BR - 20

“Ah! Wa, wait! Ah-heut!”

Then came the speed.

Seo-kyung moved his body so fast that she couldn’t come to her senses. Eun-chae twisted her waist at the feeling of being torn and pierced from side to side. But Seo-kyung didn’t stop. Rather, he massaged Eun-chae’s breasts with one hand and stimulated her intimate area below with the other.

“Tog, together...!”

No, it’s going to get weird. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her whole body tensed up.

“Euht.”

He frowned as he thrust in deeply at once. Something hot gushed into her body. Her heart pounded as if it would burst. Eun-chae closed her eyes, staring at her trembling fingertips. A hot body lay on top of her, but she didn’t have the strength to push it away. She was too, too sleepy now.

---

He had slept soundly for the first time in ages.

Waking up before the alarm, Seok-kyung looked down at Eun-chae nestled in his arms.

Her long lashes almost brushed her flushed cheeks, and soft breaths escaped through slightly parted lips. The memory of moving inside her made his heart race.

He had truly taken her innocence.

Without explaining anything about Joo-eun or asking why she had been at the hotel, he had kissed her the moment they entered the apartment.

On the way here, he had considered pulling her into his arms right in the car multiple times.

He vaguely knew this wouldn’t end easily today, but hearing her say those words exceeded his expectations.

“Please… do something. I think I’m going crazy…”

The image of her flushed face whispering to him stirred a deep warmth within him.

Don’t start this in the morning. She must have been exhausted last night.

After giving herself to him, Eun-chae had collapsed into a deep sleep. Fighting the urge to take her again—once, twice—he lay beside her instead.

And then, something he had never done during their marriage: he pulled her into his arms and fell asleep.

Was holding someone like this so comforting, so warm, so pleasant?

He couldn’t remember—it wasn’t something he had ever experienced before.

Beep beep.

The alarm jolted him awake. He quickly reached over to turn it off.

He wanted to let her sleep a little longer. Waking her would only bring back the awkwardness of last night, reverting them to their estranged ex-spouse dynamic.

So why had he started this?

A voice in his head scolded him.

“Eun-chae, wake up. We need to get ready for work.”

“Mmm…”

At his call, Eun-chae furrowed her brows.

Was she the type who struggled to wake up? Though it had been years, he remembered how she always woke early on days he returned from overseas, helping the housekeepers prepare breakfast downstairs.

Of course, she must be tired after last night.

Seok-kyung slipped out of bed first. The movement caused the blanket to shift, revealing traces of last night’s intimacy.

Red.

Even knowing he had taken her innocence, his brow furrowed.

An inexplicable anger surged within him. He didn’t know who it was directed at or why.

“I’m cold…”

At that moment, Eun-chae curled up tightly.

“Cold?”

It wasn’t cold enough for her to feel chilled, even naked. The heating was on, making the room comfortably warm.

Throwing on some clothes, Seok-kyung sat by her pillow and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead.

“Ah…”

She had a fever.

How had he not noticed while holding her? Her forehead was burning. It wasn’t a high fever, but it was clear she wasn’t in any condition to go to work.

“You fool, if you’re sick, you should’ve said something.”

He didn’t think he had pushed her too hard, but her frailty irritated him.

Why did she have to get sick now? It was inconvenient.

But then again, commuting such long distances with her small frame and enduring the hardships of work—and now accepting him into her body—it was understandable.

This week had been too much for her. Yes, that was it.

Seok-kyung nodded to himself, concluding.

“Wait here. I’ll go get medicine.”

As he moved to rise, he realized her hand was gripping his shirt tightly.

“Don’t go.”

Her eyes, moist with fever, gazed at him hazily, as though caught between reality and a dream.

Is she dreaming?

With a faint smile, Seok-kyung tried to stand again, but her grip didn’t loosen.

“Bring the medicine…”

“Don’t go, Mr. Baek.”

Her voice was hoarse, but unmistakably, she had called his name. And so, he couldn’t leave.

His legs felt weak, and his chest tightened.

For reasons he couldn’t explain…

---

A grand door opened wide, revealing an endless path bathed in bright white light. Somewhere, the melody of a wedding march played softly on the piano. Eun-chae found herself walking alone along the glowing path.

Looking back, the long train of her wedding dress trailed behind her like a tail. The bouquet of irises in her hands emitted a sweet fragrance.

Raising her head, she saw a faint figure ahead.

Since this was a wedding dream, the person waiting must be the groom.

It couldn’t possibly be Seok-kyung.

Even knowing it was a dream, Eun-chae reasoned logically. They had divorced three years ago, and she would never wear a wedding dress beside him again. A sharp pang of sadness struck her heart.

Approaching close enough to see the groom’s face, she gasped in surprise.

Standing there, smiling warmly and extending his hand, was Seok-kyung.

“Come here.”

“Mr. Baek?”

“Hurry.”

Dressed impeccably in a tuxedo, he looked as handsome as he had at their real wedding.

Slowly, she reached out to take his hand—but suddenly, someone brushed past her, grabbing his hand first.

The one wearing a beautiful wedding dress and smiling brightly was Joo-eun.

Seok-kyung smiled at her and turned away.

“Mr. Baek! Don’t go! Wait!”

Reaching out, Eun-chae tried to move toward him, but her legs wouldn’t budge.

Still rooted in place, she could only call out to him desperately.

“Don’t go… Don’t leave me, Mr. Baek!”

In an instant, the scene dissolved into brightness. Gasping for air, she looked around.

The blinding lights, the shimmering path, Seok-kyung, and Joo-eun—all were gone.

Instead, an unfamiliar ivory ceiling greeted her eyes.

Ah, yes! This is…

Realizing where she was, Eun-chae bolted upright. The blanket slipped off, exposing her bare skin. Startled, she quickly covered herself.

Thankfully, Seok-kyung wasn’t in sight.

“He’s not here…”

There was no time to waste. She needed to get to work.

Wrapping the blanket around her, she stepped out of the bedroom and grabbed her phone from her bag on the couch.

“Three o’clock?”

Judging by the sunlight streaming through the window, it was clearly afternoon, not morning.

She also saw missed calls from Hyun-jung and Manager Yang.

“Oh no, what was I thinking?”

She hurriedly searched for Team Leader Park’s number to call in. Just then, her phone rang. It was Hyun-woo.

“Yes, Manager!”

She quickly answered.

“Ah, Eun-chae. Are you feeling better?”

“Huh?”

“You sent a message saying you were sick with a fever, and we were worried when you didn’t answer.”

“Did I send a message?”

She couldn’t recall doing so.

“You sounded pretty unwell. Are you okay now?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

She touched her forehead with the back of her hand. There was a slight fever, but nothing serious.

“You’ve been overworking lately. Rest well. I’m glad you’re okay—I’ll hang up now.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize. The office feels lifeless without you.”

“What?”

“Just rest.”

Hyun-woo ended the call after his strange remark.

Eun-chae scrolled through her messages and found one she supposedly sent to Team Leader Park.

[It seems I’ve caught a cold. I have a high fever and won’t be able to come to work today. Sorry.]

It was sent at 7 a.m.

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t remember sending it. So who had…?

There was only one suspect.

“What was he thinking…”

Though he had known she was sick, impersonating her to send messages was excessive.

But if she hadn’t gone to work, Secretary Won would have informed the planning team of her absence, inviting more snide remarks from Manager Yang.

Perhaps Seok-kyung had sent the message to protect her from all that…

Gurgle.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since yesterday evening.

She headed toward the bathroom to freshen up but stopped abruptly. She had nowhere else to go.

Without savings to pay off her debts, she was trapped here, forced to stay under Seok-kyung’s terms.

She hated it.

Last night had been blissful, and she didn’t regret it, but staying here longer might awaken desires she couldn’t control.

What should she do?

Her gaze landed on a note stuck to the fridge. Moving closer, she recognized Seok-kyung’s handwriting.

[Don’t overthink things while you’re sick. I made porridge—it’s in the pot. Take the medicine I bought.]

And the final line:

[I’ll be back after running some errands. Rest easy.]