Ye-jin glanced to the side and absently toyed with the ends of her long hair. She had never once called Gerard brother before, so it felt embarrassingly awkward. But if it meant she could mend their friendship…!

“Gerard, brother… I’m sorry…”

The moment she pushed through the embarrassment and said brother, Gerard clutched his stomach. Then he reached out and rubbed the crown of her head, answering in an almost comically mature tone.

“Good. Little sister. This brother will be generous and forgive you.”

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

“Hope, Uncle’s going now. I’ll see you next time, okay?”

Gerard waved his hand gently at Hope. Hope lifted his own little hand and wiggled it, almost like playing jam-jam, smiling brightly as if waving back.

“I’ll get going, then.”

“I’ll walk you to the elevator.”

Ye-jin followed after him, intending to see him off to the elevator. They left the hospital room and walked slowly down the hallway together.

Before long, they stopped in front of the elevator and she pressed the button. The elevator was coming up from a lower floor.

“You’ve gotten even prettier since the last time I saw you.”

Gerard said, resting his hand over her shoulder with easy affection.

“You don’t even look like you just had a baby.”

He gave her shoulder a light squeeze and paid her a compliment. At that moment, the lift arrived with a soft tone.

The doors slid open.

A large figure stepped out. He was huge — as broad as a door, with shoulders like a wall and muscles like armor. He was the kind of man whose mere presence felt dangerous.

Seeing Gerard’s hand on Ye-jin’s shoulder, he scowled fiercely.

A cold shiver ran straight down her spine. Her shoulders drew in at once.

She was scared. What if something ugly happened here again? What if he lost control and, just like at the party, shattered Gerard without thinking?

Ye-jin’s body trembled, just a little.

“Get that hand off.”

Instead of swinging a steel-like fist, he simply lifted Gerard’s hand from Ye-jin’s shoulder.

“Go back to the room. I’ll have a quick word with him.”

His voice was quiet yet authoritative.

Ye-jin looked at Gerard, silently asking if it would be all right to leave him alone with the man.

When he gave a small nod, she hesitated for a moment before turning back towards the hospital room.

Now, only the two men remained in front of the lift. A strange tension filled the air.

Determined not to be beaten up again like last time, Gerard clenched his fists and took a boxer’s stance.

Seo Jung-hoo gave a faint, almost amused, smile.

“If you want to protect that jaw, keep your guard higher.”

He reached out, pulling Gerard’s hands up toward his face, correcting his posture.

Gerard blinked in disbelief. He had expected the man to charge at him like before not this eerie calm.

“You can meet Ye-jin. That’s fine. But don’t touch her.”

“……”

“Don’t lay a single finger on her. Not even a strand of hair.”

His black eyes gleamed with an unmistakable menace. It was a warning, but his look made it clear that next time it wouldn’t just be words.

Gerard swallowed hard. He was relieved that the confrontation had ended there — until a sudden thought flashed through his mind.

‘Wait a second. Why does this guy keep talking down to me? I’m older than him!’

“Hey, don’t talk informally to me, okay? I’m your— ack!”

Before he could even finish asserting his seniority, a strong shove sent him stumbling backward right into the elevator.

“Take care.”

Jung-hoo pressed the button and shut the doors firmly, his parting words still in that same unyielding informal tone.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

“What did you and Gerard talk about?”

Ye-jin asked cautiously as Seo Jung-hoo walked back into the room. She had peeked through the doorway earlier and, thankfully, hadn’t seen any signs of violence this time.

Even so, she couldn’t quite relax. He was the kind of man who could hurt someone with just his words.

“Oh, nothing much. He just made sure to tell me he’s older than me.”

“Yes, Gerard’s ten years older than I am, so that makes him six years older than you.”

“Not exactly something I care about.”

His tone was indifferent as he stood beside the bed and looked down at Hope.

The moment Hope saw his father, his eyes and lips curved into bright crescents.

“Yaa-bab-gya-bba!”

“Yeah, Daddy’s here. Have you been good for Mommy?”

“Eububya-ahung!”

“Did you eat?”

“Uhuhuhu-gya-gaeung-heu!”

His voice, which was usually so restrained and devoid of warmth, softened whenever he spoke to Hope. Even his expression changed; it was no longer blank, but instead carried a quiet, genuine smile.

It was strange. Not long ago, the thought of him finding out had terrified her. She could never have imagined him becoming a father to Hope.

Yet now, those fears felt like a distant memory. They looked every bit the real father and son.

“Did you eat?”
“Yes, I did. What about you, Jung-hoo?”
“I did too.”

And somehow, it felt as though they were starting to look like a real couple as well even if she still couldn’t bring herself to say I love you.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

Although she knew he came to the hospital every morning and evening, Ye-jin still found herself dropping by his house during the day.

Partly to check on his condition and partly just to catch a glimpse of his handsome face.

She filled a glass with orange juice. Its bright colour and fresh scent brought a sense of clean vitality to the air, like sunlight in a bottle.

She placed the glass on a tray and walked to the study. Standing by the door, she knocked lightly. When she opened the door, she saw him seated behind a desk covered in papers.

“Drink this before you get back to work.”

Ye-jin stepped lightly and placed the glass of juice on the desk. He took a sip of orange juice and frowned.

“What’s wrong? Doesn’t it taste good?”

“It’s not juice that I want to drink.”

His black eyes, flickering with desire, fixed on Ye-jin. Then he patted his knees.

Whenever she sat on his lap, he would devour her.

‘But this time, I won’t be able to.’

He was still recovering, and it wasn’t yet the stage for marital relations.

‘The most he’d do is a kiss, probably.’

She was willing to give him as many kisses as he wanted. Ye-jin took a step forward.

Without hesitating, she walked up to him and sat lightly on his lap.

He wrapped his thick forearms around her slender waist and gently stroked her pale face with his large hand.

Extending his index finger, he traced her bright red lips softly. It was as if he wanted to consume those provocative lips.

Grasping the back of her neck, he pulled her closer. Tilting his head to reveal his handsome jawline, he stole an elegant kiss from her.

Ye-jin accepted his kiss without resistance.

Holding his shoulders tightly with both hands, she parted her lips slightly to allow his cunning tongue to plunge inside aggressively and stir her mouth with an odd sensation.

“Hah…”

Ye-jin sighed, almost moaning, and he became even more excited. He kissed her greedily and squeezed her br*ast.

He could feel his arousal below. This heat of desire probed Ye-jin’s body.

It wasn’t a big deal, though. He was a man who became aroused just by hearing her voice. It was only natural for him to become excited while kissing her.

He slowly slid his lips away. Lightly pressing his lips against the bridge of her nose, he skilfully unbuttoned her blouse.

He didn’t stop there; he unfastened her bra as well. Her voluptuous br*asts tumbled into view.

He buried his face in them. The scent of milk wafted strongly through the air.

After inhaling deeply and fully savoring the sweet aroma, he softly pressed his lips against hers.

Chomp, chomp.

As he put a slight force into his lips and sucked, the rich milk melted onto her tongue.

“Hah…”

Ye-jin leaned her head back and exhaled sharply. There was no refusal. It was something she was used to.

Since the surgery, they hadn’t had s*x at all, but he had greedily drunk the br*ast milk that Hope should have been drinking every day.

Now it was so familiar, Ye-jin simply stroked his head with both hands and willingly offered her br*ast.

He drank it greedily, rolling his tongue as if he couldn’t miss a drop.

However, when his large hand encroached under her skirt, the situation changed. It was a danger sign. He wasn’t planning to be satisfied with just her br*ast.

Ye-jin urgently grabbed his wrist and shook her head.

“Jung-hoo, no…”

But he moved his hand anyway. His long finger precisely jabbed her most sensitive spot. Ye-jin let out a shriek and thr*st her pelvis forward.

“Ugh, seriously! Do you really want to do this, being a patient who had his liver removed?”

“Yeah. I want to.”

“I said, not yet…”

“I want to eat you.”

“Jung-hoo…”

“I want to lick you, s*ck you, and f*ck you.”

He whispered directly, without concealing his desire. His black eyes, holding Ye-jin entirely within them, looked at her with desperation.

He spoke softly.

“It’s empty.”

“…Huh?”

“A part of me is gone, so I feel empty.”

“…”

“So, fill me up.”