Whisper Chapter 27

The large eyes folded gently as she smiled prettily, and Cha Gyeol heard something shattering inside his head. Noticing the situation belatedly, Park Sae-min quickly snatched the glass from Lee Heewoo’s hand and discreetly hid it.

 

“What could have made you so happy in just fifteen minutes?”

 

Cha Gyeol glanced at his wristwatch and moved his tall body fluidly. Lee Heewoo’s sparkling eyes followed him. Suddenly, Jang Pal-yong became restless and looked at Park Sae-min.

 

“Uh, so… are we leaving now?”

 

“Uh, I guess?”

 

Just as the two awkwardly conversed and attempted to move, Cha Gyeol’s chillingly low voice rang out.

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

Cha Gyeol looked at Lee Heewoo, who was glancing around, with an incredulous gaze.

 

“Even, I don’t know that.”

 

As Lee Heewoo’s large eyes drooped as she spoke, a brief silence fell over the room. Breaking the silence, Jang Pal-yong rustled about, seemingly intending to drink more. She wasn’t a minor, and giving an adult a drink—what was so wrong about that? It wasn’t like they forced her to drink.

 

“Well, you shouldn’t know.”

 

As Cha Gyeol’s lips curled into a chilling smile, Lee Heewoo eagerly nodded, only to sway unsteadily as dizziness hit her. Catching her arm with ease, Cha Gyeol pulled her close to his side and then turned slightly towards Jang Pal-yong.

 

“You son of a bitch, Jang Pal-yong.”

 

“What the— I just gave her one drink, and suddenly—”

 

“Son of a bitch, whether it’s one drink or half a drink, what the hell are you thinking feeding alcohol to a kid?”

 

At the cold, razor-sharp tone, Jang Pal-yong, looking as if he had been wronged, puffed up his bear-like frame and flushed red with frustration. Still leaning against Cha Gyeol, Lee Heewoo’s head lightly bumped against his forearm. Who would’ve thought she’d get drunk after just one sip? Besides, she had really, really enjoyed it! …The side dishes, that is.

 

“Shit, she’s a grown-ass woman who can drink! What’s the big deal if she has a little?”

 

As Jang Pal-yong fumed, Cha Gyeol shot him a look as if asking whether he had lost his mind. When Cha Gyeol slowly straightened his posture, Jang Pal-yong flinched and instinctively stepped back.

 

Ah, fuck, that made me look pathetic. Embarrassed, Jang Pal-yong downed his drink in one go.

 

“What’s the big deal?!!! You are really asking that? You idiot. She’s a kid who grew up eating worse than temple food, and you gave her vodka? Should I just shove the whole bottle down your throat?”

 

Cha Gyeol spoke with a refined voice and elegant tone, yet the words were downright menacing.

 

Why was it that every time this bastard spoke, it made others feel like criminals? Grimacing at the sudden bitterness of his drink, Jang Pal-yong scowled. Meanwhile, Park Sae-min, nodding obediently beside him, slyly opened his mouth.

 

“My apologies, Boss. I wasn’t thinking.”

 

Apparently deciding it was better than having vodka forced down his throat, Park Sae-min quickly bowed and admitted fault.

 

Yeah, I get it. If my woman, in my absence, got drunk with other guys, drinking something she’s never had before—vodka, no less—I’d be fucking pissed too.

 

Even though Cha Gyeol had firmly denied it earlier, Lee Heewoo had already become “his woman.”

 

“Lee Heewoo seemed so fascinated by us drinking that we must have lost our minds.”

 

Park Sae-min apologized again, bowing deeply.

 

As Jang Pal-yong awkwardly handed her a drink, Lee Heewoo squeezed her eyes shut, as if bracing herself, and tried to gulp it down. But as soon as the liquid touched her tongue, she barely managed to swallow one sip. After ingesting a single drop—no more than a baby chick’s tear—she wiped the tears that welled up in her eyes with the back of her hand. Accepting a piece of fruit from Park Sae-min, she widened her eyes in surprise once again.

 

‘Alcohol doesn’t taste good to begin with.’

‘…Yeah, it tastes like I’m falling straight into hell. But what’s this called?’

 

She slowly scooted closer, reaching for the fruits that the three men had barely touched. Watching this, Park Sae-min thought, Does she not even know something this basic? But recalling Lee Heewoo’s unusual upbringing, he quickly understood.

 

‘That’s a gold kiwi. Next to it is Shine Muscat. The red ones are cherries…’

 

As he listed a few fruit names, Lee Heewoo listened intently, nodding seriously as if she were learning something of great importance.

 

Then, as if embarrassed, she muttered that having lived in the mountains had left her ignorant.

 

‘…I must look like such an idiot, right?’

 

She cautiously asked, keeping her gaze fixed on the table.

 

‘Not at all. It’s just your environment that made it that way.’

‘Miss Heewoo, there’s no such thing as a brainless beauty.’

 

Without hesitation, both Park Sae-min and Jang Pal-yong answered her in unison.

 

“One sip?”

 

At Cha Gyeol’s question, Park Sae-min hesitantly showed him the glass that Lee Heewoo had been holding.

 

“Yes. She had one sip, but I’m not sure when she actually got drunk… She seemed fine when she was eating the fruit.”

 

Cha Gyeol’s gaze shifted toward the table. Now that he looked, the fruit platter was nearly empty.

 

Looking at the empty plate, then at Lee Heewoo, who had buried her forehead against his arm, Cha Gyeol let out a long sigh.

 

Goddamn. One sip of vodka, and she’s already a mess…

 

Should I just kill those bastards?

 

“Oh man, she really was adorable, though. Talking about how she spent her days in the mountains… It felt like pure therapy—Hic!”

 

Park Sae-min shut his eyes tightly. He had been trying to smooth things over, but instead, he had just made things worse.

 

In the end, Cha Gyeol dumped the rest of the vodka onto Jang Pal-yong’s face. The sharp scent of alcohol filled the air, and instead of his face, Jang Pal-yong worried about his expensive clothes.

 

“S-Shit! You… You crazy bastard! What the hell—”

 

The bar owner approached silently, handing over a towel, while Jang Pal-yong yelled, wiping his clothes furiously.

 

Jang Pal-yong, shut your damn mouth. Park Sae-min muttered under his breath like a ventriloquist as he quickly cleared the table of bottles, glasses, and anything else that could be thrown.

 

“Sae-min.”

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

Park Sae-min immediately straightened his back and responded loudly.

 

“Not that. Clean this up.”

 

So I don’t drown him in vodka, Cha Gyeol muttered as he easily picked up Lee Heewoo in his arms.

 

***

 

Blink, blink.

 

When Lee Heewoo opened her eyes, she realized that she was being held by someone and gently swayed. She closed her eyes again and tried to recall what had happened and what situation she was in. Her mind, sluggish and hazy, worked slowly.  

 

She remembered that it was a bar he occasionally visited. It had seemed like there was something to talk about, so she had focused on her phone to avoid disturbing him.  

 

Then, he had gotten up, saying he was going to the restroom. Once he was out of sight, she naturally found herself in a state that was both familiar and yet strangely unfamiliar. She had deliberately lowered her gaze, pretending not to notice, but then Director Jang had handed her a drink, and she accepted it.  

 

She had wanted to shift her focus elsewhere, and she had also been curious to try the drink that Cha Gyeol had consumed so elegantly—one she had never tasted before.  

 

She had wanted to drink as gracefully as he had, but the moment the liquor touched her lips, it was nothing but garbage. She barely managed to swallow it instead of spitting it out, but as it went down, it burned from her throat to her stomach, making her feel nauseous.  

 

People actually drink something like this with a straight face? She couldn’t understand it at all. Her stomach tingled painfully, and she fidgeted in discomfort. Just then, an older man called Manager Park handed her something.  

 

As long as it could erase the taste of this drink, anything would be fine, she thought. But the moment she chewed on it, the taste was so good that the awful liquor was forgotten. She thought she had eaten almost all the fruit served on a large plate. The first-time experience of tasting something so delicious lifted her mood. Maybe that’s why she got drunk.  

 

She wasn’t sure.  

 

But once she started feeling good, ignoring the hallucinations became easier.  

 

So, when Jang Pal-yong asked her what she had been doing for a living, she had recalled her life in the mountains—a life that had only ended recently but already felt distant. Still, she hadn’t lost her senses completely, so she left out the parts she shouldn’t talk about.  

 

And then…  

 

“Are you awake?”  

 

The deep voice resonated through her body since she was being held. Lee Heewoo rolled her eyes and looked at Cha Gyeol. She hadn’t even realized they were in an elevator, but now Cha Gyeol was opening the front door.  

 

As she tried to move to get down, he made a hissing sound, like a snake.  

 

“You’re already in my arms, so just stay there till the end.”  

 

There was something oddly cold in his tone.  

 

…Is he angry?

 

Sleeping outside, being carried home like this—thinking about it, she supposed it was understandable if he was upset.  

 

“I…”  

 

“Take off your shoes.”  

 

Still held in his arms, she wiggled her feet to remove her shoes. The sound of her loafers dropping onto the floor echoed loudly in the entryway. Cha Gyeol removed his shoes and stepped inside.  

 

He could just put me down, Lee Heewoo thought, biting her lips in discomfort.  

 

Inside, the air conditioning had been turned on in advance, making the room cool—almost too cold. The house was filled with a pleasant scent, like the guest’s, which made the corners of her lips lift slightly.  

 

Cha Gyeol carried her to the large sofa in the living room and sat down with her still in his arms. Lee Heewoo, with her large round eyes, stared straight at him.  

 

“I’m sorry, sir.”  

 

“For what?”  

 

Cha Gyeol leaned back against the sofa in a relaxed posture. Seated on his lap, Lee Heewoo fidgeted, unsure of what to do. It was awkward both to stay and to get off.  

 

“For being a bother to you.”