Unhealthy - Chapter 29

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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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Chapter 29. Dangerous Curiosity

He had sent someone to fetch Hae-yeong without telling her the specific destination.

If he had told her the meeting place, she would obviously chatter about why he called her to a department store, and since he had decided to make her feel good, he judged it would be better to create a situation Hae-yeong couldn’t anticipate.

Though it was the beginning of summer, the air was quite chilly due to the rain that had been pouring for the past few days.

If she came out wearing a short t-shirt that exposed her navel like last time in this weather, he was determined to buy her clothes as loose as his own size this time.

While waiting and preparing advice about Hae-yeong’s untimely outfit, he saw the person who had been waiting in the distance walking in.

Hae-yeong entering the Department Store VIP Lounge was dressed in such a neat two-piece that one might wonder if the adjective “elegant” could suit anyone so perfectly.

At the sight of Hae-yeong discovering him and waving her hand happily with a bright smile, Taejun froze stupidly like someone who had crash-landed in a vacuum.

He had momentarily forgotten. The fact that Hae-yeong was a very bright person.

Even when he always treated her coldly, she was stubbornly kind and foolishly cheerful, which sometimes secretly annoyed him.

When living under someone else’s roof, one’s personality usually becomes gloomy and withdrawn, but Hae-yeong was always radiant like a flower blooming under sunlight.

Looking at her like that, it seemed she had been truly raised preciously in this hopeless house, so it was puzzling how she reacted so warmly to him even though he had never treated her kindly from the beginning.

However, that was her innate nature.

It was her unique expression born from a strong will to somehow overcome no matter how deep the darkness that covered her, and positive thinking that could laugh off even difficult situations.

Since he had tried to measure her only by his own standards without acknowledging this, it was a complete misjudgment.

An Hae-yeong was someone who shone by herself, even without anyone shining light on her.

Even now was like that. She, walking gracefully while embracing sunlight, had the face of a perfectly beautiful woman capable of paralyzing Taejun’s reason in an instant.

“The traffic was a bit heavy on the way here, so it took a few minutes longer than expected.”

As Taejun remained frozen as if confined in his own world, Hae-yeong looked puzzled and raised her hand to wave it in front of his eyes.

“Oppa, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking about work for a moment.”

He cleared his throat and tried to compose his crumpled expression, but his eyes that had started to waver couldn’t find their bearings and wandered around Hae-yeong’s white nape.

The graceful line of her neck revealed above the neat two-piece persistently drew Taejun’s gaze.

“But why did you ask to meet at the department store? You said we’d eat near the company.”

“I want to buy some gifts.”

Taejun straightened his waist that had been leaning diagonally against the lounge sofa.

Hae-yeong, belatedly reading the quiet lounge atmosphere, looked around and asked quietly.

“Whose gift is it?”

“Yours.”

“…Mine? Why all of a sudden? I don’t have anything I want to buy.”

“If you don’t have anything, we can create something from now on.”

When Taejun nodded lightly, the waiting lounge manager silently approached and bowed his head.

Instead of taking Hae-yeong out to the crowded store, Taejun led her to the Private Room prepared inside the lounge.

It was a sealed space perfectly blocked from ordinary customers’ view, exclusively for special people.

When the Private Room door opened, pre-prepared seasonal new products were beautifully displayed.

Hae-yeong stopped with her mouth agape, unable to even step inside at the sight she was seeing for the first time in her life.

Taejun stood behind Hae-yeong and asked in a low voice.

“How is it? Is there anything that catches your eye?”

It was a good decision to borrow the Personal Shopper’s eye at Secretary Lee’s suggestion.

Hae-yeong was still a child, after all.

Her behavior was clearly revealed – feeling burdened yet unable to take her eyes off the clothes the Personal Shopper recommended, watching his reaction yet unable to leave the mirror.

Hae-yeong couldn’t hide her bewilderment even while trying on the dress and bag the Personal Shopper handed her.

“Are you really buying all of this? Today isn’t even my birthday…”

“My wallet isn’t light enough to buy gifts only on birthdays.”

Taejun buried his body deep in the sofa and sat with his legs crossed. He examined Hae-yeong’s outfit with serious eyes as if reviewing an important contract.

“Come on, don’t calculate this and that.”

Hae-yeong still looked bewildered, but she disappeared into the fitting room, led by the Personal Shopper’s skillful escort.

Alone in the space, Taejun fell into thought while covering his lips with the back of his hand.

His goal of winning favor seemed to have succeeded for now.

Hae-yeong’s innocent face smiling shyly while looking in the mirror remained vividly in his mind like an afterimage.

Taejun became curious about what clothes she would come out wearing and what kind of smile she would give him while wearing those clothes.

It was a much more intense and somewhat dangerous curiosity than when reading the intentions of business partners.

Taejun, who volunteered to be Hae-yeong’s porter as she was excited simply about receiving gifts without suspicion, filled the car trunk to capacity and even packed the back seat tightly with shopping bags.

In fact, though Hae-yeong had lived enjoying abundance throughout her life, Taejun knew well that she had done her best to live frugally under Gi Chairman’s shadow after her father’s death.

He even knew the fact that she already held enough seed money to survive alone without anyone’s help.

However, Hae-yeong rarely spent money carelessly. Taejun always found that self-control puzzling.

From the first time he saw her, she had never harbored resentment toward the world or sharp suspicion toward others, and she had taken Taejun’s hand too easily.

She was pure enough to have no hesitation in trusting people, but she also wasn’t the type to bow down servilely to others.

She knew how to enjoy moderately, was appropriately shrewd, and even had a quick mind.

The reason Gi Chairman had repeatedly tried to win her over with the mask of safe kindness instead of ignorant violence was also because he had seen through her such temperament.

She was too clever to tame and too precious to break.

Taejun put slight force into his hand gripping the steering wheel and slowly started the car.

“Have you never been to Jiwon Headquarters before?”

“Yes. I’ve never been there once…”

Perhaps embarrassed about being excited for no reason, Hae-yeong smiled awkwardly and scratched her forehead with her index finger.

“Let’s go in together after I finish just one meeting in the afternoon. Do you have anything urgent?”

When Hae-yeong shyly shook her head at Taejun’s question, he suddenly grabbed her hand that was fidgeting with her shoulder bag strap.

Surprised Hae-yeong opened her eyes wide and looked back at him. However, Taejun was looking ahead with an indifferent expression.

Feeling like she understood what this warmth meant even without grand words being exchanged, Hae-yeong preciously overlapped his rough hand covering the back of her hand with her other hand.

“Listen without misunderstanding.”

Hae-yeong, who had been playing like a child while touching Taejun’s large hand, raised her head at his low voice that suddenly reached her.

“What misunderstanding?”

“An Ji-min. Your aunt.”

Though she seemed surprised by the mention of her aunt, she asked calmly like someone who had finished assessing the situation.

“…Is she alive? Or is it bad news?”

Whether she was alive.

Taejun was momentarily at a loss for words.

After long consideration, he had decided it would be right to speak honestly rather than twisting words this way and that.

However, Hae-yeong’s reaction was much calmer than he had expected.

Taejun turned his head to look at Hae-yeong while feeling her slightly trembling fingertips.

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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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