AOA 143

If I could follow my heart, I wanted to take Baek Mugyeong somewhere we could be alone. But since Aunt Soyeon was waiting, I said goodbye to him and promised to meet later.

I didn’t go straight back to the hotel. This time, Aunt Soyeon and Baek Mugyeong had a serious talk without me.

Their conversation wasn’t long. They whispered quietly and then shook hands. Even though they stood quite far apart, I could tell the mood between them was warm.

That was how I parted ways with Baek Mugyeong and headed back to the hotel with Aunt Soyeon.

“What did you talk about with Mugyeong-ssi earlier?”

I asked carefully as I sat beside her. Talking was fine, but the satisfied look on her face when they shook hands seemed odd.

“We discussed a few things. I thought this before too, but Director Baek and I get along pretty well. I like that. But you’re going to keep meeting, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then long-distance?”

“I can’t stay in Korea.”

“When it’s long-distance, you need to keep in touch often. But when bodies are apart, hearts drift too, so people usually break up.”

“……Yes.”

Her prediction of a grim future made me sulk. I had never even dated anyone before, let alone had a long-distance relationship. I worried if it would really work out. Los Angeles and Seoul were too far apart.

While I was promising myself to stay in touch, I realized she never said what she talked about with Baek Mugyeong. The conversation had moved on too naturally.

“What did Mugyeong-ssi say earlier?”

“Oh, I didn’t mention that. Nothing much. We agreed to keep in touch if anything comes up. He’s still my nephew’s husband for now.”

Aunt Soyeon answered cheerfully. There was no reason to stop them from keeping in contact. What mattered was that the two of them didn’t have a bad relationship.

We returned to the hotel and ate a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant. While eating, we discussed what to do about Jeong Guhyeon.

It was obvious he was behind what happened, and staying still would only make us look weak. Aunt Soyeon smiled coldly and said she would deal with it after leaving Korea.

I asked what she planned to do, but she only said there’s such a thing as cause and effect, and she didn’t explain the details.

After eating, we went back to the hotel. The incident had happened during the day, but we didn’t bother changing lodgings. If Jeong Guhyeon had already placed people to watch us, there was no point.

We each booked separate rooms. Each room had two bedrooms, and two bodyguards took turns keeping watch all night.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t uncomfortable. The suite had a large living room and a minibar, but I spent most of the time at the cafe yesterday because I didn’t want to awkwardly run into the guards.

But thinking about what happened earlier, I could only admire her caution. It was a relief she had prepared in advance.

Yesterday, every time I felt the bodyguards nearby, I was a bit startled, but now I didn’t have the energy to care.

After dinner, I went back to my room and walked around the bedroom holding my phone.

Would it be okay to contact Baek Mugyeong? He must have unblocked me, right?

I was about to text him to ask what he was doing, but I gathered courage and called instead. After a few rings, an automated message said the line was busy.

“Mm……”

My courage, which had swelled up, instantly deflated. I pressed the end button and slumped over the table.

What happened earlier felt like a dream. Since I had changed both my phone and number, it connected to his new one, and if he heard my voice, he might just hang up and tell me not to contact him again.

Not seeing him made me nervous. I decided that if we talked, I would record the call so I could listen whenever I felt anxious.

Then I realized that he might not even know my number. I thought I should at least send a message saying it’s mine. Just when I picked up my phone, it vibrated.

The name on the screen was Baek Mugyeong. I almost pressed the answer button immediately, but I paused, cleared my throat, and straightened up. I also remembered to press the record button.

“Yes, this is Jeong Minchae.”

Even though I tried to sound calm, my voice trembled a little. I straightened my back and sat upright.

–Minchae-ssi.

“Yes.”

–I was on another call, so I couldn’t answer. Is something wrong?

When I tried to say I just wanted to check if it wasn’t a dream, my chest felt ticklish. Above all, he sounded too calm. If I said I called because I wanted to hear his voice, it would be too embarrassing.

I racked my brain for a reason that could justify contacting him.

“So… earlier, do you remember I said I knew something about Baek Yeongseop?”

–I remember.

“It’s true. I don’t know if it’ll help or not, but at least listen first and decide.”

–All right.

I couldn’t see his face through the phone, but from his short answer, I could tell he was smiling.

He didn’t seem interested in information about Baek Yeongseop. He just sounded pleased.

“Baek Yeongseop’s villa is in Yangpyeong.”

–I know.

“There’s a safe there.”

–Is that so?

His response was half-hearted. But I continued explaining.

“There’s a safe behind the painting in the bedroom. He said it himself. I don’t know exactly what’s inside, but since it’s a safe, there must be something. The password is BYS, followed by the year Baek Yeongseop was born, and his current age this year. He changes the password every January.”

Now that I think about it, Baek Yeongseop had no sense of crisis. Even if I wasn’t in my right mind back then, the fact that he told me such things so casually meant he never even considered what could happen.

–How did you find out?

“I heard it directly from him. So that was in the past. Back then, whenever Baek Yeongseop called, I went right away. I wasn’t sane at the time. That’s why I heard a lot from him. He talks a lot.”

–I’ll check.

“There might not be anything important inside. The password’s almost certain though.”

–There will be something.

I tried to suggest that maybe there wasn’t, but he answered with certainty. So I immediately asked.

“Do you know what’s inside?”

–I’ll tell you once I get it.

“Okay.”

Since he said he would tell me later, I couldn’t push for more. Silence followed.

When I thought about it, we weren’t the kind of people who talked much. We rarely called each other. Even when things were good between us, we just stayed in the same space and each did our own thing.

Maybe that’s why silence filled the line while I tried to think of what to say. It felt awkward, and somehow funny.

We still had a long way to go.

Baek Mugyeong was the quiet type. And I wasn’t someone who liked chatting on the phone either. I thought that if we were going to have a long-distance relationship, it was something that needed improvement, so I decided I should ask him to have a meal together tomorrow.

Just when I was about to speak, he spoke first.

–How about having a meal together tomorrow?

“Good.”

–I’ll come to the hotel around lunchtime.

“It’s pretty far. A round trip will take at least an hour, so I’ll go instead.”

The DS Motors headquarters was in Gangnam, and this hotel was in Jongno, north of the river. On a Wednesday at lunchtime, the roads would be heavily congested. Driving here would probably take up his whole lunch hour. So it made more sense for me to go.

–I have plenty of time.

“How?”

–Minchae-ssi. I’m the executive director.

His voice was pleasant. I was about to ask what that had to do with anything, but then realized what he meant a beat later. If he was an executive, he could take a long lunch break.

When I apologized for not realizing, Baek Mugyeong said it was fine and asked about the menu. We decided to eat at the Korean restaurant inside the hotel since it would be simpler. I was about to say I’d make the reservation when something occurred to me.

“Um, what about having dinner instead of lunch? That way we won’t have to rush, and, um, you could, well… stay over.”

The main point was the last part. We had already slept together more times than I could count, but for the past month, I had managed to hold back somehow.

But today, our feelings had finally aligned. When I hugged him earlier, the pheromone scent on his jacket was so intoxicating that I felt relief and desire.

If I could follow my heart, I wanted to run to where he was right now. Just imagining being soaked in his pheromones and having sex made my face heat up.

But after what happened during the day, I couldn’t act recklessly. More than anything, since Baek Mugyeong had calmly said “let’s meet later” at the police station parking lot, he might have had other plans. So the best option was tomorrow evening.

–Sorry, but I already have plans tomorrow night.

“Really?”

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded disappointed. If he had plans, there was nothing I could do.

–But I can extend my lunch hour.

“What?”

–Daytime is fine too. What do you think?

I only understood after hearing his explanation. Right. There was no rule saying we could only have sex at night.

We had done it early in the morning before too.

“Good. Let’s do that.”

–See you tomorrow.

“Yes.”

Maybe it was because I sounded too happy, but I thought I heard him laugh through the phone. I didn’t mind. We were close enough now that showing it was fine.

The call ended soon after. I stared at the shining screen for a moment, then couldn’t contain my excitement and jumped up from my seat.

“Ahhh.”

I couldn’t shout too loudly in case the guards outside heard. I just clenched my fists and quietly ran around the bedroom.