She gasped and stepped back in shock. It took a few moments for the horse to calm down. And when it did, she felt the gaze of the man on her.
Jennie froze as she recognized the voice from earlier that morning.
With great difficulty, she pulled herself together. "I couldn't see," she said. She wasn't loud enough to be heard. She was about to repeat when the strong gust of wind and rain pushed her back.
The man pulled on the reins until the horse moved closer to her. Feeling intimidated by the huge animal, she stepped back, almost losing her balance once again.
The man shook his head and let out a vicious curse before reaching his hands out. Before she could say anything or protest, she was swept up and made to sit on top of the horse in front of him.
She literally froze in fear as the animal began to move.
She closed her eyes, praying hard that she wouldn't fall due to the animal's breakneck speed on a slippery wet path.
She tried to lean forward so she wouldn't bump against him and piss him off.
But he seemed pissed at her anyway.
"Sit still!" he snapped. "Stop moving about so much and pulling at the reins so hard. You are sending mixed signals to my horse."
She bit her lip and remained quiet.
The horse finally came to a stop near the tall marble columns near the entrance.
"Get down," he ordered.
She remained seated, trying to figure out a way to get down the horse without crashing on the ground. The man leaped down in a smooth move. And then, grabbing her waist, he dragged her off his horse before putting her on the ground with a jarring thud.
Even though she was slightly taller than average, he towered over her. She found it intimidating at such a close proximity. So, immediately, she took a step back to increase the distance between them.
"What the hell were you doing outside?" he asked with a thundering frown.
"I went for a walk to explore the grounds," she replied, trying not to stare at his face once again.
There was a look of disbelief. "In this weather?"
A bolt of irritation passed through her. "The weather was fine a few hours ago," she replied.
"That's how the weather is here. Didn't you do your damn research before coming here?"
"I... I..." She didn't know what to say.
He let out a sound of disgusted impatience before turning away from her and getting on top of his horse with another smooth move.
"Stay inside, and try not to kill yourself while you are on my damn property." With those words, he pulled on the reins making the horse break into a fast gallop.
"Arrogant beast," she muttered as she watched him disappearing back into the rain.
A few minutes later, wrapped in a thick, fluffy white robe, she sipped her hot soup, her mind wandering to the man.
Jennie didn't know whether he was a monster or not, but she definitely knew Kim Taehyung was a rude, arrogant beast. And it was sheer bad luck that she crossed his path twice that day. Going forward, she had to make a conscious effort to keep out of his way until the beast summoned her.
She spent the rest of the evening inside the suite, unpacking the suitcases and arranging the clothes.
By the time she was done, she was exhausted and fell face-first on the huge bed with thick, luxurious bedding.