Don't Want to Go Home Tonight
Has this girl suddenly been possessed by a fire goddess? …………… We finished the meal. Just enough booze to avoid messing up work tomorrow. On the grill, only a few charred garlic cloves and glistening pork fat remained, and a pleasant buzz warmed my body.
I'd force-fed myself all that stamina-boosting stuff—garlic, oysters, chives—and now my stomach wasn't just full; it was toasty inside. Add the alcohol, and it felt like every blood vessel in my body was dilating.
The mood wasn't bad. Hell, it was pretty damn good. Today's Yeom Hana had tamer drinking habits than usual. No belting out songs, no clinging like glue, no exploding into laughter at lame jokes—just a bit more smiling than normal, eyes a little glazed.
Exchanging silly banter with her and downing shots, all the tension piled up from dealing with Lee Jin-ah and Han Sol melted away like snow.
But then.
What the hell? A chill prickled the back of my neck. My body was hot from the food and drinks, but my nape felt icy. Like someone had shoved an ice cube down my spine—goosebumps crawled up the other way.
Felt like someone was staring holes into the back of my head. Han Kang's instincts, honed from 18 years fighting Villains, blared a warning.
I casually turned to glance out the window. The darkened street had only streetlights glowing. A few passersby, but no suspicious shadows watching me. I scanned a few more times—same result.
Ah, maybe a flash of blue twintails at the edge of my vision.
Nah, no way. Blue Falcon would've headed off to do her own thing after filming. These past few days had been too hectic; my nerves were just on edge. Had to be. Probably just a draft sneaking through the window. I convinced myself and tugged my collar closed.
"Ajusshi, want some water?"
Yeom Hana shook an empty water pitcher.
"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll get it."
"No way! I'll grab it. Sit tight."
Yeom Hana shot up from her seat. She strode to the fridge without a wobble—pretty spry, actually.
A moment later, she returned with a pitcher of ice-cold water. But.
"………Huh?"
She didn't sit in her original spot across from me. She plopped down right beside me.
"Whew."
The narrow BBQ joint bench was packed now. Our thighs and shoulders pressed together without a gap. Her body heat seeped through my clothes, along with a faint shampoo scent.
Let me say it again: Han Kang isn't a eunuch. The augmentation serum cranks my male hormones so high it's a problem sometimes. So yeah, my eyes naturally drifted sideways—unavoidable.
Today's outfit on Yeom Hana was weirdly revealing. Under the leather jacket she'd ditched complaining about the heat, she wore a sleeveless knit with a freaking hole cut out at the chest. When she leaned forward to rest her arm on the table, cleavage and underarm were right there in plain view.
Ahem. I deliberately looked away, glaring at my innocent soju glass instead. No clue where to put my eyes with a girl younger than my daughter.
I was pondering how to politely shoo Yeom Hana back to her seat when.
Slide.
She rested her head on my shoulder.
"Ajusshi."
"Yeah."
"I like you, ajusshi."
"………."
My heart skipped a solid three beats. No joke—for real. My hand holding the soju glass froze midair.
I slowly turned to look down at her. Head on my shoulder, eyes half-lidded, gazing up at me.
"You drunk?"
I asked gruffly on purpose.
"Nope. Just three shots of soju."
"Then why the sudden—"
"I'm just being honest."
She hugged my arm tighter, driving the point home.
"I like you, ajusshi."
Ugh. I barely swallowed a groan. The booze buzz vanished in a flash. My head started tangling up.
Lee Jin-ah. Her face popped up first. If she found out, she wouldn't let it slide. Think about this morning—she cornered me with that pregnancy test photo from Yeom Hana. We'd gone all the way physically, and in my mind, we were past flirting but short of dating. Telling her "I'm dating Yeom Hana" would scream cheating to her.
Next, Han Sol. She's my daughter, so normally she wouldn't care who her divorced dad dates. But our relationship isn't normal. What happened last weekend? She pulled a knife, showed off her wrist scars, threatened self-harm—even begged me to violate her.
……Ugh. Han Sol would definitely flip out. No way she'd accept it quietly.
Now I get why unexpected confessions are called "confession attacks." Tell anyone a beauty like Yeom Hana—who's fun and hot—confessed, and they'd envy you like you saved a nation in a past life. Should be thanking the heavens on my knees.
But right now.
My mental state felt like it was getting shredded in an industrial mixer.
…………… I had to say something, but words wouldn't come. How do I salvage this?
Option one: "Damn, Yeom Hana! I like you too!" That screws things with Lee Jin-ah. Han Sol would hate it.
Option two: "Sorry, I thought we were just friends……." Sounds like something a girl with a ton of guy friends would say—polite rejection. But that ends things with Yeom Hana. And I'd feel bad about it.
Bottom line: Neither works for me. My mind went blank.
That's when she read the mess of emotions crossing my face and burst out laughing. "Pfft."
"Loosen up that face, ajusshi. Who looks like they're gonna eat you alive?"
She poked my shoulder.
"Don't freak. I didn't mean official dating or anything."
"……Huh?"
"I can tell what you're thinking. Oh crap, dating her would complicate everything. Gotta reject. Spot on, right?"
She nailed it; I shut my mouth.
"I get it. Puts you in a tough spot. I know confessing out of nowhere freaks you out. So don't think dating. Seriously, don't."
Her voice stayed light and sunny. But there was a subtle consideration underneath.
No need to date. Not asking to. Just her honestly sharing her feelings for me.
Honestly, it felt like a lifeline. The guilt and anxiety stabbing my conscience drained away, and my rock-hard shoulders finally relaxed.
Damn. Me, huh……
I'm a pathetic coward. This young girl musters the guts to confess, and I'm relieved she left herself an out. Only calculating my own mess—how to explain to Lee Jin-ah, how Han Sol would react. Didn't even consider what she felt saying it.
Couldn't argue if she called me trash.
"And hey……."
Her gaze flicked across my eyes.
"You…… seem to have some close lady at work or whatever. Would be awkward for you, right."
"……How'd you."
I started to retort but clamped it shut.
Lee Jin-ah. How'd Yeom Hana sniff her out? Probably doesn't know details—just instinctively sensed some woman flirting with me. Women's intuition is monstrous.
As I opened my mouth for excuses, she pressed a finger to my lips.
"Nuh-uh, no excuses needed. Wasn't gonna say anything bad."
She pulled her finger away and shrugged playfully.
"Just saying. You're popular, got stuff to protect, people to watch out for. Starting something serious with a girl like me would give you a headache, yeah?"
Couldn't deny it. Exactly right. My life's like tap-dancing on thin ice. Add an official relationship with Yeom Hana? That ice shatters for sure.
"So don't overthink it."
She leaned in closer, sweet alcohol breath washing over me.
"I just like being with you, ajusshi. Chatting and messing around is fun, eating together's great, hunting Villains side-by-side rocks."
Her hand lightly settled on my thigh.
"No need to label it dating. Just think of it as playing around, ajusshi."
"……Playing around?"
"Yeah. Good food, drinks, laughs, chatter—"
Her finger on my thigh slowly traced circles.
"Feeling someone's warmth. I wanna be with you, ajusshi."
Her wet whisper burrowed into my ear.
"………."
Warmth. I'm not innocent enough to miss what that word implies.
Yeom Hana was opening an escape route. Screw heavy stuff like commitment or defining the relationship—just have fun. Proposing something like sex buddies or fuck friends instead of lovers.
By normal standards, I'd reject it outright.
But.
Could I reject it right now?
Accept, and I can keep it secret from Lee Jin-ah and Han Sol. Keep things with Yeom Hana going. Not dating means even if things progress with Lee Jin-ah, it's not cheating.
……This is sophistry. Ugly as hell.
I know. But it felt so damn sweet.
"Ajusshi."
Her voice slithered into my ear, lazy and sticky.
"I wanna be together. With you. You too, right?"
Her half-lidded eyes reflected my wavering self.
Yeom Hana's red lips curved seductively as they parted.
"I……don't wanna go home tonight. How about you, ajusshi?"