Private Secretary - Chapter 53

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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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Private Secretary Episode 53

“I really love camping, so I’ve traveled all over the country. This place is my favorite, so I’ve been staying here long-term for 2 years now.”

“It really looks nice. It’s quiet and there aren’t many people around.”

“That’s exactly why I only come here.”

The two people who arrived at the sink each took their positions and began doing their tasks.

“This is sudden, but congratulations on your marriage.”

When Lee Seol spoke up since just washing dishes in silence felt awkward, Ryu Hwa-pyeong seemed flustered by the sudden comment and laughed lightly.

“Yes. Thank you. I’ll give you a wedding invitation, so will you come with Tae-san?”

“…Thank you, but I don’t think it’s a place for me to go…”

“Why not? Since we spent the day together like this, you can certainly come. Oh, do you not want to come?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“Our Se-na was a bit mischievous earlier, wasn’t she? It must have been awkward, so I’ll apologize on her behalf.”

“No. It’s fine.”

“Se-na likes taking care of people around her. She probably stepped forward actively hoping you’d meet someone good, so please think kindly of her.”

“…You must really love Kim Se-na a lot.”

“She’s a good friend. She has a lively charm. Sometimes I get a little anxious not knowing where she’ll bounce to next though.”

Watching Ryu Hwa-pyeong smile sheepishly, Lee Seol suddenly had something she wanted to ask.

Whether he knew that Kang Tae-san liked Kim Se-na.

But since she didn’t have the right to ask such a thing, she swallowed it down.

“You two suit each other well. I hope you live happily together.”

“Thank you. I hope you meet someone good too, Lee Seol.”

When she finished washing dishes while chatting pleasantly with Ryu Hwa-pyeong and returned to the tent, Tae-san and Kim Se-na were nowhere to be seen.

“The car must be far away.”

“It’s not that far. Well, they’ll be back soon.”

Ryu Hwa-pyeong seemed busy cleaning up the barbecue grill.

Lee Seol wanted to help but didn’t know what to do, so she checked her phone. There was no contact from Tae-san.

“Just in case something happened, I’ll go check the parking lot.”

“There’s probably nothing wrong, but if you’re really worried, go ahead.”

Lee Seol headed toward where Tae-san had parked his car earlier. She thought the car they came in would be there too.

“…”

The parking lot wasn’t very far. It was less than a 2-minute walk, so they should have returned long ago.

But Lee Seol realized why they hadn’t come back yet.

She could see at a glance Tae-san leaning against the car trunk and Kim Se-na embracing his neck as if about to kiss him.

As soon as Lee Seol saw that scene, she instinctively stepped back.

Fortunately, she was standing behind a streetlight pole, so those two probably wouldn’t notice her presence.

Kim Se-na stood on her tiptoes as if about to kiss Tae-san any moment and tilted her head to the side.

After seeing that much, Lee Seol pressed down on her pounding chest and hurriedly turned around.

* * *

That’s when it happened. Sensing someone’s presence, Tae-san pushed away Kim Se-na who had approached close enough to kiss and stared straight ahead.

He thought he glimpsed a shadow, but who could it be?

They said there were only four people at this camping site. Then could it possibly be Han Lee Seol?

“Kim Se-na.”

“Why are you being like this? You like me. You’ve liked me for a long time.”

“What are you doing?”

Kim Se-na had approached as if to kiss him, but Tae-san grabbed her shoulders and pushed firmly.

“It’s not too late even now. Confess to me. Then I’ll break off the engagement.”

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“When you saw me getting along well with Ryu Hwa-pyeong earlier, weren’t you bothered? You were. You were jealous. You were boiling with anger inside.”

“Kim Se-na.”

“So please hold onto me now. Before it’s too late.”

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Did you fight with Ryu Hwa-pyeong?”

When Tae-san asked calmly, Kim Se-na was momentarily speechless with tears welling up in her eyes.

“…No, we didn’t fight. I just keep thinking more strongly that this isn’t right. I definitely thought I liked Hwa-pyeong. But now I keep regretting it. It feels like I made the wrong choice somehow.”

Tae-san made eye contact with Kim Se-na, who seemed quite agitated, to calm her down.

“So why do you feel that way? There must have been some trigger for those thoughts.”

“No matter how I think about it, Hwa-pyeong doesn’t seem to be on my side. You saw it earlier too. When I was talking to Lee Seol about this and that, he kept restraining me. He’s always like that. He always treats me like I’m some fool who can’t distinguish between what to say and what not to say.”

“Se-na.”

“Today was actually less severe. When I met Hwa-pyeong’s friends, I could barely say a few words. Hwa-pyeong kept stopping me from speaking. Is this right? Is this an attitude that respects me?”

Tears glistened on Kim Se-na’s cheeks.

“But you’re different. You let me do whatever I want and let me have everything I want. I think this is truly the attitude of someone who loves me.”

“…”

“If I marry Hwa-pyeong, it’ll get worse than now. Whenever I try to do something, it’ll be ‘no, think again, don’t act impulsively, be careful in your behavior.’ He’ll try to control everything. Why should I live hearing such things? I really don’t think I can stand it.”

“You’re agitated right now. First calm down and…”

“You love me. That’s why you’re deliberately going on blind dates you don’t even want to show me, right? You love me, don’t you? Just tell me that one thing.”

Tae-san just looked at Kim Se-na with his mouth firmly shut. Desperate, Kim Se-na wrapped her arms around his neck again and pulled him toward her.

“Help me end things with Ryu Hwa-pyeong. You just need to come to me. You like me.”

“I used to like you.”

“…”

“But I just realized that’s become the past.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I liked you, got angry when I heard you were marrying someone else, and couldn’t stand it. To be honest, I wanted to break up your marriage.”

“Yes. Break it up. Please break it up, Tae-san.”

“But I find it unpleasant that you’re rushing at me trying to kiss me now. If I really liked you, I wouldn’t have been able to refuse in the end.”

“…What?”

Kim Se-na’s wildly shaking eyes were full of tears. Like someone whose ground had collapsed beneath their feet.

Looking at that sight, Tae-san continued speaking calmly.

“So I didn’t like you, but felt a kind of spite. I was momentarily angry because something I thought would naturally become mine was taken away.”

“That’s love, Tae-san. That’s jealousy, right?”

“No. If I had truly loved you, it would have hurt much more and I would have fallen into despair. Even so, I would have willingly stepped back for your happiness.”

“…”

“Trying to destroy your happiness just because I couldn’t have you is simply selfish. That can’t be love, Se-na.”

“What are you even saying?”

Tae-san grabbed Kim Se-na’s shoulders and pushed her back further. So they wouldn’t be too close.

As if saying this is how our distance should be.

“In other words, I don’t want to kiss you anymore.”

“…”

“I don’t see you as a woman anymore.”

“Tae-san.”

“I didn’t know until now, but I realized it the moment you acted like this.”

“Kang Tae-san.”

“To me, you’re just a friend. Nothing more than that.”

Kim Se-na let go of her hands from Tae-san, whom she had been desperately holding onto. She stared at Tae-san with a hollow expression like someone whose thread of hope had been cut.

“So go to Ryu Hwa-pyeong, tell him your complaints, and compromise to fix things. If that really won’t work, find another way.”

“…”

“Let me be clear, I’m not your alternative.”

“…”

“You can’t just pick and choose between Ryu Hwa-pyeong and me as you please.”

“…”

“I’ll pretend what just happened never occurred.”

Kim Se-na no longer chased after him or held onto him. Instead, she was left alone in that spot, only shedding tears.

* * *

Lee Seol had no idea what state of mind she was in when she arrived at the tent.

Kim Se-na kissing first, not Kang Tae-san. Why? After having such a wonderful time with Ryu Hwa-pyeong just moments before, enough to make sparks fly?

“Did I see it wrong?”

Lee Seol, who had been walking steadily, came to an abrupt stop.

She replayed the scene from earlier, but no matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t seem like she had seen it wrong.

Even if there had been something on his face that she was trying to wipe off, there would have been no need to tilt her head to the side like that.

“This is ridiculous…”

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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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