TATMFL - 37

Blink. With great effort, Ra-on lifted her swollen eyelids to reveal a scene that had already become oddly familiar after just two visits.

As expected, her groggy gaze landed on the meticulously drawn blackout curtains. Staring blankly for a moment, she closed her eyes again and sank back into the bed.

Was it normal to feel so utterly drained after sex that even lifting a finger felt impossible?

She had passed out sometime around sunset when the light poured in through the wide-open window, but now the clock read 11:00.

It seemed she had slept deeply. Though her limbs felt as limp as if they were bound, her mind was surprisingly alert. Even the fatigue from days of pulling all-nighters had miraculously vanished.

“Ah...”

A pained groan escaped her lips as she propped herself up on trembling arms. Surprisingly, her voice remained intact despite the tears she had shed the night before.

Slowly rolling her eyes to survey her surroundings, she noticed the same soft, fluffy comforter draped over her body. She was clean, and once again, she found herself wearing a bathrobe.

“...I don’t know whether this is considerate or not.”

Ra-on recalled how Do-Kyung had attacked her lips the moment they entered the hotel room, heedless of whether it was broad daylight, and tightened the robe around her.

Glancing at the empty space beside her, she saw an unwrinkled pillow—evidence that he had either risen and left or hadn’t slept at all. 

Most likely the latter, but Ra-on quickly dismissed the thought and leaned back against the headboard.

Every movement sent a sharp tingle through her lower back. Her sore groin needed no mention.

Just as she was fidgeting to find a comfortable position—

Click. The door opened, and bright light flooded the room.

Do-Kyung strode in confidently.

“I was about to wake you, but it seems you’ve timed it perfectly.”

With those words, he brushed past the bed and yanked open the curtains. The previously dim room was instantly bathed in light, causing Ra-on to instinctively furrow her brow.

Do-Kyung approached her and reached out. Before she could react, he slipped his hands beneath her thighs and lower back, effortlessly lifting her into the air.

“What are you doing…?!”

The sudden sensation of weightlessness made Ra-on reflexively grab onto his shoulders. Watching her cling to him brought a satisfied smirk to his face as he chuckled lightly.

“Let’s eat.”

...Had the ghost of someone who starved to death attached itself to him?

Ra-on grimaced at the lavish spread laid out before her. It seemed he had raided another hotel buffet—there was nothing missing.

It truly felt like she was being “raised.” Fed well, only to be exploited again.

But despite her thoughts, her body betrayed her. Her stomach growled hungrily, responding eagerly to the food.

It was almost laughable. Just two days ago, after her first time with Do-Kyung, she had felt nauseous, as if she might vomit bile. Yet today, her stomach churned with hunger.

Perhaps she was already growing accustomed to this ordeal after just two rounds. The thought flickered through her mind.

At that moment—

“You seem to like shrimp.”

“...!”

Startled by the plate suddenly thrust into her view, Ra-on instinctively leaned back and blinked rapidly.

It was the gambas she had unknowingly been eyeing moments earlier.

Embarrassed, she pressed her lips tightly shut.

Had her gaze been that obvious? But pretending nothing was amiss, she picked up her chopsticks.

Before eating anything else, she popped a shrimp into her mouth. A satisfied smile tugged at Do-Kyung’s lips as he watched her pretend to be nonchalant while enthusiastically picking at the food.

Though he hadn’t prepared the meal himself, he seemed quite pleased.

The meal concluded in silence, without a word exchanged between them.

Despite the discomfort of dining with Do-Kyung, Ra-on couldn’t deny the satisfying fullness in her stomach. Her tense expression softened slightly.

But that feeling didn’t last long. The thought of what would come next—sex—made the food in her stomach feel like a heavy lump.

Just then—

Do-Kyung rose from his seat across from her. Not wanting to be carried off again, Ra-on hesitantly stood as well.

Turning to her, he said:

“Play.”

“...What?”

---

Ra-on idly doodled in the children’s sketchbook Joon had brought her, stealing occasional glances at Do-Kyung seated across from her.

Whether it was due to poor eyesight or an effort to protect his vision, Do-Kyung sat with glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, rapidly scanning through documents. 

Around him were scattered papers densely covered in tiny text. On his left lay the unread ones, while the table and his right were stacked with papers he had already reviewed—though Ra-on wasn’t sure how they were categorized.

[Play.]

[…Huh?]

Ra-on’s expression turned blank, as if she’d heard something absurd. She had naturally assumed that after eating, they would proceed to have sex.

Seeing her bewildered face, Do-Kyung chuckled lightly, tapped the bridge of his glasses, and leaned back.

[What? Did you want to have sex?]

At her sudden frown, Do-Kyung shrugged with a look of mock regret.

[But I’m a bit busy today. I can’t play with you.]

He then handed her a children’s sketchbook, a pencil, and even colored pencils—apparently for coloring. Though, technically, it was Joon who had prepared them.

Moments after reluctantly accepting the sketchbook, Ra-on’s attempt to excuse herself and leave was effortlessly dismissed with a casual “Do you think that’ll work?”

And so, here she was now. Three hours had already passed.

It seemed Do-Kyung’s claim of being busy wasn’t just empty talk. He hadn’t let go of the documents for even a moment. The only other movement he made was mechanically drinking the coffee Joon brought him every hour.

Since the weekend already belonged to Do-Kyung, there was no point in lamenting why she was wasting time here. Besides, there was no discomfort. The room was silent except for the occasional rustle of paper and the soft scratching of her pencil against the sketchbook. There was nothing to feel uneasy about.

The only thing that stirred some complexity within her was how surprisingly… normal this all felt. It was almost unsettling. She almost wished it felt more awkward.

“Hmm…”

Ra-on let out a small sigh and lifted her head after aimlessly drawing lines across the sketchbook.

Her absent gaze drifted toward the wide-open window behind Do-Kyung. The sunlight was overly bright, the sky cloudless. It reminded her of the sky she and Hye-sung had admired together just yesterday. The falling sunlight had been warm, the breeze refreshing—just like now.

She always felt a sense of guilt toward Hye-sung. Even now, whenever she saw him, the image of him lying in the ICU with an oxygen mask lingered in her mind.

The weight of that guilt pressed heavily on her because she knew there was no way to repay him. But strangely, every time she slept with Do-Kyung, the burden seemed to lighten just a little. The tightness in her chest whenever she saw Hye-sung had eased recently.

“Hah.”

With a somewhat self-deprecating smile, Ra-on let out a hollow laugh and wiped her face with her hand.

Moreover, the shadow that had subtly hung over Hye-sung’s face was gone when she saw him yesterday. Despite going through something significant, he looked oddly carefree.

Ra-on knew the change was due to her contract with Do-Kyung. It felt like confirmation and compensation for her choice to protect Hye-sung.

Glancing away from the window, Ra-on shifted her gaze slightly to study Do-Kyung.

With his arms crossed and his neck tilted back slightly, Do-Kyung had his eyes closed. His steady breathing suggested he had fallen asleep.

Ra-on stared at him silently.

Setting aside her personal feelings, there was no denying that he was strikingly handsome. Even she couldn’t argue with that.

His unapologetic confidence added an air of charm that made him stand out even more. There were moments when even she found herself startled, her heart skipping a beat.

Ra-on adjusted her posture slightly to better observe his sleeping face.

If he was going to work himself to exhaustion and fall asleep like this, why had he bothered keeping her here?

Handing her a sketchbook and telling her to “play” without providing any real comfort—like preparing food for mental and physical stability—felt rather pointless. Ra-on glanced down at the sketchbook, now filled with random landscapes, and rested her chin on her hand.

Still, in her boredom, this was something to entertain herself with.

The first thing that caught her eye was how unexpectedly gentle he looked while asleep.

In contrast to his usual thuggish, playboy-like demeanor when awake, Do-Kyung’s face now exuded a surprising softness. 

If the word “sly” could be personified, it might very well resemble Do-Kyung. But with his eyes closed, all traces of his mischievousness vanished, leaving behind an almost innocent expression.

“…”

Finally, Ra-on’s gaze lingered on his lips, which curved upward slightly even in repose, giving the illusion of a perpetual smile. Mimicking his posture, she crossed her arms.

Her final verdict formed silently in her mind:

‘He’s a little more handsome than Hye-sung.’

For Ra-on, whose standard of beauty was firmly anchored in Hye-sung’s image, this realization came with a mix of resignation and acceptance. 

She reclined halfway on the couch, blinking slowly as she imagined Hye-sung’s soft, rounded features standing beside Do-Kyung’s sharp, rugged ones.

Letting out a small yawn, she admitted to herself:

As much as it frustrated her, Do-Kyung was definitely more her type.

It would be nice if that pretty face only spoke kind words. Muttering something about how he wasted such good looks, Ra-on closed her eyes.

Soon, the sound of their steady breathing filled the living room.