16.1

“Ah, it was so delicious I ate too much.”

Chaeyoon patted her stomach.

“Let’s go have a drink.”

“Where are we going?”

“To the hotel I’m staying at. Wouldn’t it be better to drink while relaxing?”

“Hotel?”

Chaeyoon hesitated for a moment.

Does this mean he wants to spend the night together?

“My flight is tomorrow afternoon, so I can drop you off.”

Again, Seonho acted as if it was a given that they would spend the night together.

“Listen, there’s something we need to clear up.”

Chaeyoon looked at Seonho with a serious expression.

Walking hand in hand in the streets, and occasionally kissing, doesn’t feel awkward. But it should have been. Or rather, it shouldn’t be happening at all, right?

It was just that Chaeyoon had also ignored this issue. But it seems it can’t go on anymore.

She wanted to sleep with him once. But at that time, she hadn’t thought their relationship would continue like this.

“What?”

Seonho looked at Chaeyoon.

“Have you never thought about this? That it’s weird for friends to sleep together?”

“Well, there are different kinds of friends. For example, isn’t Joo-eun a different kind of friend to you?”

“That’s right. Because we’re best friends.”

“For me, you’re the same. The only friend I want to see, the only friend I want to sleep with. You like sleeping with me too, right?”

“Well, we’re pretty compatible.”

Unable to say she liked it, Chaeyoon vaguely answered.

“I know, I know, things between us are ambiguous.”

“You know?”

Chaeyoon looked at Seonho, questioning if it was true.

“If you had insisted on marrying me, I couldn’t have been this comfortable with you. But you don’t want to marry me either.”

“Marriage is a future issue. I don’t want to marry; I want to love. Because if I fall in love, then I’ll want to marry. Just like Joo-eun.”

“You don’t love me now, or are you afraid that if we meet like this, you’ll love me?”

“Emotions aren’t something you can control.”

“There’s no need to worry too much since we can still control it for now. We both agree that we don’t want to get married, but we want to sleep together. Isn’t that right?”

“However, isn’t it funny to be sleeping together without wanting to be lovers or having a future in marriage? It’s too instant. I’m not conservative, but my taste is more antique.”

“Still, you want to sleep with me.”

“Ha.”

She admitted defeat. No amount of logic could change the fact that she wanted to sleep with Seonho.

Chaeyoon was very honest and true to her s*xual desires and cravings. She wasn’t ashamed of these desires; she just wished the person wasn’t Seonho.

“Just because we’re not lovers but want to sleep together doesn’t mean I think lightly of you.”

Seonho spoke seriously as Chaeyoon sighed softly.

“I know that.”

Chaeyoon nodded.

She knew the difference between being seen as an easy target and being genuinely respected. Seonho always respected her opinions and responded sincerely.

“We can’t see each other often, and we can’t see each other whenever we want, so let’s just allow ourselves this much.”

“Do you know? With you, distance has always been an excuse, from the beginning until now.”

“At least we have an excuse, isn’t that fortunate?”

“That’s true.”

Chaeyoon admitted that too. Denying it would leave her with no explanation for all the times she had slept with Seonho.

“Then that’s settled. Let’s not fuss over this issue until the excuse disappears.”

“When will the excuse disappear?”

“When one of us changes our mind? Maybe when I get married, or you find a lover?”

Seonho shrugged.

To that, Chaeyoon thought to herself.

Or perhaps when there are signs that I’m falling in love. But not yet.

“Come with me. I’ve booked something equivalent to first class for you.”

Seonho smiled coyly and extended his hand.

Chaeyoon hesitantly stared at Seonho’s hand, then placed her own on top of it. She should have pushed it away, but she couldn’t resist the temptation.

“It’s unlikely.”

I still have an excuse.

***

When Chaeyoon woke up in the morning, she found Seonho snuggled into her arms, and she watched him as if admiring his sleeping beauty. Every time, she felt he looked too beautiful even in sleep.

Chaeyoon reached out and traced her finger along his face. He twitched, possibly tickled by her touch.

“Wake up, sleepy prince.”

Chaeyoon climbed onto his body, kissing his forehead, eyelids, tear troughs, cheeks, and lips.

“Mmm.”

Seonho slightly opened his eyes, then smiled hazily.

“Isn’t it too early?”

“Not at all. You just failed to adjust to the time difference.”

Chaeyoon provocatively bit his lip and teased him.

“Isn’t this too aggressive for the morning?”

His languid voice further stoked Chaeyoon’s desire.

“We never know when we’ll do this again, so we should do it while we can.”

“And yet you played so hard to get yesterday?”

“When did I ever play hard to get?”

Chaeyoon nibbled at the nape of his neck, then ran her tongue along it for a long lick. The provocative act made Seonho’s breaths come in ragged gasps as his chest heaved.

“I was so anxious thinking you would just leave.”

“Why be so anxious?”

Chaeyoon traced his beautifully formed collarbone with her finger, then followed it with her tongue.

“I’m not an easy man. I still only want to have s*x with you.”

“Don’t make my heart flutter. If seeing you makes my heart flutter, I really won’t see your face again.”

Chaeyoon threatened playfully as she rubbed his cute n*pples with her fingers.

“A heart of steel like yours isn’t easily shaken. If it were, you would’ve fallen for me a long time ago.”

“Honestly, your body does turn me on a bit.”

Chaeyoon chuckled and took the n*pple she had been teasing into her mouth, licking and sucking it carefully.

“Mmmm.”

Atop him, Chaeyoon’s actions sent shivers through Seonho’s body. Every corner of his body seemed to awaken and bloom because of her.

Her lips moved down across his abdomen, approaching his navel, while the tip of his m*mber brushed against her chin. Each time she moved around his navel, the contact made the tip twitch.

Seonho bent one leg and spread it, then reached out to turn Chaeyoon’s chin towards him.

“Why?”

Chaeyoon’s lips, wet with saliva, looked incredibly provocative.

“I want you to leave kiss marks here. Lots of them.”

He pointed to the inside of his thigh.

“A lot?”

Chaeyoon giggled and pressed her lips against his thigh. Soon she was sucking vigorously, and the sensation of biting gently was felt.

“Umm.”

Each touch of Chaeyoon’s lips sent thrilling currents through his entire body. By the time her lips reached near his gr*in, Seonho was almost on the brink of madness.

Seonho lifted his body, pulled Chaeyoon to sit on his thighs, and kissed her passionately. They swallowed each other’s breaths and saliva.

If only I could swallow her whole like this.

While kissing, Seonho laid Chaeyoon down on the bed. Now it was his turn to explore her body.

“No plans to wear a bikini, right?”

Seonho asked in a low voice.

“Yeah.”

Chaeyoon answered half-distractedly, caught up in pl*asure.

“I’m going to leave kiss marks on your body too.”

Seonho greedily sucked at various spots on Chaeyoon’s body. He intensely worked his way from her ample br*asts to her sensitive sides and the insides of her thighs, blooming red flowers on her skin.