SIDE STORY (PART 2)

Leeseo took out her phone and it was a message from Jieun.

[GK Group’s Kwon Taegyeom, right? I almost fainted. It was more shocking than catching my ex-boyfriend cheating.]

Jieun was looking at her with wide eyes, as if looking for confirmation. Leeseo didn’t understand why Jieun was texting her when they were just right sitting next to each other, but she gave Jieun a small nod.

GK Group’s Kwon Taegyeom, for real.

Jieun sucked in a breath, feeling dizzy, massaged her temples and leaned back on the plush seat. After closing the car door, Taegyeom climbed into the driver’s seat and slowly started the car. The car carrying the three of them drove out of the school grounds in silence.

* * *

The fine dining restaurant overlooking the clear sea was widely known for operating on a strictly reservation-only basis, making it difficult to secure a table. Since its opening, the restaurant has consistently gained recognition in the Michelin Guide, establishing itself as a landmark in Songdo.

Jieun, initially shocked by the identity of Leeseo’s boyfriend, was doubly surprised by the beautiful sea view before her, and thirdly surprised by the luxurious yet understated and sophisticated atmosphere of the restaurant. She hurriedly took pictures, unable to contain her excitement.

She was thrilled to be in a fine dining restaurant that she had never dreamed of as a student due to the high price tag. The throbbing headache she had in the library felt like it had been washed away.

She was curious about how they managed to secure a table without a prior reservation, but Jieun didn’t bother asking. She thought that someone like Taegyeom’s position as the heir to GK Group would be like a walking business card.

“For dessert, we have walnut fig ice cream and creme brulee.”

The server approached and set down a plate of dessert on the table where the three of them were seated before stepping back. Jieun, who had been consistently impressed by each course, once again pulled out her phone, carefully changing angles to take pictures of the dessert.

Smiling slightly at Jieun’s excitement, Leeseo picked up a teaspoon and tapped the hard sugar surface of the crème brûlée. Though concerned about potential awkwardness, Taegyeom gracefully guided the atmosphere throughout the meal. Even Jieun, who was uncharacteristically fidgety at first due to a mixture of nerves and excitement, gradually adjusted and seemed to enjoy the meal.

As she scooped up a spoonful of the creme brulee into her mouth, Taegyeom spoke in passing.

“Did you take off your ring?”

“What? Oh, that’s…….”

Leeseo’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Taegyeom’s gaze lingered on the empty ring finger of her left hand.

“It was too flashy to wear at school. I was worried about losing it.”

“Then you should’ve told me. I would have bought something more comfortable for you to wear. It feels a bit disappointing to think you took it off when I’m not around.”

It was the engagement ring that Leeseo received from Taegyeom last Christmas Eve. Leeseo’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Taegyeom’s gaze lingered on the empty ring finger of her left hand.

Flustered, Leeseo quickly took out the ring case she had kept in her bag. She didn’t want to wear it at school because the diamond, which was a size she’d never seen before, would draw attention to itself. But Taegyeom was not pleased that she had unilaterally removed the ring without telling him. Leeseo shook his head.

“No, it’s not necessary. This is enough.”

She opened the leather case and a dazzling 17-carat diamond sparkled. Jieun’s jaw dropped as she stared at it in silence. Her round eyes widened as if they might pop out at any moment.

Insane. How many carats is that thing?

Jieun couldn’t even guess.

Jieun watched in awe as Leeseo carefully took out the ring and slipped it on her ring finger. The massive gemstone on her finger looked hefty and inclined on her delicate hand.

If she appeared at school with that, rumors of Hyun Leeseo getting married would spread like wildfire throughout the campus within an hour. Jieun could vividly imagine how the school community would be turned upside down.

Without realizing it, Jieun closed her dropped jaw and cautiously asked, 

“Leeseo, are you getting married?”

Leeseo blushed and nodded.

“Yes. After the semester, probably around the fall after graduation.”

Jieun, covering her mouth with both hands, exclaimed, 

“Yaaaah, congratulations, I’ll make sure you pass my exams and get that pharmacist’s license. I’ll give you a big congratulatory gift.”

A red-faced Jieun congratulated her with a shaky voice. The occasion unexpectedly turned into a moment to announce the news of their engagement.

Leeseo smiled back at Jieun, then glanced at Taegyeom, who sat quietly in the adjacent seat. He was observing the situation with satisfaction. Somehow, she felt like she’d fallen into Taegyeom’s trap. It was clear that he anticipated the situation unfolding this way and deliberately brought up the ring story.

When their eyes met, Taegyeom, for someone scheming a cunning plan, smiled so brightly. His excessively elegant smile melted hearts like snow. No matter how ridiculous and outrageous the situation, she finds herself mellowing in front of Taegyeom’s handsome face.

God, I’m so weak in front of that face.

Eventually, Leeseo lets out a weak laugh. Taegyeom reached out and grasped her hand as if he’d been waiting for it. His hot thumb stroked the back of her hand lazily, heat radiating wherever his fingertips touched.

With a sidelong glance at the instant formation of a unique atmosphere between the two, Jieun downed her coffee with a satisfied gulp.

* * *

“Hmm!”

Leeseo found herself sprawled on all fours in the living room of their new home, with Taegyeom on top of her. She couldn’t understand how things had taken this turn so suddenly.

She’d had unannounced s*x with Taegyeom before, but today was moving day, and she had a lot of work to do with the unpacking. She hadn’t expected this.

While their belongings were still scattered around the living room waiting to be organized, she was lying n*ked under Taegyeom, her bare a$s raised high.

Every time his p*nis plunged in and out of her, her c*m spurted out of her c*nt and dripped everywhere on the smooth marble floor.

Taegyeom had told her not to worry about it, that it was the hired help’s job to move and organize the luggage, but Leeseo still felt awkward letting someone else do this job. It was also her first real move, as she’d only ever moved back and forth between the staff quarter’s and her one-room apartment with a suitcase and a trunk.

Since they had reunited at the end of the previous summer, Taegyeom had insisted that she couldn’t be left alone in a dangerous environment. The two naturally started living together.

After living in a hotel for a while, Taegyeom moved into Leeseo’s apartment, and while it wasn’t exactly a short commute to and from Songdo, he didn’t miss a day of dropping her off and picking her up throughout the semester.

With his full support, Leeseo successfully graduated as an undergraduate. Because she took a semester off last year, she graduated in the summer, so she didn’t have a graduation ceremony. But the night she took her last major exam of the final semester, instead of a graduation ceremony, Taegyeom had prepared an event that would make her remember graduation for the rest of her life.

“So, how does it feel to have our first s*x in our newlywed home?” 

Taegyeom whispered in her ear, his voice low and husky. He was usually rough, feral, somewhat aggressive, and controlling when it came to s*x, but tonight he was unusually aroused.

“Ah, too intense… Uh, slow down a bit. Ahh! Ah!”

“I’m glad you seem to be enjoying it, Leeseo.”

After asking for her thoughts, Taegyeom, as usual, didn’t seem to listen to her wordsTaegyeom smirked in satisfaction and sped up his thrusts. Leeseo let out a screaming cry and her upper body collapsed. Well, she tried to do that, but the strong hands supported her lower back, preventing her from sagging as she pleased.

Of course, she couldn’t deny that she, too, was excessively aroused. A newlywed house,  marriage.

It was still hard for her to believe that Kwon Taegyeom, this handsome and lovely man, was her husband. Even now, under him, tightly connected without any gaps, the fact that she was married to him was unrealistically ecstatic.

Taegyeom respected Leeseo’s opinion that she wanted to wait until after graduation. Taegyeom has also been busy working on the unofficial succession, shouldering a heavy burden of responsibility in Chairman Kwon’s absence.

It was up to him to rebuild the company’s reputation, which had been tarnished by the still-unresolved special prosecutor’s investigation and a host of other controversies that rocked the country last year. The merger with SH Holdings bolstered the management structure and gave him some breathing room, but Jinwoo was a huge help to it.

Thanks to this, for a while, the task of bringing Leeseo to school and traveling back and forth between Songdo and Seoul became quite overwhelming. It was a murderous schedule that left him exhausted, no matter how fit he was.

It was impossible to just stand by, so Leeseo suggested that they stay apart in Songdo and Seoul until graduation but it was quickly dismissed. Jinwoo offered to be Leeseo’s chauffeur instead of Taegyeom, but they didn’t hear from him for a while.

So, Leeseo was especially happy about graduating. The joy of successfully completing her degree was overshadowed by the happiness that Taegyeom would no longer waste precious time on the road.

“You like it that much? You’re clenching too much, you’re going to break my d*ck, Leeseo.”

“I’m not doing that!  Ah! Uh!”

“If it’s not you, then who? You’re probably savoring me down there right now, aren’t you? Huh? Is it good?”

Taegyeom, licking Leeseo’s rear in an obsc*ne way, uttered vulgar words. His large hands, wrapped around her waist like vine, even trembled as they firmly pressed on her quivering lower bottom.