NSTAR - 17

At some point, her vision had grown hazy. 

She had thought it would just be a bold pose for the camera angle. 

But Min-hyuk’s strong arms firmly encircled her slender waist, and without a moment’s hesitation, he delved into her lips. 

“…!” 

Startled, Joo-eun tried to twist her body away, but his firm grip left her unable to move an inch. 

Amid the pounding of her heart, fearing her flustered expression might be captured on camera, she tightly shut her eyes. 

As her sight disappeared, her other senses heightened, making every brush of his touch even more stimulating. 

Min-hyuk, seductive in his advances, soon unleashed his desire, fully claiming her. 

“Hnn…” 

The intensity of his suction on her lips startled Joo-eun, eliciting a soft, sultry moan from her. 

“Director Min… This is too much…” 

Her muffled protest barely escaped through lips that were entirely consumed by him, but he showed no intention of stopping. 

“You said you couldn’t let this go because you didn’t want to waste everything we’ve done so far. Are you telling me this is enough?” 

“That’s not what I meant, but still… Mmph!” 

Once again, her lips were completely devoured, leaving her unable to utter another sound. 

The world was filled entirely with him, like an overturned puzzle board, utterly disorienting. 

Her hands awkwardly hovered near his chest, neither pushing him away nor pulling him closer. 

The rhythm of his heartbeat reverberating against her palm felt as if it were her own. 

This only heightened her excitement, and the kiss grew deeper, drenching them both in its intensity. 

How had it come to this? 

She briefly tried to recall, but continuing the thought felt overwhelming. 

All she could do was cling tightly to his broad, sturdy shoulders as she received his fervent assault on her thoroughly kissed lips. 

His intoxicating scent, once merely stimulating in passing, now completely saturated the space around them. 

The wet sounds grew louder, and the solid column pressing against her lower abdomen felt increasingly threatening. 

Knowing how immense it truly was made her throat dry. 

Was it fear or anticipation? A tension rose within her from an ambiguous place. 

For the past month, she had tried so hard to forget him, yet here she was, surrendering to a desire that had only grown larger and more insatiable. 

Haa… Please, calm down. This is just acting… 

She tried to scold herself, but her body betrayed her, growing wetter with each passing moment. 

The stickiness of their exchanged saliva made her fluttering eyelashes tremble even more. 

And then, at the peak of the moment when her heart felt like it might burst— 

Rustle— 

The sound of crinkling plastic startled Joo-eun, and she abruptly opened her eyes, pushing him away. 

“Haa… Th-that’s enough…” 

At her plea, Min-hyuk slowly pulled back from her lips. 

A long thread of saliva connected their mouths. 

His gaze, fixed on her wet lips, glimmered sharply, struggling to contain his desire. 

Joo-eun, too, couldn’t hide the regret and longing swimming in her eyes. 

He wiped his saliva-coated lips with his thumb. 

The sight was so erotically charged that Joo-eun’s breath caught in her throat. 

“Haa… That was a good stop. I was just thinking about taking you somewhere inside.” 

His dangerously ambiguous whisper—whether a joke or sincere—made Joo-eun’s face flush. 

“This should be enough… If they’re still suspicious after this, there’s nothing more I can do.” 

A deep crease formed between Min-hyuk’s brows. 

It wasn’t enough for him at all. On the contrary, an unbearable thirst was raging within him. 

“Do you regret it?” 

He asked in a low voice. 

Joo-eun shook her head slightly. 

No matter how hard she tried to conceal her emotions, she didn’t want to lie. 

“A-ah… No.” 

It wasn’t regret—it was just that the kiss had been far more intense than she’d anticipated, leaving her flustered. 

Clearly, regret wasn’t part of the equation. 

Suppressing her swelling emotions, she answered as if nothing was wrong. 

“I feel relieved. Like I’ve finally repaid you properly—for the swimsuit incident and for helping me avoid those blind dates. Now I think I can sleep peacefully.” 

It was a line drawn to give this kiss no further meaning. 

A boundary signaling him not to cross any further.

He deliberately crossed the line she had drawn and leaned slightly down to whisper in her ear. 

“It’s unfair. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.” 

“...” 

“I’ll be thinking about you all night.” 

The lazy, sultry breath that accompanied his words brushed against her ear, sending shivers through her body. 

She couldn’t let herself be swept away any further. 

Trying to steady her heart, which kept getting tangled up in his rhythm, Joo-eun forced strength into her gaze. 

“You said you were struggling because of Chaerin, that I was your only lifeline… So I helped you with the mindset that this would be the last time. I hope there’s no misunderstanding.” 

Her deliberate, measured response was met with Min-hyuk’s languid gaze as he murmured softly: 

“You have a talent for driving people crazy, Song Joo-eun.” 

“I don’t have such a talent.” 

He smirked, stretching one corner of his lips into a sly grin. 

“But your eyes are trembling like this.” 

“...” 

“And your lips seem to want me quite a bit.” 

As his fingers traced a delicate path from her neck to her shoulder, her body trembled faintly under his touch. 

“Your words and actions are so contradictory.” 

Feeling as though her true feelings had been completely exposed, Joo-eun looked up at him with a frightened expression. 

No words came easily to mind. 

Anything she said would sound like an excuse—another attempt to push him away. 

Flustered, Joo-eun brushed his hand off and took a large step back. 

“I-I think I should go now. I hope this helps. Please take care.” 

All she wanted was to escape from this man who could captivate her with just a look. 

If pushing him away was the only way, then she had to do it. 

Just as she was about to bow politely, she remembered the prying eyes that might still be watching and turned around without another word. 

Min-hyuk tilted his head slightly as he watched her retreating figure disappear into the distance. 

Though his gaze appeared calm, the veins on the back of his tightly clenched fist stood out like a spiderweb. 

“What should I do? It feels like I can’t let go anymore.” 

The kiss she had given him, almost as if tossing him charity while claiming to save him from Chaerin, had reignited his desire. 

Just like the first day they met. 

A deep thirst arose within him, craving to taste every sweet and intoxicating part of her. 

“I never thought I’d feel grateful to a spy.” 

Thanks to them, he had finally tasted what he had longed for. 

Of course, compared to the things he had imagined every night, this was child’s play. 

“If she comes by often, I might feel even more grateful.” 

Muttering to himself, his gaze shifted toward the basement-level window. 

The half-light spilling from the window seemed to mirror her heart—half-revealed, yet still obscured. 

If he entered, would he fully understand her true feelings? 

Min-hyuk’s eyes, fixed on the window, burned with the lingering heat she had left behind. 

---

“Give up.” 

Heesu barged in without knocking, flinging a bundle of photos onto the table with irritation. 

Chaerin, who had been taking selfies on the bed with her shoulders bare, sat up and shot Heesu a cold glare. 

Scattered across the round marble table were dozens of pictures capturing Min-hyuk and Joo-eun in a passionate kiss. 

Chaerin forced a calm tone as she responded. 

“Just a kiss? What do you want me to do about it?” 

Frustrated by her daughter’s nonchalant reaction, Heesu let out a sigh. 

Dragging a chair noisily, she slammed her hands on the table and sat down. 

“Just a kiss? Does this look like just a kiss to you?” 

The photos vividly depicted Min-hyuk pulling Joo-eun close, kissing her as if he intended to devour her whole. 

“Do you think my daughter doesn’t know how to have fun like this? You’ve been tailing him long enough to know better.” 

“How can you say that?! Do you really think your casual fun is the same as a man who’s never shown interest in women suddenly losing his mind over some strange girl?” 

“Losing his mind? Don’t make me laugh. That guy is just playing with her.” 

Heesu’s sharp eyes twitched. 

“What?” 

“She’s just a poor, background-less girl. He’s curious because she’s different. Once he’s done poking around and his curiosity fades, he’ll toss her aside without a second thought. That’s what playing around is, isn’t it?” 

It made sense when she put it that way, but looking at the photos still made her blood boil. 

Heesu’s emotions seesawed wildly.

Noticing the shift in her mother’s emotions, Chaerin pressed harder. 

“And look at the background in those photos. It looks like a zombie movie set, doesn’t it? What could Min-hyuk possibly do with a girl who lives in a place like that? Do you think they’ll get married? Don’t be ridiculous. Chairman Jeong is such a materialistic man—how could he ever approve of something like this?” 

“That’s true, but… to think she actually lives in a house like that? You’re sure this isn’t some kind of ‘commoner experience’ thing?” 

“That’s her house. I already checked.” 

Heesu was more shocked by the crumbling state of the house than by the fact that Min-hyuk had kissed someone on the street. 

“Goodness… I always thought Chairman Jeong was so materialistic, and Min-hyuk would eventually be the same. But his taste is surprisingly unique. What do her parents do?” 

“Her father died leaving behind nothing but debt, and her mother seems to be constantly in and out of the hospital.” 

“Goodness… To think Min-hyuk ended up with a girl from a family like that. Poor Min-hyuk…” 

“That’s why I need to save him quickly. He’s just been bewitched by that fox, so I’ll coolly forgive him while taking care of her.” 

“Do you know how shocked I was to see him doing something like this when he’s never acted this way before?” 

“She’ll be out of the picture soon. So keep these photos a secret from Dad, alright?” 

Both of them knew that if Chairman Lee were to see even one of these photos, Min-hyuk’s name would be erased from their lives forever. 

“What are you planning to do?” 

“I just need Mom’s help with a little something.” 

“You…?” 

Heesu looked at her daughter with a worried gaze. 

She couldn’t help but feel uneasy about what her daughter might do to claim Min-hyuk, given her relentless determination to get what she wanted.