DH ✦ Ch 49

✦ Chapter 49 ✦

Hyun-jae placed the jacket he was holding on the table. In one smooth motion, he turned the chair beside him toward Ga-young and sat down.

As he loosened his tie, Ga-young could read the fatigue beneath his eyes, shaded by his long eyelashes. A same-day business trip to Daejeon in weather like this would have exhausted even a machine.

“It must have been terribly hot today, wasn’t it? You must have had a hard time traveling all the way to Daejeon.”

Ga-young sat diagonally across from him and spoke brightly. It was her own small attempt at taking care of him. She wanted to make things comfortable for Hyun-jae, who was worn down by his overwhelming workload.

“It wasn’t that.”

The eyes that had been fixed directly on her curved lazily.

Ga-young had no idea that his fatigue actually stemmed from the lack of sleep over the past several nights, so she responded openly.

“Then did something else happen? Something difficult?”

“What if it did?”

“If something upsetting happened, or you met someone unpleasant… wouldn’t it be better to tell me about it and get it off your chest?”

“You’d curse them with me?”

“Uh… yes.”

The corners of Hyun-jae’s lips stretched into a smile.

“I would like to hear how Yoon Ga-young curses, though…”

His fingertips lightly tapped her cheek.

“But nothing like that happened. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“…That’s a relief.”

Ga-young’s smile became awkward. The brief touch of his warmth had made her cheek burn. She was at a loss for what to do, her eyes darting around, when Hyun-jae changed the subject.

“You still haven’t finished that sherbet?”

“Ah, this?”

Ga-young reached toward the tray supporting the tub of ice cream.

“You bought such a huge container. I’ve been having a spoonful for dessert every day, but there’s still a little left. I should put this away now, and you should go wash up…”

“No. Eat some more.”

“What?”

“Let’s stay like this a little longer.”

Hyun-jae propped his elbow on the dining table and rested his chin in his hand. He had shifted into the posture of a spectator.

Feeling uncomfortable eating while he stared so openly at her, Ga-young hesitantly picked up her spoon.

Hyun-jae looked too tired to bother moving right now. If he told her to do something, she would do it. Since he told her to eat, she would eat. Besides, they needed a little more conversation.

After taking a spoonful of sherbet, Ga-young carefully resumed their interrupted conversation.

“I spent a large amount of money today. You know I withdrew twenty million won in cash using your card, right?”

“You did?”

His response was casual and lacked much interest. The credit-card company had probably sent him a notification, but he seemed too busy to have checked his messages.

“Yes. I’m sorry for doing it without your permission. A friend in the United States said she was short on tuition for the fall semester…”

She had spent the entire afternoon coming up with that excuse, but because she was lying, the words refused to come smoothly. When she lowered her eyes and fell silent, Hyun-jae said something completely unexpected.

“Why did you stop eating? Are you uncomfortable because I’m watching you?”

“No. It’s not that. I just… did something wrong.”

“Spending twenty million won?”

“Yes. Without even asking your permission…”

Hyun-jae gave a short laugh. His following words were languid, as though even talking about something like this was tiring.

“I gave it to you to spend however you want, whether it’s twenty million won, a hundred million, or a billion. Why would you need my permission?”

“…”

“That card belongs to Yoon Ga-young. Don’t worry about it. Spend it freely.”

“…”

She had expected him to understand. She had expected Hyun-jae to consider twenty million won pocket change.

But if he knew what she had actually used the money for, would he react the same way?

Probably not.

His generosity only made her feel more guilty. Ga-young struggled to hide her inner remorse behind an ordinary smile.

“Yes. Thank you.”

She scooped up another spoonful of sherbet. She felt as though she had to satisfy the expectations in his languid eyes, which were still watching her.

After eating a spoonful, she glanced at Hyun-jae and forced herself to smile brightly. Then she scooped up another spoonful and turned the spoon toward him.

“You should have some too. Oh, right. You said you don’t really like sweet things. Mrs. Eom made some soybean soup. Would you like some of that? If you don’t mind, I can get it for you right now…”

“If you really want to give me something, give me that.”

Seeing him gesture toward the ice cream tub with his eyes, Ga-young lowered herself back into her chair.

“This sherbet is all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then have some.”

She was about to hand him the spoon when Hyun-jae opened his mouth with a soft “Ah.”

It was an unmistakable request to be fed.

He seemed too tired even to move his own hand.

Ga-young gently fed him a spoonful of sherbet. After swallowing it, Hyun-jae frowned.

Ga-young instinctively reached out.

“Brain freeze.”

She pressed the space between his brows again and again, fussing over him.

“Are you all right? How does it feel now? If you press here, it goes away faster.”

Then she suddenly froze.

Only belatedly did she become aware of the fact that she had casually reached out and touched Hyun-jae.

Embarrassed, she slowly withdrew her hand.

But Hyun-jae caught it and placed it back against his forehead.

“Do it some more.”

“Oh. All right.”

This time, she rubbed the space between his brows more gently. When she pulled back, Hyun-jae opened his mouth again like a baby bird.

Ga-young fed him another spoonful of sherbet and once again pressed his furrowed brow.

“Better now?”

“Yeah.”

Hyun-jae wrapped his hand around her slender wrist.

“Thank you.”

He drew her fingers down to his lips and kissed each one in turn.

Kiss. Kiss.

A pleasant smile formed on his lips as he looked directly at Ga-young.

For some reason, Ga-young felt a lump rise in her chest.

No. Perhaps she knew exactly why.

Today, I did something that could splash filth all over you, and you don’t even know…

And yet you’re being this warm, this generous, treating me like this, liking me, thinking I’m…

She could feel something in Shin Hyun-jae’s feelings toward Yoon Ga-young.

But she didn’t want to know what it was.

Even vaguely realizing it was already more than she deserved. If she carelessly interpreted his feelings as something more, all she would do was hasten their inevitable downfall.

Ga-young desperately tried not to become serious.

She forcibly pulled her trembling hand away, stirred up whatever cheerfulness she could find, and said brightly,

“Your hands are covered in so many germs. You’ll get sick if you keep doing this.”

Hyun-jae behaved like a child who had been given a toy only to have it snatched away again.

“Is there such a thing as giving something and then taking it back? How mean.”

“It’s for your health.”

“Then give me something else.”

His request was obvious. It certainly wasn’t his foot he wanted.

Ga-young quietly stood and kissed him.

Smack.

She immediately sat back down, but Hyun-jae rubbed his lips with a finger and looked dissatisfied.

“That’s all you can do?”

Ga-young understood.

She knew what kind of night Hyun-jae, who had patiently endured for so many days, was planning tonight.

He was building toward it.

She thought that was exactly what she needed.

A night when they could become tangled together until it was almost ugly.

If desire burned through her, she wouldn’t have to force herself to smile. With her reason numbed, she wouldn’t be able to think about anything painful.

Maintaining the faint smile on her lips, Ga-young rose from her seat.

She lowered her lips to Hyun-jae’s.

As she turned her head and deepened the kiss, Hyun-jae pulled her toward him until she was sitting on his thigh.

It was the first time Ga-young had taken the initiative in a kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his firm neck and closed her eyes. Awkwardly but earnestly, she mingled her breath with his and kissed him deeply.

As the distance between their upper bodies gradually disappeared, a hard heat pressed against Ga-young’s abdomen.

She flinched, breaking the kiss and opening her eyes.

Hyun-jae looked at her through dazed eyes, yet his expression remained remarkably composed.

My eyes went unfocused from the moment he sucked on my fingers, but this man doesn’t show anything even when he’s like this.

With a faint sense of unfairness, Ga-young whispered,

“When did this start?”

“From the moment I saw you here.”

“How did you manage not to show it until now?”

“I didn’t?”

“No.”

“You’ll take responsibility, right?”

Their lips barely touching, their tender words passed between them.

I will.

Ga-young answered faintly and tightened her arms around Hyun-jae’s neck.

She pressed her body tightly against his and poured all her desire into their kiss. She kissed him with abandon, surrendering to the dizzying sensations that swept through her.

The sensual pleasure was overwhelming.

The heat coursing through her blood, the intoxicating sensation—it made no sense, but she loved it.

She loved it so much she could hardly bear it.

Hyun-jae drew her closer with practiced ease, and Ga-young finally gave herself over to the desire she had timidly kept buried.

The world spun around her.

She felt as though she were losing herself in him.

Hyun-jae let out a small sound, but Ga-young paid it no mind and clung more tightly to him, deepening the kiss.

Laughing softly against her lips, Hyun-jae slipped both arms beneath her and stood.

The dizzying height made Ga-young gasp. She instinctively wrapped her slender legs around his waist.

Hyun-jae awoke to the pale light of morning, but he couldn’t immediately get up.

Ga-young was asleep with her face buried against his chest.

Her head still rested on the crook of his arm, exactly where he had supported it when they fell asleep.

Hyun-jae carefully stroked the back of her head.

A deep, sweet happiness lingered at the corners of his lips.

Did we sleep for two hours?

After spending that long wrapped up together, he should have been utterly exhausted.

Instead, his body felt refreshed, as though he had washed away years of accumulated weariness.

It had been more satisfying than ever.

Thanks to how willingly Ga-young had responded to him.

Whenever he asked her to open herself to him, she did.

Whenever he asked her to turn over, she obeyed.

Whenever he asked her to hold on tighter, she did.

She had given him everything he asked for.

More than that, she had entwined herself around him like a vine, clinging to him of her own accord.