SELA - 67

Their bodies were completely soaked, a mess of sweat and various bodily fluids. But their spirits were refreshed and happy. It felt as if the invisible veil that had been separating them had finally been lifted.

Caressing each other’s soft, damp skin, Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee kissed for a long time. It was a tender, slow kiss, with breaths shared in between.

The red sunset outside the window had already turned into a deep navy blue. Under the dim moonlight, the two laughed as they looked at each other, glowing. Their tousled hair and sweat-drenched faces looked adorably cute.

Turning to lie on their sides again, Ji-hyuk and Sa-hee embraced each other without either initiating it. They fit together perfectly, as if they had been made for each other from the start.

Ji-hyuk, with his chin resting on Sa-hee’s head, and Sa-hee, with her face buried in Ji-hyuk’s chest, exchanged silly laughter before closing their eyes for a moment. Just for a brief moment, it felt okay to feel the warmth of their beloved without any worries.

“I’m thirsty...”

“Water?”

“Yeah. The fridge.”

Ji-hyuk, who had kissed her hair, got up. He pulled down the shirt and underwear that had bunched up around Sa-hee’s upper chest and cleaned up with a tissue.

Soon after getting up, he left the room. His back view in comfortable clothes – a white short-sleeved shirt and training pants – was pleasant to look at. It felt strange but nice to see Ji-hyuk together in the familiar setting of her home.

Sa-hee rubbed her arm as a cool sensation slowly crept over her body. Come to think of it, her lower half was still naked. Feeling belatedly embarrassed, she quickly pulled the blanket over herself. Just then, Ji-hyuk returned.

Returning, Ji-hyuk handed Sa-hee a glass of water and drank straight from the bottle himself. Sa-hee sat up and sipped her water. While she drank slowly, Ji-hyuk reached down and gently touched her tousled hair. It was a tender touch.

Sa-hee took her lips off the glass and looked at him. His eyes, still stroking her hair, were languid. It could have been because of what they had just done, but it was also likely because the tautness of their nerves had finally relaxed.

“Come back home.”

“Home?”

“I moved a while ago.”

“......”

“What are you 고민 about? Of course we should be together.”

Sa-hee smiled awkwardly without answering.

“I took care of it in advance when I was getting it, so it’s a place your family will never be able to find. Come in without worry.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Ji-hyuk picked up the water bottle and took another sip. Even as he did so, he never took his eyes off Sa-hee. Finishing his water, Ji-hyuk closed the bottle cap and casually tossed the bottle onto the mattress.

“Sa-hee-yah.”

“Huh?”

Ji-hyuk, who had sat down beside her before she knew it, caressed Sa-hee’s cheek.

“I’m going to put everything back in its place. Everything.”

“......”

“You know what that means, right?”

“A little.”

“The first step in that plan is naturally you.”

Ji-hyuk’s forehead and the tip of his nose, slowly approaching, touched Sa-hee’s. Their gazes intertwined – Ji-hyuk’s direct, and Sa-hee’s slightly trembling.

“So come back.”

“......”

“Huh?”

“......”

“We’ve finally gotten to be together, you and I.”

“Okay.”

Ji-hyuk, who had been caressing Sa-hee’s neck with his large hand, curved his lips in satisfaction. Then he tilted his head and kissed her deeply. Feeling the sensation of their lips pressed together, Sa-hee closed her eyes and placed her hand on his shoulder. She liked the solid feel of it.

Ji-hyuk gently pushed Sa-hee’s body again, and the two of them fell back. Ji-hyuk moved on top of Sa-hee.

“Wait. My body is still a little sensitive...”

“That’s why.”

“That’s why?”

Ji-hyuk grinned and burrowed into Sa-hee’s shirt, showering kisses around her stomach and chest. Sa-hee, ticklish and flinching, soon burst into laughter. Even when she tried to curl up, she couldn’t do as she pleased because he was holding her.

Soon, the pecking kisses that had been all over her body turned into more lingering kisses, and Sa-hee began to pant.

“Ji-hyuk-ssi...”

He didn’t answer. Sa-hee fluttered her eyes, feeling the wet, soft, and hot sensations all over her body. All she could do was surrender herself to his love. Sa-hee willingly embraced his head and moaned deeply.

________________________________________

The next day, Ji-hyuk went to Ji-young’s house himself. It was to apologize for his rudeness the day before.

Ji-young’s parents, whom he had expected to be furious upon seeing him, surprisingly wore calm expressions, but they couldn’t hide their trembling lips.

In the end, Ji-young’s father raised his hand to Ji-hyuk, who was bowing his head and apologizing. But he couldn’t bring himself to strike him, for two reasons. First, living in Korea, it was never beneficial to get on the wrong side of the Taesung Group, and second, Ji-young had clung to his arm, crying and begging him not to.

Even after seeing her parents turn away, clicking their tongues in exasperation, Ji-young couldn’t come to her senses. She grabbed Ji-hyuk’s arm as he was about to leave and dragged him into her room.

When the door closed and they were the only two left in the room, only then did Ji-young realize what she had done and was startled, releasing Ji-hyuk’s arm. Now that she had the chance to face him, she didn’t have the confidence to meet his eyes. Ji-young stood before Ji-hyuk, her head bowed low.

“Oppa, I’m sorry. For suddenly dragging you in like this.”

“No. I also thought I should talk to you once.”

Then there was silence. It was so quiet that they could hear the ticking of the clock.

“Oppa. I was so embarrassed yesterday.”

Ji-young was the first to speak. Her heart pounded as if it would burst as she finally mustered the courage to speak. She couldn’t gauge how the cold Ji-hyuk would react to her honesty.

“I’m sorry.”

“......”

“I have nothing to say to you but I’m sorry.”

Ji-hyuk apologized. And he did so politely, with an unusually warm voice. Ji-young felt like she was about to cry for some reason, so she bit her lip hard.

“Everyone’s telling us to stop, but I kept hoping you would come.”

“......”

“I think this whole mess happened because I rushed things too much when you clearly didn’t want to.”

Ji-young, who had been picking at her innocent fingernails, looked up. Her face looked much worse in the meantime.

“Oppa. Let’s set a new date.”

“Ji-young-ah.”

“I’ll wait patiently this time. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.”

“Moon Ji-young.”

“The adults, they’ll be fine. If we say we just had a little fight, they’ll understand, right? If we say we’ll try again, they’ll probably be even happier.”

“I have someone I love.”

“Pardon?”

“I have someone I’m going to marry.”

Ji-young’s blank face gradually contorted, and tears welled up in her eyes. Then she finally burst into tears.

“Liar. Don’t lie. If you don’t like me, just say you don’t like me, don’t be a coward and lie!”

Ji-hyuk took a handkerchief from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Ji-young. Ji-young slapped it away without even looking. The handkerchief that fell to the floor, neither of them intended to pick it up. For Ji-hyuk, that was his last consideration.

Ji-hyuk, with his hands in his pockets, looked down at Ji-young with calm eyes. Ji-young continued to shed tears, trembling and unable to even touch Ji-hyuk.

“Is it Secretary Yoon?”

“Yes.”

Hearing the answer, Ji-young’s expression visibly hardened.

“Are you going to get married?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, Ji-young walked with agitated steps towards somewhere and began to sweep everything off her dressing table and the table. Crash, shatter. The commotion filled the room.

“Sob... haaah...”

Ji-young sank to the floor, burying her face in her hands and crying. Ji-hyuk simply stood in the same spot where he had first stood, only looking ahead.

“You know this was bound to happen in the end.”

“Haaah, sob...”

“Meet someone who suits you well. Stop chasing after illusions.”

“......Sniff.”

“I’m sorry.”

Ji-hyuk apologized once more and turned to leave the room. He didn’t even make eye contact with Ji-young, who was looking up at him with a tear-streaked face.

“I’ll still see you as a patient.”

Joon-young, who had followed Ji-hyuk out for a lukewarm farewell that was neither a proper send-off nor a complete dismissal, declared a three-month break in their friendship. He added that he wanted to sentence him to a year, but he was considering their past friendship. Fortunately, as his doctor, he said he would always welcome him as a patient.

Ji-hyuk nodded, thinking he probably wouldn’t need to see Joon-young as he wouldn’t be dreaming anymore. Then he held out his hand. Joon-young, quietly looking down at his hand, snorted and slapped his hand away with a smack. Then he closed the door and went inside.

Ji-hyuk stood there for a moment before turning away without any lingering feelings. He was grateful and sorry to Joon-young, but he had no regrets about his choice. Absolutely none.