Chapter 8.8

Min-kyung began to move the car carefully as she started their journey. As she turned onto the main road, she glanced over at Lee Seop, he was still in the same position. Every time she took a breath, she could smell his favorite cologne and a subtle smell of mint. He was sensitive to dry throats, she thought, he must've gargled in the bathroom before leaving the hotel.

Trying to focus on driving and not look over at the sleeping Prince, Min-kyung held the steering wheel tightly and only kept her eyes ahead. She wondered why she kept wanting to look over, but she became determined not to until they arrived at the apartment.

Unlike the first and second basement floors, the third basement of building 123 was more than half empty, particularly Area D, which was far from the parking entrance and only had sports cars and other infrequently used luxury vehicles parked sporadically. Because of this, Min-kyung was able to park easily. As she turned off the car, a small beep sounded, but that didn't make Lee Seop move.

"We have arrived, Sir." She was about to crane her neck to see if he had fallen asleep, but suddenly Lee Soep sat up. "You're awake, I thought you were asleep."

"No way."

"Yeah?"

Lee Seop smoothed his hair and spoke slowly, "I was about to have a heart attack."

"Ah well, look, we arrived safely." She smiled brightly as she responded. The day, which had seemed disjointed from the early morning exercise to meeting up with Lee Seop for dinner, was coming to an end.

Now, if she went home, took a hot shower, watched a movie with Se-Ah, and had a good sleep, the day would be remembered as relatively normal and happy. 

"Director, then…"

Instead of getting out of the car, Lee Seop raised a hand covering his face and vigorously rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.

"You are tired, go on in…"

"Min-kyung." Lee Seop called while covering his face still. Maybe it was fatigue of drunkenness, but his voice sounded subdued and rougher than expected.

"Yes."

"We are the same competitive people who joined the company, right? And you're a year younger than me, but we're in the same class year?"

"... yes, that's right," Min-kyung answered but was worried since she couldn't understand the true meaning of his question.

"This is a little better." Lee Seop removed his hand from his forehead and turned to look at Min-kyung. "I've been thinking about this all day. An idiot, I'm a bastard. You shouldn't be with that kind of bastard and that feels like shit." Lee Seop said something more in an unintelligible, rough voice. He opened his lips as if to smile Min-kyung something, lips that she was inexplicably staring at, but he then closed them.

"By the way…" Lee Seop tapped his temple with an index finger. "I can't get it out." His eyes fixated on Min-kyung as his long fingers carelessly rubbed his lips.

Shit. He cursed through closed teeth, he was irritable, nervous, and excited.

Min-kyung accurately read what was going through his mind and what feeling filled his eyes. "... What do you mean?"

Trying to be calm, his voice trembled a little. "Kang Min-kyung, I can't stop thinking about you." His answer was blunt and brief.

Her reaction was slow; she thought maybe it was because of the headache, but she took a deep breath. The two of their gazes were intertwined between the short distance between them. Min-kyung felt as if the air inside this closed car was expanding and pressing on her chest. And as she opened her mouth and exhaled… at that moment, he spoke again.

"Let's kiss."

Lee Seop approached her, speaking like a nervous middle school student going through puberty. Before he could ask again, his large hand moved up and gently brushed Mi-kyung's cheek. His touch was gentle and careful, but he couldn't hide his desire. He caressed her cheek as if he were handling a fragile glass bottle, then moved his thumb over her plump lower lip lightly pressing and rubbing it side to side.

"Haa." Without realizing it, Min-kyung let out a gasping sound as she slightly parted her lips.

His thumb moved a little further and traced her parted lips. "Do you not want this?" Lee Seop asked as he removed his thumb and cupped her cheek.

Min-kyung hadn't realized her lips were trembling when she tried to speak. She felt vibrations deep within her body that started growing louder and swirled around her entire body. She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed his hand tightly so he couldn't pull his hand away. Her hand ran down the back of his shoulder and then smoothed down his arm. Her fingertips tickled the delicate skin on the inside of his wrist. Lee Seop's body leaned more towards Min-kyung. Here was TK Prince Tae Ti-seop, who generally acted like a child, being cautious and considerate waiting for her answer. Looking into his beautiful eyes, swirling with rich emotions, Min-kyung wove her fingers into his hair, which she had always wanted to bury them in.

Ahh, ah.

Lee Seop pressed his lips to hers, charging like another opportunity may not exist. The kiss was open-mouthed and messy, with emotions surging. He sucked on her lower lip, then her upper lip, and then his tongue trying to explore everything he could find. Even when she opened her eyes, they were so close she couldn't clearly see.

As Min-kyung turned more into him, pulling their lips slightly apart.  Lee Seop's hand, which had been bracing on the headrest, moved down and came between the seat and her back, supporting her trembling body. His other hand moved from her cheek to untie the silk scarf around her neck. Pushing their lips back together, a fire lit up inside Lee Seop every time they bit, licked, and sucked on each other's lips. He was so hot it felt as though he would melt. Unable to bear it, Lee Seop tilted Min-kyung's head back, exposing her stretched neck and dipped down to bite the nape of her neck. 

"Ahh…" Min-kyung trembled at the sensation that she hadn't realized she was longing for. Excitement tingled from her neck to her ears to the top of her head.

"Haa, your skin is so…" the voice didn't sound like Lee Seop's normal voice, it was brimming with excitement. The sound made her skin hot all over and tickle, Min-kyung curled her fists into his shirt.

His hands filled with excitement, opened her jacket, and pulled at the bottom hem of her blouse. Minkyung barely spoke and stopped his digging hand.  

"Now stop…" Reacting to her, Lee Seop buried his head into the crook of her neck and stopped moving. "You only said kiss."

Min-kyung ran her hand over the hair, tickling her chin, petting him. Lee Seop exhaled and rubbed the tip of his nose against her neck. "Please, stop." her body trembled as she spoke.  Even as she said this, Min-kyung could feel her little sense of reason waning. She tightened the fingers in his hair.

Lee Seop wrapped his palm along her waist and slowly rubbed her side. He took a deep breath expanding his chest then buried his lips against her neck and said, "I… want to touch you so much."

Really, this is Lee Seop saying this, Min-kyung thought as she let out a small, heated breath.

"I won't do that here, don't worry." Even as he said that, his fingertips wandered, exploring around her waist. Min-kyung found Lee Seop's hand under the hem of her blouse and stayed it.

"Sir."

Lee Seop, with matted hair, raised his head to look at her. The moment she saw his eyes, she suddenly realized the situation sharply as if she had been stabbed. Min-kyung lowered her gaze, she couldn't believe what they were just doing a moment ago.

Now, how do you feel about Lee Seop?...

Min-kyung clenched her firsts and pursed her lips, staring at her trembling knees. She assumed Lee Seop must've felt the same way because after looking at her for a moment, he opened the car door and stormed out. *Thud* She covered her forehead as she heard the door slam. 'I'm not some immature teenager, but this was now awkward and was playing with fire.' She sighed as she thought.

The person who started the fire left, but the stinging, still-burning embers left were even more humiliating. Her clothes and hair were a mess, but she couldn't move. Min-kyung took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

'After he goes home, I will leave. Tomorrow is Sunday. It'll be okay in a day, just take things slowly one by one.' When she thought about it that way, she felt like she could survive a little longer. Barely raising her head, she looked ahead, anticipating the scene of Lee Seop heading toward the elevator entrance….

At that moment, her car door opened. 

"Ahh…" Lee Seop placed his hand on the open door and lowered himself to look closer at Min-kyung. His free hand reached in and stroked Min-kyung's hair. He then grabbed her wrist trying to pull her out of the car, instinctively, Min-kyung crouched to try and hide her appearance.

"Go ahead in, I'll just stay here for a moment."

"Why?" he asked.

"... Because… I'm a mess."

Lee Seop added some force to his hand, holding her wrist. "Come out first." Lightly pulling Min-kyung into a standing position, he briefly inspected her. Pulling the loose hair tie from her messed hair, he smoothed out the tangles. As he did, Min-kyung hastily straightened her disheveled blouse. 

She was ready to say goodbye when Lee Seop took the scarf precariously on her shoulder and wrapped it around her neck. As he tied the knot, he frowned. "What do we do now? I feel like it's a bit of a rip-off." He said as he stroked her neck on the spots where he licked, bit, and sucked. "No… I didn't think it would be this bad…"

Lee Seop shook his head and finished tying the scarf. He positioned the knot under her chin and spoke hesitantly, "I-I'm sorry…" He apologized like a child, smiling slightly. "I'm shit, right?" He said shyly with a bitter laugh.

Seeing Min-kyung's eyes widen in response, he smiled guiltily once more and reached down. Grabbing her bag, which had fallen on the floor of the car, and placing it on his shoulder. They walked silently straight to the elevator. Swiping his key card, the door opened; when they entered, he pressed the 4th and 1st floor buttons. 

Then, looking at Min-kyung, Lee Seop's eyes narrowed. "I thought I was an idiot and a bastard, but now I know that I actually am a complete bastard."

"Why do you say that?"

"Your lips are a mess…"

Min-kyung instinctively traced her lips with her fist, her eyes automatically closing responding to the tingling soreness she felt.

Lee Seop took a deep breath. "But that doesn't make me not want to do it again." He looked at her as he bit his lip.

*Ding* The door opened on the first floor, and Lee Seop took Min-kyung's hand and asked, "... Shall we go up?"

Min-kyung looked at him for a moment before answering. "It's okay, I'll see you on Monday."

The corner of his lips turned up, "That's right, Deputy Director Kang." 

Taking the bag off his shoulder he put it in Min-kyung's hands. Bowing in front of the elevator, Min-kyung saw Lee Seop close his eyes and tilt his head back. The doors closed with another ding, and Min-kyung turned around.

*     *     *

As soon as Min-kyung returned home, she headed into the bathroom for a hot shower to calm herself. She looked at herself while drying her hair. Her lips were swollen and had a little cut. Once it healed, it wouldn't be noticeable on Monday. This was all her fault, she sighed.

But the glaring problem was the nape of her neck. Rummaging through the vanity drawer, she grabbed the ointment, squeezing some in her hand, she rubbed the nibble marks. Touching her neck, she remembered his hot breath as he licked her and moaned into her neck… a flush of goosebumps covered her skin again.

'Shall we go up?' Min-kyung could clearly hear his question bouncing around in her head; Lee Seop had held her hand and did not let go as he asked. The heat hadn't subsided in his eyes as he looked at her eyes and lips. There was also a boyish shyness in his face that didn't match his initial passion.

'Shall we go up… Do you want to go upstairs to my house, or do you want to go home…' Whatever words were said and whatever their meanings were, it wasn't apparent what he wanted from her. Whatever her answer was, yes or no, Min-kyung knew that he would've just smirked, let go of her hand, and pressed the elevator door closed. He said it was going up, of course. She was being so unreasonable.

This is how Executive Director Tae Yi-seop deals with people… If you look at him with disdain, he appears as a sinister snake or a cold crocodile ready to pounce. But if you look at him sweetly, he looks at you like a fox cocking his head, with soft, shiny fur.

If it had been 5 or 10 years before, she probably wouldn't have let go of his hand. She wouldn't have resisted the urge and went upstairs with him and… But after… she would've been more confused.

Min-kyung laughed at the thoughts as she fanned herself to dry the ointment on her neck and cool herself. It's silly to praise yourself for only kissing because you were older and knew better. 

‘Crazy… crazy… you kissed. You were kissing Tae Yi-seop….' The thought again shocked her and she pounded her forehead with her fist. She had almost dropped her head and hit her forehead on the vanity table out of dismay. But even while hitting her forehead, her mind went there. Absorbed in the memory of his piercing eyes, the sensation of his plunging kisses all over, and his swallowing lips on hers.

Even if her lips hadn't burst, the kiss mark was engraved on the nape of her neck… and if it was just a little more, a little more than he… 

The moment was vividly replayed, and she again was filled with restless energy. Min-kyung covered her face with her palms, her face was burning up like bread hot out of the oven. 

'Oh my…'