MHD - 43

Chapter 43: Critical Point

Jae-hyuk arrived at the hotel a little earlier than planned and headed toward the room where he expected to find Hee-soo waiting for him. 

Click. 

Opening the door, he stepped inside without trying to muffle the sound of his footsteps. If she had noticed his presence, it was a signal for her to come out soon. 

The room was silent. 

Living room, bathroom, bedroom. 

With each step deeper into the suite, his pace slowed. Jae-hyuk glanced around cautiously as he moved through the space, but there was no sign of her anywhere. 

The room was empty. 

A sudden chill swept over his chest. 

If she were to slip through his fingers now and reject him entirely, would he willingly wait another ten years? 

Clenching his fists tightly, Jae-hyuk paused in the middle of the living room. His wandering gaze finally landed on the terrace. Through the gently swaying curtains, he caught sight of a dark silhouette moving beyond. 

Thud. 

Slowly, deliberately, Jae-hyuk approached the figure in silence. 

Between the fluttering curtains, Hee-soo was moving gracefully. In one hand, she held a script, while the other traced elegant arcs in the air, rising and falling like a dancer’s. 

She wore a white chiffon skirt dress with voluminous ruffles that accentuated her slender waist. At first glance, it almost resembled a romantic tutu ballet costume. 

The suite’s terrace overlooked a secluded garden nestled within the hotel grounds. Golden lights filtered through the lush green leaves, spilling softly onto the terrace. 

Hee-soo moved within this glow, performing a few restrained ballet movements. She leapt lightly, her gaze fixed on her fingertips as she looked up toward the sky. Her upward gaze was achingly tender and beautiful. 

Rooted to the spot, Jae-hyuk watched her endlessly. 

His heart thundered in his chest. His face flushed red. 

He couldn’t yet discern what desire surged within him, but one thing was certain: he wanted Seo Hee-soo—right here, right now. 

Yes, even if it cost billions. 

Call it art if you will; call it the power to captivate a person’s soul. 

Hadn’t the sailors who heard the sirens’ song been so entranced that they didn’t realize they were being led to their doom? Ah, are you a monster sent to destroy me—or an angel of salvation? 

Whatever name you give it, I must have you in my grasp—even if it means I am utterly shattered and devoured in the process. 

The moment he saw Hee-soo, all the thoughts that had occupied him throughout the day vanished like meaningless dust. 

Click. 

Pushing open the glass door to the terrace, Jae-hyuk startled Hee-soo, who had been gazing at the sky. Her dreamlike, wistful eyes quickly lost their luster as she turned sharply toward him. 

Her clouded gaze, her furrowed brows—all revealed her wariness of him. The enchanting aura that had captivated Jae-hyuk just moments ago disappeared in an instant. 

This abrupt change in Hee-soo made Jae-hyuk’s chest ache. 

After all, it was his own doing this morning that had shaped her expression now. 

“…You’re early.” 

Hee-soo spoke cautiously, avoiding his gaze as she lowered her eyes to the floor. 

“Were you waiting for me?” 

Jae-hyuk asked nonchalantly as he took a step closer, but Hee-soo retreated just as much. 

“No.” 

How could such a simple answer sting so deeply? 

Suppressing the surge of irritation, Jae-hyuk clenched his jaw tightly. Narrowing his eyes at Hee-soo, he found her standing silently, staring at her feet. 

How had your day been? Had you spent it defining the unpleasant events of this morning? 

Hee-soo slowly raised her gaze from his feet. Her deliberate movement traveled up his body—chest, neck, chin—until her eyes finally met his. 

Unlike this morning, her gaze was perfectly still, devoid of any wavering. 

It was a clear, serene gaze. 

Jae-hyuk stared intently into her eyes, rendered speechless by the way she looked at him. 

How foolish he had been this morning, so arrogant. How smugly he had believed he held all the cards in this relationship, mocking her attempts to act unaffected. 

“Shake it, and it trembles,” he had sneered. 

Had he truly deluded himself into thinking she still harbored feelings for him—whether hatred or lingering attachment? Yet here she was, regaining her composure in mere hours.

"It's too refreshing."

Looking into Hee-soo's eyes, Jae-hyuk felt heat rising to his forehead. Those eyes, reflecting nothing, drove him mad.

What lies beneath this face? How many more times must I shake her until she shatters and kneels before me?

He felt like he was going insane.

"I thought you said you made dinner reservations."

As Jae-hyuk stood silently, Hee-soo walked past him towards the room. In that instant, a lingering scent wafted from her body as she brushed by him.

A faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. The scent of Seo Hee-soo's body, unforgettable even in dreams. It unexpectedly stirred everything within him.

The desires he had suppressed, the obsession and burning possessiveness he held for her.

Intoxicated by the scent, Jae-hyuk momentarily closed his eyes, his body trembling. He felt his fingers digging into his palm as he clenched his fist with all his might.

"Seo Hee-soo."

Simultaneously with calling her name, Jae-hyuk grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. He cupped her cheek as she fell into his arms and pressed his lips onto hers.

"Hnn..."

A heated breath burst from between their locked lips.

The man's lips, attacking as if to devour her, sealed Hee-soo's mouth. His hot tongue invaded deep within her mouth, as if to savor every piece of her flesh.

A fierce kiss poured down, so intense that she couldn't even tell if she was breathing. Her delicately made-up face was stained with saliva, and his tongue, invading deeply as if to block her throat, made a mess of her mouth.

Hee-soo's body was pushed back, unable to withstand Jae-hyuk's force.

Thump.

Her delicate body, unable to overcome the man's strength, swayed and collapsed onto the bed. Buried between the soft bedding, Hee-soo looked up at Jae-hyuk with resentful eyes.

Jae-hyuk threaded his fingers through Hee-soo's voluminous wavy hair, firmly holding her in place so she couldn't turn her face away.

He kissed her again without a word, sucking in even the breaths that burst between their locked lips as if he wouldn't miss a single thing that was hers.

"Why..."

A single word barely escaped between her broken breaths.

Her slender arm pushed against Jae-hyuk's chest, barely creating some space. Hee-soo, having barely managed to utter the first word of her question, looked at Jae-hyuk with resentful eyes.

"Why are you doing this?"

Hee-soo asked again. Her lips, bitten and sucked in an instant, were swollen. Jae-hyuk's eyes, looking down at Hee-soo, were bloodshot. His panting breaths showed no sign of subsiding.

Why.

Yes, the beginning of all this, the question at the end of all this.

Why can't I forget you, why do you drive me this crazy?

Hee-soo supported herself on Jae-hyuk's chest with trembling arms, her face as if she would push him away and run at any moment.

I'm going crazy because of you, yet you still push me away.

Jae-hyuk raised his thumb and rubbed Hee-soo's lower lip. Her soft lips parted as his thumb pressed against them.

Are you sad now, indifferent, or as crazy as I am?

Looking at the gap in her lips, Jae-hyuk sighed deeply and ran his other hand over her collarbone as he looked into her eyes.

Without a single blink, Jae-hyuk's eyes were fixed on Hee-soo, while Hee-soo's eyes half-closed.

Every time Jae-hyuk's hand brushed over her body, Hee-soo's shoulders trembled slightly. At certain points, her chin lifted, and at others, her back arched.

Her lips, which had been tightly closed unless Jae-hyuk parted them, slowly opened.

Beneath her smooth forehead, her brows, which had maintained composure, furrowed.

"S-stop..."

Despite Hee-soo's plea, Jae-hyuk didn't stop. His slowly sliding hand found the flesh hidden beneath the voluminous lace. He relentlessly moved, seeking the inner spring.

Her wide eyes, under her contorted brows, pleaded with Jae-hyuk.

Please, stop. Stop.

Jae-hyuk admired Hee-soo's face, slowly crumbling beneath his hand.

Is this the only way to make you surrender? Would you have pushed me away if I hadn't aroused your physical senses? Is this the only means to maintain our relationship?

Her pleasure-drenched body let out pitiful moans every time her breath hitched. Whether she was ashamed of the wet sounds, Hee-soo's body curled up tightly.

Her chest rose and fell incessantly, panting in short intervals as she suppressed her breaths.

Hee-soo's voice, growing thinner and higher, rang in his ears. Every time her ragged breaths touched his nose, he felt a sweet sensation.

The carnal scent that stimulated his instincts overwhelmed his reason, and his gaze was fixed on her body, rippling and twitching like waves.

"Ah."

Unable to suppress the peak of pleasure, beads of sweat sprang on Hee-soo's forehead. Her hands, gripping the sheets, trembled and then clenched into tight fists.

Hee-soo's face flushed crimson. Perhaps embarrassed by her solitary movements, she turned her head away, avoiding Jae-hyuk's gaze. Jae-hyuk grabbed her chin and turned her face back towards him.

Tears welled in the eyes of the woman who had reached her climax. Jae-hyuk's gaze gleamed like a predator's.

You tried to pretend you were unaffected, suppressing and enduring your rising moans as much as possible.

Very well, if that's what you want, I'll play along. I'm saying I'll do as I please too.

Whether it's love or whatever, I don't care what you call it.

I will possess you completely.

Jae-hyuk lowered his face and bit Hee-soo's neck, pressing into her deeply. It was the breaking point. His desire had swelled to its fullest. He couldn't endure any longer.

The elegantly pleated chiffon skirt and the off-shoulder top that slightly revealed her shoulders, the things that had been enveloping her, fell one by one to the floor beside the bed.

Rummaging through Hee-soo's body, Jae-hyuk recalled the day he first had her.

That distant day.

The memory of that day when he first opened Hee-soo's body, which was so delicate it seemed it would break with the slightest force, with infinitely careful touches.

It was the night of their first experience.