Chapter 6
“So many questions.”
Thankfully, she quickly regained her composure and responded with feigned indifference. Still, the fact that he had even peeked at her photos was shameless beyond belief.
Even when Ryu-jin dodged his probing, Ji Woo-tae only lifted a brow. He didn’t dig deeper. That should’ve been a relief, but somehow, the lack of pressure made her irritation mount.
She glanced at her phone, wondering how much time had passed. One look made her eyes widen—she was close to missing the last train.
Oddly enough, her first feeling was disappointment. Disappointed? Even though staying longer would only leave her more unsettled?
He was pretending to be polite and restrained, but his intentions were obvious. Just like every other man who had approached her before.
“Heading out?”
As if reading her mind, Ji Woo-tae asked. Ryu-jin nodded, sliding down from the stool.
His stool turned in sync with her movement.
“No goodbye?”
That low voice wrapped around her spine, making her steps quicken in spite of herself.
Just as she muttered, “See you around,” he spoke first.
“Don’t go.”
“……”
“You know I want to stay with you, right?”
Her eyes wavered. But with a scoffing smile, she lied, “I don’t know what you mean,” and tried to slip away. A large hand caught her wrist.
The moment she was seized, her lips pressed tight.
“I want to be with you.”
“……”
The words left no room to deny it. They carved themselves into her, making her chest stir restlessly.
Ryu-jin turned to face him. For a pleading gaze, his eyes were arrogant—but beneath it, there was a trace of impatience she hadn’t expected.
It was only her wrist he held, yet heat rose to the back of her neck.
She knew it wasn’t just small talk he wanted. This was a signal, bold and unmistakable.
And yet—why didn’t the obvious lust feel filthy?
Instead…
Her eyes fell to the veins rising on the back of his hand. She wondered how strong that grip would be if he squeezed tighter.
What would it feel like for her skin to brush against those broad shoulders stretched beneath his shirt?
“Am I really not good enough…?”
His muttered words were sly. He had clearly sensed her wavering heart and whispered just to push her further.
“Someone’s waiting for me.”
“Who—your husband?”
His tone balanced between teasing and sincerity, but his eyes carried a weight that couldn’t be dismissed. She forced herself to steady her mind, to shake off the cobweb of his hand.
When she twisted her wrist, he rose from the stool. Standing, his height was even more overwhelming, and she almost stepped back.
“……”
His hand still held her wrist. Tilting her chin, she met his gaze.
Even though his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, hers searched him without hesitation.
For a fleeting instant, a dangerous thought struck her.
Should I?
Desire tangled her reason. What harm in one night? He didn’t seem like the kind of man she’d ever cross paths with again. Just one night…
His gaze dropped to her lips, heavy as liquid, ready to spill. Her heartbeat quickened.
“I…”
At last, impatience crept across his face as he parted his lips.
“Ji Woo-tae!”
A sharp, high-pitched voice cut through the air. Both of them turned toward the sound.
At the doorway stood a tall, slender woman—his fiancée.
His brows furrowed harshly, and with clear reluctance, his hand fell away.
An inexplicable hollowness swept through her chest, startling her.
Clicking his tongue, he turned his back on Ryu-jin and strode toward his fiancée.
“Don’t leave. Wait for me.”
Even as he walked away, he didn’t forget to look back and insist.
“I mean it.” He even emphasized the word, but Ryu-jin said nothing. She simply stood frozen, watching him lead the furious woman out of the bar.
The woman’s shrill cries—“I’ve had enough!”—faded down the hall.
Ryu-jin pressed a hand against her chest. Only then did she notice her heartbeat had calmed.
Though the woman’s arrival had doused everything like a bucket of cold water, in a way, she was grateful. It had stopped things at the right moment.
She turned to the bartender.
“There’s only one exit here?”
“Yes.”
It would be a disaster to run into them. But it couldn’t be helped. Bracing herself, she pushed the door open.
Fortunately, they weren’t in the hallway. The elevator panel showed a floor number above—so they had gone upstairs.
Had he given in to her tantrum? Or gone up to end things once and for all? Either way, it wasn’t her concern.
Recalling the woman’s sharp glare, Ryu-jin pressed the elevator button.
“Excuse me, miss!”
Just as she was about to step inside, the bartender rushed over.
“You’re leaving already? He’ll be right back down.”
He must’ve asked the bartender to stop her. Relentless. Ryu-jin sighed inwardly.
“I have something urgent.”
“Then at least leave a number…”
She rattled off the first digits that came to mind. As the elevator doors closed, she caught the bartender’s relieved smile and felt a twinge of guilt.
Out front, she slipped into one of the waiting taxis. When the driver asked her destination, she gave him her home address.
Leaning against the window, she called Hong-young. The ringing dragged on until the line barely connected.
Instead of a voice, blaring noise burst through the speaker.
“Still at the party?”
—“Huh? What? Can’t hear you!”
The shouting made her pull the phone away. Loud trot music blasted through.
“Clink, clink—like whiskey in a glass—!”
She could practically see Hong-young and Director Kwak with their arms around each other, dancing in a karaoke room.
“Ohhh, you were the love that got me drunk—!”
Ryu-jin chuckled and ended the call. By tomorrow, she’d probably find a call from Hong-young waiting on her.
Resting her head against the window, she welcomed the silence of the cab. The quiet suited her, while inside her mind, a storm raged.
“I…”
What had he been about to say?
The unfinished words left space that brimmed with lingering tension.
If he hadn’t gone to his fiancée and instead held on to her till the end—would things have been different?
The thought alone made her laugh at herself. She realized, belatedly, that she had been more drawn to him than she cared to admit.
That last look he’d given her would linger in her memory for a long time.
The number she’d given the bartender—was it a junk number? An old one? Either way, she’d never pick up.
“Don’t leave. Wait for me.”
She closed her eyes. Along with her lashes, the regrets settled shut.
Clink, clink—
The song Hong-young and Director Kwak had been shouting echoed in her head.
