Chapter 7

　　"What a disaster…" she muttered, stepping inside.

　　She hurried to the kitchen and threw open a window. Then she slid open the glass door leading from the living room to the courtyard. A refreshing breeze swept through the house, gradually ventilating the stale air that was suffocating.

　　After propping the door open, she surveyed the living room. It was in just as dire a state as the courtyard. Scattered liquor bottles, crushed snacks, and broken furniture. It felt like witnessing the grim aftermath of a glamorous house party.

　　Sighing at the wreckage, Yiseo began to clean up the fruit and chips spilled beneath the coffee table. After clearing away the larger pieces, she retrieved the vacuum. Even then, she kept it on its lowest setting, worried about waking Taegyeom.

　　She was cleaning the kitchen when she heard footsteps striding through the open front door. She assumed it was Matron Seosan, but the person who appeared was someone else altogether.

　　"Are you cleaning?" a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair asked as he approached the kitchen, his eyes scanning the slightly improved interior.

　　It was Managing Director Incheol Hwang, who had once been Chairman Kwon’s chief secretary. It had been years since Yiseo had last seen him, and now faint wisps of gray streaked his temples. Having served the Chairman for so long and effectively managed the entire estate, he was known by everyone who worked there.

　　As a child, she had often caught sight of her father bowing and scraping before him, and had often run away, pretending not to see. Since his time as chief secretary, he had steadily climbed the ranks to his current position as the Head of Strategic Planning for GK Group. Consequently, he rarely appeared at the mansion anymore.

　　His former duties had been passed down to his secretary, Manager Gong.

　　Yiseo switched off the vacuum and gave Incheol a slight bow. He checked his wristwatch and asked her abruptly,

　　"Where is the master of the annex?"

　　For someone addressing his own boss’s son, his tone was remarkably informal. She found it surprising for a moment, but then, she had no idea how close their relationship actually was.

　　"He is asleep on the second floor," Yiseo answered calmly.

　　"Still? Hmm, that’s a problem." Incheol rubbed his furrowed brow, looking troubled. "I told him to be ready for work early. Today is his first formal meeting with the company executives. I didn’t expect him to still be asleep. Go up and wake him."

　　"What? Me?"

　　"Well, if not you, miss, should I do it?" he retorted.

　　At his sharp tone, Yiseo reluctantly set down the vacuum. She glanced toward the front door, hoping Matron Seosan might appear, but there wasn’t so much as a shadow.

　　As she hesitated, Incheol spoke to her back.

　　"Why don’t you take a glass of water up to him? After a night of heavy drinking, water is the first thing a man looks for when he wakes up."

　　When she turned, Incheol had placed two glasses on the kitchen island and was pouring water from the refrigerator. He downed one glass in several large gulps and then gestured toward the other with his eyes.

　　"Go on up. We’re short on time if you have to get him ready for work and bring him down."

　　"Okay."

　　She picked up the glass. The surface felt disturbingly cold against her palm.

　　***

　　With each step she climbed, the water in the glass sloshed precariously. Her fingers tightened their grip.

　　"Yes, it’s me. Postpone the schedule by about thirty minutes. It looks like our departure will be delayed."

　　From the first floor, she could faintly hear Incheol’s voice on the phone. It seemed everyone was waiting for Taegyeom to wake up. An invisible force felt like it was pushing her up the stairs.

　　At the top, the completely renovated second floor came into view. Like downstairs, there was a living area with a large TV, a recliner, and a wing chair, with a small kitchenette off to the side. Fortunately, the party hadn’t extended to this floor; unlike the chaos below, it was pristine, not a speck of dust in sight.

　　In fact, it was so devoid of personal touches that it felt desolate, like a model home with its gleaming new furniture and appliances.

　　Finding the bedroom wasn’t difficult. The doors to the dressing room and study were wide open, their interiors on full display. Only one door was closed.

　　Yiseo stood before it and knocked softly. She listened for any sign of movement, praying he would just walk out on his own, but the room remained utterly silent. For someone who had partied until dawn, she supposed now was still the middle of the night.

　　"Excuse me."

　　How did I get roped into this? she wondered, letting out a tiny sigh as she turned the doorknob.

　　The bedroom, which she expected to be dark, was surprisingly bright. Did he pass out without even having the sense to turn off the lights? she thought, narrowing her eyes against the unexpected glare.

　　She saw a naked back, sprawled facedown on the wide bed. Sunlight poured through a large window, supplementing the light from the ceiling fixtures and bathing the man’s silhouette in a golden haze. A blanket covered his lower body, but his bare torso rose and fell slowly, evenly, with each breath.

　　Yiseo approached the bed, her eyes fixed on the rhythmic rise and fall of his muscular back.

　　"Excuse me."

　　The sleeping man didn’t stir. Yiseo studied his profile, half-buried in the pillow. For someone who had drunk himself into a stupor, his face was remarkably peaceful.

　　In sleep, he was almost beautiful. With his sharp, predatory eyes closed, he looked like a completely different person from the man who had cornered and belittled her yesterday. She had known he was handsome, but seeing him this close was startling.

　　The chiseled features, the sharp jawline, the dense sweep of his eyelashes, the straight bridge of his nose—he was like a delicate sculpture, crafted with meticulous care. His skin, glowing almost transparently in the soft light, looked so pristine it sparked a strange impulse to touch it. It was astonishing that someone who lived a life of constant indulgence could maintain such flawless skin.

　　Staring down at the man sleeping like an angel, the very person whose noise had kept her tossing and turning all night, she felt a wave of incredulity.

　　"Mr. Taegyeom."

　　The name felt foreign on her tongue. The mansion staff all called him ‘Eldest Young Master.’ Perhaps she should too, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

　　She had never used such a cloying title for Jingyeom, either. It would have been best if she never had a reason to address either of them at all.

　　"Mr. Taegyeom Kwon," she called again.

　　When he still didn’t respond, she reached out. But the moment her hand moved to tap his bare shoulder—

　　A hand shot out and clamped around her wrist, yanking her forward. Her body went airborne, her vision spinning violently. By the time her mind registered what had happened, she was already slammed onto her back against the mattress.

　　"What in the…"

　　"You again?" Taegyeom demanded, his voice laced with disbelief as he pinned both her wrists to the sheets.

　　Yiseo struggled, but her arms were caught as if in a steel trap, completely immobile. It wasn’t just his dominant position above her, but the piercing intensity of his gaze that felt so threatening.

　　A drop of water fell from the chin of the man who had thrown her onto the bed and was now looming over her. It landed on her cheek, tracing a cold path down her skin. Her shoulders went rigid.

　　In her shock, she had dropped the glass of water. It had splashed all over Taegyeom’s hair, face, and bare shoulders. The glass itself was gone, having presumably rolled under the bed.

　　He scowled, his voice thick with irritation.

　　"What is it with you? Since yesterday."

　　"I was told to wake you… They said you have to go to the office."

　　"By throwing water on a sleeping person?"

　　Another drop, clinging to his jet-black hair, fell directly onto her lips. She felt his gaze follow it, lingering there for a beat too long.

　　"No. I brought that because I thought you might be thirsty. You just… you pulled me so suddenly, I was startled."

　　"A stranger walks into a room where a man is sleeping alone and tries to touch him. Don’t you think it’s natural to be startled?"

　　She was dumbfounded. How could a supposedly startled person react with such lightning speed, snatching and pinning someone in the blink of an eye? His gaze, fixed on her, was unnervingly calm, not at all like someone who had been surprised. And what was this about her sneaking in and trying to touch him? The unfairness of being treated like some kind of pervert made her indignant.

　　Looking straight up at him, she said,

　　"You didn’t wake up when I called… I had no intention of touching you. Please, let go."