II - 63

Before the object straining against the waistband of his boxers could fully emerge, he knew he had to act.

“Should we take a shower together? Warm up our bodies with some hot water?”

I-jun scooped her up and carried her toward the bathroom.

The distance to the bathroom was barely ten steps—a short journey.

She nestled quietly in his arms, her body flushed with peach-like warmth.

“Do you have any idea how adorable you are right now?”

“I love you, so that’s why.”

She confessed her feelings without hesitation.

I-jun lowered his head and captured one of her bouncing peaches between his lips.

Her scent flooded into him instantly—sweet yet dizzying, uniquely Cha Eun-ryeong. He felt his mind grow hazy.

He didn’t deny the strange, intoxicating sensations only she could evoke in him. And he wanted to be the sole owner of those sensations for the rest of his life.

The couple stepped into the bathtub together. Even as the water filled, I-jun refused to let her go, holding her tightly in his arms.

“Just keep looking at me like this. I hate it when you look at other men.”

“Are you jealous?”

I-ryeong was well aware of the sharp sensation poking at her behind since earlier.

His member, large and firm enough to barely fit in one hand, was making its presence known.

“Yes, I’m jealous. I almost went crazy with jealousy earlier.”

“You should only look at me too. I’m a jealous person too, you know.”

The tub overflowed with water.

I-ryeong, who had been leaning against him the entire time, shifted her body. The movement sent waves rippling through the water, spilling over the edges.

“Just like this… Only me in your eyes.”

Turning to face him directly, she met his gaze.

“Haa… Really.”

“I’ve wanted to do this since earlier.”

Her lips brushed briefly against his before pulling away.

“This is what I wanted.”

I-jun felt like he was going mad with frustration.

Below her gently swaying hips, he desperately wanted to thrust into her warm, intimate place. He writhed, wanting to drown in the heat between them, hotter than the bathwater surrounding them.

Was she doing this on purpose? She didn’t stop moving her hips.

“Will you be able to go to work tomorrow?”

“Why? Is it hard?”

His hands cupping her buttocks began to move slowly. Then, they slipped inside her soaked panties.

“I want to hold you all night.”

His fingertips grazed her soft skin.

“Hmm, and you shouldn’t quit under the excuse of exercising either.”

The starting gun fired, and the trigger was pulled.

As she rocked her hips, his fingers slid into her secret folds.

And so, the deep night began for the couple.

Where his fingers had explored, his member now entered.

Every time she moved, her breasts swayed, causing the water in the tub to spill over.

“Haa, haa…”

He groaned, then took her breast into his mouth.

Like a baby suckling, he began to pull strongly. Rolling her nipple gently as if it were candy, he hungrily devoured her delicate skin.

The couple, drunk on passion, rocked their hips fiercely in unison, soon reaching climax together.

Her fair chest was covered in red marks he had left behind.

“Haa, haa…”

Breathless from his intense touch, she collapsed against his shoulder, gasping for air.

She hadn’t expected fireworks from just his fingers.

Her trembling passage continued to quiver as his rigid member moved in and out. It felt so good her fine hairs stood on end.

Leaning against him, I-ryeong panted heavily before finally catching her breath.

“You’re too much.”

“What do you mean, ‘too much’? Because I’m too good?”

He teased, brushing back her tousled hair.

“I don’t know.”

“If you don’t know, then I’ll have to teach you again. You seem to like it.”

“You’re so mischievous.”

I-ryeong pouted, her face flushed and ripe like a red peach, still breathing heavily.

“I don’t even know why I’m like this. I just want to let loose and be comfortable around you.”

“Hmm… Really.”

I-jun flicked her earlobe with his tongue before nibbling on it gently.

“In front of this beautiful face, I’m completely disarmed. I want to look cool every day in front of you, but my heart and body melt instead.”

Then, he guided her hand to his chest and then to his eyes.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes. It’s beating so strongly.”

She could feel his heartbeat through her fingertips.

“I wish I’d admitted it sooner. I was foolish.”

“When did you start liking me?”

I-ryeong closed her eyes, feeling the fluttering rhythm he transmitted.

“Hmm, when did it start, I wonder?”

His deep voice echoed in the bathroom, making her heart race unnecessarily.

“If I hadn’t been interested, I wouldn’t have persistently proposed marriage to you.”

I-ryeong smiled with her eyes still closed.

At the time, she had needed an escape, a sanctuary to hide in. Without giving it much thought, she impulsively grabbed the hand he extended to her.

She hadn’t realized how risky that proposal truly was.

“So I went to your place every single day.”

“Did you start liking me back then?”

Every time she received a message that he was at the park, she ran as if oblivious to the biting cold wind.

She couldn’t see him fully at work, so she welcomed every chance to be near him, unaware of how deeply she was falling for him.

“You were a mystery I wanted to unravel. Even though your marriage proposal was absurd, I still needed to figure out what kind of woman you were.”

Still keeping his eyes closed, he playfully tapped her cheek with his fingertip. Her skin was flushed red like a ripe tomato.

I-jun adored how openly she expressed her emotions—fierce when angry, yet even that fierceness was endearing to him.

“I guess you could say you were cute.”

Everything about Cha Eun-ryeong captivated him.

He loved and cherished every part of her.

Though it had taken him foolishly long to realize it.

He pressed a soft kiss to her flushed cheek. Startled, she opened her eyes wide and looked at him in surprise.

“Even stealing a small kiss like this made you open your eyes wide and look at me so innocently. It was adorable.”

I-jun grabbed a handful of her hair and kissed it gently, as if every part of her was precious.

“I only wanted you to show me expressions like that.”

His possessiveness made his chest rise and fall heavily.

“I regretted assigning Baek Daeri as your bodyguard more than you’ll ever know.”

“Really?”

Her curiosity sparked, I-ryeong’s eyes twinkled as she gazed at him.

Hearing his confession for the first time felt like being enveloped in a pink-hued world. She wanted to shout her happiness to the world.

Seeing her elated, I-jun felt relieved.

“How much did today scare you? You were pretty shaken, right?”

He checked her expression once again.

“It’s okay. I always thought we’d cross paths eventually, so I’m not thinking much about it now.”

I-ryeong smiled faintly and closed her eyes again.

As if overwhelmed by happiness, she nuzzled her face against his, rubbing it affectionately like a kitten.

Relieved, I-jun held her tightly.

“I felt like if I kept hesitating, I’d lose my chance. I knew it might shock you, but I pushed forward anyway. That was my mistake—I should’ve asked for your understanding first.”

He began explaining what had happened today. I-ryeong listened intently, fiddling with his earlobe as she focused on his words.

“I was so relieved when Kang Suk-tae threw the first punch. Honestly, the moment I saw him, I wanted to beat him senseless—but just enough not to kill him.”

Thinking back to their encounter at the bar earlier, he unconsciously clenched his teeth.

“When I remembered how Kang Suk-tae used to talk about you and how I stayed silent back then, I realized something.”

He exhaled deeply before continuing.

“I thought, who am I to throw punches when I was just a bystander back then? And then I thought of you.”

The hand holding her tightened significantly.

The image of I-ryeong flickered in his mind, and he restrained himself. He knew that if he had thrown a punch, she would have suffered even more.

“You did well to hold back. If you had hit him, I would’ve been sad. I wouldn’t have been able to smile like this.”

His confession pierced her heart with pain.

Still, she was glad he hadn’t laid a finger on Kang Suk-tae. Had he done anything, it would have upset her even more, just as he said.

“Right when I needed a way to bring Kang Suk-tae’s wife into the picture, he conveniently got hurt. Though I didn’t expect him to call his mother at his age, it was fortunate his wife showed up eventually.”

He had needed a way to summon Kang Suk-tae’s wife, who had been sending malicious messages from behind the scenes. But there had been no pretext to call her directly.

Fortunately, provoking him had worked, and his accidental fall provided the perfect excuse to meet his wife.

“What did you think after meeting them? They’re nothing special, right?”

At his question, I-ryeong paused to think carefully.

“They’re absolutely not someone you need to fear or worry about.”

He gently reassured her as she sat quietly, lost in thought.

“I’m here with you. I’m stronger than they are.”

“...That’s right. I have you, the strongest person by my side.”

I-ryeong parted her lips slightly and offered a faint smile, lifting the corners of her mouth.

She seemed calmer now, her expression stable and relaxed.

Seeing her like this, I-jun felt an unexpected surge of emotion. He couldn’t forgive Kang Suk-tae for treating a woman as if she were disposable.

“If Kang Suk-tae weren’t around, would you want to return to First Apparel?”

It was a cautious question, unsure of how she might react. He worried she might say yes, that she wanted to go back.

“Why do you ask?”

I-ryeong opened her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

“You didn’t leave voluntarily. You were forced out. Don’t you feel any regret? You rose to assistant manager in such a short time—it’s proof they recognized your abilities…”

I-jun’s throat felt dry as he spoke.

“Not at all.”

To his relief, her response was firm and unwavering.

It was a moment of release—a collapse of tension.