enjoyebooks Chapter 125 I Love You
Chapter 125 I Love You
"What?"
Lin Yuan asked, puzzled.
"What's going on here?"
Bae Joo-hyun touched his collarbone with her finger, where a woman's lip print could be faintly seen.
Lin Yuan followed the finger's gaze, and his pupils shrank dramatically the next second.
"Hehe, it must have been Mieko who accidentally printed it on."
As he explained, he tried to button up his collar to cover the damn mark.
Seeing Bae Joo-hyun frowning in thought, Lin Yuan, fearing she might have figured out the correct answer, walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Nuna, don't even think about it. You can trust my character!"
After saying that, he pushed Bae Joo-hyun forward.
After walking for a while, the two found an empty bench and sat down.
Lin Yuan unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and handed it over, "Nuna, here you go."
Bae Joo-hyun reached out and took a small sip, then handed it back.
Lin Yuan didn't pay attention and was about to screw the cap on when a slender, fair hand stopped him.
Then, Bae Joo-hyun's soft voice came through: "Aren't you thirsty?"
Lin Yuan was taken aback. He looked at Bae Joo-hyun, then at the bottled water in his hand, and asked in confusion, "What does Noona mean?"
Bae Joo-hyun nodded.
"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
He looked down at the half-lipstick mark on the bottle neck, where Nuna had just touched it; it was still wet.
Bae Joo-hyun looked at him quietly, a cold, all-knowing glint in her eyes.
She didn't speak immediately, but let the silence spread between them, and the sense of oppression increased exponentially.
"Lin Yuan," Bae Joo-hyun slowly withdrew her hand, her fingertips gently tracing the hem of her clothes, her voice calm yet firm, "Miss Mieko just gave birth, right?"
Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and his grip on the water bottle tightened unconsciously. He forced a smile and said, "Ah...yes, why did you suddenly bring this up?"
"As far as I know, mothers who have just given birth generally don't wear lipstick for the sake of their baby's health."
Bae Joo-hyun turned her head slightly, her gaze fixed on his face, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Not to mention, the color on your collarbone is pinkish."
Lin Yuan's breath hitched, and it felt as if his throat was stuffed with cotton, so he couldn't utter a single word.
"So..." Bae Joo-hyun leaned forward slightly, closing the distance, her breath, carrying a faint fragrance, brushing against his cheek, her voice cold, "Whose hickeys are these on you?"
Lin Yuan's heart tightened, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He hadn't expected Bae Joo-hyun to guess so accurately.
This is going to be difficult!
But there are no other reasons at the moment, so do we have no choice but to tell the truth?
He racked his brains trying to come up with a plausible reason, his mind racing, secretly blaming Bae Soo-ji for insisting on leaving a trace.
Well, now look what happened, we got caught red-handed.
No! Although I have feelings for Bae Joo-hyun, we haven't officially started dating yet, so what am I afraid of?
Yeah! I shouldn't be afraid at all!
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan's earlier panic instantly turned into a strong and resolute demeanor.
He grasped Bae Joo-hyun's hand and said naturally, "Noona, this is Lee Ji-eun's hickey."
"What?"
Bae Joo-hyun was taken aback.
She scratched her ear, afraid she had misheard, and asked again, "Who did you say did it?"
"Lee Ji-eun!"
"Lee Ji-eun?"
Lin Yuan nodded.
Upon hearing Lee Ji-eun's name, Bae Joo-hyun's mind went blank.
She withdrew her hand and got up to leave.
Lin Yuan grabbed her wrist and asked, "Nuna, where are you going? The car is parked over there."
To his surprise, Bae Joo-hyun shoved his hand away, her tone full of disgust, "Don't touch me, you're dirty!"
She turned around and stared intently at Lin Yuan, her face filled with anger:
"Lin Yuan, I really misjudged you. You're already engaged and even have a child, yet you're still cheating on me. How can you face Miss Mieko and your newborn child?"
Lin Yuan was completely bewildered by the scolding.
What are you talking about? How can a hickey cause so much trouble?
Besides, you say I'm messing around, so what's going on between us now?
Is it possible that there are still innocent men and women in this world who meet up for a walk by the river at night and even hug and kiss?
However, he only dared to think these words. If he were to actually say them, he would probably get a slap in the face, after all, Nuna has a very explosive temper.
I still vividly remember that slap; just thinking about it makes my face burn with pain.
"Nuna, aren't you overthinking this? Mieko knows about this."
"What?"
Bae Joo-hyun was stunned by those words, and spoke haltingly, "You...you mean Miss Mieko knows?"
She couldn't believe that a woman could accept her man having an affair; it was just too outrageous!
But she was completely unaware that her own actions were no different.
"So, both Lee Ji-eun and Mieko have agreed?"
After Bae Joo-hyun asked that question, for some reason, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, and the love that had been buried in her heart for so long suddenly surged forth.
Could it be... that I also have a chance to join?
Ugh, Bae Joo-hyun, what are you thinking? This kind of thing is illegal! Have you no shame?
Bae Joo-hyun's face flushed red and then paled, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her heart churning with turmoil.
She was terrified by her own absurd thought.
I'm insane! I'm absolutely insane! How could I have such an absurd and even immoral idea just because of one sentence from Lin Yuan?
Bae Joo-hyun stood there, her expression shifting between happiness and disappointment, a variety of emotions on her face. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was performing a face-changing act.
Lin Yuan just watched with amusement, not stopping them. If it weren't for the poor visibility around them, he would have liked to record this wonderful scene and bring it out to tease this Nuna someday.
After an unknown amount of time, passersby began to head home, and only the sound of the rushing river remained in the surrounding area.
After some mental effort, Bae Joo-hyun finally came to her senses.
To her surprise, when she looked up, she saw Lin Yuan smiling at her. Clearly, he had seen everything that had just happened. Bae Joo-hyun was so embarrassed that she wanted to dig her toes into the ground and disappear.
She asked coquettishly, "Hey! What are you looking at? If you dare tell anyone about what happened today, you're dead, you know that?!"
Lin Yuan shrugged indifferently. "Huh? What is Nuna talking about? How come I don't know? I only saw a cabbage dancing with its facial features, I didn't see anything else."
As soon as he finished speaking, he took off running, asking as he went, "Nuna, can you teach me this special skill? Hahaha~"
Bae Joo-hyun could easily understand his sarcasm; her heart raced and her blood surged. She kicked off and chased after him.
"Hey! You stop right there! Who are you calling a cabbage? Who's dancing with their facial features?! You stop right there, you idiot!"
"Haha~ Whoever agrees gets to keep their word!"
Bae Joo-hyun chased after her, panting heavily, her high heels clicking rapidly on the cobblestone pavement.
A river breeze blew in her face, making her carefully styled long hair a little messy, but it couldn't hide the blush that wouldn't fade from her face.
"Lin Yuan! You're dead! When I catch you, I'll sew your mouth shut!"
She uttered harsh words as she lifted her skirt and hurried after him.
The usually aloof and elegant "South Korean goddess" on stage is now like a little girl who has been snatched away from her candy and is furious.
Lin Yuan knew his limits and didn't dare to run at full speed, always keeping a distance of more than ten meters from her.
Hearing the angry curses behind him, he turned around, jogged backwards, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Nuna, keep up this level of exercise, and the president will definitely praise you for managing your figure well when you go back to the company tomorrow. You're welcome, it's what I should do!"
"Damn it... How dare you say that!" Bae Joo-hyun stomped her feet in anger.
She was running too fast, and her footing gave way, causing her to sway violently. She couldn't help but let out a gasp.
Lin Yuan's expression changed, and his smile vanished instantly.
He stopped almost instantly and ran towards Bae Joo-hyun. Just as she was about to lose her balance, he grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.
The wind along the river seemed to stand still at that moment.
Bae Joo-hyun's nose bumped against Lin Yuan's firm chest, and a faint scent of men's cologne wafted towards her.
She clutched Lin Yuan's clothes, still shaken, panting heavily. Her heart suddenly raced; she couldn't tell if it was from the strenuous exercise or from the close proximity they were now at.
Lin Yuan supported her waist steadily with one hand, looking down at the person in his arms, his voice tinged with a hint of anxiety: "Are you alright? Did you twist your ankle?"
Bae Joo-hyun didn't say anything, but buried her head in his arms, her ears turning so red they were almost dripping with water.
After a while, she reached out and pushed Lin Yuan's chest in a somewhat petulant manner, but the force was so light that it sounded like she was being coquettish.
"Let go, you're filthy."
Her voice was muffled, making it impossible to tell whether she was genuinely disgusted or trying to hide her embarrassment.
Seeing that she could still talk back, Lin Yuan knew she wasn't injured, and his anxiety finally subsided.
Instead of letting go, he deliberately tightened his grip, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Who was just thinking, 'Would I have a chance to join too?' Isn't it a bit late to complain about being dirty now, Nuna?"
These words were like a fire, instantly igniting the shame that Bae Joo-hyun had managed to suppress.
"You... what nonsense are you talking about!"
Bae Joo-hyun abruptly raised her head, her eyes wide, her face filled with the panic of someone having seen through her thoughts. "I wasn't thinking anything weird! Don't flatter yourself!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly, gradually approaching, a playful smile on his lips.
"Was that person performing a skit, changing their expression faster than turning the pages of a book, by sighing and biting their nails all the time?"
Bae Joo-hyun felt uneasy under his gaze, as if she had been frozen in place.
The "Nuna" authority that had been painstakingly built up crumbled completely under his white and scorching gaze.
She simply turned her head away from him, stubbornly muttering:
"Anyway...anyway, you're just a womanizer. Not only did you deceive Miss Mieko, but you also...and now you're messing with me, you bad guy."
Towards the end, her tone revealed a hint of grievance that she herself was unaware of.
Lin Yuan felt a slight softening in his heart when he saw her like this.
He wiped the smile from his face and sighed, "Nuna, things aren't always as you think. I admit I'm not a good person, but for you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Bae Joo-hyun suddenly reached out a hand and gently covered his mouth.
"Stop talking."
Bae Joo-hyun turned to look at him, the panic and anger in her eyes had faded, replaced by a hint of coldness and gentleness.
She glanced at the faint marks on Lin Yuan's collarbone and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Lin Yuan, don't try to fool me. I'm not crazy enough to share a relationship with someone else."
She gently broke free from Lin Yuan's embrace, and this time, Lin Yuan did not try to keep her.
Bae Joo-hyun took two steps back and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and hair.
When she looked up again, she was once again the elegant and composed leader of Red Velvet on screen.
"Let's go, take me home."
She turned and walked towards the parking lot, her steps steady, but her clenched fists betrayed her inner turmoil.
Lin Yuan stood there, looking at her slender yet upright back, and helplessly scratched his hair.
"What a proud and aloof cabbage..."
He muttered something to himself, then quickly followed.
The river breeze continued to blow, and the lamplight cast long, long shadows of the two people, intertwining and then separating as they moved.
.....
Half an hour later, the car stopped downstairs at the apartment building.
The car was still running, and the doors were not open.
Lin Yuan and Bae Joo-hyun sat quietly in the car, with soothing music playing on the radio.
"Nuna, I..."
"Xiao Yuan!"
Bae Joo-hyun interrupted him, turning to look at Lin Yuan with a complicated expression. "I don't know what to do! I was the one who met you first; I'm the one who was set up with you."
"But what happened? I wasn't your girlfriend, I wasn't even a mistress."
She paused, a self-deprecating smile playing on her lips: "I use the identity you gave me, and I use the resources that come with it with a clear conscience every day."
As Bae Joo-hyun spoke, she burst into tears. She looked up at Lin Yuan with a complicated expression: "Xiao Yuan, I don't know what to do! I clearly have feelings for you, and I clearly want to take things further with you."
But it seems even fate had no intention of granting our wish, separating us firmly with an unfathomable chasm.
After listening, Lin Yuan sighed helplessly, reached out and ruffled Bae Joo-hyun's hair, then hugged her tightly in his arms.
"Xiao Yuan, Nuna loves you! Nuna really loves you!"
Bae Joo-hyun cried loudly, burying her head deeply in Lin Yuan's neck.
"I know! I know everything!"
Lin Yuan gently comforted her, patting her back with both hands, trying to offer some solace.
He knew that Bae Joo-hyun had feelings for him; otherwise, why would Bae Joo-hyun, who was always known as the "Iron-Armed Woman," let him drink her water without any hesitation?
Furthermore, if she really didn't like me, she wouldn't have gotten so angry that she slapped me in the private kitchen last time.
Lin Yuan understood what she meant, which is why he stood behind her the whole time.
Otherwise, given Kim Min-young's capitalist mindset, she would probably suppress Bae Joo-hyun immediately after learning of his engagement, as a way to vent her anger.