Chapter 10

She knocked. After taking a deep breath, she spoke.

“This is Jung Hee-won, Senior Executive Director.”

Her voice trembled. The silence that followed felt like a thousand years. A low voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

She cautiously opened the door and entered. Unlike yesterday, when he’d opened the door to greet her, Ryu-il sat at his desk, looking over documents. Only when the door closed behind her did he look up at her.

He said nothing, but his gaze alone made her feel crushed by pressure. She hesitated in her white sleeveless dress, then spoke.

“I… came to return your umbrella.”

Ryu-il frowned, looking at the long umbrella in her hand, then let out a short laugh. He looked incredulous. She, too, felt embarrassed and lowered her eyes.

Even if she came to return the notebook he’d given her, it would make sense, but bringing him an umbrella that had just been lying around Ryu Gil-jae was against the house’s customs. Strictly speaking, Ryu-il didn’t even consider it his own possession, and if she really wanted to return it, she could have gone through the driver.

They both knew this umbrella was a ridiculous excuse.

“Really?”

Ryu-il spoke expressionlessly, still seated at his desk.

“Then just put it somewhere suitable.”

“…Yes.”

She looked around uncertainly, not knowing where ‘somewhere suitable’ was, and finally placed it carefully among the clutter. Ryu-il watched her quietly, fingers interlaced, as she wandered awkwardly. His gaze burned into her cheek, making her shrink.

After putting the umbrella down, she had no more excuses to stay. Unlike yesterday, he didn’t try to continue the conversation. Maybe that was normal.

So should she just leave now? She wanted to just turn and go, but she remembered her mother’s face as she picked out this dress, and couldn’t bring herself to leave. She thought she should at least do her best.

“Why?”

When she hesitated, not leaving, Ryu-il looked at her and asked,

“Do you have something to say?”

Now that she thought about it, since entering the room, his gaze had never left her. That made her shrink even more. She took a shaky breath and carefully began.

“…Last night… the ki… ki… ss.”

Her voice grew smaller and smaller, but Ryu-il’s expression didn’t change. He just stared at her as if she were giving a business report.

“Why… did you do that…?”

Silence fell. The discomfort was almost unbearable, but Ryu-il let out a short laugh. Then, as if amused, he retorted,

“Did you come here hoping for something in return?”

“N-no!”

She jumped, startled, and shook her head. Ryu-il looked at her with amusement and continued,

“I didn’t even do anything proper, so if you act like this, it’s unfair.”

As he said, they’d only briefly touched lips, not what one would call a real kiss. Ryu-il propped his chin in his hand, speaking indifferently.

“It was just impulsive. Do I need another reason?”

Apparently, when she’d said she understood ‘impulse’, he’d just done it for that reason. She slowly lowered her eyes.

It was a mere impulse for him, and she’d responded impulsively, but that wasn’t all. She’d thought about it all day, and her heart had fluttered every time. The years of watching his back, the small hope she felt at his faint smile, the childhood memories she treasured—all tangled together.

“Then…”

Gathering all her courage, she gripped her skirt tightly and asked,

“…If it were a real kiss, could I act like this?”

His eyes looked at her like an abyss. He blinked slowly and answered,

“Who knows.”

Despite his indifferent expression and casual posture, his gaze was like a beast licking its lips. His lazy words were at odds with the heat in his eyes.

“If you do it well, and I like it, maybe.”

Her breath trembled. He raised one eyebrow provocatively.

“If you’re desperate, just try.”

It was permission, almost a command. There was no warmth in the air between them. Rather, he seemed to be watching her, dissecting her every move.

Not knowing what path she was walking, she stood trembling before him. He sat in his chair, legs crossed, and she slowly lowered her head.

She couldn’t even think of touching his body, just closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. He curled his lips in a clear sneer, and something inside her flared up. Summoning her courage, she slid her tongue in, and it slipped into his mouth.

She’d been bold until that point, but faced with his tongue, she didn’t know what to do and just breathed rapidly. Eventually, Ryu-il laughed openly, as if pitying her, and pulled away.

“That won’t do.”

She was already out of breath, panting, and he whispered right next to her.

“You’re really bad at this.”

She was shocked.

It was the first time she’d ever been told she was bad at something. She’d been a top student all through school, always praised by tutors, and meticulous in experiments. She’d always heard ‘you’re good at this’, so hearing she was bad made her stubborn.

“I’ll… I’ll try again, okay?”

Ryu-il just frowned silently. His gaze was fixed on her lips. She pleaded, moving her lips,

“I think I get it now, so just once more, really, if I try one more time I’ll probably…”

She couldn’t finish, because he swallowed her lips first. At the same time, he wrapped one hand around her head and pulled her waist with the other, drawing her into his lap.

“Mm…”

Even just collapsing left her dizzy, but through her parted lips, his tongue pushed in. Compared to her earlier cautious approach, his movements were bold and unrestrained.

“Mm….”

His tongue moved deeply and wrapped around hers, filling her mouth. She felt dazed, realizing this was what a kiss truly was. His hand around her waist was hot, and the strange sensation of his tongue stirring inside her mouth made her heart pound.

“…Haa….”

A single breath rose from deep within and scattered inside his lips. It was a blissful, faint feeling, as if her soul might fly away and everything would shatter into white. Her body, pressed against his, trembled and twisted unconsciously, and every time his tongue explored her deeply, sparks seemed to flash behind her closed eyes.

“Ah, uh….”

She was breathless, her head spinning. Unable to breathe any longer, she let out a strange sound, her chest fluttering, and only then did he pull away. His voice was low and husky.

“This is how you do it. But you don’t seem to have any talent.”

She wanted to get up, but her legs had no strength left. Desperately, she tried to raise herself and muttered incoherently.

“I’ll try… If I work hard, I think I can do it… If you just give me another chance…”

She managed to get up, still dizzy, but Ryu-il grabbed her wrist. With a piercing gaze, he asked,

“What exactly are you trying to get by working so hard at something you’re clearly bad at?”

Their eyes met.

“Tell me.”

He was a man used to commanding and ruling, so for a moment she felt an impulse to confess everything. No, it felt instinctively like she had no choice but to do so.

This man knew everything, and so she must obey him… Such a ridiculous thought flashed through her mind.

“What was it you said…?”

Ryu-il brushed her wet lips with his hand.

“Impulse and desire—something about understanding s*xual activity… Was it a fair transaction?”

“To be precise… It’s a temporary s*xual act based on impulse and desire, grounded in a fair transaction…”

She answered as best she could, and Ryu-il laughed, genuinely amused, his shoulders shaking slightly. Then, with those same intimidating eyes, he asked,

“So, what did you come here to get in exchange for yesterday’s kiss?”

Her mind spun. Whether she was bad at kissing or not, whether she had talent or not, it seemed there was still a chance to go further with him.

She couldn’t tell the truth, so she used the excuse she’d prepared.

“My mother and I… Please don’t kick us out of Ryu Gil-jae. Even though I made a big mistake…”

All she could think was to make use of this moment.

She’d already confirmed with her mother that Ryu-il hadn’t mentioned the incident at all, but this was the only excuse she could offer.

“Since I’m bad at kissing, I could do something more…”

She was almost pleading as she pressed her body against his again, her trembling lips meeting his once more.