IMFOBO | CH 40 | Wait Quietly

As Eun-cho slowly opened her eyelids, objects that hadn’t been visible the night before came into view one by one.

In this spacious room, there was only a large bed. The calm and dry space strangely resembled that man.

“Phew…”

Actually, she thought last night would be a major event in her life. After all, she was the one who came to his house on her own, and they had promised to get married, so she thought it was inevitable.

However, unbelievably, it stopped halfway.

“Where did he go?”

It seemed Ryu Taesan had never belonged to that breed of drama or movie oppas who were content just holding hands through the night.

She’d only reached out and stopped him because it felt wrong to hog the big bed all by herself after pushing him away—but in the end, Taesan had left the room anyway.

If one slept on the far left and the other on the far right, there was more than enough space for two.

Not just barely enough—she’d only made the offer because the bed was spacious enough for both of them to sleep comfortably. But Ryu Taesan had vanished like he’d heard something he shouldn’t have.

At first, she couldn’t stop thinking about the man who’d spent the evening teasing her—only to walk out like that.

But in the end, she slept like a baby.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the unusually cozy bed she’d claimed as her own, but either way, she’d slept even better than usual.

“Tae-san?”

Eun-cho stepped onto the floor. Tae-san’s large clothes slid down loosely, revealing his shoulder and pants that were almost falling off, held up only by an elastic band.

The house was quiet. When she went to the living room, she saw a space as tidy as the bedroom, without a speck of dust.

How could a bachelor’s house be so spacious? She looked around but couldn’t find any sign of Ryu Tae-san.

Finally, Eun-cho entered the dining room and looked at the table. There was a small paper bag and her phone, which had been cushioned.

“Pfft.”

On a yellow Post-it note, the scribbled handwriting seemed very much like him. The neat handwriting, unlike his usual style, made her smile.

Eun-cho took out the container from the bag. Although it had cooled a bit, it was still warm.

Looking at the wall clock, it was before 8 AM. The person who left early in the morning had even prepared food for her. It was subtly kind.

Eun-cho sat down and opened the container. It was a warm, savory anchovy soup. As she took a sip, the refreshing flavor comforted her stomach.

“Ah… I drank alcohol last night.”

Did he even calculate that? Never mind.

“It’s delicious.”

Eun-cho started to enjoy the soup. She didn’t know why her appetite was so good, but every time she sipped the cool broth, her stomach, which had been uncomfortable from the alcohol, felt better.

Eun-cho opened her phone and browsed through the messages from the previous night. Given the commotion, it wasn’t surprising that there were many calls.

[Heard from your brother. I’ll handle the clinic today, so don’t worry.]

This was a message from Jeong-seok, whose role was unclear.

[Our little puppy, are you coming to see Hammi? You’re going to the mansion, right?]

This was a message full of typos from her grandmother.

There were no messages from Ryu Tae-san, but his busy morning was vivid in her mind.

So, today, Eun-cho wouldn’t be working at the clinic and would visit her grandmother instead? The schedule arranged by Tae-san wasn’t bad, but why wasn’t he part of it?

Eun-cho pressed her lower lip with her thumb and then released it. The feeling seemed more swollen than usual, but it might be her imagination.

“Hmm… I didn’t want to think about it.”

As she tried to push away the memories, all her senses and thoughts focused on Ryu Tae-san. It was as if she was being swept away like the night before.

That kiss was the first of its kind. No, it was the first kiss itself, and she couldn’t regain her composure.

“It was different.”

The kiss at the village entrance was soft and cautious, but the one in Tae-san’s space was… fierce and explicit. It involved biting, sucking, and wrapping around each other. She hadn’t known that kissing could involve so many senses.

As she recalled the sensation of her lips being sucked and her earlobe being nibbled, her body still felt hot.

Just moments ago, she had been enjoying the anchovy soup, but now it seemed insignificant.

“Phew…”

She was cautious even about opening her mouth. The heat that enveloped her body was new, and it spread rapidly from the back of her neck.

“Did he see it?”

The face of the man who had retreated with a suppressed voice appeared vividly before her eyes.

Actually, she had asked him to keep his promise without much expectation, but unexpectedly, Tae-san fulfilled her request. At that moment, she remembered a conversation between the elderly women at the village festival.

“A man’ll make a move as long as he’s got the strength to lift a spoon.”

“Unless he’s lacking in some way—or hiding something.”

In other words, men move forward, not backward.

“Is he lacking…?”

No way. That couldn’t be it.

You don’t land a ‘monthly girlfriend’ arrangement for nothing.

From the way he came at her, he had the kind of raging sex drive that rivaled a teenage boy’s. His body was too healthy, and as for that part of him… well…

Eun-cho’s face turned red as she thought about the substantial presence that had brushed against her thigh. Although she hadn’t seen or touched it directly, its enormity was intimidating.

“So, does he have another motive?”

After all that touching and teasing, he just left her alone in this huge house… and tossed her a bowl of beef bone hangover soup?

Eun-cho looked at her silent phone and decided to call him first.

The ringing tone was dull, and Tae-san’s voice came on after just two rings.

-Yes.

When the man answered, she was at a loss for words. Eun-cho tapped her lips with her fingertips, still feeling his touch, and opened her mouth.

“Are you busy?”

– A bit.

His voice was quiet.

Eun-cho hesitated before speaking.

“I’m going to see my grandmother today, and then I’ll head to Cheongnim-ri. Is that okay?”

If that were all, there wouldn’t have been a reason to bring Eun-cho to his place in Seoul, especially to a place where he had never brought anyone before.

– No, I’m going to Baekunjae.

Baekunjae. It sounded unfamiliar, but it seemed to refer to the Ryu family’s main house. Then, she remembered Chairman Ryu’s suspicions and the car that had followed them secretly the night before.

“I’ll wait quietly.”

-…….

There was silence on the other end.

Eun-cho’s words were filled with gratitude for his patience the night before, but maybe she had said something wrong?

“Hello? Did the call drop?”

-……I’ll see you later.

After a brief silence, his soft voice came back. The call ended shortly.

Well, he said he was busy. Eun-cho stopped thinking about it and finished the remaining soup.

Ding-dong.

Just then, the doorbell rang from afar. Eun-cho tensed up and hardened her expression.

“What should I do?”

The owner of the house was away. Given the strict security system she had experienced the night before, whoever was ringing the bell now didn’t seem like an ordinary visitor.

Zzzt. A message arrived with a short vibration.

[Someone is coming. Dress nicely and wait.]

Eun-cho cautiously approached the intercom and checked the face on the screen. It was a middle-aged woman. After confirming, Eun-cho pressed the open button.

She was wearing Tae-san’s ridiculously large clothes. Whatever clothes were delivered, she needed to change quickly.

As she held onto the loose fabric, Eun-cho headed to the entrance.

The front door opened, and a stranger’s shadow entered the house.

“Oh my, really?”

A refined and elegant woman looked at Eun-cho with wide eyes. She was dressed in a gray two-piece suit, which made her seem like a secretary.

‘Is she not a secretary? Her aura is quite overwhelming…’

“Hello, I heard about you. Please come in. This isn’t my house, though.”

Eun-cho suppressed her doubts and smiled, greeting the woman. As she stepped aside, the woman removed her heels and entered the foyer.

Eun-cho glanced at the woman’s empty hands. Hadn’t she said she was bringing clothes?

As Eun-cho tilted her head in confusion, another person appeared at the entrance.

“Madam, I’ll leave the items as instructed by the director and take my leave.”

A woman in a black pantsuit carefully handed Eun-cho a paper bag.

“Okay, Secretary Kim. See you later.”

Eun-cho stuttered, looking at the two women with confusion.

The secretary seemed to be the real one. Then who was this other woman?

“Nice to meet you. I hope I didn’t startle you by showing up suddenly.”

“…….”

“I’m Tae-san’s mother.”

Oh my god.