WAK 33

Chapter 33

Mihee returned to her home with her two sons. The house where she lived alone was a luxurious villa overlooking the Han River.

Before leaving Samseong-dong, Mihee repeatedly tried to persuade Chairman Ryu to come with her. But today, Chairman Ryu did not fall for her seduction. Instead, he went to Seongbuk-dong, where Mrs. Jeong was. So Mihee was in a very bad mood.

The three of them sat separately on the living room sofa.

Mihee let out deep sighs as she looked at her handsome sons. Chairman Ryu needed to divorce as soon as possible so that her sons would no longer be called illegitimate children. She hated Mrs. Jeong so much for refusing to give up her position as his legal wife that it made her blood boil.

“Hyunjin, why don’t you look for a professor position in Korea?”

“America is more comfortable.”

Hyunjin answered coldly without even looking at his mother.

“You can’t keep wandering around a foreign country like a drifter forever.”

“It’s more comfortable there than living in Korea while everyone points fingers at me. What can I do?”

“What? What did you just say?”

Hyunjin let out a deep sigh and stood up.

“I’ll go to my room and rest first.”

Mihee glared murderously at Hyunjin’s back as he walked toward his room.

“What an unambitious fool.”

Seeing Mihee click her tongue, Hyunsu shook his head.

“It’s a relief that at least you have your head screwed on straight.”

“Mother, you should get some rest too.”

“You’re staying the night, right?”

“I should go home.”

When Hyunsu stood up, Mihee looked disappointed.

“How am I supposed to stay here with that boring Hyunjin without you? It’s suffocating…”

“Don’t expect too much from my brother. I’ll fulfill your expectations for you, Mother.”

Only then did Mihee smile. She affectionately took Hyunsu’s hand.

“My goodness. What would I have done if I hadn’t given birth to you?”

Hyunsu also forced a smile.

“No matter what happens, Jeonghan’s position has to become yours.”

There was a poisonous edge to Mihee’s low murmur.

“That look in his eyes, as if he’s looking down on people… It makes my blood boil.”

Hyunsu held Mihee’s hand in return.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll grant your wish.”

Mihee’s cold expression melted like snow.

“Yes, thank you.”

Hyunsu hugged Mihee affectionately. But his face twisted strangely with self-loathing and distorted desire.

“Go on now. You must be tired.”

“Don’t think about anything and get some rest. And don’t drink.”

“I’ll try.”

Mihee saw Hyunsu off to the entrance.

Even after her son left, she stood for a long time staring at the closed door. Then she sighed toward Hyunjin’s room.

At the same time, Jeonghan and Hana were sitting side by side on the sofa, seriously facing off over ice cream.

“How can you not eat something this delicious?”

“How can you eat toothpaste?”

“Toothpaste!”

She became offended and reacted angrily.

“That statement just now was an insult to the mint-chocolate faction.”

“It’s not that serious.”

Jeonghan waved his hand as if what she said made no sense.

“I feel insulted right now.”

“Alright, alright. Calm down. Whoa, whoa.”

When Hana made a sulky face, Jeonghan looked awkwardly down at the ice cream covered in blue.

“So, to you, this is the most delicious ice cream in the world?”

“Of course!”

“To me, it’s toothpaste… Alright. I’ll stop saying it.”

Jeonghan let out a long sigh as if he had finally given up.

“I’m not forcing you to eat it. There’s another flavor right beside it. Eat that.”

“But look here. It got on you.”

He could not tolerate even the slightest taste of toothpaste.

Hana deliberately scooped up a large spoonful of mint-chocolate ice cream and brought it to her mouth.

For some reason, Jeonghan felt like she was teasing him.

“Mmm, it’s delicious.”

She happily licked the ice cream from her lips.

“Is it really that good?”

“Come on, I told you to try it.”

He could not bring himself to put his spoon into the mint-chocolate ice cream.

“What if you hate it without even trying it?”

“Do I really have to try it to know? I already know it’s mint without eating it.”

He simply preferred ice cream with a rich chocolate flavor.

“So you don’t like that cool, refreshing taste. I like peppermint tea and mint candies too.”

“Our tastes differ here.”

She giggled and continued scooping up the ice cream without hesitation.

Just watching Hana eat so happily made Jeonghan feel good. He turned his body toward her and leaned his upper body against the back of the sofa. Then he deliberately began watching her.

“Stop staring. You’re making me self-conscious.”

“Eat more. You can finish it all.”

“Gang Hana is going to gain weight.”

“Did you expect to eat this late and not gain weight?”

“That’s what I mean. I’ll gain weight.”

Even though she said that, she continued eating the ice cream with genuine enjoyment.

Jeonghan’s gaze fixed on the ice cream on Hana’s lips. The ice cream that had settled there like snow slowly melted into a tiny drop.

The sweet mark seemed to tempt him.

I’m this delicious. Are you really not going to eat me?

It would be dizzying just to touch me with the tip of your tongue.

“Hana.”

Jeonghan called her name in a slightly lowered voice.

“Yes?”

When she turned her head toward him, he gently captured her lips.

Hana froze with the pink spoon still in her hand, unsure how she should react.

Jeonghan’s tongue, cooled by the ice cream, intertwined with hers. At the same time, the hand around her waist pressed firmly against her lower back, and their upper bodies moved closer together.

“Sunbae…”

Their tongues became intertwined more deeply between their slightly parted lips.

Hana dropped the spoon she was holding and hesitantly clenched her fists in the air.

Jeonghan lightly bit and pulled on her lower lip, making it difficult for her to breathe. Until now, Hana had never known that sharing each other’s saliva could be so stimulating and exciting.

After hesitating, she gently wrapped her arms around Jeonghan’s neck. At her response, he pressed his body closer, and the force pushed her backward.

Jeonghan placed one hand on the sofa and almost completely covered her body.

Pushed back by him, Hana rested her head against the sofa and closed her eyes.

He intertwined his fingers with hers. Their fingers locked together, and they unconsciously began caressing each other.

Their breathing grew rapid, their breaths became hot, their hearts pounded, and their blood flowed faster. The inside of their mouths, which had been chilled by the ice cream, grew hot.

Hana occasionally drew him in with her roughened breathing, while Jeonghan was wild and different from his normally composed self. His kiss was skilled, and every place his hands touched tingled.

“I understand now.”

Without pulling his lips away, he whispered in a husky voice.

“Now I know why you like mint chocolate.”

Hana lazily opened her closed eyes and looked up at him. She looked at his right eye, then his left, then his right eye again. They were so close that it was all she could see.

Jeonghan noticed her pupils moving from side to side and curled the corner of his mouth into a smile.

Hana pushed Jeonghan’s chest with both hands.

Jeonghan could not take his eyes off her after her sudden action.

After he moved back, she scooped up dark-chocolate ice cream with his spoon instead of the one she had dropped and put it into her mouth.

Before the ice cream melted in her mouth, she grabbed Jeonghan by the collar and passed the sweet ice cream into his mouth through their overlapping lips.

An intense sweetness, almost enough to make their heads spin, swallowed the two of them.

Their kiss showed no sign of stopping. Their touches became increasingly open, and the stiffness they had at first disappeared.

The hand that had been caressing Hana’s lower back moved upward along her spine.

Following the path of his hand, the fine hairs on her skin seemed to rise.

Her head spun, and she felt dizzy as if she had climbed somewhere very high.

Their lips parted briefly as they caught their breath.

“I think something is wrong with me.”

She whispered softly with a warm breath.

“What?”

“I feel dizzy.”

He gave a small laugh and applied a little more pressure with the hand that had been caressing her back.

Hana climbed onto Jeonghan’s lap and sat with her legs apart. Placing both hands against his chest, she arched her back.

The touch moving along her curved body was unmistakably intimate.

Their gazes also grew deeper as their positions changed. A heavy silence surrounded them. But the intense signals sent by their bodies were unmistakable.

When the hand caressing her back suddenly stopped, the trembling in their eyes became even stronger.

Their locked gazes grew tense, while their breathing was carefully restrained.

Jeonghan’s hand began moving again. This time, it was no longer her back but her hip, and no longer over her clothes but against her bare skin.

Hana drew in a deep breath, making her chest rise. The desire clearly visible in the eyes with which she looked down at him was alluring, like a rose glistening with moisture.

Jeonghan raised his upper body from where he had been leaning. Hana slid the hand that had been touching his chest up to his shoulder. His hand moved from her hip to her side.

The area enclosed by his broad palm seemed to pulse strongly.

Hana opened her eyes weakly and tilted her head down. Her slightly parted lips gently caught his lips.

Their restrained breathing grew intense at the same time.