II - 46

Her heart, which only reacted to him, was pounding violently.

“Jealous? Who are you talking about?”

“Chae I-ryeong, you’re really something.”

As he spoke, the scent of alcohol from his breath poured over her face.

“…I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Tell me again when you’re sober.”

Unable to stand the sticky sensation, she turned her head away.

And as she took a step back to escape from him.

“Tell me, these eyes of yours.”

She was caught by him again.

Startled by the firm arm wrapped around her waist, she took a deep breath and stared at him.

“Were you jealous of them?”

Lee Jun swept his other hand across her eyes.

Though he had followed her after getting out of the car, his staggering steps couldn’t keep up.

Even though he was drunk, it was so intense that it remained vivid in his mind.

“Honey.” And then, “Oppa.”

The emotions she had barely held back burst out at those short words.

“Since when have you been watching?”

“Much earlier than you think.”

To be precise, he had eavesdropped. A few times, after stumbling and falling in the garden, he barely made it to the annex entrance.

He had held back the urge to rush in and hug her when he heard the envy in her voice.

He waited and waited, hoping to leave them alone.

“Then, are you sober now?”

“You’d be even more surprised if you knew since when.”

He had never been sober. Only scattered memories of I-ryeong remained.

Her face and voice, looking at him with such pity, lingered in his mind, making him wonder what was so heartbreaking.

“I didn’t know you had a habit of secretly peeking.”

“It might be more of a bad habit than you imagine.”

“…”

I-ryeong gritted her lower lip, struggling to focus her blurred vision.

“Call me again. With these lips.”

As his heated thumb brushed over her lips, her mouth opened as if by magic.

“Ha… Lee Jun.”

A moan escaped her lips.

His soft, resonant voice made her feel like she was melting, as if her eyes were turning to liquid.

“Wrong.”

The hand caressing her lips dropped with a soft thud, and her gaze followed.

Her chest, which had been heaving incessantly toward him, was crushed.

Even though his touch was rough, it didn’t hurt. Instead, she was filled with a desire to be held even tighter, even more fiercely.

“You should call me ‘honey.’”

The words she had used to tease him became the trigger for desire.

A night where reason was lost to lust.

Without hesitation, they lunged at each other, their lips locking. Hot breaths and sticky saliva made obscene sounds.

The couple, lost in biting and pulling, wanted each other even more desperately. Instinctively, they knew that kissing alone wouldn’t satisfy them.

Softly interlocked lips were invaded by tender flesh, clinging together.

I-ryeong wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him. As if she would never let go tonight, she burrowed into him.

Tousling his disheveled hair, she began to sway her hips slightly. The rising excitement from below made her feel like she was going crazy.

The intense sensation that had been piercing her since earlier made her wish it would come to her quickly, and she didn’t let go of his lips.

The vulgar sounds of their mouths filled the living room.

Lee Jun gripped her buttocks tightly. There was no patience left as she kept rubbing against his lower body.

Driven purely by instinct, he was consumed by the desire to take her immediately.

“Hmph!”

I-ryeong let out a moan with her saliva-slicked lips. The sensation of him deeply sucking her fair, delicate neck made goosebumps rise.

Feeling him making greedy sounds as if he couldn’t contain his excitement, she continued to sway her hips.

Before they knew it, they had entered the darkened bedroom.

“Ugh!”

As soon as they lay on the bed, his rough hands tore off her clothes.

Letting out a short moan, I-ryeong swallowed dryly and focused all her nerves to find Lee Jun in the darkness.

Thud. The belt buckle came undone with a heavy sound and fell to the floor.

At the metallic sound crossing her ears, she instinctively bent her knees and closed them. She could feel the sticky fluid flowing between her legs.

“You brought this upon yourself.”

He climbed onto the bed, piercing through the darkness. Then, as he traced the top of her foot with his fingertips.

“I won’t go easy.”

He revealed his beastly instincts.

Her surroundings were drenched in a sensual scent. The intoxicating aroma numbed reason, leaving only instinct.

“I’ll make you cry all night, so be prepared.”

Spitting out a voice cracked with desire, he lifted her trembling leg and kissed her knee.

Slick. The strange sensation made I-ryeong twist her waist.

“Hold me quickly.”

Unable to hold back any longer, she lifted both legs onto his shoulders.

Look at me, desperately wanting only you.

“Come in quickly.”

The sweet scent of arousal spread everywhere.

“Ha, really.”

In one swift motion, he stripped off her panties, now transformed into a seductress. Even in the darkness, he could feel her wetness.

Lee Jun ran his fingers over her vulva.

“Hmm, ah…”

As he listened to her soft moans, he carefully traced her intimate area before sliding a long finger inside.

She was so wet that his finger was quickly coated in sticky fluid.

The warm, slippery sensation sent shivers down his spine.

His throbbing erection felt like it could burst at any moment, but he clenched his teeth and held back.

“I-jun… ah…”

He wanted to stimulate her even more as she let out a cry.

Using his thumb to roll over her clit, he added another finger inside her.

The rapid movements of his fingers sliding in and out of her slick entrance drove I-ryeong to the brink of losing her mind.

Lost in pleasure, she began to crave something even more intense.

---

In the main house’s kitchen, where breakfast preparations were in full swing, I-ryeong, dressed casually, had come over from the annex to lend a hand.

Even though I-jun disliked it and told her not to bother, she couldn’t just sit idly by. After all, she was also the youngest daughter-in-law of AE Cosmetics, as he had reminded her.

“President Seo, here’s some ginger tea for you.”

One of the helpers handed a tray to Seo Kyung-soo, her father-in-law. On the tray was a steaming cup of ginger tea.

“Why don’t you sit on that sunny sofa over there and drink it?”

“No, I’m fine, Father,” I-ryeong insisted, waving her hands to decline.

But despite her protests, he pressed the cup into her hands anyway.

The sharp yet sweet aroma wafted past her nose, and she felt the remaining traces of her hangover dissipate as her mind cleared.

“You’re fine? Nonsense. If you’ve caught a cold, you shouldn’t be helping with chores. Drink it while it’s warm.”

“Alright, I’ll drink it here.”

I-ryeong opened her eyes wide, determined to show her resolve. She couldn’t relax on the couch pretending to help when there was work to be done.

“Stubborn girl. Bring over a chair for her.”

Seeing his stubborn daughter-in-law standing firm, Kyung-soo burst into laughter.

He had been startled earlier that morning when I-ryeong appeared wearing a black turtleneck. With summer approaching, the idea of her catching a cold was worrying.

“Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”

“We had a marketing team dinner with I-jun yesterday. I think staying out late caused a bit of fatigue.”

She barely managed to stop him from calling their family doctor.

It had been so long since she’d received such concern and care as an adult that she couldn’t even recall the last time.

“Do you have a fever?”

“No.”

She sat in a chair placed in a corner of the kitchen and sipped the ginger tea.

Though her father-in-law’s worried gaze made her feel a little burdened, she didn’t dislike it.

“Does the ginger tea taste good?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Regardless of its taste, her neck tingled painfully where it had been marked red and raw.

You shameless woman. I-ryeong felt like cursing herself just to ease her guilty conscience.

Far from having a cold, she wasn’t sick at all.

When she looked in the mirror while showering, she was startled. The places where he had deeply bitten her were now covered in angry red marks.

There were bite marks everywhere—she couldn’t possibly pass them off as bug bites. So, she came up with the excuse of a cold before heading to work.

“I’ll have Mrs. Choi send over a bottle. Drink a cup before bed.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re just grateful that you and I-jun are healthy. Take good care of yourself.”

I-ryeong nodded and drank the now slightly cooled ginger tea in one gulp.

Her father-in-law’s care and attention made her heart flutter. If this was what being cared for felt like, she almost wished she could stay “sick” forever.

But she couldn’t keep pretending to be unwell and lounging around in the bustling kitchen, so she finally stood up.

“I’ll carry the lighter things.”

With a bright smile, she picked up her empty cup, looking as fresh as a dew-kissed blade of grass.

Seeing her like this, Kyung-soo chuckled helplessly.

“No matter how much we tell you to rest, you won’t listen. You and I-jun are both so stubborn.”

“Is I-jun stubborn too? I hadn’t noticed.”

She playfully stuck close to Kyung-soo, chattering away.

For instance, she asked him to share stories about I-jun’s childhood, acting unusually coy and sweet, like the youngest daughter he never had.

Kyung-soo found this side of his daughter-in-law quite endearing. Unlike his wife, who rarely raised her voice, or his taciturn sons, her lively presence lifted his spirits.

Even compared to his eldest daughter-in-law, who lived in the main house but was rarely seen, I-ryeong felt like a refreshing change.

Though she had initially said she’d only carry plates, I-ryeong ended up helping with the plating as well.

“Father, take a look at this plate.”

She presented a vibrantly decorated salad adorned with edible flowers to Kyung-soo.

“Let me see.”

As Kyung-soo examined the plate with a serious expression, I-ryeong unconsciously tensed up, fidgeting with her fingers like a student nervously awaiting feedback from their teacher.

“Our daughter-in-law has quite the artistic sense! You pass with flying colors.”

Kyung-soo grinned widely and gave her a thumbs-up.

“You’re too kind.”

“Not at all. Turning an ordinary salad into something worthy of being the main course is no small feat. It’s truly impressive.”

Under her father-in-law’s repeated praise, I-ryeong’s face flushed a deep shade of red.

The kitchen atmosphere was unusually warm and cheerful. Even the helpers assisting with the meal preparation couldn’t stop praising I-ryeong, filling the space with continuous laughter.