TLR 29

Chapter 29 …

Was there a hidden meaning behind gifting a lighter, just like how people avoided gifting shoes to a partner out of fear they’d run away?

‘I’m going to use this exact lighter when I chop off your head and boil it in a pot.’ Was there some dark symbolism like that which she was somehow the only one unaware of?

Sitting in the car on the way home after dinner, Seol kept stealing glances at the silent Junhyuk. No matter how she looked at it, he had been like this ever since she gave him the lighter.

“We’re here.”

Junhyuk pulled into the neighborhood paid parking lot.

“Um… if you don’t like the lighter, you really don’t have to use it,” Seol finally blurted out after much hesitation.

Junhyuk stared at her in silence. Seol spoke up again, extra carefully this time.

“This might sound out of nowhere, but I genuinely hope you live a very long and healthy life, Junhyuk-ssi. I mean it.”

“Until I’m 120?”

“That’s a bit too long, so maybe until you’re 100.”

Recalling a conversation they had shared before, Seol played along.

Whether it worked or not, a faint smile flickered across Junhyuk’s face.

“I do like the gift. It’s just that I’m in the middle of quitting smoking.”

“Ah, I see.”

“If I fail, I’ll use it then.”

“No way. Since you’ve already started, I really hope you succeed.”

“Seol-ssi, you sure have a lot of wishes for me.”

“Oh… I guess I do.”

When she nodded awkwardly and agreed, Junhyuk smiled again.

This time, the smile didn’t fade, staying fixed on his face. Relieved, Seol’s expression brightened instantly, and she began to chatter away.

“I’ll buy you another gift when I get my first paycheck. Something way better than a lighter.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Don’t set your expectations too high, though. Ah, come to think of it, this feels like that one short story. The wife cuts her hair to buy a watch chain, but the husband sells his watch to buy her hair combs.”

“O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi.”

“Whoa, I couldn’t even remember the author or the title! You must read a ton of books, Junhyuk-ssi.”

“That book is a bit too short for me to go flexing my reading habits, though.”

They both looked at each other, smiles on their faces.

Seol let out a quiet sigh of relief internally.

Even if the gift had missed the mark by a mile, at least Junhyuk wasn’t angry, thinking she was telling him to smoke himself to death.

“Head on in before your mother gets mad.”

“Pardon? Ah……”

Seol watched out of the corner of her eye as Junhyuk unbuckled his seatbelt.

Now that her anxiety had cleared, the lukewarm date left behind a lingering trace of disappointment. There was no telling when Dong-hee would leave the house empty again.

“Actually, I don’t have to go home early today.”

Junhyuk turned his head toward her.

Seol bit her lip gently before continuing.

“My mom went to my grandparents’ house. So my curfew is technically gone for the night.”

Junhyuk’s eyes narrowed slightly, sweeping over her with an intense, probing gaze.

That sharp look almost seemed to say, ‘Why is she bringing this up out of nowhere just as we’re about to part ways?’

Panicking, Seol blurted out quickly, “I mean, tomorrow is Sunday, right? Since we can sleep in, I thought maybe we could catch a late-night movie or take a stroll along the Han River before heading home……”

“……”

“Or, you know, just an idea……”

“That curfew.”

“Yes?”

“What time exactly does it come back from the dead?”

Junhyuk’s voice sounded like it had dropped an octave lower.

“Tomorrow at 6:00 PM.”

Seol whispered back, matching his lowered tone.

“Ha.”

Junhyuk ran a hand over his face and let out a dry laugh. It was sooner than he’d expected. Judging by how crazy her mother acted, he thought it’d take at least another three months.

“Of course, if you’re tired, Junhyuk-ssi, we don’t have to! Please ignore everything I just said.”

Fearing that his slightly rough reaction meant he was reluctant, Seol quickly piled on excuses.

“So, what you’re saying is, Seol-ssi, the things you really want to do are watch a late-night movie or go for a walk by the Han River. One of the two.”

His sharp tone made it sound like he was asking, ‘Will you only be satisfied if we do those exact things?’

It wasn’t that she was dying to do them. She just suggested things they could do at this hour because she didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

Seol offered an embarrassed, sheepish smile. Had she overestimated a thirty-something’s stamina?

“Even if we go watch a movie right now, we’ll still have plenty of time left before 6:00 PM tomorrow.”

Junhyuk glanced down at his wristwatch before locking eyes with her again.

“Huh? Ah, yes. There’ll still be time.”

“Then after we do what you want to do, can we do what I want to do?”

“Pardon? Oh, sure! Of course.”

Contrary to her initial worry, the conversation seemed to be heading in a good direction. Seol asked with a bright face, “What do you want to do, Junhyuk-ssi?”

“Seol-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

Pop—

Like a sudden spark flying right at her face, Seol’s cheeks instantly burst into a fiery red flush.

Regardless, Junhyuk just stared at the woman in front of him without even blinking.

Honestly, if she was going to reject him, he’d rather she do it right now so he could watch the movie with a calm mind.

If they watched a movie, walked along the Han River, went up to a hotel bar for a cocktail, and then he asked, ‘Stay with me tonight,’ only for her to say no—he might actually go out of his mind.

Seol’s lips parted and hesitated, trembling as if she were about to speak, then stopping.

Watching her, Junhyuk’s eyes narrowed further and further.

“……Yes.”

The voice that emerged after a short silence was small, but perfectly audible.

“Look up what movie you want to watch.”

Junhyuk restarted the engine as if nothing had happened.

We are going to sleep together tonight.

With the man who had just made such a bold declaration sitting right beside her, there was no way she could focus on the movie.

Clutching a half-empty bucket of popcorn, Seol was led into the hotel by Junhyuk.

“Sit here.”

Junhyuk pressed gently on her shoulders, guiding her onto a sofa in the lobby. Then, he strode toward the reception desk.

Seol watched his retreating back in a daze, popping a piece of caramel popcorn into her mouth.

As she sucked on the sweetness without even chewing, a sudden thought struck her brain. The underwear she was wearing today didn’t match.

“Oh, damn it……”

Seol buried her face in her hands, letting her head drop.

While matching her underwear was one frustration, the overwhelming pressure of what was about to happen made her reactions far more dramatic than usual.

“Do you have a headache?”

At the sudden voice right above her, Seol raised her head while keeping her hands resting on her hair.

Junhyuk was looking down at her with a crease between his brows.

“Huh? Ah, no!”

“That’s a relief. Stand up.”

The crease between his brows vanished without a trace.

The atmosphere was definitely not one where she could suggest doing this next time. If she were going to back out, she should have said something before he booked a room.

Besides, why did he come to a hotel instead of his apartment?

After being lost in thought for a brief second, she found herself inside the elevator. Seol swallowed hard, staring up at the floor indicator.

Click—

At the metallic sound beside her, Seol’s head snapped over on pure reflex.

“……”

Junhyuk, who was unbuckling his watch, raised an eyebrow as if asking if there was a problem.

Seol quickly shifted her gaze back to the floor indicator. She simply didn’t have the courage to ask why he was taking off his watch right this second.

‘He really is a bit unique.’

Come to think of it, she had thought the exact same thing the very first time she ate with him—that he was a type of human being she had never encountered before in her life.

The elevator doors opened. Junhyuk took her hand, holding it tight, and began walking in silence.

Seol kept her head down, staring at the diamond-patterned carpet as she walked. Because of that, she failed to notice that unlike typical hotels, there were no other doors along the hallway.

Junhyuk opened the door.

Seol slowly raised her head as she stepped inside. The scene that opened up before her wide-open view was entirely different from a standard hotel room.

A chandelier hanging from a soaring ceiling, a plush sofa set large enough to seat ten people, and a piano standing a short distance away.

‘A suite?’

Seol’s eyes went wide as she looked up at Junhyuk.

Closing the door behind him, Junhyuk stared down at her with a fierce, unwavering gaze. That prickly look instantly reminded her of his warning never to bring up money.

“……The room is really huge and very nice.”

“Correct answer.”

Correct answer, he says. Seol nodded awkwardly, taking in her surroundings.

She assumed they’d at least shower first before doing anything, which would give her a moment to catch her breath.

Before she could process it, Junhyuk closed the distance and tilted her chin up. Before shock could even set in, his lips were already pressed against hers.

The moment she realized that the man who had unbuckled his watch in the elevator was not about to give her a second of breathing room, his tongue pushed through her parted lips.

Surprised by his tongue filling her narrow mouth, an embarrassed groan couldn’t escape, vibrating deep in her throat before dissolving into nothing.

As she gasped for air and opened her mouth wider, the tongue that had been roughly sweeping over her teeth breached further inside as if it had been waiting for that exact opening.

Expertly licking and sucking every inch of her delicate mouth, his tongue soon wrapped around her whole like a snake coiling around its prey. Then, it pulled back with a ferocity that felt like it was trying to pull her up by her roots.

The deepest part of her body flickered as if taking a breath of its own. At that dizzying sensation, Seol crossed her legs without even realizing it.

Misinterpreting the gesture as an attempt to pull away, Junhyuk gripped her waist with a vice-like hold.

Before she could even be startled by his scorching body heat seeping through the fabric of their clothes, a large hand reached down and began tugging the linen shirt tucked into her jeans out into the open.