Chapter 4.1 – The Bed and the Phone

It was understandable.

For over a month, he had been playing the role of a husband, coming and going quietly to work while keeping Kim Eun-sol neatly lying next to him, pretending to match the rhythm of her pointless act of sleeping.

That was why he had agreed to Tae Mari’s late-night work meeting today. He needed time—time to calm his fiercely twitching lower body, which was especially uncooperative today.

Though, of course, it was all in vain.

He wrapped his large hand around himself, as if to soothe his unruly desire. It was a desire filled with frustration.

‘Tsk, you need to learn to wait.’

Even now, he wanted to rush out of the bathroom and climb on top of Kim Eun-sol. He wanted to force open her tightly closed lips and steal every drop of saliva inside.

If he shoved himself into her narrow opening and moved his hips roughly, her gasping moans would rise in sync with his rhythm.

He wanted to burn away her suspicious, defiant thoughts until she begged him for more. Until then…!

His breath, now ragged, spread across the tiles. His palm began to feel damp.

The speed of his hand increased. His forehead grew hot, and his temples throbbed.

He added another layer to his imagination.

Kim Eun-sol, pretending to sleep, would wake up and witness this scene, utterly flustered. Their eyes would meet…!

Her light brown irises would tremble. Those beautiful eyes, always keeping him on edge, as if they were hiding one secret after another.

It felt as though every blood vessel in his body would burst simultaneously. His hips moved as though dancing on a taut spring.

“Haah…!”

Finally, his release exploded messily in all directions. The air in the bathroom grew damp and sticky.

He stretched out one hand to brace himself against the wall and tilted his head back. His once-tight breaths gradually returned to their regular pattern.

But between his legs, nothing had changed. His body swelled again, craving the real thing.

Not this false imagination, but the real Kim Eun-sol, lying outside pretending to sleep.

He turned the faucet to cold water. He let the stream cascade down his body.

The water was so cold it stung, but even that seemed to adjust to his body heat. His body was naturally too warm.

* * *

“Phew…”

Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s gaze, which had been persistently examining her sleeping form, finally shifted away. The sound of the bathroom door closing followed.

Eun-sol let out a long sigh and regained her steady breathing rhythm.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have pretended to sleep.’

After all, Kwon Jeong-hyeok knew she wasn’t really asleep. But even if he had caught on, she couldn’t think of any other way to handle the situation.

“…Sol-ah.”

When he had called her name—“Sol-ah”—she had wrestled with herself.

‘Should I just answer him?’

She worried that continuing this obvious act might provoke him unnecessarily.

But he quietly disappeared into the bathroom.

‘What’s going on?’

She was somewhat bewildered. Still, if he didn’t cause any trouble, that was a good thing.

Eun-sol closed her eyes again. She was undoubtedly tired today.

Last night, she had been plagued by nightmares, and today, she had spent an exhausting, action-packed day from early morning, leaving her completely drained.

Yet, sleep wouldn’t come.

Though Kwon Jeong-hyeok was soon expected to lie down in the bed next to her, what kept flashing before her closed eyes was the medal necklace Tae Mari had been wearing around her neck.

‘Is this something I should really be bothered by?’ 

She wasn’t sure.

Even if an angry Kwon Jeong-hyeok had given that necklace to Tae Mari, there wasn’t much she could complain about. After all, she had originally intended to sell it off herself.

‘Should I just ask him directly?’

Her curiosity wasn’t limited to just the necklace. There were countless things she wanted to ask.

But would he answer honestly? And even if he did, would he tell the truth? Would it only cause unnecessary confusion? 

Her anxiety grew.

‘I might just end up making things worse.’

Still, her impulsive curiosity had already been triggered.

Eun-sol quietly focused her ears toward the bathroom. She couldn’t hear the sound of running water.

It wasn’t unusual for no water to be heard for a while after he entered the bathroom. That was part of his shower routine.

‘What does he do during that time?’

She wondered every day, but of course, she never dared to open the bathroom door to find out.

Soon, the sound of water began. Not long after, it stopped. Compared to the long periods of silence before and after, his actual shower time was remarkably short.

Then came the sound of the bathroom door opening. Eun-sol squeezed her eyes shut.

His footsteps grew closer, and the mattress sagged heavily as he sat down on the bed. Her heart thudded in tandem.

Soon, there was a soft rustling as the sheets were pulled up. He had indeed laid down right next to her in bed.

‘Is he going to try initiating physical contact?’

The bed was large, but even though she lay as far toward the edge as possible to avoid touching him, it constantly felt like he might move closer and overwhelm her.

‘Considering how composed he was at the jewelry store today, I feel like I can relax.’

But when she recalled his declaration from a few days ago about consummating their marriage, uneasiness crept back in.

Clack—the bedside lamp turned off.

The faint light that had rested on her eyelids disappeared, and a stillness so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing settled over the room.

The subtle scent of soap and a cool aura emanated from him, traveling through the bed sheets. It wasn’t quite cold, but it carried a certain chill.

‘Did he wash with cold water? In this weather?’

It was still only April.

However, the coolness quickly faded, and the warmth beneath the blanket grew. It was the kind of temperature change that only someone sharing the same blanket could feel.

It felt as if something could happen at any moment. She gripped the edge of the sheet tightly.

Of course, Kwon Jeong-hyeok wasn’t as terrifying as he used to be….

Still, she didn’t think of him as her man yet, and she was no more capable of handling him than before.

The bed shifted slightly. He had turned toward her.

She swallowed nervously.

* * *

The night passed without incident.

Contrary to her worries, nothing happened. Occasionally, she flinched like a rabbit next to a lion whenever Kwon Jeong-hyeok stirred in his sleep.

Carefully, she opened her eyes and checked the space beside her. As expected, his side of the bed was empty.

Only after reaching out to confirm the emptiness with her hand did Eun-sol feel reassured enough to sit up.

“Ah…”

A groan escaped her lips, the kind elderly women might make. Her muscles ached all over. It was only natural, considering she had spent the entire night clinging to the edge of the mattress, curled up tightly.

‘How can the quality of my sleep drop so drastically just because two beds became one?’

She felt like splitting the large bed in half. For a moment, she missed the seaside mansion, where there had been two separate beds.

As she slowly rose, her stiff body protesting—

“You’re awake.”

“…Gasp!”

She almost screamed. Turning her head toward the voice, she saw him.

On the sofa, impeccably dressed in a suit, he sat with his legs crossed, focused on his laptop.

It was the first time she had seen him this late in the morning. He usually left for work at dawn, even on weekends. Whenever she woke up, all that remained was the carrot juice he always left on the nightstand.

“I’ve been waiting. Go wash up quickly. You need to eat breakfast.”

“…Breakfast…? The two of us…?”

Contrary to her startled heart, he acted naturally, as if they were a loving couple who shared breakfast together every morning.

“Yes.”

His response was dry, almost curt. It even sounded a little annoyed. His eyes remained fixed on the tablet PC screen.