Side Story 1.11 

She no longer had the luxury to observe the man and woman on the screen. His fingers meticulously explored her insides, tracing every fold and crevice, leaving her gasping.

When he pressed firmly against her cl*toris, circling and pinching it gently, the presence of the TV screen completely vanished from her mind.

Soon, his damp tongue slowly traced the curve of her ear. As though he wanted her to feel every bump on his tongue, he moved languidly, nibbling and sucking on her earlobe before sliding down to her neck.

Whenever she instinctively lifted her hips, he would roughly grab her pale chest with his free hand, as though punishing her. Yet, when she obediently gasped for air, he would reward her by pinching her hardened n*pples with his index finger and gently caressing her *reola with his middle finger.

Meanwhile, the hand tormenting her below remained absurdly precise and relentless. Before long, Eun-sol wrapped her legs around his thighs, half-bouncing her body as she cried out, eventually convulsing and soaking his suit pants.

Even as the contractions between her legs subsided, the man held her tightly, kissing her neck, prolonging the pleasure that lingered within her.

“…Have you really been with no other women for four years?”

She asked in a voice tangled with ecstasy.

She knew it was a ridiculous question. 

But logically, wouldn’t someone regress after four years of celibacy? 

No, how could he have become even more skilled and attentive?

“Are you asking to be scolded?”

He chuckled, seemingly incredulous.

“If you’re going to scold me, do it quickly.”

With tear-streaked eyes trembling from exertion, Eun-sol clung to his neck.

“Now. Right now.”

The pleasure he gave her had rendered her shame irrelevant. She felt embarrassed, but that was all. She also thought she might regret it by morning, but again, that was all. That was a problem for tomorrow.

“You’ll regret it later.”

Jeong-hyeok’s voice carried a hint of desperation. Eun-sol was driving him mad.

“Even if I regret it, it’s my regret to bear.”

Her flushed face was maddeningly alluring.

The only reason he had held out until now wasn’t because of patience. It was another desire—a sadistic urge to see Eun-sol squirm with frustration.

But now, even he had reached his limit.

Finally, Jeong-hyeok embraced her slender waist and carried her to the bed. He didn’t even bother to fully remove his pants. Only the essential parts were exposed as their bodies met.

It wasn’t the most romantic setting for intimacy in their cozy bedroom, but tonight, there was no room for such considerations.

There was, however, one thing he couldn’t forget. Wrapping an arm around Eun-sol’s narrow waist, he reached out with his long arm to open the bedside drawer.

The drawer, which once held property sale contracts, now also contained a stash of condoms.

He tore the packaging open with his teeth. Just as he was about to take out the contents, Eun-sol grabbed his wrist.

“…Didn’t you say you’d *buse your power?”

Her breathless words were slurred, but he could make out the gist of it.

“What kind of *buse of power is this considerate?”

She snatched the condom from his hand and tossed it onto the bedroom floor.

“Just do it.”

“…What if you get pregnant? How will you manage the third branch while expecting?”

“What do you mean? I’ll manage just fine. Exceptionally well.”

Slightly furrowing her brows, she answered with a mix of sass and confidence.

Exceptionally well.

Her response made him laugh warmly. It reminded him of something Ro-hee had said during their recent pretend play at the supermarket.

It seemed the phrase “exceptionally well” had its origins elsewhere.

That slightly reckless yet overly enthusiastic trait seemed oddly similar between mother and daughter.

“And how exactly will you manage exceptionally well?”

He didn’t know much about pregnancy. He had never witnessed the process of pregnancy and childbirth firsthand, but he was well aware of how grueling it could be to balance work with such a journey.

“I can do everything just fine. Because my husband is Kwon Jeong-hyeok.”

As if there could be no more accurate answer, she smiled bashfully and pulled him closer by the waist.

“I’m as ambitious about this as I am about the third branch. No, even more so. I want a son who looks like you, Jeong-hyeok.”

He laughed again. It was a single phrase that filled everything with contentment.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

For not turning into a pathetic husband, jealous over his wife’s work.

“Mm!”

He positioned himself at the entrance of her slick, wet core. Even without entering, Eun-sol’s body trembled. She clung to his shoulders, letting out a m*an. Her reactions, no matter how many times he saw them, never bored him.

“How can you work on a PPT this late at night when you’re acting this seductive?”

It was still absurd to him.

With a deep thr*st, he buried himself fully to the base.

“Ahh…!”

Eun-sol’s body jolted upward, accompanied by a m*an that exploded like fireworks.

“Ah, ahhh!”

Everything burst forth like light. Excitement, anticipation, happiness—the past, present, and future.

It was a night where all of it came together in a single, overwhelming moment.

* * *

Winter mornings at 6 AM were still dark.

Normally, it would be too early to be awake, but Eun-sol sat on the sofa with a cup of steaming coffee.

Next to her, Jeong-hyeok sat, also holding a steaming cup of coffee.

After spending intimate time together in the bedroom, the two had moved to the guest room where Ro-hee was sleeping.

It was a considerate move for Ro-hee, who might wake up startled in an unfamiliar place without her mother.

“Cheers!”

Eun-sol whispered as she clinked her cup lightly against his, careful not to wake Ro-hee, who was sleeping on the bed across from them.

Her puffy eyelids felt heavy from lack of sleep, but she didn’t mind. It felt romantic, like the morning after a camping trip.

Through the large window, they could see the pink hues of dawn slowly rising.

“I wish the sun would rise more slowly.”

Eun-sol muttered softly.

“And I hope Ro-hee wakes up slowly too.”

Jeong-hyeok added, making Eun-sol smile bashfully. It seemed he felt the same. The preciousness of this quiet moment together made every second feel significant.

“I love moments like this.”

Eun-sol took a sip of her coffee and leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder.

They listened quietly to each other’s breathing until a thought suddenly came to her.

“Oh, by the way, I noticed a playground was built in the townhouse complex. Did you make that about a year ago, back when you were in Akai?”

“Yeah.”

Ah, so he had planned this move to Jeju all along.

Perhaps even the delivery work that led to his discovery had been part of his plan.

“How did you get approval for it? If you proposed replacing the fountain with a playground, wouldn’t the residents have opposed it?”

“I just rearranged the order of things. I demolished the fountain first, then sought approval for the demolition.”

“Wait, isn’t that against the rules?”

Her voice rose momentarily, and she quickly lowered it. Thankfully, Ro-hee showed no signs of waking.

“Of course, it’s against the rules.”

Despite the outrageousness of his actions, he seemed unapologetic.

“What could they do? The fountain was already gone. When I proposed building a playground in its place, no one objected.”

“Why not?”

Even if it was typical of him to bulldoze through obstacles, the residents’ lack of resistance puzzled her.

“I don’t know either.”

Even he had been surprised. He had been prepared to persuade or even pressure any opposing residents, but unexpectedly, there was no backlash. In fact, he received support.

“It felt like they were granting a wish for a pitiful madman.”

He had left quietly for Akai, not wanting to show his pitiful side to anyone. Perhaps that was why he received even greater sympathy.

It was the first time in his life he had received pity votes. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel as unpleasant as he thought it would. He even felt a bit bewildered.

How should he put it? It felt like a door to a world he had never known had suddenly opened.

For 35 years, he had lived as if he were the center of the universe, above all else.

Yet now, he realized that humans need other humans, and that they also need warmth from others. It was something he had come to understand.

“I’m thinking of making a friend this time. You know, like a best friend that everyone seems to have.”

“That’s a bit of an unexpected conclusion, but it’s a good idea.”

At that moment, the dawn began to break through the large window.

“It feels like a giant candle has been lit inside my heart.”

As the darkness receded, the soft light illuminating the sky filled them with excitement.

Both of them had a shared premonition that their lives from now on would be a little different.

Or perhaps, very different.