A Night Soaked With You - Chapter 27
“What?”
Tae-geon didn’t bother replying. Instead, he calmly looked down at Yeong-won’s wrist, still tightly gripped by In-woo.
“Uh, sunbae, could you please let go?”
Yeong-won frowned as the tight grip on her wrist caused her pain, her brow furrowing in discomfort. Only then did In-woo notice her condition, quickly releasing her in a panic.
“S-Sorry, Yeong-won, I didn’t mean to—”
Yeong-won swiftly withdrew her hand, inspecting it. The skin was already turning red, and it looked like a bruise would likely form by tomorrow.
As In-woo fumbled for an explanation, Tae-geon stepped in between them, cutting off any further words.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
Tae-geon asked coldly, blocking Yeong-won from In-woo’s view.
His icy gaze made In-woo’s blood run cold, but he couldn’t back down now.
“……Whatever the case, you can’t take her. I’ll be the one to take Yeong-won home.”
A faint sneer crept onto Tae-geon’s lips. Clicking his tongue as if annoyed, he turned his attention back to Yeong-won.
“Then we’ll have to ask Kim Yeong-won herself.”
Suddenly finding herself face-to-face with Tae-geon, Yeong-won’s eyes widened in surprise.
“So, what will it be? My car or his?”
Though Tae-geon appeared to be asking Yeong-won for her opinion, it didn’t come across that way to her.
‘The answer’s already decided. You just have to say it.’
There wasn’t even a trace of a smile in his dark eyes.
He’s angry, Yeong-won realized as a shiver ran down her arms, the prickling sensation a clear warning.
It felt like choosing between a lion’s den and a tiger’s cage—either way, both options were equally dangerous. Taking a taxi seemed like a thousand times the better choice.
But just then.
“Isn’t that Jo In-woo?”
“The guy next to him looks like an actor too. Wow, he’s really handsome. Is he a rookie?”
“And who’s that woman? She looks familiar.”
People around them started murmuring. Yeong-won glanced around and saw a small crowd gathering across the street, phones held up, recording the scene.
A top actor like Jo In-woo, two men, one woman, and a public argument.
It was a recipe for scandal.
Without thinking any further, Yeong-won quickly slipped into Tae-geon’s car, which still had its door open.
“Yeong-won!”
In-woo called out her name, almost in a scream.
“Sunbae! Sober up and make sure to get home safely!”
Yeong-won shouted back hastily, slamming the door shut behind her.
In-woo stared at the departing car as if he had just been horribly betrayed.
He wanted nothing more than to pull Yeong-won out of that car immediately, but once again, the man in front of him blocked his view.
Grinding his teeth, In-woo glared at Tae-geon.
On any other day, he wouldn’t have dared to meet this man’s gaze, but the thought of this wolf-like man doing something to Yeong-won had his mind going black with rage.
Was he new to this industry? He immediately noticed this guy had ulterior motives toward Yeongwon.
From the moment he’d arrived at the filming set earlier, Tae-geon’s gaze had lingered on Yeong-won, circling around her like a predator. It was obvious that he had ill intentions.
“Well, too bad, but it seems I’ve been chosen. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Tae-geon spoke with a tone that suggested he wasn’t the least bit sorry.
With a slow, unhurried pace, he climbed into the car where Yeong-won was seated.
A moment later, the heavily tinted sedan started moving with a soft hum.
In-woo stood there, staring blankly at the receding vehicle, his expression dazed.
Inside the car speeding down the road, a heavy silence lingered.
‘I wonder if In-woo sunbae is okay.’
Yeong-won thought about looking back, but the presence of Tae-geon sitting next to her was more concerning than In-woo, so she kept her posture straight and stared straight ahead.
She had wanted to avoid being alone with him, yet here they were.
“Um…… could you just drop me off anywhere? I can take a taxi from there.”
As Yeong-won stammered, Tae-geon leaned back in his seat and asked leisurely.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
Under the weight of his gaze piercing through the darkness, Yeong-won straightened her back.
Yes, she was uncomfortable. She was uncomfortable to the point of madness.
‘Should I just be honest and apologize? I made a mistake. Should I just tell him that and beg for forgiveness?’
However, her mouth wouldn’t open. She couldn’t help but wonder if all of this was just a coincidence.
The man who had come to her at the convenience store asking for ointment. The one who was there as an investor for the film ‘Distress.’ Everything felt suspicious.
As Yeong-won kept silent, Tae-geon also stopped trying to engage her in conversation. The car continued to drive in uncomfortable silence, with no destination in sight.
After a while, as he drummed his fingers on his knee, Tae-geon suddenly asked.
“Do you like wine?”
“No, I don’t.”
It wasn’t that she particularly disliked wine, she simply hadn’t had enough of it to form an opinion.
But knowing he wasn’t really asking if she liked wine, Yeong-won told a lie.
“Even if you don’t like it, it seems like I should go with you.”
Taken aback, Yeong-won turned to look at Tae-geon, he said calmly.
“We have things to discuss.”
“……What kind of discussion?”
Yeong-won barely managed to ask in a trembling voice.
“Weren’t you aware that I’m not Yu Chae-young’s backer?”
At Tae-geon’s calm response, Yeong-won’s face turned pale. Then, the corners of Tae-geon’s mouth curled up into a smile.
“I guess that’s right.”
It was then that Yeong-won realized he had been testing her. She hadn’t even had time to prepare, and now her secret was out.
As Yeong-won sat there with a blank expression, unable to say a word, Tae-geon smoothly continued to smile.
“Then shall we go for a drink?”
Of course, Yeong-won couldn’t return his smile.
In the quiet stillness, the car they were in glided down the road toward an unknown destination.
The place Yeong-won ended up with Tae-geon was a hotel. More specifically, the hotel lounge bar.
The moment she entered the hotel lobby, Yeong-won felt completely overwhelmed.
Although the doorman held the door open for her, she was frozen in place.
As Yeong-won stood there, her eyes wide like a startled meerkat, Tae-geon leaned his head back into the car, looking at her.
