The Tyrant Husband - Chapter 1.5

Chapter 1.5

As if punishing her, he spread his palm wide and grabbed her chest hard with one hand. The flesh, completely filling his large hand, was squeezed and crushed as he pleased.  

Her erect n*pples were also crumpled at his whim within his palm. The savagery hidden beneath his gentlemanly appearance played out rhythmically on his hands.  

Unbelievable arousal trickled down between her legs. Her damp underwear—she wanted to believe it was just leftover water from the shower running down.  

“Mmngh…!”  

Eun-sol twisted her body again, not knowing what to do. Even though she clenched her teeth tightly, moans kept escaping her lips uncontrollably.  

“See? Even if you’ve lost your memory, your body remembers everything perfectly.”  

He muttered leisurely.  

Eun-sol shook her head. She couldn’t believe it. Everything felt like a contradiction.  

And then—  

Rrrrr-  

The breath she had been holding burst out with difficulty.  

The man’s phone, tucked in the pocket of his robe, began to ring, and the tension in his hands loosened.  

The reason that had been scattering into the distance slowly returned to its proper orbit.  

“I, I need to go to the bathroom….”  

He didn’t seem pleased that the atmosphere had been disrupted, but the phone’s persistent ringing couldn’t be ignored.  

“Jeong-hyeok…!”  

Only after calling his name one more time did he release her chest, which he had been greedily clutching.  

“Go ahead.”  

She deliberately lifted her bathrobe slowly, worried that any hasty movement might provoke him further.  

As she turned her body, she saw him pulling the ringing phone out of his robe pocket.  

“Yes, Chief Cheon.”  

It seemed the caller was his chief secretary.  

‘Could it be that something happened at the company, and he has to go back?’  

Although 11 p.m. was far from a time for work, it wouldn’t be surprising for the workaholic Kwon Jeong-hyeok.  

Eun-sol moved her trembling legs and turned toward the bathroom. Every step she took felt like stepping on thorns, as his burning gaze pierced her back.  

When she had barely managed to take a few more steps—  

“Ah!”  

The two steps she had managed to take forward were in vain, as his hand swiftly wrapped around her waist.  

Even though she struggled pitifully to free herself—  

“An emergency strike by the Cargo Union?”  

Her resistance was easily subdued by him, who continued his phone call as if nothing was happening.  

“Ah…!”  

The more she squirmed, the more her body seemed to sink into him, like being sucked into quicksand. Soon, a hot breath escaped her lips with a gasp. The man’s bulging er*ction, pressing against her backside, was so overwhelming it left her stunned.  

“Strikes aren’t exactly a new thing. What’s different about this one?”  

Even amidst this, his phone conversation continued in a businesslike and detached tone.  

In stark contrast, however, his actions were blatant as he held her waist tightly and unabashedly ground his arousal against her.  

“Jeong-hyeok, I told you… I need to go to the bathroom….”  

Her voice trembled, almost breaking into a sob. She tried her best to ignore what was pressing against her backside.  

But pretending not to notice only made things more awkward. The sheer intensity of it, even from just the contact, was overpowering.  

“Oh, right. You said you were going to the bathroom. I forgot. It’s just… every time you turn away, I can’t help but want to hold on to you.”  

As he loosened his grip on her waist, he whispered to her. His voice was unexpectedly tender, a stark contrast to his earlier actions.  

It seemed she wasn’t the only one taken aback, as even Chief Cheon hesitated on the other end of the phone.  

Moments later, Chief Cheon’s faltering voice resumed speaking, faintly audible through the phone’s speaker.  

Barely paying attention to what the other person was saying, Kwon Jeong-hyeok abruptly ended the call without any indication or farewell.  

Seizing the opportunity, she tried to move out of his reach.  

“Sol-ah, now that I think about it, I forgot something important.”  

His hand suddenly gripped her shoulder firmly. The heat that dug into her collarbone was heavy and oppressive.  

His lips brushed against her ear, his damp breath invading her senses, curling through her ear canal as it pleased.  

“The obstetrician said that once your period starts normally again, it’s fine for us to have marital relations.”  

“……!”  

Marital relations?!  

Today, she finally understood why he had so suddenly crossed the line. The excuse about sanitary pads she had used earlier to escape the situation at the convenience store had been a mistake.  

Up until now, Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s actions had been so restrained that she had assumed he wasn’t particularly interested in physical intimacy.  

But that was a complete misunderstanding. This man had simply been waiting for the right moment.  

“It’s a relief it didn’t drag on too long. I felt like a madman all this time. All I could think about was when I’d finally get to strip you and have my way with you. A total lunatic.”  

His breath felt as if it were licking the edge of her ear. It was a sensation entirely different from the rough grip of his hand on her shoulder.  

“How long is it? A week? That’s how long women’s periods last, right?”  

His question sent chills down her spine. Her breath caught in her throat and refused to come out.  

At some point, the hand that had been wrapped around her waist loosened, but she still couldn’t move.  

“Oh dear. Looks like our Sol-ah got really startled.”  

A neat, faint smile brushed across his lips.  

“Sorry about what happened earlier. I lost control for a moment.”  

“…….”  

“For the next week, I’ll wait patiently.”  

He adjusted Eun-sol’s robe, which had started to slip down, and firmly retied the half-undone knot.  

The way he tied it up, as if wrapping a gift he planned to open in a week, was reminiscent of an innocent, childlike anticipation.  

* * *  

This place was like the Amazon jungle—a world of survival of the fittest, pure savagery, and untamed nature.  

Eun-sol ran as hard as she could, trying to escape the predator. But she tripped over a stone and fell.  

Just as the beast was about to sink its teeth into her neck, the surroundings transformed into a swamp. Now she was floating in the middle of the swamp, clinging to a piece of driftwood.  

A massive crocodile circled her, ready to devour her in one bite at any moment.  

The scene shifted again. This time, she was in the urban jungle of towering city buildings. The sight of the city gave her a brief sense of relief, but it didn’t last long. A group of people was chasing her.  

Eun-sol ran again. She barely managed to board a train just before the doors closed and finally made it home. Tears welled up in her eyes from the sheer relief.  

‘You’re late, Sol-ah. I’ve been waiting.’

Kwon Jeong-hyeok was there at home.  

Only then did Eun-sol realize. She hadn’t escaped. She had simply been cornered, like prey in a rabbit hunt.  

She stumbled backward and fell onto the bed, landing beneath Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s bare body. Her slender waist was pinned by his large, savage hands. The enormous, menacing missile between his legs was aimed directly at her.  

If that thing pierced her, she felt as though not even her bones would remain intact. She struggled, but it was no use. Just as it was about to impale her skin—  

Eun-sol opened her eyes.  

“Haah!”  

It was a dream. And yet, it also felt like a preview of the reality that awaited her.  

Four days had already passed out of the week he had mentioned.  

Hugging her trembling knees, she fiercely debated with herself once again today.  

‘Which would be even slightly easier—running away or staying here and dealing with that man?’  

Her internal scale wavered indecisively once more.  

Even if she escaped him, she feared the aftermath she would inevitably face later.  

But if she stayed here out of fear of that, she might lose her sanity from constantly doubting and suspecting him.  

At this rate, even the single line on her pregnancy test might turn into two lines at any moment.  

‘What if I went to Seoul?’  

Seoul was where she had originally lived, so perhaps she could find some clue about her memories there.  

Maybe the reason she couldn’t recall anything here was simply because she had no memories or connections to this place.  

‘Right, why didn’t I think of this sooner?!’  

Eun-sol got up from the bed.  

Instead of obsessing over evidence of their marriage, it seemed more sensible to focus on finding her lost memories or someone who could tell her about herself.  

‘Seoul is big and wide. There should be plenty of places to hide, whether it’s a motel or a sauna. But for that, I’ll need escape funds….’  

Eun-sol retrieved her jewelry box.  

Sitting on the bed, she opened the jewelry box. Her eyes caught sight of the carrot juice on the nightstand. It was something Kwon Jeong-hyeok left for her every morning before going to work.  

Since her discharge from the hospital, he had never once forgotten to leave the juice there.  

“Carrots are rich in vitamin K, which helps reduce congestion caused by car accidents. It’s also good for bone health, aiding in recovery.”  

Was it the day of her discharge? She vaguely remembered the doctor recommending carrot juice alongside a balanced diet.  

That must be why he was so fixated on carrot juice—because of what the doctor had said.  

Perhaps the reason Eun-sol stayed by Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s side, despite not being able to trust him, was because of this part of him.  

98% of him seemed like a psychopathic cold-blooded man, but the remaining 2% radiated unmistakable kindness.  

Maybe that was why she doubted him yet also trusted him—believing that they were truly a married couple and that they had once been in love.  

The answers she sought by tasting fermented shrimp or by obtaining their marriage registration form might have stemmed from that belief as well.  

‘Yes. That’s why I need to move forward. It’s time to find the answers now.’  

Her gaze returned to the jewelry box.  

Inside, she saw items like a pearl necklace and a diamond ring. However, these were far too expensive to sell casually. They would likely draw unnecessary attention from jewelry buyers or involve complicated procedures to convert into cash.  

‘This should be just right.’  

A thick gold necklace with a pendant seemed like the perfect choice. She tucked the necklace into her pocket and checked the time.  

From her daily morning walks, she had learned that in about 20 minutes, a male student would pass by this area on his bicycle on his way to school.  

She planned to leave the house under the pretense of taking a morning walk, borrow the boy’s bicycle, and ride it to the express bus terminal station.  

As she was about to leave the room, her gaze kept lingering on the carrot juice he had left for her.  

‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat anything properly all day, so I might as well drink this.’  

The lukewarm carrot juice, neither cold nor warm, left her feeling strangely ambiguous.  

Finally, she grabbed a dark cardigan and put it on. Her hands trembled as she buttoned it up.  

‘Will I be able to make it to Seoul safely without getting caught?’  

Kwon Jeong-hyeok was sharp. Reflecting on past events, even her movements could end up being reported to him. Therefore, unlike last time, she needed to act with extreme caution.