He couldn't believe it.
The girl, who had been seducing him the whole time, actually literally fell asleep. His face burned as he recalled how he took her words the way he did. She might have been playing with him, but it was his fault for reading too much into a young girl's innocent invitation.
It certainly felt wonderful to be so trusted by her, but a part of him—a part that he had tried his d*mnest to beat and chase away and tear apart—felt slightly disappointed.
He gazed down at her sleeping figure, a sense of tenderness growing in his heart.
It was obvious that the girl had been exhausted. Being an actress was tough, especially since the girl never said no to any work that came her way. She could have just taken it easy and relied on her face, but Lee Yeo Ri was no empty vase. She had talent and not once had she wasted her opportunities. Of course, her recent hobbies played into her exhaustion as well, but he was not keen to acknowledge it.
She looked so small, all curled up like this, he thought. The sweet sight almost made him forget how numb his arm felt after two hours of being used as her pillow.
He struggled internally for some time, and finally decided to say f*ck it and hugged her closer. He breathed in her scent, placing a kiss on the crown of her head in the same way he had seen Lee Gun do it to her, and at that moment, he felt like a successful fan.
There were no words to explain how contented he felt.
All the jostling seemed to have awakened the girl as her eyelashes trembled. Soon enough, her eyes slowly opened.
"Ah... Sorry." Noticing her consciousness, he pulled his arm away and tried to create some distance between them.
Yeo Ri stared at him briefly before cuddling up to him again, mewling drowsily, as though she was unhappy that her living hot water bottle was running away from her.
Kwon Tae Yang felt as though he might get a heart attack from her cuteness.
"Miss, it's getting late. I should go now."
"Mm..."
Yeo Ri got up slowly.
She was surprised by how comfortable she was with Secretary Kwon. As expected... she wanted him.
"Secretary Kwon—no, Kwon Tae Yang," Yeo Ri smiled as she addressed him, "I'm pleased with you. Can't you be mine?"
Kwon Tae Yang had to pause for a moment to steady himself. Certainly her words were not as suggestive as he thought, again?
"Can't you resign from that man's office and stay by my side?"
Ah. There it is. Kwon Tae Yang mentally patted himself for not misunderstanding her words again.
He pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't." It hurt to say it, but it was the truth.
"Why not? I'm getting more jobs now. I can afford to pay your salary too!"
"It's not that, miss... It's..." His words trailed off as he hesitated.
"What?"
"Miss, the reason why I was able to protect and assist you all this time was because of your fa—because of Mr. Heo's support. Without his resources, the things I can do for you is limited."
Yeo Ri pursed her lips in exasperation. Again! It was him again!
—But he was right.
She desired Kwon Tae Yang simply because he knew how to make things happen for her.
Paying off grunts to do dirty work, finding people's information, the safehouse, bribing the right people to turn a blind eye to her activities, keeping her life private from the public... All of this was made possible thanks to Heo Woo Seung. He was powerful; his connections and resources were valuable and plentiful. It would be dumb for her to throw it all away just because she didn't like the man.
Yeo Ri begrudgingly accepted his logical refusal.
"Fine. Report to him all you want." She harrumphed, turning away from the older man.
"Wait, miss—" Kwon Tae Yang reached out and held her back. "I—"
Yeo Ri stopped in her tracks, looking at him with a discontented pout.
"I'm on your side. I will do anything for you. It's just that, alone, I'm powerless. Please, miss, even if you don't like it, won't you please open your heart to him, even just a little bit?"
Her frown deepened, but the girl nodded. "Fine," she said. "I'll... try."
Kwon Tae Yang broke into a relieved smile. Finally, the girl promised she would give her birth father a chance. Mr. Heo would surely be happy to hear the news.
—Maybe it was high time for him to bring up the DNA testing?