Chapter 05
“Darling.”
Just a little closer.
If I moved even the slightest bit, this breath escaping my lips would surely touch him.
Seung-eon quietly stared at him.
From his long eyelashes drooping down, to the sharp tip of his nose, and the firmly closed red lips—everything came into view.
Those tightly shut lips hadn’t shown any sign of opening since Seung-eon had climbed onto his thigh, and yet, the way he was desperately trying not to meet Seung-eon’s eyes was just so—
‘Adorable.’
Her boyfriend really was incredibly shy.
“Aren’t we too far apart?”
“……”
“Come here. Hold my hand.”
“…Okay.”
For over thirty years of her life, Seung-eon had never properly held hands with someone of the opposite sex.
Even a simple handshake for work required medication and countless mental simulations, and afterward, she’d secretly turn away, suffering from nausea and dizziness.
But now, she was holding someone’s hand without any discomfort, and more than that—
‘…’
Seung-eon looked up and stared at the man.
He was breathing shallowly while looking at her, his muscular body hidden beneath thick clothing.
She remembered the first time they were intimate.
The sound of her pounding heart the first time she saw his bare chest still echoed in her ears.
Instead of feeling uncomfortable with their accidental touches, she was so excited her chest felt like it would burst, and she had no idea what to do.
Back then, both of them had been stiff and awkward.
From holding hands, to undressing each other, to kissing, to lying down in bed—they were nervous with every move, constantly gauging each other’s reactions.
Now, after going through it once, twice, and many more times, she had become used to it. But he remained just the same.
‘Well…’
Maybe it was better that way.
If she imagined him using that beautiful body to fool around with other women, an uncontrollable wave of jealousy would surge from deep inside. She was sure she couldn’t stand it—when it came to jealousy, she wouldn’t lose to anyone.
“Darling.”
The more she called him, the more his tightly sealed lips and downward gaze began to waver.
He was trying so hard to resist—so lovable.
Did he even know how much her heart was pounding just watching him freeze up like that?
“Look at me. Please?”
With that soft, sweet whisper, the man slowly raised his head from below. Their eyes met, and her breathing quickened.
Seung-eon pressed her hips down harder on his thigh, drawing closer. With her long fingers, she tilted his chin upward and locked his gaze on her face.
She smiled warmly.
“How long are you going to hold out?”
His eyes trembled violently. Seung-eon sighed dramatically.
“I’m ready, you know.”
“…”
“I want to do this, and that, and maybe even—mmph!”
“Stop…”
She trailed her finger from his lips down to his neck, finally teasing along his firm collarbone.
That must have provoked him, because he suddenly grabbed her wrist. The sight of his furrowed brows made her heart pound. Her eyes softened.
“Really? You want me to stop?”
She gently pulled away from his grip and whispered. She could hear his throat gulp.
Smiling deeper, she brought her lips to his ear.
“Ah!”
As soon as she blew warm breath into his reddening ear, her body shifted violently. In the blink of an eye, Seung-eon, who had been sitting on his thigh, was suddenly lying on the couch beneath him.
“Seung-eon Kang.”
The man, now looking down at her with a cold gaze, unbuttoned his shirt while narrowing his eyes.
“I told you to stop.”
“H-huh?”
“You started this.”
He threw his shirt aside without hesitation and dove on top of her.
Ah!
The hot breath flowing from between his lips touched her smooth skin, climbed her heaving chest, and finally, as his soft lips covered hers—
“Gasp!!”
Seung-eon’s eyes flew open.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?”
His stamina was unbelievable. Sure, she had provoked him, but it was always Seung-eon who surrendered first to his intense advances. Every time his much larger body collided roughly into hers, she could do nothing but cling to him and shake.
“Seung-eon, you can’t leave yet.”
His voice echoed in her head, mingling with her own ragged breaths beneath him, and left her gasping. Tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes spilled down her cheeks as she moved in rhythm with his thrusts. And then—
Thump-thump.
‘…Ha.’
Suddenly, reality hit, and she pressed her lips together.
The once-fluttering feeling had turned into something thunderous.
Would her heart really explode at this rate?
‘No way.’
And yet, the memory of that night, from last night through this morning, refused to leave her head. Her expression hardened.
‘Did that really happen?’
The memory had come back so suddenly.
Smiling seductively at a man, luring him in, and joining bodies without hesitation—this wasn’t the Seung-eon Kang she knew.
Calling someone “Darling,” of all things.
Even the voice she used to whisper that nauseating term of endearment to the blurry-faced man felt completely foreign.
This had to be a dream.
It had to be a dream. That’s what Seung-eon kept telling herself. But—
“Spread.”
“Ahh!”
What happened to the person who used to flinch and freeze at the slightest touch? The way that man ordered her, prying her lips open with his tongue—it was too vivid.
He had pinned her down, sucking deeply, making her dizzy. Her mind had faded as he came closer and closer.
‘Was I really that sexually frustrated?’
Was that why she dreamt of doing such things with a faceless man? But then again, the sensations—his breath, his whisper, the touch on her lips—were too familiar.
‘It was real…’
Honestly, Seung-eon had only half-believed Secretary Chu.
A boyfriend? Her?
And a secret boyfriend at that? Impossible.
She barely had enough time to run the company. Romance? Laughable. Physical affection with some strange man? She couldn’t even handle a hug or kiss, let alone sex. She used to scoff at the idea.
‘A boyfriend…’
So he really did exist.
In all her thirty-two years, Seung-eon had never had a dream this filled with desire.
Because of past trauma, she couldn’t handle physical contact with men and had never even attempted romance.
But here she was, straddling a man’s thigh and speaking shamelessly. She’d even made explicit comments without hesitation. Unless this was a real memory, such a thing was unthinkable.
Seung-eon Kang, are you even sane right now?
“You don’t look well.”
Standing stiffly inside the elevator on the way to the executive office, Seung-eon turned at the voice clearly directed at her.
It was Secretary Chu, looking at her with narrowed eyes.
“Your face is extremely red. Was your breakfast too spicy?”
She couldn’t say anything to her suspicious-looking secretary.
How could I admit I had a sexy dream last night out of nowhere?
They had kissed—and more.
The most annoying part was that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember the man’s face.
She forced an awkward laugh.
“It’s just… hot. That’s all…”
“But the air conditioning is working fine. It’s set to 19°C.”
“I-is that so?”
“If it’s still too hot, I’ll ask Facilities to lower it.”
Without hesitation, Secretary Chu pressed the topmost call button on the elevator.
—Yes, Facilities.
“This is Secretary Chu from the Executive Office.”
—Ah, yes! Hello, Ms. Chu!
“The temperature in elevator #0 is too—mph!”
—Sorry?
“Never mind! It’s nothing, don’t worry about it!”
Of course—it was Secretary Chu.
Always taking immediate action the second she said anything. Flustered by the facilities team’s confused response, Seung-eon quickly ended the call.
As the elevator door opened on the 15th floor, she removed Chu’s hand from her mouth and gave an awkward smile.
“I’m getting off soon anyway. No need to lower the temperature.”
“……”
“Shall we go?”
“……”
“It’s been half a year since I’ve been here, right? Maybe that’s why it feels so unfamiliar. Did someone redo the interior of the executive floor while I was gone?”
Her memory was frozen around age thirty-two, so she remembered the 15th floor vividly.
But something about the hallway leading to the office felt slightly different. As she turned around, Secretary Chu, who had been eyeing her suspiciously, finally moved.
“Hmm. Suspicious. You look like someone caught sneaking a snack.”
Seriously?
Did she have to say it like that?
Seung-eon bit back her retort.
“Madam Presi—!”
That’s when it happened.
A sudden shout caught her attention. Seung-eon turned her head and saw a group of people running toward her.
“Madam President! Is it really you?!”
“President, oh, President!”
“She’s back! Our president is back!”
“President, you’ve returned!”
“Hey, Assistant Ko. Don’t say ‘returned’ like she came back from the dead. She was just… lying down for a while!”
As Seung-eon and Secretary Chu stood frozen mid-confrontation, a crowd of employees suddenly surrounded them.
Seung-eon was taken aback.
Of course, today was her official return to Lucin Group, but all these familiar department heads and employees rushing up to greet her?
Apparently, she hadn’t been disliked as a boss after all.
“President Kang.”
While being bombarded with “We waited for you!” and “Now Lucin can breathe again!” and “Lucin wasn’t Lucin without you!”, a familiar voice stood out.
As the crowd parted like the Red Sea, a man appeared holding a bouquet of yellow freesias—her favorite.
Seung-eon looked up at him as he stepped closer and offered the bouquet.
She smiled.
“It’s been a while, Jung Hee-do.”
