When I opened my eyes slowly, it was morning. Seemingly, after knowing the truth last night and feeling deep sorrow, I fell asleep without realizing it.
However, after fully recovering my consciousness, I quickly realized that I was currently in someone's arm. Without thinking any longer, I immediately turned around and shifted back a little.
A second after seeing someone slept beside me, I was shocked and got up immediately.
That person was Daehyun, and it looked like that he woke up when he heard my gasp in surprise. His eyelids twitched, then he slowly opened his eyes. "Chunghee ..."
I froze instantly with my mouth slightly open. I barely even heard a word from him just now.
In this situation, I couldn't feel my body, and it was as if my blood had stopped flowing at once. This was completely beyond my expectations.
In contrast to me, from his face, Daehyun wasn't surprised at all and could still look calm, as if lying next to someone else when he fell asleep and hugging him were a natural thing. He got up, then looked at me with sleepy eyes slightly flushed.
"What's wrong?" he asked and yawned lazily. "Feeling better now?"
When my senses returned, I asked hoarsely, "Why are you sleeping here?"
More precisely was ... why you hugged me while you were asleep? Yet, my lips asked a different question.
Daehyun let out a languid sigh. He massaged his temples and spoke, "Last night, I was very dizzy, so I ended up in this bed without knowing it. I had to sip many offers of wine. My father can't drink too much, so for not disappointing or offending the investors and his colleagues with a refusal, then I had to do it for him," paused for a moment, he continued, "I'm sorry. I'm really drunk—"
Before finishing his sentence, he gasped suddenly. One hand covered his mouth and the other touched his stomach. He then got up and went to the toilet in a hurry.
From the outside, I could hear Daehyun vomiting something up a few times, and it confirmed that he was truly drunk all night. Feeling worried, I walked into the toilet to check his condition.
"Daehyun, are you okay?" while saying, I touched his arm gently.
He coughed, then raised his hand and waved weakly, "I'm fine. Don't worry." Afterward, he leaned weakly against the wall. "It's a risk for someone who can't stand alcohol like me, right?"
He smiled strangely and wiped his wet lips, then stood up slowly.
"All right, let's go back." he walked out, followed by me, then grabbed his suit which was on the bed while asking, "Chunghee, can you drive?"
I nodded slowly.
"Then I want you to drive me to my house," while saying, he threw the car key at me and I immediately grabbed it frantically. He continued, "I can't possibly drive a car like this, right?
I didn't refuse and didn't comment anything, besides agreeing with his statement. Seeing his chaotic condition, that was obvious — it didn't allow him to drive. If he didn't have breakdown problems, then it would get him into trouble with the police if he kept forcing himself to drive.
In the driver's seat, I gripped the steering wheel tightly. There was a feeling of nervousness as someone who had quit driving for a long time. But now, I had to drive a Young Master home.
In the years since I quit driving, my dubious skill needed another test.
However, because I had no other choice, I ventured to drive the car very carefully. I pulled gears, turned the car, then drove with sufficient caution.
On our way, there was a long silence between us, till Daehyun spoke, "Chunghee, where are you taking me at?" Daehyun's voice broke the silence.
I answered, "Isn't it to your house?"
"Yes, my house, not my apartment. This road leads to my apartment."
I felt annoyed but I tried to stay calm. "Why didn't you explain it from the start ... you made me have to turn the car back."
"Isn't the word 'house' self-explanatory?"
I knew that he was teasing me, so I could only sigh heavily without giving a response.
A few minutes later, we arrived at a mansion with a large courtyard. I parked the car and we immediately got out of the car.
At the gate, two big black men stood proudly. Their cautious demeanor turned into a very familiar friendliness. They smiled to greet their Young Master with great elegance.
This house was very spacious. Even if the yard was compared to a soccer field, it was almost as wide. This family residence was completely beyond my senses. I never thought that a place like this would truly exist in the real world.
In this large courtyard, there were many familiar, soothing white flowers along the road, leading to the main door. I was amazed, "Does your family really like Jasmine and Gardenia? Your yard is so beautiful."
Hearing those words, the water on Daehyun's face immediately turned cold, he smiled blankly, "It's just ... as an encouragement ... this house's very gloomy every day, so my dad asked someone to plant them."
Seeing his expression and his speech that suddenly changed, convinced me that there was something more painful than what he said, so I chose to remain silent and didn't ask any further.
But, he suddenly asked, "Do you like Jasmine?"
I nodded slowly. "I like all kinds of flowers. One of them is Jasmine."
"Me too. We also planted Azaleas in the backyard and some Roses. I'll show you."
When he pulled my hand to look at the flowers, I didn't move an inch. I was stunned for a second, then said, "Daehyun, I have to go back now. There's a lot of work that's waiting for me at my place."
"But you're already here, how can you refuse the kind offer of this friendly owner of this house?" he frowned and spoke persistently, "You should also consider yourself as the lucky one because you can visit the Kim Family House and see their flower collections."
I didn't give any response.
"Okay, I'll take it as approval." he pulled me to follow him, and I obliged resignedly.
In his backyard, there were lots of flowers. However, only the fragrance from Gardenia was dominated. All of them had the same color as white, and that was a little strange but the beauty couldn't be disguised.
I walked slowly, looking at the flowers in amazement. It was a beauty that couldn't make anyone lied to themselves. Everything was soothing as if all wounds were muffled by the peace that existed in this place.
"That's my beloved white Jasmine."
A deep, familiar voice was suddenly heard. I immediately turned around and saw a middle-aged man smiling at me warmly.
He came over and picked one of Jasmine. "It's unusual for Daehyun to bring someone to this house. You must have known each other for a long time. Am I wrong?"
"Um, no, you're not, sir. We've known each other for a long time." I said in politeness to honor him.
"Then, you'd better stay here for breakfast."
"Sure. He'll stay here for breakfast." Daehyun hurriedly interrupted with great enthusiasm
Mr. Kim Myungdae immediately smiled, his face showing an agreement.
Meanwhile, I could only accept this offer with fortitude on my face. I would insult this family, because if I said a refusal, it would embarrass me for life.
A few moments later, Daehyun asked me to come inside to clean my body first.
In Daehyun's bedroom, a tall man entered. He smiled faintly but elegantly, and put the suit on the bed while saying politely, "Young Master, I have chosen the best suit for you and Mr. Park."
I gasped in shock to hear the man's words.
"For me? No, no, no need. I can wear mine," I spoke frantically.
Daehyun just gave a nod.
The tall man looked at me for a moment, then immediately left.
"Daehyun, I don't want to wear this suit." I clenched my fists tightly and showed a clear sense of unwillingness.
Daehyun sighed in disappointment. "You have to wear it. You can't possibly go to the company with this dirty suit. Later, you can throw it away if you want."
I could barely say anything after hearing Daehyun said his words — those words suited him.
Paused for a minute, I replied, "All right — fine. I'll wear it, but I'll return it to you afterward. If it needs to be thrown away, then you should do it — not me."
Daehyun just showed a smile.
After showering, I went downstairs and waited for Daehyun in the main room for a while before he came downstairs, then we had breakfast with Mr. Kim.
At the dining table, their conversation was only about the world of business. However, sometimes a little humor tucked into their conversation and dissolved the atmosphere. Meanwhile, I just spent a lot of time in silence and answered when a question was asked of me.
After breakfast, Daehyun and I immediately headed to work and had activities as busy as ever.
I was ecstatic today. It was because I could forget the pain a bit after knowing a bitter truth last night, that I had suspected beforehand. Even if it was only a moment, I could still be grateful that I could breathe more comfortably before returning to feel that sadness when I got home.