EPILOGUE Part  4

Minhee propped herself up on his chest with her elbow and lifted her face completely to glare at him. Taejun chuckled and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Ha…”

Burying his nose in the nape of her neck, Taejun inhaled her sweet scent deeply and exhaled a long breath. His taut muscles relaxed as the tension seeped away.

Taejun gently helped Minhee to her feet and turned on the switch on the wall. Only then did he realize that Minhee had reached for the wall to turn on the light earlier.

‘I mistook that motion for aiming a gun.’

He gave a wry smile.

‘If I had assessed the situation more calmly, I would have realized it sooner.’

It seemed his reflexes were still stuck in the combat mode from two months ago.

Blinking a few times due to the sudden brightness in the dining room, Taejun picked up the bouquet and shopping bag from the floor. Despite the commotion, he found it amusing that he was still holding the red lingerie tightly in his hand.

Taejun turned with a chuckle but froze like a stone the moment he saw Minhee standing under the bright lights. His eyes darkened, and the smile that lingered on his lips slowly faded.

“…Found you.”

Minhee stood in the dining room wearing a white dress.

‘The last clue. White.’

Like a starving man standing before a feast, Taejun’s gaze couldn’t hide its raw hunger as it roamed over Minhee.

Her hair, which usually cascaded over her shoulders, was tied up, revealing her neckline and shoulders. Perhaps due to the slightly heavier eye makeup, her large gray eyes shone with a transparent, mysterious color.

As Minhee’s eyes met his blatant gaze, she blinked a few times and lowered her gaze diagonally. Her cheeks flushed like a ripe peach.

“Did you have a good trip?”

“…Yeah. I—”

Taejun swallowed dryly and took a step toward her.

“…I’m back.”

The dress was a bold design, contrary to her usual style. The top of the dress, deeply cut in a ‘V’ down to her sternum, resembled a bikini top. It exposed her round cleavage and shoulders, with straps tied like a ribbon behind her neck, resembling a gift wrap.

Minhee, who would turn twenty-six in a few months, drove Taejun crazy with her innocent and pure face combined with alluring eyes and an enchanting atmosphere.

The change was palpable enough that Taejun was deeply concerned. Even a dull man like him noticed her charm, so other men were bound to notice it as well.

‘What if she wants to go out wearing that dress?’

Taejun was already worried.

‘Should I pretend not to notice and tear it up?’

Minhee’s voice playfully tickled his ears from afar.

“Who did you get the flowers from?”

“Flowers?”

His gaze, filled with desire, roamed over the parts hidden under the white fabric, and he momentarily lost focus, not understanding the question. Then he glanced at the bouquet in his hand.

“Oh, this. It’s for you. Uh… San, business trip, souvenir.”

Taejun abruptly handed her the bouquet and shopping bag. He couldn’t bring himself to lie about it being a San Francisco souvenir.

“A business trip souvenir?”

Minhee, looking puzzled, accepted the bouquet and shopping bag, then smiled softly and lowered her head to sniff the tulips.

‘Who buys a bouquet as a business trip souvenir?’

Taejun sometimes surprised people with his unexpected actions.

Although tonight’s event hadn’t gone according to Minhee’s plan, it didn’t matter. Seeing Taejun appear with flowers after three days made her heart flutter and race.

“Thank you. They’re so beautiful.”

“Yeah. You’re so beautiful, Minhee.”

Taejun took a step closer and parroted her words like a parrot.

“Do you know the meaning of yellow tulips?”

Taejun shook his head, unable to take his eyes off her.

“Hope, and happiness.”

“Ah.”

To Taejun, the meaning of yellow tulips was Minhee herself.

Minhee rummaged through the shopping bag and pulled out a small box. Seeing the logo of the famous Fifth Avenue jeweler on the shopping bag, Minhee tilted her head in curiosity.

Could he have bought jewelry as a San Francisco business trip souvenir? Maybe chocolates, but…

“What is this?”

“Open it.”

Minhee placed the bouquet and shopping bag on the table, untied the ribbon around the box, and opened it. The last time Taejun had gifted her star-shaped earrings, they had been in a similar box…

No way. Shaking her head in disbelief, Minhee opened the box.

A rose gold bracelet studded with diamonds glittered dazzlingly.

“This is… a business trip souvenir…??”

Minhee looked at Taejun with her mouth agape, eyes wide in surprise.

Taejun’s expression quickly turned serious.

“Don’t you like it? Actually, it’s not that I forgot the souvenir, but, well, I didn’t know I was supposed to bring something until Lopez mentioned it. What I mean is, they said it was the best-selling gift for lovers at the jeweler’s… I’ll get you something else.”

As Taejun, uncharacteristically flustered, reached for the box, Minhee quickly hid it behind her back.

“It’s not that. It’s just that it seems a bit much for a souvenir. It’s really beautiful, I love it.”

Only then did Taejun’s tense face relax a little. She extended her arm.

“Put it on me.”

Taejun lifted the intricately designed bracelet with his large hands and fastened it around her wrist. The pale pink gold and diamonds sparkled in the light against her creamy skin.

Taejun’s gaze lingered on her wrist for a moment before lazily traveling up her arm.

“Thank you, Taejun.”

Minhee whispered.

As Taejun took another step closer, his broad shoulders and firm chest were suddenly right in front of Minhee’s nose.

Minhee involuntarily recoiled at Taejun’s overwhelming presence, like a predator cornering its prey. As she took a step back, her body bumped into the dining table. Minhee leaned against it, supporting herself with her arms on the edge.

Taejun’s pupils, staring intently at her, wavered erratically.

A quick glance down revealed his pants were already tightly bulging. It was no longer surprising that Taejun got so excited just by looking at her.

But…

Witnessing the moment when this large, awe-inspiring creature couldn’t contain his desire for her and turned into a rutting beast was always new, terrifying, and thrilling.

Her lower abdomen tightened with dizzying anticipation. Goosebumps ran down her back, and her body shivered lightly as if she felt a chill.

“Did you miss me?”

Minhee’s voice was a tone lower than usual, seeping out seductively like a whisper.

Whether he heard her or not, Taejun’s intense gaze roamed over her body like a half-crazed man.

“…Yeah. Huh? What did you say?”

Taejun couldn’t gather his thoughts.

He had returned in a state of hunger after three days, and the sight before him was too stimulating.

A thin torso and slender waist that made one wonder if anything was inside. Softly curved hips below. A skirt that tantalizingly ended where her legs began. Below that, smooth, creamy thighs exposed enticingly. Straight calves, slender ankles, and bare feet with red pedicures.

Taejun’s gaze traveled slowly down and then back up.

“Did you miss me?”

Feeling a rush of blood coolly flowing up the back of his head, Taejun met Minhee’s eyes.

As his Adam’s apple bobbed, the sound of him swallowing dryly was starkly audible.

“Yeah. Missed. Missed you. Missed… Ha, damn.”

Taejun stammered, furrowing his brow, then reached out and wrapped his arm around Minhee’s waist. His hand supported the back of her neck as he lowered his head.

With a soft sound, he pushed his tongue between her parted lips. Taejun captured her tongue as if quenching a thirst. He tangled their tongues messily, persistently scraping the roof of her mouth with his tongue tip, invading like a conqueror, thoroughly exploring the tender mucous membranes.

Taejun’s lips, like a tidal wave, pressed her relentlessly, leaving Minhee breathless and gasping. The thrilling sensation of kissing after three days vibrated in her eardrums, and her knees buckled. As Taejun delved deeper into her, her head tilted back, and her back arched.

Fearing she might fall onto the table, Minhee wrapped her arms around Taejun’s neck. Taejun’s moist lips traced a sticky path up her jawline to her ear. His rough, hot breath resonated in her ear, and her trembling breaths carried that vibration.

“Haah…!”

“Ha… Minhee.”

As Taejun’s tongue slickly invaded her ear, his knee pushed between hers. As Minhee clung to him, gasping, Taejun’s firm thigh spread her legs wide and settled between them.

As his thigh pressed warmly between her legs, already hot and aching, Minhee twisted away, pushing Taejun. She feared the night might end before she could carry out her plan.

“Wait! Taejun, wait…! Not yet—”

Taejun mumbled into her neck.

“I showered at the office.”

Taejun had anticipated that his patience wouldn’t hold long with Minhee in front of him. So, after the meeting, he had showered in the executive lounge, changed into spare shirts and underwear available at the office, and left for home.

Looking back, visiting the office first wasn’t a waste of time. Praising himself for making an efficient decision, Taejun lifted Minhee onto the dining table. Then, he placed his arms on the table, caging her in his embrace.

“No, that’s not it… Ah, Taejun, wait, wait a minute!”