CHAPTER 6
“Father wants us to go on a cruise to the Bahamas this weekend.”
“There’s going to be a sandbar party there, and you’ll be able to meet many people who could help you if you decide to expand your activities in America, Mr. Seo Jae.”
“Members of The Bass Club will be there.”
Florida’s upper class revolved around private clubs like The Bass Club, and many business deals were made there.
“Is that so?”
Even though it was an opportunity he should not miss, Seo Jae answered somewhat mechanically while watching Ha-eun, who let out a soft sigh.
What in the world was she looking at with such a serious expression?
“Do you happen to like deep-sea fishing?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I’ve never tried it before.”
“Then let’s try it together this time.”
“It’s surprisingly fun.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I can’t promise anything.”
“I don’t know when my work in New York will be finished.”
“That’s okay.”
“Call me when you’re done.”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“I also have something I want to tell you, Mr. Seo Jae—”
Without taking her eyes off her phone, Ha-eun absentmindedly reached for her coffee cup and spilled it all over her clothes.
Ha.
She might be all grown up physically, but she still acted like a child.
“I should get going now.”
“We’ll talk again later.”
Barely listening to Elin’s flustered response, Seo Jae ended the call, tossed his phone onto the sofa, grabbed several tissues, and started wiping Ha-eun’s dress.
“The coffee must still be hot.”
“Did you burn yourself?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Staying still would help me more.”
The sight of Ha-eun’s pale thigh showing beneath her wet dress brought back memories of how she had writhed beneath his lips the previous night, leaving him at a loss.
The scent of baby powder mixed with coffee drifted from Ha-eun.
It was the same scent he had buried himself in all night, pressing his face against her white neck until he could no longer get enough of it.
Ha-eun had trembled in his arms before falling asleep as though she had fainted.
Even after pouring out all his desire in an overwhelming wave of passion unlike anything he had experienced before, his body had shown no signs of calming down, while Ha-eun remained fast asleep.
Watching her sleep with the satisfied expression of a child after a full meal, he found her both ridiculous and unbearably adorable.
He had given in to a moment of weakness and desired his friend’s younger sister.
If Ha-jun found out, he might very well kill him.
Ha-jun had spent years driving men away from his innocent little sister.
“Stay away from my sister.”
“If I catch you near her again, I’ll beat you so badly that you won’t even be able to walk around with that pretty face anymore.”
“Got it?”
Seo Jae still remembered the terrifying look in Ha-jun’s eyes when he had threatened a boy lingering around their house.
The warning had applied to his friends as well.
Even Seo Jae, his closest friend, had not been an exception.
The only person allowed to tease Ha-eun, call her ugly, or joke that she had been picked up from under a bridge was Jung Ha-jun.
No one else was allowed to make her cry.
Ha-jun was generally easygoing, but his friends all knew what happened when he lost his temper, so they never crossed the line.
Until now.
“Oppa?”
“…”
“Oppa, I think someone’s here.”
The doorbell was ringing.
Lost in thought, Seo Jae had not even heard it.
Throwing the wet tissues into the trash, he said,
“Go change your clothes.”
“Give me the wet ones so the hotel can wash them.”
“Okay.”
After handing the dress to the hotel employee who had brought the ointment, Ha-eun returned in fresh clothes.
Seo Jae gently applied the ointment to her lips.
It was not a good idea.
The soft sensation beneath his fingertips reminded him of the strange feeling of her lips against his tongue the night before.
He remembered how soft they had been.
How sweet they had tasted.
Under the bright light, Ha-eun’s skin looked especially pale and translucent, like a finely crafted porcelain doll.
He could still vividly remember the feel of her soft flesh beneath his teeth.
What the hell was he thinking?
You’re insane, Seo Jae.
“I know what you’re thinking, Oppa.”
“What… are you talking about?”
“You think I’m a lot of trouble.”
“You think I’m annoying.”
“…”
Thinking it would be better to let her misunderstand, Seo Jae did not bother denying it.
After placing the ointment on the dining table, he returned to his seat and refilled Ha-eun’s coffee cup.
“Oppa, are you… getting married?”
Scooping up another spoonful of soup, Ha-eun asked as casually as she could.
“Who told you that?”
“No one.”
“I saw it in the news.”
So that was what she had been looking up earlier.
“Maybe someday.”
“But not now.”
“I see.”
Nodding thoughtfully, Ha-eun stood up.
“Should we go look for Ha-jun now?”
—
In front of an old apartment complex in Two Bridges, not far from Chinatown.
The street was lined with rusted fire escapes and peeling paint, and questionable people wandered around everywhere.
She could hardly believe that her brother lived in a place like this.
“I’ll go by myself.”
“Stay here.”
Seo Jae opened the car door and stepped out.
“I want to come too.”
Ha-eun followed him.
Part of her was scared to be alone, and part of her wanted to see with her own eyes whether Ha-jun was really there.
They had gone to the Chinatown restaurant where Ha-jun had worked, only to learn that he had quit several days earlier.
No one knew where he had gone.
Fortunately, one of the employees who had been close to Ha-jun recognized Ha-eun and gave her his address.
Shouting and loud music echoed from somewhere nearby.
Pressing close to Seo Jae, Ha-eun entered the building.
There was no elevator, so they climbed the creaking wooden stairs all the way to the fifth floor.
When they knocked on the door of apartment 505, a young man with piercings in his lips and nose and sunken eyes opened the door.
A strange smell drifted out of the room.
Without realizing it, Ha-eun grabbed Seo Jae’s arm tightly.
“We’re looking for Jung Ha-jun.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Jung Ha-jun’s younger sister.”
“Oh, I’ve seen your picture.”
“Do you know where he went?”
The man shook his head.
“Can I see his room?”
“Come in.”
The floor creaked beneath their feet, and the paint on the walls had peeled away long ago.
Past the tiny living room, they found the small room Ha-jun had used.
There was barely enough space to stretch out with only a bed and a desk inside.
“There used to be a picture of his sister hanging right here.”
“When I asked if she was his girlfriend, he just laughed.”
The man pointed at the tape still stuck to the wall.
Hoping to find some trace that Ha-jun had left behind, Ha-eun searched even the closet, but there was nothing.
Where in the world had he gone?
“You don’t have to worry too much.”
“He struck gold with some rich girl.”
Her sigh gradually turned into irritation.
“She was apparently crazy about him and followed him around every day.”
“I think she even asked him to live with her.”
At least it sounded as though she did not have bad intentions.
As ridiculous as the situation was, Ha-eun felt strangely relieved.
“Do you know who the woman is?”
Seo Jae asked.
The man shrugged.
“I don’t know much because he never brought her here.”
“But he said they went to art galleries together, watched operas, and went shopping at department stores.”
At least they had found a clue.
The trip had not been completely pointless.
—
“One more drink, please.”
Ha-eun was drunk.
Smiling brightly, she held out her empty glass, forgetting that the bartender could not understand Korean.
For the first time, Seo Jae realized that a drunk Jung Ha-eun was dangerously adorable.
And that she smiled far too easily at everyone.
