Chapter 9

Stolen Marriage

When she opened her eyes, it was broad daylight.

Hae-won woke up alone in the empty bed. The sheet where Jeong-hoo had been lying had long since turned cold.

She hadn’t expected him to be by her side when she woke up, but she couldn’t help feeling a sense of emptiness.

It hardly felt real. She felt confused, as if she had hit a dead end.

Was it really okay like this?

“Ugh.”

Even a slight movement made every muscle in her body feel like it was screaming.

As if their first night together had merely been a prelude, last night he had invaded her ruthlessly and persistently—like a man who couldn’t bear it unless he left his mark all over her body.

His vow to hold her until her body felt broken, and his promise to make it so she couldn’t think of anything, were not lies.

Forgetting her dreadful reality, she had wrapped her arms around the nape of his neck, swaying beneath his heavy weight.

There was no way to handle a man who charged back in just when she thought it was over.

Feeling overwhelmed was only momentary; she reached climax time and time again.

A strange sensation swept over her—her lower abdomen bubbled with unbearable heat, feeling as though it would burst at any moment.

At first, tears fell from the pain; next, her body writhed in pleasure and ecstasy.

Inconsolable groans that she could hardly believe were her own burst forth continuously all through that night.

“If it hurts, bite me.”

His raspy voice struck her ears, making her dizzy.

Instead of biting his shoulder, the moment she dug her nails into him and held him close, Seo Jeong-hoo acted as if he had been waiting for it, taking her even faster and deeper.

Every time his thick, burning length thrust deep inside, her tender flesh shrank continuously.

Something must have gone wrong with her head. The place where the heat was condensed endlessly craved further stimulation. Water splashed and eventually dripped down between her legs, soaking not only his skin but even the sheets.

Her narrow inner walls continuously squeezed and held onto him.

Jeong-hoo moved relentlessly while holding onto her pure white hips. Every time his body overlapped hers to the very root, her vision alternated between turning stark white and pitch black.

It was an erotic act she could never have performed in her right mind.

Through her blurred vision, his expression was also completely undone.

His usual austere appearance was nowhere to be seen; the face occupied purely by instinct brought her a strange sense of satisfaction.

She liked the fact that he was thoroughly excited and reactive through the act with her.

“Haah…”

Shaking off the sticky lingering images of last night was next to impossible.

When she lowered her bare feet off the bed, the cold marble touch clung to her skin.

Hae-won flinched, her shoulders trembling slightly, as she carefully surveyed her surroundings.

Her urgent priority was to find her clothes, which were likely scattered on the floor like shed skin.

She couldn’t walk around naked in the home of a man she had only met twice.

Because right now, it was broad daylight, and she had her sanity.

‘I’ve only seen him twice, and I slept with him every time.’

It was the first deviation of her life. The first time was intentional seduction, but from the second time onward, it was undeniably deliberate.

Furthermore, she had blurted out with her own lips that she would marry Seo Jeong-hoo.

“Whew…”

It was as if she had boarded a ship that had lost its rudder. She had no idea where this voyage would end.

Hae-won barely covered her body with the sheet and took uncomfortable steps forward.

Her body felt heavy overall, and with every movement, it still throbbed and hurt between her legs. The sensation of her thighs convulsing whenever his core plunged inside her still remained.

“…!”

“Are you awake?”

The moment she opened the master bedroom door and stepped into the living room, Hae-won’s eyes widened in fluster.

She hadn’t expected this man to still be here.

Jeong-hoo was sitting on the sofa, dressed in a comfortable knit and pants. Having just showered, his damp hair covered his forehead slightly.

Having only seen him in suits, seeing his thoroughly relaxed appearance somehow made her heart tickle.

Moreover, his lowered tone felt like proof that they had become a bit closer.

Would it be accurate to say it felt like she was peeking into Seo Jeong-hoo’s intimate side?

Tense, Hae-won clenched her fists tightly. The feeling of her blunt, short nails digging into her palms was vivid.

“Why are you still here?”

“Is it strange for me to be in my own home?”

Glancing at Hae-won, who stood frozen with a surprised face, he immediately lowered his gaze back to his documents.

His expression was exceedingly neat and composure itself.

It was hard to believe he was the same man who had overwhelmingly dominated her last night.

“Your clothes will be here soon. Your original clothes aren’t in a state to be worn again.”

“Ah… were they ruined again?”

“I’ll be careful in the future.”

Whether he possessed excessive strength or had perverted tendencies, he was a man who tore her clothes every time they slept together.

In any case, yesterday’s clothes had originally been ruined by Jin-sook’s rough hands, not Jeong-hoo. So tearing them must have been even easier.

Staring at the neat crown of Jeong-hoo’s head as he casually apologized, a faint sigh escaped Hae-won’s lips.

She hadn’t meant to talk about this.

Her mind was so stiffened that she couldn’t properly organize what to say to him.

Ding-dong.

Just then, the low chime cut through the dry atmosphere.

Pressing the door-phone button, Jeong-hoo closed the distance toward her at a steady pace.

Hae-won instinctively stepped backward.

Noticing her retreat, the corners of Jeong-hoo’s lips slanted upward. His face was full of an intriguing air.

Before she knew it, he stood in front of Hae-won with only half a hand’s span between them, and she felt the hard wall behind her back.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

“I don’t particularly want to show my woman walking around semi-naked to a subordinate.”

“Ah.”

At what point should she be surprised?

The sense of crisis that someone else was coming into this space where they were alone? Or the shameless smile on Seo Jeong-hoo’s face as he boldly called her “my woman”?

Hae-won bit her lower lip softly. It was the moment her white teeth bit into her red lip.

Jeong-hoo ran his thumb along her lip line, and soon his hard finger was sucked into her mouth.

His clashing gaze was entirely erotic.

“…!”

Is he seriously trying to kiss me right now? She hadn’t thought he was such an unreasonable, crazy bastard.

Hae-won cast a troubled glance over his broad shoulders.

It felt as if someone would step into the foyer at any second. She didn’t want to be caught in such an overwhelmingly intimate scene.

Her grip on the sheet tightened even more. The moment she accidentally let go of the blanket, her naked body would be fully exposed.

It was a moment when her heart pounded incessantly.

Click. The sharp sound of the door opening struck her ears.

“Stay quiet for a moment.”

Through the gap of the opened door, the bed where she had rolled around with Seo Jeong-hoo all through last night came into view.

After a moment of feeling a strange sense of exhaustion, Hae-won moved her weak legs and barely managed to enter the bedroom.

Why? Why did she feel somehow weighed down whenever she stood in front of that man?

It was a different kind of pressure from when she faced her family.

Catching the breath she had momentarily held back, Hae-won’s face flushed bright red.

“Here.”

A short while later, along with a knock, Jeong-hoo walked into the room with a calm expression.

He placed a paper bag on the edge of the mattress and turned around again.

Opening the paper bag covertly, Hae-won saw neatly folded underwear and a few simple dresses.

They were simply designed clothes that didn’t seem to favor any specific taste. Furthermore, they were quite similar to the clothes she had worn yesterday.

“Whew…”

Hae-won carefully began putting on the prepared clothes.

Not to mention the dress, even the underwear was precisely her size.

Suddenly, the reality of what kind of man Seo Jeong-hoo was struck her.

He was a man who had lived a life where someone was always on standby to resolve any discomfort in his daily routine.

That was why he was arrogant, self-righteous, and relentless.

‘Did he say he would rescue me…?’

Rescuing and saving were clearly different. She didn’t expect salvation through marriage. She had already painfully realized that such a hope was nothing more than an illusion.

A relationship where they cleanly gave and received only what each wanted without any expectations would be neat.

Perhaps there was a high possibility that talk of marriage would merely come up and then fizzle out.

Because her father and Jin-sook would never meekly hand over Seo Jeong-hoo—whom they had considered Chae-ryeong’s from the start—to her.

Hae-won changed into the clothes he had prepared and stepped outside.

Her eyes caught Jeong-hoo sitting on the sofa, flipping through documents like a well-painted still life.

“Let’s eat first.”

He smiled leisurely, as if looking right through her complex inner thoughts.

Unlike her own transparent circumstances, he was a man whose thoughts were completely impossible to read.

Perhaps due to his innate composure, Seo Jeong-hoo, who was adept at controlling his expressions, didn’t easily reveal his cards.

On the dining table, a paper container stamped with a samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) restaurant logo was neatly arranged.

It seemed the person who delivered the clothes had brought the food as well.

“It looked like Yoon Hae-won needed some nourishment. Your stamina is way too low.”

“Don’t you think you just have far too much stamina, Mr. Seo Jeong-hoo?”

At Jeong-hoo’s explicit remark, Hae-won’s face flushed bright red.

It was because she recalled how last night, unable to endure his pushing, she had fallen asleep mid-act as if passing out.

Replying sharply, Hae-won scooped a mouthful of well-cooked glutinous rice into her mouth.

She felt she had to do something to endure this awkward air, though it seemed she was the only one feeling uncomfortable.

“Let’s hold the wedding two months from now. The sooner, the better.”

“Pardon?”

It was a monotone voice, just as when he had suggested eating.

Because the words came out so naturally, the tender, well-boiled chicken caught in her throat.

Jeong-hoo, who handed a glass of water toward the coughing Hae-won, showed no readable expression on his face.

“My father and Chae-ryeong won’t give up easily. It’s not that simple.”

“Yoon Hae-won just needs to quietly prepare for the wedding.”

His tone implied he would take care of everything himself.

He lightly slid the tablet PC he had been casually reading toward Hae-won.

[Gyeongseo Group Executive Director Seo Jeong-hoo, Marriage Imminent with Assemblyman Yoon Pil-jung’s Second Daughter]

It was their second scandal.

The article, featuring paparazzi photos of Jeong-hoo and her, clearly nailed down their relationship.

Seo Jeong-hoo was simply sitting there, offering a languid smile.