my involvement exposes your identity?”
Taeshin handed the phone back.
“You can control that situation, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
I nodded.
“Tomorrow’s a discretionary holiday, so I’ll leave the island tonight. What about you?”
“I’ll go tonight too. Let’s meet there.”
“Yes.”
Even being with him now, I wanted to see him, and just being apart for a little while made me worry.
Taeshin tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered,
“Are you worried?”
He probably meant something different by “worried,” but I nodded.
“It’s okay, trust me.”
“Yes.”
It was then.
Downstairs, the sound of doors slamming and heavy footsteps broke the silence, followed by Kim Heerok’s voice.
“What the hell are you doing? What are you kids doing here?”
As I tried to go down, Taeshin blocked me.
“You stay here.”
“Aaah! Damn it! Stupid test!”
Cans lay scattered everywhere under Hwang Inwoo’s merciless stamping.
Kim Heerok, not wanting to provoke his temper, sipped his drink from afar and glanced at the late-arriving Bae Youngseop.
“Why is he like that?”
“Why? Because he bombed the test, of course.”
“His uncle’s scary, huh? He still studied pretty hard, though. Why are his grades like that?”
Hwang Inwoo whirled his head and glared fiercely.
“What, you little—?”
“Relax. I bombed too. I’m also about to get chewed out by an adult. You’re not the only one, calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down my ass! That’s just—”
Lately, Hwang Inwoo’s mood had been terrible.
Ever since the Lee Yushin brothers arrived, nothing seemed to go right.
Even the betting games that had been fun fell apart, and the girl he liked, Jang Sejin, seemed to show interest in Yushin instead. His frustration only grew.
‘Kim Heerok might be right. That transfer student knew everything about me—who my parents are, how many boats we own.’
Bae Youngseop shook his head as he watched Inwoo stomp around.
He recalled the warning Taeshin had given him before.
‘He must be an undercover cop. Otherwise, how could he know things I don’t?’
As the suspicion that Taeshin was a police officer gained credibility, the three had no choice but to be cautious.
“Can’t undo the damage anyway. Let’s go home and play a game. It’s a three-day weekend; why waste time here?”
They barely calmed Hwang Inwoo down and left the school, but they heard kids talking on the landing:
“Really? Yushin and Jang Sejin go to the library together all the time?”
“Yeah, they always sit together and whisper.”
Hwang Inwoo stopped in his tracks.
“Even after the exam, they go to the library. Carrying lots of snacks and drinks they got as gifts. They’ll share them nicely.”
“Are they dating?”
“Maybe.”
“They’re the top two in school. They must have something only they understand. Honestly, Jang Sejin is so smart sometimes even the teachers can’t solve the problems, and Yushin is even smarter than her.”
“Doesn’t Jang Sejin like Yushin?”
Hearing this, Kim Heerok tensed.
Bae Youngseop coughed discreetly, and the kids quickly ran off.
At that moment, Hwang Inwoo stormed back into the school.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
Youngseop and Inwoo muttered curses as they followed.
When they reached the library, just as the kids had said, the two were sitting side by side, studying.
A fire lit in Hwang Inwoo’s eyes.
“You guys dating? Eating snacks together? How cute.”
Kim Heerok pinched a snack bag between his fingers and dropped it with a cluck of his tongue.
“Set up a proper household, really. Rent a room or something.”
“What are you doing here?”
Hwang Inwoo lowered his voice, furious.
Damn, terrifying.
Even as Kim Heerok shivered, Sejin and Yushin ignored him completely.
“What are you doing in this sacred library?!”
Hwang Inwoo shouted, sweeping the desk clean.
Books and snacks fell to the floor, scattering everywhere.
