🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 23
At that moment, her heart raced as if a rope had descended from the sky.
Yeon-ha quickly moved her fingers, afraid that the man outside the door might hear if she called him.
“Aren’t you sleeping? Where are you now?”
“On my way.”
“How long will it take?”
“Why? Do you miss me that much?”
Yeon-ha clenched her eyes shut and opened them again at his playful message, which had no way of knowing the current situation.
Just as her trembling hands typed, “I need Do-hyun. Please come quickly!”, the man outside the door, seemingly losing his patience, began kicking the front door.
“Ah! Damn it!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He kicked so hard that the front door rattled.
“Eek!”
Startled, Yeon-ha screamed and collapsed to the floor. At that moment, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
“What are you doing in front of someone else’s house?”
“Who are you?”
The man, venting at the front door, suddenly addressed Do-hyun, who had appeared, in a rude tone. Do-hyun stepped forward with a grim voice and muttered.
“Me? I’m the owner of this house.”
“What… what? This is your house? This is my house! What the hell are you playing at?”
The man flinched inwardly as Do-hyun, taller by a head, approached, but he tried to put on a tough act to hide his fear.
“Seems like you’re the one playing games. Look properly. What unit is this?”
“…2303? Huh? That’s strange. Our unit is 2203.”
“If you’re drunk, just be quiet. Better leave before I call the police.”
“I- I’m sorry!”
The man panicked at the mention of the police, stumbled backward, tripped over his own feet, and fell. He quickly jumped up, worried Do-hyun might follow, and ran off in a hurry.
After confirming the man had disappeared, Do-hyun spoke to the front door.
“Team leader, are you okay?”
“……”
“Team leader? Team leader!”
Her face, pale as she gasped for breath, appeared through the gap in the door.
“Ha… ha… Do-hyun…”
Seeing her about to collapse from weakness, Do-hyun quickly caught her.
“Team leader, are you okay?”
“Seeing you… Ha… makes me feel safe…”
The moment she saw his face, tension melted away, and Yeon-ha shivered slightly.
“It’s okay. I came.”
Holding Yeon-ha in his arms, Do-hyun gently stroked her trembling back, calming her with careful, tender touches, as if saying she no longer needed to worry.
“Come inside.”
Once her trembling subsided, Do-hyun guided her inside by her fragile shoulders. Behind them, the front door clicked shut.
Sitting her on the bed, Do-hyun asked with concern,
“Do you want some water?”
She nodded slightly, and he fetched bottled water from the fridge, opened it, and handed it to her.
“Th-thank you…”
Yeon-ha tried to bring the bottle to her mouth, but her trembling hands caused it to fall, spilling water on her clothes.
Splash.
Do-hyun quickly reached out, but the water had already soaked her outfit.
“Ah…!”
“It’s okay. Just a moment.”
He calmed her down and headed to the bathroom. Returning with a towel, he knelt on one knee and carefully began drying her mouth and arms.
She instinctively recoiled.
“I-I’ll do it.”
“Stay still.”
At his firm yet gentle words, she froze.
His touch was cautious, as if she might break any moment, moving very slowly.
Still terrified, she continued trembling.
Sensing her efforts to hide her emotions, Do-hyun clenched his teeth, suppressing his rising anger.
If only I had come a little sooner…
Regret and self-blame weighed heavily on his chest.
If I had been with her at the promised place, none of this would have happened.
“I’m sorry… because of me.”
“Why would that be your fault? That man acted on his own.”
“If I were there, I wouldn’t have had to go through this.”
“Even if you were there, he would’ve done the same.”
She covered Do-hyun’s hand holding the towel. The tiny tremor made him grip her hand firmly.
“Thinking that bastard scared you…”
Even her reassurance couldn’t lift his guilt. He vowed that he would catch that guy tomorrow and make sure he couldn’t pull a stunt like this again.
“If you keep saying that… let’s just go.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes.”
“I understand. I won’t.”
Unable to leave her alone, Do-hyun nodded. At least until she could close her eyes and breathe freely, he would stay by her side.
Suppressing his rising anger, Do-hyun focused on drying her wet clothes. No, he tried to.
Through her soaked pajamas, he caught a glimpse of lace underwear.
…Are you crazy, Nam Do-hyun? Are you really noticing that now?
A heat spread from deep within him. He scolded himself silently and moved his hand over her clothes.
From her thighs to her abdomen and waist, his hand went—but she grabbed the towel tightly.
Looking up, their brown eyes met.
“I’ll do this part…”
“I started it, so I should finish it.”
“No… I think it’s better if I do it.”
Her other hand joined the one holding the towel.
A brief silence passed.
As their hands pressed and pulled, their gazes locked tightly.
The atmosphere shifted distinctly.
“Why?”
“…Just because.”
Her earlobes turned red, and she quickly averted her face.
…So it’s not just me.
Realizing this, Do-hyun felt a heavy response between his legs.
Forcing his lips into a smile, he teased,
“Are you worried I might… attack you?”
“What are you talking about…”
When she turned her head sharply, he grabbed her towel-wrapped hand.
“Or… are you aroused?”
“Please, go away.”
Startled, she jumped from the bed.
Do-hyun rose slowly, closing the distance between them.
Seeing this, she tried to step back, but the bed blocked her.
Trapped, she bit her lower lip nervously. Her white teeth pressed against her red lips, making them look even more tempting. He muttered,
“No need to be embarrassed. I’m excited too.”
“Get away from me.”
“And if I don’t?”
Without hesitation, he pressed himself against her. The solid heat pressed between her legs, and her pupils widened in shock as she pushed him desperately.
“Nam Do-hyun, are you drunk?”
Hearing this for the first time, her face flushed as if about to burst.
“Sorry, but I haven’t had a drop of alcohol. I’m perfectly sober.”
She looked even more shocked and asked,
“Were you always like this, Nam Do-hyun?”
“What do you mean by ‘like this’?”
“Speaking such embarrassing things so casually…”
“I’m not just saying it. I wanted to be honest in front of you. It’s my true feelings. If you dislike it, tell me. I’ll be polite and gentle like before.”
“Hah… which one is the real Nam Do-hyun?”
When he had looked at her as if he could devour her, and then immediately turned gentle like a lamb, Yeon-ha exhaled sharply.
“Both are me.”
“You’re not a split personality. So you’ve just been pretending to be polite all this time and now you’re acting coquettish in front of me?”
“Yes. I wanted to look good in front of you, Team Leader.”
