II - 25

I-ryeong, without realizing it, wiggled her toes and remained still. 

“Don’t feel hurt.” 

His low voice suddenly brushed against her back, sending shivers down her spine—it was almost ticklish. 

“I don’t even know why I’m like this yet.” 

Before she realized it, his heated breath fell onto her shoulder. 

“…I’m not hurt. I just felt a little down because of an uncomfortable message I received.” 

“Un-comfortable message?” 

I-jun’s gaze sharpened, his eyes glinting fiercely, as if grinding his teeth. 

“She’s so easy to use. Whether she’s kind or naive, it’s none of my business. That’s why I’m using her well.” 

The sudden thought that crossed his mind made bile rise to the back of his throat. 

The real reason he had decided to marry I-ryeong—a secret he couldn’t reveal to her—was swallowed down along with his bitter frustration. 

Gradually, his grip tightened. I-ryeong felt as though her waist might twist under the pressure. 

“I-jun…” 

Unable to bear it any longer, she called out to him, but there was no response. 

“I-jun…?” 

When she called his name again, strangely, the pressure increased even more. 

I-jun exhaled sharply, visibly angry. 

“I-JUN!” 

I-ryeong shouted so loudly her ears rang. 

“I’m in pain. Please loosen your grip.” 

“Oh… sorry.” 

But his apology felt hollow. 

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, nor did she want to ask. After all, he wouldn’t tell her anyway. 

I-ryeong rested her chin on her knees. With just a slight movement, the water rippled and spilled over the edge of the tub. 

The warm water had gradually warmed her body. Wiggling her toes, she prepared to get up. 

Oops! Her soaked clothes clung tightly to her skin, revealing every curve of her body—the outline of her chest visible through her blouse. 

“…I-jun.” 

She subtly called out to him, hoping he would get up first. 

“Lean on me.” 

His voice, heavy with moisture, reverberated around them. 

The unusually low timbre calmed her nerves, melting away the suffocating emotions she had been feeling. 

“Let’s get out now.” 

She couldn’t bring herself to lean on him while drenched like this. 

If she leaned against his chest muscles, which were still rising and falling rapidly, she feared she’d lose her composure entirely. 

“I can’t let you go.” 

I-jun tightened his grip on her waist once again. 

“I-jun?” 

Through his wet shirt, the tense, angry muscles were clearly visible. 

“I can’t get up.” 

“What do you—” 

She couldn’t finish her sentence as her lips closed abruptly. 

She had already noticed the strong, familiar sensation poking at her since earlier. 

“S-Still, I want to get up.” 

“You’re so stubborn. Just listen to me this time.” 

His damp, husky voice pierced her ear like a lasso, binding her tightly and making her tremble uncontrollably. 

“Relax and lean against my chest. Let’s rest a little before we get out.” 

Naturally drawn to him, she rested her head against his chest. 

Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump. Irregular heartbeats echoed from his chest, loud and rhythmic, like a serenade. 

Caught once again in her own delusions, I-ryeong peeked up at him. Her gaze landed on his lips, stained a deep shade of red. 

“Looking at me like that won’t change anything.” 

I-jun lazily lowered his eyelids, his expression unreadable. 

“…W-What are you talking about?” 

“Do you really not know, or are you pretending?”

I-ryeong held her breath as she observed his subtle probing. Her emotions were tangled, and exhaling now would only make her feel dizzy. 

“I can feel what your gaze and lips are craving.” 

His finger, damp with moisture, traced her heated lips. The seemingly absentminded touch exposed the trembling she had been trying to suppress. 

“I think I’ve…” 

Suddenly, his finger parted her lips. 

“…completely lost my mind.” 

Through the narrow gap, his finger intruded, and she was powerless to resist—only instinct remained. 

“To Chaeyi Ryeong…” 

She sucked on his long, thick finger, drawing it in like a child with candy, holding it deep in her mouth. 

Feeling the dizzying sensation still prodding at her from behind, she smeared sticky saliva all over his finger, growing more fervent with each passing moment. 

“Hah, really…” 

I-jun pressed his body closer, yearning for stronger stimulation. 

“I thought I was going insane when you didn’t answer my calls earlier.” 

His excited sighs and aroused murmurs enveloped the space around them. 

“Now, I think I’m truly losing it.” 

He bit down gently on her earlobe. 

Overwhelmed by the perfect excitement he provided, her body kept threatening to collapse. 

“Hmm…” 

A shallow moan escaped her lips as she focused entirely on him. The sensation felt intoxicating, like she was drunk on sex. 

Her soaked clothes clung tightly to her skin, brushing against her with every movement, making her mind hazy. 

“I-ryeong.” 

His heavy, restrained voice jolted her awake. He shook her delicate shoulders lightly. 

In response, I-ryeong briefly kissed his wet finger, soothing her lingering frustration. 

“There’s something I need to say.” 

The fiery lust in his eyes abruptly cooled. 

“I might end up leaving you lonely, whether I intended to or not.” 

His voice carried heavily through the humid air of the bathtub, pressing down on her with an intense weight. She could feel the pressure bearing down on her. 

Still grinding her lips, which bore the traces of his touch, she brushed away strands of hair stuck to her face. 

“My purpose has already been achieved.” 

Of all times, why did he choose now to remind her of their impure relationship? 

“Just think of me as someone who’s always like this—Seo I-jun is naturally this kind of person.” 

Unable to understand him, I-ryeong covered her lips, which she had been gnawing on, with her palm. 

Regretting everything that had happened in the bathtub, she turned her head away. 

“That way, it’ll be easier for you to live by my side.” 

He pulled her hand away from her lips and kissed her. The suddenness of it left her dazed, absorbing only the sensation. 

This was enough for I-ryeong. If he occasionally threw her a carrot, she wouldn’t feel lonely. 

“Actually, this marriage…” 

But then his words trailed off, and an uncomfortable silence settled over the bathtub. 

I-ryeong could feel her heart racing. 

What was he hiding now? She wanted to ask, staring into his eyes, but fear held her back. 

Instead, she felt the faintest sensations from the arm that held her tightly. 

“Let’s get up.” 

But soon, his hand fell limply away. 

Not wanting to miss the fleeting moment, I-ryeong forced herself to turn her head and meet his gaze directly. 

“I-jun.” 

“You’re warmed up now, so let’s get out.” 

With a plausible excuse, he stood up, but a strange atmosphere lingered around him. He looked frustrated, almost angry. 

She lacked the courage to stop him. 

And so, she was left alone in the bathtub. 

Starting from the soaked floor, her gaze moved to the closed door. 

“…Hah.” 

The hot water in the tub, which had once been scorching, now felt cold. 

She knew all too well the emptiness he had created. 

“This marriage, this marriage…” 

She kept turning over the words he had hesitated on. 

The implication that there was some hidden reason behind this marriage filled her with a deep sense of alienation. 

I-ryeong tossed and turned throughout the night, consumed by her thoughts.

True to its reputation as a luxury villa, the bed was exquisite. The mattress and blankets were so plush that she thought this must be what heaven felt like. 

But her tangled emotions weighed heavily on her throughout the night. 

“He probably prepared some medicine for me.” 

In the end, an unbearable headache forced her to open her eyes. Outside the drawn curtains, the world was still shrouded in dim twilight. 

Before getting out of bed, she reached out first to grab her phone, which she had turned off the night before. 

“Gone. Nothing.” 

As she turned on her phone, she kept reassuring herself. 

But her attempts at comfort were in vain. As soon as the phone powered on, messages flooded in. 

All of them were texts sent by the same person in the middle of the night. 

[You wretch.] 

[Is your happiness all that matters?] 

[How dare you destroy my family and then get married?] 

[You’ll be destroyed too, just wait!] 

Frowning deeply at the curse-like messages, she clenched her teeth. 

The sender’s number wasn’t saved in her phone, but she had a good idea who it was. 

“Hah, seriously.” 

She let out a sigh, but the suffocating feeling didn’t dissipate. 

She had thought transferring to AE Cosmetics would free her from such venomous words, but they had resurfaced after her marriage. 

What a presumptuous delusion. 

Unlike yesterday, I-ryeong didn’t delete these messages. Instead, she saved them separately. 

“There are so many.” 

Over a hundred messages were stored under the same number. 

She could feel the heat rising to her forehead. She really needed to take some medicine. 

By now, sunlight began to seep through the window. 

I-ryeong got up, brushing herself off, and tied her tangled hair into a loose knot. In the process of opening her suitcase, she paused and stared blankly at the empty bed. 

“Rest well. I have a video meeting early in the morning.” 

Using work as an excuse, he hadn’t come into the bedroom. It was a plausible justification, but essentially, he had rejected consummating their marriage on the first night. 

“What did I expect…?” 

Even though they weren’t an ordinary couple, she hadn’t anticipated being rejected on their wedding night. 

“Don’t feel hurt.” 

Remembering his words, she tried to steady her heart. But the pang of disappointment lingered nonetheless. 

“Maybe it’s for the best.” 

Thinking about the messages she had just received, she realized being alone might actually be better. If she had been with him, her hidden secrets might have been exposed. 

Forcing herself to rationalize, she changed into workout clothes. 

“No, that won’t do.” 

After grabbing painkillers, she hesitated and put them back into her suitcase, changing into a dress instead. 

Since it was morning, she layered on a cardigan and stepped into the silent, empty living room. 

Her gaze fell on the infinity pool outside the terrace, and without hesitation, she went outside. 

Bathed in sunlight, the infinity pool looked refreshingly clear. She crouched down, dipping her hands into the water and swirling them around. 

“It’s warm even in the morning.” 

I-ryeong continued playing with the water, creating small splashes. Then, in the rippling surface, she caught a glimpse of her own reflection. 

Her face was so distorted it was hard to tell what expression she was making. 

She tried to force a smile, but only a pitiful sigh escaped instead. 

“Already awake?” 

It was I-jun’s voice—crisper and cooler than the pool water itself.