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Chapter 7
Sui winced and furrowed her brow.
“Ow, Dokgo.”
Startled, Beomjin’s eyes widened for a split second before returning to normal.
“…Ah.”
“What is your problem, seriously?”
Sui shot him a glare and tried to pull her hand free.
But Beomjin merely loosened his grip slightly without letting go of her wrist.
“Would you let go of this—”
“A blind date?”
His low, deep voice cut through her words like a blade.
Sui flinched and nodded timidly.
“Y-Yeah…”
“With who?”
“I don’t know the details yet.”
Sui took a deep breath.
Even through her drunken haze, she could clearly see the unusually cold look in Beomjin’s eyes.
Come to think of it, maybe all those things people said back in school were true.
They used to say that when Beomjin stared at someone with a blank expression, chills ran down their spine and their body froze up.
That no one could withstand that sharp, icy gaze.
With eyes like that, I can see why…
Just then, his low voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Who?”
“Huh?”
“Who said they’d set you up?”
“Oh… Team Leader Oh.”
Beomjin immediately pictured Team Leader Oh—the warm, kindly-looking man—and frowned.
He had seemed like a decent family man with no flaws.
Who would’ve thought he’d stab him in the back like this?
“He said people with jobs like ours need someone they can lean on comfortably.”
“…”
“He said even when you think you’ve gotten used to it, there’ll come a day when everything collapses all at once.”
Sui lowered her head weakly.
“Today almost became that day for me.”
The moment she said it aloud, a bitter feeling rose from deep inside her chest, just as it had when she headed to the morgue.
“Team Leader called while he was out on assignment. He said the unidentified body that came in this time might be my father.”
Her voice trembled.
“When I heard that… it felt like my heart just dropped.”
Deep down, she still hadn’t truly accepted it.
That she was alone in the world now.
“I thought I’d prepared myself, but I hadn’t. Honestly… I was scared. I realized there really isn’t anywhere left for me to go back to.”
The more she talked, the deeper she felt herself sinking.
She wanted to drown the feeling in alcohol.
But Beomjin still refused to let go of her wrist.
“Dokgo. Can you let go? I’ve had a really hard day.”
“You already have one.”
“…What?”
“A place you can lean on.”
Blink.
Blink.
Sui’s long lashes moved slowly.
What is he talking about?
“The only woman I want to kiss is you.”
Beomjin gently grasped her chin and made her look at him.
“The only woman I want to sleep with, too.”
Sui’s eyes and lips slowly parted.
The word kiss alone was shocking enough to make the world stop.
And he wanted to do what with her?
As if reading her thoughts, Beomjin continued.
“Kiss.”
“…”
“And sleep together.”
“…”
“I only want those things with you, Ahn Sui.”
Beomjin’s eyes darkened as he looked at the frozen woman before him.
Her light-brown eyes trembled faintly.
Her soft cheeks were flushed pink.
Her small red lips quivered slightly, parted just enough.
Her pale, slender neck was exposed by the ponytail tied behind her head.
Drunk Ahn Sui was dangerous.
Far more than she needed to be.
It was fortunate the place was nearly empty because it was still early.
Otherwise, at least a few men would have approached a woman like her drinking alone.
The thought irritated him.
Sui always put herself down, saying things like:
Who would be interested in a woman who wears black all the time and never bothers with makeup?
But whenever he watched her waiting for him from afar, or walked beside her through the streets, he always noticed the way men’s eyes lingered on her.
Eyes heavy with desire.
Eyes exactly like his own.
“Why do you think you have nowhere to go back to?”
Still holding her hand, Beomjin guided it to his chest.
“You have here.”
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The fierce beating of his heart pounded against her palm.
As Beomjin stared at her without blinking, Sui suddenly felt unbearably thirsty.
“S-Stop joking around. I’m being serious.”
She quickly pulled her hand away and hurriedly filled her glass.
Beomjin had always comforted her like this.
Whenever she had worries or problems, he’d distract her with something completely unrelated, giving her room to breathe.
By the time they finished laughing at his ridiculous antics, the pressure weighing on her usually felt a little lighter.
Still…
How can he say something like that?
Kissing, sleeping together… between us?
Forget it.
Just thinking about it made her head spin.
The moment Sui raised her glass to drink—
Beomjin grabbed her hand and tipped the alcohol into his own mouth.
“W-What are you doing?”
The sight of his thick throat moving as he swallowed felt strangely provocative.
How odd.
She’d seen Dokgo Beomjin drink countless times before.
So why was the pit of her stomach burning now?
“Didn’t you call me here to drink?”
His dark eyes remained fixed on hers.
Then his gaze slowly drifted downward.
“Can I drink something else?”
Suddenly, a dangerous thought crossed Sui’s mind.
The “something else” he meant wasn’t another type of alcohol.
It was…
Her lips.
The very lips he was staring at.
“D-Do whatever you want. Just let go of me. Your glass is right there.”
“Drink slowly. You’re almost at your limit.”
“I’m not! You’re the one with a lower tolerance than me.”
Then Sui suddenly felt wronged.
With flushed cheeks, she shot him a look.
“You’ve got it easy. You forget everything the next day.”
If he remembered saying things about kisses and—
Well, that—
there was no way he’d be able to act so confidently afterward.
What a shame.
One day I’ll make Dokgo Beomjin lose his composure.
As she reached for the bottle with renewed determination, she suddenly paused.
Wait…
Wasn’t Beomjin still sober?
“Ahn Sui.”
His voice abruptly cut off her thoughts.
“Why invite someone out and then drink by yourself?”
“…Why do you keep holding my hand?”
Beomjin covered her hand with his as she reached for the bottle and grasped it together with her.
“Because I want to.”
What?
Pressing her lips together, Sui quickly looked away.
Did I make it too obvious how miserable I am?
Is that why he’s trying so hard to comfort me?
Her heart pounded.
Her cheeks burned.
Meanwhile, Beomjin refilled her glass.
Pour—
The clear liquid filled it halfway.
“Don’t drink so fast.”
His thumb brushed across the back of her hand.
“The night’s still long.”
***
Leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, Sui’s body slowly tilted to the side.
For a moment, it felt as though her head had landed on something just as hard as the wall.
Then a deep woody scent enveloped her.
“Mmm…”
Without realizing it, Sui turned toward the source of the fragrance and snuggled closer.
The thing she was leaning against stiffened immediately.
What is this?
It feels like it’s moving.
But it feels nice.
It was hard and solid like a sack of rice, yet somehow comforting, like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
A moment later, her body suddenly lifted into the air.
Sui smiled sleepily.
“Ahn Sui.”
“Mmm…”
“Do you like it?”
Nod. Nod.
Her small head bobbed.
“It feels like I’m floating on a cloud. I want to stay like this forever…”
“Do you?”
She nodded again.
Then she finally realized the voice beside her ear belonged to Beomjin.
Slowly, she forced her eyes open.
Blink.
Blink.
For a moment she was captivated by the sculpted face in front of her.
Then she noticed the air felt different.
Confused, she looked around.
Strange.
She had definitely been inside the restaurant.
When had they come outside?
The familiar road and rows of trees entered her view.
Then she realized she was in Beomjin’s arms.
“P-Put me down.”
Sui weakly pushed against his shoulder.
“Don’t want to.”
As if to prove it, Beomjin adjusted his hold and pulled her closer.
Their bodies pressed together even more tightly.
Soon they were close enough for their breaths to mingle.
Close enough to see their own reflections in each other’s eyes.
“Ahn Sui.”
The relaxed night air suddenly tightened around them at his words.
“Want to kiss?”
