Hasty Assumptions
Jung-hoon tossed the words out lightly and claimed a seat first.
Tae-seok followed without a word and sat down beside him. Mi-jin naturally settled next to Jung-hoon. They set out the drinks and snacks they had prepared across the low table on the rooftop.
Jung-hoon casually cracked open a can of beer and handed it to her.
"Yeah."
Mi-jin took the can with the familiar ease of long habit. The easy flow between them—carried in nothing more than a glance, a smile—wrapped the air in that unmistakable intimacy. Anyone watching would have known at once they were lovers.
Tae-seok observed the scene in silence.
The awkward conversation with the junior he hadn’t seen in a long time dragged on. It was neither fun nor pleasant. He simply caught himself wishing the hours would pass quickly.
When Mi-jin excused herself to the bathroom, Jung-hoon slipped a cigarette between his lips and moved closer to Tae-seok. His voice dropped, low and blunt.
The request had been unreasonable from the start. Tae-seok’s added condition had been even worse. He could have laughed it off as a joke. But the stakes had grown far beyond that. Seeing that Jung-hoon had somehow fulfilled every demand, Tae-seok could no longer brush the favor aside.
"Ha… Give me a second."
Tae-seok deliberately put distance between them, stepping a few paces away. He pulled out his phone.
How do I even say this?
His thumb hovered. Then his thoughts settled.
She’s not a person—she’s a tool. This isn’t reality; it’s a game. Remember that. And she won’t be able to refuse my request. No… she won’t be able to refuse my order.
He pressed the call button.
After a few rings, Eun-jung answered, her voice bright with anticipation.
"Hello? Tae-seok?"
"Yeah… Eun-jung."
"What’s going on? You never call. Why didn’t you just come down…"
Even through the phone he could hear how eagerly she had been waiting for him.
"That friend from last time came again…"
"Huh? Who? Oh—that guy?"
"Yeah… He wants to sleep with you."
A short silence.
Then Eun-jung’s answer came back far too lightly.
"So?"
Her tone was so casual it left him speechless for a moment.
"I’m sending him over to your place now…"
"Right now? You want us to spend the night together again?"
Tae-seok’s throat tightened.
"Yeah. That’s how it turned out. Sorry."
The apology had slipped out automatically. But Eun-jung’s immediate reply left him embarrassed for having hesitated at all.
"Okay. Send him. You must have your reasons."
Tae-seok stood frozen, phone still pressed to his ear.
He hadn’t been entirely surprised. It had happened before. And with his dominance over her now even higher, her reaction was only natural. Still, the ease of it left him stunned.
"I’ll send him down soon."
The moment the call ended, Tae-seok felt something different than before. It wasn’t quite guilt—too dull for that. It wasn’t quite pleasure—too uncomfortable. He slowly lifted his head and stared at the darkened sky. Pulling a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it. The smoke filled his lungs, then drifted out in a long, steady exhale.
Jung-hoon watched him with a tense expression.
Tae-seok stubbed the half-smoked cigarette against the ground.
He returned to his seat. Just then Mi-jin came back from the bathroom. Jung-hoon kept stealing awkward glances at Tae-seok, fidgeting with his glass.
The moment he saw that, Tae-seok spoke.
Mi-jin set her glass down and shook her head.
Jung-hoon instinctively backed Tae-seok up.
"Yeah?"
The moment his name was called, Jung-hoon’s head snapped up.
The words flowed so naturally it was impossible to doubt them.
When Tae-seok spoke so casually, Jung-hoon met his eyes for a brief instant. No words were needed. Understanding passed between them.
Jung-hoon shot to his feet, his face suddenly bright. As he headed for the stairs he called back.
"Yeah."
Tae-seok answered, then added after a beat.
Jung-hoon waved without looking back and disappeared down the stairs. His footsteps faded, then vanished completely.
Now only Tae-seok and Mi-jin remained on the quiet rooftop. In the silence, her breathing sounded slightly ragged.
Mi-jin kept staring toward the stairs for a moment, then gave a small, disbelieving laugh.
She shook her head and turned to face him. Tae-seok was staring straight at her.
Can I really do whatever I want with Mi-jin?
Emotion Score: 11
Mi-jin noticed the shift in his gaze and shrank back slightly.
"No… it’s nothing."
He let his eyes drift over her slowly—starting at her face, tracing the slender line of her neck, the soft swell of her breasts, the narrow curve of her waist, and the firm, smooth lines of her thighs beneath her skirt. It was the gaze of a man savoring a delicacy before the first bite.
Mi-jin had no idea her boyfriend had offered her to this man. Yet the situation itself was already absurd. No matter what Jung-hoon wanted, he couldn’t simply take her against her will. That certainty was exactly why he had gone downstairs smiling.
But those were the assumptions of an ordinary man.
Tae-seok was no longer ordinary. And the competitive urge that rose in him at the thought of Jung-hoon’s hasty decision to hand over his own girlfriend only made him bolder.
He settled into a more comfortable position and continued watching her. The woman he had once not even dared to reach for.
Why does sunbae look at me like that today… and why isn’t Jung-hoon oppa coming back?
His gaze had moved to her hands—small, pale, with long delicate fingers and neat nails.
The sudden compliment made her hands twitch, but she didn’t look displeased.
She smiled shyly, curling her fingers a little. Tae-seok smiled back, studying her hand.
The tips of her ears turned pink at his praise. Tae-seok continued smoothly.
The reference to his past stirred a flicker of sympathy in her.
Yeah… it wouldn’t be hard to hold a sunbae’s hand if it comforts him after everything he’s been through…
With that light thought, she slowly offered her right hand.
Tae-seok took her hand carefully. At first he only brushed the back of it, then slowly folded his palm over hers, enveloping it completely.
In that instant, an unfamiliar wave of pleasure surged through Mi-jin. The sensation was so strange it drew her in even more. The warm, intense energy flowing from his hand traveled up her arm, spreading through her chest and lower belly. A dizzying ecstasy pierced her body.
"……!"
She gasped, eyes widening.
Emotion Score: 13… 14… 15…
Her face flushed crimson in an instant. Heat flooded all the way to her ears. Just from holding hands, strange ripples were spreading from deep inside her. The sensitive flesh between her thighs grew slick and tingling; her nipples tightened into hard, aching peaks. The intensity shocked her.
What is this? He’s only holding my hand… Am I… getting turned on right now?
She tried to pull away, but his grip remained firm. Head slightly lowered, she managed a trembling whisper.
He gave her hand one last firm squeeze, as if marking the moment, then slowly opened his fingers while looking into her eyes.
Emotion Score: 19
His eyes told her she could withdraw now. Her hand simply rested on top of his. All she had to do was pull away.
But she couldn’t.
There was nothing physically holding their hands together, yet her palm seemed glued to his. She couldn’t move.
When he started to pull back, she grabbed his hand instead.
Her behavior almost made him laugh. Even without moving, he could feel her body growing hotter.
Emotion Score: 24
Her body leaned further into his touch. Her breathing grew shallow. She crossed her legs tightly, squeezing her thighs together.
Tae-seok watched her with calm amusement. She looked as though she might throw herself into his arms at any second—panting, flushed, body twisting with need.
Should I push it a little further?
He gave her hand a gentle tug toward himself. As if she had been waiting for exactly that, Mi-jin rose from her seat, carefully settled her hips onto his thigh, and slid into his embrace.
Her body burned even hotter. The pleasure she had felt through their hands now flooded every point of contact.
Emotion Score: 27
She trembled. Her light, shaky breaths brushed against his neck. Tae-seok gently stroked her hair and smiled quietly. The soft strands beneath his fingers and the delicate quiver of her body sank deep into his chest.
The knowledge that the woman who had once left him speechless now rested in his arms filled him with sweet, intoxicating pleasure.
Emotion Score: 30
