“Hah… ah.”

n*ked, Ye-jin trembled and turned her head.

It was because he, who was mounted above her, had placed his hands next to her head and was staring intently at her. His gaze felt too hot. ‘It shouldn’t be like that,’ but it felt so hot it constantly dried her mouth.

A large hand grasped her br*ast. Startled, Ye-jin flinched and bit her lip.

He lowered his head and took her n*pple into his mouth.

Without realizing it, her fingertips twitched. She wanted to push him away, but instead gripped the sheets.

His leisurely gaze swept over every inch of her body. She tried to close her legs, but his eyes had already lingered there.

He spread her legs again and licked her n*pple with the tip of his tongue. The thought of him seeing her core parting slightly made her whole body flush red.

‘He should simply come inside.’

With trembling hands, she lightly gripped the shoulders of the man who was persistently tormenting her br*asts without penetrating.

She felt him faintly smile at her hesitant touch.

“J-just…”

She spoke, stuttering as she said, “Just do it.” It was her own attempt at bravery. He just stared intently at her without saying a word. Their eyes met as he lifted his gaze while keeping her n*pple in his mouth.

As time passed, an awkward atmosphere grew between them.

“You’re not wet yet.”

She was about to ask what wasn’t wet, but closed her mouth tightly. Somehow, even without hearing it, she knew what he was talking about.

“…Ah.”

Having been gently sucking her n*pple, he lifted his upper body and soon lowered his hand between her legs.

Despite their loveless relationship, in which she merely satisfied his l*st, he caressed her as though worried that she wasn’t wet enough.

“Relax a little.”

She must have tensed her thighs when she realized that he was touching her there. His voice was so gentle that it brought tears to her eyes. Yet she wanted to ask why his stare was so cold. She also wanted to tell him not to be kind to her since he didn’t love her.

Instead of saying anything, however, she bit the back of her hand.

“Haaah…!”

A thin moan escaped her lips. She couldn’t believe it had come from her own mouth.

The wet, slick sounds were growing louder.

Despite his busy schedule, he still found time for s*x when he got home. She had a sudden thought: if he was that busy, why couldn’t he skip s*x? However, the sensation of him settling between her legs drove all thoughts away.

His hot length rubbed up and down against her. Each time he did so, her body seemed to shrink. She painfully bit down on the back of her hand, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

It was the first time in a month that he had intruded on her, and it was too much for her. She constantly tried to push him away. However, he was much stronger and pushed her down, entering her completely.

The sensation was so overwhelming that she couldn’t moan. Tears flooded her eyes and her mouth gaped open. Their joined bodies were so hot that she unconsciously pushed against his shoulder and chest.

Ignoring her completely, he moved his hips fiercely. She trembled with fear, but there was no indication that he would stop.

Just moments ago, her body had screamed in distress as it was stretched to its limit. But as time passed, she seemed to accept the act, as if she were familiar with it.

 A feeling of pleasure blossomed that threatened to overwhelm her, it was absurd. Ashamed that her body was heating up during a loveless act, she bit her lip until it almost bled.

“We can just have another baby, so don’t wear such a gloomy expression.”

She had nothing to say to the man who found her unhappy expression an inconvenience. All she could do was force a smile.

The idea that they could just have another child echoed in her ears and rattled around in her head.

As the act intensified, her aroused body began to respond. She tried to wrap her legs around his waist, but they kept slipping due to her lack of strength. He grabbed her ankles and hoisted her legs onto his shoulders.

With every thrust, her legs shook miserably against his shoulders.

Just as her body shook wildly, so did her heart.

She couldn’t understand why everywhere his hands touched felt hot. Was it heat transferred from his hands? If so, why was her chest growing hot too? She was utterly confused.

She wanted to ask why he had embraced her so fiercely when his eyes remained cold and unfeeling.

She was confused and ashamed of how her body reacted to him.

“…Ugh.”

A slight crease formed and then disappeared from his handsome brow.

His act, which had seemed endless, finally stopped.

“Haa. Haa.”

He gave a harsh breath and gently let go of her two legs, which he had been tightly holding.

‘Had the act, after so long, been tiring for him?’

She thought of him getting off her, utterly cold, before she fell into a sleep like fainting.

❖ ❖ ❖

Ye-jin’s eyelids slowly lifted.

“…”

She didn’t need to check the clock to know that it was exactly 4.30am; she had learned this through experience over the previous three years.

Days at the Seo Han Group started early. The daughters-in-law woke up at 5 am to prepare breakfast, which everyone ate together at 6 am. This was a rule that had been passed down through the generations.

Although she wished to sleep a little longer after their passionate night together, her eyes opened automatically.

Ye-jin turned her head to look at the space beside her. As expected, he wasn’t there. She had fallen asleep immediately after they had finished, so she didn’t remember anything afterwards.

She didn’t know if he had gone to bed, but it was highly unlikely.

She reached out and swept her palm across the empty space beside her. It was completely cold, as if he hadn’t slept there at all. The coldness was chilling, and she quickly clenched her fingertips.

“Ugh…”

Ye-jin groaned as she tried to get out of bed, moving her legs. The inside of her thighs and her lower back were throbbing. Was this to be expected after a month without s*x? Despite having been intimate countless times over three years, Ye-jin still found him overwhelming.

She smiled forlornly and swept her messy hair up. Since even a minute’s delay could cause trouble, she forced her heavy body to rise. But as soon as she stepped onto the floor, she suddenly collapsed back onto the bed.

It was her ankle that was the problem. Was it going to rain?

When she was a ballet dancer, injuries to her ankles, toes and ligaments were as common as eating. She used to ignore minor injuries to continue dancing, but since she stopped, the old injuries have started to ache.

Ye-jin calmly rotated her stiff ankle in a circle. She deliberately kept her gaze lowered, unwilling to look at her feet, which she found ugly.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she stumbled into the bathroom. A small but long sigh escaped her lips.

She quickly washed and changed her clothes. After tying her hair back neatly, she left the room.

Pause. She was about to descend the stairs when she saw the study door slightly ajar, and unconsciously changed direction.

‘Did he sleep in the study?’

She knocked lightly on the door, but there was no response. Opening the door cautiously, she stepped inside and saw him leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. Ye-jin approached him.

He looked tired.

‘Of course, he would be tired after returning from a business trip.’

“…”

‘He could at least sleep comfortably.’

She frowned, wondering.

‘Is he here because I make him uncomfortable?’

‘No, that’s not it. He’s always busy; he’s a man who works even after coming home at midnight. Who am I to make him sleep in the study just because he’s uncomfortable? He probably went straight here after s*x to work.’

Ye-jin smiled bitterly and turned to leave.

“Why.”

A low voice suddenly spoke, and she flinched, shrinking her shoulders. Ye-jin slowly turned her body to look at him.

“Ah… did I wake you?”

She had tried not to make any sound.

‘Was I loud?’

“No. I was just resting my eyes for a moment. Why?”

She looked at him pressing the area near his eyes, seemingly tired, before parting her lips.

“…Maybe some tea…”

“It’s fine.”

His sharp response made her feel pushed away and she clenched her fingers. His jet-black pupils, which had been fixed on her hands, slowly rose to meet her gaze.

His expression was unreadable, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking; it was intimidating. Feeling uneasy under his gaze, she restlessly wiggled her toes inside her slippers.

After staring at her for a long moment, he opened his mouth.

“You can leave.”

“…Yes.”

After all, they were just people who shared a bed, so it was only natural. But she felt so rejected that her shoulders slumped. Stunned, she turned away and started to leave the study. However, she heard him sigh from behind her. That sigh weighed heavily on her shoulders.

She dragged her heavy feet out of the study and closed the door.

Suppressing her own sigh, she hid it deep within her chest and trudged down the stairs.

“Auntie. Good morning.”

“Ma’am, did you sleep well? The food preparation is almost finished.”

“But why is there seaweed soup?”

Ye-jin’s eyes widened at the sight of seaweed soup, which wasn’t typically served at breakfast.

‘Mother-in-law won’t let that slide if she sees it.’

“Ah—this? The Master instructed us to prepare it.”

“…He did?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head at the auntie, who asked if there was a problem.

‘He must have wanted seaweed soup after being away overseas for a month.’

Thinking nothing of it, she helped the housekeeper carry the food.

A moment later, the breakfast table was completely set. Exactly five minutes before six o’clock, everyone gathered at the dining table.

“Why is there seaweed soup for breakfast?”

Her father-in-law, upon seeing the seaweed soup as he sat down, frowned, not hiding his displeasure.

“I requested it because I wanted to eat it.”

A concise, plain voice flowed from him, sitting across the table.

“You, who never even likes seaweed soup.”

“I wanted it. I took on too much with the business trip, and now I’m feeling a little unwell. Could you please pay extra attention to the meals for a while? Focus on strengthening foods.”

She thought it was slightly odd, as he had never asked for anything specific to eat before. That was all.

“I’ll make sure to prepare something special starting tonight.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you for what? It’s only natural.”

Ye-jin pressed her fingernails into the back of her hand, which was resting on her thigh. She found her mother-in-law’s overly gentle voice foreign.

“Let’s eat.”

When the father-in-law picked up his spoon, everyone else did the same.

While they were eating, not a sound could be heard. There was no bowing of heads, clanking of chopsticks or dishes being moved around. Needless to say, there was no sound of food being chewed either.

It felt stifling. She felt like she was going to throw up, so she sat up straight. She didn’t even want to look at the seaweed soup, above all, she had no appetite.

As she counted the grains of rice with her chopsticks, she felt a piercing gaze upon her.

Ye-jin slowly raised her gaze.

“…”

She was sure she had felt someone looking at her, but he was just eating his rice. Had she imagined it? Ye-jin tilted her head and pretended to eat. She put the food in her mouth and chewed slowly.

It felt gritty, as though she were chewing sand. She craved a glass of water, but knew that her mother-in-law would lecture her for an hour afterwards, criticizing her for having no manners and drinking at the table. She endured it.

The tiny grains of rice seemed to be blocking her windpipe, so she clamped her mouth shut. Ye-jin lifted her gaze and paused, forcing air through her throat.

Their eyes met across the dining table.

“…”

She thought the gaze sweeping over her face was piercing. Ye-jin was the first to look away. She lowered her gaze, scooped some rice onto her spoon and put it into her mouth.

She felt his gaze on her forehead again and was about to lift her head, but decided to endure it. Enduring things had become something Ye-jin did more and more often.

“Is the Founder’s Anniversary Party preparation going well?”

At her mother-in-law’s question, Ye-jin’s shoulders slightly trembled.

“Make sure you take good care of Jin-ah, too, when she goes. Oh, will your wife attend this time?”

Ye-jin’s eyes trembled minutely. She knew the answer without hearing his reply, so she clenched both hands.

“This person will not be attending.”

Her fingernails dug into her palm because of him, who had made it clear that she wouldn’t be attending this time either. She didn’t let it show, though. Ye-jin picked up her spoon again.

She busied herself with moving her hands and mouth, pretending to eat.

Just as she could no longer pretend and was feeling utterly exhausted, her father-in-law finished his meal and rose from his seat. Ye-jin tried to hide her brightening expression by flexing her facial muscles, then stood up to follow them.

She followed the two men to see them off to work. She tried to keep up with them, but they were walking so quickly that, by the time she had got outside, they were already far ahead of her.

Ye-jin practically ran towards the main gate. Her ankle throbbed, but she ignored it.

Having run across the wide garden, she was out of breath. She joined her hands together and bowed to her father-in-law as he got into the car.

“Have a good day.”

“Yes.”

Her father-in-law, smiling kindly, got into the car and drove out of the alley first.

“…Have a good day.”

Though he had clearly heard her greeting, he got into the waiting car without any reaction.

She whispered one more time, her voice small, to the man who wouldn’t even meet her eyes.

“Have a good day.”

Before she could finish her sentence, the door closed. She stood there silently, watching the car disappear quickly.

She didn’t want to go back into the house. She wanted to disappear right then and there.

The humid air wrapped around her body. With every step, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle, as if a downpour were about to begin. She kept walking and stopping.

No, the pain was just an excuse. She had danced across stages before when she was in far more pain than this.

“Using this tiny thing as an excuse.”

Ye-jin let out a sound like air escaping. She dragged her heavy feet into the house soon afterwards.

After helping the housekeeper clear away the breakfast dishes, she went up to her room and lay down on the bed, she was completely exhausted.

‘Well. After what they did… of course she was tired.’

She was exhausted after just one round, but he seemed completely unfazed, they must have different levels of stamina. She used to be confident in her physical strength, but not anymore.

She wanted to take a shower, she’d sweated a lot the day before but her body felt so heavy she didn’t want to move.

She just wanted to sleep like this.

Her eyelids felt as though stones were tied to them; they refused to lift.

‘…Mother-in-law might come looking for me any moment.’
‘…I should get up.’

But she couldn’t.

Overcome by drowsiness, Ye-jin surrendered to sleep.