THE WORLD SHE PAINTED RED |KTH(18+)

CH-73| COME BACK TO ME!~

TWO WEEKS LATER~

[HER POV~]

As I sat across from Taehyung in the meeting room, I could feel his gaze fixed on me, his eyes meeting mine with every opportunity. Despite my deliberate efforts to ignore him for the past two weeks, I couldn't help but sense his curiosity and longing in his gaze. Each stolen glance made my heart skip a beat, and I struggled to maintain my cold demeanor, determined to keep a wall between us. Deep down, I yearned for his attention.

Lost in my thoughts, I was suddenly snapped out of my musings by Soo-min's voice, confirming something in the meeting. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as I knew I had been avoiding Taehyung for the past two weeks, and with each glance, he seemed to be silently pleading with me to reach out to him. But I fought against myself, knowing that pushing him away was the best course of action, despite the pain it brought me.

As the client made his affirmation, confirming the project, my thoughts were elsewhere, and I nodded in agreement without fully comprehending the details. But my gaze inevitably returned to Taehyung, drawn to his unwavering attention. He never took his eyes off me, his gaze remaining fixated on me.

With a shaky breath, I stood up, my eyes darting everywhere but toward Taehyung, as I offered a forced smile and said, "Yes, of course." We shook hands with the clients and escorted them out of the office, trying to maintain a professional demeanor.

As everyone else left the meeting room, I found myself alone with Taehyung. He was about to say something, but I quickly cut him off, using a convenient excuse. "I have to take a call," I lied, avoiding any further conversation. I gathered my belongings and hurriedly began to leave, adding, "I'll send you an email or ask Soo-min to pass on the project files." My tone remained distant, my intention clear - I wanted to maintain a professional boundary between us.

As I walked away from Taehyung, my heart felt heavy with a mix of guilt and confusion. I knew that there were aspects of our relationship that couldn't be categorized as merely professional, and I had lost control several times. But before things spiraled even further, I knew I had to take a step back.I leaned against the door of my office, and whispered to myself, "I'm sorry, Tae...I don't know what to do." With a heavy sigh, I turned away and headed into my office, the weight of my emotions weighing heavily on my shoulders.

I paced back and forth in my office, my mind racing with a mix of frustration and guilt. I wasn't used to feeling like a coward, but here I was, running away from a situation instead of facing it head on. I gritted my teeth, feeling the weight of my actions heavy on my shoulders."Damn it!" I muttered to myself, the room filled with the sound of my footsteps as I continued to pace. "Why is this so goddamn hard?"

I wish I could tell hi— my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Without a second thought, I said, "Come in," expecting it to be Soo-min.

But when the door opened, I saw him entering the office.

I gulped as his eyes bored into me. Why is he here? Is he going to question me about why I'm ignoring him?! I looked at his face... it had no expression. Damn, I can't even read this man. Before I could open my mouth, he broke eye contact, looking straight ahead as he made his way to the table. I watched him attentively. His hands slipped into his pants' pockets, and then he placed something on the table.

Then I heard his voice. "Your house keys." My brows furrowed, and unknowingly, I stepped forward and asked, "My house keys? Why? How will you enter the house if I'm late—or if you are?"

He spoke, "Why do I have to be in your house?" I frowned as he turned around and continued, "You are... fine now. You don't need me—neither did you ever. So... shouldn't I go back to my place?"