A Madman in Love-Chapter 68

"I'm not calling you Oppa because you're not."

"Why not?"

Jaehee glared at her, as if he truly couldn’t comprehend.

He wasn’t a three-year-old—why did it feel like they were speaking different languages?

"There’s no reason for me to call you Oppa. Besides, your birthday is three months later than mine."

"And?"

"If we’re going by birthdays, I should be the older one."

"Then call yourself Noona."

Ah.

A sharp pain shot through the back of her head.

This childish argument was bad for Suin’s mental health.

She seriously wondered if Seo Jaehee was going to shorten her lifespan.

"I will now take my leave, Director."

For the sake of self-preservation, Suin decided to end this ridiculous power struggle.

With a polite bow to formally declare the conversation over, she turned and headed toward the subway station.

But then—

"Noona!"

He suddenly shouted loudly.

Suin flinched, horrified, and picked up her pace as if she hadn’t heard him.

Yet, this immature brat only doubled down.

"Suin Noona!"

Ugh.

This was mortifying.

Her face burned red as she practically sprinted away.

Jaehee, with his long legs, caught up with ease, raising his voice even more.

"Noona! You have to take me with you!"

Disgusting. Absolutely unbearable.

***

Late at night—the time when thoughts deepened.

Woo Ilhwa downed a glass of golden whiskey.

She savored the sharp bitterness that tingled her tongue before swallowing it down in one go.

"Hah."

Leaning back into the sofa, she closed her eyes.

The alcohol seeped deep into her body, warming the cold blood in her veins.

The tangled mess in her head, burning with tension, slowly unraveled.

And then—an interruption.

Knock, knock.

With a polite knock, Vice Chairman Kim Seoncheol entered, led by her manager.

Woo Ilhwa straightened her posture, greeting him with her usual composed air.

"I came because there's something important to discuss."

"How did you know I was here? Are you keeping tabs on me?"

"I heard long ago that our Chairwoman enjoys a drink before heading home."

Kim Seoncheol answered openly, flashing a knowing look.

His expression carried the unspoken message: You’re no different from me.

She was.

"What is it you wish to discuss?"

"I heard from my wife that you rejected Minister Kim Jungcheol’s daughter's matchmaking proposal for Jaehee."

"Yes, I did."

Woo Ilhwa remained poised.

It was the same strategy she always used when dealing with this man, whose ambition slithered like a snake—never letting him find an opening to look down on her.

"That’s quite disappointing. A real shame."

Kim Seoncheol made no effort to hide his greed.

"Which is why I came to ask—was it because of the woman Jaehee is seeing?"

He placed a small envelope on the table.

"As if you don’t even know she exists."

***

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Screech—

Jaehee brought the car to a stop a good distance away from Café Lime, just as Suin had requested. Then, from the driver’s seat, he turned to look at her, still fast asleep in the passenger seat.

No matter how much he looked, he could never get enough of her.

She had been dozing off like a sleepy kitten since they left the hotel, her eyelids fluttering, until she finally drifted into a deep slumber.

It made sense.

He had practically abducted her to the hotel, forcing her to surrender completely.

Brutal?

She had brought this upon herself.

After such a heated weekend together, she had completely neglected him for the past few days.

Because of that, his pent-up desire had no choice but to explode.

And who could blame him?

Just looking at her made him lose his mind.

Even as she slept, with her heavy head tilted slightly to the side, she was unbearably lovable.

"Lee Suin."

Jaehee lowered his lips to hers.

"Didn’t you say you needed to be home by midnight?"

He whispered softly, pressing a kiss to her lips like a fairytale prince waking his sleeping princess.

The gentle intrusion of his warm, honeyed tongue made Suin stir, her eyes fluttering open slightly.

A soft, wet sound echoed between them.

Feeling the faint brush of lips parting, she murmured groggily,

"Are we here?"

"Yeah."

He answered her properly, watching her unfocused eyes as she blinked sleepily at him.

A hazy smile curled at her lips.

With a small smirk of her own, she leaned in just before he could pull away, capturing his lips once more.

Smack.

Playfully, she flicked her tongue out, teasing against his lips before slipping it into his mouth.

Jaehee let out a low chuckle, indulging in her kiss, sucking on her tongue gently before releasing her.

With that, Suin stepped out of the car.

"Get home safe."

"Sleep well."

Jaehee didn’t start the car right away, watching as she walked toward her house.

She gave him a small nod in acknowledgment before turning away.

It was past midnight.

The alleyway was dark, but she felt secure.

The warmth coiled deep within her chest refused to dissipate.

At least, until she stepped inside the house.

"I see your mother doesn't even cross your mind anymore."

A voice, cold as steel, cut through the dimly lit living room.

Suin froze in place.

Jin Sukyung was seated in the darkness, the lights off, waiting for her.

"Even after I caught you like that, you still stayed out with Jaehee until this hour?"

"Mom…"

"You didn’t even stop to consider how I might be feeling, did you?"

Her mother’s hands trembled with suppressed fury as she clenched them into fists.

"So that whole performance at the café was just for show?"

"That’s a misunderstanding, Mom."

"A misunderstanding?"

Jin Sukyung’s voice trembled, her fist pounding against her knee.

"Kissing him openly in the street was a misunderstanding?"

She was so furious she felt like striking her own daughter.

"What if the Chairwoman had been at the café? What if she saw?!"

Her voice cracked into a shout, before breaking down into a shaky sigh.

"What… were you thinking?"

To her, this situation was unthinkable. Unforgivable.

A romance between her daughter and Seo Jaehee?

"I thought your overnight trips were because of work, that you were busy. That’s what it’s always been."

Her voice wavered.

"But that wasn’t it, was it? You were with Jaehee on the weekend too, weren’t you?"

"…Yeah."

Suin admitted it.

She didn’t want to make things worse by lying.

But her mother—her mother must have been hoping she would lie.

Because the moment she confessed, Jin Sukyung’s face crumbled.

"H-How could you…? How could you lie to me so completely…?"

"Mom, I’m sorry."

Even in the dimly lit space, her mother’s piercing glare was unbearable.

She couldn’t meet her eyes. She lowered her gaze.

"I let myself be blinded by a moment of happiness. I should have been more careful, but I wasn’t. I was careless, and I’m sorry."

"A moment of happiness?"

"Yeah."

Her mother’s words were sharp, but Suin’s voice remained steady.

If this was something she had to go through, she might as well be honest.

It was a mountain she had to cross.

"You don’t want this relationship, Mom. But I do. Not just a little—I want it a lot."

Her mother’s expression darkened further.

"The Chairwoman doesn’t know yet, does she?"

"No."

"And what will happen when she does find out? Do you have any idea how much we owe her? How much we’re indebted to her?"

"I know what you’re afraid of, Mom. But nothing like that will happen. Just… let me have this, for a little while."

"How can I ignore this?!"

Her mother’s voice rang out like a sharp blade, slicing straight into her chest.

"Do you think the Chairwoman will let this happen?"

Suin bit her lip.

"That family—they protect their heir like he’s made of gold. Do you think they’ll ever accept you? They could strip you of everything!"

A chill ran through her veins, as if blood was pouring out of a wound she couldn’t see.

It stung.

More than anything, it hurt.

"No matter how much you like Jaehee, you should’ve held back. If you wanted to date someone, you should have chosen an ordinary man! Why Jaehee of all people?! You’ll only end up hurt!"

Funny.

Along with the dull ache in her chest, a contradictory feeling surfaced.

"Mom… I’m not trying to be with him."

Ah.

I—

"I’m just dating him. Not thinking about the future. Just about now, today, and yesterday."

I—

"I have no intention of interfering with his brilliant future."

I love him.

"I’m just dreaming for a little while."

More than those emotions I once wrote down in my old diary—more than I ever realized—

"I know dreams don’t last forever."

Just saying it—just admitting that the inevitable was inevitable—made her throat close up.

Because predicting their breakup, acknowledging that their time together would end…

It was unbearable.

I love him.

"You can’t dream for long…"

Suin didn’t cry.

"So just let me have this."

The sob rose from deep inside her, but she forced it down.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

But at the same time, it felt good.

For once, she had voiced the feelings she had always tried to ignore, the ones she had never admitted to anyone.

It made her feel just a little lighter.

"Just think of it as me having a moment of indulgence."

And so, she smiled.

"That’s all I’m asking for."