EOFD 43🔐

chapter 43

The sound of breath stopping could be heard. A few seconds of silence passed before Yeon-woo, unable to meet his gaze, finally lifted her head.

“…No.”

Then, as if she had resolved herself, her expression hardened. It was firm and straight, her face unyielding.

“I can’t understand what you’re saying right now, Director.”

Like an elegant crane lifting its head, she wore a mask of innocence, pretending she knew nothing. Jeong-ha watched that process with interest.

“Oh? You don’t know what I mean?”

“Yes.”

Her gaze feigned complete steadiness, as though there was not even a tremor. She seemed determined to play dumb until the end. And yet, even in that, her lines were delicate.

But who could she possibly deceive?

From the way she couldn’t even breathe properly, it was obvious this woman had no talent for lying.

“…I see.”

Although Jeong-ha could have pried into that crack, he stopped when he saw the desperation in her brown eyes.

Catching Seo Yeon-woo—if he wanted to, he could set that trap carefully, piece by piece, starting right now.

“How boring.”

Now that he was this close, the sweet scent from her nape grew stronger. Her face, ripening just enough to tempt him into biting, was more than enough to provoke Jeong-ha.

Would she confess the truth if he got just a little closer?

Unknowingly, his head tilted lower and lower, as if he might swallow her hot breath. Yeon-woo’s taut throat bobbed up and down.

“Excuse me. There’s still some time before the schedule, so please feel free to change and come down at your convenience.”

But before their lips could meet, Yeon-woo pulled away, quicker than him. She didn’t even forget to offer a polite farewell before—click—she opened the door and slipped outside.

Watching her retreat, which looked no different from running away, Jeong-ha smirked. Her shoulders, pitiful as a cornered mouse, were almost laughable.

And yet—

“Still, not fun…”

Biting down on his crimson lips, Jeong-ha sat on the edge of the bed.

That fleeing back only provoked him more. He wanted to sink his teeth into that pale nape.

“The smell…”

With one hand, he tugged off the tie Yeon-woo had tied for him. The sweet scent she left behind seemed to linger even here.

Below, it was uncomfortable. The instant he inhaled that fragrance, the tightness straining at his zipper made him frown.

“…Ha.”

Even the sound of her struggling to think furiously in front of him pleased him. He wanted to scatter those thoughts until nothing was left. He wanted to drag out everything Seo Yeon-woo was hiding inside.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looped the tie around his hand once. Then, his hand moved downward, rubbing slowly.

Each time the urge overflowed, his palm grew wetter.

Before his eyes, he saw Yeon-woo flushed with heat, unlike her usual composure, completely disheveled.

His impatient strokes up and down did nothing to satisfy him.

“……”

Never once had he done such a thing while imagining someone. He’d never even thought of committing such a sordid act.

He had always detested drawing someone into his arms with such obsession. Whoever the woman was, he believed she would be no different from his mother.

But Seo Yeon-woo—what was different about her?

He wanted to bind her, make her cry mindlessly beneath him. He wanted to torment her until her lips parted, her eyes and that pale nape were filled with crimson marks.

Would she confess then?

What kind of bond they once had, what she liked, what she was hiding?

The feel of the tie was serviceable. If it had been Yeon-woo’s hand instead, it would have been perfect.

If she had known, she would have shuddered in disgust at his base thoughts.

“…Hoo.”

The sensation that rose up wasn’t something so weak as “thrilling.” The soaked tie fluttered limply in his hand.

Hot breath poured from between his red lips.

In his mind’s eye, he saw a woman pinned beneath him, unable even to scream, tears filling her brown eyes. Her flushed cheeks and pained face flickered vividly before him.

“…Ah.”

At last, Yeon-woo, who had struggled desperately, wept freely, her cheeks tinged the color of peaches. As the prickling sensation hit, Jeong-ha tilted his head back.

Even then, the lingering desire screamed it wasn’t enough. “Shit,” Jeong-ha cursed under his breath.

The tie, now a mess, rolled across the floor. With an irritated expression, he rose and headed into the shower.

Only under the cold water did the tumultuous, adolescent-like pounding of his chest finally subside.

This wasn’t good.

Yeon-woo rarely had the chance to see a clear day like this, clouds floating lazily in the sky beyond the window. Her thoughts ran so deep her vision sometimes blurred. And all of it was because of Woo Jeong-ha.

“You keep acting like this, and I’m really starting to wonder. Were we enemies in a past life?”

His voice still echoed in her ears. She couldn’t mistake the expression that had spread across his face after he spoke those words.

Yeon-woo squeezed her eyes shut.

The problem with the countryside was that it was too laid-back. For someone like Woo Jeong-ha, Yedun City must have felt exactly like that—an unchanging dining table lined only with bland dishes, nothing stimulating at all.

That must have been why he picked her as a toy in the middle of it.

Yeon-woo didn’t believe his interest in her was genuine. The Woo Jeong-ha she remembered at nineteen had been heavy, serious, grounded.

Thinking of that nature, it was hard to see his flirtatious behavior now, after only a few weeks, as sincere.

If anything—

“The weather’s fickle today,” a passerby muttered, glancing outside.

Yes. This too was simply Woo Jeong-ha’s fickleness. There was no other way to explain his eyes, his expressions.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to endure it. Unfortunately, his face was no different from the nineteen-year-old she’d once loved—if anything, it had only grown more handsome. That only made her stomach churn worse.

Yeon-woo wouldn’t let herself be swayed by his games. The outcome of this was already clear, wasn’t it? There was no need to risk ruining her life—or her aunt’s—over a fleeting first love.

Just as she firmed that resolve, a thirst crept up.

“…Excuse me, is there a place I could get some water?”

“Oh, yes. If you go left, there’s a break room. You can find some there.”

The place Yeon-woo was in was none other than city hall. It seemed negotiations with Mayor Yedun weren’t going smoothly, and the meeting dragged on. Since there was no role for a secretary in the talks anyway, Yeon-woo had been left waiting, alone.

No one seemed unoccupied. That only made it harder to approach anyone.

With a nod at the curt reply, Yeon-woo moved. For some reason, even her condition felt off. Her head was heavy—tonight, she’d need to sleep early.

She was thinking just that when she turned the corner.

“…Ah!”