CHAPTER 2
“……Mmh.”
It was the first time Hye-joo had ever experienced such an intoxicating kiss, and she felt like an excited sound might escape her lips.
Barely suppressing it, she wrapped her arms around the back of the man’s neck.
At that moment, with a ding, the elevator came to a stop on the top floor.
Since each floor of the high-rise had only one suite, the hallway was extremely quiet.
“…….”
The only sound echoing through the silent hallway was the wet, sensual sound of their kiss.
Before Hye-joo even had a chance to catch her breath, the man pulled her waist firmly toward him and kissed her again.
Her breath rose all the way to the tips of her lungs, and just as she was about to part her slightly opened lips a little wider to breathe—
“……I’m out of breath.”
“Let me breathe.”
Before Hye-joo could even finish speaking, the man swallowed her lips again.
He did not miss the moment her lips parted, slipping his tongue between them and deepening the kiss.
His tongue reached farther into her mouth, and she could feel his warm breath.
His pleasant scent and flawless technique only made it more intoxicating.
Still kissing her, the man lifted Hye-joo into his arms.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Hye-joo boldly wrapped her legs around his waist.
With a click, the door opened.
The moment they entered the room, the man’s movements grew more intense.
He laid her down on the nearest table and roughly undid the buttons of her blouse.
Ping—ping—
About three buttons bounced helplessly onto the floor.
That was when Hye-joo reached for her blouse, and the man’s pleasant voice reached her ears.
“You were provoking me earlier, but now you’re nervous.”
“……!”
His low, teasing laugh sounded strangely seductive.
Whether it was the alcohol or the hormonal changes brought on by her breakup, Hye-joo chose not to think too deeply and simply pulled the man into her arms.
Something heavy pressed against her thigh.
She barely had time to process the situation before she was startled by how large the hardness pressed closely against her body felt.
The weighty presence seemed almost alarmingly large as it pressed against her again.
Every time the man moved, she could feel its shape and pressure distinctly.
Without hesitation, the man pushed his firm, thick thigh between her slender thighs.
His hand slipped between her thighs as they parted in an instant.
The man leaned over her, his body almost overlapping hers.
He kissed her cheek and asked,
“Do you think you’ll regret this?”
“……What do you mean?”
“If you’re going to regret it, don’t do it.”
Hye-joo wondered if this was really something to say while they were half-undressed and kissing, though they had not gone any further.
Looking at the man, she answered between shallow breaths.
“……I won’t regret it.”
“It’s your choice.”
“I respect it.”
“Anyone watching would think I’m doing this because I’m the only one who wants it.”
“I’ve had my eyes on you since the club.”
“I wanted to fool around with you from the moment I saw you there.”
The man’s voice sounded wickedly seductive.
As he gently stroked Hye-joo’s ear, he continued.
“I only held back because I wanted you to look at me alone while we did it.”
“But from now on, it’s too late even if you regret it.”
“…….”
The man’s hand gently stroked the bare skin beneath Hye-joo’s blouse.
“I’m not enough of a saint to stop halfway and let a woman I want to undress walk away.”
“……Then undress me.”
And in that moment, she had no idea where such courage had come from.
Words that were completely unlike her usual self flowed effortlessly from her lips.
A smile appeared on the man’s handsome face.
The man completely removed Hye-joo’s blouse.
Then he pulled off his own T-shirt with one hand and brushed his fingers just below Hye-joo’s collarbone.
He gently stroked the back of her neck before placing a light kiss there.
His lips slowly traveled downward until they reached her lower abdomen.
When Hye-joo’s waist stiffened instinctively, she heard him let out a small laugh.
He moved lower still and pulled her skirt down.
Placing his hand over the waistband of her underwear, he pulled it down without a moment’s hesitation.
“……Ah.”
Wet sounds and passionate moans continued throughout the night.
A few hours later.
Yes, this was a matter of hormones.
Hye-joo shook her head, telling herself that it was a problem caused by Kwon Hye-joo from yesterday, who had half-lost her mind after the breakup—or rather, by her hormones.
The man showed no sign of tiring and continued their intimacy several times.
As a result, every muscle in her body ached as though she had been thoroughly beaten.
She could barely feel anything in her lower body.
When Hye-joo shifted her gaze slightly, the remains of the used protection lay dried against the floor beside the bed.
One, two, three, four…….
She counted to four before giving up and slowly sat up.
‘The sun has risen today, so no matter how perfect last night was, there’s no way I can wake up tangled together with a half-naked man.’
She tried to move as quickly as possible, but pain shot through her body.
Hye-joo awkwardly shuffled over and crouched down on the floor.
She gathered her scattered clothes and was just about to sneak out of the bedroom like a stray cat when—
“You should’ve woken me.”
“Why are you just leaving?”
“……!”
“Is running away your hobby?”
The man’s voice was still husky with sleep.
Startled, Hye-joo straightened herself and awkwardly turned around.
The man sat up without any embarrassment, completely exposing his naked body.
Even at a second glance, the size of him was intimidating.
“I don’t want to eat alone.”
“……I wasn’t planning on eating.”
“Enjoy your meal.”
Hye-joo tried to brush past him and leave, but once again, the man’s voice called out from behind her.
“Should we see each other again?”
They weren’t the kind of people who would see each other again.
They definitely weren’t……
Before she knew it, the man had strode over and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
The underwear she had not yet managed to put on slipped from her hand and fell to the floor with a soft thud.
“Are you seducing me?”
“……S-Seducing you?”
“What am I doing?”
“It looks like you’re asking me to devour you.”
The man’s blatantly suggestive gaze traveled over Hye-joo’s body.
Hye-joo crossed her arms over her chest, looking horrified.
“N-No, that’s not it.”
“I just fell asleep right away last night and didn’t get a chance to get dressed.”
The man slowly kissed Hye-joo’s shoulder, starting from the back of her neck.
Hye-joo hurriedly put on her underwear and slipped her blouse over herself.
“I want to see you again.”
“What do you think?”
“……I should get going.”
Hye-joo pushed the man away again.
Before the hormones brought on by her breakup could play another trick on her, she had to get away from this dangerous man.
The man’s hand caught Hye-joo.
His forearm, with veins subtly standing out, reached for the front of her blouse and began fastening the buttons for her.
“You shouldn’t leave like this.”
“……I-I can do it myself.”
“Don’t go seducing another man.”
With a small laugh, the man fastened Hye-joo’s blouse perfectly, except for the three buttons that had already been torn off.
A warm, soap-like scent drifted from the man as he stepped closer.
“I think we’ll see each other again.”
“……That won’t happen.”
“We’re just two people whose relationship ends with one night.”
Hye-joo answered sharply and tried to leave, but the man’s voice followed her again.
“When I want to see someone, I have to see them.”
“I want to see you one more time.”
“So we’ll meet again.”
Just as the door was about to close, the man’s unusually firm tone made Hye-joo let out a disbelieving laugh before slamming the door shut.
‘What is he talking about?’
‘Why would I see you again?’
‘And how exactly does he plan to find me and see me again?’
Still, for a one-night stand, it had been quite wonderful.
A good hotel, a handsome man, an appropriately heated beginning, and a passionate night.
It had been a perfect day, with nothing left to be desired.
This was enough.
If she had stayed home alone, the weekend would have felt incredibly long, so perhaps she should actually be grateful that this crazy decision had made it pass so quickly.
“Yeah, let’s not think about it.”
“I’m an adult, so it’s not like I can’t have a casual one-night stand.”
As she stepped into the elevator, Hye-joo decided to treat yesterday’s incident as nothing important.
It was time to wake up from her one-night dream and return to her ordinary life.
So much time had passed since Hye-joo and Young-moo broke up that she could barely remember when they had actually parted ways.
Several seasons had already come and gone.
From the season when fallen leaves drifted down and breath turned white in the cold air, the world had passed through fresh greenery and was now approaching the sweltering heat of summer.
At Haekwang Art Center, where Hye-joo worked as a curator, the annual period for recruiting new employees had arrived.
“I hope we hire new employees who’ll stay with us for a long time this time.”
As she chatted with the colleague beside her, the back-office door suddenly swung open.
A young-looking woman entered first, followed by someone else.
“Hello.”
“My name is Hwang Ji-yoon, and I’ve just joined Haekwang Art Center as a new employee!”
After her high, nervous voice came another person’s voice.
“Gang-moo…….”
“No, I mean, Kang Sun-woo.”
At the familiar voice, Hye-joo stretched her head above the partition, and her eyes met his.
It was definitely him.
The man she had spent that one night with on the day she had decided to let herself fall apart.
