Psst! We're moving!
Na-yeon stared at the warm stew for a long time before finally leaving the house. She got behind the wheel and headed towards Jaemun. She had thought they could spend some quiet time together today for their wedding anniversary, but he had left the house after receiving a sudden phone call. Whenever this happened, her heart would shrink and her hands and feet would tremble.
Surely nothing had happened. No, it couldn’t be. Even as she thought that, worry kept creeping in.
It wasn’t exactly a dating period, but even before she married him, he had once been away from home all day due to something bad, which made her even more worried. His work involved danger, so she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“Yes, Secretary Kim, it’s me. Is Yeon-seok in his office right now? I know it’s not my place to interfere, but I’m worried. Yes. I’m on my way to the company now.”
She felt somewhat relieved at the reply that there had been a minor incident within the company, but nothing to worry about.
As she parked the car in front of the company, a man in a black suit who had been waiting on Seong-shik’s orders came out and took the car keys from her.
Na-yeon hurried towards the executive office.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, she got on like a bullet. Of all times, it felt like time was dragging.
At the sound of the door opening, Na-yeon quickly got off and headed towards the executive office. Dark figures were guarding the front of the office. One of Yeon-seok’s secretaries, a man she had met before, bowed his head. The man with a sharp impression treated her with utmost respect.
“The Director is in the conference room downstairs.”
“I know. I’m coming from talking to Secretary Kim just now. I didn’t know when the meeting would end, so I came here in case I intruded.”
“Would you like to wait inside?”
“Yes.”
Na-yeon entered through the door the man held open and went to sit on the sofa, familiar with the place.
It was an impregnable door that no one could open without him. Even though all the important documents were in the safe, this office itself was a forbidden place for others. But it was different for Na-yeon. Only she was allowed entry. Naturally, it was under Yeon-seok’s instructions.
She was relieved that it didn’t seem like anything major had happened. What if he got caught up in a fight again in a battlefield-like place, what if he got stabbed...?
Na-yeon swallowed hard, her face pale. She was so relieved that wasn’t the case. Just being in the same building as him was reassuring.
The glittering city spread out at a glance from his office window. Na-yeon stared blankly out the window before starting to drink the tea the secretary brought. Time continued to pass as the meeting seemed to be taking longer than expected. The warm tea was almost gone.
Na-yeon half-opened her fluttering eyes. Through her blurry vision, she saw Yeon-seok sitting at his desk. Had she dozed off? Even so, she had been worried about his safety, yet she had fallen asleep.
She had been preoccupied with the pharmacy opening issue for the past few days, so she couldn’t resist falling asleep for that short while. Na-yeon quietly pulled up Yeon-seok’s suit jacket that was covering her. When had he put it on her again? The jacket he had worn when leaving the house was covering her body.
He seemed to have returned after finishing the meeting and was taking care of the remaining work. Seeing him wearing a crisp white shirt and holding a pen made her feel incredibly relieved.
Na-yeon held her breath, trying not to make a sound, and observed him. She was past the point of just saying he was handsome. Her gaze moved to his lips, which always showered her with love, and his chest, which embraced her unconditionally. She could stay and watch him all day, but she couldn’t just lie around idly in his office. She slowly got up, approached Yeon-seok, and hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
“It’s nice when you pounce first.”
Seeing him making such leisurely jokes, she was relieved that nothing serious seemed to have happened.
“I was worried.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“But...”
She hugged his neck tightly and buried her face in his collarbone. He might think it was childish whining, but for Na-yeon, the thought of something happening to him was an indescribable anxiety. As if he knew her worries, he put down what he was doing and pulled Na-yeon into an embrace. She stepped between his legs.
“You should do that kind of worrying while giving me a kiss or something.”
“...I haven’t done anything good for Oppa either, but maybe it’s because I keep thinking about my dead brother that I’m like this.”
Actually, she hadn’t shown it to Yeon-seok, but she had spent many sleepless nights because of Tae-sung’s death. She had wanted Tae-sung to disappear more than anyone, but when he actually died before her eyes like that, it unknowingly left a burden on her heart.
At the same time, the thought that something could happen to Yeon-seok as well filled her with fear. Tae-sung was a sibling worse than a stranger, but Yeon-seok was her one and only husband and the only person for her. He was incomparable to Tae-sung.
“Your brother and I are different. How dare you even compare him to me.”
She nodded. That was true. Cha Yeon-seok was different from Tae-sung, who couldn’t even protect himself. Cha Yeon-seok was the kind of man who would come back to life even after dying.
“You’ve made it so I can’t live a single day without you, and if you leave me...”
Unable to continue speaking, she took a deep breath, and he slipped his hand under her skirt and caressed her buttocks.
“I guess I’ll have to live forever, even for your sake.”
“Yes?”
He pushed aside the work he had been looking at and picked up his suit jacket. He grabbed Na-yeon’s hand, almost urgently, and left the company.
He seemed just as eager to return home as she was.
As soon as they returned home, he clicked his tongue at the untouched dinner table he had left without even taking a spoonful. She almost said, “How could you eat when you left him in a life-or-death situation?” But she stopped herself. Even though he said that, he probably knew why she couldn’t even take a spoonful of rice.
Looking at the cooled stew, he took off his watch. Then he swiftly pulled up Na-yeon’s top. Soon after, he took off his own shirt.
It was his way of suggesting they shower together, which Na-yeon loved. She instantly felt better. It was late, but she couldn’t have missed his underlying intention to celebrate their remaining 1st wedding anniversary. She had to be prepared for sex that would continue until the night once they started showering, but she didn’t mind.
As soon as they entered the shower booth, she leaned against him. Under the pouring warm water, Na-yeon happily swept back her hair and stood facing him.
Being with him was warmer than the hot water that relaxed her whole body.
As if to say he would always be by her side, who was feeling uneasy, his lips pressed against Na-yeon’s cheek. Na-yeon hugged his approaching neck.
“What did I tell you?”
“That you’d always be by my side.”
“Again. There was one more thing.”
“That you’d punish me if I thought about other men.”
“That’s right. Even forgetting is a punishment.”
Na-yeon knew very well what that punishment was without having to ask.
“Pervert.”
Even while saying that, she clung to him even more, as if she would never let go. It was this man who always filled her with warmth by her side.
A man who always swore his promise not to go anywhere and held her close.
Na-yeon responded by embracing him with all her strength.
<The End>