3.2

Chaeyoon took the dress, matching shawl, and high heels and entered the bathroom. The shower booth was comparable to those in luxury hotels, and the pleasant scent of the body wash made her shower experience quite enjoyable.

After the shower, Chaeyoon slipped into the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was simple, with thin shoulder straps and a shirring across the chest, and at first glance, it looked like a slip.

However, its silhouette flowed naturally along her body, and the fabric shimmered seductively depending on the angle of light. Her slender figure seemed fuller, and the red color brightened her pale face.

“So erotic.”

Chaeyoon muttered.

While she appreciated beautiful things, wearing a sexy dress herself was another matter entirely and felt somewhat overwhelming.

Chaeyoon draped the matching shawl over her shoulders to tone down the sexiness of the outfit. She then slipped into the thin-strapped red high heels that came with the dress.

“How can even the shoes be sexy?”

She admired the high heels, which accentuated the arch of her foot and created a sultry line.

Opting for a low-maintenance look to avoid the hassle of removing makeup before bed, she only applied lipstick, brushed her hair, and casually pinned it up. Exiting the bathroom, Chaeyoon called out,

“Joo-eun, it’s your turn to shower.”

However, when she emerged, the bed where Joo-eun should have been was empty.

“Where did she go?”

Chaeyoon descended to the first floor.

The living room, filled with the slow melody of a violin, presented a different ambiance under the dimmed lights compared to the daytime. 

Through the large glass windows, she could see the peonies high up in the orange streetlights of the garden, and the atmosphere was dreamy and romantic.

Against this backdrop, she could see the back of Seonho picking wine.

Even his back looks annoyingly perfect. Like someone whose daily life is a photo shoot.

“Joo-eun?”

“Joo…?”

Turning his head to respond, Seonho flinched upon seeing Chaeyoon, then froze momentarily.

What’s with that reaction? Doesn’t it suit me?

Though typically confident, Chaeyoon was self-conscious given the unfamiliar style of her outfit. Her usual attire was neat and conservative, so this sexy dress might not seem fitting to others.

“Ah, sorry. Wasn’t this a semi-cocktail party?”

Seonho seemed to shake his head slightly as if to clear his thoughts.

“It’s not exactly a party. Just setting the mood.”

Chaeyoon walked towards the sofa. With each step, her legs became visible through the slit in the dress that extended up to her thighs.

She didn’t know why it bothered her so much, just walking, but her lips dried with nervousness.

The intimate touch of the silk against her legs felt like someone was caressing her, and her body warmed unnecessarily.

As Chaeyoon sat down on the couch, Seonho handed her a wine glass filled with a mysterious golden liquid. Her throat burning, Chaeyoon downed half of it in one gulp.

The wine, with its beautiful aroma of honey and dried fruits, sweetly cascaded down her throat.

“I feel under-dressed next to you.” 

Seonho remarked as he looked down at his own outfit.

Honestly, compared to Chaeyoon’s attire, his was relatively simple. He had made an effort to look formal with a white shirt and black dress pants, though he hadn’t bothered with a tie.

But who needed a tie when the top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a finely sculpted collarbone? 

And despite wearing pants, the contours of his firm thighs were distinctly visible, exuding a raw appeal.

His physique was an attire in itself, brimming with s*x appeal.

Chaeyoon felt her mouth go dry again.

She finished the rest of the wine in her glass. The table was set with cheese, fruits, and chocolates as snacks, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat any.

“It’s too much, really. Joo-eun made such a fuss, so I wore this. Look, I didn’t even wear makeup.” 

Chaeyoon lightly tapped her cheek.

“You must be confident in your face. Women usually don’t like to show their bare face.” 

Seonho commented as he refilled Chaeyoon’s glass and then took a sip from his own. The golden liquid left the transparent glass and disappeared onto his lips.

His throat moved as he swallowed, a simple action but that was all it took, and Chaeyoon’s center twitched and became damp.

This is insane.

Chaeyoon crossed her legs, trying to dismiss the arousal building within her.

“That’s just for people who care about appearances and who want to look good.”

“Are you saying you don’t need to look good for me?”

Seonho narrowed his eyes at her.

“I don’t have to look good to you, do I?”

“Do you realize that what you said can be quite hurtful to the person involved?”

“Hurtful? You’ve got a lot of eyes on you, and I shouldn’t have to be the only one who gets your attention.”

“But that dress really stands out.”

As soon as Seonho’s gaze landed on her, the s*xual desire she had been suppressing flared up again. Chaeyoon quickly drank some wine to divert her attention.

“It’s not my taste, it’s Joo-eun’s taste. She bought it as a gift for me to wear to parties in New York.”

“Wearing that dress in New York? Hmm.”

Seonho’s expression, as he stroked his chin with his finger, seemed dissatisfied.

“This wine is delicious, by the way. I think I’ve had it before.”

Chaeyoon redirected his gaze from her body to the wine bottle.

“It’s from Joo-eun. It’s Nobelmen’s wine. She said you like it.”

Seonho refilled Chaeyoon’s glass again.

“Ah, I drank it on Valentine’s Day.”

The wine was golden in color, like molten gold, and sweet, and before she knew it, she had emptied two glasses.

I might really get drunk.

Feeling a sense of crisis, Chaeyoon put a piece of melon in her mouth.

“Valentine’s Day? Just the two of you?”

Seonho’s eyebrows twitched.

“Don’t think anything weird. We drank it alone to console ourselves for being single, before Joo-eun started dating Seokhyun.”

“You seem to like sweet things.”

“Yeah, I still have a child’s palate.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Chaeyoon gave a shy smile.

“To call it a child’s palate is too fancy. Noblemen wine is difficult to make and has low production. It’s said that only one bottle comes from each vine.”

“Is it that expensive?”

Chaeyoon’s eyes widened as she picked up the wine bottle.

“That’s unexpected. I thought you knew everything, so I assumed you were also knowledgeable about wine.”

“Dad says so, that wine is meant to be enjoyed, not studied. Hearing that, I just didn’t feel like studying it anymore. I mean, I enjoy it as much as I know, but there’s something about it that makes me want to enjoy it instinctively.”

Chaeyoon twitched her nose.

It must have started when she went to a private middle school where chaebol kids were the mainstream. Parties, sports, and cultural activities that weren’t part of her daily life. Chaeyoon didn’t want to be ignored, so instead of enjoying their culture, she read books and filled her mind with theories.

“Since you know that wine is meant to be enjoyed, in that sense, enjoy this precious wine that Joo-eun, who cares about you, bought generously. There’s a whole box of it.”

“A whole box? She really intends to get me drunk.”

To buy a whole box of such expensive wine just because I liked it.

Compared to other alcoholic beverages, this wine was sweet and easy to drink without much thought, which led her to drink more than usual and get drunk. After all, wine is still alcohol, and drinking a lot of it will get you drunk.

“By the way, where did Joo-eun go?”

Chaeyoon looked around. She needed her friend to appear quickly to get out of this awkward situation.

“She went up to the second floor with you earlier.”

“She’s not on the second floor. What about Seokhyun? Is he taking a shower?”

“No. He said he needed to get something from the car and took the keys to the motorboat.”

At that moment, Chaeyoon instinctively felt a bad premonition.

“Wait a minute.”

Chaeyoon stood up and went to the dining table to pick up the phone that she had left there. Just then, it beeped with the arrival of a message.

[LOL. It’s a gift for your study abroad. Make some hot and beautiful memories.]

“Oh my goodness.”

Beep. A second message came in.

[You’re an idiot if you don’t make a ‘mistake’. If it’s too hard to handle sober, then get drunk. I bought a lot of your favorite wine.]

“Cha Joo-eun, this irrepressible meddler.”

The shawl draped over her shoulders fell to the floor as she pressed the call button in her exuberance, but Chaeyoon didn’t notice.

Unsurprisingly, a message indicating that the power was off came through. Chaeyoon put the phone down on the table, gripped the edges with both hands and stood up.

Joo-eun had fled, leaving her and Seonho alone in this decadent villa.