Chapter 2

　　Yiseo squeezed her eyes shut. What was that? What did I just see? She couldn’t believe her eyes.

　　In that moment, she couldn’t summon a single rational thought, let alone an excuse or an apology. Her mind was in a state of pure panic. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.

　　His manhood was so enormous that his sculpted abs and powerful thighs faded into insignificance. The thick pillar nestled between his legs was so large it defied belief, even at rest. It was a size she had never imagined possible.

　　How could he possibly fit that inside a pair of pants?

　　No. My eyes must be mistaken. I was just so flustered.

　　Unless the naked man emerging from the water was inexplicably holding a club between his legs, she couldn’t imagine how she might have misseen it. But she vehemently denied the impossible sight anyway.

　　When she cautiously peeled her eyes open again, it was still there. An outrageously large penis, lacking nothing in either length or girth.

　　Yiseo, who had been frozen like a dumbstruck fool, was jolted back to her senses when the man suddenly took a step toward her. Terrified, she spun around without so much as a scream and bolted. The sight of his face, hardened with what looked like pure rage, sent her mind reeling.

　　Her only thought was to escape this dreadful situation. The deep furrow between his brows was a clear testament to his displeasure.

　　Even in her panic, the sandwich, which had been teetering precariously on the tray she still clutched, finally tumbled to the ground and rolled away. A fleeting oops crossed her mind, but there was no time to deal with it. She fled straight for the gate.

　　She wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow her whole, but even the exit seemed to be conspiring against her. Unfamiliar with the new lock, her fumbling hands kept slipping. After several frantic attempts, it finally clicked open.

　　By then, she could sense his presence alarmingly close behind her. Why is he chasing me?

　　Feeling like prey hunted by a predator, she burst through the gate and slammed it shut behind her. Her heart hammered against her ribs. It shriveled at the thought of what she would do if he chased her outside.

　　Terrified of being caught, she quickened her pace, her hurried footsteps echoing the frantic rhythm of her heart.

　　She had intended to flee toward the staff quarters, but she slowed to a stop before she had even cleared the annex wall. The message from Jua had resurfaced in her mind, holding her captive. Yiseo glanced back, her expression fraught with anxiety.

　　There was nothing to be done about the sandwich on the ground, but she couldn’t just ignore a direct order from her superior and run away.

　　After a moment of agonizing hesitation, she turned back. Her feet felt leaden, as if she were wading through a deep swamp, and they barely lifted from the ground. Reluctantly, she stood before the entrance once more, her hand feeling impossibly heavy as she forced it to reach out.

　　She hesitated, then knocked.

　　What should I call him? Young master? Mr. Kwon? Both felt incredibly awkward.

　　"Excuse me…"

　　In the end, she settled on the vague address, trying to gauge any reaction from within. She pressed her ear to the cool metal of the gate, listening intently. If not for the scene she had just witnessed, the annex was as silent as a tomb, just as Matron Seosan had predicted.

　　Did he go inside? A doorbell would have been useful, but the entrance was adorned only with the keypad; no bell was in sight.

　　Sighing softly, she raised her voice, projecting it forcefully enough to carry over the wall.

　　"I’m going to step in for a moment."

　　As she typed in the passcode, she prayed, Please let him have gone inside. Please don’t let me run into him again. I’ll just slip in, leave a note with the message, and get out…

　　"Ah, you scared me!" Yiseo gasped as a solid chest abruptly blocked her path.

　　He hadn’t answered her calls, yet here he was, standing directly in her way before she had even fully stepped inside. The only small mercy was that this time he wasn’t completely naked; he had at least thrown something on.

　　"What is it now?" he demanded, his brow furrowed in annoyance. His features, chiseled and boldly defined, radiated a cold, guarded aura.

　　Yet, when overlaid with that sharp, irritable expression, it created an ironic, almost cruel sort of beauty. The light gray robe he wore was still damp, clinging to his biceps and upper arms. The powerful contours of his body were so clearly defined that it was nearly as suggestive as his nudity had been.

　　Unsure where to look, Yiseo dropped her gaze to the floor.

　　"I have a message to deliver."

　　At that, Taegyeom arched a single eyebrow, his expression dripping with scorn.

　　"Is the intercom there just for decoration?"

　　"Ah…"

　　Speechless, Yiseo’s voice trailed off. His tone was abrasive, but he wasn’t wrong. Why didn’t I think of that?

　　She’d seen Matron Seosan take calls from the annex on it before. She could have just fled and relayed the message later, through the intercom or another staff member. What absurd sense of responsibility made me force my way back in here?

　　Even she had to admit it was incredibly stupid. A strange fog seemed to have settled over her mind. It was as if the shock of seeing a naked man had caused her brain to cease all rational function.

　　Yiseo shook her head slightly, trying to banish the lingering image. She couldn’t afford to give him any more ammunition. Just then, the sad, discarded sandwich on the ground caught her eye.

　　"Oh, Madam Shin asked me to bring you a sandwich. I was a bit startled earlier… so I dropped it," she explained, subtly trying to convey that her visit was merely an errand, with no intention of intruding on his private swim.

　　His head tilted, his eyes following hers. He glanced at the mangled sandwich on the ground and let out a short, humorless laugh. His smooth lips twisted in a look of sheer disbelief.

　　The atmosphere grew even more hostile, and she knew instinctively that it was time to leave, at once.

　　She quickly delivered the mistress’s message.

　　"And she said there will be a family dinner at the main house this evening, so you should come over by seven o’clock."

　　"Who’s doing what, now?" Taegyeom’s gaze suddenly turned savage. It hadn’t been kind before, but now it felt sharp enough to flay skin from bone.

　　She was beginning to understand why the staff who frequented the annex were all so tense, why they walked on eggshells.

　　"Madam Shin. The dinner…"

　　"Get out."

　　The dismissal was as cold as ice. He yanked the door open as if to physically throw her out, his face an indifferent mask as he looked down at her. Clearly, he had no interest in the sandwich from Jua, and she had delivered her message.

　　It was time to go. But his flagrant rudeness left her momentarily speechless. A wave of indignation washed over her, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown in her face.

　　A small, incredulous laugh escaped her lips.

　　"What? Is there more to see?" Taegyeom’s lips curled into a nasty smirk.

　　Yiseo stood frozen, but the tips of her ears flushed hot in an instant. She knew exactly what he meant. The belt of his robe was tied so loosely around his waist that it looked as if it could slip open at any moment.

　　She couldn’t tell if it was a threat or a joke, but either way, the vulgar insinuation was unmistakable.

　　Is he some kind of lunatic? Yiseo narrowed her eyes, glaring up at him.

　　The corner of his mouth twisted into a crooked smirk.

　　"What are you staring at, you fucking voyeur."

　　Yiseo’s mouth fell open in stunned disbelief. A voyeur? If I’m a voyeur, then he’s nothing but a shameless exhibitionist!

　　"A v-voyeur? I just happened to…"

　　"Were you staring at my cock because you wanted a taste?"

　　Co… cock…? Yiseo couldn’t believe her ears. The man’s face remained deceptively calm as he spouted such filth.

　　"A-are you insane? How can you say something so vile…"

　　The man scrunched his face in a mask of weary impatience.

　　"Spare me the excuses. Just get out. Now."

　　Rage simmered inside her, but she managed to suppress it and spun on her heel. No matter how she tried to calm herself, the anger wouldn’t subside. Instead, a hot knot of indignation tightened in her chest.

　　She had just been doing her job, but she could understand his displeasure, since this all happened because she’d entered his private space without permission. It was an accident on both their parts, and she had fully intended to erase the entire incident from her mind the moment she left.

　　After all, it was highly unlikely she’d ever have to interact with him again unless specifically ordered to. But his sneering attitude, as if she had enjoyed some sordid spectacle, was impossible to ignore.

　　A sense of unfairness welled up inside her. He was the one parading around naked like a pervert… As if anyone would enjoy stumbling upon such an embarrassing sight. That kind of misunderstanding is infuriating.

　　"Excuse me, about what happened earlier…"

　　BANG!

　　The moment she turned her head, determined to say one last thing, the gate slammed shut in her face.