IT - 17

17. A Terrible Performance  

Ji-soo felt as though the back of her head was burning so intensely that she wouldn’t be surprised if she either burst into flames or spontaneously combusted on the spot. 

In the silent elevator, where not even a breath could be heard, Ji-soo thought that jumping out might be preferable to losing her sanity while trapped alone with Tae-ha. As she raised her head, she realized they had ascended far beyond the 10th floor. 

Even without checking the panel, she instinctively knew they were on the 45th floor—where Tae-ha’s office was located. How had she ended up here? She had specifically chosen the employee elevator, not the executive one. 

Before Ji-soo could press the button for the 3rd floor, where the studio was, Tae-ha’s hand moved faster. As always, he was overwhelmingly large, strong, fast, and effortless in his dominance. 

Tae-ha grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her out of the elevator. 

“Vice President, please let go of my hand. Don’t do this.” 

Ji-soo resisted, trying not to follow him, but Tae-ha stopped walking and turned to look at her. 

“It’d be wise to come quietly. Unless you want our conversation here to become gossip material throughout the company.” 

If their relationship were exposed, Tae-ha would lose much more than she would—but then again, they weren’t even close enough for it to matter. It had merely been a fleeting night of pleasure between two people driven by physical desire. 

Tae-ha tightened his grip again. Despite being dragged along by his powerful hand, Ji-soo couldn’t help but notice how warm it felt. Even in this situation, she wanted to believe that this warmth represented some shred of his sincerity. 

Fortunately—or unfortunately—the hallway leading to his office was empty when they arrived. The moment Ji-soo saw the sign indicating Tae-ha’s domain, she tried to pull her hand back. But Tae-ha barely seemed to notice her feeble resistance. 

Bam. The door to the office slammed shut behind Ji-soo. 

Like a fragile animal caught in a trap, Ji-soo nervously followed Tae-ha with her eyes before quickly averting her gaze. He finally released her hand, and she reminded herself that there was an exit behind her and that his secretaries would soon arrive. She could leave anytime; this wasn’t a trap. So why was she so afraid? 

“I didn’t know shamelessness suited you so well—or did I fall for your act completely?” 

“I have an interview schedule, so I need to go now.” 

Ji-soo deliberately avoided meeting Tae-ha’s gaze, turning to leave. But his voice stopped her in her tracks. 

“Hold the schedule on the 3rd floor for 30 minutes.” 

Ji-soo turned to face him. Leaning casually against the desk, Tae-ha exuded an indolent aura that made her shrink inwardly. No matter how hard she tried to shield herself, his cold gaze stripped her bare. 

“Think about how many people are inconvenienced and how much damage is caused by your stubbornness right now.” 

Her wandering eyes filled with resentment and anger, growing sharper as they locked onto him. Satisfied with her reaction, Tae-ha smirked lightly. 

“Don’t you have something to say to me?” 

Had he not received her text? If so, she couldn’t understand why he was angry. What was his intention? Deciphering Tae-ha’s motives felt like solving an impossible puzzle. As Ji-soo hesitantly raised her head, Tae-ha’s lips curled into a faint smile. 

“I think I’ve already given my answer.” 

Her trembling voice sounded pitiful, but her defiant attitude pleased him. It almost made him feel compensated for the time they’d spent apart. Just as he was about to let her go, he changed his mind. 

“You haven’t contacted me or avoided me all this time—does that mean you’re telling me to leave you alone since you’ve said everything you needed to say?” 

That wasn’t true, but she had no better excuse. All she wanted was to leave quickly, finish the interview with Yoo-ri—who might soon become Tae-ha’s fiancée—and move on. 

“Han Ji-soo.” 

A firm hand gripped her chin and lifted it. During the two days they had spent together, there were moments when his touch and gaze felt warm, making her wonder if he saw her as somewhat special. But that was nothing more than a perfect illusion. 

Tae-ha was simply her cruel first love, someone who enjoyed tormenting her for his amusement. Perhaps that’s why he kept pushing her like this, even while his fiancée waited on the 3rd floor. What expression would he make if she eagerly accepted his proposal and clung to him for more? 

“If I really intended to do what you’re implying, what would you do?” 

The fingertips that had been tracing her cheek pressed firmly against her lips. Her red lipstick smeared softly across her mouth, reminiscent of their first kiss on that rainy day in the car. His expression mirrored the intoxicating allure of that moment. 

“Go ahead. I’m curious to see how you’ll react.” 

The finger stained with traces of Ji-soo grazed her teeth before slipping into her mouth. Touching the moist membrane, it pressed lightly against her tongue. Tae-ha withdrew his dampened finger and rubbed it against his own lips. 

She was a strange woman. The deeper he delved, the more he tasted, the further he sank into an unquenchable thirst. Though the unpredictability of the next moment irritated him, the effort was undeniably worth it. 

“To be honest, that day… you weren’t really my type.” 

It was like watching a terrible performance by an actor whose beauty was only skin-deep, devoid of any genuine emotion. If she was going to lie, she should have at least hidden her sorrowful gaze or controlled her trembling lips. 

“Han Ji-soo, you lack sincerity. Not even basic manners or consideration—or perhaps you’re just mocking me.” 

At his icy tone, Ji-soo raised her eyes. If she could dismiss Tae-ha, who grew larger in her heart with each passing day, she wouldn’t have suffered so much. 

“But you know…” 

Tae-ha began in a soft, silky voice, gazing down at her with a crooked smile. Beneath her long lashes, her wavering eyes held only him. 

“Despite your pathetic lies about how ‘bad’ I was, your body seems to crave me. Shall I remind you how much you clung to me that night, biting and sucking without letting go?” 

“There are days when I just want to hook up with anyone. It wouldn’t have mattered if it wasn’t you…” 

Before she could finish, Tae-ha wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. As if branded into her memory, his instincts claimed her trembling lips once more. Despite her earlier harsh words, her mouth remained soft and warm against his.

As Tae-ha’s grip tightened the more she struggled, Ji-soo gave up trying to escape. She already knew from experience that resisting him only led to crueler methods of persuasion.

His fierce tongue probed relentlessly, stirring and teasing her unyielding mouth. It stabbed recklessly before curling around hers and pulling her in. Ji-soo didn’t want to succumb to his stimulation—she wouldn’t give in just yet, at least not now. Shaking her head weakly in defiance, she felt him push deeper still.

“Hnn…”

As her fragile body swayed under the weight of his dominance, Tae-ha steadied her waist with an arm. Her legs lifted slightly before he seated her on the conference table.

When his hands moved to part her knees and venture boldly toward her inner thighs, Ji-soo grabbed his wrist. She knew she couldn’t stop him, but this was all she could do in the moment. Their lips remained locked together.

Ji-soo tapped Tae-ha’s tongue lightly with the tip of her own—a silent plea for him to stop, if only he remembered their private signal.

The relentless intensity of Tae-ha’s movements came to a halt. His deeply probing tongue retreated slowly.

As their lips parted, Ji-soo gasped for air. Seeing his smeared lips, stained with her lipstick mixed with saliva, made her squeeze her eyes shut, knowing her own appearance wasn’t much different.

“I’ll humor your clumsy lies only up to here.”

Tae-ha leaned back and grabbed a tissue from the table. By the time Ji-soo opened her eyes, realizing what he intended to do, his hand was already wiping away the smudges from her mouth.

“Come to Hera by 8 PM.”

“I have to work late tonight.”

Her ambiguous reply, neither acceptance nor refusal, sounded strangely sincere. Knowing she wasn’t clever enough to use overtime as an excuse in this situation, Tae-ha smirked and brushed it off.

“Then come after you're done.”

Tae-ha smoothed down her skirt, which had ridden up to her thighs, and straightened her posture. Her stubborn refusal to promise anything further irritated him.

“Answer me.”

“I don’t know what time I'll finish work.”

“I could arrange for you to leave early. Should I do that?”

Ji-soo exhaled sharply, raising her face with an expression of dissatisfaction. Her sharp gaze glimmered brightly today. Tae-ha shrugged indifferently, his calm demeanor almost resembling a faint smile.

“I thought, since you lie every time you open your mouth, maybe the overtime was a bluff too. Well then, good luck with work.”

Tae-ha patted Ji-soo’s shoulder encouragingly and returned to his desk. Expecting her to bolt out immediately after entering, he found her standing quietly where he had left her moments ago.

“Why? Something else to say?”

Perhaps steeling herself for something significant, Ji-soo bit her lip, then carefully pulled out another tissue and approached him cautiously. Only then did he realize she intended to clean the smudged lipstick from his lips.

“Wipe your lips.”

She extended the tissue, her voice strained with suppressed embarrassment.

“No.”

“You look terrible. Hurry up.”

Seated in his chair, Tae-ha gestured for her to come closer. Clutching the tissue, Ji-soo took slow steps toward him.

“Then you do it. It’s your fault anyway.”

Tae-ha tilted his head up toward her. Looking down at him like this felt oddly unfamiliar and embarrassing. Pushing aside her awkwardness, Ji-soo calmly wiped away the remnants of lipstick from his lips.

“Don’t you think using a lighter shade would’ve been better?”

Instead of answering, Ji-soo pressed firmly on his lips with the tissue, as though punishing them. The corners of his mouth twitched into a mischievous grin, soon returning to their original color.