chapter 05
Yeon-seo clenched her eyes shut and endured it.
The lewd sounds of friction filled the hotel room. The kiss was so skillful that it left her mind blank. Yeon-seo simply followed his lead.
Her body reacted on its own to the ticklish yet tantalizing sensation. Every time he calmly invaded her mouth, her knees buckled.
The mingled saliva tasted strangely sweet, and she felt her lower abdomen burn like a furnace. Yeon-seo was too busy accepting him to even notice her flushed cheeks.
“It’s just acting.”
Straightening her hunched shoulders, Yeon-seo wriggled, trying not to avoid the tongue that pressed against hers with heat.
She found it amusing that she looked like a deer caught by a predator. It hurt her pride to think he might see her as a toy he could possess easily with just a contract.
Do-heon’s hand slipped under her knees. Her fragile body was lifted in an instant. Carrying her toward the bed, he continued to gently explore every part of her mouth.
With a soft, deflating sound, she was laid on the bed. Do-heon climbed over her, filling the tiny space between them with heat.
Suddenly, she felt his firm bulge against her thigh and was startled. This unknown territory, which she had never seen before, made her tense endlessly.
Yeon-seo pressed her body lightly against him and, seeing him dominate her as if to swallow her whole, was instantly overwhelmed with fear.
“This man must be skilled at everything… he must have been with countless women…”
Scenes she had only seen in movies began to form in her mind. Showing her naked body to someone else was also an intense stimulation.
“What should I do…?”
Her fingertips trembled from the fear coursing through her. And he wasn’t an ordinary man—he was Seo Do-heon. A man who pounced without letting her even catch her breath.
Like a predator capturing prey, he skillfully trapped Yeon-seo.
“Ugh… hmm…”
She tried to hold back the cries escaping her, resenting her body for responding differently from what she thought.
Her whole body shivered. The vibrations were clear enough for Do-heon to notice. He stopped what he was doing and looked down at her.
Seeing the pupils spreading across her delicate eyelids, he sighed lowly.
“What’s this? Acting tough before, and now scared?”
“……”
“Haah.”
He let out a low sigh and pressed his forehead.
“If you act like this in a real scene, it’d be a mess.”
His harsh, reproachful voice cut through the suddenly cold air.
“That’s enough for today.”
Do-heon straightened his crooked tie and stood up. When their tightly pressed bodies separated, she felt a chill through her thin blouse.
“……”
Yeon-seo sat on the edge of the bed. With saliva still lingering in her mouth, she couldn’t meet his eyes.
“It was too sudden today… I’ll do better next time.”
He laughed softly at her words, a hint of mockery in it. Yeon-seo felt her misery deepen endlessly, curling her five fingers tightly.
“Stay in this room until the wedding.”
“H-Here?”
“I’ll come by once a day. You must report if you go anywhere.”
Yeon-seo’s eyes widened as she tried to understand him.
“Just like that, out of nowhere?”
All she had was a small bag, and he was telling her to stay here immediately after signing the contract. She was flustered.
Yeon-seo grabbed his sleeve as he turned to leave.
“Why… why?”
“Because we need to get used to each other. Yangpyeong is too far for that, isn’t it?”
Was it because he said “see each other every day”? Suddenly, her breathing felt uncomfortable. She had to see this unfamiliar man every day, just like that.
“I’ll send your clothes through a personal shopper. If you need anything else, tell me or buy it with this card.”
The reality of their contractual relationship hit her harshly. The man in front of her was clearly the one in power.
What does the subordinate need to think? They just needed to follow orders without reason.
“……Okay.”
By the time Yeon-seo caught her breath, he had already left the room. Only the sensation of his touch on her skin lingered faintly across her nerves.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the strange and stimulating moment.
After he left, the day passed in the unfamiliar place. She must have finally fallen asleep, for when she woke, it was the pre-dawn hours.
A sense of unease gripped her, wondering when he might return. In the quiet space, there was nothing she could do.
Yeon-seo checked her bank account, which had received 100 million won. She would need to gradually investigate the matters related to her grandmother’s death, but for now, the urgent task was to settle Yeon-jae’s debt.
Putting the house issue aside, she couldn’t gauge how serious her younger sibling’s situation was. The thoughts that came to mind involved worst-case scenarios: risking life or being assaulted while being chased by loan sharks.
“I have to meet Yeon-jae.”
She turned on her phone and sent him a message:
[It’s me. I’ll handle the money, so meet me. Bring your seal. Seoul Grand Hotel Lobby, 1st Floor Lounge Café]
The reply came quickly. Yeon-jae said he would come straight to the hotel.
“So he contacts me only when he needs money.”
She felt bitter seeing her once-treasured younger sibling changed.
After their mother left, the siblings’ personalities began to diverge clearly.
Yeon-seo immersed herself in studies to avoid feeling her mother’s absence, while Yeon-jae, who had once constantly sought their mother, began to act recklessly almost daily.
“Damn it! Only if I do this, maybe Mom will come back! Break everything, destroy everything!”
Yeon-jae had once roared like a beast while smashing the furniture in their house. On that day, he even didn’t show up when their grandmother passed away.
Yeon-jae resembled their father closely. Unlike Yeon-seo, he had naturally tanned skin and long hair. Even the way he waddled when walking mirrored their father perfectly.
Yeon-seo thought of her deceased father while looking at her younger sibling. The alcohol scent on him was familiar.
“Wow, this place is expensive, huh? The sister who hesitated over convenience store coffee—where’d you get the money? Stocks?”
“That’s none of your business. Just stamp this to get the 100 million.”
Yeon-seo handed him the documents written on paper with a pen from the hotel. He tilted his head, watching her actions.
“Sis, you’re weird. You’re not… selling your body, right?”
“Watch your mouth, Woo Yeon-jae! Before the 100 million or anything changes!”
“Ah, alright. You’ve got quite a temper!”
The document stated that in exchange for repaying Yeon-jae’s debt, all real estate rights regarding the Yangpyeong house would be transferred to Yeon-seo.
Glancing through it, Yeon-jae said in a flat voice:
“Oh, that’s it? Geez, what a fuss about that house! You really don’t know the world. Do you think that house will sell? Ah, just take it! I was just saying it anyway.”
As a child, Yeon-jae had clearly liked that house. But what he liked was the family being there, with their mother. Once he realized she wouldn’t return, his attachment vanished.
He took the seal from his pants pocket. Yeon-seo looked at the inked mark on the white paper and felt a quiet relief.
“I don’t know what shady thing you did to get this money, but use what you’ve learned to live well. You were the only one in that messed-up house to make it to S University.”
Yeon-jae trailed off.
“Yeon-seo, you’re smart, so live differently. Study hard, get a proper job, live proudly, understand?”
For a moment, she felt as if she heard their father’s voice—thanks to Yeon-jae’s similar tone.
“I’m leaving. Won’t need to contact you for a while.”
After confirming the money in his account, he brushed off his pants and got up. Yeon-seo, her eyes unfocused, looked at the coffee he had left behind.
“Sis! Mom? When’s Mom coming?”
She remembered Yeon-jae’s childhood face, with chubby cheeks.
“He’s gotten thin again. Is he eating properly?”
Family had seemingly never existed for Yeon-seo, scattering and disappearing from the start. She sat alone in the café for a long while.
