🔊 TTS Settings
Episode 9
The already quiet room felt as though it had been muted; not a single sound could be heard.
It seemed like this space existed solely for the time between the two of them.
Yeoreum’s eyes suddenly welled with tears.
Though she said nothing, the look she gave him was filled with emotions far too complicated to describe in words.
He hated crying more than anything, so why did his heart feel like it was being sliced apart with a knife every time this woman cried?
“If you keep crying like that, knowing it drives me crazy, then you must be doing it on purpose.”
“……Hhup.”
“Why do you cry like it’s the end of the world?”
Suddenly, Yeoreum leaned in, bent forward, and pressed her lips against his.
The question he had been about to ask dissolved in his mouth, swallowed whole.
As she softly closed her eyes, her tears slid down her cheeks, trailing to their joined lips.
When their lips parted for a brief instant, Hyeonjae caught them again, unwilling to let go.
There was no time to think about what she meant by kissing him.
The dam of restrained emotions burst open, spurring his instincts.
Startled gasps escaped Yeoreum’s lips as he devoured them, forcing his tongue past her lips.
It was nothing like the touch of fingers.
Softer, smoother—sweeter than spooning pudding into his mouth.
An hour ago he’d longed for this very moment, never imagining he would reach it so soon.
The act of exchanging saliva with another person—was it always this electrifying?
One hand gripping her jaw, the other clasping her nape, he pulled her in. She seemed to find it easier to accept his lips this way.
When a soft moan slipped from Yeoreum—
“Hhhng…”
—the kiss grew rougher.
He licked away even the salt of her tears.
He wanted to bite everything, suck everything.
Even when she tapped against his chest, unable to breathe, he only deepened the kiss.
Their lips tangled relentlessly, never parting for long.
Then Yeoreum suddenly pushed him away with all her strength.
Panting, eyes wide in alarm, she looked like she had just woken from a dream.
By the time he realized it, she was already running off toward a side alley.
He could have caught her easily, but instead he sped his car in the opposite direction.
He had to get far away. If he stepped out and grabbed her now, he knew exactly what he’d do.
His irrational body, already overtaken, collided violently with his rational mind, sparking another wave of headache.
Profanities burned at the tip of his tongue. He wasn’t some teenage boy tasting his first kiss—so why did one kiss throw him into chaos like this?
His mind boiled, unruly.
It felt like Yeoreum had turned into a wild colt, trampling recklessly through his head.
What was she, to have this effect on him?
He pressed the accelerator; the car picked up speed.
That night, he vowed not to return home until his head cooled. It wasn’t until dawn that Hyeonjae finally stepped inside.
“Mom!”
Yeoreum’s eyes snapped open.
Her son, Yegyeom, filled her vision.
Clinging to her, he showered her cheek with kisses.
Ever since he was little, Yeoreum had sometimes woken him with a kiss on the cheek, just like in the fairy tales she read him. Now he was imitating her.
“You woke up because I kissed you, right?”
“Yes. Thanks to Prince Yegyeom, I’ve opened my eyes.”
Pleased by being called “prince,” Yegyeom giggled, his messy hair making him look even cuter.
“But Mom, why did you sleep in my room yesterday?”
Stretching as she leaned on her son’s arm, Yeoreum glanced around.
She was indeed on Yegyeom’s bed.
Retracing last night in her head, a hazy memory surfaced—
‘If you keep crying like that, knowing it drives me crazy, then you must be doing it on purpose.’
That burning gaze.
That searing kiss.
Why…?
Before the question could take hold, the vivid memory of his tongue sliding against hers made her shiver.
“Mom!”
Yegyeom waved his small hand in front of her dazed face.
“You slept here because you were scared, right?”
“Hm?”
“Sometimes I do that too. There wasn’t any thunder or lightning last night, but… you were scared to sleep alone, right?”
Yeoreum chuckled softly at his innocent reasoning.
Her complicated feelings were, for a moment, eased by her son’s brightness.
Pulling him into a tight hug, she buried her face in his neck.
His pajamas carried the gentle scent of lotion, soothing her.
Yegyeom laughed, wriggling at the tickle, yet happily nestled deeper into her arms.
Thanks to Seonggyu taking Yegyeom to daycare that morning, Yeoreum had time to spare before work.
She arrived at the hotel earlier than expected and took a short walk nearby.
Checking her watch at the entrance, she decided it was time.
As she stepped inside toward the elevators, someone blocked her path.
“Director?”
“You’re only just getting here?”
It was Gi Hyeonjae.
Just like yesterday—meeting him at the hotel lobby after finishing work.
The only difference: yesterday’s black suit was now a navy three-piece.
But there was something else.
Her gaze stopped at his lips, which seemed unusually full—reminding her all too clearly of last night.
The heat of his breath, the feel of his tongue, replayed in her head.
‘If you keep crying like that, knowing it drives me crazy, then you must be doing it on purpose.’
His words reverberated in her mind.
As she nervously bit her swollen lip, Hyeonjae’s lips curved into a smirk.
Every subtle movement revealed the red of his tongue, tempting as forbidden fruit.
Trying to steady herself, Yeoreum asked in as calm a voice as she could:
“What brings you to the hotel, Director?”
“I thought it would be easier to talk if I had breakfast with the partners before the afternoon meeting.”
“I see. Then you must be heading to the restaurant? I reserved a table for 8 o’clock.”
“Yes.”
“Shall we go? I’ll show you the way.”
He seemed entirely unaffected, as if last night had never happened.
Yeoreum, too, forced composure, leading him into the elevator.
Had other guests entered, the atmosphere might not have been so stifling. But they were alone.
Keeping her distance, Yeoreum pressed the button for the top floor where the restaurant was.
She prayed for the doors to open quickly—
But his voice came first.
“Did you get home safely yesterday?”
“Pardon?”
“You ran away after kissing me like your life depended on it. I just wondered if you tripped or something.”
Her breath caught.
She hadn’t expected him to be so direct. Gripping her bag strap, she lied:
“Did… something happen between us? I don’t really remember…”
Hyeonjae burst into laughter.
“Shall I help you remember, then?”
His breath dampened her ear. At some point, he had drawn close, watching her intently.
“I was trying to give you a hangover cure in the car, and out of nowhere, you kissed me. On the lips…”
His thumb grazed her lower lip, sending a sting through the swollen skin.
Though she was sure she had sobered up, his words made warmth rise like fresh intoxication.
The enclosed space of the elevator mirrored the heat of last night in his car.
If this continued, she would end up kissing him again.
He leaned closer, lips brushing beneath her ear—
“You said you liked me.”
“What?”
Stunned, Yeoreum searched her memory.
Had she really confessed under the influence of alcohol?
She remembered mistaking him for Suha and kissing him, but never saying she liked him.
“I may have kissed you first, but I definitely didn’t say that…”
“So you don’t remember. That explains it.”
Only then did she realize—he had been testing her.
She had pretended not to remember, but he had seen through her. Embarrassment surged.
It felt like being toyed with, but since she had lied first, she had no right to protest.
Still, she wanted to ask—
Why had he known to bring her strawberry milk, something she only craved when drunk?
And though he was sober, why had he accepted her mistaken kiss so eagerly?
But before she could demand answers, the elevator doors opened, restoring the distance between them.
