PTT - 9

Her throat felt like a desert. 

It was so dry and parched that she had an intense thirst. Discomfort stirred her as Raon shifted her body, slowly prying open her heavy eyelids. Her lashes felt weighted down, making it difficult to fully open her eyes. How long had she been asleep? Her blurry vision gradually sharpened, bringing the room into focus. 

“…Why does my body ache so much?” 

Raon’s voice was low and raspy, still thick with sleep. It felt as though someone had beaten her entire body raw. Pain radiated from her waist, thighs, and hips—everywhere. 

It reminded her of the first day of training after joining the NIS. Every muscle in her body seemed to scream silently, each one asserting its own protest. 

“Hmm…” 

With great effort, Raon managed to sit up, clutching her forehead with one hand. The sudden movement made her vision waver. 

She thought she had outgrown orthostatic hypotension as an adult, but the dizziness she now felt unsettled her stomach slightly. Pushing her tousled hair behind her ear, she finally took in her surroundings. 

Where was she? Even in her groggy state, it was clear this wasn’t her home. She was in a modest hotel room, no more than ten pyeong in size. 

Furrowing her brow, Raon pressed her temples as she muttered to herself. 

“Did Marble bring me here…?” 

They had gathered at Ajit for the team dinner and opened a bottle of high-quality wine. She remembered enjoying its dry yet fruity flavor. 

Thinking she wasn’t getting drunk, she had sipped casually, glass after glass—a mistake. The alcohol had crept up on her, and at some point, she must have leaned heavily on Siheon, who had been sitting next to her. 

‘Ah… Yoo Raon, you idiot.’ 

She wanted to bite her tongue. Suppressing the shame rising to her throat, Raon tried piecing together the fragmented memories. 

Had Marble been the first to get drunk? Rak definitely hadn’t shown any signs of intoxication as he drank his whiskey. 

And Baek Siheon? Memories of him—the person she cared about most—were frustratingly blurred, like watercolors smudged over and over again. 

Just then, the sound of a door clicking open nearby startled her. Reflexively, Raon turned her head. What she saw at the edge of her gaze felt surreal, almost dreamlike. 

‘Am I still dreaming…?’ 

For a moment, her body stiffened, tension creeping up her neck. Unconsciously, she parted her lips slightly. 

“You’re awake. You could’ve slept a little longer.” 

Emerging from the bathroom, Baek Siheon strode toward her. He had just finished showering; his hair was still damp. 

The robe he wore hung loosely untied, revealing his toned upper body. His abdomen, free of any unnecessary fat and packed with muscle, looked as solid as stone even from a glance. 

Every inch of exposed skin sent her mind spiraling into confusion. 

“…We didn’t… surely…” 

“You’re not going to ask the clichéd question ‘Did we really?’ are you?” 

“No, why is that cliché? Before that… Ugh, I’m losing my mind.” 

As she lowered her gaze, his black boxer briefs briefly came into view. The thin fabric couldn’t fully conceal the heavy outline beneath. In that instant, flashes of the previous night raced through Raon’s mind like a panoramic slideshow. 

The person who had brought her here wasn’t Marble—it was Baek Siheon. And the one who had kissed him first, clinging to him desperately, was… 

Now she truly wanted to bite her tongue off. 

Only then did Raon lower her head to check her own state. Her blouse, suit, and even her underwear were gone. 

All that remained was the white bathrobe draped over her naked body, marked with evidence of their night together. Unable to hide her confusion, Raon watched as Siheon opened the closet door. 

“You could catch a cold if you stay uncovered. I couldn’t leave you sleeping naked, could I?” 

In other words, he had dressed her in the robe. After everything they’d done, the act of him clothing her felt trivial, yet her vision went completely white.

Fumbling to tie the robe’s sash, Raon pressed her hand against her forehead. Now that most of her memories had returned, she couldn’t bear to look Baek Siheon in the face while sober. 

‘I was the one who initiated it… Am I insane?’ 

Was this what an out-of-body experience felt like? She felt as if her soul had been shaken and stripped bare. While she sat there in a daze, denying reality, Siheon had already put on his shirt and suit pants. 

After fastening his tie, he moved toward the bedside table to retrieve his wristwatch. As the distance between them narrowed, Raon reflexively flinched. 

Baek Siheon chuckled softly as he secured the watch around his left wrist. Her overly sensitive reactions—startling at every small movement—struck him as endearingly cute. 

“That kind of rejection hurts a little, you know.” 

“…I have one request.” 

“Forget about last night?” 

“Did you read my mind? …How did you know?” 

Had he truly seen through her so completely? Raon’s eyes widened into perfect circles as she looked up at him. 

“It’s all over your face, Agent Yoo Raon. You might want to work on your poker face.” 

“…I’m usually good at keeping a poker face.” 

“I’ll just say this—I have no intention of forgetting. I want to remember last night for a long time.” 

At his response, Raon rubbed her face with both hands in frustration. Regardless of their past relationship, he was now her direct superior. 

Given the nature of their mission, team members needed to maintain perfect synergy. Was this really appropriate? No matter how hard she tried to set aside personal emotions, it wasn’t working. 

And above all, the biggest problem was that the fragmented memories of last night were unbearably good. 

“I won’t let our relationship be exposed at work. Don’t worry.” 

“…Team Leader, the way I acted last night…” 

Raon pressed her temples firmly, her expression a mix of conflicting emotions. Occasionally, alcohol brought buried truths to the surface. 

Had she not yet erased her lingering feelings for him? Despite knowing she would regret it, had she acted on instinct alone? Her mouth tasted bitter. Without affection, hatred wouldn’t exist either. 

She hadn’t heard his reasons—and still lacked the courage to ask—but one thing was certain: Baek Siheon had left her. 

The wound that hadn’t fully healed was being torn open again. In the end, Yoo Raon forced herself to say something she didn’t mean. 

“It seems I just wanted to sleep with someone after a long time. It just happened to be you.” 

“Yoo Raon.” 

“This is a memory neither of us should hold onto. As of this moment, I’ll completely forget about it. You should do the same.” 

Pretending to check the time on her phone, Raon bit down on the soft flesh inside her mouth. This was the right thing to do—for both of them, for Special Team 4. 

Baek Siheon furrowed his brow, finding it hard to accept her words, and took a step closer to her. 

“You sure you won’t regret this?” 

“…It’s too late. Head to work first. I’ll see you at the office in an hour.” 

Raon tightened the knot of the shower robe she was wearing. Siheon exhaled a low sigh as he looked down at her, one eyebrow raised. 

The heated events of the previous night now felt like a midsummer night’s dream. The image of Yoo Raon rubbing her tear-streaked cheeks against his shoulder was gone. 

He brushed back his still-damp bangs, picked up his car keys and phone, and glanced at the time—it was already eight o’clock. Pressing his fingertips against his eyelids, he finally turned to leave. 

“We’ll meet at headquarters. After work, we’ll talk again. I don’t plan to let you forget so easily.” 

With that, the door closed with a firm thud. For a long while, Yoo Raon stared blankly at the spot where Siheon had stood, then wiped her dry face with the back of her hand. 

She couldn’t pinpoint where things had gone wrong. Her stomach churned uneasily. It would take a long time to regain her composure. 

* * * 

“…Raon noona.”

“……”

“Raon noona! Ugh, why do you keep ignoring me?” 

“Huh…?” 

Startled by the sudden call, Raon lifted her head in a daze. The first person she saw was Ray, resting his chin on his hand. 

“Seriously, I could tell something was off when you got so wasted yesterday. Are you still not feeling well?” 

“…Are you tired? You still look like you’re suffering from last night’s hangover.” 

“No, it’s not that. I was just… lost in thought for a moment. But I’m listening now.” 

Drifting off during a meeting—this wasn’t like her at all. Mentally berating herself, Raon clenched her fists under the table and glanced across the room. 

Sitting next to Rak, who wore a concerned expression, was Marble. More accurately, she was sprawled out. Still battling her hangover, she had her forehead pressed against her forearm, slumped over the table. 

“Ugh, I’m dying. I’m really sorry. Just give me a few hours, and I’ll be fine. Once my headache goes away, I’ll work twice as hard.” 

“…As I mentioned earlier, we’re planning to visit the gallery where Cheon Seong-won sent the forged paintings today. From what we’ve gathered, they mainly purchase works by Russian artists—but the amounts involved are absurd. So, it’s likely the artist is part of their scheme too.” 

“I did some digging and managed to gather intel on the smaller players. If we cross-reference the artists’ backgrounds, we might find a match.” 

At the head of the table, Siheon paused momentarily as his gaze met Raon’s. But she was the first to look away. 

After a brief silence, his expression unreadable, he lightly tapped the table. 

“I originally planned to go with Marble, but it seems that won’t work now.” 

“…Didn’t we already set it up with the gallery as a married couple?” 

“That’s right. We posed as a newlywed couple from France. Two adult men casually touring a gallery wouldn’t make sense.” 

Siheon answered Rak’s question in a low voice. At that moment, the gazes of the three men—excluding Marble—naturally converged on one person.