Sponsorship Stigma
Chapter 42
Yielding to Desire
A wet, entwined sound echoed through the living room.
Every time she tried to pull away, the force drawing her in grew deeper, wrenching a ragged breath from Yeonjae.
Just as the breath caught at the very edge of her throat, the locked lips parted.
Yeonjae's lowered eyelashes fluttered, and her vision gradually brightened.
The first thing to enter her sight was Jeheon, close enough that their skin seemed ready to touch at any second.
He wiped her lips with a look of deep satisfaction.
Yeonjae blinked her eyes.
Realizing that what had touched her until just moments ago were his lips, she felt bewildered.
Before she could even grasp the situation, her mouth moved of its own accord.
“What was that? I couldn't finish the piece again.”
What's wrong with me? It wouldn't be enough to snap at him and ask what he thought he was doing.
While flustered by her own petulant grumbling, Yeonjae's lips moved recklessly once more.
“Honestly, you're teasing me, aren't you? You do this every time I play the piano.”
The corners of Jeheon's mouth curved softly.
Whenever he smiled—he who was always so expressionless—it was hard for Yeonjae to tear her gaze away.
He shone as though he had embraced all the light in the world. Nobly.
“You're full of doubts, Jeong Yeonjae.”
“……”
“Who kisses just to play a prank?”
At words that sounded so familiar, Yeonjae's heart sank.
‘It’s just like… the past.’
Just like five years ago, when they stayed in the Residence and whispered words of love.
In an atmosphere that made her whole body tingle, Yeonjae's heart raced wildly.
The words that followed painted themselves naturally in her mind.
The piece she had been playing when she first met Jeheon.
Whenever Yeonjae played ‘that piece,’ Jeheon never listened to the end.
Always, halfway through, he would approach her as she played the piano and press his lips to hers.
At the end of those heated kisses, he would always say with a mischievous smile:
‘What else can I do? I can't concentrate on your playing.’
At first, kissing him had felt so intoxicating that she loved it.
But as it happened once, then twice, repeating endlessly, Yeonjae grew irritated as well.
Because it felt like he was just teasing her.
“Then you try it, oppa.”
So one day, Yeonjae had made a suggestion to Jeheon.
To try doing the exact same thing. Waiting for the words that would follow, Yeonjae swallowed dryly.
“Then you try it, oppa.”
Once again, her mouth moved on its own.
Watching everything unfold just like back then, Yeonjae thought:
This might be a dream.
The thought that it wasn't reality made her heart feel considerably more at ease.
“You want me to play the piano?”
“Yes.”
Yeonjae shifted aside to make room and patted the bench toward Jeheon.
“I need to check for myself. Whether it's just a joke, or if that really happens.”
“……”
“And I want to hear you play, oppa.”
Yeonjae had tossed the words out half-seriously, half-jokingly.
Despite having a world-renowned pianist for a mother, Jeheon harbored a terrible hatred for classical music.
She wanted to know whether he truly hated the piano, or if it was just words.
And on the other hand, she also wanted to hear him play.
If he refused, there was nothing she could do about it.
At the suggestion she had thrown out so lightly, Jeheon willingly stepped forward and sat on the bench.
“The things you want to test.”
Jeheon's gaze, which had been resting on Yeonjae, turned to the piano.
Then, his hand slowly moved toward the keys and began to play.
A soft melody pooled in her ears.
It was an enchanting tone that wouldn't have been out of place coming from a professional pianist, but in truth, she hadn't heard the music for quite some time.
Yeonjae's gaze began to trail up Jeheon.
Hands rich with masculinity, easily twice the size of her own.
It was unbelievable that such hands were producing such a tender sound.
This time, her gaze shifted from his fingers along his wrists.
His dress shirt was rolled up to his forearms.
Whenever he pressed the keys, the tautly sculpted muscles shifted.
Gradually following his upper body, her gaze reached Jeheon, whose eyes were closed.
Immersed in playing with his eyes shut, Jeheon looked sensuous.
To the point where she felt jealous of the keys he was pressing.
‘And you said you hated the piano.’
If he hated it, why was he playing with such devotion?
No, the strange one was Yeonjae.
How could she feel this kind of emotion toward a piano?
By the time she came to her senses, she had already cupped Jeheon's cheeks without realizing it.
“I think you can stop now.”
Now she understood why Jeheon had kissed her like that.
Because the performance didn't register in the ears at all.
The meaning of finishing the piece had vanished long ago.
I don't want you focusing on the piano; I want you to focus on me.
As the playing continued, the thirst only deepened.
Wanting him to satisfy her desire rather than caressing the keys.
“I get it now.”
Yeonjae neatly yielded to her desire.
And before he could offer any reply, she kissed him first.
* * *
When she woke up, Yeonjae was soaked all over, as though she had just taken a shower.
She headed straight for the bathroom. After splashing cold water over herself, her mind felt like it was finally returning to her.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Jiwoo's dismissal time from the Kindergarten was already right around the corner.
Yeonjae had to leave the Residence immediately.
As she placed a hand over her chest, the still-fluttering pulse of her heart conveyed itself to her fingertips.
Even though an hour had passed between showering and getting ready to pick him up, her heartbeat remained the same.
It was still thumping and tumbling wildly, as if she had only just awakened from the dream.
Yeonjae pulled down the hand resting on her chest.
Why did I have to have that kind of dream, of all things…?
At the afterimages that painted themselves in her mind in an instant, both of Yeonjae's cheeks flushed red.
The gentle autumn breeze brushing against her cheeks felt crisp and cool.
Even so, the heat rose in Yeonjae as though she were lingering in the middle of a midsummer day.
“Like an idiot.”
If she knew it was a dream, she should have just woken up.
Yet even after realizing it, Yeonjae hadn't been able to stop. It was an irresistible force.
Intoxicated by the emotions of that moment, she had only awakened after seeing it through to the end.
After waking, a belated sense of emptiness came rushing in.
It felt as though emotions she had barely managed to bury beneath the surface had suddenly burst forth.
Biting her lip tightly, Yeonjae stopped in her tracks in front of the Kindergarten, having arrived before she knew it.
Looking at the procession of vehicles lined up in front of the building, she stepped inside.
Weaving through the crowd, Yeonjae looked around, searching for Jiwoo.
“Mom\!”
At the voice calling out from behind her back, the tension in Yeonjae's face melted away.
Turning around, a bright smile bloomed across her face.
“Our Jiwoo, you're here?”
There stood Jiwoo, who had approached without her noticing.
Beaming brightly, Jiwoo came scampering over with pitter-pattering steps and threw himself into her arms.
“I missed you, Mom\!”
Rubbing his head against Yeonjae's waist, Jiwoo peeked up at her.
While he was giggling, the children behind him walked over.
“Hello, ma'am\!”
“Hello. You must be Jiwoo's friends.”
“I'm Park Su-ho\!”
“Ma'am, I'm Moon A-jin.”
The children introduced themselves as Su-ho and A-jin.
“Mom, these are the friends Jiwoo made today\!”
Watching Jiwoo introduce them as the friends he had made today, Yeonjae felt immensely relieved.
Jiwoo had entered the school all on his own, long after the regular entrance ceremony had passed.
She had worried terribly that he might feel left out among the other children after joining midway.
Seeing him getting along so well brought a wave of comfort.
“See? My mom comes to pick me up.”
“I'm jealous. I have to wait for my driver to go home. See you tomorrow\!”
“Me too, me too. See you tomorrow\! Goodbye, ma'am.”
Giving Yeonjae polite bows, Su-ho and A-jin walked away.
“Mom, my friends said their drivers come to pick them up.”
“Drivers?”
“Yeah\! Jiwoo is the only one whose mom comes to pick him up.”
Watching Jiwoo speak with such pride, a bittersweet feeling brushed across Yeonjae's lips.
Only now did she truly understand why there were no school buses at the Kindergarten.
Seeing the cars waiting in line, she had wondered if that might be the case.
‘They really have private chauffeurs.’
Would there come a day when he felt embarrassed about being in a different situation from his friends?
It was an emotion Yeonjae had felt countless times while playing the piano.
Even when participating in competitions, the gap between those supported by The Foundation and those who were not was stark.
Wondering if Jiwoo would soon feel that way too, Yeonjae shook her head.
Clearing away her thoughts, Yeonjae took the child's hand and led him forward.
Stop showing weakness. I need to become an even more dependable mother so he never has to feel that.
“Jiwoo, how was the new kindergarten?”
Walking out of the Kindergarten together, Yeonjae asked the child.
“It was so fun\!”
Chattering about everything that had happened today, Jiwoo clapped his hands as if something had just come to mind.
“Oh, right\! Jiwoo saw a scary lady today.”
Jiwoo's eyes shone even brighter than when he was talking about other things.
“She looked totally like a witch. She was super, super scary\!”
“A witch?”
As if sharing a grand secret, the boy lowered his voice and whispered to Yeonjae.
“Yeah\! She had pitch-black hair and really fierce, bulging eyes\! She glared at me like this and said, ‘Are you Jeong Jiwoo?’\!”
Jiwoo pulled the corners of his eyes outward and glared upward.
No matter how she looked at it, he didn't look scary at all; Yeonjae swallowed her words and chuckled softly.
‘Is the Teacher strict, I wonder?’
Smiling, Yeonjae gently ruffled Jiwoo's hair.
It was right around the time the two of them, walking hand in hand, reached the entrance of the Residence.
“Mom, Mom, does that mean you don't have to work in Seoul anymore?”
Jiwoo pulled on Yeonjae's hand, looking up into her eyes intently.
He was asking if she no longer had to work without rest, on weekdays and weekends alike, the way she had lived in Daejeon.
“Mom has to work, Jiwoo.”
Yeonjae bent her knees to meet Jiwoo at eye level.
In fact, she had already seen that a newly opened Cafe nearby was looking for part-time help.
She planned to go for an interview tomorrow once Jiwoo went to the Kindergarten.
While working part-time, she would take her time looking for other jobs.
Since it was Seoul, there would surely be more job opportunities than in Daejeon.
“Grown-ups have to work, you see.”
At Yeonjae's gentle explanation, a brief flicker of disappointment crossed Jiwoo's face.
“Does Jiwoo have to work when I grow up too?”
“Yes. When Jiwoo becomes a grown-up like Mom, you'll have to do that too.”
“Mmm…”
Stopping in his tracks, the boy trailed off as if pondering for a moment.
“Then Jiwoo wants to become a pianist\!”
Then, as if he had made up his mind, he spoke in a confident voice.
“The director said Jiwoo plays the piano so well that I'm going to become a pianist\!”
He wanted to become a famous pianist and meet Jepkin again.
There wasn't a trace of hesitation in the child's voice as he spoke.
Looking down at him, Yeonjae's lips parted slightly.
She wanted to protect Jiwoo's wish.
Even if Yeonjae hadn't been able to, she hoped her child could become a pianist and live happily.
Yeonjae smiled, her eyes folding into soft crescents.
“Then you'll have to practice the piano very hard, won't you?”
“Yeah\!”
Jiwoo nodded vigorously. The two of them began to move forward once more.
On the way back home.
“Mom, when did they say the piano tuner is coming? The sound right now isn't pretty at all.”
Looking up at Yeonjae to ask, Jiwoo's face was filled with an innocent smile.
