Chapter 27

“After doing all this, you think we can break up?”

Wooseok tossed the showerhead aside and sensually kissed her neck. Eunjae curled her toes and had to cover her mouth for a moment. Wooseok, unfazed, slipped his hand under her t-shirt and shifted her bra, pressing his face down urgently.

“Ah! Don’t… Ah. Mmm.”

Wooseok’s hot tongue teased her chest. Eunjae should have resisted, but the rising sensation made it impossible to push him away. He lifted her into his arms and sat her against the side of the bathtub, and a strange sense of anticipation grew.

“Haa… Seok, ah… Mmm, ah.”

Wooseok quickly stripped off her pants and underwear, then slid his head between her thighs. Was this really happening before work? Even as she thought it, Eunjae gripped his hair. The sensation of his tongue gently stroking her sensitive skin made her mind melt. She knew what those dizzying moments meant. She tried to hold back, pressing her toes down, but it was no use. Something exploded inside her, and she shuddered with a loud m*an.

“No, ah… Ugh!”

After bringing Eunjae to her cl*max, Wooseok finally lifted his head. His lips glistened as if wet with her saliva. Eunjae squeezed her eyes shut, unable to handle his gaze. Only then did she realize there was still plenty of time before work.

Wooseok stopped at a signal and looked at the hand that wasn’t holding the wheel. Like a single connected limb, his hand was intertwined with Eunjae’s; their fingers laced. He tickled the back of her hand with his thumb, but she didn’t stir. He lifted his head and looked at her.

Maybe because of what happened in the bathroom, she’d fallen asleep as soon as she got in the car. Wooseok couldn’t bring himself to wake her, saying he was bored. Even he thought he’d gone too far. He’d not only tormented her in the bathtub after she’d come to wash his hair and had even prepared breakfast and washed her hair, but he’d carried her to bed and done it again. 

He acted as if last night never happened and moved like an animal to press into her again. His injured shoulder ached, but even that was worth forgetting for the ecstasy of s*x with her.

He hadn’t known, in thirty-three years, that he was so obsessed with physical desire. His body had never responded to any woman but Eunjae. After holding back for twenty years, it was no wonder people thought he was impotent. He’d really thought he was an adult who could control his desires.

But all the times he’d restrained himself were now meaningless. He wanted more. Even when holding her, he couldn’t get enough. How could he explain this feeling?

Wooseok watched the sleeping Eunjae endlessly, until a horn honked behind them and he finally drove off. The sudden sound made Eunjae flinch and lift her head from the window. She looked as if she hadn’t realized she’d fallen asleep.

“You’re awake?”

“…What? Did I sleep?”

Eunjae tried to stretch, but one hand wouldn’t move. She looked down at her hand, still held by Wooseok, and burst out laughing.

“Can you let go now?”

“I don’t want to.”

Even after changing from friends to lovers, their childish teasing remained the same.

“Why are you holding on so desperately?”

Eunjae sometimes wondered, even as she understood his feelings. What made him so anxious? The Wooseok she knew wasn’t usually like this. She’d always imagined that if he dated, he’d be the type women would chase after.

But experiencing Jung Wooseok’s love firsthand was something else—complete obsession and devotion, with a heavy dose of desire. No matter how much she tried to shake him off, he showed no intention of letting go, so she just glanced at him as he drove. She thought he didn’t care about her gaze, but then he brought up something unexpected.

“That time… it’s because of those three years without you.”

He wasn’t the type to say things like this, so Eunjae was momentarily surprised. She knew well what those three years meant—the period when she suddenly left to study abroad without a word. Thinking about that time, Eunjae also had things left unsaid. She wanted to get it off her chest, but since it was all in the past, it wasn’t easy.

“Were you… really upset?”

Eunjae asked, trying to comfort his heart.

“It wasn’t so much that I was upset… It was just hard.”

Wooseok gave a bitter smile, as if recalling that time.

“I’m sorry.”

When the car stopped at another light, he turned his head toward Eunjae.

“I didn’t say it to hear that.”

His hand reached out without hesitation and gently stroked her cheek. Playing with Eunjae’s soft cheeks had always been one of Wooseok’s old habits. But at some point, Eunjae started to cut him off, refusing to allow it. That time coincided with her study abroad period.

“Actually… I went abroad to try and forget you.”

“What?”

Wooseok suddenly pulled over to the side of the road, unable to just let it pass even with work approaching. When he’d asked why she left, Eunjae had only said she wanted to get out of Korea.

Back then, Eunjae had graduated college earlier than Wooseok and was working at a small interior design company. The stress was intense, so he’d assumed that was the reason. He hadn’t tried to stop her.

She even got rid of her phone, so they could only communicate by email, but even that was rare. Eunjae read Wooseok’s emails, but replied only a handful of times. With just a short “I’m doing well,” Wooseok had to endure those hellish days. If he could turn back time, he’d have tied her down so she couldn’t leave.

“Then from back then… No, why didn’t you say anything…”

Wooseok ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

“How could I? Telling you I saw you as a man…”

Eunjae admitted simply. She was confused, unable to accept herself. After all those years as friends, she thought she had to erase those feelings. She thought she could.

If she left Wooseok and went somewhere he couldn’t see her, everything would settle down.

“Ha… Yeah. It’s all my fault. My fault.”

Wooseok pulled Eunjae from the passenger seat into a hug.

“How is it your fault?”

Eunjae asked back.

“If I’d confessed sooner, none of that would’ve happened.”

He regretted the past clearly.

“Even if you’d confessed, I wouldn’t have accepted it then.”

Eunjae, pulling away, explained that it was only after going through that time that this was possible now.

“Still, you would’ve known how I felt. You wouldn’t have blamed yourself and struggled all that time… No, you’re right. What’s the use of saying all this now? The best I can do is hug you one more time.”

“No. I already have more than enough now.”

When Wooseok reached out to hug her again, Eunjae blocked him with her arms. But he tickled her, quickly overpowering her and pulling her in—just then, Wooseok’s phone rang. Both startled, they checked the screen. As expected, it was Kiwon. Wooseok simply pressed the ignore button.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“He keeps calling for no reason, like he’s worried about something.”

At Wooseok’s words, Eunjae briefly thought of someone. She thought she knew what was troubling him, but it wasn’t her place to interfere, so she stayed quiet. She hoped Jiyeon would do the same. If problems could be solved by others interfering, no one would ever get divorced. Eunjae agreed with that.

“It’s still before work, so he can call later.”

Wooseok spoke simply and started the car again. He meant he didn’t want anyone interrupting this moment. Naturally, his hand reached out and held Eunjae’s. Why did he want to touch her so much? Why was he so afraid to let go? Eunjae understood a little and went along with it.

“Drop me off in front of the convenience store.”

As they neared the company, Eunjae suddenly pointed outside.

“Why?”

“It’s a bit awkward to go in together.”

Wooseok’s brow furrowed at her words.

“We’ve gone to work together plenty of times.”

“Exactly. That’s why we should be careful now.”

Eunjae spoke calmly, smiling to show she wasn’t upset.

“Why do we need to be careful?”

Wooseok pressed on.

“People already know we’re friends, so there are lots of eyes watching us at work. You’re the Vice President at Seum, and I’m just an Assistant Manager there. Mixing personal relationships with work is something you shouldn’t do at a company. You hate it when staff use personal excuses for work, don’t you?”

Wooseok had nothing to say to Eunjae’s accurate point. She was right.

“If people know we’re dating, it’ll be even worse. I bet we won’t be able to eat lunch in the cafeteria for months. I don’t want to go to work feeling uncomfortable. You can understand, right?”

“I do. But I’m not sure I can control my eyes.”

Wooseok replied as he briefly stopped the car in front of the convenience store. Eunjae glared at him for a moment. Then, once again, Wooseok pulled her in with his hand. It happened in an instant—Wooseok’s lips met Eunjae’s in a loud, quick kiss.