SELA - 15

“You should have seen him back then, he was so funny. His hair was super short. Still, he was popular. It was a mystery. I wonder what people saw in him?”

Na-yeon, her cheeks flushed, pushed her face towards Ji-hyuk and tilted her head. Ji-hyuk, who had just taken a drink, looked at Na-yeon with an indifferent expression.

“Are you drunk?”

“No? How could I get drunk after just a few drinks? My face just gets red.”

Indeed, her chopsticks moved with perfect precision. Na-yeon filled Ji-hyuk’s empty glass, toasted to herself, and downed it in one shot. The sound of her “kheu” was refreshing.

“Anyway, he hasn’t changed a bit since he was a kid! He seems to have no emotions. Like he wouldn’t bleed a drop even if you stabbed him. Though he’d probably bleed if you actually stabbed him...”

Sa-hee, who had been sipping from her small glass, listened intently to Na-yeon’s story. She wanted to hear more about Ji-hyuk’s childhood, which she didn’t know. Besides, Na-yeon herself was captivating, with her refreshing, confident, and cheerful personality, so different from her own.

“Sa-hee-ssi, I think we’ll be seeing each other often. Should we exchange numbers?”

“Numbers?”

“Yes. What’s your number?”

“I’ll type it in for you. Give me your phone.”

Sa-hee took the phone Na-yeon handed her and entered her number.

“Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.”

“Questions?”

“Yes, anything.”

“Anything?”

“About the Managing Director, for example... Anything is possible as long as it’s not company secrets. Though I wouldn’t know any secrets anyway.”

“Haha. Okay. We’ll be in touch often then.”

“I suppose so.”

“You’ll get through to Sa-hee-ssi faster than that prickly guy.”

Sa-hee just smiled silently. It was the role she had decided to play, so she couldn’t complain about the mixed feelings.

“Here’s your phone.”

“Thank you.”

Sa-hee handed the phone back to Na-yeon and finished the remaining alcohol in her glass in one gulp. She felt like doing it.

Jin-ha, sitting next to Sa-hee, was munching on the newly served golden-brown pancakes. He noticed Sa-hee emptying her glass without a sound and quickly grabbed the pitcher. He wanted to refill her glass as a thank you for letting him have the soup earlier.

Jin-ha filled Sa-hee’s glass to the brim. Sa-hee was momentarily flustered, but she drank it down to avoid embarrassing Jin-ha. However, this consideration backfired. Jin-ha got carried away. Thinking Sa-hee enjoyed drinking, he immediately refilled her glass. Sa-hee was a little taken aback by the quickly refilled glass in front of her.

“Ah, just a little...”

“Yes, yes. Just a little.”

Sa-hee, who was weak to alcohol, was already feeling the effects after just a few drinks. She was about to accept the drink, thinking she would stop after this glass.

“That’s enough.”

A large hand reached out and stopped the pitcher. It was Ji-hyuk.

When did it start? Looking across, she saw Ji-hyuk staring intently at her. She, on the other hand, was still holding the full glass. Feeling a sudden tension, she swallowed and met his gaze. He slowly tilted his glass and drank, never taking his eyes off Sa-hee.

“I’ll take care of this since I poured it.”

Looking to the side, she saw Jin-ha taking her glass. It seemed he had just realized she was tipsy.

“It’s okay. Give it to me.”

“No, I’ll drink it.”

“It’s the glass I received.”

“And I gave it to you.”

“Let’s go.”

It was Ji-hyuk who abruptly stopped the bickering Sa-hee and Jin-ha by standing up. He paused, looking at Sa-hee and Jin-ha, then turned and left.

“Hey, Shin Ji-hyuk. Are you leaving already?”

“You’re drunk too. Let’s go.”

“I’m not drunk! Ugh.”

Na-yeon grumbled and grabbed her bag. She quickly followed Ji-hyuk, who had left the room first.

Watching the two of them, Sa-hee and Jin-ha belatedly came to their senses and packed their belongings to follow.

________________________________________

The car, with no music playing, was excessively quiet. Even though three people were in it, it was so silent that it seemed like no one was breathing. After a while, the car stopped at a crosswalk. People poured out from both sides, mingling and scattering.

Sa-hee, who had been feeling the effects of the alcohol, watched the scene and took a long breath. She suddenly felt Ji-hyuk’s gaze turning towards her.

“Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m not.”

“You don’t have to drink it all to keep up. It wasn’t a formal occasion.”

“Yes. The atmosphere was enjoyable, so I overdid it a bit. I’ll be careful.”

Ji-hyuk didn’t seem to be blaming her but rather expressing concern, so Sa-hee answered appropriately. Ji-hyuk seemed satisfied with her answer and turned his gaze away without saying anything more.

The light changed, and the car started again. The car smoothly turned into one of the most congested areas in the city. Even though it was a little past lunchtime, there was still a lot of traffic.

“Close your eyes for a bit.”

“It’s okay. It’s not far.”

“Look. The traffic is terrible. How is that not far?”

Sa-hee, who had been lost in thought, finally looked ahead and realized the situation.

“Ah... It’s still okay.”

She wanted to close her eyes and rest, but she couldn’t fall asleep with her boss next to her. It was still work hours since the meal was over. However, despite her resolve, she soon succumbed to drowsiness and fell asleep without realizing it. When they arrived at the company, Ji-hyuk looked down at Sa-hee quietly and spoke.

“Drive around more.”

Jin-ha turned around and asked.

“Where to?”

“Do as you please. Whatever you like.”

“Yes.”

The car smoothly exited the company again. Jin-ha drove around the company area twice more. Not satisfied, he drove around the nearby area again. Sa-hee, who had been dozing off, felt the car entering a dark place. It seemed to be the underground parking lot.

Soon, the car’s engine turned off, and the interior became silent. Only one thing remained: breathing sounds coming from close by, even with her eyes closed.

‘Sa-hee-ya. Lift your legs a little more.’

‘Ah, you don’t have to go that far...’

‘Lift them.’

‘Ah...’

She remembered the hair brushing between her legs. She remembered the unbearably intoxicating sensation of his tongue. He would press her thighs down firmly and suck on her open genitals. He would bite her nipples and fill her lower hole with his fingers, urging her to moan. He would hold her like that every day.

‘Ugh...! Euht...!’

‘...Sa-hee-ya. Ugh.’

‘Ah, ah...! Ah-heung...!’

‘Yoon Sa-hee...!’

It wasn’t just rough thrusting that ended with ejaculation. Even after climaxing, he wouldn’t let Sa-hee go for a while. It was his habit to finish everything, including foreplay and afterplay, inside her. He would hug Sa-hee, who was suffering, and endlessly thrust shallowly, rubbing his mark inside her.

When she slowly opened her eyes, Ji-hyuk’s face was right in front of her. Sa-hee stared at him silently.

Even she could feel her insides were hot and her breath was heavy. She just hoped her flushed face wouldn’t be visible in the darkness.

“...”

“...”

Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee quietly stared at each other for a while. Their breaths mingled in the middle.

“Should I wake her up?”

Jin-ha asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

“No. She’s awake.”

Ji-hyuk replied, still not taking his eyes off Sa-hee.

“Stay here for a bit and then go up.”

This time, it was clearly addressed to Sa-hee. Feeling her heart suddenly pounding, Sa-hee opened her mouth.

“I’m fine now. I’ll go up with...”

“You never listen at once. Go up in ten minutes.”

Sa-hee was startled. Ji-hyuk had moved closer and whispered. It was so close that their noses would have touched if she had moved even a little.

“Yes.”

Ji-hyuk smiled, raising the corners of his lips at her answer, which she managed to say without trembling. He met her eyes once more and then got out of the car.

Sa-hee, left in the car, felt the alcohol completely wear off. She leaned back in the seat, feeling all her strength drain away.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yes. I’m okay.”

Sa-hee answered Jin-ha’s question with an awkward smile.

No, that was a lie. She didn’t know if she was really okay.