More than anyone else in the world.

The words that came out of her mouth became shackles wrapping around her entire body. 

Unable to overcome that strange feeling, Hyena closed her eyes. Solid arms wrapped around her slender body like they’d been waiting.

Gunwoo, who’d raised the corners of his mouth slightly, looked at Joohwan for the first time since arriving here.

“That’s what she says.”

Though intimidated by the fierce gaze, Joohwan didn’t back down.

“That’s because she’s drunk…”

But his words didn’t reach their conclusion. Hyena, who’d completely leaned her body into Gunwoo’s embrace, said something unexpected.

“Oppa. I want to go… home.”

“…”

“I want to go home.”

“Which home?”

Her hazy reason made it hard to grasp the exact meaning. Even so, Hyena struggled to find an answer.

“Oppa’s and my home.”

Hyena, who’d struggled to get the words out, rubbed her cheek against Gunwoo’s shoulder like she was throwing a tantrum. Gunwoo whispered while leisurely watching Joohwan, whose shock at the unexpected bombshell statement was obvious.

“Okay, let’s go now. To our home.”

Hearing the voice pouring into her ear, Hyena smiled. The words “our home” sounded especially pleasant.

She sat in the passenger seat where Gunwoo led her and stared blankly at the seatbelt being fastened.

The car started with a soft engine sound. After forcing her eyes open several times when they kept trying to close, Hyena finally lost consciousness.

***

‘Yoon Hyena.’

A low tone that loosened her nerves poured into her ear.

‘If you keep doing this, I’ll devour you.’

At the warning filled with sticky breath, Hyena squirmed.

‘Mmm.’

When an unidentifiable moan leaked out, a large hand grabbed her br*ast without warning. She shuddered at the scorching body temperature.

Her breathing grew ragged and something tingled down below. Her underwear seemed to be getting wet.

Her n*pple, which had risen sharply from the stimulation, was crushed by firm fingers. The firm fingers alternated left and right, toying with her n*pple.

Hyena licked her increasingly dry lips with her tongue. But even that evaporated quickly.

‘Ngh.’

The moment a sticky moan leaked out, Gunwoo pressed his lips close to her ear.

‘Stop provoking me. I might really eat you.’

Hot breath instantly devoured her entire body.

Rattle. Rattle.

At the vibrating sound that stimulated her nerves, Hyena’s eyes flew open. A door with a dangling whiteboard, a desk with cosmetics scattered messily, and a crooked chair. The scenery that came into view was familiar.

‘Ah, it was a dream.’

When she finally realized that fact, a splitting headache washed over her. She reflexively tried to hold her head, but her body wouldn’t listen. It felt like she was perfectly restrained by something.

Her spirit, which had been hazy from not being fully awake, cleared instantly. Hyena rolled her eyes to find the identity of what was restraining her.

Solid arms wrapped around her waist and long fingers interlaced between her own fingers.

That alone was enough to know the identity of what was restraining her.

‘Do Gunwoo.’

Hyena’s face colored with embarrassment. Did Do Gunwoo have this kind of sleeping habit?

The Gunwoo in her memories always found a corner and slept curled up. Even to her young heart, that sight had been so pitiful. 

Whenever Hyena discovered the sleeping Gunwoo, she would quietly approach from behind and embrace his larger frame with her small arms. 

On days when she fell asleep while holding him like that, her mom and Aunt Eunju would tease them without fail, saying they should become husband and wife when they grew up.

She hoped she might be dreaming, but the body temperature she felt against her back told her otherwise.

‘I need to think calmly at times like this.’

Hyena, who’d squeezed her eyes shut, recalled yesterday.

She remembered drinking more than usual at the company dinner. She also remembered making an absurd bet in response to Manager Lee’s provocation. Then she’d accepted and drunk all the alcohol the employees offered. And there seemed to be something else…

‘A precious person.’

‘I want to go home.’

‘Oppa’s and my home.’

At the sporadically replaying memories of yesterday, Hyena screamed silently. The vibration that had been ringing continuously stopped at that moment.

When the surroundings became quiet, Gunwoo’s body temperature against her back felt even more blatant. And something poking insistently at her waist.

‘No way…’

No matter how inexperienced she was, she wasn’t innocent enough not to know what that was.

‘First, let’s get out of here. I’ll think after that.’

Quickly changing her plan, she carefully moved her hands first. Gunwoo’s hand, which had been hooked like a claw between her fingers, slowly slipped out. At the slow and ticklish sensation, something tingled below her lower abdomen. Just like in the dream moments ago.

Trying to ignore that feeling, Hyena finally freed herself from the hand that had been restraining her. She was about to attack the next target with her freed hand when—

“Are you finally sober?”

Startled by the breath pouring into her ear, Hyena let out a ridiculous sound.

“Eek.”

“Your habit of throwing tantrums when drunk is still the same. You held on so tight, telling me not to go…”

The hand she’d barely freed was captured again by long fingers.

“I, I did that?”

“Yeah. Just seven hours ago.”

‘Just stay by my side until I fall asleep. I’m scared.’

‘What’s wrong with sleeping together when we’re like siblings?’

‘You don’t see me as a woman anyway.’

She wished she couldn’t remember, but the words she’d said in completely slurred pronunciation came back one by one.

No matter how drunk she was, how could she have asked to sleep together? Irreparable self-loathing swept through her entire body.

The taut tension circulating in the bedroom, the suffocating silence.

Unable to overcome it all, Hyena spoke first.

“I must have drunk too much yesterday.”

It was the most cowardly excuse in the world, but also the most effective one.

“So you’re saying when you’re drunk, you throw tantrums asking anyone to sleep with you?”

She choked up at the cold voice.

“Oppa isn’t just anyone.”

Words that hadn’t gone through a filter eventually leaked out.

“Ah, so you asked to sleep together because it was me, not just anyone?”

The word “sleep” sounded a bit different from its usual meaning.

“We’re practically family.”

“We’re not actually family.”

She flinched at the words that hit the mark.

“Aren’t we?”

At the languidly added question, she gulped down dry saliva.

“It’s not the first time we’ve slept together…”

“When we were young, when even the memory is hazy?”

“How is now any different?”

“Do you really think that?”

‘No, I don’t think that at all.’

‘I keep becoming conscious of something poking my back. And your fingers overlapping mine.’

But she couldn’t honestly express these feelings.

“Y-yeah. Of course.”

Hyena answered awkwardly. The moment the answer fell, Gunwoo asked.

“Does your boyfriend know? Your drinking habits.”

The breath brushing against her tender skin was so hot it felt like it would burn her.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

At the languid urging, Hyena struggled to open her mouth.

“Of course he knows.”

“Impressive. He understands even when you tell other men you want to sleep with them. Is he a saint?”

Hyena flinched involuntarily. The words “want to sleep with” that came from Gunwoo’s mouth sounded completely different this time too.

Suddenly, Gunwoo’s arm around her waist pulled her slender body close to him. The flesh touching her lower back squirmed and grew even larger. Her mind grew hazy from the stimulation applied simultaneously above and below.

“Men’s insides are so black.”

At the words added with a time lag, Hyena gulped down dry saliva.

“Yoon Hyena.”

“…”

“Didn’t I tell you repeatedly to drink in moderation?”

Her shoulders shrank at the hot breath pouring into her ear. Somewhere in her belly seemed to grow warm.

As she moistened her increasingly dry lips with her tongue, long fingers brushed her cheek. The spot they touched burned, perhaps because of his body temperature that was hotter than hers. 

The fingers that had been still began to move. Down, down they went, and without hesitation grasped her chin. Her face, which had been facing forward the whole time, turned to the side. 

It happened in an instant. When she came to her senses, she was facing black eyes whose emotions she couldn’t read.

“What punishment should I give you for not listening?”

A voice stimulating her eardrums, eyes that bound her so she couldn’t move, and something poking insistently at her lower back.

“Ngh.”

Hyena moaned just like in her dream. Was that the signal? The things occupying her body disappeared all at once. All that remained after the sharp sensation was ragged breathing.

“I’m letting you off the hook just this once.”

Gunwoo, who’d whispered softly, left the room just like that.

When she finished preparing for work and came out, Gunwoo wasn’t there. Judging by the sound of water from the bathroom, he seemed to be washing up.

Hyena walked to the entrance on tiptoe, making as little sound as possible. Then she spotted the breakfast set on the dining table and stopped. 

The bean sprout soup that was sure to be refreshing tempted her, but she left the house anyway. She wanted to avoid facing Gunwoo with this strange feeling.

Perhaps because she’d arrived earlier than usual, the company lobby that should have been bustling was quiet. Hyena, who’d gotten on the elevator, pressed the floor number and leaned her head against the wall.

‘Why did I make such an absurd plea to oppa?’

“Just die. Go die.”

Thud, thud. The elevator, struck by Hyena’s head, regularly cried out. Between those cries, another person’s voice could be heard.

“You’re here early.”

Startled, Hyena raised her gaze to check who it was. Deputy Manager Park, Joohwan, was standing in front of her. She must have been so absorbed in severe self-loathing that she hadn’t noticed someone else getting on.

Suppressing the additional patheticness, Hyena switched to work mode.

“You’re also here early, Deputy Manager.”

“Today’s the day the new team leader arrives. I thought there’d be a lot to prepare.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Did you finish what Manager Lee asked?”

She desperately suppressed the desire to point out that it wasn’t a request but a dump.

“I finished it, but I want to check once more.”

When the work-related conversation ended, an awkward silence flowed. That was exactly the extent of Joohwan and Hyena’s relationship.

“Yesterday, that man…”

‘That man?’ 

Her fine hairs stood on end at the bad premonition.

“Um. What man?”

“The person who came to pick up Assistant Manager Yoon yesterday.”

Her mind went blank for a moment. In that instant, she tried to recall yesterday’s memories. She remembered bits and pieces of her conversation with Gunwoo, but she couldn’t recall at all whether Deputy Manager Park had been there.

Unaware of Hyena’s situation, Joohwan continued speaking.

“Who is he? He said he was your oppa and just took you away, so I was worried.”

From what he was saying, Deputy Manager Park had definitely been there. Hyena, who’d squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, spoke.

“He is my oppa.”

“Oppa as in biological brother?”

At the persistent question, her words got stuck.

‘How should I answer? My mom’s friend’s son? Or a close oppa?’

One of several options flashing through her mind leaked out.

“A cousin.”

There was no need to lie. But she wanted to avoid becoming the subject of gossip over this.

She and Gunwoo were purely like siblings—at least Do Gunwoo thought so—so she refused any unnecessary misunderstandings.

‘This is just a white lie.’

Justifying herself like that, she fixed her gaze on the changing elevator floor numbers.

“Ah, then…”

The moment Joohwan tried to speak, the elevator doors opened. A long sigh flowed from Hyena’s mouth as she barely escaped the swamp of lies.