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Chapter 30
Sambek Bakery.
It’s the bakery everyone in Sejong would know by name—run by Somang’s parents.
Back when Siwon and Somang attended school in Seoul, they briefly opened a branch there, but aside from those three years, this place had been the long-established neighborhood bakery in the same spot.
“What is all this?”
Seeing Hangyeol pull a fruit basket out of the trunk, Somang’s jaw dropped.
Even after parking, he had taken a good while to tidy himself up…
This felt like one of those “Please give me your daughter’s hand in marriage” moments.
The fruit basket was overflowing with expensive fruits—yellow mangoes, gold melons, and more. It was far too extravagant for an ordinary day.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, okay…”
Somang decided to watch first and quietly followed him.
As they opened the door and stepped inside, the sweet smell of simmering red bean paste pleasantly tickled their stomachs.
“Oh my! Somang!”
Her mom, Soyoung, who had been wiping the cake display case, stopped what she was doing and greeted her.
“You didn’t even call—what brings you here?”
Hearing the commotion all the way to the kitchen, Youngjae—who had been running the dough mixer—came dashing out.
“Noona!”
Youngjae came running with his arms open, white flour smeared all over his nose.
Just as Somang was about to hug him out of reflex, Hangyeol shoved the fruit basket deep into Youngjae’s arms.
“Urk! Why is this so heavy?”
Youngjae staggered back from the weight, even though Hangyeol had lifted it casually with one hand earlier.
“Noona, you should’ve called! Do you even use your phone?”
Youngjae was a junior from her middle school, and one of her very few male friends.
He always said he had decided on his career after falling in love with the taste of the red bean bread she gave him back then.
After graduating from a culinary school, he was now steadily learning the trade at her parents’ bakery.
“But what’s going on with your hair?”
Seeing his head shaved clean like a kiwi, she asked.
“Don’t even ask. I had to shave it because of a customer complaint.”
She recalled her dad sighing about a troublesome customer who kept leaving bad reviews claiming they found hair in the bread.
“You’re still a bread-crazy idiot, huh?”
She often called him “that nut who’s crazy about bread,” and every time, Youngjae would blush and thank her for the compliment.
He wasn’t normal either.
“By the way, did you just get back to Korea, Hangyeol?”
Her dad, Dongwook, greeted him warmly, patting his shoulder.
“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay in touch.”
“It’s fine. Busy people live like that.”
Since he had been Siwon’s friend since middle school and visited almost daily, her parents had always taken care of him like a son when he lived alone in Seoul.
“So what brings you here, Mr. Busy Man?”
Hearing the lightly pointed remark, Hangyeol massaged his shoulder and guided him to sit at the café side of the bakery.
“I was on a business trip nearby and thought of you all.”
“And the fruit basket? Trying to barter it for some bread?”
At Dongwook’s teasing, Soyoung scolded him—“Honey!”—and went off to prepare some fruit for everyone to share.
Naturally, Hangyeol’s gaze followed her, then stopped at the sight of Youngjae and Somang chatting in front of the display case.
For some reason, Somang was touching his freshly shaved head with deep curiosity, making odd faces before bursting into laughter.
Then maybe they were showing off a potato or something—they brought their faces close together while holding a small phone between them. Each time they swiped the screen, they chirped away like sparrows, endlessly chatty.
Just as an unintentional smile bloomed on his lips, Soyoung called the kids over.
“Stop talking and come eat some fruit.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Youngjae slapped his hand to his forehead like a salute.
“But hyung, what’s with the fruit basket? The market right in front sells tons of fruit.”
In response, Hangyeol quietly leaned closer to Somang.
Feeling the warm heat brushing against her thigh and seeing his crescent-shaped smile, her heart thudded violently.
It felt more like a stress response than butterflies. She widened her eyes and fixed them on his lips.
“Your parents’ anniversary—”
“Oppa! Do you want mango? Wait, no, you should have Shine Muscat.”
Before he could finish, she shoved a handful of bright green grapes into his mouth.
Her parents had no idea she liked him—nor that they had once talked about getting married.
And now he was trying to announce it here? He said they would skip some steps, but wasn’t this skipping entire chapters?
Her parents wouldn’t oppose… right?
While needlessly worrying, she belatedly noticed his mouth was empty.
“Tomorrow is your wedding anniversary, right? Siwon mentioned it.”
With a warm smile, he gently patted the top of her head.
“Somang said we should bring you a gift.”
“Ah… ah?”
She wanted to pinch his teasing hand immediately.
But seeing her parents’ touched expressions, she couldn’t.
“Y-yeah! I said we should.”
She laughed awkwardly, rubbing her neck.
The kimchi juice she had drunk whole-pot was spicy in her throat.
For the first time in her life, her attempt at acting like a dutiful daughter moved her dad so much that he bought her expensive beef.
Her conscience pricked her, but once she was full, drowsiness hit hard. Because of that, she forgot all about interrogating Hangyeol, sleeping soundly the entire drive back to Seoul.
After washing up, she loitered near his room, still smelling the warm aroma of roasted sweet potatoes in the living room.
“I should at least say thank you, right?”
She got to see her parents after a while, and they had ended up celebrating their anniversary by accident.
And he had bought a trunk full of gift-wrapped red bean bread sets to hand out at work.
Knock, knock.
“Oppa, are you awake?”
Peeking her face in, she saw him still in his shirt, working on documents on his laptop.
“Come in.”
Running a hand through his hair, he slipped a finger into his tie and loosened it. A couple of undone buttons revealed a firm chest and straight collarbones.
His tired eyes above it all somehow looked indecently alluring.
So she didn’t dare step inside, speaking from the doorway instead.
“Thanks for today. Well… I guess I’m not only thankful, but…”
She meant to complain, but seeing him still working even at home, she decided to let it go.
“You must be tired from driving. Sleep well.”
“That’s it?”
His languid eyes slid down her from head to toe.
Like a predator, he approached quietly and pulled her fully into the room.
The door shut with a click behind her.
“Siwon said he’ll be late today.”
His half-closed eyes sharpened with sudden clarity.
No—the way he looked at her, from the nape of her neck to her lips, was predatory.
“First time in my room?”
He sounded like he was offering a tour, but the place he brought her to was the front of his bed.
He lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
“Y-your room is really big…”
She deliberately looked away, her eyes rolling.
She’d heard he had expanded the space by connecting it to the extra room, but it was her first time actually seeing it.
“You were distracted all day today.”
There he goes again. When he tugged her hand, she found herself pulled closer, until her legs brushed the edge of the bed.
“Aren’t you going to show me the room?”
“Well, there’s something else I’d rather look at.”
He slowly stroked the hand he held, then pulled her again, causing her knees to give way onto the bed.
“T-the potato! The potato is at my house.”
Her flimsy excuse didn’t work at all.
He chuckled softly, relaxing his lips.
“I learned today that I don’t like animals.”
His nose brushed her palm, then damp lips touched her skin like feathers.
“Ah!”
He had warned her—he would skip the earlier steps.
What she felt wasn’t the sweet, tingly excitement she’d imagined, but a deep, melting heat pooling in her lower belly.
“Somang, focus on me. I’m working really hard to seduce you right now.”
His dark eyelashes were thick and close. Like an alligator luring prey in a swamp.
As his lips slowly traveled from her palm to her wrist, she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Oppa, that tickles too much… hhh…”
She shouldn’t have closed her eyes.
Her sharpened sense of hearing made every sound—the soft breaths brushing her fingertips, the sticky sound of lips touching and pulling away—echo unbearably loud.
Goosebumps rose under her sleeves, and a tingling ran between her thighs.
She needed—brakes. Now.
“Dating! Let’s start dating first!”
Meaning, please calm down. If this keeps going, she really might get carried away.
She slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
