Side Story (Part 4)

“We can use the ones provided.”

Seung-jo grabbed her hand firmly.

“Have you been here before?”

His voice turned serious, making Su-eon freeze.

“Who? When? Was it during college?”

Seung-jo rubbed her cheek as he pressed her for an answer. Su-eon swallowed hard and slowly withdrew his p*nis from her mouth.

“Did you forget? I worked in hospitality for years. I’m experienced.”

Hospitality, my foot. 

It was obvious she was trying to evade the question with vague wording, and Seung-jo let out a scoff.

“I didn’t know hotels provided condoms.”

“VIPs request things even more—”

“Go on, keep talking. That’ll kill the mood faster than anything.”

“….”

At his cold tone, Su-eon dropped her gaze. His er*ction, which had been standing stiffly against his thigh, pulsed in the air.

He already knew she’d worked in hotels for years and had seen all sorts of things. He also knew he wasn’t her first. What mattered now was why she had suddenly become so eager.

If she was recalling experiences with someone else in a similar setting, the mere thought was enough to make his arousal vanish.

“Why are you suddenly so excited, hmm?”

Seung-jo gently brushed her lips with his thumb as he asked, his voice tender. Her skin, slick with moisture, was slightly swollen, making it harder for him to resist. Feeling the renewed tension below, Seung-jo swallowed a curse.

“You did it for me earlier.”

“…What?”

Distracted by the sensations in his body, Seung-jo momentarily missed her words and frowned.

“I just want to give back as much as I received. Is that wrong?”

“It is.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes me uncomfortable.”

This time, it was Su-eon who frowned at him.

“I didn’t do it because you forced me. I wanted to.”

“I’m not forcing you.”

“What?”

Caught off guard, Seung-jo stared at her.

“I just… want to do everything you like. You always do everything for me. Even though you’re so much busier than I am.”

“That’s—”

“I know you don’t like going back and forth between your place and mine, but you put up with it for me.”

He had never disliked it. He simply wanted to live together as soon as possible. But since Su-eon wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment, he had compromised.

With her getting busier and his frequent overseas trips, going back and forth between their homes had become a natural arrangement. Even though they technically lived separately, they spent almost every night together when he was in Seoul, so it was practically the same as living together.

The only one impatient about the situation was Chairman Ki, who had been pushing for them to formalize their relationship. Su-eon hesitated, fiddling with his hand, as if she knew what he wasn’t saying.

“You don’t bring up marriage because I told you not to, even though you’re dealing with the chairman’s pressure on your own.”

“Did my uncle contact you?”

“I’m not that oblivious.”

She smiled faintly, her lips barely curving upward.

“I know he keeps pestering you to bring me to family gatherings every holiday, and you’ve been shielding me from it.”

Seung-jo lifted her like a child, cradling her in his arms. He pulled the sheets over her back, and she nestled into his chest. As their bodies pressed together, all the tension and arguments from earlier seemed to dissolve into nothingness.

“Just pretend you don’t know. You don’t need to worry about those things.”

He gently stroked her cheek, trying to soothe her. She rubbed her face against him like a child seeking comfort.

“Okay. Pretending not to know has made this past year so happy.”

It had been a year of dreamlike sweetness.

Seung-jo silently agreed. Nights where he woke up and instinctively reached for her beside him, wondering if this was a fleeting mirage or a reality that would continue tomorrow.

He had never believed in love or marriage, yet the overwhelming fulfillment she brought into his life had left him basking in a dazed happiness for the past year.

“Thank you for being patient with me, for waiting.”

Her voice was quiet but sincere as she rested her cheek against his chest.

“I know I’m selfish and lacking, but please take care of me again this year.”

Seung-jo chuckled softly, his earlier misunderstandings now cleared. He had wondered what had gotten into her to make her so bold when she could barely keep her eyes open. It turned out she had just been feeling apologetic.

How could she think she was selfish? Whether now or before, Ji Su-eon had always been the same—someone who unknowingly drove him crazy. And she had no idea how endearing that was.

“You’re just scared.”

Seung-jo murmured in a languid voice, nuzzling her head with his chin as if savoring her.

“You doubt too much, and you want to run away at the slightest hint of uncertainty.”

“…Is this how you respond when someone opens up to you?”

Su-eon grumbled in his arms. Seung-jo laughed, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to hers.

“It’s not me putting up with you. It’s you putting up with me. Didn’t you realize that?”

Su-eon’s eyes widened.

“On the surface, I might seem fine, but I’m probably the worst choice for a woman.”

“….”

“But you don’t care about the surface.”

The world made a fuss as if being the daughter-in-law of a chaebol family was something extraordinary, but in reality, it was just a mess of a family with two sets of in-laws—a typical dysfunctional household. The kind where lawsuits and disputes follow you until the day you die.

“So, if you ever feel like running away, just tell me.”

“Didn’t you say before not to run? That you’d chase me to the ends of the earth…”

“That sounded too much like a threat.”

Seung-jo laughed leisurely, his tone more relaxed after a year of dating. Su-eon looked at him with suspicion.

“Then… if I say I want to run away now, will you let me go?”

“Why bother? I’ll just go with you.”

“What? That’s the same thing!”

Su-eon was dumbfounded, staring at him in disbelief. When she slapped his arm in annoyance, Seung-jo grabbed her hand mid-air and kissed her.

Their lips met softly, then parted as their eyes locked. In that instant, a fiery passion ignited between them. In Seung-jo’s arms, Su-eon’s breathing grew ragged as she tore open the condom wrapper.

But soon, she stopped, flustered. She had been trying to put it on him as usual, but it kept slipping off.

“Senior, this… feels a little strange…”

“It’s because it’s too small.”

Not knowing anything about sizes, Su-eon wrestled with it while Seung-jo placed his hand over hers and firmly pulled it down. Su-eon let out a small yelp. At that moment, the wrapper burst with a loud pop.

“….”

“….”

They stared at each other silently before bursting into laughter at the same time. After laughing for a while, Seung-jo sighed first. It just didn’t seem to be their day.

“Let’s do this at home.”

“Just put it in.”

Seung-jo hesitated. Throughout their relationship, Su-eon had been particularly adamant about contraception. Knowing her background, he had come to understand her actions and never expressed any resentment about it.

“Do you realize what you’re saying?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Su-eon seemed to make up her mind and raised her knees.

“Today… it’s a safe day, so it’s okay.”

Seung-jo studied her face as if trying to read her thoughts. Slowly, his hand moved from her knee to her thigh, stroking upward.

“Su-eon, I’m not going to waste this opportunity.”

“….”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

Her skin trembled slightly. Her face revealed both anxiety and fear as she bit her lip nervously. Seung-jo waited quietly.

“I’m okay.”

As soon as she said the words, Su-eon shook her head again.

“Actually, I don’t know… But if it’s with you, even if it’s not okay, I think it’ll be okay. What I mean is…”

Seung-jo silenced her rambling with a gentle kiss.

“I know.”

“…How do you know?”

“Because I feel the same.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

True to her suspicious nature, Ji Su-eon pressed for an answer until the very end, making her all the more endearing. Smiling against her lips, Seung-jo replied.

“Love.”

“Ah…”

As Su-eon let out a soft sigh, Seung-jo pulled her closer, entering her gently. Her breath hitched as she clung to him, her fingers grasping at the air.

A shiver of ecstasy coursed through their bodies. No more words were needed. They held each other tightly, moving in sync.

Much later, when Su-eon had fallen into a deep sleep in his arms, completely exhausted, Seung-jo carefully withdrew himself. A thick trail of viscous fluid followed.

He brushed her forehead gently several times before pulling the blanket up to her neck, ensuring she was fully covered.

After a quick shower, Seung-jo opened the door. His secretary, who had been leaning against the wall playing a game on his phone, quickly turned off the noisy screen and greeted him.

“Everything you asked for is in here, Executive Director. Here’s the car key.”

The secretary handed over a Boston bag and car keys without batting an eye, even though his boss stood before him in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but a towel.

“Good work.”

“I’ll take my leave now.”

The secretary bowed slightly and disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, having completed his task. Both the one who summoned and the one who was summoned acted as if this was just another ordinary night.

Seung-jo opened the bag and let out a small laugh when he saw a box of condoms on top. He hadn’t asked for them, so it must have been the thoughtful touch of his experienced secretary. On any other day, he might have been impressed, but not tonight.

He crushed the box and kicked it under the bed. If someone lucky found it later, they could use it instead of the cheap motel-provided ones.

Rummaging through the bag again, he pulled out a small velvet box. It had been sitting in the dashboard of his car. When he opened the lid, a diamond ring sparkled brilliantly in the dim light. Seung-jo took out the ring and approached the bed.

Since Su-eon had always acted as if she were allergic to metal, he had never once managed to get her to wear a couple’s ring. Without hesitation, he slipped the ring onto her ring finger as she slept.

The ring fit perfectly, as if it had been custom-made—which, of course, it had. After much deliberation and redesigning, the wedding ring’s intricate cut now gleamed on her slender finger.

If he had given it to her while she was awake, she would have undoubtedly hyperventilated, so this timing was perfect. He had already taken on plenty of responsibility tonight, and if she tried to run away irresponsibly, he would use this as an excuse to hold onto her.

He had no intention of leaving her any room to escape. Smiling contentedly, Seung-jo held her close and whispered softly.

“See, Su-eon. It’s you who’s putting up with me.”

That night, on a day when the rain quietly painted the world, something long overdue had finally happened—16 years after that fateful moment.

End of the “Dazzling Confession” Side Story.