TEOTW - 9

In an instant, Yiseo’s body was pulled back into the car.

A large hand cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in, and their lips met.

Just as she felt her body tilt and something was wrong, her lower lip was bitten, and something sticky mixed between them. His tongue pushed through their joined lips and began to rummage through Yiseo’s mouth wildly.

The moment his hot heat touched her, her mind went blank. Unlike the rough force gripping the back of her neck, the kiss melting inside her mouth was soft and sweet. As if telling her not to think about anything else right now, her breathing quickened at the rich, deep kiss.

The sound of their saliva mixing and their flesh intertwining echoed stickily inside. It was unpleasant and shameful, but she was also excited.

He followed Yiseo’s head as she tried to pull away, and his upper body pressed against hers again. Like the S and N poles of a magnet, they were pulled together and touched again.

It was easy for him to trace her even teeth and penetrate the gap between her teeth, which she was consciously trying to keep shut. As Yiseo gasped for breath, he crushed her nose with his and sucked on her lips again. Why did his strong, sucking kiss feel so desperate today? It felt like no matter how much she yearned, her thirst would never be quenched.

“Stop... Ngh.”

The lips she was pushing away were swallowed by him again before she could finish her words. His hot breath pierced her lungs and seeped in. Her body was burning. She couldn’t stand the ticklish feeling from the top of her head to her heels. So she wished he would stop stirring her up.

She wished he would stop being so sweet.

The warmth from his hot breath and the heat from his craving movements shattered her thoughts. She felt like she couldn’t endure this anymore. Even as a warning bell rang in her head, the deep kiss felt so intoxicating. The urge to intertwine with him right away buzzed in her stomach.

Just as she was trying to hide the sticky desire gathering between her legs, he bit her lower lip and pushed his tongue in. Her breathing became more and more labored. Her heart began to pound as if it would burst. Her entire body, from her cheeks and neck to her stomach and behind her knees, instantly flushed with heat.

Surrender. The word rose to her throat but scattered between Taejo’s lips again. In the end, Yiseo was conquered by his wild kissing, which made her unable to think of anything else.

She came to her senses a long time later.

His eyes, which had been pulled away from her lips, glinted darkly with desire. He had been staring menacingly at her smudged lipstick, and he gripped her chin, his thumb rubbing her lips as if to scratch them. His touch was strangely gentle.

“Don’t.”

Yiseo, who had been leaning into his warmth for a moment, came to her senses belatedly and pulled her head back.

Her eyes, which were glaring at Taejo, were unusually sharp. Taejo grinned, pulling up the corner of his mouth, and whispered to her face, which was still panting and looked like it was trying to claw at him.

“See you again.”

The summer night was hot.

***

She stood under the hot stream of water for a long time.

Lost in thought, she didn’t know how much time had passed. She felt a sense of self-loathing for being toyed with by Ryu Taejo’s surprise kiss. More than the fact that she had kissed him, what confused Yiseo was that her body had burned with desire from the kiss, and she had momentarily lost her reason and become entangled with him.

Ryu Taejo was like the serpent in the Garden of Eden. She had chosen him as a suitable partner to ruin herself with, but as more fragmented memories with him piled up, an unknown confusion grew within her.

Yiseo disliked Ryu Taejo. To be precise, she disliked people who were so arbitrary. She hated the arrogance of someone who used everyone else’s time as if it were his own, who didn’t care about anyone else’s will. Most of all, she hated the way he looked at her as if he knew the shadows that others wanted to hide... Yeah. She hated that look that said, “I know you.”

It was like that in every moment. When he seemed to be testing her in front of paradise, when he listened to the gossip about Yiseo at the concert, and when he finally dug up the hidden desires beneath her and made her show her true self.

And then he would show up as if nothing had happened, confuse her, then soothe her as if it were nothing, and kiss her on a whim.

She hated that sweet, gentle kiss.

As the messy memories in her head all fell into place, her shame doubled.

Her feelings were the same as the day Ryu Taejo was dissatisfied. On the day she secretly slipped out of the hotel while he was showering and went home, Yiseo also felt a sense of emptiness. Were relationships always this futile?

If so, why did people crave sex, or forbid it and become obsessed with it? The confusion was so overwhelming that she couldn’t come to her senses. She thought she would feel relieved if she just threw herself into it, but nothing had changed, and yet her body ached, tormenting her both inside and out.

It wasn’t regret, but she had to agonize over what these fierce, hot things welling up in her heart were.

It was an impulse that had made her grab him first that day. The moment she stood face to face with Ryu Taejo and listened to the gossip, she felt relieved that it was Ryu Taejo, of all people, who had caught her secret, but at the same time, she felt awkward and humiliated that her situation among her longtime friends had been exposed. Nevertheless, she felt incredibly lucky that it wasn’t Lee Heon or someone else who was there. Of course, if she had been alone, she would have been able to act as if nothing had happened.

If he hadn’t followed her like a shadow, it would have been a matter that would have passed quietly. But thinking about it, in the end, he was the problem. The conflicting emotions of wanting to avoid him and wanting to be shattered completely raged inside her.

It was not a welcome thing to accept the powerlessness that filled her entire body only when her thoughts became too deep and the boundaries of her worries became blurred.

The moments that could have been brushed aside were annoying because pretending they didn’t happen didn’t make them go away.

Of course, she trusted that Ryu Taejo was not the kind of childish or foolish person who would use that incident as a weakness. But she also knew very well that he did not have the mature personality to pretend that he hadn’t seen it at all.

Most of all, the impulse to just get it over with and the underlying resentment were the biggest triggers for this encounter.

The desire to be a mess. The destructive desire to have everything ruined and the purity she had so nobly protected until now. What were those things anyway? She wanted to trample on the life she had lived so obediently, on those moments she had cherished and devoted herself to for who knows who.

She wanted to violate herself, to abandon herself.

The desire to destroy the noble and dignified image that her mother, Choi Seonghee, took pride in was so vivid, and the twisted will to ruin the person she had taken for granted was particularly perverse that day. She wanted to trample on the life she had lived to meet her mother’s strict standards. She wanted to protect it to be recognized, but she also wanted to ruin it because she wasn’t.

Anyway, her body wasn’t important. Everyone had a body, so she thought that it wasn’t a big deal how she treated it. She rationalized that she was just giving herself a chance to be free, after having lived so submissively out of fear of getting out of Choi Seonghee’s sight while throwing her body away like this.

It was just sex. There was no need to give it any meaning. Since there was no need to give it meaning, the fact that it was her first time didn’t make it special. It was a moment where she wanted to be alone but didn’t want to be left alone. She was used to solitude, but she was not used to loneliness. She didn’t want to be trapped in a miserable and terrible mood anymore.

So, she thought that if she could despair together in hell, Ryu Taejo wasn’t a bad choice for a partner.

She never thought that the choices she made because of her lonely and difficult life, because of her life where she had everything but couldn’t do anything, and because of her life frozen in a glacier would lead to such a result.

Still, she had no regrets about her choices.

But why?

She didn’t know why her body was trembling and her heart was stinging so much just from one kiss. She felt angry, then she felt wronged, and she wished he had noticed her feelings a little. While a snake she had released into her dark heart was stirring everything up, the stream of water didn’t stop. She stood under it blankly and let out tears that wouldn’t be noticed, as if she were crying out loud.

When she entered the kitchen to dry her hair and have a glass of juice, she heard the sound of slippers shuffling. It was Choi Seonghee. Yiseo took a step back as she saw Choi Seonghee, wearing a peach-colored silk nightgown, entering the kitchen.

Their eyes met, and she stared at Yiseo with her usual expressionless face, not questioning her about anything, and placed a business card on the marble table.

“Meet him.”

Yiseo picked up the business card. Another blind date. It was the son of a CEO of some company.

“I hope this one is on your level.”

As she said that and turned to leave, Yiseo felt a lump in her throat. Yiseo poured the juice from her glass into the sink.

***

The fitness club owned by the Haeshin Hotel was a place where only hotel guests and members with a membership could enter. With a system where domestic trainers who had raised national-level athletes managed individuals, the number of trainers was even greater than the number of clients.

Taejo, who never skipped his daily workout during his stay at the Haeshin Hotel, was training early in the morning. Someone approached his side.

“It’s been a while.”

At the low voice, Taejo turned his head.

The man standing behind him was his cousin. Ryu Jinhan, the head of the business planning division and managing director of Haeshin Industrial Development, a subsidiary of HSDC.

The light in his jet-black eyes, in his lightly double-lidded eyes, was clear. A prominent nose sat in the middle of his slender face, and his lips, letting out shallow breaths, soon curved languidly. He looked happy about their reunion after a long time.

His tall frame of 186 cm and well-balanced physique were perfectly flawless. The man usually wore a stylish suit that clearly showed the majestic lines of his body. He would sometimes insist on a full outfit, complete with a tie and vest so tight it felt like it was choking his neck, but he also enjoyed a dandy, casual style at times.

As his purpose for visiting the fitness club was to work out, he was now in light workout clothes, but his facial features, all neatly arranged under his natural hair, which had nothing in it, were as uniform as if they had been meticulously styled.

When their eyes met, he smiled softly. When he fully smiled, folding his stubborn eyes in half, he had a boyish image. When his mouth softened and relaxed, his firm impression changed as if by a lie. But it was only for a moment. A rough masculinity soon seeped into every part of his expressionless face.

Just like his usual positive attitude, his eyes, as he examined Taejo, were full of curiosity. As he watched him carefully as if searching for something interesting, Taejo put down his exercise equipment.

He couldn’t ignore the persistent gaze. When Taejo turned to greet him, the smile on his lips became more pronounced.

“How have you been?”

“Good.”

At his half-hearted answer, his eyes narrowed, engraving wrinkles. He nodded lightly as if in respect and familiarly patted Taejo’s shoulder.

“You’re still working out hard, I see.”

“You don’t seem to be doing too bad yourself.”

The two men exchanged greetings, scanning each other’s bodies, which were as well-developed as those of athletes.

It wasn’t only Taejo who disciplined his mind and body with long hours of exercise. It was the same for all of his other brothers and for everyone in Haeshin, including Jinhan. To handle the schedules that started at dawn and didn’t end until dawn again, physical strength was a must. So they had no choice but to be faithful to taking care of their bodies, even if it meant making time when there was none.

Everyone he knew was like that, and even Chairman Wang, who was about to turn eighty, started his day with jogging and exercise early in the morning.

A suffocating tension, as if it would kill them just by standing still, arose between them. It was Jinhan who first backed down.

“When are you done?”

“Soon. Why?”

Taejo’s eyes became sharp, calculating what his intentions were. At his gaze, the man who had been smiling with a neat and kind impression said in a low voice.

“Let’s talk for a bit after you’re done.”

It was a polite tone.

***

HSDC Haeshin Industrial Development, to put it simply, was a subsidiary of the parent company, Haeshin Group. After a decade-long corporate succession, where the duties and roles were divided among the children according to the will of the founder, Chairman Wang, the Haeshin Group, which had grown in size, became even more solid. However, the children’s will was a little different from Ryu Junghwan’s.

Ryu Junghwan was a typical old-fashioned man who believed that the eldest grandson was the pillar of the family. On the other hand, Ryu Sungho, the father of the second son Ryu Jinhan among his four children, was a man who was not satisfied with just the hotel he had inherited from the chairman.

He had more ambition than he seemed, and his business acumen was even better. Ryu Sungho, who ended up absorbing the department store business after the sudden death of the eldest daughter Ryu Sungkyung, proved his worth by elevating the hotel and department store sectors to the top position in the domestic industry. Ryu Jinhan, who was sitting in front of him and leisurely sipping his coffee, was the one who was following in his footsteps.

A pregnant silence flowed between the men sitting across from each other in the hotel coffee shop.

Unlike Taejo’s light attire in his training clothes, Jinhan was dressed to suit the time, place, and occasion, as if to show off that this was his workplace. With his neat suit and stylishly groomed hair, he was perfectly flawless as he raised his coffee cup by his index finger. The way he quietly brought the coffee to his lips was dignified and elegant.

“I heard you’re planning a leisure complex in Jeju Island.”

Taejo opened his mouth.

He knew about his uncle Ryu Sungho’s aspirations. That’s why Haeshin Industrial Development, which had been a cooperative partner, had suddenly become a competitor under Haeshin’s clearly divided roof.

“We have to expand slowly.”

Jinhan replied, placing his cup down leisurely.

The project was still in the planning stages. The plan was to purchase tens of thousands of acres of land in Jeju Island, build a large-scale casino complex there, and absorb both domestic and foreign capital.

“You must be busy. With all the duty-free shop preparations.”

“That’s just what we always do. It’s you who must be having a hard time. It’s your first time doing something like this.”

He gazed at Taejo as if it was no big deal, and a leisurely smile appeared in Jinhan’s eyes.

“This is what we do all the time, too.”

Taejo thought of the brothers he had on his back and added. He was making a point that their side was stronger, since the eldest son, Ryu Taejun, was the vice president of Haeshin, and the second son, Ryu Taehan, was in charge of HS International, which had duty-free business and distribution channels.

Moreover, his mother, Seo Jungjoo, was the second daughter of the Daehan Group and had a strong foothold in the culture and arts world by running an art center. Considering both his paternal and maternal families, being the head of the Haeshin Industrial Development, one of the dozens of subsidiaries Haeshin Group had, was nothing.

“I’m just learning, thinking of it as an expensive tuition fee.”

“Right. You learn everything quickly.”

“Honestly, you could put any dog in this position. That’s why the corporate system exists.”

“Exactly. The driving force of a company comes from the system, not the talent. But it’s the talent that builds that system.”

He responded gently, smiling magnanimously, as if nothing was as important as a person. He looked relaxed, but he was a naturally intimidating man. Jinhan would suddenly reveal a sharp edge even while maintaining his languid atmosphere. It was a family trait.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Taejo’s eyebrows twitched.

“You sound confident.”

“Even if I’m not, I have to be.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

In a subtle atmosphere, the two men exchanged a knowing smile.

They hadn’t had a bad relationship since they were young, but Taejo’s nerves were on edge when it came to anything related to Jinhan. It was probably because of their long history of being put to the same test.

For fun, and later with their pride on the line, the adults constantly forced the two, who had distinctly different roles and responsibilities, into a competitive relationship.

But it was different from the rivalry he felt with his brothers. The strict grandfather, who was like a tiger to his older brothers, showered Taejo, the youngest, with unconditional love. On the other hand, Jinhan, though superior in every aspect, was in a different position. The difference between them was that Jinhan was satisfied with his place and his share, while Taejo was not. It was a natural temperament from childhood.

It was Jinhan who had started exercising first and won first place in the National Sports Festival. Coincidentally, Taejo, who followed him and won the silver medal, could not forget the feeling of being defeated that day.

When Taejo was plunking on the piano keys, Jinhan won an award in a nationwide competition, and when Taejo held a brush, he swept the art contests.

He said it was because he was lucky, but Jinhan was excellent in every field. And yet, the fact that he was not arrogant was his greatest strength.

He had inherited his father’s ambition but was a patient man who knew when to act and when not to. And yet, he had no hesitation in finding his own place.

Such attitudes and situations built up a sense of caution. The shadow-like moments of glory he left behind made Taejo a loser, regardless of his intentions.

He couldn’t shake the feeling of always following behind Jinhan. It was a different feeling from the one he had for his brothers. It was natural that there was a gap in their growth, as there was a five-year age difference, but maybe that’s why he felt an inferiority complex toward Jinhan. This was a chance to be put on the same test and be properly evaluated. So, his heart couldn’t help but burn with a competitive spirit.

“Don’t they tell you to get married?”

“I will when the time is right.”

He was even one step ahead in marriage. Although it was a half-baked marital connection that had fallen apart after he had been engaged to Song Hyeonjin, the only daughter of Jinsong Trading, and broke it off.

“You’re very relaxed.”

Neither of them could be free from marriage, as it was an extension of business. Nevertheless, the man who had broken off his engagement last year looked too neat. As if such a past could not dare to be a flaw.

“There’s no reason to rush. When the time is right, I’ll meet the right person.”

The wedding with Jinsong Trading, which was supposed to be a business arrangement, was called off when things went wrong. It was around this time last year that the public was buzzing about his record of breaking off an engagement, but he seemed to think of it as just a business plan that had failed.

“That’s convenient.”

“Whatever it is, a simple and clear path is always easier, isn’t it?”

For Jinhan, marriage was therefore nothing more or less than a duty and a part of business. Of course, he was not the kind of man who would shirk his duties. That’s because he had no intention of giving up the benefits that came with marriage.

His eyes, which had been sparkling as he spoke about a future that hadn’t happened, perhaps an ambition, suddenly moved past Taejo’s shoulder. His sharp eyes narrowed as if he had found someone he knew.

“Do you know them?”

Taejo turned his head and looked at the table diagonally behind him where a man and a woman were sitting.

“The son of the economics professor I visit. He’s also an S-Tech researcher.”

He had heard indirectly that he met the professor and studied with him once or twice a month, secretly.

But Taejo’s gaze was fixed not on the man but on the woman sitting opposite him. Her figure, dressed elegantly and fancily as if her outfit was a statement of her intention to attend an important meeting, sat as still as a wooden doll. Her thin back, which would flinch if touched, her exposed white nape, and the brown hair tied up on top of her head made him recognize who she was without even seeing her face.

Yoon Yiseo, was she here for another blind date?

“Sucker.”

“I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

Jinhan, who had been raising his coffee, looked up at the low voice he had muttered to himself. Taejo quickly shook his head.

“Nothing.”

But he couldn’t concentrate on the conversation anymore. He was much more interested in the table of strangers, who were probably spending their time blankly with an indifferent look on their faces, than in his own conversation.

________________________________________

“I’m sorry.”

“No, not at all. It was a pleasant meeting. I’m disappointed that the conversation was going so well, but I’m also glad that we both agree that we don’t want to force a relationship. Thank you for your time despite your busy schedule.”

The man, who had politely said his goodbyes, got up from his seat, saying he had to go. Yiseo was left alone at the now empty table and let out a quiet sigh. Another failure. It was the same routine as always, but today, it felt especially empty.

How much time had passed since her blind date had left? It was around the time the music playing in the background was ending. Someone approached and pulled out the empty chair, sitting down.

“This is a foul.”

A familiar voice burrowed into her ear. When she looked up, Taejo, who had quickly taken the seat, was sitting with his long legs crossed, looking at her with a crooked gaze as if to ask what had happened.

“Why are you here...”

“That’s what I’d like to ask you.”

As if it was the fault of the person who had been spotted, he cut Yiseo off and met her gaze. He was dressed more casually than usual, as if he had just come from a workout. The way he ran a hand through his hair, which had no product in it, gave him a softer feel than usual.

“What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you.”

He looked down at the empty glass left behind by someone else on the table and then looked up again, eyeing Yiseo as if to press her for an answer.

“You told me to prove myself, and you’re out here doing this.”

He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Did you never intend to give me a chance in the first place?”

Yiseo, who didn’t even respond, didn’t seem to have any intention of making an excuse or an explanation. Looking at her listless and sullen mood, it was obvious that the blind date had failed.

“How much did you want to look good...”

...that she would dress up like this. She looked like a snobbish rich girl in a light blue tweed jacket that clung to her body and a matching pleated skirt. The V-neck design that revealed her neckline and the bright colors of the fabric created a fresher atmosphere than usual.

Perhaps it was because of her makeup, which emphasized the shading, but her eyes looked unusually deep today. He snorted, looking at her eyes, which seemed a little tired, but were still clear and intelligent.

“You’re very busy even on weekends.”

Yiseo’s eyebrows shot up at his obvious, blatant criticism.

“That’s why I’m tired. I’m paying, so do you want to order something more?”

“No, thanks.”

“Then get up.”

She had been lost in thought for so long, but the moment Taejo appeared, her movements became quick. Yiseo grabbed her handbag and got up from her seat without a second thought.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know.”

At her indifferent answer, Taejo took a big step and blocked her path. Yiseo’s steps came to a halt at his obstruction.

“I have time, but I have nothing to do.”

Saturday was the day she had her cooking class in Oksu-dong. But the class started at 5 PM, and it was noon right now. She was meaninglessly killing time, not knowing what to do with the five-hour gap.

Perhaps Choi Seonghee had set aside plenty of time, considering the possibility of a second date, but Yiseo had never agreed to a second date before.

So today was no different. The only difference was that Ryu Taejo had butted in like an uninvited guest.

“How much time do you have left?”

“About five hours?”

He looked down at his wrist to check the time and then lifted his head.

“Come with me.”

It was not a goodbye. Yiseo looked at him without a word.

“I’m bored, too, as it turns out.”

He gave a slight nod with his chin, as if there was no other reason. Yiseo reluctantly followed him out.

As if they had been together from the start, he walked to the counter, paid the bill for Yiseo, and quickly returned to her side.

“I was going to pay.”

“It doesn’t matter who pays.”

The bill had already been settled, and it was in the past. Unlike him, who acted so casually, Yiseo felt a sense of debt even in such trivial matters.

“Call me when you have free time from now on.”

“What?”

“And carry a book with you.”

As he put his card away and added casually, Yiseo shut her mouth. She wasn’t used to this kind of kindness. Of course, if he was doing it out of goodwill, it suited him even less. Yiseo deliberately ignored him and walked past him. At that moment, he took a big step, came up to her, and put his arm around her shoulder.

“Didn’t you save my number?”

He looked down at Yiseo’s face with a suspicious gaze, as if she was wondering if they were close enough for that.

After their dinner, she had received a message from Taejo telling her to save his number. ‘Save it.’ At his direct words, Yiseo had debated for a long time before finally saving the number.

“I did.”

As if that was enough, Taejo gave a light nod and began to walk. Swept along by his pace, Yiseo also started walking.

“Where are we going?”

“You have to give me a chance, you know.”

A chance?

The man’s face, which was tilted to meet her eyes, seemed to blur with annoyance. The look in his eyes, which held a smile inside, seemed impure, but she was half-resigned.

She felt strange every time the cool scent from his arm around her shoulder wafted toward her. At that moment, Taejo grabbed Yiseo’s wrist and began to cross the hotel path again.