Side Story 2.3

– Hey, you punk. Are you seriously not coming?  

Jinwoo’s exasperated voice rang loudly through the phone.  

“I told you, I’m not going.” 

Taegyeom replied lazily, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder, his tone calm and unbothered.  

– You crazy bastard! How can the son not show up at his father’s funeral?! 

Chairman Kwon had passed away. It was the end of a long and drawn-out hospital stay. Towards the end, he had lost consciousness and clung to life by a thread. Some people had joked lightly, wondering if he was already dead, but the man himself stubbornly endured for a year in a vegetative state before finally passing away.  

As soon as Jinwoo heard the news, he flew back to Korea from the United States. He was already at the funeral hall, preparing to greet guests and organizing the surroundings. Lowering his voice, perhaps to avoid being overheard, Jinwoo growled into the phone.  

– There were already people gossiping about how you never visited the hospital. If you don’t even show up at the funeral, they’ll have a field day tearing you apart. What if negative articles come out? 

“You’ll handle it well, won’t you? Yoo Jinwoo, the ever-capable man.”  

Jinwoo let out a frustrated, incredulous laugh. Yet, despite his annoyance, the compliment seemed to soften his tone.  

– All you ever do is talk big. Always trying to sweet-talk me. 

“And you probably don’t know this because you’re clueless, but in Korea, there’s a saying that you shouldn’t bring young children to funerals.”  

Taegyeom spoke as he gently kissed the small, round head of the baby cradled in his arms. Last summer, their child had been born.  

As the due date approached with no signs of labor, Leeseo had grown increasingly anxious. The baby, seemingly content in her womb, only decided to make an appearance on the exact due date.  

By then, Taegyeom had taken a leave of absence to stay by Leeseo’s side 24/7, ensuring he was there for every moment leading up to the baby’s arrival.  

The epidural worked perfectly, and the hospital staff couldn’t stop praising how smooth the delivery was for a first-time mother. However, to Taegyeom, it didn’t feel like praise at all.  

Watching Leeseo writhe in pain, her face pale with agony, while he could do nothing but stand by helplessly, was an excruciatingly powerless experience he never wanted to relive.  

Yet, the moment Leeseo held the baby in her arms, it seemed as though she had forgotten all about the pain. Now, six months later, she was already hinting at plans for a second child.  

Whenever she mentioned how nice it would be to have children close in age, Taegyeom secretly broke out in a cold sweat. The thought of Leeseo’s delicate body enduring another pregnancy so soon was unbearable. He hadn’t even fully recovered from the guilt of the first pregnancy, and now he wanted to punch himself for being a part of it.  

He tried to convince her to take her time, citing concerns for her health, but he wasn’t sure how long he could hold out. Leeseo could be surprisingly stubborn when she wanted something.  

‘One child is more than enough for me,’ he thought.  

Taegyeom kissed the baby’s warm crown again. The distinct scent of baby formula mixed with the unique smell of his child filled his nose and melted his heart.  

Meanwhile, Jinwoo was still muttering to himself on the other end of the line.  

– Is that really a thing? I’ve never heard of it… Is it because people are afraid of ghosts attaching themselves to the baby at funerals? That would be bad… That old man was so spiteful, he’d probably haunt people even in death.  

Just as Jinwoo seemed to accept the explanation, he snapped out of it and questioned again.  

– Wait a minute! Kwon Taegyeom, you don’t believe in superstitions or old wives’ tales! You always say they’re baseless nonsense. So why are you suddenly bringing this up? Are you messing with me?”  

“I decided to start believing today.”  

– What? You crazy bastard… Believe what? You’re just doing whatever suits you… 

“I’m hanging up. Doyoon’s crying.”  

The baby, who wasn’t crying at all, blinked his gentle eyes as if he understood his name being mentioned. Then, Doyoon smiled, his tiny lips curling adorably. He was so irresistibly cute, just like his mother, Leeseo.  

Jinwoo’s tone instantly softened.  

– Doyoon’s crying? Oh no, that’s not good. Anyway, fine. Take care of him. Tell him Uncle Jinwoo will come to see him later. 

It was always easy to manipulate Jinwoo, especially now that he was obsessed with his role as an uncle.  

Taegyeom ended the call and handed Doyoon over to the babysitter. The baby flailed his short arms and legs as he nestled into the babysitter’s chest, his tiny hands fidgeting.  

Suppressing the urge to playfully nibble on the baby’s chubby fingers, Taegyeom instead kissed the soft back of his son’s hand. Doyoon, who loved his father’s affection, burst into giggles.  

His triangularly opened mouth resembled a hungry little sparrow. Even the way he drooled from the corners of his tiny, plump lips was unbearably endearing.  

“Ah, it’s time for Doyoon’s meal.” 

The babysitter said kindly, wiping the baby’s chin with a clean cloth.  

“I’ll take him to feed him some formula.”  

“Please do.”  

Taegyeom watched as Doyoon babbled while being carried away. Then, glancing down at his shirt, he noticed it was already stained with the baby’s drool from the brief time he had held him. Smiling faintly, he headed upstairs.  

In the dressing room, Leeseo, seated in front of a mirror, greeted him warmly.  

“We should start getting ready for the funeral, right? I’ve already picked out your outfit. Go ahead and change.”  

One of Leeseo’s small hobbies was choosing clothes for her husband. With his well-proportioned figure, everything looked like it was tailor-made for him, making it fun for her to dress him up.  

Usually, a personal shopper coordinated his outfits according to his schedule, so Leeseo rarely had the chance to do it herself. She cherished these rare opportunities.  

Without a word, Taegyeom began unbuttoning his shirt and approached Leeseo from behind, burying his face in the nape of her neck. His warm tongue found the pulse point there, and as he gently bit down, Leeseo’s shoulders flinched slightly.  

“Ah…”  

Like a predator slowly cornering its prey, Taegyeom didn’t hesitate as he sucked on her ear. He nibbled softly on her tender earlobe, teasing it before slipping his tongue into her ear canal.  

“Taegyeom, wait… Hng…”  

Leeseo let out an involuntary moan, and almost instantly, his large hands slid under her arms from behind, gently cupping her chest.  

“Ah… Taegyeom, don’t touch my chest… Hngh…”  

Taegyeom intently observed Leeseo’s reaction in the mirror as he twisted open the buttons of her blouse. His fingers slipped inside, deftly pulling down the lace of her bra.  

He exposed her br*asts, pulling them out over her bra, and stared at the sight through the mirror. Pinching her n*pples between his fingers, he began to rub them, causing Leeseo’s back to arch forward involuntarily.  

When he finally stopped teasing her n*pples and instead cupped her entire br*ast, Leeseo let out a soft, trembling whimper.  

Her breathing grew ragged, and her flushed eyes lifted to meet her reflection. Distracted by the sensation of his tongue trailing along her ear and neck, she suddenly became aware of her disheveled appearance in the mirror.  

Her neatly dressed blouse was now wide open at the chest, forming a diamond-shaped gap. Her br*asts, pulled out over her bra, were being squeezed and distorted in an embarrassing manner by Taegyeom’s hands. The pale flesh spilling out between his long, straight fingers looked indecent and lewd.  

“Taegyeom, please… stop… We have to leave. If we’re late…”  

“Let’s not go. Let’s just stay and have fun together.”  

“What… What are you saying? We can’t skip the funeral!”  

“Jinwoo will handle it.”  

Leeseo stared at her husband, who was blatantly expressing his untimely desires, with disbelief. Before she could say anything, Taegyeom grabbed her chin and pressed their lips together.  

His hot, thick tongue slithered in like a snake, tangling aggressively with her hesitant one. Their breaths mingled, and saliva exchanged as the kiss deepened. By the time her mind caught up with what was happening, she found herself lifted onto his lap.  

It was only when she was gasping for air, her breath caught in her throat, that Taegyeom finally released her tongue. While she panted heavily to catch her breath, he couldn’t resist burying his face in her chest.  

Her now fully er*ect n*pple slipped into his mouth, and Taegyeom began to suck greedily. Holding her firmly by the waist, he devoured her br*asts with fervor.  

“Ah! Hngh…”  

A jolt of electricity shot from her n*pples deep into her chest. Leeseo’s hips lifted involuntarily, and her back arched in response.  

After sucking deeply, Taegyeom looked up at her with only his eyes and spoke.  

“Do you know you’re still producing milk, Leeseo?”  

Because he still had her br*ast in his mouth, his voice came out as a low, muffled rumble. It was irresistibly sensual and provocative.  

“T-that’s because… you keep sucking on them every day…”  

“How could I not? You’re so beautiful, it drives me crazy. Honestly, I think this is your fault.”  

With shameless blame-shifting, Taegyeom buried his face back into her chest. Waves of tingling sensations surged through her as Leeseo hurriedly grabbed his head, letting out a long moan.  

That day, Chairman Kwon’s funeral concluded without the presence of his successor.