CHAPTER 69

“I’ve known Taegyeom since college, but this guy’s tastes are impossible to figure out. I’ve been waiting for this moment for almost ten years.”

Although his tone was smooth and eloquent, the end of his speech had a peculiarly wrinkled pronunciation. Leeseo inferred from his statement that he might be a gyopo (a person of Korean descent who was born or raised outside of Korea), either a Korean-American or had lived in the U.S. for a long time

“Now that I see you like this, I can see why Taegyeom has high standards.”

“Enough with the useless chatter. You’ve seen her face, you could leave now.”

Interrupting Joohyuk with a frown, Taegyeom was fidgeting with the water glass on the table. He ordered wine for Leeseo, mentioning that he would be driving today, and opted for sparkling water for himself.

As Joohyuk appeared and glanced at the untouched plates, he pushed his head toward Leeseo and smiled gently.

“Anyway, thank you for coming. I’m sure the food will be excellent since I’m the chef who brought you here. I’ll leave now so as not to interrupt your meal, but I hope to see you again.”

There probably wouldn’t be a next time that she’d ever see him again, but instead of being honest, Leeseo just smiled lightly. Taegyeom cleared his throat low, bringing the glass of water to his lips. There was a subtle tension in his smooth forehead as if something had irked him deep within.

All of Taegyeom’s friends that Leeseo had interacted with so far were friendly and outgoing. Despite having some odd and strange aspects, they were generally rounded personalities, seemingly compatible with Taegyeom’s twisted and rough edges. Although there might be clashes with his own sharp and protruding corners, they were, in essence, compatible.

It was fortunate that he had people around him who exuded bright, cheerful energy. He was going to be okay. Leeseo thought more for his own peace of mind than anything else.

A small smile twitched across her face as she watched Joohyuk’s back as he walked away, scanning the tables around him.

Taegyeom, while tilting the water glass to his lips, stared intensely at Leeseo’s face. Sometimes, she found it challenging to understand Taegyeom’s occasional reluctance or seeming dislike toward his own friends.

As their meal resumed, light, superficial conversations flowed. The food tasted excellent, as Joohyuk had proudly claimed with a hint of pride. As the neighboring tables emptied after finishing their meals, they were quickly filled with new customers.

A subtle hum of noise filled the air, bringing a temporary tranquility that suppressed anxiety and restlessness. Sipping on a glass of wine alone, as the meal neared its end, a languid sense of intoxication began to settle in.

Unbeknownst to her, as the sun had set, casting a picturesque glow on the river, Leeseo found herself captivated by Taegyeom. His long, straight fingers gripping the utensils, his languid movements, and his occasional intense gaze, as if licking her, revealed a persistent interest. The shadow created by his high nose added to the beauty of his face.

She wanted to etch this moment into her memory, to remember it for a long time.

“How was the meal?”

As the last course was served, Joohyuk approached again, inquiring about the taste of the food. Mixing honest impressions with customary compliments, Leeseo spoke, and Joohyuk eagerly nodded, listening to her words. He pulled out his business card and handed it over, Leeseo placed it on top of her phone on the table.

Taegyeom leaned back in his chair with a somewhat observant demeanor, taking a step back from the conversation in a contemplative manner, as if to see where it would go. Tapping him on the shoulder, Joohyuk said a final goodbye and left.

“Shall we go?”

He asked, dropping his napkin on the table. Nodding, pushing the chair back, Leeseo rose from her seat. Taegyeom, without a word, watched her as she pocketed the phone and business card. He then walked ahead, and Leeseo followed suit without saying anything.

Outside the restaurant, on the way to the parking lot, Leeseo caught up with Taegyeom. The cool breeze brushed against his clothes. The distance was close enough to touch if she reached out. She clenched and released his tingling fingertips with determination.

She wanted to bury her face in his broad back, yearning to pull him close and embrace him.

It was the last chance.

Because it was the last chance.

Just once, before losing him.

“Hey.”

Leeseo gathered her courage and grabbed a hold of his clothing. As if a tremendous force was contained in that small pressure, Taegyeom stopped in his tracks. The neat tip of his ear and the side of his face, turning slowly as if in slow motion, seemed to move at a leisurely pace.

He turned around completely. Sensing the gaze of his sensual and captivating eyes, Leeseo felt a distant dizziness. She parted her lips, which seemed stuck together like glue, and uttered a suppressed voice.

“I don’t want to go back to the mansion. Not tonight.”

“…”

“Let’s go somewhere where it’s just the two of us.”

***

As the door closed behind them, he lunged at her. Taegyeom, who had seemed strangely calm and oddly tranquil, suddenly changed his demeanor. He pressed their lips together in a devouring manner and he firmly grabbed Leeseo’s waist.

The hotel was located not far from the restaurant but the travel to the nearest hotel as far as the eye could see seemed excruciatingly long. The stifling silence and the subtle changes in each other’s breaths became increasingly coarse, creating a vivid and eerie tension.

Their bodies collided roughly as if engaged in a physical fight, backs bumping into walls, mirrors, and everywhere in between, without restraint. Overwhelmed by the overflowing force of excitement, Taegyeom lifted and tightened his grip on Leeseo’s waist, causing her to float and sink into the air several times.

As they crossed the long corridor, the automatically lit orange lights flickered. The lightless hotel room was engulfed by the faintly glowing moonlight beyond the glass window.

Thump. As Taegyeom collapsed, his weight came down on the clean and soft bedding, making contact with the terrifyingly soft surface. Half of his face was smoothly illuminated by the moonlight, while the other half remained shrouded in darkness. Leeseo carefully wrapped her arms around Taegyeom’s cheek, bathed in the moonlight, and asked softly.

“Is it okay like this?”

Taegyeom’s eyes showed a moment of confusion. Seeing his long eyelashes subtly narrowing at the unclear question, Leeseo whispered.

“It’s dark.”

Pausing at the unexpected words, he halted his movements. Glancing around the dimly lit room illuminated only by the moonlight, he lowered his voice.

“Well, there’s nothing to see.”

Taegyeom impatiently shrugged off his annoying suit jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Without enduring even for a moment, he pressed his body against hers again. It was hot—suffocatingly so, as an unfamiliar heat enveloped them, making it feel hard to breathe.

Struggling with an instinctive impulse that perhaps it would be better if the breath ceased altogether, Leeseo hesitated under Taegyeom’s scrutinizing gaze. Their gradually nearing faces were like shadows spreading on a canvas, and even though all distinct facial features were engulfed in darkness, his eyes, wavering vulnerably, were remarkably clear.

“When I hold you, the fear disappears.”

She froze. The weight of the words pressed heavily on her heart. His warm eyes, the voice that seemed to catch her breath, cruelly spoke of love.

She wished it wasn’t love.

Hoping that two inexperienced and incomplete beings would only sense each other’s deficiencies and merely seek a bit of warmth.

But it couldn’t be anything other than love.

“Hold me. Quickly.”

Leeseo said, throwing her arms around his neck.

“Don’t be gentle, be rough. Hold me, please.”

Not tenderly, but violently, so that this pouring out feeling would not escape.

Holding Taegyeom’s curiosity in check, Leeseo placed her hand on his pants buckle. Click. Just as she was about to undo his buckle and take her hand deeper, Taegyeom grabbed her wrist, pressing it against the bed next to her face, pinning her.

“Don’t regret it.”

* * *

Leeseo was on all fours on the bed. Her shirt, with all buttons undone, hung loosely over her shoulders. Unlike Taegyeom, who exposed only his swollen c*ck, having lowered his pants and boxers to his hips, she was completely n*ked.

Continuously inserting his hand into the inside of her thigh, Taegyeom applied force to widen her knees apart. At the same time, the gl*ns that had been caught on her v*ginal opening pushed her inward, thrusting hard.

“Ah!”

“If you keep collapsing like this, how can I be rough? You have to put strength in your hips and endure.”

His gentle words were drowned out as his massive p*nis slammed into her inner walls. The weight of his pounding organ made her insides vibrate, and her breath caught.

He knew she was unusually uncomfortable in her backward position, but he deliberately struck her cl*t obsessively, one after another. With each hard slap of flesh against flesh, a drip from her c*nt went everywhere.

The head of the bed slammed loudly against the wall as he threw his hips up. Even in a hotel, the soundproof walls would be useless against this kind of noise, but Taegyeom didn’t care and continued his violent penetration.

“Just a moment, wait. Slow down…! Ah!”

He thrust deep enough, almost crushing his t*sticles with it, and insatiably rubbed their connected parts lasciviously. His v*gina tightened in unison at the churning sensation in his stomach.