Chapter 5
Was he flustered?
No—maybe he was simply dumbfounded.
Or perhaps, mixed with the soft jazz playing in the background, he had misheard what Yoon Hee-jo said.
Yes, he must have heard it wrong—that’s what Kwon-yeol decided.
Unlike him, whose expressionless, sculpted face had cracked ever so slightly, Hee-jo was wearing a faint smile.
As if it were nothing at all.
‘Did she say she was sleepy?’
So she must have asked him to take care of the aftermath—that had to be it.
But contrary to his assumption, Hee-jo’s red lips slowly parted again.
“Since you’re already shocked, could you take one more?”
“…What?”
“I’ll correct that. Three times.”
Confusion flickered in Kwon-yeol’s eyes as he stared at her in silence.
He seemed quite shaken.
Hee-jo let out a small laugh. It was only for a moment, but she even felt a sense of satisfaction at having stirred him, if only a little.
She knew she was drunk.
But what she had blurted out wasn’t just a drunken impulse.
It was the one wish she had kept buried deep in her heart all along.
The day would inevitably come when she would have to leave Kwon-yeol.
If that was the case… just once—just once—she wanted to be held by him as a woman.
She had always believed such a thing would never happen.
After all, she had never met anyone more rational than Kwon-yeol.
And she had resolved never to voice that wish out loud.
At least… not until today.
Until she met the woman who might become his wife.
“You’re being rude.”
“What? Rude?”
“You should at least consider that it’s improper.”
She couldn’t forget the look in Kim Jung-yeon’s eyes as she stared at her—
that disbelief, as if she had never imagined a mere parasite would dare crawl up to her.
It felt refreshing.
Because she had kept her promise to her brother—
never to stay still when someone crossed her.
But that relief was only momentary.
Kim Jung-yeon would surely report this to Madam Jin Seo-ryeong…
and then… her relationship with Kwon-yeol would truly come to an end.
So Hee-jo wanted one last gift from the man who had taken care of her in place of her brother.
The thing she wanted most.
Beom Kwon-yeol.
“You won’t have to worry about anything, oppa. I won’t cling to you or bother you. I promise.”
“…Yoon Hee-jo.”
“I want it as my last gift.”
Kwon-yeol’s handsome brow furrowed.
Last?
“You and I might both get married soon. Then we won’t be able to stay like this, so…”
Is she drunk?
No… maybe I’m the one who’s drunk.
Otherwise, there’s no way Yoon Hee-jo—that quiet little girl—would be saying things like one night, last, marriage.
Even though he had inherited a strong tolerance from his grandfather, Chairman Beom Hoon-young—
even though he had never once been drunk in his life.
Yoon Hee-jo was a strange kid.
Kwon-yeol grabbed her arm and pulled her up, deliberately ignoring the soft, comforting scent that always lingered around her.
“Get up. You’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“That’s exactly what drunk people say.”
Today really was a series of absurd events.
Watching Hee-jo act like she had suddenly hit puberty was ridiculous… yet at the same time, a faint chuckle escaped him.
It felt like he was finally acting like a proper older brother in place of Yoon Hee-jae.
When he was alive, Yoon Hee-jae would often complain to him.
“Hee-jo is too mature. She’s still young, but she holds everything in because she doesn’t want to burden me. What kind of teenage girl never throws a tantrum?”
“Just say you’re bragging.”
“I’m seriously worried. How do I get our Hee-jo to explode?”
“Unbelievable.”
Yoon Hee-jae… the answer was alcohol.
Your little sister is exploding right now.
“Is it really not possible for me?”
They had left the jazz bar, and as Kwon-yeol walked down the long hallway toward the elevator with his arm around her shoulders, Hee-jo suddenly stopped and turned to face him.
“I’ll reduce it back to once. Still no?”
Look at her. Her eyes are completely unfocused.
Kwon-yeol let out a quiet sigh.
What kind of conversation was he even having with this kid?
“Yoon Hee-jo.”
At the sound of her name, Hee-jo stiffened her gaze, trying to show defiance. But with her naturally gentle appearance, she only looked like a deer trying to appear intimidating.
“Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I’m not a child.”
He knew that very well.
Annoyingly well.
“So, what exactly are you asking me to do?”
Once it started bothering him, everything about Yoon Hee-jo began to irritate him endlessly—
Her tearful eyes looking up at him,
her tightly pressed red lips,
the scent that kept clouding his senses…
But most of all, it was the fragile, fleeting aura around her.
The way it kept holding his gaze, refusing to let go.
“What—do you want me to spread your legs and pin you down until you can’t even breathe?”
Hee-jo’s eyes widened in shock.
Hearing such explicit words from Kwon-yeol for the first time, her mind went blank.
Spread… what…?
“That’s how I have sex, Hee-jo.”
Se—
…
Cupping her frozen cheeks, Kwon-yeol spoke in a flat tone.
“So stop messing around. That’s as far as I’ll indulge you.”
No matter how lenient he was with Yoon Hee-jo, there were still boundaries.
He had never imagined he’d be discussing that kind of topic with her.
Letting out a small sigh, Kwon-yeol led the stiffened Hee-jo toward the elevator.
Perhaps the shock was too great—she remained silent, leaning against him all the way up to the suite.
‘If she was going to act like this, why did she even start?’
Was this really just a late-blooming phase of rebellion?
“You and I might both get married soon. Then we won’t be able to stay like this.”
It seemed that the blind date earlier had stirred something inside Yoon Hee-jo.
Thinking that, his arm around her shoulders tightened unconsciously.
Ridiculous, Yoon Hee-jo.
Did you really think I’d allow you to marry someone like that?
“It was my decision.”
Your decision, my foot.
No matter how she smiled, she couldn’t hide the emptiness in her resigned eyes.
Something—or someone—had been interfering with Yoon Hee-jo outside his sight.
Or someone.
A sharp glint flashed in his deeply sunken eyes.
He was just thinking that he needed to clear out everything around her—
Ding—
The elevator arrived.
Still holding Hee-jo, Kwon-yeol headed toward the suite.
Since there was only one room per floor, there was no need to worry about prying eyes. As her legs kept giving out, he simply lifted her into his arms.
“K-Kwon-yeol oppa.”
Startled, Hee-jo instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her familiar, warm scent flooded him again, stirring his senses.
Ignoring the way his blood seemed to rush to one place, Kwon-yeol calmly adjusted his hold on her.
“P-put me down.”
“You’re like a newborn deer. Where do you think you’re going, stumbling like that?”
“I’m fine. I can walk.”
Yeah, right.
Letting out a quiet scoff, Kwon-yeol’s expression turned cold.
“What’s going on?”
“…What do you mean?”
“You’re not acting like yourself. You never acted out even as a kid, and now you’re climbing all over me.”
Beep—click.
The massive door to the suite opened.
Because it was close to the company and had excellent fitness facilities, Kwon-yeol had long-term leased a suite at The Lotus Hotel as a private residence. Whenever his schedule was packed or he had consecutive outside engagements, he stayed here instead of his family home, Jeoksanwon.
It was a place meant for quiet solitude—
and this was the first time he had brought someone here.
“Sleep here. I’ll come get you tomorrow.”
Just as he was about to lay Hee-jo down on the bed—
A slender, pale hand gripped his collar tightly.
As if she would never let go.
“Do what you said earlier… the kind where you push me until I can’t even breathe… that kind of sex.
