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SERIES: An Impure Reunion
CHAPTER: An Impure Reunion Chapter 8
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8.
It was around dawn when Taejun was finally done using Jian as he pleased.
While he was briefly out of the room, Jian went into the hospital room’s bathroom.
A mess of red marks bloomed across her exposed nape.
A deep sigh escaped her lips as she examined her reflection in the mirror.
She had been so startled by her child’s sudden high fever in the middle of the night that she’d rushed out without a moment to grab a change of clothes.
The stretched-out T-shirt she wore to bed felt pathetic.
It was then, as Jian let out another deep sigh.
“Is it something to sigh about?”
Taejun’s voice reached her as she felt something touch her neck.
“Anyone watching would think I was the only one who enjoyed it.”
His lips once again brushed against her red marks before pulling away.
“The one crying out beneath me…”
“……”
“That was Heo Jian, wasn’t it?”
As the erotic atmosphere threatened to start again, Jian hurriedly pushed him away.
“Stop, just stop.”
He backed away more easily than she expected.
Instead of pressing further, Taejun wrapped something around her neck.
“Wear this.”
So this was what he’d meant when he said he was stepping out for a moment.
As he wrapped the muffler around her neck, it felt as if she were in his arms again.
His faint scent, the smell of mint, created that illusion.
Taejun spoke as he tied the knot on the muffler.
“I don’t want to give you this, but if I don’t, things will get awkward for you, Heo Jian.”
“Thank you.”
Jian said, quietly meeting his gaze.
Come to think of it, her time with Taejun hadn’t been filled with only the worst moments.
Very occasionally, there were moments when she felt fortunate to have him.
This was especially true of matters related to her grandmother.
The most vivid memory was the day her grandmother passed away.
Letting go of her only remaining family member was not an easy thing.
Jian had forgotten her duty to greet the mourners and had simply sobbed uncontrollably.
It reached a point where she eventually collapsed.
The one who took her place and carefully saw to her grandmother’s final journey was Taejun.
Thanks to him, many people were there to see her grandmother off,
and based on her grandmother’s last wish to rest in a sunny place, her ashes were interred in a correspondingly good location.
Jian still hadn’t forgotten her gratitude from that day.
‘Right, he’s not an entirely bad person.’
Even if she told him Seol-ah was his child, he would surely see the test results she already had and refuse to believe her, so it seemed difficult to tell him now.
Even if she were to reveal it, it seemed better to wait until some time had passed.
Besides, Jian didn't want her child to grow up in that hellish place.
So, in a way, it might be better to let him misunderstand that Seol-ah was not his flesh and blood.
Because even if she couldn't, she could at least let Seol-ah grow up freely somewhere other than that hell.
However, she needed time to make Seol-ah understand that she would suddenly have to live apart from her mother.
It seemed best to start by asking Taejun to let her take the child back to Korea and look after her, at least for a little while.
Jian grabbed the edge of Taejun’s sleeve.
“Mr. Taejun, I have something to say.”
“Say it.”
“I’ll get on the plane in a week, just as you said.”
Taejun kissed the inside of her wrist and replied nonchalantly.
“Wasn’t that already decided?”
“But let me take the child with me.”
The moment Jian’s words ended, Taejun’s gaze turned murderous.
She flinched slightly at his look but didn’t stop what she had to say.
“And give me time.”
“Time for what.”
“A few years, no, even just a few months would be fine. I need time to make Seol-ah understand that she has to live apart from her mother. Please.”
As soon as she finished, Taejun let out a low growl.
“Have you forgotten what I said, or are you trying to defy me?”
“Mr. Taejun.”
“Do you not know the meaning of the word ‘settle’?”
He seemed to have no intention of listening to her, grabbing her shoulders firmly as he added.
“Don’t even dream of bringing the spawn of that other bastard you were sleeping with into my house.”
“I’m not asking you to play the role of a father, Mr. Taejun.”
A sharp pain twinged in her shoulders where he held her, but Jian spoke resolutely.
“She’s still young. And because she’s young, she needs time to understand that she has to be separated from her mother.”
“Isn’t she old enough to do everything?”
“Ha, Mr. Taejun, what does that even…”
“And what can’t she do?”
At his utterly unreasonable words, Jian bit her lower lip hard.
The mere thought of having to be torn away from her precious child right now was enough to bring her to tears,
and this was the conclusion she had barely managed to reach against Taejun’s relentless intention to separate them,
“No, just send her to her father. Why make things so complicated?”
Whether he knew how she felt or not, Taejun just kept saying what he wanted.
It was just as Jian was about to add something else.
“She’s Lee Kang-jae’s kid, isn’t she? Am I wrong?”
“Why suddenly that name…”
Jian frowned at the name that came from Taejun’s lips.
As Taejun watched Jian’s puzzled expression, wondering how he knew Kang Jae, he let out a sneer.
“I’ll turn a blind eye to you bringing her into Korea. But once you’re there, send her away.”
Taejun murmured in a low voice.
His demeanor was like the final warning of a predator.
“Or are you planning to use this as an excuse to run away again?”
At his actions, Jian had no choice but to cower like prey.
“…ma. Where are you?”
Just as voices were about to be raised, a child’s voice was heard.
“Mommy.”
Jian pushed Taejun away and left the bathroom.
As she stepped out, the sun was just beginning to rise, and the child was already awake.
“Mom!”
Upon spotting her mother, Seol-ah beamed with joy and spread her arms wide.
Jian went to Seol-ah, hugged her, and patted her on the back.
“Seol-ah. You could have slept more.”
“Mmm, I’m not sleepy anymore.”
The child snuggled into Jian’s embrace and shook her head.
Jian gently stroked the child’s head and back.
It felt as if the child had grown thinner overnight.
“You were in a lot of pain, weren’t you, my Seol-ah.”
“Mm, a little. But I’m okay now.”
Seol-ah rested her chin on her mother’s chest and smiled brightly.
Even watching her smiling child, Jian’s heart was far from at ease.
While she was worried about her child being sick, the conversation she just had with Taejun also weighed heavily on her mind.
“Oh, it’s the Mister.”
After a while of being coddled in Jian’s arms, Seol-ah suddenly pointed somewhere and spoke.
At the end of the direction the child pointed, Taejun stood, having come out of the bathroom.
Jian glanced at his expression.
The furrow in his brow was deep, as if his anger from their earlier conversation had yet to subside.
“Hello, Mister.”
Seol-ah slipped out of Jian’s arms, placed her hands on her belly, and greeted Taejun.
The word ‘Mister’ from the child’s lips landed like a stone in Jian’s heart.
“You look fine.”
Taejun said nonchalantly, tilting his head.
Jian stroked her child’s hair and said.
“Seol-ah. The Mister brought you all the way here in the dark of night. What should we say at a time like this?”
“I have to say thank you! Mister! Mister! Thank you for bringing Seol-ah and Mom here.”
The child once again placed her hands on her belly and bowed her head deeply.
She bowed so low that her head nearly touched the blanket.
Watching Seol-ah’s actions, Taejun let out a smirk.
Then he quietly approached Jian’s side and spoke in a low voice.
“She does have a side that resembles Heo Jian.”
His expression seemed to have softened considerably.
Should she consider this a relief? In the end, it felt like no progress had been made, and Jian’s heart was heavy.
Jian straightened Seol-ah’s clothes a little and said.
“Seol-ah, you’ll only be in the hospital for today.”
“Does that mean I can’t go to kindergarten?”
“Yes, the doctor is going to check if our Seol-ah is hurt anywhere. Our Seol-ah can be brave for the check-up, right?”
“Yes.”
Seol-ah answered in a tiny voice.
It seemed she was afraid of being in the hospital in case it hurt, but she didn't want to say it out loud.
“Mom, will you be by my side?”
“I’m sorry, Seol-ah. I think Mom has to go to Grace, what should I do?”
At the mention of Jian leaving, Seol-ah’s eyes could be seen trembling.
But the child soon spoke up.
“Mom, I’ll meet the doctor by myself.”
Seol-ah replied with a bright smile.
Seeing her child like this made Jian’s heart ache.
Jian said she was sorry and stroked Seol-ah’s head.
Then she checked the time, estimated when she needed to be back at Grace, and said.
“But I’ll watch our Seol-ah eat before I go.”
“Okay!”
However, she found herself in a situation where she couldn’t even keep that promise.
“What do you mean the hot water is suddenly acting up, Sherry.”
“I know, the hot water suddenly isn't working. Jian, are you at the hospital with Seol-ah now?”
A sudden phone call from Sherry at Grace had put her in a difficult position.
Jian, who had stepped out of the room to take the call, was flustered by the unexpected news of a problem at Grace.
Afraid of worrying Seol-ah, she couldn’t even raise her voice and continued the call quietly.
“Alright. Call someone first, and I’ll be there soon too.”
After hanging up, Jian called a plumbing company and explained the situation.
But her current position, unable to check the situation herself, was frustrating.
Just then, Taejun, who was opening the hospital room door to come out, said.
“Go.”
“Mr. Taejun?”
“I can stay here, can’t I?”
Author: Donggeurami (Son Yoon-seo)
Publisher: Toonplus
Email: [email protected]
ISBN: 9791157738274
© Donggeurami (Son Yoon-seo), 2022
※ This e-book is published by <Toonplus> under contract with the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited. Violators may be held legally responsible.
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