SIDE STORY (PART 1)

As the phone screen twinkled, a call from Leeseo came through. Taegyeom’s stiff expression softened.

“Oh, Leeseo.”

–        Are you leaving?

“I’m on my way now. It’s cold, so wait inside. I’ll call you when I get there. Don’t stay outside like last time.”

–        It’s not that cold today.

Taegyeom could almost see her pouting. She had a subtle stubborn side, and unless he said it in a threatening tone, she would casually ignore his words and expose herself to the cold wind.

And then, if she caught a cold or something, she’d probably be bedridden for days, and he would end up worrying about her health endlessly.

Hyun Leeseo had a tendency to be excessively confident about her health, as if she were invincible.

“If you don’t listen again and stay outside, be prepared for punishment.”

–        Punishment? What kind of punishment?

“Well…”

Taegyeom’s lips curled into a sly smile

“How about car s*x?”

There was no immediate response from the other side of the phone. Instead, a sigh was audible, as if the words had left the person speechless. A snickering laughter followed.

“I saw last time that there’s a good spot for that in the school parking lot.”

Taegyeom spoke casually, suppressing his laughter.

“Doing it in a classroom wouldn’t be bad either.”

Taegyeom imagined that she’d be frowning deeply and gritting her teeth, her ears might be turning red. But she’ll be secretly excited. Although she often pretends to scold her boyfriend for being a pervert, in the end, she always ends up getting turned on.

“Oh, is that a punishment for you, or a reward?”

• No, it’s not! Bye!

Leeseo responded with an unusually loud voice and hastily ended the call. Imagining her fevered face as she vehemently denied, confidently strutting around while blushing, Taegyeom couldn’t help but smirk.

It took only a few seconds for his p*nis to push against the fabric of his coat and be fully erect. If Leeseo saw him in this state, she’d freak out and fumble around trying to cover it up somehow, which would only make his erect*on grow bigger. They had several past experiences like that.

Taegyeom walked to his car with a straight face and a nonchalant gait, as if his d*ck had nothing to do with him. His demeanor was as relaxed and easygoing as ever.

The drive to see her was always exciting. It seemed not a bad idea to take it easy, considering her overwhelmed energy. Taegyeom sat leisurely, unfastening the buckle of his pants.

He pulled his pants a bit and opened the glove compartment and pulled out a condom, slowly sliding the rubber down from the gl*ns to the base of his c*ck, which had swelled to a size that made him shudder at the mere thought of Leeseo.

He liked to use his bare c*ck when he thrust inside her, but when he’s m*sturbating, he preferred to use a condom because there was nothing more annoying than c*m splattering everywhere. With the condom on, Taegyeom leaned back in his seat.

His large hand began to run up and down his hardening sh*ft. His calm breathing slowly escalated. His mind, of course, was all about Hyun Leeseo.

* * *

“Oh? Leeseo, why haven’t you left yet? What are you doing here?”

Someone grabbed her shoulder abruptly, asking as she looked through the glass door on the library’s first floor.

“You went down a while ago, are you waiting for someone?”

She turned around in surprise to see Jieun standing there with dark circles under her eyes and a look of exhaustion on her face. With the pharmacist national exam a week away, Jieun had been spending more time at the library than at home lately, putting in a final spurt of preparation for the exam.

Leeseo had said bye to Jieun in the study room, left ahead of time as Taegyeom said he would pick her up, and while waiting on the first floor per his not-so-friendly warning not to wait outside, Jieun appeared.

“Oh, yeah. I was just thinking of going home. What about you, did you come out to go home, are you not feeling well?”

“Yeah, my head hurts a bit, and I feel like I’m catching a cold. I thought about sitting and enduring it for a bit, but it’s not working. I can’t focus, and it feels like a waste of energy to sit there, so I thought I’d just go home and rest today.”

Leeseo looked at the tired-looking Jieun with concern.

“I know. You have a test coming up, so you should take care of yourself and study. Do you need any medicine?”

“I don’t think I need to take any medication, I just need to get a good night’s sleep and I’ll be fine. By the way, who are you waiting for, your boyfriend?”

Jieun asked, smoothly changing the subject and raising an eyebrow. Her fatigued face sparkled with curiosity. Although Leeseo had revealed that she had a boyfriend, she hadn’t disclosed who he was yet.

When Jieun asked her what he did for a living, Leeseo answered modestly that he was a working professional, but Jieun seemed to suspect that he might have a less conventional job. Leeseo didn’t bother correcting her assumptions, especially since, not long ago, Jieun had broken up with her now ex-boyfriend and discussions about men had dwindled.

With the pharmacist’s national exam getting closer, Leeseo planned to introduce Jieun to Taegyeom after her exams were over.

“Uh, yes.”

“Really? Let me see his face!”

Seeing Leeseo awkwardly smile, Jieun playfully shook her shoulders, as if urging her on.

“I won’t ask for an introduction; I’ll settle for seeing his face from a distance. I’ve been dying of curiosity for months because you seem reluctant to introduce him. Isn’t it admirable that I’ve held back this much? Huh?”

Jieun’s eyes, round and slightly squinted, briefly showed a hint of disappointment. Leeseo didn’t intend to make her feel that way. Apologetically, she clapped her hands together and asked Jieun.

“It’s not that I don’t want to introduce him, it’s just that… Well, he might be someone you know. I’m afraid you might be surprised.”

Lately, Taegyeom has been gaining more media exposure. With Chairman Kwon’s prolonged coma, GK Group has been under professional management for the first time since its founding, but major media outlets have been touting Taegyeom as a potential successor.

The public’s interest in Taegyeom’s handsome appearance was as fervent as the news coverage. Unlike Kyungrok, who used the life of the leadership as a form of publicity, Taegyeom was cautious about his media exposure, but it’s hard to block out the attention that comes naturally.

“Someone I know? From our school? Not from our department, I hope? Leeseo, I’m telling you this because I care about you, but I hope it’s not from our department.”

“No, he’s not from our school. Actually, he’s not a student. I was planning to introduce him after your exams.”

“What does my exam have to do with this? I can’t wait until then. I’m so curious that I won’t be able to focus on my exams. So, show him to me today. Huh?”

Jieun, full of curiosity, shook Leeseo’s arms left and right. Coincidentally, through the library window, Leeseo saw Taegyeom’s car gliding down the road.

After a moment’s hesitation, Leeseo took Jieun’s hand and led her out of the library. She felt bad that she hadn’t warned Taegyeom, but she figured it would be okay to introduce him to her friend.

Taegyeom, who had just parked the car with the hazard lights on, got out of the driver’s seat. Despite noticing Jieun approaching with wide-eyed curiosity, Taegyeom’s calm face showed no sign of disturbance.

Ironically, it was Leeseo who felt a bit uneasy about Taegyeom’s composed demeanor. As the two approached, a gentle smile adorned Taegyeom’s lips, looking quite pleasing.

“A friend?”

Taegyeom asked sweetly, glancing at Jieun. He didn’t need to smile so prettily, and a childish, dissatisfied feeling rose in Leeseo’s stomach. She didn’t understand why she felt this way, so she kept her expression calm.

“Uh, yeah. My friend wanted to see my boyfriend’s face.”

His eyebrows twitched and wiggled at the word ‘boyfriend’. It was fleeting, but unmistakable. But then he smiled again, just like he always did, and Taegyeom nodded courteously toward Jieun.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Leeseo’s boyfriend, Kwon Taegyeom.”

“Hmm? Uh-huh? Oh!”

Jieun’s eyes narrowed as she stared up at Taegyeom’s face and stammered for a moment. Initially doubtful, she seemed to realize that there couldn’t be many people under the sky who looked like him. There seemed to be no need for further detailed introductions.

Jieun was so surprised that she backed away from Taegyeom, screaming at him. Despite her exaggerated reaction, Taegyeom remained calm and spoke to Leeseo.

“If your friend hasn’t had dinner, let her come with us. I’ll buy you something delicious.”

“Dinner? Hmm, but Jieun said she doesn’t seem to be feeling well…….”

“I haven’t had dinner! I didn’t eat dinner!”

Jieun interrupted, cutting Leeseo off mid-sentence. Startled by her friend’s unexpected reaction, Leeseo faltered in her words. Finding Jieun’s behavior adorable, Taegyeom chuckled. Then he approached the car that was parked and opened the rear door.

“While we’re on our way, sit comfortably in the back seat with your friend.”

Jieun quickly climbed into the backseat first and gestured towards Leeseo with raised thumbs and wide-open eyes. Suddenly, she took out her phone and began to frantically tap on it to send a text message.

A moment later, Leeseo’s phone vibrated in her pocket.