BTL Ch 4

“Oh, right!” the housekeeper said to Hayeon, carrying an empty glass into the kitchen, as if she’d just remembered something. “The Vice President left early today.”

Hayeon blinked, suddenly flustered and pouring milk over her cereal a little too eagerly as she heard someone approach behind her. Handing her a spoon, the housekeeper casually added, “So, he asked the young master to take you to school today instead.”

“Huh?!”

No sooner had the housekeeper finished speaking than a startled, unprepared shriek burst from Hayeon. The housekeeper’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment at her intense reaction, then she turned, smiling as if she understood Hayeon’s dramatic response.

Behind the housekeeper, Hayeon’s face was flushed with excitement, and she was breathing heavily, her eyes darting around. “The young master,” she thought, “so that means…”

Hayeon’s eyes shot towards the living room.

“I did tell him you might be uncomfortable, but he said we should give you a chance to get to know each other better, you know?”

Taegeon had started taking Hayeon to school when she enrolled in the high school on the hill. He couldn’t stand seeing her struggling with swollen legs every time she came home from school, so dropping her off near the school gate became a daily routine. She couldn’t really refuse, no matter how much she tried to say it was okay. Whenever she did, Taegeon would look so glum and say he was disappointed, making Hayeon’s heart soften, and she’d have to agree.

Of course, Taegeon wasn’t exactly overflowing with free time. On busy days like today, he’d even have his secretary take her to school. Hayeon always grumbled that it was excessive and that no one would fuss over a child like Taegeon did, but…

But! Today, she was actually super grateful for Taegeon’s overprotective nature! Hayeon’s face was bright red, and she clasped her hands over her mouth to keep a scream from escaping, stamping her feet excitedly.

“Kang Taegeon, you’re a genius!” Hayeon was so sure she’d give Taegeon a peck on the cheek if he were right in front of her.

Oblivious to Hayeon’s dramatic reaction behind her, the housekeeper continued, “Luckily, the young master said okay, but if you’re uncomfortable, Hayeon, I can tell him—”

“No! It’s fine! I’m not uncomfortable, it’s okay!”

“Oh… really?” The housekeeper, who had just been about to rinse a foamy cup, finally turned around with surprised eyes.

Hayeon grinned sheepishly and picked up her bowl of cereal. Then, without giving the housekeeper a chance to tell her to eat slowly, she frantically shoveled cereal into her mouth. Chewing with her cheeks full, like a squirrel preparing for hibernation, Hayeon kept glancing outside. There was still plenty of time before school, but knowing Chaeheon was in the living room because of her, she couldn’t waste any more time.

“Thanks for the meal!”

“Oh, oh, okay.” The housekeeper’s bewildered voice followed her, a bit confused by Hayeon’s almost combative demeanor, but Hayeon’s attention was fully fixed on getting outside.

Whew! Hayeon let out a short breath and meticulously checked her tie and skirt for any wrinkles. Finally, she pulled out her phone and checked her reflection in the black screen to make sure nothing was out of place. After wiping her mouth, just in case there was milk or cereal dust, she exhaled again and started walking.

Chaeheon, looking wide awake now, had his arm on the armrest, resting his chin on his hand, and tapping on his phone with the other. His gaze lifted, turning towards the sound of her approach.

He stood up and asked, “Are you ready?”

Hayeon nodded with a determined look, shivers running down her spine at his deep, resonant voice. “Yes.”

“…? Okay.” Chaeheon looked at Hayeon for a moment with a puzzled expression, then headed to the front door first.

They didn’t really talk much, but Hayeon still couldn’t hide the shy smile playing on her lips. Trailing behind him, putting on her shoes and stepping outside, Hayeon kept sneaking glances at him. How could Kang Chaeheon even look handsome from the back of his head? “Model” wasn’t a strong enough word. Kang Chaeheon’s back view was a masterpiece. Hayeon held her breath, stifling a laugh, her heart fluttering at his physique, which made even a simple navy trench coat thrown over his athletic wear look like high fashion.

When she compared her own shoulder to Chaeheon’s broad one as they descended into the underground parking lot, Hayeon spotted an unfamiliar car parked in Taegeon’s usual spot. It was a sedan, clearly not there when they left for the airport to pick up Chaeheon yesterday, proudly displaying its sturdy front bumper.

“Oppa, is that your car?”

Chaeheon got into the driver’s seat, giving a curt reply. Hayeon scrambled into the passenger seat, following him, and asked, “I thought you were only staying in Korea for a month?”

Unaware of the hope in her voice, hoping he might be staying for good, Chaeheon replied, “It’s inconvenient without a car.”

“Oh, right…” Hayeon nodded, looking a bit deflated by the unexpected answer.

Meanwhile, the car pulled away smoothly, making no noise. The surroundings were so quiet that even her own breathing seemed amplified. The moment she swallowed, hearing the gulp louder than thunder, Hayeon squeezed her eyes shut and quickly blurted out, hoping Chaeheon hadn’t heard that embarrassing, noisy gulp:

“Ah, that.”

“…?”

“Can I call you, ‘Oppa’?”

Hayeon had forgotten she’d already called him “Oppa” once, and Chaeheon chuckled at her question. His face, which wasn’t exactly gentle-looking, softened subtly with the faint smile around his eyes.

“Then what were you planning to call me?”

Hayeon, who had been staring blankly, her lips parted from blurting out whatever came to mind, suddenly snapped back to reality and gave an awkward laugh. Then she gave another clumsy answer. “Ah, ahjussi?”

A crease appeared between Chaeheon’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows. “I’m not old enough to be called ahjussi.” Chaeheon replied slyly, then added, “Well, I guess a 29-year-old is an ahjussi to a 19-year-old, huh?”

At the mention of their age difference, Hayeon immediately shook her head without a second thought. “No! Not ahjussi! You’re an Oppa, an Oppa! Don’t you know the saying, if he’s handsome, he’s an Oppa? Oh, do they not have that saying overseas?”

Hayeon smiled sweetly, casually saying something that would have made Taegeon pretend to cry from disappointment if he’d heard it. “Then I’ll call you Oppa.”

Chaeheon stopped the car at a red light, his eyes falling on the cute dimples that appeared on Hayeon’s cheeks. He then lifted his gaze, meeting her direct stare, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards. A familiar face in front of him made his expression soften unconsciously.

[Why does the kid always look so gloomy? Come on, smile like this. Corners of your mouth up! Oh, Taegeon. Does your sibling not know how to smile at all? This is the first time I’ve seen a smile this scary, jeez.]

Lee Joowon, who had always bothered him with his loud chatter every time they met. But thanks to him, those days weren’t boring at all. Remembering that time, Chaeheon nodded.

“Okay.”

As his hand moved on the steering wheel, the car smoothly rounded a curve. On the steep slope above, the high school came into view.

Hayeon stared blankly at the back of the car as it disappeared down the hill, then smiled wistfully. “He drives well too.” He drove so smoothly that she hadn’t even noticed the car stopping near the school. Hayeon slowly closed and opened her drowsy eyes, as if recalling the memory of being in the car, and cupped her flushed cheeks.

“Where did such a perfect man come from?” She’d never felt her heart pound this much, even when seeing famous good-looking celebrities. Hayeon let out a sigh that sounded like a lament.

Just then, “What is it?” a voice from behind her asked.

Hayeon instinctively pulled her head back and turned, then immediately reprimanded him. “How many times do I have to tell you not to shove your face in mine like that?”

Her disapproving gaze went upwards. It was hard to believe this was the same face that had been lost in enchantment just moments ago. What bothered Hayeon’s eyes first was his firm, strong jawline. Tilting her head back a little more, she saw his sharply defined nose bridge and slightly furrowed, dark eyebrows. She stared at his large, monolidded eyes, which were also creased, and then raised an eyebrow. The overall refreshing face stood there, daringly glaring in the direction where Chaeheon’s car had disappeared.