As soon as they arrived home, Yeon-woo rushed to the bathroom and had a shower.

Before washing, she discreetly sniffed various parts of her body, but could not detect anything unusual.

What scent had Taecho noticed?

Was there sweat on her neck?

Since she could hardly smell her own neck, she scrubbed every inch of her body thoroughly.

His remark about her scent had left her feeling self-conscious.

Then she recalled the look on his face when he suggested they shower together, and her cheeks flushed bright red.

This was becoming a serious problem.

Whenever Taecho approached her, her heart began to race and she felt an unfamiliar heat gather deep within her body.

She did not want him to come too close in case he realized just how strongly she reacted to him.

Yet, unaware of her inner struggle, Taecho continued to draw nearer.

After her shower, Yeon-woo carefully applied lotion and dried her hair thoroughly.

Her newly purchased nightgown was so soft and lightweight that it felt like silk against her skin. Without realizing it, she ran her palm over the delicate fabric.

When she left the bathroom, she saw that Taecho had showered, too.

He was drying his wet hair with a towel.

Yeon-woo froze.

Being so close to him once again made her heart race and sent a restless heat spreading through her body.

Taecho’s languid gaze settled on her flushed cheeks.

She immediately turned away to avoid his gaze, hurrying towards the door.

“Where are you going?”

Her steps stopped at his unusually soft question.

“……I have something to make.”

She did not tell him that remaining alone with him made her heart feel ready to burst.

“Another handkerchief?”

“Oh…… Yes.”

Yeon-woo tried to answer calmly, but she could not tell whether he was convinced by her composure.

Suddenly, the back of her neck, where he had buried his nose earlier, began to tingle.

She lifted a hand to rub the spot.

Tae-cho’s gaze sharpened immediately, following her movement.

Yeon-woo’s mouth went dry.

She swallowed nervously and turned away.

She could feel his gaze clinging to her back but lacked the courage to glance behind her to confirm this.

Only after opening the door and stepping outside did she finally release the breath she had been holding.

Simply being watched by Tae-cho made it difficult for her to breathe.

When he behaved so intimately that she could hardly bear to remember it, avoiding him became a necessity to protect her heart.

Reassuring herself with this excuse, Yeon-woo sat down on the sofa.

She embroidered for quite some time.

After keeping her head bowed for so long, her neck grew stiff and her eyes began to feel dry.

She put down her work, rubbed her tired eyes, and slowly rolled her head to ease the tension in her neck.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

The low voice behind her made Yeon-woo’s shoulders flinch.

She rose from the sofa and turned toward Taecho.

She had assumed he was already asleep, but apparently, he was still awake.

“I have a little more to finish.”

Fidgeting with the handkerchief, Yeon-woo lowered her eyes.

He would probably force her to come with him.

Taecho was the sort of man who would casually disregard her opinion and drag her back to the bedroom against her will.

“All right. I’ll go to sleep first.”

Yeon-woo’s eyes widened.

She had naturally expected him to tell her to finish the embroidery later and come inside with him.

Confused by how easily he retreated, she stared at his back as he entered the bedroom.

‘What had gotten into him?’

Recently, not a day had gone by without Taecho touching her or pulling her into his arms.

He acted as if he could not sleep unless she was beside him, holding her tightly all night long.

Why did something so insignificant leave her feeling so disappointed?

Yeon-woo sank back onto the sofa and sighed quietly.

Had she become someone who could no longer sleep without him?

She had never realized before that she liked the warmth of another person’s body pressed against hers.

In fact, she liked it.

She loved opening her eyes to find herself nestled securely in Taecho’s arms.

Without even realizing it, she had developed the habit of seeking him out.

But why did he suddenly seem to be in such a good mood?

He had seemed displeased while they were still in the car.

Although she could not explain it, there was something strangely cheerful about him now.

Tilting her head in confusion, Yeon-woo resumed her embroidery.

A smile curved across her lips as she stitched Jiwoo’s favorite yellow freesias onto the pristine white handkerchief.

She hoped Jiwoo would like it.

When they were young, Jiwoo would constantly pester Yeon-woo to make things for her.

Embroidering something for Jiwoo again after so many years brought back memories of their childhood.

Jiwoo had once been shorter than Yeon-woo. However, by the time they were in secondary school, she had already surpassed her in height.

By the time they reached high school, Jiwoo had grown so tall that Yeon-woo had to tilt her head back to look at her.

“I’ll finally get to see you again.”

Jiwoo still hadn’t replied to her message.

Yeon-woo gritted her teeth, silently warning her friend to wait for her.

However, her eyelids gradually grew heavy.

Was it because she had exercised today?

Her head kept dropping forward of its own accord.

The handkerchief slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.

She needed to pick it up, but she was too sleepy to move.

Her body slowly tilted to one side.

And just like that, sleep overtook her.

***

Yeon-woo furrowed her brow.

“……”

She felt unbearably confined.

Someone was embracing her tightly from behind.

The touch felt far too warm and vivid for this to be a dream.

Blink.

Blink.

Yeon-woo opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings cautiously.

She immediately recognized the familiar furniture.

The furnishings alone told her where she was.

She was in the bedroom.

But she was sure that she had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Why was she lying in bed?

“Gasp!”

Yeon-woo stopped breathing at the familiar touch.

She didn’t need to turn around to know who was behind her.

Even through their clothing, they could feel each other’s firm bodies.

The familiar scent and strong yet gentle arm around her could belong to no one but Ma Taecho.

Wanting to hide the fact that she had woken up, Yeon-woo carefully controlled her breathing.

His hand slipped beneath her nightclothes and caressed her with a familiar intimacy.

For a moment, she considered admitting that she was awake.

However, it seemed even more embarrassing to speak now, so she decided to endure it silently.

“Mm……”

A sound almost escaped her lips.

Yeon-woo squeezed her eyes shut and bit her tongue, trying desperately not to tense her shoulders or breathe too loudly.

His persistent touch overwhelmed her, yet she stubbornly swallowed every sound that threatened to escape.

Then it happened.

Yeon-woo flinched.

Something warm brushed against the back of her neck, causing her shoulders to hunch up involuntarily.

It was Taecho’s lips.

What was she supposed to do?

Her heart swelled until it felt ready to burst. It pounded so violently that a dull ache spread through her chest.

Surely Taecho could hear it?

Consumed by anxiety, Yeon-woo nervously caught her lower lip between her teeth.

“If you’re awake, you should greet me. Why are you pretending to be asleep?”

With his lips still pressed against her neck, Taecho whispered softly.

Yeon-woo’s surprise lasted only a moment.

“…Ah… nngh!”

Yeon-woo’s eyes flew wide open at the hand sliding between her legs. Forgetting that she had been pretending to be asleep, she reached down and grabbed the wrist burrowing between her thighs.

“Why?”

What did he mean, why?

Did he really not know why she was holding his wrist as she shook her head?

Though she had grabbed his wrist, he caressed her anyway as if it didn’t matter. Trying to avoid him, she thr*st her hips forward and pressed her legs together.

“Stay still.”

Yet, as much as she tried to pull away, he closed the distance and stuck close to her.

Tears welled up as she realized what the hot, hard object prodding against her buttocks was.

“Taecho, wait…….”

With the object relentlessly pressing against her rear, her voice wouldn’t come out properly. That alone was enough to make her head spin, but then one of his fingers moved.

“Hnngh!“

Yeon-woo’s body froze stiff. As he sucked fiercely on the nape of her neck, a startled Yeon-woo squirmed to break free from his embrace.

“W-What are you doing?”

She meant to demand why he was biting her skin, but her voice came out raspy and cracked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

He was insufferably confident, biting her skin once more as if punishing her for asking such a question.

She didn’t know when he had lowered her pants and underwear to draw it out, but the touch of bare skin against her buttocks made tears prick her eyes. Even without looking, the shape was vividly clear before her eyes—she already knew what it looked like.

The image of him like a beast, drooling as if he were about to devour her alive, resurfaced and made her dizzy. She wished she would just faint instead.

“Going to faint again?”

Having observed her face, he asked while chewing on her earlobe. Yeon-woo’s heart reacted to his languid smile. Was it just her heart? Her belly and the space between her legs reacted the same way.

“Ah!”

Her toes curled, and her buttocks tensed. To lose her senses from just this—what would happen if they actually did it?

She probably wouldn’t be able to walk for days. Terrified, she unconsciously twisted her pelvis.

Yet Yeon-woo’s eyes only grew wider.

Tears hung in her eyes as she shook her head frantically.

“Ha…….”

A long sigh escaped his lips. Sniffling, she felt his presence.

“If you’re struggling with just this… when am I ever going to put it in?”

Her buttocks were dragged backward as he pulled her waist firmly toward himself. The object that had been prodding her rear was now rubbing against her thigh.

Yeon-woo blinked, gasping for breath.

From head to toe, every hair on her body stood on end. To Yeon-woo, such sensations were nothing short of terrifying.

Yeon-woo took the sheet between her teeth and clawed at it.

It felt as if all the blood in her body was concentrating into that tiny nub. Terror spiked within her, feeling as though it might burst at any moment. Yeon-woo crossed her legs like someone desperately needing to relieve herself.

She wanted him to stop—just for a moment, just a tiny bit—but he showed no intention of stopping.

At this rate…. At this rate…….

Yeon-woo’s face contorted messily.

She trembled as her waist arched like a bow. The world before her eyes flickered white. Soon, her eyelids fell limply.

“Haa. Haa.”

Her body, which had been lying on its side, was turned flat on its back. The lightning-like stimulation vanished in an instant.

Yeon-woo’s wet eyelashes slowly fluttered open. Her eyes met his as he stared down at her intently.

“Haa…… ah. Don’t faint on me.”

‘You were about to faint again, weren’t you?’

Though his terribly deep voice pierced her ears, no sound would leave her throat.

“Every time I try to do something, you faint. What am I supposed to be able to do?”

She silently glared at him as he roughly ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Thinking about it, she felt angry. This kind of thing might be familiar to him, but it wasn’t to her.

“…How am I supposed to help it when it just happens automatically? You just… just…….”

“I what? Just? Just what?”

“If you keep pushing me like that, it’s going to be too much for me. It’s my first time, so everything is overwhelming. We haven’t even kissed yet! We haven’t held hands either, yet you touched my br*ast. And touching it like that…”

What on earth was she saying?

Words kept spilling from her lips, yet even Yeon-woo had no idea what she was trying to say. She simply blurted out whatever came to mind.

“It’s because you keep doing those things to me, Taecho! That’s why I react like this!”

Saying it aloud made her feel strangely relieved. However, when she saw the anger darkening his face, she realized she might have said the wrong thing.

Yeon-woo pressed her lips tightly together.

He had been staring silently down at her without saying a word when he suddenly lowered his head.

“Taecho—mmph!”

Yeon-woo’s entire world came to a standstill.

She could no longer hear anything.

She could no longer see anything.

All she could do was close her eyes and feel him capture her lips with his.