IT - 24

Tae-ha loved this resonance. He enjoyed the moment when his lips touched her snow-white skin, causing it to tremble faintly. He also liked how her delicate flesh revealed every bit of the stimulation he gave her. Even after the intense moments passed, the red marks left on Ji-soo’s body lasted quite a while. The feeling of trapping unforgettable memories within her was utterly addictive.

Tae-ha found the reason for this strange obsession in the way he couldn’t stop thinking about her when he turned away, trying to erase her face by distracting himself with other thoughts, only to repeat the cycle.

Her smooth curves, sweet scent, and soft skin that felt like it could melt under his tongue—things he didn’t possess himself. He was tormented because he had never gone all the way to satisfy himself.

Even if Ji-soo had planned it, he would have willingly fallen for it because it was so dizzying.

“Haah. Ugh.”

When he bit into her soft flesh and released it, a familiar moan escaped her. Recognizing the sweet signal, Tae-ha pressed deeper. Her trembling body didn’t reject or push him away but instead welcomed him as he filled her completely.

The slender hands that had been pressing against Tae-ha’s chest now gently wrapped around the back of his neck. It was meant to steady her body, which was shaking from the intense force, but soon she had no choice but to cling tightly to him.

Whether it was because she was drunk or because of the dinner table they had shared earlier, Ji-soo was hotter and more active than usual. The Ji-soo who would have been too embarrassed to meet his eyes when he pushed into her most intimate places was now biting her lip and exchanging suggestive glances with him.

“Even if you look at me like that, I’m not going to stop.”

As if she had never even considered the idea, Ji-soo smiled faintly, her face flushed red. Smiling in moments like this was unlike her.

Tae-ha lowered his lips again and captured Ji-soo’s. The sensation of her lips being nibbled spread throughout his body. His lower half swelled uncontrollably, making it hard to restrain himself.

Suddenly, he lifted his head and looked around. The room was so bare it felt like a difficult game of hidden objects, but at least there was a worn-out, narrow bed. What were they doing on the floor?

When he had to hold her fragile body, which seemed like it might break at any moment, even his limited patience was tested. Of course, if he told anyone that he had held back so much with Ji-soo, they would laugh or doubt him. But the cold, hard floor was too much for her.

Tae-ha lifted Ji-soo’s waist with one hand and sat her up. As he suddenly pulled away and sat up, her long eyelashes fluttered anxiously over her bewildered eyes.

“Why… can’t we just keep going?”

Now Ji-soo’s confusion turned into unease. She was trembling, wondering if he was going to make her do something mischievous again like last time.

What kind of person did he think she was? Tae-ha, who had rationally forgotten that his actions had led to such misunderstandings, patted her trembling back.

“Is there something you don’t want me to ask you to do? A place you don’t want to be touched or something you don’t want to say?”

At his affectionate tone, Ji-soo, who had been organizing her thoughts, shook her head firmly. She almost fell for his coaxing tactic and almost answered without thinking.

“Does that mean you’re okay with me asking you to do anything?”

Tae-ha laid Ji-soo down on the bed. He wasn’t sure how many times they would do this on this bed, but he was certain that after today, it would be unusable. He didn’t need to explain the bed’s impending demise, as it creaked even when Ji-soo lay down alone.

“Who’s going to do anything if you ask?”

Her coy tone was filled with desire. She grabbed Tae-ha’s arm, which was resting on the bed after laying her down.

“Or are you going to find another woman to do all that for you? To replace me.”

Ji-soo’s hand, which had been resting on Tae-ha’s firm forearm, moved down to his side, past his abs, and to the inside of his thigh. Her shoulders flinched momentarily at the intense sensation.

Tae-ha let Ji-soo’s clumsy movements continue. There was something endearing about her awkward touch. He stroked her head as she looked up at him, as if to say it was okay to keep going.

“To replace you… If there’s someone like that, introduce them to me.”

Tae-ha’s hand, which had been gently caressing her head, moved down to her cheek, neck, and then below her waist. He traced her slim lower abdomen and pinched her plump buttocks, the only part of her body with any flesh. Ji-soo, who was very ticklish, shuddered.

Though the desire to quickly and thoroughly quench his thirst by entering her was strong, he didn’t dislike these moments of exploration. That’s why every time he held Ji-soo, Tae-ha felt even more confused. The maddening longing only grew more intense after meeting her and then turning away.

How could he describe this dizzying feeling of touching, feeling, and enjoying each other’s bodies?

“I don’t want to introduce anyone. I only… I only want to have you.”

Her still awkward, perhaps maximally practiced gestures soon made Tae-ha’s body surge to the point of bursting. He couldn’t even laugh at how absurd it was. His composure had worn thin the moment Ji-soo’s hands touched him.

As she lowered her reddened face, as if she had just confessed her feelings, Tae-ha grabbed her chin and lifted it. The moment he saw the desire in her clear eyes, he wanted to climb onto the broken bed that was worse than an ordinary one.

“Either stop saying things like that, or accept my proposal. Which one is the real you? It’s confusing.”

Despite his words, Tae-ha wasn’t confused at all. He was the one who was stuck. Her words of wanting to have him and her refusal to be in a purely physical relationship were all part of the real Han Ji-soo.

But sometimes he wondered. Despite having casually met countless men, she was always shy and overly embarrassed during every intimate moment.

He didn’t know if it was because she was naturally shy or because of her conservative tendencies, but Ji-soo was so inexperienced that it was easy to mistake this for her first time. She was wary of anything beyond the standard positions. Just moments ago, she had been frightened when Tae-ha pulled back just before things heated up.

“Your body doesn’t seem confused, though.”

Ji-soo, who had been looking down at her hands and Tae-ha’s body, lifted her head. Tae-ha kissed her eyes, which were beginning to drown in pleasure. He swallowed her lips along with her hot breath.

Even so, their hands continued to respond to each other, deepening their intimacy. Tae-ha was enjoying this moment enough to momentarily postpone the urge to enter her immediately.

Since the bed would be discarded after today anyway, Tae-ha decided to completely destroy it. He climbed onto the bed and quickly stripped off the remaining clothes, tossing them aside.

“Earlier, those words… You’re not misunderstanding, are you?”

“What?”

Ji-soo, who had been fumbling with his hardened length, slowly opened and closed her eyes repeatedly.

“Last time, you said that on the bed, we could say anything to excite each other, and that it was okay. That’s all it was. It has no meaning beyond us mixing our bodies.”

Tae-ha, who had been kissing Ji-soo’s neck, frowned slightly. Did I really say it was okay to lie on the bed? It didn’t matter who said what first. The beast who had used up a lifetime’s worth of patience in this room wouldn’t hear it anyway.

“Keep going. You seem to be showing some talent for lying.”

Ji-soo wrapped her legs around Tae-ha’s waist and whispered hotly.

“Hold me, Tae-ha.”

Was it the second or third time? One side of the bed collapsed. Thud. The dull sound of money being wasted made her turn her head, and Tae-ha’s tongue crashed over her like a hot wave. Ji-soo’s body, now familiar with him, instinctively responded. She chased his tongue, briefly letting go to catch her breath.

The last thing she saw with her blurred vision was Tae-ha’s face moving between her legs. As Ji-soo half-lost consciousness, the rough breaths of her climax echoed distantly in her ears.

________________________________________

Ji-soo opened her eyes, sensing an unfamiliar presence in her familiar bedding. The traces of last night’s intense lovemaking were scattered throughout the studio, so vivid that she couldn’t dismiss it as a dream or imagination. Her sore body, as if she had been beaten, was proof enough.

She was embarrassed that this place, which she never wanted Tae-ha to see, was now filled with evidence of their passion.

Ji-soo shook her head as she looked down at her single bed, which was particularly narrow.

It was still early morning, so she must have only slept for about an hour. Tae-ha probably hadn’t slept at all and had left.

“Ah.”

As the memory of getting drunk and clinging to Tae-ha, babbling nonsense, came back to her, Ji-soo buried her face in the pillow again. If she could resign, she would write “embarrassment” as the reason.

The events of yesterday flashed through her mind in a daze. Eun-ho’s kindness in offering to help her find a new place to move, the dinner with his sister Kang Yuri, Tae-ha’s fiancée, and the bridesmaid offer.

A long sigh escaped her tangled thoughts. She needed to wash up quickly and contact the real estate agent. As she reached for her phone by the bed, she noticed it was turned off. She hadn’t touched it yesterday. Had Eun-ho called her in the morning like last time? If so, Tae-ha must have turned it off.

Ji-soo’s gaze followed the traces of Tae-ha, who had just left. As she looked around the small studio, the bathroom door suddenly opened.

Before she could even be startled, Tae-ha stepped out with only a towel around his waist. Why was he still here? She had assumed he left in the early morning, but he had been showering here? The towel, barely covering his toned abs, looked dangerously thin.

“I know my body is quite something to look at, but this is too blatant for the morning.”

It took Ji-soo a moment to realize he was talking to her.

She swallowed dryly, unsure why she was so nervous that her mouth had gone dry. As she calmed her breathing, Tae-ha let out a soft laugh.

But the moment the towel around his waist fell to the floor, Ji-soo’s vision began to spin again. Just as Tae-ha had intended.