-“She asked me to let you know that she would like to see you when you get back to Korea. She left her contact information.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll be flying back to Korea in a few days.”

Even on this trip, he worked all day.

‘If he was going to work all the time, why plan a week-long honeymoon in the first place?’

She was bored. Lying on the bed, she rolled around restlessly.

‘Still… how am I supposed to check for that mark on his pelvis?’

There had to be a way. But unless they had s*x, there really wasn’t a way to find out.

She let out a deep sigh and slumped her shoulders.

Soo-min stretched and stepped out onto the terrace.

At 5 p.m., the scorching sunlight stretched across the horizon.

‘I’m too bored… I can’t stand it anymore.’

Soo-min decided to go for a walk.

The mansion looked like an old castle. She wondered if it was really a castle – there were traces of cannon fire on a large tree.

‘Was it attacked during a foreign invasion?’

Admiring the beautiful landscaping and sculptures, she slowly walked around the villa. Eventually, she found herself walking along the stone wall.

‘Oh! Flowers… how lovely.’

Her gaze landed on bright flowers in full bloom. They grew through the cracks in the high stone wall, giving off a rich fragrance.

Their vivid color and strong scent attracted her and made her want to see them up close.

Soo-min looked around and took in her surroundings. Then she noticed a pile of stones on the ground.

She climbed onto the pile and held out her hand.

“Just a flower…”

With so many flowers in full bloom, plucking just one wouldn’t do much harm to nature.

But she was too small to reach it. Her desire to see the flower up close urged her to try harder.

As she stood on her tiptoes and reached for the flower, the pile of stones suddenly shook.

“Ahh!!”

With a thud, her body fell backward. Her head hit the ground, and her eyes watered from the pain. Luckily, it was grass, so she wasn’t seriously hurt.

“Well, at least I picked the flower… Ow…”

Her elbow throbbed painfully. Lifting her arm, she noticed blood trickling down her elbow – it had been scraped against the stone mound, leaving a gash.

“Anyway, I… Whew…”

Soo-min inhaled the scent of the flower.

‘Ah, the scent is nice. What kind of flower is it?’

Leaning closer, she pressed her nose deeper between the petals and took a deep breath. The rich scent filled her nostrils and soothed her melancholic mood.

It was surprising that the flower growing on the stone wall had such an enchanting scent, causing an involuntary smile to play on her lips.

She almost felt dizzy.

‘I feel like I’m flying through the sky.’

Soo-min giggled like a drunk. She lay flat on the grass, staring up at the sky, completely forgetting the pain in her elbow.

‘I feel so good… If only I could fall asleep like this and never wake up… Junhwan, I want to go where you are…’

***

“Please take a short break.”

“I’m almost done.”

“The chairman is really too much. Knowing that you’re on your honeymoon, he still sent you to do urgent work.”

“There is no other way. Since I’m in Korea, I have to do the work for both of us.”

The investment was the only way to avoid losses. Yuhyeon’s body might be in Korea, but he was running two businesses at the same time.

“I’m afraid you’ll overwork yourself and get sick. The after-effects of the burn haven’t completely gone away.”

“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Yuhyeon stretched his stiff neck slightly from side to side.

“Are you still having trouble sleeping? I’ve noticed you’ve been reaching for wine more often lately. I can get a prescription from your family doctor.”

“No, when I sleep my mind actually gets duller. A certain amount of tension keeps me more productive.”

“Understood.”

“What about Soo-min?”

“I got a report that she was looking around the mansion.”

“She seems to like it here. Well, this villa was specially maintained by the Chairman… Wait a minute!”

Yuhyeon suddenly froze.

“What is it, sir?”

“Go see where she is. Never mind, I’ll go myself. Contact the guards.”

“C-CEO? What’s going on…?”

The chief secretary looked at Yuhyeon confusedly and tilted his head.

“I completely forgot. Soo-min has a habit of touching strange flowers when she sees them…”

“Don’t tell me… the flowers on that high ledge…”

“We have to find her right away. She probably doesn’t know that the flower is used as a base for narcotic painkillers.”

Yuhyeon jumped out of his seat. At that moment, the chief secretary’s phone rang loudly and Yuhyeon’s shoulders jerked at the sound.

“What is it?”

“I think she’s already touched it.”

“Damn it!!!”

Yuhyeon ran frantically to where Soo-min was. Just then, a guard approached the mansion carrying Soo-min on his back.

Yuhyeon took her in his arms and shook her gently.

“Soo-min! Han Soo-min! Wake up!”

“Huh? Hehe… Who is it? Junhwan? Junhwan, you’re here? Did you really come to get me?”

“Han Soo-min!”

Her eyes were half-clouded and as if she was delirious, she saw illusions and called out Junhwan’s name.

“Shut up, Junhwan. Come with me…”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Ah, I can’t stop laughing. I feel so happy that I could die. Hiiii…”

Yuhyeon, pale and obviously shaken, quickly carried Soo-min into the mansion, his usual composure completely gone.

“Call a doctor!”

“Let go of me! Junhwan… Junhwan, let me go. I’m dizzy. Mmm… but it feels so good.”

She kept calling Junhwan’s name over and over.

* * *

‘It’s hot. My body feels strange. I can’t move.’

‘Haa… I’m so thirsty… This is a dream. I keep having the same dream.’

“Water…”

As soon as she asked for water, her lips were gently moistened. The water that slowly flowed into her mouth didn’t feel like it came from a cup – it felt like lips. Her eyes fluttered open.

Junhwan hadn’t returned to heaven yet.

“Do you want some more?”

Soo-min nodded slightly.

Once again, water trickled slowly between their gently touching lips. His hand, carefully supporting her chin as if afraid it would break, trembled slightly.

“Mmph…”

It wasn’t a kiss – just their lips pressed together – but it burned so hot it felt like her lips might melt.

‘This is weird… We haven’t even kissed yet, but my body feels like it’s on fire, like a furnace.’

“…Uhhn…”

A small moan escaped Soo-min’s lips before she noticed. At that, his expression turned into a mess of confusion and emotion.

He quickly pulled his lips away, but Soo-min watched them retreat with longing, as if she already missed the warmth.

He ran his hand roughly through her hair, tousling it.

“Damn…”

“…Junhwan…”

“Don’t say that name.”

Soo-min’s vision was blurred. The heat rising from deep inside her body was overwhelming, far beyond what she could stand.

‘So noisy… What are they saying?’

The voices of the men nearby sounded distant and muffled, like echoes underwater.

“We administered a fast-acting diluted injection, but it seems she inhaled more than expected.”

“Do something!”

“I’m sorry. At this point, only time can help.”

“Can’t you see how much she’s suffering? Are you just going to leave her like this?”

“There is… one possibility.”

“So that’s it?”

Junhwan fought with a man. He was dressed in white – was he an angel? Puhuhu, but he doesn’t have wings. A giggle escaped her lips.

Soo-min felt suffocated by the clothes clinging to her body. Her skin was burning, and the fabric made it feel even hotter. She barely managed to raise her immobile hand to loosen her clothes when Junhwan grabbed her wrist.

“Hehehe… I’m hot. It’s burning…”

“…Everyone, get out.”

Junhwan was angry. He wasn’t someone who usually got angry… Were you under stress even in the world you live in now?

Soo-min didn’t want to let Junhwan go – not like that. She reached out and put her arm around his neck.

“Don’t go…”

He was the man she longed to see, even if only in a dream. And if this really was a dream, she wanted to give herself to him completely.

“This is a dream, Han Soo-min.”

“Yes… I know… a dream… I feel like I’m going crazy with how much I want you…”

She didn’t know when the heat had started, but by now she was soaking wet – her *rousal soaking through her underwear.

” Hug me…”

Jun-hwan’s eyes widened in surprise. Soo-min cupped his cheeks and pressed her lips to his.

In response, he grabbed the back of her head and deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues tangled as the kiss became more heated and intense.

The deeper the kiss, the more satisfied she felt – emotionally and physically.

He kissed her hungrily, almost desperately, as he quickly removed her clothes. As he pulled off her underwear, her excitement spilled out.

“Haa… haa…”