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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Getting Bolder
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An Do Hyun lowered his head to gaze at Yi Yeon nestled in his arms.
‘She’s passing out like this?’
It must have been from chugging that baijiu so quickly—suddenly, it felt like the alcohol had completely overtaken her.
What gave her the confidence to let her guard down like this? He probably couldn’t even let her go to after-parties anymore.
How could he send off this little yellow chick anywhere when he was already so worried?
An Do Hyun carried Yi Yeon to the guest room again this time and carefully laid her down.
He gently straightened her disheveled hair.
Yi Yeon’s face, with her eyes tightly shut, looked so peaceful.
That expression was so lovely that just staring at it made the corners of his mouth slowly lift.
Then she smacked her lips lightly.
No way—was she eating even in her dreams?
What could she be eating to look so delicious... so happy...?
Only then did An Do Hyun realize it.
He had been staring only at Yi Yeon’s lips this whole time.
Her lips, smacking together, were moist and even more tempting than before.
He had to run.
He figured he’d just take off her glasses and leave, so An Do Hyun stretched out his arm to remove Yi Yeon’s glasses.
The moment An Do Hyun set the glasses on the bedside table, Yi Yeon shifted and bumped his arm, which had been propping up the bed.
Ugh—.
An Do Hyun had no time to react and toppled right onto her body.
“Eut.”
A groan escaped Yi Yeon’s lips.
His upper body, much larger than hers, had dropped onto her with a thud, so it was a groan from the weight.
As he lowered his head, An Do Hyun met Yi Yeon’s eyes, which hadn’t fully opened yet, hazy.
Only now did he remember their bodies were still overlapping.
As An Do Hyun tried to pull away from Yi Yeon, he felt small hands slipping around his waist.
The path where Yi Yeon’s hands brushed sent a stinging heat through him.
Yi Yeon’s face pressed against his chest as she hugged him tightly with both arms.
An Do Hyun carefully pushed her away, worried his unsteady heartbeat might echo in her ears.
But she didn’t budge.
In fact, the more he tried to separate, the more she burrowed into him.
She really was fearless.
‘Throwing herself into a man’s arms like this. What would she have done if it wasn’t me?’
An Do Hyun tried a few more times but gave up on prying her off right away.
Instead, he rolled onto his side to change their position. She looked comfortable just lying there in his arms.
He thought his heart, pounding like it was sprinting, would calm down after a while, but it thrashed even harder.
His stray arms had nowhere to go, and his awkward gaze wandered the air, searching for a place to land.
Truthfully, desire had stirred in him.
He wanted to hold this chick.
He wondered what it would feel like to embrace her fully with both arms.
He had tried to pull away, but she’d refused, so it was her fault.
“You’re the one who hugged me.”
An Do Hyun lowered his wandering arms and wrapped them around Yi Yeon’s waist.
With his other hand, he cradled the back of her head and pulled her even closer.
She fit perfectly into his arms, better than he’d imagined. Holding Yi Yeon like this turned An Do Hyun’s mind blank.
Focused entirely on her body, he couldn’t think of anything else.
The scent from her body intoxicated him further. He wanted more.
He wanted to rub his face wildly against the nape of her neck, following that fragrance.
He wanted to press his nose close and breathe her in deeply.
Everything about Yi Yeon was that alluring.
An Do Hyun felt like he’d come for a third round of drinks. He was getting drunk on Yi Yeon’s scent. Holding her let him inhale it freely.
Before he knew it, An Do Hyun was blissfully intoxicated too.
His gaze lingered on Yi Yeon’s smooth forehead.
From her forehead to her eyebrows, down to her tightly shut eyes and cute nose, his eyes traveled to her lips.
He especially couldn’t tear his gaze from her red lips, which had drawn his attention every time they moved.
An Do Hyun sensed today was the day. The day his reason finally snapped.
Without lifting his gaze from her lips, An Do Hyun lowered his face.
Emboldened by the alcohol, his face froze at the soft touch of her lips.
He couldn’t easily pull away from the instinctive kiss he hadn’t even realized he’d planted.
The soft sensation at the edge of her lips felt like a ripe persimmon. One bite and sweetness would flood his mouth.
An Do Hyun restrained his instinct to devour the soundly sleeping Yi Yeon’s mouth.
In that short time, he suppressed his desire dozens of times. The moment he finally lifted his face, Yi Yeon wrapped her arms around his neck.
As she pulled his neck closer, their slightly parted lips pressed together again.
An Do Hyun’s last shred of reason, like a tiny bead, vanished.
With one hand, he grasped her chin, tilting it down, and wildly explored Yi Yeon’s open mouth.
It was filled with the mango scent she’d savored to the last.
He sucked in every lingering trace of mango from every corner. Their tickling breaths intertwined, heating their bodies further.
Yi Yeon’s breath, which had only passively accepted him, began to move tentatively.
She followed his lead at first, then boldly explored on her own.
Seeing Yi Yeon respond to him made An Do Hyun feel like he’d lose his mind completely.
“Haa....”
When Yi Yeon seemed to struggle for breath, An Do Hyun finally stopped and lifted his face.
“Breathe.”
As he cupped her cheek and spoke, her closed eyes fluttered open.
Gazing intently at Yi Yeon, An Do Hyun planted a light peck on her lips with a soft smack.
An Do Hyun gently peeled the hair stuck to her cheek.
The heat from her flushed face transferred to his fingertips brushing her cheek.
At some point, she had lodged herself in his heart not as Assistant Yu, but as Yu Yi Yeon.
“I’m going crazy because of you.”
An Do Hyun was already utterly captivated by Yi Yeon’s charm.
Even if she got drunk and forgot, it was fine.
He would remember. He could remind her anytime.
An Do Hyun turned onto his side and watched her sleeping face for a long while before returning to his room.
* * *
It was a hazy, ecstatic dream.
In the dream, Yi Yeon wrapped her arms around An Do Hyun’s neck and kissed him.
‘Since it’s a dream, I can do whatever I want, right?’
She’d been startled when An Do Hyun immediately delved in, exploring her roughly.
In that ecstatic moment, An Do Hyun desperately wanted her.
As Yi Yeon surrendered to the sensations he gave, she even doubted if it was truly a dream. They’d explored each other too deeply for one.
When he nipped her lower lip, she’d even felt real pain.
His breath, the lips that ravaged hers, the hands stroking her back.
Even a dream kiss could arouse her this much.
Even when she opened her eyes in the morning, everything was so vivid it sent shivers through her body.
Thinking back now made her heart pound uncontrollably.
Dream or not, just seeing An Do Hyun now made her feel like her heart would burst out of her chest.
Yi Yeon got up from the guest room and headed straight to her own.
Fortunately, since it was early, An Do Hyun wasn’t in the living room yet.
She quickly finished getting ready for work and came out to find An Do Hyun already standing at the entrance.
Dressed in a deep gray suit, he leaned against the wall, fiddling with his phone.
Suddenly, his handsomeness annoyed her.
She hoped no other women saw that heart-squeezing sight.
An Do Hyun turned at the sound of her footsteps and looked at Yi Yeon.
A soft smile bloomed on his face the moment he saw her.
“You’re up, Yu Yi Yeon.”
Yu Yi Yeon?
Had they finally agreed yesterday to use her name?
Her memory had blanked out completely after starting the mangoes.
How much baijiu had she drunk to pass out like that?
Her already unsettled heart fluttered even more. What was she supposed to do when he called her name like that?
It sounded too good.
“Of course, I have to go to work.”
Yi Yeon forced her reluctant lips apart, pretending to be nonchalant.
“Let’s go.”
They must have decided to commute together today too. Yi Yeon quietly followed An Do Hyun out the door.
‘Why does the way to work feel so much longer today?’
Yi Yeon sat with her hands clenched into fists neatly on her knees, back ramrod straight, tension filling her body.
Her heart, heavy like it was gripped by someone, throbbed wildly. Even An Do Hyun’s smallest movements and breaths beside her grated on her nerves more sensitively than usual.
“How’s your stomach?”
“Hmm... It’s not super good, but not bad either. I must’ve fallen asleep early last night too.”
Haha. Yi Yeon’s voice grew weaker, as if drained of strength.
“I learned one more thing about Yu Yi Yeon.”
“What is it?”
“That you get bolder when you’re drunk.”
A smile spread across An Do Hyun’s face toward Yi Yeon.
His slightly curved eyes from the smile held an inexplicable sweetness.
So, that’s why he’s calling me by name now?
She wanted to ask.
No, maybe she should ask what happened yesterday.
That the dream she had felt too real.
Yi Yeon let out a soft sigh and fiddled with her glasses.
‘The Vice President has no reason to actually kiss me.’
He doesn’t even like me...
In the end, Yi Yeon said it indirectly.
“Did I do anything wrong yesterday by any chance?”
“Well, wrong...”
“Did I mess up?”
What? Why is he dragging it out? If he has something to say, just say it quick!
“You did mess up.”
Yi Yeon’s heart sank, but she waited for An Do Hyun’s next words.
But no more came.
“What? That’s it? You have to tell me what I did wrong.”
I’m really going crazy!
Her anxiety made her words spill faster.
“We’re here.”
But An Do Hyun seemed unwilling to say more.
“What was it! Leaving it like this makes me imagine the worst!”
Yi Yeon raised her voice timidly.
An Do Hyun chuckled and looked at her.
“Well, you were so impudent, I don’t even want to tell you.”
I’m losing it.
“Think about it with that cute head of yours.”
Huh?
Am I going crazy?!
Yi Yeon’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
Cute?!
Her mind went blank now.
She was stuck on the word “cute.”
No, maybe he meant himself as cute?
But that wasn’t a word that suited him?
Did he resolve yesterday to drive her insane from now on?
Aaaah!
Yi Yeon wanted to tear her hair out.
Of all days, her memory had to cut out on such a crucial one—she resented yesterday’s self.
Yi Yeon dazedly stared at An Do Hyun’s back as he walked ahead, stirring up her heart in every direction.
