CHAPTER 34 – Lingering Memories (Part 1)

Seoyeon turned her head. It was the store, and Dojun’s tongue slid into her parted lips as she tried to speak, pressing deeply, curling all the way down to the roots and sucking painfully. Seoyeon wanted to move, feeling how tightly Dojun was gripping her face, but she couldn’t.

When Dojun turned his head to come closer again for a moment, his eyes met Seoyeon’s. She had been trying to meet his gaze to stop him, but instead, Seoyeon found herself speechless.

It was eyes she had never seen before. Eyes that had lost their restraint.  Eyes that had lost their ease. Eyes that boiled with desire. She felt like her heart had been pierced by those eyes.

When she was about to say something, Dojun bit her lips again. As he sucked in deeply, Seoyeon’s lower abdomen bubbled. Heat spread throughout her body in response to Dojun’s eyes which had lost all reason. She closed her eyes and grabbed onto his collar.

She knew he wouldn’t stop. She didn’t want it to stop either. She wanted to willingly accept the man who was declaring his desire with his entire being.

Hot breath escaped her lips as she returned his deep kiss. The passionate kiss that had been almost violent, as if it would extract her soul, gradually softened.

Feeling something simmering down within Dojun, Seoyeon slowly pulled away her lips. Still feeling the lingering heat, she pushed Dojun’s chest down again and said in a trembling voice, 

“Stop.”

He still lowered his head, but she reached out and cupped his cheek, and at her touch, he stopped moving as if frozen in time.

“Stop.”

This is the store, and there are employees outside.

Seoyeon said with her expression. Dojun, with lingering desire still evident in his intense gaze, looked at her. The unrestrained desire was palpable in his eyes and in his breath.

“Stop it. Okay?”

She looked into his eyes and said. Then, she reached out toward the lipstick marks on Dojun’s lips. With her thumb, she gently wiped away the coral-colored lipstick.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. The flushed cheek, the deepened hue of the earlobe, the swollen lips. The gentle hand that was softly wiping his lips.

Dojun took Seoyeon’s hand as it moved towards her lap. Her fingertips were stained coral. He took out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped Seoyeon’s hand, saying, 

“Come to my place.”

Seoyeon looked up. As Dojun wiped the smeared lipstick from her lips with his thumb, she said,

“You have a business trip tomorrow…”

“That’s why I’m telling you to come today.”

Interrupting her, Dojun held Seoyeon’s face in his hands. He lowered his head again, holding her flustered face, and said, 

“Answer.”

When she didn’t answer, he lowered his head further. When their lips were close enough to touch, Seoyeon said urgently.

“I’ll go.”

Dojun smiled lightly and briefly kissed her lips. 

“You’re going, then.”

Seoyeon’s eyes widened as he kissed her briefly and Dojun couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Seoyeon tried not to think about how they’d gotten out of the VIP room. Dojun picked up a tie and slipped it into her hand, then walked out of the store with a nonchalant look on his face. 

She’d fixed her hair and removed her smudged lipstick beforehand, but she couldn’t help but feel hot as she left the VIP room.

Fortunately, none of the staff had looked back, busy attending to customers or fetching items from the warehouse. Seoyeon tried to appear normal as she returned to the office, reapplied lipstick, and calmed her face, but she felt Dojun’s presence on her lips all day.

When she arrived at Dojun’s house, no one was there. Turning on the lights in the dark house, Seoyeon waited for Dojun. It was past 8 o’clock when she heard her stomach rumbling, the front door opened and Dojun walked in.

“You’re home.”

Seoyeon said as he stood at the entrance for a while, looking at her with a smile. He asked when she had arrived and if she was hungry. At her remark that she had just started feeling hungry, Dojun suggested ordering pizza.

While ordering a pizza on his phone, Dojun lifted Seoyeon up and sat her down on the island. While the speakerphone beeped, he unbuttoned her blouse. 

As the cheerful pizza shop employee answered, 

“Hello, Pizza Bell.” 

Dojun kissed the tip of Seoyeon’s chest.

Looking at Seoyeon, who had her mouth blocked, he faintly smiled and covered her chest with his hand instead of kissing her. He lifted her skirt and pulled down her underwear. Kissing her fair skin intermittently, Dojun ordered a pepperoni pizza and asked Seoyeon if she wanted cola.

– Please wait for about 30 minutes.

The cheerful-voiced employee said so and hung up the phone. Hearing the disconnected tone, Seoyeon accepted Dojun’s thrusts. Upon insertion, he let out a low moan. Her whole body turned red as she realized that she had been thinking about this all day.

Around 30 minutes later, the doorbell rang, and the pizza had arrived. She was lying on her stomach beneath him. She covered her eyes in unspeakable embarrassment and just lay there, breathing. She didn’t see Dojun slip out of the room, put on his robe, and grab the pizza.

After hastily setting down the pizza box, Dojun opened Seoyeon’s body again. When she was breathing heavily after the last climax, her stomach growled. At that moment, Dojun laughed, and Seoyeon, too, covered her face and laughed.

“It’s because I’m hungry.”

Seoyeon said, still covering her face. After washing up and coming out, she wore Dojun’s t-shirt and ate pizza. He quietly watched her, who was wearing his t-shirt, which hung down to cover her hips like a short dress.

Eating the pizza, Seoyeon shook her head. Dojun laughed at her frustrated expression, like she should be allowed to eat like a human being.

“After I come back from my business trip, let’s go eat kongbap (soybean sprout rice).”

Dojun said casually while holding the pizza. 

“There’s not much time left, so I’ll buy you something you like.”

Well, that’s nice of you. 

Seoyeon thought as she swallowed the pizza. Even if tomorrow was the day they would part, he would casually have s*x with her, buy her kongbap, and see her off home. She didn’t know if that was kind or cruel.

“Sure. Let’s go eat.”

Seoyeon replied calmly, as if she didn’t mind. She didn’t forget to smile a little. At least in front of Dojun, she wanted to appear unaffected.

***

It was after midnight when Dojun entered his hotel room, took a shower, and grabbed a can of beer. Beyond the balcony, he could see the night view of Singapore. He opened the door and went out to drink his beer while looking at his phone.

Since Seoul is an hour ahead of Singapore, it was well past 1 a.m. there. After glancing at his phone for a few seconds, Dojun found Seoyeon’s number and pressed the call button. After a few rings, Seoyeon answered with a groggy voice.

• Yes……. CEO.

“Were you sleeping?”

• Yes…

Seoyeon said in a sleepy voice. Dojun took a sip of his beer and continued, though her lack of further words after that short answer meant she was asking him to end the call.

“Let me get you something, I’m going back tomorrow.”

• Uh……. So you’re asking me that now…….

Dojun chuckled and replied nonchalantly.

“My work is done now.”

• You don’t have to… It’s okay. So… You don’t need to buy anything.

He can practically see Seoyeon mumbling in her sleep, one arm crossed over her forehead.

“Should I buy a necklace?”

• No… I already got it. Last time.

“I noticed you weren’t wearing it, so I thought you might not like it.”

There was no response from Seoyeon. There probably wasn’t anything to say. She likely left it somewhere in a corner.

• Um……. Well.

She stumbled over her words as she tried to make excuses. Dojun took a sip of beer, feeling the cool breeze.

• I should wear it. I will, but I haven’t taken it out yet.

As the conversation turned to the necklace, Seoyeon’s voice gradually became clearer as if she was waking up from sleep. Dojun shook the empty beer can and said, 

“Well, you can put it on when I get back tomorrow.”

• Tomorrow?

“Didn’t we make plans to eat kongbap?”

• Oh… Wasn’t that on Friday?

“Do we need to care about the day when it’s coming to an end?”

There was silence from the other end of the line.

Coming to an end. With not much time left. Soon, they wouldn’t see each other.

It was like magic. The words that made Yoon Seoyeon obediently say ‘Yes. Sure. See you then.’ With those magic words, Seoyeon politely agreed.

She accepted it so easily, just to part ways in the end.

Dojun knew that Seoyeon was, in a sense, graciously granting his last wishes, like parents who take their child to an amusement park or a restaurant before abandoning them. Seoyeon was showing him kindness for the last time.

It would probably be the same this time too.

Dojun waited for Seoyeon’s response.

• Then, I’ll send you the restaurant’s address via message. Let me know what time you’ll finish.

Seoyeon, fully awake now, said. 

Is she really thinking of parting ways? How could she think like that? 

Wanting to ask, but instead of voicing it out, Dojun crushed the empty beer can in his hand and spoke.

“Okay.”

Seoyeon didn’t hang up first, waiting for him to do so. Not wanting to comply, Dojun didn’t hang up either.

• Is there anything else you want to say?

Dojun looked off into the night sky before answering.

“No, just… Didn’t want to hang up.”

He wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or sincere. Dojun chuckled, and there was silence on the other end of the line.

“If you say you miss me, I’ll hang up.”

It’s a forced confession, but he tried it jokingly, hoping she would say it. Seoyeon, who was far away, probably didn’t want it, but…

“…I miss you.”

This time, it was Dojun who was speechless. It felt like a hot blade had cut his chest. The crumpled beer can clattered in his grasp once more. Taking a deep breath, Dojun straightened his posture.

“Okay, good night. See you tomorrow.”

• Yes

Seoyeon replied. Dojun chuckled disappointedly as he hung up.