A Madman in Love

Chapter 11

Seo Jaehee was a simple man, almost alarmingly so.

Once he fixated on something, it became his everything, and he pursued it relentlessly, to the exclusion of all else. It had been this way since he was a child. Whether it was something he wanted to do, eat, or possess, he wouldn’t rest until it was his. Spoiled and stubborn, he would persist, no matter how unreasonable, until he got his way.

To Seo Jaehee, Lee Suin was his everything.

She was the one thing he couldn’t live without.

The one thing he’d sacrifice everything else for.

The one thing that, without her, he felt he might die.

"My Suin..."

That’s why he couldn’t tolerate those bastards mocking her.

Before he even thought about it, his body moved, and his fists followed.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Thwack!

“What the hell, you bastard!”

The boys, caught off guard by the sudden punches and kicks, eventually regained their senses and launched a group attack. But Jaehee didn’t stop.

“You’re all dead today.”

There were four of them.

Soon, the numbers overwhelmed him. His face swelled with bruises, blood trickled from his split lips, and yet, he kept fighting.

Like a robot programmed solely for combat, he punched and took punches, endlessly persistent.

It was terrifying.

“This guy’s crazy.”

“Stop it! I said, stop, damn it!”

Eventually, the boys, terrified, begged him to stop, but it was too late to halt someone who had already lost himself.

Thwack!

Thwack!

[“You’re Seo Jaehee’s father, right?”]

“Yes, I am.”

[“This is the OO Police Station. Your son got into a fight with some kids his age...”]

Jaehee and the boys were hauled off by the police after a passerby reported the brawl. His father, Professor Seo Seongryeok, and Woo Ilhwa rushed to the station in a panic.

Jaehee was labeled the aggressor.

Despite being outnumbered four to one, he had struck first.

When asked why, his response was simply, “Because.”

“There has to be a reason you hit them. Who provoked whom?”

“What makes you think you can just sit there and say nothing?”

Professor Seo tried coaxing him, while Woo Ilhwa raised her voice, but Jaehee refused to speak. His resolve was unyielding.

He couldn’t bear the thought of Suin hearing the filthy words those boys had said about her. He’d rather go to juvenile detention than let that happen.

Woo Ilhwa wanted to clear up the situation, but the odds were against them.

In the end, under the lawyer’s advice, they settled the matter with a hefty compensation.

“Come back when you’ve learned how to act like a proper human being.”

And with that, Jaehee was sent to the U.S.

Jaehee didn’t surrender.

Exiled to his aunt’s house, he quietly planned his return.

But his mother, Woo Ilhwa, knew him too well.

“If you come back like this, I’ll have you forcibly committed to a psychiatric hospital. Don’t even think about returning without my permission. You know I don’t make empty threats.”

Her warning was genuine.

A sudden voice startled her.

“Ah!”

She spun around to find Jaehee standing in the doorway, his expression amused by her reaction.

“Why are you so jumpy?”

“...You’re in early, sir.”

Suin quickly straightened her posture.

“My mother insisted I attend the full executive meeting. Wants me to make a strong impression,” Jaehee replied casually, taking the shopping bags from her hands without hesitation.

“Sir, I can handle it,” Suin protested, but he ignored her and walked straight to the dressing room, placing the bags in the appropriate storage compartments.

“Thank you.”

Suin offered a polite word of gratitude, though her attention drifted to his appearance. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, and he hadn’t bothered to wear a tie.

Unable to let it slide, she spoke up.

“Sir, since it’s your first meeting with the executives, I suggest wearing a tie.”

“A tie? I didn’t wear one in New York.”

“Consider it a gesture of respect for the senior executives. I recommend it.”

“Alright, then.”

Jaehee, observing her in her role as his secretary, nodded readily.

Suin selected a tie that complemented his refined suit.

“How about this one?”

“Looks good.”

He agreed without resistance, prompting her to hand it over.

But instead of taking it, Jaehee stepped closer.

“You do it.”

Standing so near that she could feel his presence, he raised his collar and tilted his head, staring idly into the distance as if the request carried no ulterior motive.

“Alright,” Suin replied, masking her discomfort.

Raising the tie, she moved toward him. As she lifted it to drape around his neck, Jaehee leaned forward slightly, lowering his head to meet her height.

Their faces ended up much closer than she had anticipated.

Her breath hitched.

Suin instinctively stiffened but quickly gathered her composure, forcing herself to focus on the task. She adjusted her posture to minimize contact, raising her elbows as high as possible while wrapping the tie around his neck.

The real problem, however, was unavoidable.

No matter how much she tried to focus on the tie, her eyes couldn’t ignore him.

The sharp line of his neck, the pronounced Adam’s apple, the hollow of his collarbone.

The faint red hue of his lips.

“...”

Suin tried her best not to look.

As she tightened the tie to form a knot, her fingers accidentally brushed against his neck.

In that moment, Jaehee’s broad chest rose and fell slightly.

At the same time, his soft breath landed lightly against her skin, almost like a whisper.

Ah.

Suin froze.

For a fleeting second, she felt as though she might exhale something that sounded too much like a sigh. Holding her breath, she stopped moving altogether.

Jaehee didn’t move either.

The awareness of each other became overwhelming, the proximity accentuating the connection between them.

In the silence, the only thing that passed between them was the faint, shallow exchange of breaths in the narrow space they shared.