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Prologue
After several busy days spent running a department-store popup event, Yuu-eul carefully stepped into the house.
Under the soft lighting, a man stood tall like an old tree, holding a small baby in his arms as he looked at her.
His face was filled with exhaustion—he had taken on childcare every evening after work because she was so busy.
But that worn-out look somehow added a strange sensuality to a man who was already naturally seductive, making her heart flutter just by looking at him.
Ignoring the odd feeling, she silently mouthed a question.
Asleep?
Yeah.
At his reply, Yuu-eul smiled faintly and slowly closed the distance between them.
As she approached, the man abruptly turned his body and headed toward the baby’s room.
After gently setting the baby down on the bed, he returned to the living room.
“I know it must’ve been hard watching the baby alone every night these past few days, ah—”
In an instant, the man grabbed her waist. Their bodies pressed dangerously close, stomach against stomach.
A heartbeat—she couldn’t tell whose—thudded between their chests.
A delicate, fragrant scent of sweet osmanthus leaves, like the essence gathered from the tip of a blade of grass, pulsed into her nose.
He’d been caring for the baby all day, so he should have smelled of formula or baby powder. Yet his own strong scent overwhelmed everything else, making her heart race even faster.
Barely able to breathe, Yuu-eul lifted her gaze.
His fierce eyes—like a predator finding its prey—locked onto her as if they might swallow her whole.
“W-wait, hold on a second—”
The moment Yuu-eul sensed danger and spoke, the man tugged down the knot of his necktie and loosened it in one swift motion.
“What are you—”
A hot breath escaped from him with a soft hiss.
Pulling the loosened tie free like a snake shedding skin, he slowly covered her mouth with it and tied the knot tight behind her head.
“I just got the baby to sleep. Don’t make a sound.”
Before she could even react, he lifted her up in one smooth motion.
A scream nearly escaped, but the tie covering her mouth kept her completely silent.
Carrying her straight to the sofa, he set her down.
Before she had a chance to squirm, he moved over her like a sleek panther.
Her blouse was undone in an instant.
His hands—careful yet skilled, like he was handling a baby—made her heart clench tight, and a sharp tremble shot through her abdomen.
“Han Yuu-eul.”
His low, deep voice called her name.
“…Y-yes.”
“I said no noise.”
He leaned down and buried his lips against her neck.
Nibbling gently along her smooth skin, he tilted her head back slightly and tightened the knot a little more.
When she let out a muffled groan, unable to even move her jaw, he laughed as if pleased.
While her gaze was caught on the wicked curve of his smile, their lower bodies pressed together more firmly, heat spreading thickly between them.
Her stiff legs were guided by his hands into a more explicit position.
“I’m dead tired from using up all my strength taking care of the baby.”
Yuu-eul blinked, as if asking what he wanted from her.
“It means I need to recharge.”
He gave a light kiss over the tie covering her lips, then moved downward.
Soft popping sounds followed as he kissed along her chest.
Feeling her skin grow hotter beneath his touch, he lifted his upper body and reached for the front of his pants.
“Once I’m recharged, you rest. I’ll take care of the baby again tomorrow.”
The man’s intimate form of “recovery time” began.
