DDOS 20

Chapter 20

She hadn’t heard the door open or sensed anyone approaching, so she had no idea when he had come in. The man had a habit of appearing out of nowhere so often that it no longer surprised her. What confused Yeo-eun, however, was something else.

“Um…”

The way Ki Seung-do stood quietly looking at the photograph she had been holding was a little different from anything she had seen before.

The atmosphere was different.

The man who was always so relaxed, always wearing that easy smile, somehow looked strangely dry and worn.

Yeo-eun’s mouth went completely dry. She wanted to explain how she had found the photograph, but for some reason, it felt as though she were making excuses.

She was confused. Was this even a situation where she needed to make excuses in the first place?

It was Ki Seung-do who had brought in the desk and monitors and told her to work in this study. He was also the one who had said she could look through the books on the shelves as much as she wanted. If she thought about it, Yeo-eun hadn’t done anything wrong.

And yet, standing before Ki Seung-do now, she felt as though she had committed some terrible offense.

It was like secretly peeking into a secret someone had folded away and tucked deep inside for a long time—a secret no one else, perhaps not even the person himself, had ever looked at again—and then getting caught.

“I was just going to look at the script, but…”

Ki Seung-do cut her off without listening to the rest.

“He was quite handsome even when he was little, wasn’t he?”

He placed the photograph and scriptbook on his desk. There was a smile on his face as he asked the question.

Even though there was no subject in his question, Yeo-eun knew exactly who he meant.

She was also certain that the little boy in the photograph and the man standing before her were one and the same.

Strange.

He was smiling, yet somehow it felt as though he were angry.

But because he was looking directly into her eyes as he asked, Yeo-eun found herself nodding vigorously without even realizing it, as though she were a supporting character in a sitcom.

Ki Seung-do’s face wore that habitual smile.

Because of it, she found it difficult to tell whether her intuition was right.

And that wasn’t all.

“What about now?”

As though he were teasing her, Seung-do bent slightly at the waist and brought his face closer to hers.

Somehow, it felt as though he didn’t want to give her even a moment to think.

And his intention worked.

Her entire field of vision became filled with Seung-do.

Yeo-eun swallowed unconsciously.

He was too…

Far too close.

Even the scent of his familiar cologne seemed stronger.

She felt as though she had seen countless scenes like this in dramas, yet it was as if someone had poured white paint over her mind. Not a single appropriate word came to her.

“…Are you done with work?”

The awkwardness of her question sounded more like something from a sitcom than a romantic comedy.

And then she hiccupped.

“Hyuk.”

Startled, Yeo-eun quickly raised her right hand to cover her mouth.

Ki Seung-do reached out and took her hand down.

His fingers peeled hers away one by one, and his hand was as hot as ever.

The moments when his hand had touched her skin flashed through her mind like scenes in a quickly edited film.

Her body replayed the sensations all on its own.

A hot, firm hand.

What were you supposed to do when you learned something you were never supposed to know?

Ki Seung-do forced her fingers to intertwine with his. He didn’t seem to use much strength, yet she couldn’t move at all.

What were you supposed to do when you became entangled with something you were never supposed to become entangled with?

As her thoughts tangled into a complete mess, Ki Seung-do wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

There was no space left between them.

“Gasp…”

Yeo-eun drew in a small breath.

The face of Ki Seung-do right before her was no longer smiling.

And once again, Yeo-eun felt the same thing she had felt the very first time she saw him.

A man who made himself a mask out of laughter.

And behind that mask was…

A strange light had entered his eyes as he looked at her.

Meeting that gaze, Yeo-eun suddenly remembered a snake she had once seen in an animal documentary, coiling itself around its prey before swallowing it whole.

She was afraid.

The moment their bodies touched, she felt as though everything inside her head would be exposed.

Holding her breath, Yeo-eun finally raised her free hand and pushed against his shoulder.

The movement was feeble against the man she was touching, but to Yeo-eun, it was desperate.

She pushed at Ki Seung-do’s unmoving shoulder again and again.

Then, in the next moment, Seung-do rubbed his thumb across Yeo-eun’s lower lip.

“Your hiccups stopped.”

His words finally brought her back to her senses.

Her face flushed bright red.

“How surprised were you?”

As though it were nothing, he slowly traced her lips with his fingertip.

Yeo-eun slapped his hand away.

Ki Seung-do, who hadn’t budged an inch until then, finally stepped back without protest.

Their tangled bodies separated.

“Apparently, being startled really is the best way to stop hiccups.”

“Is it fun to play with people?”

“There’s no way I’d do that.”

The man’s eyes had already returned to their usual impassive state as he smiled.

He even shrugged, without a trace of seriousness, which made him even more irritating.

And what he said next was worse.

“I suppose playing with Kang Yeo-eun is what’s fun.”

Yeo-eun wiped her lips where his hand had touched them with the back of her hand.

She knew it didn’t mean anything, but she wanted to do it anyway.

“Anyone watching would think our lips had actually touched.”

Ki Seung-do unwrapped a piece of candy from his desk and popped it into his mouth. Then he picked up the photograph Yeo-eun had found and examined it from different angles.

His fingertips moved over it with an almost unnervingly casual air.

“But why didn’t you answer me?”

“Answer what?”

“Am I not as handsome now as I was back then?”

Playfully, Ki Seung-do held the photograph beside his face and copied the expression of the boy in the picture.

Placed side by side, the resemblance was almost absurd. His grown-up face was practically identical to the one he had had as a child.

The two people in the photograph looked remarkably alike, both in their features and their smiles.

Anyone could have recognized their relationship at a glance.

Of course, there was a difference too.

The boy in the photograph was smiling with innocent brightness, nestled tightly in the arms of the woman holding him.

Ki Seung-do smiled often, and he was smiling now as well, but it was different from the smile in the photograph.

“Yes. He’s much more handsome.”

Yeo-eun awkwardly pointed at the boy in the photograph as she answered.

At her words, Ki Seung-do burst into laughter again.

Then, without warning, he tore the photograph in his hand.

Rip.

Yeo-eun’s shoulders jerked stiff.

Yet Ki Seung-do calmly crunched the candy in his mouth before dropping the torn photograph into the wastebasket.

“I didn’t know there was a photograph left that I hadn’t burned. Thanks for finding it.”

Yeo-eun could only blink at the sudden turn of events.

There wasn’t even the slightest trace of regret in his expression or movements as he said it.

“And by now, shouldn’t you be getting used to this much? I don’t know what else we’ll have to do to make people believe we’re partners.”

It took Yeo-eun a moment to understand what he meant.

She had been too stunned to think, but belatedly realized he was referring to what had just happened between their bodies.

She opened her mouth in embarrassment, but Ki Seung-do checked the time on his wristwatch and picked up the tablet from his desk.

“Something came up unexpectedly, so I won’t be able to come home for a few days. Please take care of Ji-on’s getting to kindergarten.”

Ki Seung-do walked past Yeo-eun, who nodded.

He was going out again at this hour?

Blinking, Yeo-eun suddenly remembered the schedule he had mentioned over breakfast that morning.

The troublesome business trip to Hong Kong was right around the corner.

As if buying her several sets of expensive branded ready-to-wear clothes hadn’t been enough, Ki Seung-do had also told her she needed a dress made.

At first, she had thought he was joking.

But apparently she needed to wear a dress to the parties.

Was she going to some kind of ball?

In any case, as far as Yeo-eun knew, tomorrow was the day they were supposed to choose the dress.

“Then what about going to look at the dress tomorrow?”

Ki Seung-do, who had been about to grasp the doorknob, turned at the sound of Yeo-eun’s voice.

He seemed not to understand what she meant.

After thinking for a moment, he gave a quiet chuckle and looked at her.

“Did you want to go with me?”

Come to think of it, he had never actually said he would accompany her.

He had merely informed her that she needed to clear her schedule tomorrow because she had to have a dress made.

Yeo-eun’s already-red cheeks grew even hotter.

She felt like biting her tongue.

“Just go and take care of it yourself.”

With a gentle tone, Ki Seung-do left her with a distinctly ungentle farewell before walking away.

Left alone, Yeo-eun sank heavily to the floor.

It felt as though all the strength had drained out of her body in an instant.

Why had she naturally assumed he would accompany her?

Sitting on the floor, Yeo-eun turned his earlier words over and over in her mind.

So just stay by my side and fulfill whatever you’re needed for, Kang Yeo-eun.