Chapter 02
It might have been her imagination, but the look he gave her, one hand shoved into his trouser pocket, was cold to the point of frost.
“The world isn’t as pretty as you think. You must have some fantasy about a one-night stand, but wake up. No guy who’s after that is going to bother with manners.”
The man clearly had no interest in Hyeonjeong.
Otherwise, why would he lecture a woman who’d just tried to seduce him like some stern adult?
“I… I’m sorry.”
Hyeonjeong bowed to him.
Stupid. I should’ve just said sorry and turned away.
No matter how much she tried to act aloof, the childishness in her behavior leaked out. She squeezed her eyes shut as she turned, painfully aware of it.
Compared to this man, who exuded a mature presence, she must have looked like a kid.
Her face burned with shame.
But she couldn’t just give up and go home. The thought of losing her first time to someone she didn’t even like was unbearable.
“I already did it once—why not twice?”
Before she could even feel embarrassed about being rejected, Hyeonjeong began scanning the room for the next prospect.
But no matter where she looked, no one caught her eye.
Maybe that perfect man she’d first seen had set her standards too high.
She’d never been called unattractive in her life, so she’d thought she could lure a man without trouble. But reality was harsh, and her first attempt had failed—embarrassingly so.
“What am I even doing?”
Instead of making a plan to change her life completely, here she was, soothing herself with a petty act of revenge. Pathetic.
Forget it. This isn’t going to change anything.
Right now she just wanted to disappear somewhere her stepmother couldn’t find her, somewhere her father couldn’t reach, and live for herself.
She let out a long sigh and pressed a trembling palm to her forehead. Her own situation felt so pitiful she almost laughed.
Turning to leave, she suddenly bumped her forehead against something tall and solid with a soft thunk.
A cool scent of cologne and a voice sharp as a blade spilled over her crown.
“Did my words mean nothing to you?”
The man she thought had already left was standing right in front of her. Startled, she stepped back—only to have her wrist caught.
“Why…?”
He looked down at her, expression dark and displeased.
The intensity was more than intimidating—it felt dangerous, and Hyeonjeong hesitated.
He snatched the keycard from her hand and started walking, still holding her wrist. With his long strides, she could do nothing but follow helplessly.
By the time they reached the elevator, her heart felt like it might burst.
She had no idea why the man who’d just said he wasn’t interested had changed his mind.
She risked a glance upward.
His lips were a firm line, his eyes fixed on the elevator panel, black and unreadable.
The elevator arrived quickly, and they stepped inside together.
They weren’t even in the room yet, just alone in the small car, but Hyeonjeong’s nerves made her dizzy. She swallowed hard; the man looked down at her.
Afraid he’d think she was ridiculous for being so tense, she straightened her back even more.
A low chuckle slipped from him.
“Nervous?”
She wanted to say no, but no sound came out, only a silent movement of her lips.
“You were bold enough to ask for a one-night stand, but now you’re nervous?”
Not knowing this was the wildest thing she’d ever done, he seemed almost amused by her supposed courage.
She wanted to answer somehow, but the spinning in her head forced her just to focus on staying upright.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened, and he strode down the hotel hallway even faster than when he’d left the bar.
She nearly had to run to keep up, and in the blink of an eye they were at the room.
He switched on all the lights and sat on the bed, watching her as she stood awkwardly near the door.
Flustered, she wiped the cold sweat from the back of her neck.
His intense gaze made her toes curl inside her high heels.
He rose and came toward her, eyes stripping her bare.
When the tall man stood before her, everything else seemed to fade; only his face filled her vision.
He reached out and stroked her cheek, tracing down slowly to her earlobe, the nape of her neck, and her shoulder.
Had anyone ever touched her so gently, as if she were precious?
Her older brother’s playful pats when she was small had felt something like this, but this man’s touch made her breath catch.
His large hand sliding over her body was a strange new sensation. Her eyes trembled without her realizing as she looked up at him and swallowed dryly.
Fearful but unwilling to retreat, she met his gaze with quiet resolve.
“Did someone put you up to this?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re shaking like a kitten in the rain, and you’re here to… what, exactly?”
He gave a faint, wry smile, then withdrew the hand that had been on her shoulder and stepped back. His voice and face were suddenly calm, almost detached, as if the warmth from moments ago had never been there.
“If no one told you to, why would you ask me to sleep with you while trembling like this?”
“……”
“And from what I can tell, whatever’s going on, you’re not the kind of person who would throw yourself into something like this for no reason.”
Hands in his pockets, he let out a deep sigh.
The hint of pity in his look stung, leaving her both embarrassed and angry.
But the anger wasn’t at him, so she forced it down. He didn’t deserve to be the target of her frustration.
Still, her voice came out sharp.
“It’s just a one-night stand. Why make it so complicated? Just… just…”
“Just what?”
His cold gaze seemed to say that a meaningless night of lust was pathetic, as though they shared some deeper connection when they didn’t. It hurt.
“Can’t we just enjoy a night?”
He looked straight through her.
“Does it make sense to do anything with a woman who looks like she’s about to suffocate and pass out?”
All the reasons she’d chased this reckless night threatened to spill out, but she caught herself.
Telling him everything wouldn’t solve anything, and he clearly had no intention of sharing in her escape.
She hated how nothing was going the way she wanted—and hated herself for standing there.
“If you don’t want to, then forget it. I’ll find someone else.”
The words burst out in a flash of temper. It wasn’t like her, but she didn’t want to show the man who’d brought her this far that she was ready to give up. It was a useless bit of pride.
Why is nothing in my life ever under my control, from start to finish?
As she turned to leave, the man stepped in her way again.
His voice now carried open frustration.
“So you’re saying you’ll just go back to the bar and find someone else?”
“Why, can’t I?”
“Were you even listening to me? Find someone else? Really? Are you still not thinking straight?”
His exasperation was written all over his face, and Hyeonjeong could hardly believe it.
“Yeah. I’ll find someone else, and I won’t bother you anymore. So you can stop caring about me now.”
