Chapter 19: The Woman He Chose as Bait

As expected, Hong Gi-tae had stayed behind just to pick a fight.

Go Yi-jae shot back out of habit.

“You accepted the bouquet just fine, so what are you talking about?”

“It’s dangerous for you to stay by hyung-nim’s side.”

The fact that he was missing part of a finger made the warning sound more ominous than before, but this wasn’t the first time Hong Gi-tae had threatened her. Back then, he had made no effort to hide how much he disliked her every time she got into the car.

“I thought you used to tell me I was in the way and should disappear.”

“…You should’ve disappeared back then.”

It looked as though Hong Gi-tae had something he wanted to say. He had never been the type to hold back what was on his mind, but perhaps time had changed him; now he seemed to be swallowing his words.

She found that oddly fascinating, but she wasn’t curious about what he was holding back. It was probably just more of the same, how much he hated Go Yi-jae.

“Be careful.”

Clicking his tongue, Hong Gi-tae turned to leave.

“Make sure you carry the bouquet carefully!”

She added the remark simply because she didn’t want to lose.

At that, his pale, sharp eyes snapped toward her.

Startled by the coldness of his gaze, Yi-jae hurriedly shut the door and retreated inside the shop.

Honestly, Hong Gi-tae was frightening.

He wasn’t particularly large, but there was something threatening about the way he moved soundlessly, with that ghostly pale face.

The black sedan drove out of the alley.

It seemed Chae Ju-han hadn’t come with him. The fact that Hong Gi-tae had spoken to her himself made that almost certain.

What was Chae Ju-han doing that he hadn’t come?

Changing the sign to “CLOSED,” Yi-jae went back inside. She poured hot water into a cup of instant noodles and changed her clothes.

Feeling ridiculous for having entertained the possibility of a date, she devoured the noodles before they could even soften.

It was better for her mouth to burn than for her heart to ache.

But it didn’t help.

The most beautiful woman in the world.

Who was she?

Go Yi-jae’s thoughts burned.

****

“She’s pretty.”

“Yes.”

Chae Ju-han lay stretched out on the table in the club office.

His eyes were closed as he tossed a tennis ball against the ceiling and caught it. Thud. Thud. He reacted instinctively to the sound of the ball rebounding and snatched it out of the air.

Gi-tae, having returned from the flower shop, held out the bouquet in front of him.

The sweet scent of flowers filled the air.

For a moment, Chae Ju-han lost his rhythm. The tennis ball bounced off the table, but he reached out instinctively and caught it.

Then he opened his eyes.

Hong Gi-tae was staring at the bouquet.

Hong Gi-tae, with his pale complexion, had always liked colorful things. He had a keen eye and was exceptionally good at distinguishing genuine articles from fakes.

The only time he’d been wrong, he’d lost part of his ring finger.

“I’m not talking about the bouquet. I’m talking about Go Yi-jae.”

“I have no interest in some brat like her.”

“A brat?”

Go Yi-jae wasn’t young.

She looked young, perhaps.

And Hong Gi-tae, who was actually younger than she was, had just called her a brat.

Her body certainly wasn’t childish.

Chae Ju-han had known from the moment he first saw her that she hid dangerous curves beneath her clothes.

Yet Hong Gi-tae continued to sneer and call her a child.

That was strange.

Aside from today, Hong Gi-tae had never met Go Yi-jae alone.

Chae Ju-han always brought Hong Gi-tae along whenever he had business, so there was no opportunity for Gi-tae to have encountered her by himself at the club.

“Is she your type?”

“…What?”

“You said you’re not interested in Go Yi-jae. But you’re the kind of guy who only pays attention to the real thing. The fact that you specifically said you’re not interested is what’s strange.”

“…”

“Do you want her?”

Hong Gi-tae said nothing.

His face looked full of things he wanted to say.

He hadn’t been like this in Hong Kong.

Ever since returning to Korea, though, he had worn that expression often.

Chae Ju-han didn’t know why, but he hadn’t asked.

Just as none of them had ever asked one another about the things they’d experienced in Hong Kong.

But this was different.

Go Yi-jae was someone they’d met after returning from Hong Kong.

There shouldn’t have been enough time for Hong Gi-tae to become involved with her at all.

“I won’t punish you. Tell me.”

“…She’s like a younger sister.”

“How romantic, Gi-tae.”

Chae Ju-han laughed.

A younger sister.

Family was a luxury in their line of work.

To care about someone meant your own life became too precious.

It meant carrying another life on your back, a life you had to protect.

And everyone who chose to carry someone eventually became too heavy.

When the time came to risk their lives, they couldn’t.

A lot of people died that way.

Hong Gi-tae had seen that happen, too.

Yet here he was, saying something as sentimental as “like a younger sister.”

Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to protect Go Yi-jae.

Only that she inspired that sort of sentimental thought.

“So even you think Go Yi-jae is the real thing.”

“…Hyung-nim.”

“She’s pretty.”

“…Yes.”

“And she looks like exactly Boss’s type.”

“…Ha. Yes.”

For some reason, giving that answer seemed painful for Hong Gi-tae.

The Boss’s tastes had always been obvious.

He liked classic beauties, the kind with large eyes and cherry-like lips.

And Go Yi-jae was beautiful even from a distance.

She was the sort of beauty that would never go out of style, no matter how much time passed.

She was also the woman who had aroused Chae Ju-han despite his preferences having nothing to do with it.

For a long time, he’d thought of himself as someone who simply didn’t get aroused.

He’d never bothered to figure out whether he’d lost his libido because his life was f*cked up, or whether his life felt f*cked up because he’d lost his libido.

But after meeting Go Yi-jae, the answer had become simple.

He simply hadn’t found anyone worth wanting.

No other explanation was necessary.

Every time he saw Go Yi-jae, he got hard like an animal in heat.

What other explanation could there possibly be?

And Go Yi-jae, with her irritating little time limits, only made him want her more.

The restrictions made her more enticing.

Like a limited-edition item sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Now?

Was now the time?

Or now?

He had always prided himself on his patience.

He’d survived as an international orphan wandering the streets.

He’d clawed his way up in the organization.

He’d endured five years in the hellhole of Hong Kong.

His life had been built on patience.

Patience was his specialty.

But around Go Yi-jae, he became someone else.

As though he’d never been in his right mind around her even once.

It felt as though he could only think clearly after burying his face against her delicate body.

These days, Chae Ju-han’s life had become neatly divided into two periods:

The times when he was with Go Yi-jae.

And the times when he was waiting for her.

There were only a few final matters left to settle in Hong Kong.

But lately, his thoughts kept slipping away from him.

If that was the case, he could have ignored Go Yi-jae’s ridiculous rules.

He could have told her to forget them and simply taken what he wanted.

Go Yi-jae was already hopelessly in love with him.

She wouldn’t refuse him.

If he coaxed her gently, the way he had when persuading her to sleep with him the first time, she would eventually give in.

And yet, whenever he looked into those large eyes that revealed every emotion, he found himself wanting to give her exactly what she wanted.

What was so difficult about that?

Waiting didn’t suit Chae Ju-han.

And yet he had willingly let the woman who had already fallen into his arms go, over and over again.

Almost as if waiting itself had become a new kind of pleasure.

His behavior had become so ridiculous that he’d even eaten the crumbs she’d left on her chest.

He should have found the sweetness disgusting.

He didn’t even like sweets.

But Go Yi-jae’s face had been sweeter.

So sweet that he hadn’t noticed the taste in his mouth.

There was definitely something about Go Yi-jae that drove men mad.

She would make excellent bait.

Far too good for a Boss who relied on aphrodisiacs.

But because this hunt could not fail, Chae Ju-han needed the best bait available.

How far could Go Yi-jae change?

How much would she do for him?

The thought alone was satisfying.

“You need to leave. The plane will be arriving soon.”

Hong Gi-tae urged him.

It was time for the lavish bouquet to find its owner.

Chae Ju-han stared at the clock on the wall, then tossed the tennis ball at the ceiling again.

Thud. Thud.

The ball bounced rhythmically.

“Send it with one of those pretty boys.”

“They believe you’ll be there personally to greet them at the airport.”

“Do they need me? They said they wanted a wild bachelorette party in Korea. Rent out an entire club. Tell them to pick whoever they want.”

Thud. Thud.

The tennis ball continued to strike the ceiling.

“They’ll say you’ve insulted the bride. The Boss may react badly.”

“Tell them the bride tried to get into my pants, so I ran.”

Chae Ju-han closed his eyes again and tossed the tennis ball.

He imagined Go Yi-jae’s beautiful body.

He wanted to hold her again.

“Hyung-nim.”

This time, Chae Ju-han threw the tennis ball at Hong Gi-tae.

It bounced off his shaved head with a dull thunk.

Chae Ju-han caught it and threw it again.

“Tell them my d*ck already has a prior appointment.”

The ball bounced back into his hand.

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