IMFOBO | CH 21 | You Okay With Your Friend’s Older Brother?
by CosmogirlEun-cho finally convinced the man to lie down on the mattress.
She had rushed over to Tae-san’s room after quickly putting on her innerwear to cover her bare chest.
The man she faced, even under the guise of not wanting to leave behind unnecessary guilt, presented a different kind of challenge.
How could a man’s back be so firm and smooth without an ounce of fat?
Just looking at it made her feel somehow impure.
Eun-cho carefully pressed around Tae-san’s spine, cautiously searching for the pressure points.
She vividly felt the sensation of her well-conditioned fingertips touching his skin.
The unfamiliar warmth made her inexplicably nervous.
“Does this hurt? If this area was impacted, the pain should radiate to the right.”
Tae-san, who had resisted acupuncture, now readily offered his bare back as if he never protested.
He didn’t seem concerned, even with the threat of large needles.
His attitude was in stark contrast to Eun-cho, who was trying hard to maintain a composed facade.
Whenever she stood before this man, her body tensed up involuntarily.
It wasn’t the primal fear she felt toward Ryu Tae-san, who ruthlessly crushed his opponents.
It was more like, just when she managed to maintain a reasonable distance and cautiously approach him, he made her falter and retreat.
To put it simply, she was keenly aware of every little thing he did.
It was as if she instinctively knew that she would be easily swept away if she wasn’t careful, and she was guarding herself with every fiber of her being.
“This will sting.”
Even though it was something she did every day, her hand holding the needle trembled slightly.
It was as if the area of her wrist where he had grabbed her felt unusually warm.
‘It’s because he’s saying weird things.’
Staying here for the time being?
Wasting a whopping six hours on the road?
She should have just ignored such absurd talk, but her anxiety wouldn’t subside.
It was even more unsettling because she couldn’t predict what he would do next.
“You’re not really saying you’re going to commute from here, are you?”
“Is that a problem?”
She was supposed to give the answer, but instead, she got a question.
She could list more than ten reasons why it wouldn’t work in an instant…
“It’s my house.”
Ryu Tae-san shut Eun-cho up with that damned “my house” line.
As expected of a chaebol, his claims of ownership were very assertive, weren’t they?
Eun-cho grit her teeth, looking forward to the day the ownership would be transferred to her.
She didn’t forget to put strength into the hand holding the needle.
The sharp point pierced through his muscle.
“Ugh.”
Perhaps because it was unexpected, a faint groan escaped Tae-san’s lips.
Such a small groan could be so satisfying.
“You’re being dramatic, Director. It’s not even a large needle.”
Eun-cho smiled sweetly, having succeeded in her small act of revenge, and twirled the needle.
It was true that inducing a fasciculation reaction helped to loosen the tense muscles, but she couldn’t deny that she had put her emotions into it rather fiercely.
“Eun-cho, you hold a grudge.”
The man, who had recovered by now, joked nonchalantly.
Was it because they were in a secluded space?
His scent and voice felt even more vivid.
Eun-cho clenched her fist tightly at the faintly dissipating laughter.
It was the end of late summer, but the heat hadn’t fully subsided.
The strange heat that floated in the air made her realize that she was alone with the man.
This house, where she had lived her entire life, felt particularly cramped and uncomfortable today.
It was as if Ryu Tae-san’s presence had filled the entire room.
“Eun-cho! Lee Eun-cho!”
She had only placed about half a dozen needles, but the silence was broken by the boisterous voices of Jung-seok and Soo-ji from outside.
“Shhh. Don’t get involved.”
Eun-cho whispered to Tae-san with the earnest wish, ‘Please, at least you stay quiet.’
He smiled with interest as he rested his cheek on the pillow and nodded.
He seemed to find the situation quite amusing.
Whether it was the thrill of having won over all the neighbors who had barged into the house in the middle of the night, or the joy of getting their marriage approval, he looked more excited than usual.
If she had to reveal the marriage anyway, it was better not to delay it any longer.
The sooner she explained, the better.
“Jung-seok, my life won’t be ruined because of you, so stop worrying.”
Jung-seok glanced furtively at the door that Eun-cho was subtly guarding.
A dimly lit half-naked silhouette was reflected on the papered door.
The faintly flickering shadow seemed somehow secretive.
“Lee Eun-cho, are you okay with your friend’s older brother?”
“……”
If they had chanted the “poisonous plant” mantra like a roundelay, she would have retorted that even bracken was a poisonous plant.
That even poisonous plants could become medicinal herbs if washed, dried, and eaten.
But the question that came earnestly from Jung-seok’s mouth left Eun-cho speechless.
Jung-seok had struck at the most fundamental point that Eun-cho had been agonizing over ever since she started to get involved with Ryu Tae-san with marriage in mind.
A marriage of only a year was highly likely to remain a blemish on Lee Eun-cho’s life.
When she reached the end of it, would her relationship with Ryu Jung-seok be intact?
What if she lost her friend Jung-seok because of a mere transactional marriage?
That fear was one of the biggest reasons why Eun-cho hesitated to marry.
“Yeah.”
But the die had already been cast.
The answer came straight and without hesitation.
She seemed to lack brazenness.
She couldn’t bring herself to say that she liked or loved him without any sincerity, like Ryu Tae-san.
She was struck by how amazing the man’s natural showmanship was.
“He’s my type in terms of looks.”
Even this was an excuse.
Nevertheless, the awkward excuse felt quite plausible.
Ryu Tae-san’s handsome face was the justification; what else could it be?
“Haa… He is good-looking, though.”
Jung-seok immediately agreed without room for rebuttal.
He recalled the blessing of the Samsin Halmeoni (Goddess of Birth) and ran his hand down his face, letting out a deep sigh.
Both Jung-seok and Eun-cho knew that the matter had already been decided.
Ryu Tae-san was a man who would do whatever he set his mind to, and Eun-cho was determined to secure this old house by any means possible.
There was nothing that could be undone.
Jung-seok’s question about whether she was okay with her friend’s older brother was close to a final confirmation.
It was different from the previous efforts to overturn it by any means.
That was because only calm resignation and sincere concern for Eun-cho remained.
“Am I that handsome?”
Then, a low voice broke the subtle silence.
The eyes of the three people, startled by the sudden presence, turned all at once.
Especially Eun-cho’s gaze, which was fixed on Tae-san, trembled endlessly.
“This is an honor.”
The man who opened the door wore a brazen smile as if he were satisfied.
He wasn’t even embarrassed, even though his upper body was completely exposed.
His well-defined muscles were imposing.
He said he would stay still!
Besides…
‘Ha, he pulled them out?’
The back, where she had clearly placed six needles, was clean.
Ryu Tae-san was the first patient to remove the needles himself from a location he couldn’t even see properly.
“Friend’s older brother? Why is that even a problem?”
From the beginning, Tae-san didn’t care about such a situation at all.
Rather, he used the excuse of being his younger brother’s friend to get closer; it had no effect on him in the first place.
“Weren’t we in this together?”
“……”
At Tae-san’s firm words, Jung-seok widened his eyes but didn’t make any particular rebuttal.
It seemed that some kind of deal had been made between the brothers…
She didn’t want to know the details.
Because she felt that knowing would make things even more complicated.
“I’m not thinking of backing out, so you give up.”
Jung-seok released the fist he had been clenching tightly and let out a sigh.
Jung-seok, who was the first to rebel against his older brother, seemed to have given up the fight.
He had lasted long enough.
“If you make our Eun-cho cry, I won’t let you get away with it, even if you’re my brother.”
“My Eun-cho?”
Tae-san innocently parried Jung-seok’s words and gently wrapped his arm around Eun-cho’s shoulders.
Once at ‘My Eun-cho,’ and again at the heavy weight on her shoulders.
Eun-cho pressed down on her heart, which felt like it was about to burst with surprise.
It was just a very light skinship that she had done when taking pictures at the Korean Medicine Association, but she couldn’t help but stiffen up.
How unsophisticated.
“Why don’t you keep doing what you were doing?”
Tae-san smiled secretly and tapped Eun-cho’s cheek.
As she was captivated by his pleasant and affectionate eyes, the door behind her opened and quickly closed.
Swallowing the two of them in the blink of an eye.
When she came to her senses, she was already in the same room as Tae-san.
“Are you worried? About Ryu Jung-seok?”
“Yes. Because I can’t lose a friend.”
The lips that were smiling faintly curled up smoothly, but somehow the black eyes felt coldly sunk.
As she hesitated at the foreign feeling that she was smiling but not really smiling…
He took another step closer to Eun-cho.
Closing the gap so close that there was nowhere else to retreat to.