IT - 14

14. When Called to the Bed

In a world where marriage was also a business strategy, temporary and variable factors like personality or character held no significance. Yoon Mi was in the midst of finalizing coordination details with Director Joo, who was overseeing Taesung Group’s marital arrangements. 

“Is Chairman Kang of Jinshim Foods really that stingy? He barely spent anything. We’ve compromised so much on our end. Should I just scrap this whole thing?” 

Yoon Mi grumbled as she leaned her chin on her hand, reviewing a chart summarizing the benefits Tae-ha’s marriage would bring. Despite her complaints, Director Joo knew full well that Yoon Mi would never abandon Jinshim Foods. 

Tae-ha was already aggressively expanding his territory at a frightening pace, not to mention solidifying his internal foundation. From the start, top-tier conglomerates—those capable of stamping their mark powerfully—were excluded from consideration. 

Though a mid-sized company, Jinshim Foods had been showing robust growth in its industry and was successfully expanding into domestic resort businesses and overseas ventures. 

If practicality was the priority, there was no better match for Tae-ha—who was more of a headache than an asset—than Kang Yoo-ri of Jinshim Foods. On the other hand, Yoon Mi, who had once been the “Rose Club” ace and later became Tae-ha’s legal wife after years as his mistress, might not align perfectly with the traditional and dignified values of the Kang family. 

Yoon Mi’s first mission was to marry off Tae-ha, born to Chairman Cha Gun-wook’s first wife. It was her duty as stepmother to find a daughter-in-law from a reputable family with suitable looks. 

“Next Saturday at 5 PM, Hotel Hera.” 

“Got it. I’ll tell Tae-ha during dinner tomorrow when Chairman Cha returns.” 

“It’s already been relayed through the Vice President’s secretary yesterday.” 

Director Joo’s flat tone responded as he gathered the negotiation materials. Yoon Mi waited curiously for his next words, eager to hear Tae-ha’s reaction. 

“He mentioned there’s a luncheon meeting at Hotel Hera that day and assured us he’d leave early enough.” 

“Oh, really?” 

Yoon Mi smiled inwardly, her round face relaxing. Though she outranked Tae-ha officially, bringing up such formal matters directly to him wasn’t easy. She had planned to discuss it at the dining table with Chairman Cha present. 

“This is a good start.” 

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to awkwardly propose the arrangement herself, Yoon Mi took it as a positive sign and rose from her seat. 

---

As the nightgown slipped away, Ji-soo’s delicate white body was revealed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, eyes tightly shut as she quietly swallowed her heated breaths. 

She was the kind of woman who drew attention even in the simple act of breathing. Or perhaps it was an irresistible gravitational pull inherent to human instinct—a body too tantalizing to resist. 

From the previous night to this very moment, Tae-ha couldn’t deny that he was indulging in Ji-soo as much as his unbridled desires demanded. 

And that made Ji-soo both infuriating and cunning. 

To lay bare her deepest desires so honestly, only to delay her answer by asking for time to think—it was maddening. In every intense moment they’d shared since yesterday, Tae-ha could sense it: Ji-soo liked him. There was no mistaking the sincerity of her emotions. 

Yet her actions suggested otherwise, as if she were trembling with fear of being tainted by something filthy and repulsive. Perhaps it was more accurate to say she was sharpening her defenses, keeping him at bay. 

Was she an exceptionally skilled actress, or did she possess a dual personality? Even now, as he delved deeper into her, Tae-ha couldn’t reconcile this contradiction within Ji-soo. 

“Ugh…” 

The lips that had licked her earlobe trailed down to her neck. Biting gently into the soft flesh, he coaxed out a pleasing moan. Ji-soo’s gaze, still turned aside, irritated Tae-ha’s nerves. 

So he decided to test her. He wanted to know how far Han Ji-soo would allow him to go. 

Lifting his face from where it had been buried, Tae-ha straightened his torso. Ji-soo’s dazed, half-lidded eyes followed him, brimming with anticipation for what pleasure might come next. 

He rubbed her fragile shoulders, which seemed breakable under his grip. The eyes that had welled up all night slowly began to glow with desire, a sight he found quite beautiful. So this was the face she showed to others too? 

His hands, which had alternated between gripping and caressing her, grew rougher. Tae-ha, who had been exploring her lower abdomen and thighs, grabbed Ji-soo’s hand and guided it downward. Her startled gaze darted from her captured hand to his perfectly pressed shirt, then finally to his face. 

“Try it yourself.” 

“S-Sir, I can’t do that.” 

With a swift motion, Tae-ha pinned her wriggling body down with his knee, effortlessly holding both her wrists with one hand. Her fingers curled desperately inward, trying to avoid contact with him. Even her clenched fists, small and cute in their struggle, posed no hindrance to his devious intentions. 

“You’re doing great. There’s nothing Han Ji-soo can’t do.” 

Three hands pressed subtly against her center. As unfamiliar and sensual pressure built, Ji-soo’s lips parted. Hot breath escaped through the red gap, and Tae-ha delightedly explored her cheeks and lips. 

“By the way, don’t you think we need to change how you address me? Especially in bed.” 

Overwhelmed by the strange stimulation on her hand, Ji-soo couldn’t process his words or respond. Clenching her lips tightly, she struggled to suppress the embarrassing moans escaping her throat, unaware that this only fueled Tae-ha’s twisted joy and challenge. 

“What should I call you? Do you have any ideas?” 

As Tae-ha’s hand moved faster, Ji-soo’s whimpers grew louder. Technically, this was still part of the grace period until she answered his earlier proposal. But coherent thoughts eluded her completely. If she rejected the idea of a sleeping-only relationship, there’d be no need for intimate terms in bed—but even basic logic failed her now. 

Her mind was a battlefield between burning desire and rational shame, each fighting for dominance. Though her hand moved, none of it was under her control. 

“Sir, please…”

Ji-soo knew it was coming—the moment when the shame would become unbearable and she’d feel like biting her tongue. This was her first time experiencing such sensations, and she had no idea how to control her body and mind, which were burning with stimulation.

Tae-ha chuckled as he kissed her reddened eyelids. His devilish laughter traced a path from her eyes, over the bridge of her nose, and down to her lips. Her face, contorted in response to his touch, was maddeningly adorable. He swallowed her lips as they exhaled shaky breaths.

The room fell silent except for the wet sounds of friction. Ji-soo opened her eyes, feeling Tae-ha filling her completely, almost too much to bear. 

There he was, gazing down at her—Tae-ha, who had always filled her life with the warmth of spring, the protagonist of her most cherished moments. She hadn’t realized how heated his gaze was because she’d closed her eyes every time they kissed since yesterday.

“I told you that title doesn’t suit me,” Ji-soo murmured, shaking her head as she bit her saliva-drenched lips. Slowly closing and reopening her eyes beneath her long lashes, tears spilled over. Her crying face was so beautiful that Tae-ha entertained dangerous thoughts of making her cry more often. Withdrawing his hand, he decided to postpone what he truly wanted to do, given how fragile her trembling eyes made him feel.

Tae-ha grabbed Ji-soo’s chin as she tried to turn away, forcing her to meet his gaze. 

“If you don’t have a name you want to call me, I have something I’d like to hear. Shall we go with that?” 

Breathing heavily, Ji-soo this time didn’t avoid his gaze but met him with clear eyes. Based on the lessons learned from their short, intense encounters yesterday and today, Tae-ha usually gave her a choice or made a suggestion first, only to push her toward his way if the outcome didn’t satisfy him. 

She didn’t need to imagine how bizarre the title might be; Ji-soo was already well aware of its potential through experience. 

“Tae-ha.” 

Tae-ha’s gaze remained fixed on Ji-soo as he kissed the delicate skin of her calf and inner thigh, her slender ankle held gently in one hand. Pleased with the name she barely managed to utter, his tongue softened its teasing movements against her sensitive flesh. 

“See? Much easier on the ears.” 

Rising onto his arms, Tae-ha trapped Ji-soo’s shoulders between them and settled himself between her spread legs. 

“You’re doing so well. Why do you keep worrying me?” 

Like an adult praising a child for completing their homework, he stroked her hair with a tender smile. His fingers combed through her lustrous locks before gripping them firmly. The soft, feather-like strands wrapped around his fingers smoothly. 

But the sweetness of his gentle touch, as Ji-soo recalled, would be the last of its kind. As he tugged her hair, she was pulled closer into him. 

Her bold plan to remember every moment of her first night with Tae-ha scattered like dust amidst her heated struggles. The vast, universe-like man dominated and claimed every part of her. Between her fierce writhing, commands too overwhelming to handle seeped in. 

Most of these acts were things Ji-soo could never perform, and Tae-ha knew it too—he simply enjoyed watching her flustered and embarrassed reactions when she tried to resist. The more she struggled against his intentions, the more mischievous he became. 

Once she gave in, her body relaxed in his embrace. Moving rhythmically in response to his stimulation, her body no longer felt like her own. His overwhelming intensity was difficult to adapt to, and when she couldn’t keep up and panted helplessly, his occasional release was the only mercy he offered. 

“Ji-soo.” 

The voice calling her name, devoid of emotion or purpose, struck her heart. Each time their bodies intertwined deeply, his soft whispers pierced her ears. 

His rough movements demanded her voice, but the fierce heat pressing against her throat left her unable to move her lips. 

For them, who had become one, the second night arrived once more.