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“Director!”
Recognizing Hyun-sung, Jinhan waved his hand, indicating he was alright.
Even as his vision blurred, he couldn’t take his eyes off Dojun and Haejoo as they moved away.
Worried and having followed, Hyun-sung turned his gaze in the direction Jinhan was looking.
He saw a woman who looked like Haejoo with a man, and his heart sank.
He didn’t know what to say, so he just moved his lips.
He had told Jinhan that Haejoo was staying at the accommodation, so he was in an awkward situation.
“I didn’t see wrong, did I?”
“That... well.”
“Tell me straight. Where is Haejoo-ssi right now?”
Dojun and Haejoo had disappeared from sight.
Jinhan, looking like he was about to collapse, had bloodshot eyes.
Flustered, Hyun-sung roughly ran his hand through his short hair.
“Haejoo Noona thought it was a company dinner.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“......Haejoo Noona’s husband came.”
“Who is Haejoo-ssi’s husband!”
“Director, let’s talk outside, not here, okay?”
Jinhan’s voice was about to rise.
Hyun-sung supported the larger man and led him outside.
As soon as he put him in the car, the damp air stung his nose, so he turned on the air conditioner.
“I’m not sure if that woman earlier was really Haejoo Noona.”
“It was Haejoo-ssi.”
At the firm reply, Hyun-sung couldn’t say anything back.
Jinhan, who was drunk and seemed to have lost his reason, was a ticking time bomb.
“Haejoo-ssi said Park Dojun came?”
“Yes, it seemed like he came suddenly.”
Hyun-sung had some idea of what was going on.
That Jinhan had feelings for Haejoo and that the dinner earlier had been just the two of them.
And then Jinhan had seen Haejoo and Dojun together. The timing was also cruel.
“Did she choose Park Dojun over me?”
Hyun-sung couldn’t answer.
He felt so uncomfortable with the situation that he just wanted to go back to the accommodation quickly.
He reluctantly drove the car into the rain. The raindrops were so heavy that he could barely see ahead, and his shoulders hunched.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“I’m sorry. It’s raining so hard while I’m driving.”
Hyun-sung deliberately made the rain an excuse.
Fortunately, the accommodation wasn’t far from the hotel, so they arrived quickly.
“I’ll get you an umbrella... Director!”
As soon as the car stopped, Jinhan got out.
His heart pounding, Hyun-sung hesitated to send a message to Haejoo.
“This is bad. What do I do now?”
Pretending not to know, he went to Jinhan’s accommodation.
The door wasn’t even properly closed, and he was just peeking his head in.
Suddenly, the sound of things breaking loudly from inside made his ears ring. Startled, Hyun-sung stepped inside and stood against the wall.
“......!”
Unable to contain his anger, Jinhan swept the items on the table onto the floor.
Cups and even a laptop were broken and in a mess.
Jinhan’s eyes, as he gasped for breath, were not normal. It looked like he was possessed by a demon and writhing in pain, so Hyun-sung couldn’t approach him rashly.
“Director, please calm down.”
“Like a stupid idiot...”
“Director?”
“You’re the same.”
His fierce gaze turned to Hyun-sung.
Jinhan let out a hollow laugh, then groaned in pain from a throbbing headache.
“You should have just told me honestly from the beginning.”
“......I’m sorry.”
“I wish I hadn’t seen anything.”
“I was short-sighted.”
“Haejoo-ssi didn’t have a normal marriage. It was forced upon her in a situation where she couldn’t make a proper judgment!”
Hyun-sung, his hands clasped together, hung his head low.
He listened to Jinhan’s words without making any excuses.
“What have I been for the past two years? I’m the one who made Haejoo-ssi who she is now!”
“......”
“Does liking someone have to be this painful?”
Rumors circulated in the company that Haejoo had used Jinhan.
But Haejoo hadn’t used Jinhan.
It was just that Jinhan liked Haejoo too much, which led to such misunderstandings.
At least, that was the relationship between Haejoo and Jinhan as Hyun-sung saw it.
“Liking someone isn’t a sin. But... why does it hurt so much?”
Jinhan collapsed onto the bed.
He continued to talk to himself for a long time before his movements stopped.
Hyun-sung’s chest also felt heavy. He cleaned up the messy table and floor, then took off Jinhan’s suit jacket.
As he was putting a blanket over him and leaving, Yoonji was standing there with an umbrella.
“Why are you here?”
“Did the director hit you?”
“No.”
“I heard things breaking?”
“The director is drunk.”
“Because of Haejoo?”
When Hyun-sung didn’t answer, Yoonji turned away sharply.
“This is why love is scary. If it were me, I would have been fired immediately.”
“It’s not like that.”
Hyun-sung passed Yoonji and went to Haejoo’s accommodation.
As it got dark, the surroundings became pitch black, so he called her just in case.
He faintly heard Haejoo’s phone ringing through the gap in the window, so he pressed the end call button.
________________________________________
Haejoo woke up with difficulty at the sound of thunder.
A lingering tingling pain still remained on her lips, and she could feel the swelling.
Every joint in her body felt surrounded by Dojun.
A considerable weight pressed down on her, but it felt stable, like a winter blanket.
The difference was the body heat.
Residual heat still remained throughout her body, warming her to the core.
“What time is it?”
She had to call Hyun-sung if she thought she couldn’t get back to her accommodation.
Since she had left her phone behind, she looked around the bed.
Scattered clothes and belongings were strewn about messily.
“Ugh!”
As she tried to raise her body, a chain reaction of stiffness starting from her lower body became unbearable.
A groan escaped her lips without her realizing it, and Dojun opened his eyes.
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
“You kept moaning.”
It felt unfair that the person who had caused her to moan was saying that.
In this nice hotel, without any talk of a “staycation,” Dojun had pushed Haejoo to her limit.
The situation on the bed was worse than the storm raging outside.
Trying to cope with his relentless advances, Haejoo had exhausted all her energy.
It was a bizarre experience where pain and pleasure simultaneously enveloped her body.
“Dojun-ssi, you were bad.”
After the story about Lee-joon came up during dinner, Dojun seemed determined.
It was impossible to ask him why. Due to his instincts and pride, Haejoo’s body had paid the price.
“Rest here for a few days.”
Haejoo stared blankly at Dojun at his unreasonable request.
He, on the other hand, had disheveled hair and a gentle smile on his lips.
“Filming starts on Monday.”
“So you’re saying you’ll rest until tomorrow.”
Haejoo, covering her front with the blanket, tried to sit up.
Even that made her struggle, so Dojun pushed her up, and she finally managed to sit.
He got up from the bed, following suit.
“I’ll get you a gown. Wait here.”
The traces of a fierce battle were evident everywhere.
Haejoo couldn’t even lift her head properly at his clean-cut back as he walked towards the dresser.
“Still awkward?”
“It’s very different from what I’ve seen in movies.”
“Was it?”
He personally helped Haejoo put on the gown.
Recalling the moment their skin touched, he already felt a pang of longing and traced the line of her shoulder with his fingertips.
“I hope you enjoyed it too.”
They were a married couple, but not quite like one yet.
Emotions close to romance kept surging, making him want to possess Haejoo.
“I want to do more, but I’m holding back.”
Only then did he put on his own gown and get a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
He took a sip of the cold water first, then pressed his lips against Haejoo’s, opening them.
Thirst was already rising in her, and the water flowed in.
Before the thrilling shiver that ran through her body could cool down, he moistened her throat again.
Haejoo didn’t dislike Dojun’s lingering actions. It was unfamiliar and embarrassing, but the more he did it, the sweeter it became, and she kept getting drawn in.
“Can you walk?”
“Of course.”
He casually hung their clothes on a chair and held both of Haejoo’s hands.
Like learning to take her first steps, she followed Dojun.
As feared, her gait was awkward.
She tried her best to act like she was okay, but Dojun chuckled at her wobbly movements.
“Don’t laugh.”
“Because you’re cute.”
“I need to call my manager first.”
“Just a moment.”
Dojun found his phone and sat Haejoo on the sofa.
“I’m calling. I’ll go run the bathwater.”
Haejoo nodded and, after confirming he was going to the bathroom, called Hyun-sung.
It was already approaching midnight.
After a long wait, she finally got through to Hyun-sung and spoke as if nothing had happened.
“Hyun-sung-ah, it’s me.”
-Noona!
“Did the company dinner go well?”
-Well... some trouble happened.
“What kind of trouble?”
-Should I even tell you this...?
“What is it?”
Hyun-sung stammered.
Unable to answer immediately and hesitating repeatedly, Haejoo asked again.
“It’s okay, tell me.”
Only then did Hyun-sung explain what had happened in the evening.
The excuse he had made up for Haejoo and Jinhan’s drunken rampage...
As she listened, Haejoo felt her mind go blank.
“So that’s what happened.”
-I’m sorry. I should have acted more wisely.
“It’s not your fault. You suffered because of me.”
-By the way, what about the director? I’ve never seen him fall apart like that before.
“......There’s nothing we can do. I’ll go tomorrow.”
-Yes, Noona.
Haejoo hadn’t expected this kind of moment with Dojun to come.
Vaguely, she had only felt upset that her time with him was decreasing.
But when Dojun actually appeared, she had fallen helplessly, like a car with broken brakes.
She had seen people cry and laugh over love before. Emotions she couldn’t understand at the time now felt ingrained in her bones.
“So this is how it feels.”
Even though Jinhan had been suffering so much, Haejoo felt more drawn to Dojun’s embrace, which had relentlessly consumed her.
Moreover, the faint pain that remained like a scar of glory was even languid.
“Soaking in warm water will help you relax.”
“Dojun-ssi, be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“You’ve had many women, haven’t you?”
He knelt down on one knee in front of Haejoo.
His hazel eyes, meeting hers, already held her.
“What does it matter if I’ve had many women? You’re the only woman in my life.”
“......!”
“I must have been crazy and rough with you today.”
“......”
“I’ll do better next time.”
“How?”
“I’m going to torment you happily.”
Startled, Haejoo blinked her eyes.
He chuckled, stood up, and took her hand.
“I want to run away with you like this.”
“What about work?”
“Let’s just quit.”
“What about money?”
“You can have it all.”
The two walked to the bathtub and instantly became the same.
Dojun, still holding the embarrassed Haejoo, lifted her up, stepped into the bathtub, and gently sat down.
Haejoo winced at the sharp stinging sensation.
The hot water slowly cooled, matching their body temperature.
“Like this... I feel like I’m going crazy again.”
It wasn’t any different in the water.
No sooner had her stiff muscles relaxed than he was swallowing her scent.
Thunder rumbled incessantly throughout the night.
Even though they had deliberately turned off all the lights, the two couldn’t fall asleep.
Then, as dawn broke, the sun rose.
________________________________________
Jinhan, who had woken up to the sound of thunder, looked for painkillers first.
He had to catch a flight today, but his hangover hadn’t gone away at all.
He tried to go back to sleep.
Not long after, he felt nauseous and threw up everything before his head finally cleared.
Outside, it was just beginning to get light.
Jinhan, having finished showering, packed his luggage and placed it outside beforehand.
Then he went to Haejoo’s accommodation.
“Haejoo-ssi.”
Haejoo’s room window, still dark, was dim.
Though he had hoped otherwise, he waited stubbornly for her, who ultimately didn’t return.
A bitter taste rose from his throat.
Seeing tears welling up in his eyes at this age made him feel like a complete fool.
“Excuse me... Director.”
“Yeah, Hyun-sung-ssi.”
Jinhan, forcing a smile, lifted his hollow face.
What Hyun-sung had brought was the car key.
“It’s time for you to go to the airport, right? I’ll drive you.”
“Thanks.”
Jinhan’s eyes sank gloomily.
Hyun-sung understood as another man but didn’t pretend to know how he felt.
A while later, Jinhan boarded a flight to Gimpo Airport.
It wasn’t a long distance, but he fell asleep and woke up.
“We’ve arrived already.”
He felt somewhat lighter than he had in Jeju.
He loaded his luggage into an airport taxi and was about to head home when he changed direction towards the company.
He had taken a vacation to see Haejoo, but in reality, he had a lot of pending work. He felt bitter about his ruined vacation.
“We’re here, sir.”
He got out of the taxi and was pulling his suitcase when it happened.
Someone suddenly grabbed him from behind, and he instinctively lashed out.
Turning around, he saw a young woman he didn’t recognize.