A Forest flowing with Milk and Honey - Chapter 3.2
6:30 PM.
By the time Urim finished all the tests Taeo had ordered and completed the discharge process, it was already this late. The tests revealed nothing wrong. Taeo had called in the afternoon, growling about how weak she must be to collapse like that, but then lightened the mood by offering to buy her anything she wanted.
There was good news, too. Her grandfather’s condition had improved significantly. Chairman Baek had called her personally.
“Yes, Grandpa. I’ve been discharged. They said I’m fine. I’m sorry for making you worry over nothing.”
• You don’t collapse from a little fatigue. When I was your age, I was full of energy.
“I’m full of energy too! I can come see you right now and prove it!”
• It’s no good for young folks to hang around their old grandfathers too much. These days, you can talk on the phone, so don’t trouble yourself by visiting me so often.
“Grandpa, I want to see you! That’s why I visit.”
Chairman Baek didn’t keep the conversation long. He ended the call by telling her that taking care of her health was the best way to be filial.
Feeling much better, Urim stopped by a café before heading to the car. While she was afraid of sudden contact, it wasn’t like she had panic disorder or anything.
Her small face and long, slender limbs gave her an otherworldly appearance, drawing many stares. Ignoring the attention, she calmly placed her order.
“Order number 32! Your drinks are ready!”
Four drinks in total—one for her, one for the butler, and two for the bodyguards—were packed into a carrier. She felt a sense of accomplishment as she lifted the weight.
Kim, the butler, and the bodyguards, knowing Urim liked to handle these things herself, stepped back to watch her from a distance.
“Excuse me… wait a moment… How old are you?”
A woman approached Urim, giving her a quick once-over. Surprised by the bold gaze, Urim hesitated, and the woman quickly handed her a business card.
(HK Entertainment New Talent Development Team)
The woman had handed Urim a business card from an entertainment agency.
(Team Leader Park Ha-yoon)
The card indicated that the woman was the team leader of the New Talent Development Team at HK Entertainment.
As soon as the bodyguards standing behind Urim stepped closer, Ha-yoon’s eyes darted nervously, but she didn’t give up.
“I’m not a strange person, really… It’s just so hard to find someone with visuals like a student these days. You know Katie’s Remi, right? I discovered her too. If you could just give an audition a try…”
“Um, I’m actually twenty-four years old…”
“That’s okay! Actress Ahn So-jin is also with our agency! And right now, HK’s next-generation girl group lineup is almost confirmed, but we’re missing a visual member, and you’d fit perfectly…”
“I’m her guardian.”
A familiar scent filled the air as Taeo approached and positioned himself protectively in front of Urim, who was clearly uncomfortable.
“She’s not doing any of that, so save yourself the trouble and leave.”
The weight of his gaze, cold and dismissive, carried a heavy sense of authority. Ha-yoon, who had been desperately spilling confidential information to convince Urim, froze under Taeo’s intimidating presence. Even after seeing Urim’s bodyguards, she hadn’t backed down, but now her lips fell silent.
Taeo snatched the drinks from Urim’s hands and gently pulled her along by the hand. Strangely, no matter how sudden the contact, Urim never rejected Taeo’s touch. The warmth of his hand on hers was comforting.
“W-wait, just a moment…!”
Taeo swiftly walked away, placing Urim in the passenger seat and closing the door behind her. The bodyguards watched silently, seemingly permitting this odd form of “kidnapping,” and the car quickly drove away from the hospital.
“You came early.”
“I f—…”
Taeo was about to say, “I f—ing rushed here from work,” but he hesitated, catching sight of Urim’s innocent gaze. She tilted her head slightly, smiling, her playful expression glowing with beauty.
“F—?”
“…Baek Urim. Who taught you to use that word?”
Even though he had almost said it first, Taeo was genuinely shocked. Urim just laughed off his grumpy expression and calmly rummaged through the drink carrier.
“I have an Americano, caramel macchiato, and green tea latte. What would you like?”
Taeo glared at her, but Urim simply placed a drink with a straw already inserted into his hand.
“I’m driving.”
“The light’s red.”
Taeo frowned and, reluctantly, took a sip from the straw. The overly sweet caramel macchiato coated his tongue, making him grimace.
“It’s for an energy boost.”
Taeo spat the straw out and refused to drink any more. Urim, unfazed, took the same drink and sipped from it without a second thought.
“What are you doing?”
“I wanted to try it too.”
The little brat. Taeo ground his teeth, glaring at the road ahead. His expression suggested the car should have been rattling over rough terrain, but instead, it smoothly glided forward.
“By the way… are you really my guardian?”
“It was just something I said.”
Taeo’s voice held a gruff tone that discouraged further discussion, and Urim’s mood deflated slightly. Though she never feared his threats or rough language, she couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment this time. Sensing her crestfallen state, Taeo’s fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel, his attention shifting toward her well-being.
“How about we have dinner before heading back?”
The comforting tone he couldn’t suppress slipped out, and Urim immediately brightened.
“Just the two of us?”
“…Yeah.”
Though he hesitated for a moment, Taeo nodded.
“Ah, in that case… just a moment. I’ll look something up.”
Excited, Urim quickly opened her phone and began to search.
(Date restaurants)
Taeo’s face twisted into a frown as he caught a glimpse of the search terms.
Urim, her eyes gleaming with enthusiasm, scrolled through the results and finally found a place with a particularly charming lighting design.
“Let’s go here!”
Without saying a word, Taeo input the restaurant’s name into the navigation system.
After a delightful dinner with Taeo, Urim returned home in high spirits. The events of the previous night felt distant and hazy, as if they had been nothing more than a bad dream. She was so exhilarated that it took her a while to fall asleep, only managing to drift off after 2 a.m.
Sssk. Sssk.
A strange, soft sensation brushed against her cheek. Startled, Urim jolted awake.
“Ahh…!”
Kik.
The shadow that had frightened Urim the night before was back, now clearer than ever. Its form was more defined, revealing itself as a “Son-gaksi,” a sinister spirit. Its long, jet-black hair was brushing against Urim’s cheek.
Sssk. The damp, slick hair covered Urim’s mouth and nose like a suffocating blanket. The swirling shadow once again attempted to enter her body. But this time, Urim knew she had to avoid it before it took hold.
‘Please. Please…!’
Just as her trembling fingers began to lift, control of her body miraculously returned. She leaped from the bed and scrambled down the stairs, barely feeling the pain from bumping her knees.
Kik. Kikik. Kikikik.
The eerie laughter echoed in her ears. Reaching the first floor, Urim covered her ears and gasped for breath, bursting into Taeo’s room. She dove onto his bed, wrapping herself around his body.
“W-what the…?”
Taeo, startled from his sleep, blinked groggily at Urim. For a moment, he wondered if he was still dreaming, but his eyes quickly sharpened.
“What’s going on?”
He turned on the bedside lamp and pulled her away, gripping her shoulders firmly. Urim, in a panic, struggled and clung back to him.
“I-I saw something strange…!”
Her face was pale with fear, her words stumbling as she tried to describe what she had seen.
“A ghost… It was laughing… and…”
“A ghost? You had a nightmare?”
“A n-nightmare?”
Taeo’s sensible response made perfect sense. He felt a lingering unease but brushed it off, speaking as if it were no big deal.
“Come on, don’t be scared over something like that. You’re not a kid.”
Hearing Taeo say that made Urim start to doubt herself. Trembling, she nodded in agreement.
[AM 03:00]
Taeo checked the time on his phone, his eyebrows furrowing. An unpleasant sense of déjà vu crept over him.
“…It’s only 3 a.m. Go back to sleep.”
“I want to sleep here.”
“Baek Urim. You’re not four, you’re twenty-four. Grown women don’t sleep in men’s beds. If you’re scared, I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep. Now, get up.”
His words were cold, but there was a hint of compromise. Urim’s extreme fear seemed odd, and the unsettling feeling in Taeo’s chest urged him not to leave her alone.
“No. I want to stay here…”
Urim stubbornly whispered, her voice barely audible. It was as if she believed staying silent would make her invisible to Taeo’s demands. If she had thrown a tantrum, he would have had no problem scolding her and sending her away, but her quiet trembling made him feel sorry for her. If he sent her back to her room, she’d likely just lie there, paralyzed with fear.
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
Taeo sighed in defeat and covered her with a thick blanket, noticing her thin slip and the outline of her n1pples pressing against the fabric. Embarrassed, Urim pulled the blanket closer around herself.