DH ✦ Ch 31

✦ Chapter 31 ✦

Early in the morning, Hyun-jae drove the car, stealing occasional glances at Ga-young through the rearview mirror.

Ga-young was still trapped deep in a swamp of embarrassment. Seeing her pretend to be asleep, occasionally cracking her eyes open before quickly squeezing them shut again, made him grin.

Shin Hyun-jae was completely out of his mind right now, like a screw had come loose after being intoxicated by the ecstasy of his first night with her.

Just as he had murmured during sex, Yoon Ga-young’s body was sensual. The sensuality hidden beneath that innocent-looking face had far exceeded his expectations.

She had stubbornly resisted when he tried to enter her, but once he had finally taken her deep inside him, she had clung to him so tightly that she refused to let go. The suction that seemed to pull him back in whenever he tried to withdraw had been indescribably intense.

It had been maddeningly pleasurable. Even her tears had acted as an aphrodisiac. He had desperately tried to maintain his reason so that he could lead the inexperienced woman properly, but at some point, he had completely lost himself.

That was why, toward the end, he had lost all restraint and gone wild.

Even after his desire had exploded, he had been desperate to keep thrusting into her.

If the sight of the bloodstains on the bedsheets had not made him feel a pang of concern, he probably would still have been buried inside Yoon Ga-young even now.

Once.

Hyun-jae thought of that painfully disappointing word.

He had needed superhuman patience to make sure it ended after only one time. While facing Ga-young’s sleeping face with a deep sigh, as though she had passed out, he had gripped his still-raging lower body in his hand.

In the morning, he could not postpone going to work, so he had gently coaxed Ga-young awake. Ignoring her horrified protests, he had taken her to the bathroom, washed her, and dressed her himself, all while the desire below his waist had been raging like crazy.

Even now, as he drove her back to the Seongbuk-dong mansion, his unquenched desire left him parched.

Hyun-jae ran his tongue across his dry mouth and laughed self-deprecatingly.

Marrying her really was a good decision.

He would be spending countless days and nights with Yoon Ga-young from now on. It was only unfortunate that tonight would not be one of those nights.

Before long, the car entered through the gates of the Seongbuk-dong mansion.

“Yoon Ga-young.”

Hyun-jae woke Ga-young, who was still pretending to sleep.

“We’re here, so wake up.”

Ga-young adorably rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, let out a small mmng, and stretched lightly.

Hyun-jae chuckled and stopped the car in front of the annex.

He got out first and was about to open her door for her, but Ga-young opened it herself and stepped out. Standing directly in front of her, Hyun-jae gently cupped her haggard cheeks in both hands and gave her a light kiss.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m f-fine.”

When will this woman’s shy, girlish temperament ever disappear? Of course, for now, he still found this side of her adorable.

Hyun-jae brought his sparkling eyes closer to hers. The corners of Ga-young’s lips awkwardly lifted. Even a reluctant smile was welcome to him.

“I’m leaving for Shanghai on a two-day, one-night business trip in two hours. I won’t be able to see you tonight. What am I going to do?”

“If you have work, then of course you have to go.”

“Of course?”

He asked again with a slightly disappointed expression. Ga-young pursed her lips, looking as though she was wondering whether she had said something wrong.

“Um… I can’t exactly go with you.”

Can’t she? Could I roll Yoon Ga-young into a little ball and put her in my suitcase?

As he entertained the utterly ridiculous thought, Hyun-jae lowered his head and gently pressed his lips against hers.

Her breath was delicate, and the skin lingering at the tip of his tongue carried the scent of flowers. It was a fragrance that reminded him of a flower more fully ripened than the day before. Perhaps it was the scent of roses lingering in the garden air.

After briefly sucking on her lower lip and releasing it, he saw that Ga-young’s cheeks had turned as red as roses. She drew her shoulders in and bowed politely.

“Have a safe trip.”

“All right. Make sure you eat properly.”

Hyun-jae released the woman and got back into the car.

Ga-young remained reflected in the side mirror for quite some time. She did not immediately go inside the house, instead standing there and watching the car disappear into the distance.

So she’s seeing her husband off.

Hyun-jae smiled broadly as he wondered if this was what people meant by a small but certain happiness.

The road signs visible from inside the taxi announced that they had entered Gangwon Province.

Ga-young stared blankly at the greenery stretching beyond the car window.

It had been an impulsive outing.

After spending two hours sprawled around the second-floor living room, she had left the mansion.

She was not exactly in perfect condition. Her entire body, pressed down and thoroughly ravaged by a large man, ached, while a sharp pain lingered between her legs.

If she was asked whether she had disliked the sex the previous night, the answer was no.

She had cried because she had been shocked by the overwhelming sensations, but she was not foolish enough to fail to recognize that they were among the most pleasurable stimuli a human being could experience.

Nor was she grieving over having lost her virginity.

She had always thought that even the word virginity was outdated. The reason she had never had any experience until now was simply because she had never been particularly curious about sex. Rather than feeling burdened by the label any longer, she felt relieved to have finally shed it.

She was also glad that her partner had been Shin Hyun-jae. He was a kind person, and he was a beautiful man.

She was even grateful to Hyun-jae for turning her first experience into a good memory.

While she had been sitting alone in the annex,

she had remembered the previous night, smiled foolishly, and curled her fingers and toes in embarrassment.

As a wife, their relationship was fake, but as lovers, they seemed genuine. Judging from Hyun-jae’s words and actions, there was no doubt about it.

It was the first romance to enter the life of twenty-three-year-old Yoon Ga-young.

And it was a romance as hot as summer.

It wasn’t bad.

In fact, she thought she liked it.

It made no sense to say she disliked dating a wonderful man like Shin Hyun-jae.

While thinking about that, she suddenly became melancholy, as though she had developed bipolar disorder out of nowhere.

She did not know why she was sad. No, she felt as though she knew the reason, but she did not want to think about it.

She simply needed something that could lift her spirits.

She missed something familiar, rather than something unfamiliar.

So she had left the Seongbuk-dong mansion and taken a taxi.

The only place she could go was the vacation home where her aunt lived.

“Miss, is this the right place?”

The taxi driver’s question broke through her thoughts. Ga-young focused her eyes and checked the scenery outside the window.

“Yes, thank you.”

After getting out of the taxi, Ga-young stood in front of the vacation home’s main gate.

Breathing in the phytoncides from the mountains of rural Gangwon-do, she felt as though the aches that had tormented her entire body all morning were melting away.

Beyond the iron bars of the gate, she saw Bong-man and Soon-hee happily working together. They were watering the plants with a hose.

The sight of them sent her subdued spirits soaring into the air.

“Aunt! Uncle!”

At her shout, the couple turned their gazes toward her. Broad smiles blossomed across their sun-browned faces.

“Ga-young!”

Soon-hee came running and opened the gate for her.

For a while afterward, the inside of the vacation home was filled with the excitement of an affectionate reunion.

“How did you suddenly come here without even calling?”

“Well, you see… I joined my university’s overseas exchange group, and as it happened, we had a schedule that brought us to Korea. I had some free time in the middle of the official schedule, so I came to see you and Uncle.”

“You did well. Oh, you came at just the right time.”

Soon-hee hugged Ga-young and bounced excitedly. By then, Bong-man had approached, wiping the sweat from his face and neck with a towel.

“Ga-young, have you been doing well?”

“Yes, Uncle. How’s your injury?”

He had removed the cast that had kept his arm immobilized with a splint and was now wearing only a protective brace around his forearm. Bong-man held out his arm and laughed heartily.

“It’s all healed. If there’s nothing stopping you from getting on with your life, then you’re healed.”

“That’s a relief.”

Bong-man patted Ga-young’s back with his palm before speaking to Soon-hee.

“Feed Ga-young.”

“Of course. Ga-young, what do you want to eat? Is there anything you’re craving?”

Soon-hee went into the kitchen to prepare the food. Even with one hand, Bong-man efficiently wiped down the wooden platform in front of the management building and set up the dining table.

When Ga-young offered to help, they scolded her instead, so she spent her time wandering through the garden filled with lush plants.

Less than thirty minutes later, Soon-hee waved enthusiastically toward her from the wooden platform.

“Ga-young! Come eat.”

“Yes!”

What Ga-young had wanted to eat was yeolmu-guksu—cold noodles topped with young radish kimchi.

In a bowl larger than her face, perfectly fermented young radish kimchi and chewy boiled noodles were arranged appetizingly. It was a generous spread, accompanied by spicy stir-fried pork, rolled omelet, and various seasoned vegetables giving off the fragrant aroma of sesame oil.

“When did you make all this? I only needed the yeolmu-guksu.”

“Will noodles alone fill your stomach? Eat some meat. You’re going to finish all of this before you leave.”

Soon-hee placed the plate of stir-fried pork in front of Ga-young. Beside it, Bong-man slid a plate of seasoned vegetables toward her with his chopsticks.

“Meat’s good for the body, so eat it. And eat these ssuksae greens too. If you eat these, you won’t suffer from the heat.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

Ga-young piled the seasoned greens onto her yeolmu-guksu and ate them together.

Lady Eom in Seongbuk-dong was certainly an excellent cook, but her cooking could not compare with the familiar taste of home that Ga-young had missed so dearly.

Every bite of food was happiness.

Soon-hee’s eyes were warm as she watched Ga-young repeatedly hum mm in delight and give enthusiastic thumbs-up.

“Our Ga-young has gotten even prettier.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re even more radiant than the last time I saw you. I suppose it’s about time we got you married off.”

A dark cloud, completely disconnected from the sunny scenery around her, gathered inside Ga-young’s heart.

Finding it difficult even to force herself to smile, Ga-young buried her nose in the bowl of noodles and drank the broth.

Actually, I’m married. My husband is a handsome chaebol heir.

I live in a house that’s even more like a palace than this vacation home.

And I spent my wedding night with him, too.

They were things she could never tell them, even if the sky split in two.

Not to anyone—and least of all to her aunt and uncle.

“The yeolmu-guksu is so delicious.”

Because that marriage wasn’t real.

Marriage was a false definition, and their romance was merely a game limited to this summer.

Nothing more.