Watching him heap praise on her sister, Yu-yeon almost retorted, If you like her so much, keep her, but she kept her defenses up and slipped toward the bedroom instead.
“…”
Come to think of it, along with her things from the hospital, he had carried up an extra package. Realizing that entire bundle was filled with bread made her head spin, but Yu-yeon braced her resolve.
“…”
Leaving it unclear whether he meant the bread or himself, he stepped closer again. Her heart hammered wildly out of control. If he stayed this close in the quiet room, he would hear every beat.
She wanted to deny the man coming toward her, along with every new feeling he stirred inside her. Yet she genuinely had no plausible excuse left.
“…”
He countered her hastily made excuse without missing a beat.
Yu-yeon’s gaze wavered. Why had she blurted that out? Come to think of it, she had never once smelled smoke on him.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Realizing she had been rude, Yu-yeon shook her head vigorously. She didn’t want her careless remark to hurt him.
Hyeon-myeong watched her quietly until she stopped, then tilted his head down close.
Up close, the vivid gleam in his eyes spoke volumes more.
His low voice gently ruffled the stillness.
This time, the question was unmistakable.
A tender gaze that seemed ready to indulge any stubborn fuss or tantrum she threw waited for her answer.
If I say yes, he’ll leave.
And if he leaves, he won’t come back.
She did not want that.
The time had come to face her feelings.
Without her realizing it, Choi Hyeon-myeong had taken a precious place in her heart. She could no longer deny it.
With her answer, his large hands framed her face.
His heated breath drew near. In an instant, his mouth swallowed hers.
No. As if that single word were the incantation breaking the seal.
The moment she muttered it, Choi Hyeon-myeong leaned down and captured her lips, as though cutting off any escape, making sure she could never give a different answer again.
The instant his hot breath touched hers, she flinched and stepped back. Hyeon-myeong moved with her, closing the distance just as quickly.
She should have steeled herself for the kiss instead. Because she had spent all her energy figuring out how to avoid this moment, caught entirely off guard, she felt dizzy from the very start.
As Choi Hyeon-myeong’s hot breath swept over her, Yu-yeon flapped her hands feebly in the air like a chick’s wings. Finding nowhere to brace herself, her frantic hands grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket.
Even as he savored her lips, Hyeon-myeong let out a faint laugh, as if tickled by her struggle.
Though she felt petulant at his amusement, Yu-yeon couldn't easily pull away. Stunned, she had lost her breath too quickly.
Desperate for air, her lips parted with a breathless whimper.
As if this had been his plan all along, the thick flesh of his tongue slid through the opening. His head tilted, following the path he carved.
Her lips parted wider.
Their breaths tangled together—humid, scorching, and deep. The lewd sound of slick contact reverberated through her head. She desperately wanted to deny that it was coming from her.
Yet deep within her body, more gasps kept spilling forth.
She could feel every deliberate movement of his jaw, as though he were slowly trying to devour more.
The hands clutching his suit finally began to tremble.
A kiss was something she thought she understood, but now it felt completely foreign. He was a man who made familiar things feel strange. An inexplicable, vague emotion gathered like dew at the corners of her eyes. Her mind felt as though someone had balled up thick white fog and hurled it inside.
The hands that had cupped her cheeks traced down her jawline, encircling her slender neck before cradling the back of her head. His hands were so large she could feel every single knuckle sliding deep into her hair.
His touch was scorching, a stark contrast to her own temperature—just like the ragged breaths washing into her mouth.
He wasn't merely kissing her; he seemed intent on swallowing Hong Yu-yeon whole. Like the sweet red bean bun he had melted on his tongue, from her bruised lips to every inch of her flesh, she felt as if she would dissolve and vanish into him in a matter of minutes.
Feeling she couldn't hold out any longer, she tightened her grip on his chest. Her heart felt as if it were beating in her fingertips as much as in her lips.
Their lips lingered together for a long while before finally parting.
The moment they separated, Yu-yeon swayed, and Hyeon-myeong caught her, holding her steady.
Unable to lift her head, she buried the crown of her head against his chest and caught her breath.
Strangely piqued, she snapped her head up, only for his striking face looking down at her with satisfaction to fill her view. She offered a clumsy excuse to that very face.
Still, we did it.
What’s done is done.
Hyeon-myeong looked pleased seeing her lips swollen and glistening with his own wetness.
Wearing a victor's smile as he conceded that she was right only made her pout more.
Yu-yeon scolded him as he rested his thighs against the edge of the dining table to match her height. As long as he got what he wanted, a beating wouldn't have bothered him, let alone her nagging. Following her words, Hyeon-myeong obediently pushed off the table and sat on the adjacent chair. His eye level dropped considerably. Matching the eye level of petite Hong Yu-yeon made things much easier.
Spreading his thighs wide, Hyeon-myeong gathered her waist and pulled her between them.
Torn helplessly into his space, flailing before squeezing her eyes shut, she looked so endearing it made his head spin.
Enclosing Yu-yeon’s lips fully within his own, teasing them gently, he gave a firm, pulling suck as though biting into an ice cream cone. Even after that, he refused to grant her an inch of breathing room.
Truth is, from the moment I brought you into my office, I’ve felt this way. I wanted to pour it all out. Maybe even long before that.
Knowing he couldn't push a woman who could barely walk, he had held back with all his might. Instead, he had brazenly informed her that he would claim all the patience he had spent once she left the hospital. Fearing she might refuse, he hadn't indulged her with a choice. He had simply given her time to prepare and accept it.
Because the urge to hold her and kiss her felt ready to detonate at any second, he had intentionally limited his hospital visits. If anything, the sudden influx of work had been a blessing.
This was a reward to himself for holding out.
Still, he hadn't intended to indulge every craving. Hong Yu-yeon was still a recovering patient. He planned to appease his hunger gently so this fragile, chick-like woman wouldn't be frightened. He merely meant to open a vent for the desires he had kept packed down.
Yet touching her seemed to have been a mistake from the start.
The moment she touched his tongue, he knew this was a hunger that no amount of tasting or taking could ever satisfy. His conscience dissolved without a fight.
Every dormant taste bud sprang to life. She was madly sweet and so soft. Like bread dough growing springier the more it was worked, she gave cute, suggestive reactions to every touch and torment.
With that, a hidden sadism reared its head. Every response she gave struck his pleasure centers so deeply that the extreme euphoria verged on spiritual wonder.
A searing heat pooled low in his abdomen, as though his heart had been transplanted there.
Their lips locked together again.
With their heights now matched, Yu-yeon could lean steadily against his shoulders. But she wasn't the only one comfortable. With his movements much freer, he claimed her with full intent.
As he tilted his head, the kiss deepened at once.
Between their ragged breaths, saliva gathered and spilled over, impossible to tell whose was whose. Choi Hyeon-myeong caught every drop, licking it clean without missing a beat, pressing deeper as if to draw out even more.
Yu-yeon’s heart flopped against her ribs like a landed fish.
How can he be like this?
This was not the Choi Hyeon-myeong she had known.
While he carried the relaxed ease of someone with everything to spare, somehow he left her no room at all. He didn't grant her a single second to slip away.