CHAPTER 67 

Minhee’s family used to take trips together while her mother was alive, and either her mother or father would constantly take pictures of Minhee having fun. When she later checked the camera memory, there were dotted family photos in this composition among the many photos of Minhee.

Minhee felt sentimental today, perhaps because they were going to Korea. She quickly switched her phone to airplane mode and put it in her bag, afraid that she would give too much meaning to this photo.

Fortunately, Rose, who received a children’s gift on the plane, asked Minhee for help opening the sturdy plastic packaging. From then on, it was a dreamlike time of enjoying the impeccable and friendly first-class service, onboard meals, and comfortable seats where Minhee and Rose could sit together.

As the airplane lights dimmed, Minhee took Rose, who was yawning and getting drowsy, to the restroom to brush her teeth and change into pajamas. She changed into the soft pajamas provided by the airline as well. When they returned to their seats, the bed-making service had been completed.

[Miss Minnie! A bed appeared out of nowhere!]

Excited, Rose cuddled her old rabbit doll and slipped under the covers. Her eyes were already drooping at the corners and she looked like she was about to fall asleep.

Feeling somewhat regretful, Minhee glanced briefly at Taejun. The white light from the laptop illuminated his face brightly amidst the dark airplane cabin.

‘Hmm. Taejun always looks so handsome.’

Part of her wanted to rest her chin on the seat divider and admire his face, but after the incident in the study, Minhee had vowed never to disturb him when he was working. 

Minhee sneaks a peek at Taejun, then reluctantly puts on her eye patch and gets into bed. 

After lying there for a while, she tossed and turned, then slowly sat up again.

It was too much of a waste to just sleep through this experience that might happen only once in a lifetime. Minhee asked a passing flight attendant for a glass of champagne and put on the noise-canceling headphones.

‘Seol Minhee, you did well not to sleep!’

She praised herself as she watched the man turn away from the bar with a nonchalant expression, champagne in one hand and a glass of amber l*quid in the other. Even in the dim lighting, his high, sharp nose and dark eyebrows stood out. The flight attendants openly stole glances at his face.

Sometimes when Minhee spent time with Taejun outside the penthouse, it was always with Rose. Despite being with a child, Minhee occasionally felt the interested gaze of women directed at Taejun. However, she had never seen Taejun’s gaze linger on those women for a significant amount of time.

On the other hand, as soon as Taejun’s gaze fell on Minhee, his expression softened noticeably. It was a small difference, but the warmth in his eyes was already different. Even though the airplane wasn’t going through turbulence, Minhee’s heart fluttered up and then dropped.

But the way he was looking at her, the way his eyes were so blatantly searching, was more like her s*xual partner than Rose’s uncle. Since Rose was asleep, it was the time he would normally do that. Minhee was suddenly afraid. 

‘What if I returned such a gaze outside…?’

Taejun handed her a drink and sat down next to her. He stretched his arm behind her and turned his body towards her. It felt as if Taejun was cornering her.

“Can’t you sleep?”

Cutting through the airplane noise, Taejun whispered softly into her ear. Minhee hesitated for a moment about what to say, then simply nodded.

“Shall I help you sleep?”

The blatantly s*xual undertones made Minhee roll her eyes, but Taejun was looking at her with a very serious expression.

‘Wait, did the demon of lust inside me misinterpret Taejun’s words?’

Minhee was about to politely decline, thinking that Taejun might be offering her a sleeping pill, but she noticed a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

‘Wow… I almost fell for it.’

His eyes were smiling.

“No need.”

Turning away from his mischievous yet heated gaze, Minhee calmly turned her head. If this were Taejun’s penthouse, she might have pulled that face closer and kissed those s*xy lips. And by now, her clothes might have already been halfway off.

Minhee took a long sip of champagne, feeling her throat burn. The fizzy carbonation brushed against the taste buds on her tongue as it went down her throat. This was her second glass, and for some reason, it felt like she was getting drunk faster, maybe because of the high altitude.

Next to her, Taejun also tilted his whiskey glass to his lips. His Adam’s apple rose and fell with a loud gulp.

“It’s Friday today.”

Taejun sighed slowly, his voice tinged with deep regret.

“I know.”

Minhee was the only one who understood the implied meaning behind Taejun’s ordinary sentence. On Friday nights with no work the next day, Taejun would often unleash his pent-up desires on Minhee like a wild stallion released from its reins.

Besides, this week has been unusually busy for Taejun. On Monday, he traveled to Boston for a business trip and returned late Tuesday night, and on Wednesday and Thursday, he worked past midnight two nights in a row to catch up on work before his vacation.

So, this was the first time this week that Taejun and Minhee had time alone together. In truth, Minhee had missed him too. She missed the weight of his body pressing against hers, the sensation of being held in his arms, and the trembling pl*asure. Taejun shifted in his seat uncomfortably and sighed.

“…I should have taken the private jet.”

Taejun and Junhee could use the company’s private jet for personal use as long as they covered the operating costs. But he’d opted for a commercial flight because he didn’t want to frighten Rose with the shaking of a small plane through turbulence and because refueling would add to the flight time.

And now, Taejun was regretting that decision. The private jet offered privacy with its own room, bed, and a small bathroom.

Spending 14 hours on the plane bed, rolling around with Minhee, and arriving in Korea wouldn’t have been so bad. No, not just “not so bad” – seeing Minhee in the throes of ecstatic cl*max, tears streaming down her face at 35,000 feet, would have been incredibly thrilling.

“A private jet?”

“Yeah. Next time.”

“Is a private jet better than first class?”

“…There’s a room you can lock. And a bed inside.”

Taejun chuckled at Minhee’s bewildered expression.

“Minhee.”

“What?”

“You’re blushing. You’re really pretty. Can I kiss you?”

“…Here?!”

“Minhee.”

Taejun’s voice was like hot melted dark chocolate.

“Not here.”

“Ha… Minhee.”

“……Why do you keep calling me that, it makes me nervous…….”

Minhee covered his mouth with her hand. Taejun grabbed her wrist and jerked her to her feet.

“Let’s go.”

“Where…?”

“Follow me.”

With her wrist held by Taejun, they retraced their steps, and he suddenly opened the door to the first-class bathroom and pulled Minhee in. At the same time as the door clicked shut, he covered Minhee’s lips with his own.

Kissing while trapped in the narrow airplane bathroom, with a man whose height nearly reached the ceiling and whose broad shoulders filled the space, was no easy feat. Taejun embraced her, lifting Minhee off the floor.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss they shared after days apart was sickeningly sweet and breathtakingly passionate. They both panted as their lips parted, only to hungrily reconnect.

Taejun undid a few b*ttons on her pajamas and pulled down one shoulder. Then he showered her exposed neck and shoulder with kisses.

“Haa…….”

Minhee gasped for air. Like a spark igniting oil spilled on the ground, the two of them were engulfed in flames in an instant. Taejun’s hand slipped into her loose pajamas, gripping her chest tightly as he kissed her again. His tongue tangled with hers, and his firm body pressed against hers.

Suddenly, the aircraft jolted. Minhee, standing on tiptoes with her back arched, wobbled. Taejun quickly wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to her feet, his hand gripping the ceiling for balance.

• Ladies and gentlemen, the aircraft is experiencing turbulence. Please fasten your seatbelts…

The in-flight announcements slowly seeped into  Minhee’s clouded mind. She rested her cheek against Taejun’s chest and listened to the thunderous pounding of his heart, unable to tell if it was his or hers.

Outside the oval window of the lavatory, gray clouds loomed. Flashes of lightning in the distance preceded another lurch of the aircraft.

Taejun pulled her waist closer, pressing his lips to her forehead. Minhee clung tightly to his waist with both arms. Together, they waited for the turbulence to pass, their rough breaths gradually calming down.

If the plane hadn’t shaken, Minhee thought with dismay, she and Taejun might have lost control of themselves and done more in the first-class bathroom.

Despite being the last place you’d expect to find romance, a sneaky kiss in an airplane lavatory was thrilling, and actually quite romantic.

But if the flight attendants or other passengers caught them leaving together, Minhee was sure they would make all kinds of assumptions. Even though they had only kissed, the thought of being misunderstood as having done more was exasperating. At least they were the only passengers in first class.

“Sigh… I should’ve taken the private jet.”

Taejun murmured with regret, b*ttoning up Minhee’s pajamas that had slipped down to her elbows.