Translator: Nox

Chapter 55

55. I Love You Too 2021.11.06.

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“You seem quite drunk.”

The handsome man sitting next to Eun-bi said, looking at her. Eun-bi, who had come to the bar alone and started talking to the man, shook her index finger and wagged her head. The bartender discreetly refilled Eun-bi’s glass. Eun-bi downed the drink in one go and smiled contentedly. The man next to her looked even more worried.

“Don’t drink anymore.”

The man said as Eun-bi was about to order another drink from the bartender.

“Who are you to dare stop me?”

Eun-bi retorted, her face flushed.

“You’ll ruin your health.”

The man said gently. Eun-bi’s eyes, which had been glaring fiercely, quickly softened. A tear fell. Not a tear deliberately or painstakingly made, but a tear that truly flowed from her heart. The past days, when she had lived only for Jeong Ji-heon, wavered at the man’s words. It was possible to waver so easily. Had there ever been someone who genuinely, sincerely worried about her well-being? Eun-bi burst into tears in front of the man she had met for the first time today.

\ Jeong-o saw in his calm eyes the desire to possess her completely. His gaze was so persistent, as if he wouldn't miss a single strand of her downy hair, that Jeong-o suddenly felt ashamed. He wasn't saying anything, just looking at her, and she felt like he was mocking her. Things she had clearly known seven years ago were now completely forgotten. She couldn't bring herself to look at the broad chest, the scar beside the clear abs, and she didn't know where to look. She was so nervous that she held her breath, causing her chest to rise and fall dramatically. As if trying to calm her breathing, he shared his own breath with her. There was a tremor in it too. Only then did she realize that he was also nervous. It was a small comfort. But that comfort was fleeting. A large hand, which had been running up her spine from under the blouse draped over her shoulders, stopped, unable to move any further. When the tip of his finger touched her, the seal was weakly broken. Jeong-o leaned back towards him, overcome by a strange shyness that she had certainly been familiar with at some point. But she was also strangely disappointed by his skill. She was saddened by the fact that she couldn't express that feeling. Before she knew it, he had gently laid her back down on the bedsheets, and he was transferring his body heat to every part of her body. She couldn't even think of resisting. When he pressed down hard on her wrist and waist, her strength would naturally drain away. Wherever his lips passed, reddish marks were left on her fair skin. At thirty-three, he knew things that he hadn't known at twenty-six. Jeong-o's body kept tingling at that gap. She flinched, and tears kept welling up in her eyes. Her vision became hazy from the shallow stimulation, and she looked at him with blurred eyes. Ji-heon, who had pinned her down beneath him and now reigned over the air above her, let out a long sigh, a sigh of admiration, from between his lips. After a long, long time of patience, he was able to fully capture the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes. It was like the day he first met her, his eyes stinging and his heart clenching. Beyond simple pleasure, a sigh of awe escaped him, as if he were facing an object of worship. His heart was beating so fast that his head was throbbing. He didn't really think she would run away, but his instincts seemed to have made a different judgment, and he held her tightly, not letting go. I want you to want me as much as I want you.

“Say it.”

“……”

“Say you don’t want to if you don’t.”

It was a question of whether she was ready to accept him. She thought it was mean to ask for permission with eyes that looked like he would never let her go. But Jeong-o knew very well that it was also his sincerity. Don't give your heart too much, you might get hurt again someday. I have a goal, and I came to him for that goal, and until I achieve that goal, I must not be swayed by personal feelings, I must not lose my rational judgment, she kept repeating to herself, but she couldn't move, as if her body was being constricted by his voice, his breath, his eyes, his actions. Lee Jung-o, you are mine, whether now or then, whether I have lost my memory or not. His eyes, revealing his instincts, seemed to whisper those words. The lighting illuminated his body, where muscles were evenly distributed like an artist's sculpture, creating shadows. She couldn't help but be captivated by everything. He was such a beautiful but also such a hateful man. A path she could no longer turn back on. As he had done, she also answered him by complaining.

“You’re really mean.”

“I am.”

Perhaps her words, spoken while held tightly in his grasp, were still considered pathetic. Ji-heon smiled languidly, readily acknowledging her criticism. An irresistible weight slowly descended upon her. She wanted to pretend to be skilled and accepting, but she kept getting nervous. She felt like her heart was beating twice as fast as their hearts touched. Jeong-o had to try not to cry because he was watching her expression. She didn't want him to be flustered and stop. Her vision turned white and then black, carrying many emotions. At the end of a faint pain, a full heat washed over her, filling her heart. It was as if he was trying to firmly imprint himself on her. As if trying to make her realize how stubborn Jeong Ji-heon was. In the end, tears that could not overcome that presence streamed down her cheeks.

“Turn your head.”

“I don’t want to……”

“Look at me.”

When she groaned and turned her head away because she didn't want to show him her tears, he grabbed her chin and made her look at him. Ji-heon lowered his shoulder and continued to kiss along her tear tracks, gently brushing away the hair scattered on the sheets. He wanted to comfort her, but he kept getting drunk on the pleasure given by her trembling eyes, which she couldn't hide. The ragged breaths that she groaned to hold back her voice, but eventually couldn't bear and burst out, stimulated him even more. The satisfaction filled by what he saw and heard, and the longing created by what he couldn't yet see and couldn't yet hear, made him want her more and more. The more he knew her, the more he couldn't help but be fascinated. She was a perfectly beautiful woman. He wanted to capture everything about her in his eyes, so much so that he felt it was a waste to even close and open his eyes. She was like the lost half he had been searching for all his life. Even if he erased the past and started anew, he felt like everything would be okay if only she remained. But Ji-heon knew very well that Lee Jung-o was someone who could be loved by anyone. So, even in the moment he held her in his arms, a parched thirst surged through him fiercely. He had to constantly receive confirmation that she was his.

\ Blue dawn. A body engraved with responsibility woke him up. Jeong-o opened her eyes in Ji-heon’s arms.

‘Gasp.’

She was used to sleeping while hugging only her cute little baby, who was only half the size of her body, but she was stunned to open her eyes and find herself hugged by a man who seemed to be twice the size of her body. Jeong-o carefully slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake Ji-heon. Ji-heon didn't necessarily need to get up, but Jeong-o, as a working-level employee, had to help with the repatriation arrangements. Jeong-o carefully picked up the scattered clothes and put them on, then squatted down again in front of the bed and looked at him as he slept. He's so pretty when he sleeps, but why is he so sexy and mean as soon as he opens his eyes? She still felt like she was being tormented by the aftermath of last night. I hope I tormented your mind too.

‘Please remember me.’

She prayed earnestly in her heart. In fact, it all felt like a dream. A dream that would all disappear in the morning. It felt like this man would leave her again when he woke up. Still, she was happy in the dream. Her cheeks flushed again as she recalled last night. Jeong-o, who had been cupping her cheeks with both hands, got up from her seat and suddenly turned her head to see his cell phone on the bedside table. Her heart pounded. If she could just check the text messages, if she could just look at the call history. If she could only figure out how close he was to his mother, how he treated her mother. Then her journey would be much shorter. Jeong-o waved her hand in front of his eyes. He didn't react. He's not waking up even now, so he must have been very tired last night, so wouldn't it be okay? She didn't know when another opportunity like this would come. Jeong-o touched Ji-heon's cell phone with a nervous heart.

‘Eek!’

The light was dazzling when the screen turned on. Jeong-o quickly blocked the light from the cell phone and looked at Ji-heon's face. Thump, thump, thump. Her heart was beating violently. There was a text message inbox at the bottom of the home screen. Just as she was about to press the message inbox.

“Are you awake?”

Gasp. Jeong-o quickly turned off the cell phone screen and turned to Ji-heon, startled by the cracked voice that seemed to still be drowsy.

“Yes! I thought there would be a lot to sort out.”

Jeong-o greatly regretted raising her voice tone too high in her panic. He got up from the bed.

“Let’s go out together.”

“No, I need to wash up and change clothes. I’ll go to my room.”

As she got up in a hurry, he stretched out his hand and pulled her waist. Thud. In an instant, Jeong-o's butt landed back on the bed.

“Wash up here.”

The gaze looking down from above, his faint smile, was excessively seductive. It was a position that brought back last night exactly as it was. No, it didn't seem like he was just trying to imitate it. He was originally that kind of person. He approached carefully, and he was someone who didn't know such things. The progress after holding hands went quickly, and from the time their bodies were connected, he wanted her constantly, like someone whose thirst couldn't be quenched. Jeong-o, who knew his past and had just learned about his present, was suddenly frightened and stepped back. She was happy, but she was also tormented a lot.

“……It hurts.”

Her reaction was surprisingly effective immediately. He asked with surprised eyes.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Well, just a little.”

“You should have said something.”

Soon, the light of ambition was erased from his eyes. He wrapped Jeong-o's body in a blanket and gently laid her on the bed.

“Lie down a little longer. I’ll wash up and come out quickly.”

After urging her, he checked the time and went straight to the bathroom. Soon, the sound of water gushing from the bathroom could be heard.

“Hoo…….”

Jeong-o, who had been lying motionless on the bed, finally let out a sigh of relief. It was a good opportunity for her too. The cell phone in front of her. Jeong-o quickly touched the screen and opened the text message inbox. There was no separate security setting, so she could check it right away. The name ‘Mother’ was quite high up in the message inbox. The last text message sent to him from ‘Mother’ was ‘Have a good trip, son♥’. Jeong-o pressed the text message with a trembling heart. The conversations that his mother and Ji-heon had had in the meantime came into view at once. The two exchanged text messages about once every four days. In most cases, his mother would send a long text message and Ji-heon would reply briefly. Ji-heon had hardly ever sent a message first, and even if he did, it wasn't a friendly message. On the other hand, his mother was full of aegyo. Our son, kind son, handsome son. It was a normal conversation between an affectionate mother and a blunt son. But Jeong-o's hand stopped a few steps away.

- I love you, son. You know how Mom feels, right?

- Yes. I love you too.

While she was stealing a look at his cell phone, it felt like her heart, which had been swaying precariously like a fruit hanging from a tree branch, had fallen to the ground, unable to withstand the wind. The words ‘I love you’. Words of love that he had never said to her. Jeong-o put down the cell phone. Ji-heon quickly finished showering. He was worried that Jeong-o had said she was in pain. He thought it would be better for her to rest a little longer. I can go out instead.

“Don’t go out and stay here……”

Ji-heon's words, as he came out of the bathroom wiping the water off, were quickly cut off. Lee Jung-o was gone. Ji-heon, who had walked silently, sat down heavily on the empty bed. There was still warmth left on the bed where they had lain together, but she was gone. Ji-heon looked down at the cell phone he had placed on the bedside table. The cell phone, which he had checked the time on and placed down before going into the shower, was placed a little crookedly. Even before he woke up, she had been trying to touch his cell phone secretly.

‘Should I have just left her alone instead of talking to her then?’

The most recently used app list showed the text message inbox. He also pressed the text message inbox. There was a lot of work-related content, and it seemed like there were some company secrets too... A hollow sigh escaped from his lips. What was she trying to look into?