Chapter : 08
Gasp. When Nayeon saw the message, her heart churned as though she were feeling motion-sick.
Go out together? He wants to go out together!
What happens if we go out together?
She wasn’t entirely sure, but if a man and woman who had met at a club and exchanged contact information afterward went out together…
Wouldn’t that mean they were planning to spend the night together?
Nayeon thought about it for a moment.
Tomorrow, her mother would be coming home, so she had no idea when she’d ever get another chance to do something like this.
Three hours of freedom and indulgence. Just three hours of having fun at the club as her true self.
Once this is over, when will I ever get another chance to throw off all the things that hide and conceal who I really am and go out like this again?
Sukjin only left the house once or twice a year at most.
“You mustn’t meet any men. And you can’t get married, either. Let’s just live together, the two of us, for the rest of our lives. Understand?”
She would have to let all the beautiful years of her twenties slip away, then turn thirty, then forty, all while living curled up and hiding herself under Sukjin’s watchful eye.
The thought of returning to that suffocating reality made Nayeon depressed.
When will I ever get another chance to talk to Jaehyuk oppa this closely?
Thinking of him, Nayeon began rationalizing things to herself.
It’s only tonight.
So tonight, I want to try every bit of rebellion I’ve ever wanted.
She had thought that simply showing her face and mingling with people like any other ordinary woman would be more than enough of an experience, rather than meeting a man and forming a relationship with him.
But now that Jaehyuk seemed interested in her and had contacted her, her heart began pounding wildly.
Is it because he’s the oppa I admired when I was young?
No. Even if that weren’t the case, Jaehyuk himself was an exceptionally handsome man who seemed to have everything.
With a man like him… wouldn’t it be all right to be held in his arms just once, as the finale to what might be my first and last act of rebellion?
Perhaps, because of Sukjin’s strict control, she might grow old without ever sharing a bed with a man even once in her entire life.
Jaehyuk oppa is a man, too. He won’t reject my offer.
Nayeon took a deep breath.
Then, hardening her expression, she sent Jaehyuk a reply as though she had completely lost her mind.
[Yes. Let’s go out together. And I… I want to sleep with you tonight.]
After making up her mind, she spoke to Hye-seon.
“Hye-seon, I think I have to leave first.”
“Huh? Where are you going? Are you going home? Already?”
After hesitating for a moment, Nayeon whispered into Hye-seon’s ear.
“I got a message from the oppa who lives upstairs.”
“Gasp!!”
Hye-seon immediately caught on and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Y-you mean you’re going out with him?”
“Yeah. He messaged me saying he’d take me home.”
“Wait, but if he’s taking you home… that means you’ll be going into the same apartment building, right? Are you sure you can keep him from finding out?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. He won’t be taking me all the way to my door. I’ll go first. When are you leaving?”
“Oh, you’re planning to get out somewhere away from home, right? Okay. I’m just getting started. Whenever I come to a club, the best part is staying until the first subway train and then going home. I’ll dance and drink for a while longer. You go ahead. Message me when you get home.”
“Okay. I’ll contact you.”
After saying goodbye to Hye-seon, Nayeon got up from her seat.
Bzzzt—
Another message came from Jaehyuk.
[I’m at the entrance.]
Nayeon carefully moved in her high heels and made her way toward the club entrance.
A few men tried to stop her on the way out and asked her to hang out with them, but whenever she twisted a strand of her long hair around her finger and stuck out her tongue at them, they were startled and quickly backed away.
When she reached the entrance, she saw Jaehyuk from behind, dressed in a white shirt and black slacks.
Even from a distance, his broad shoulders and solid build stood out immediately. His tall, striking figure also drew repeated glances from women passing by.
“Um…”
As she cautiously approached him, Jaehyuk turned around.
“The car will be here soon, so wait just a little.”
He spoke calmly, then turned back toward the parking attendants.
He still hadn’t responded to her message saying she wanted to sleep with him.
Nayeon suddenly felt a wave of nervousness and gently bit her lower lip.
Soon, a parking attendant brought the car around, and the two of them got in.
The moment Nayeon sat down, she remembered how Jaehyuk had leaned toward her that morning to fasten her seat belt, so she quickly buckled it herself.
She felt as though her heart might burst if he leaned toward her again like he had that morning, so she hurried to take care of it first.
Jaehyuk watched as she clicked the belt into place, then started the car.
The car entered a quiet road and began cruising along at a leisurely pace.
Where are we going?
As Nayeon stared intently at Jaehyuk, he soon parted his lips.
“I haven’t been drinking. I’m not driving under the influence, so don’t worry.”
“Oh, that wasn’t what I was worried about.”
His low voice was calm and composed.
It was truly the voice of a man who hadn’t had even a drop of alcohol.
Nayeon, on the other hand, was pleasantly tipsy after constantly sipping drinks with Hye-seon.
“Which direction should I take to get to your house? Do I just take that main road?”
“Oh, yes.”
How did he know right away?
She was amazed that he had figured out the way to her home so quickly and asked so naturally.
But…
“You really only asked me to come out because you wanted to take me home?”
“Of course. What else am I supposed to do?”
He looked at Nayeon with a cynical gaze.
Nayeon quietly stared back at Jaehyuk, then decided to summon the courage she’d gained from the alcohol.
Her heart felt as though it might burst, but she opened her mouth while pretending to be as casual and cool as possible.
“Sleep with me… before you go.”
Jaehyuk didn’t answer for a while.
“The reason I came out with you. You’re the hero who saved me twice. And I like you.”
“When you say you want to sleep together, do you mean the kind of sleep I’m thinking of?”
“Yes… Ah, right. I washed my hair. I showered, too… I was lying earlier.”
“I know.”
“What? You knew?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Jaehyuk gave Nayeon a slight nod of his chin and continued.
“Because you smell nice.”
“Ah…”
Her face suddenly flushed hot.
She had never been told that she smelled nice before. It felt just as good as being told she was pretty.
Perhaps because it was the first time she’d ever heard something like that, her heart began beating rapidly. Desperately hiding her excitement, Nayeon stammered,
“T-then… are we going somewhere to sleep now? I’m ready.”
She didn’t know what Jaehyuk had been thinking when he’d watched her all that time before saving her, or why he’d asked her to come out with him and go home together.
None of that mattered.
All that mattered was that Jaehyuk would be there at the end of her night of rebellion.
He slowly reduced his speed and pulled the car over to the roadside.
The red hazard lights flashed, their clicking sound filling the car.
With his left hand resting on the steering wheel, Jaehyuk kept his eyes on the road ahead and asked,
“You won’t regret it?”
“…”
Nayeon slowly turned her head and looked at him.
The orange glow of the streetlights reflected in his eyes, making them shine like stars.
In the quiet darkness of the car, his rich, resonant baritone settled calmly into the silence.
“Even after what happened earlier?”
“…Yes. I made up my mind to rebel tonight. Of course, I don’t like people who act recklessly like that guy did earlier, but you’re different, so I trust you. So… please don’t just send me home. Okay?”
Jaehyuk slowly shifted his gaze and quietly stared at her.
His unwavering eyes swept over every part of her face.
“…”
Then he looked forward again and pressed the accelerator.
He answered with a weighty few words.
“No backing out.”
Nayeon’s heart churned at his words.
Her fingertips trembled as she watched Jaehyuk make a U-turn and drive off roughly.
So he really is a man who follows his desires.
She wondered if it was really okay to do this with him while hiding the fact that she was the neighbor who lived downstairs.
But it would only be tonight, anyway.
Once she returned to her everyday life of hiding her true self, there would never be another chance for something like this.
