Emergency Instinct - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Ji-an couldn’t readily move.

Could it be that he really came back in person because he thought the money envelope alone wouldn’t be enough to keep her quiet?

With that thought, she decided she should quickly return the money to him while they met.

Just then, she saw nurses coming out of the hospital building.

Feeling unnecessarily anxious, Ji-an quickly got into the passenger seat.

Even though she didn’t want to, it wouldn’t be good to attract attention from others.

But as soon as she closed the car door, the warm heat from the heater and a heavy woody scent intensely pierced her nose.

Ji-an, conscious of the distinctly different masculine scent from the hospital’s disinfectant smell, quickly turned her gaze toward the car window.

Seeing the nurses getting closer, she wished he would start driving quickly. But he didn’t step on the accelerator and just stared at her intently.

What’s this about?

When Ji-an looked back at him with uncomfortable eyes, he suddenly reached out his hand.

Before she could stop him, Ji-an unconsciously stiffened her body.

But he spoke in a voice tinged with a faint smile.

“Dr. Hong Ji-an, I need to start driving after you put on your seatbelt.”

Oh, how embarrassing!

Flustered, Ji-an’s face heated up.

“Did you perhaps have other expectations?”

He muttered as if talking to himself while looking ahead.

“It’s not like that.”

Suppressing her embarrassment, Ji-an pulled the belt hard. But the belt got stuck and wouldn’t release properly.

Oh, really!

Her face heating up even more, Ji-an pulled the belt again. However, the stubborn belt got stuck again this time and wouldn’t come out easily.

Today really nothing is going right.

She felt both frustrated and embarrassed.

As she bit her lips tightly, he reached out his hand as if he had no choice. Their fingertips brushed briefly as he gently grasped the stuck belt.

“Relax, don’t tense up. I won’t eat you.”

Along with his intensely approaching body scent, he slowly pulled the belt.

The stubborn belt came out all too easily under his touch, annoyingly so.

With a click sound as the belt buckle fastened, his upper body that had come close enough to touch returned to its place.

However, the heavy masculine scent that had already penetrated her entire body didn’t disappear easily.

Ji-an unconsciously let out the breath she had been holding and turned her head with a reddened face.

Unlike her foolishly flustered state, he calmly started driving. Carrying the suffocating heat with them.

***

They settled in a cafe quite far from the hospital.

Tae-jun ordered warm drinks along with a club sandwich.

“Let’s talk while eating.”

Is this this man’s method?

When they first met, he seemed to have broken down her guard with food too.

Recalling the moment she was swept up in impulse as if enchanted, Ji-an opened her bag and first took out the crumpled envelope.

She had already lost enough energy in the suffocating car.

She wanted to quickly finish the business and escape from his gaze.

“I’ll return this to you.”

Ji-an brought up the business first as she placed the envelope on the table.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

A slight crack appeared in Tae-jun’s brow.

“I can’t rashly accept this kind of money.”

Ji-an spoke calmly and cleanly.

“Assemblyman Kang Chi-han even came to visit personally, wouldn’t he be disappointed if you reject it so curtly?”

Why is he suddenly talking about a politician?

He spoke completely incomprehensible words as if using a different language.

“I don’t understand what you mean…”

“…Didn’t Manager Kim explain the reason for giving you the monetary gift?”

Rather, he asked back as if puzzled.

“He said it was for saving a child a week ago.”

“And?”

She felt that the conversation was getting tangled somewhere. However, Ji-an felt she should voice the doubt that had been troubling her mind.

“If you’re giving this because of what happened that day…”

“Don’t tell me you thought I sent money as payment for sleeping with you?”

Tae-jun asked in a cold voice.

She could read the incredulous tone in his manner of speaking.

So it’s not that?

“Interesting. We both agreed to sleep together, yet you had such thoughts.”

At his unexpected directness, Ji-an’s face quickly reddened.

“Looking at Dr. Hong Ji-an’s expression, it seems more explanation is needed.”

Ji-an bit her lips tightly and listened to Tae-jun’s low voice.

“The father of the girl you saved is Assemblyman Kang Chi-han.”

“…!”

“Assemblyman Kang Chi-han personally expressed his gratitude by contacting the foundation and also promised sponsorship.”

Ji-an was genuinely surprised by this completely unexpected fact.

“It seems Manager Kim omitted this explanation.”

He pushed the envelope on the table all the way to Ji-an’s nose.

“So put it back. This rightfully belongs to Dr. Hong Ji-an.”

Thinking that she had made a ridiculous misunderstanding, Ji-an wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

But couldn’t this conversation have been done separately during the day at the hospital?

“Then why did you wait for me this late at night?”

“Ha…”

Tae-jun, who had been quietly looking at Ji-an, let out a light sigh.

“You’re still making strange assumptions on your own.”

“…”

“Why did I wait? I told you I had something to talk to Dr. Hong Ji-an about.”

He laughed as if incredulous and continued speaking.

“Dr. Hong Ji-an. What exactly do you think of me? You’re the one who ate and ran away that day.”

Ate and ran away?

“How can you say such a thing…”

Flustered, Ji-an shook her head with a face that had turned bright red.

“You told me not to act like we knew each other and left me behind.”

“Who abandoned who? That day was naturally…”

“Are you trying to say it was a one-night stand?”

As if finding her flustered and trembling state interesting, Tae-jun spoke in a low voice.

“I never agreed to that.”

“…Chairman.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“…What do you mean, what should I do?”

“I’m having serious side effects.”

What side effects?

“Since last week, you’ve been appearing in my dreams and running away there too.”

This absurd nonsense flowed out shamelessly in Seo Tae-jun’s attractive baritone voice.

“…!”

She was at a loss for words and could only stare, when he opened his mouth again.

“Have Dr. Hong Ji-an fix it. You’re a doctor, aren’t you.”

Ji-an couldn’t even understand if she had properly understood Tae-jun’s words.

So he’s saying he’s been dreaming about me since we slept together?

…Of course, she too had to forcibly push away thoughts that kept surfacing after spending the night with him.

But to say such things so openly.

A person who even has someone to marry…

While Ji-an’s cheeks turned red again without her knowing, Tae-jun had an endlessly serious expression.

Ji-an, who had been looking at him incredulously, carefully came to a conclusion.

This man is definitely not normal. He’s not in his right mind.

This is a psychological problem.

It wasn’t her area of expertise.

In this situation, there was only one thing an emergency medicine doctor could say.

“Go to NP.”

Ji-an swallowed dryly and spoke resolutely.

“NP?”

His handsome face twisted slightly.

Her heart felt like it was shrinking and tightening. Still, Ji-an didn’t give in and put on a calm expression.

A doctor must never be swayed by a patient.

“Neuropsychiatry.”

“…”

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Ji-an hurriedly grabbed her bag and rushed straight out.

Tae-jun’s lips twisted crookedly as he recalled the words she left behind.

Neuropsychiatry.

Looking at the empty chair for a moment, recalling her afterimage, he belatedly realized.

“Ah, this woman. She ran away again.”

Left alone, Tae-jun was so dumbfounded that a bitter laugh escaped.

The sight of her back as she clutched her bag and ran away lingered before his eyes like an afterimage.

Pfft, eventually the corners of his lips turned up and a helpless laugh spread.

Hong Ji-an.

A woman who runs away in fear, yet says everything she needs to say until the end.

It was fascinating.

He was angry, yet he liked her.

This rudeness wasn’t unpleasant at all.

Thinking of her who stirred his instinctive competitive spirit, Tae-jun slowly ran his tongue along the inside of his lips.

Feeling a strange thirst he’d never experienced before, he slowly stood up and began walking.

As expected, he couldn’t end it like this.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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