16.2

Chaeyoon twisted her body beautifully as waves of pl*asure swept through her, and Seonho was enveloped in a deep sense of satisfaction. The fatigue from the long flight had long since dissipated.

“Ah, Seonho…”

Chaeyoon called out his name almost pleadingly.

“Why? Want me to put it in?”

Seonho asked with a mischievous smile.

“Do I really have to say it?”

Chaeyoon looked at him breathlessly, yet defiantly.

“Yeah. I like knowing you want me.”

Teasingly, Seonho poked around her folds without entering, provoking her. Suddenly, Chaeyoon wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him toward her, seamlessly merging them together.

“Haa!”

“Umm.”

They both moaned in unison, full and satisfied. Seonho grabbed her hips with one hand and pulled her against him, burying himself deep inside her.

“Haah.”

Chaeyoon arched her back, shivering with pl*asure. Seonho savored the narrow, smooth haven of her body, moving his hips rhythmically.

He wished the pl*asure that wrapped around them could last forever. He hoped her eager desire for him would never fade. He wanted to continue burying himself deep within her like this.

He didn’t like the cl*max that was slowly building. Ending it like this felt too sudden, too soon. So Seonho clenched his teeth, resisting as Chaeyoon squeezed him intensely, drawing nearer to her own peak.

“Haah.”

As Chaeyoon’s body relaxed from the aftershocks of her cl*max, Seonho pulled out and turned her around so that she was lying on her stomach.

Before she could speak, he spread her legs and entered her again. Her core tightened around him once more.

Seonho reached out to fondle her br*asts as he moved in and out. Her moist skin smacked against his pelvis.

“Your body is just too s*xy.”

Seonho whispered into Chaeyoon’s ear. Instead of replying, she moaned louder and clutched the sheets.

Damn!

Seonho inwardly cursed his weakening resolve. He had wanted to last longer, but it was impossible. Her warmth, her softness, and the way she gripped him, shook him.

“Haa, haah.”

Chaeyoon seemed like she had never cl*maxed just moments before, heatedly moaning and driving Seonho wild. Suddenly, like a blown fuse, Seonho lost control and started moving his hips faster.

His vision whitened, and a ringing filled his ears. Overwhelmed by the intense pleasure, Seonho momentarily lost himself.

Afterward, Seonho collapsed onto Chaeyoon and then rolled beside her. He could see her face, her eyes closed in exhaustion. Her long eyelashes cast shadows that made her look endearingly lovely. Seonho couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What are you laughing at?”

Chaeyoon opened her eyes. 

“Because your eyelashes are pretty.” 

Seonho brushed back her sweat-dampened hair. 

“Your eyelashes are pretty too.” 

Chaeyoon murmured, a remark that might have been a rebuke.

“Don’t do that. It makes my heart flutter.”

“You know you’re good-looking.”

Chaeyoon rolled over onto her side and lay next to Seonho, wrapping her arm around his waist. He responded by kissing her lips. 

“Thank you for being here with me despite your busy schedule.”

“I enjoyed it too.”

“You’re generous with your words today.”

“I just thought it was okay, to be honest. You’re a better person than I thought, and it’s fun being with you.”

Chaeyoon smiled slightly at Seonho. Her smile made his heart start to throb, and he realized that he had already crossed the line.

He’d traveled all these miles to get here and had tried to convince himself it was merely a bit of longing, a bit of excessive interest. But he could no longer lie to himself with such excuses.

“Now you realize it, aren’t you a bit slow?”

Seonho playfully poked Chaeyoon’s forehead with his finger. Despite the smile on his face, a burning pain welled up in his chest. 

Maybe this feeling should always remain a secret, forever?

No. There are no secrets that last forever. 

And he had no intention of keeping this a secret. He just had to make sure he was so ingrained in Chaeyoon’s life that she wouldn’t reject him after knowing his feelings.

He would remove any obstacles that Chaeyoon might dislike and any issues that could trouble her, giving her no excuse to run away anymore.

With that thought, the tightness in his chest began to ease.

“It’s time to check out.  We should start getting ready. Can you get up?”

Seonho asked Chaeyoon.

“Isn’t that obvious? What do you think of me?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Something delicious.”

“Okay, let’s go eat that.”

“How do you know what that is?”

“I don’t. You said it, so you must know, right?”

“No more options from the secretary?”

“Well, only the locals can do that, right?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll eat the expensive stuff that I can’t buy with my own money.”

Chaeyoon said this with enthusiasm.

“I really like that attitude of yours.”

“Don’t like it too much. Let’s shower separately. If we shower together, we won’t make the checkout time. It’s good that the suite has two bathrooms.”

Chaeyoon grinned and headed into the bathroom while Seonho got up from the bed. Looking out at the London sky through the window, he sighed.

“Ah, it really sticks with you.”

***

Today, as usual, Seonho began his day reading Chaeyoon’s SNS and blog, and checked the photos sent by the ‘bodyguard’ Junsu jokingly called a paparazzi. 

It was now March, enough time had passed for it to become a routine.

“She really leads a charmed life. Feeding swans and spotting squirrels. She’s like someone from a completely different world.”

Seonho’s mutterings to himself were still the same.

His hand instinctively reached for the ornate jewel-encrusted cigarette case that seemed out of place amidst the barren office desk. Despite the cigarette case being empty, Seonho aimlessly opened and closed its lid. 

Watching this, Junsu’s heart was fraught with anxiety. The signs were not good. 

Please, not that…

Despite Junsu’s silent prayers, Seonho picked up his mobile phone from the desk and played a video. 

• Have you tried this too? Wow, a full-course meal in the sky. 

It was a video sent by Chaeyoon, who filmed herself enjoying a first-class meal as if she were reviewing it. Even to Junsu, Chaeyoon appeared lively and fresh.

Why are you doing this, Chaeyoon? You’re not like that.

“Haah.” 

As the video played, Seonho sighed deeply, making Junsu’s heart clench even more. When the video ended, Seonho stared out the window with a vacant look. 

It was March, and snow fluttered outside the office window. It was quite coarse, but the weather was warm enough that they melted immediately upon touching the ground.

Seonho’s hazy gaze finally settled on a luxurious ivory box tied with a wine-colored ribbon, which had been sitting on the desk for a week. 

“This won’t do.” 

Seonho gripped the box tightly and suddenly stood up.

Why are bad premonitions never wrong?

However, despite his complex emotions, there was no change in Junsu’s expression. Why? Because he’s an exceptional secretary.

“Not today, Team Leader.”

“My hands feel weird. It keeps trembling.” 

Seonho looked down at his trembling hands. Despite his efforts to separate personal matters from work, the fact that he could not switch into boss mode during work hours was a clear sign of withdrawal symptoms.

After his first stalking spree, he had flown to London and, three weeks later, had returned there again. It had been another three weeks since, so it was time for the withdrawal symptoms to kick in.

Still, Junsu had to prevent him from going to London again. He pulled up Chaeyoon’s schedule on his tablet PC. 

“Chaeyoon is very busy right now. She’s in the middle of creating a designer jewelry project and is very sensitive. If you go now, you’ll just get scolded.”

Switching from secretary to brotherly mode, Junsu spoke bluntly. There was a lot to be said in a straightforward manner. It didn’t matter whether he was a secretary or brotherly at this moment; Seonho likely wouldn’t notice.

“Let me get scolded, then. What’s a little scolding? It’s not like it fills you up.”

At this point, one might suspect that the food or drinks Chaeyoon provided Seonho every three weeks contained a drug that caused withdrawal symptoms. Or perhaps Chaeyoon herself was like a drug.

“What about work? You have to be close by. It’s a waste to spend four days on a one-night, two-day trip. That’s almost a week gone.”

“When have I never worked that hard?”

“But now, we’re in a state of emergency where you have to work extra hard.”

Seonho’s surprising initiative had allowed the car subscription service to launch earlier than planned, and the response had been more successful than expected. 

Subscription members, whether premium or choice level, exceeded expectations, and interest among younger demographics was explosive, increasing the potential customer base significantly.

There was a lot of work to be done before they became customers and demand outstripped supply.

“The success we have now is only half the battle, if we are late in following up, there will be complaints here and there. You said, ‘Until it stabilizes, we cannot call this a success, so don’t lose focus!’ just a few days ago.

“That’s why I have you, the capable Secretary Hwang, by my side.”

Seonho’s face was as shameless as ever.

“Choices come with responsibilities.”

Junsu said warningly.