Crossing the Line
The sound of running water kept echoing from the bathroom.
I sat on the living room sofa, idly turning my phone over and over in my hands.
I switched the screen on and off several times, but there was nothing to do.
Gyeong-rok hyung hadn’t sent any messages either. It was as if he was saying I didn’t have to come if I didn’t want to.
It felt almost comical that, out of the three of us, I was the only one this tense and expectant.
“Haaah…”
I wanted a cigarette. If I hadn’t promised Min-ah, I would have already given in and lit one after another.
With a soft click, the bathroom door opened.
Min-ah stepped out with a towel wrapped around her hair.
“Oppa. I’ll get ready quickly.”
“…Yeah.”
Min-ah headed straight into the bedroom. The moment the hairdryer started humming, the tension inside me tightened another notch.
“Min-ah. Is it going to take long?”
“Yeah. I’m changing, so don’t come in, okay?”
Soon came the sound of the closet door sliding open.
For a while there was the rustle of clothes being pulled out and put back, then everything went quiet again.
Through the gap in the door I caught a glimpse of the beige dress in Min-ah’s hand.
When she finally emerged after changing, she stood in front of the mirror and tried out a pose.
“Does it look strange?”
“What?”
“The dress. Does it seem too dressed-up?”
I shook my head. It was pretty, but it didn’t look forced.
“I think it’s fine.”
“Hmm… does it look too casual?”
“…No. It’s good. You look beautiful.”
Min-ah checked the mirror one more time, then gave a small nod.
“Then I’m ready.”
Once she had finished preparing, Min-ah picked up her bag and walked toward the front door.
While slipping on her shoes she lifted her head and looked at me.
“I’m heading out. Make sure you eat dinner.”
“I will. When will you be back?”
“Um… I’m not sure. But I won’t stay overnight.”
Min-ah stood facing the door for a moment, then turned back to me.
“I’m off, oppa.”
“…Take care.”
Click. The door shut.
A moment later came the sound of the electronic lock engaging.
The house fell silent almost instantly.
I stood there staring at the front door for a long time.
“…I should have told her not to go.”
The words of belated regret finally slipped out.
Just imagining it had already made me hard, as if it were a lie.
---
“So this is it… Team Leader’s home.”
Standing at the entrance of the luxurious apartment building, Min-ah hesitated for what felt like forever.
If she turned back now, Gyeong-rok would understand. He might even gently reassure her that she had made the right choice.
But oppa… then… for the rest of his life…
He would never speak of something like this again.
Even if she regretted what she was about to do today, she didn’t want to stop.
Ding-dong. The moment she pressed the doorbell, footsteps approached from inside.
The large door opened, revealing Gyeong-rok in a bathrobe.
“…You’re early. Sorry. I was planning to shower first.”
Seeing him wearing nothing but a bathrobe finally made the reality of the situation sink in.
“Y-yes… It’s all right, Team Leader. Should I… take my shoes off here?”
Unable to meet his eyes, she shuffled inside awkwardly, moving forward in small, hesitant steps.
“Come in and make yourself comfortable.”
With her head slightly bowed, Min-ah’s gaze wandered across the floor before it briefly froze on Gyeong-rok, who had clearly just finished showering.
His still-damp hair, the glimpse of his chest beneath the loosely tied robe—she swallowed hard.
“W-wow… Team Leader, your home is really… nice!”
“I live alone, so it’s not very tidy. I did try to clean…”
Even to her own ears, her voice was trembling.
Gripping the strap of her bag tightly, Min-ah unconsciously hid her left hand—the one wearing her wedding ring—behind her back.
Min-woo’s face as he waited for her at home flashed through her mind, but she bit her lip and pushed the image away.
“…Excuse me~.”
She carefully removed her shoes and stepped into the living room. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the bottle of wine on the table.
“You prepared wine… Is this your favorite, Team Leader?”
“It’s nothing expensive… I thought you might be nervous, so I got it. Would you like a glass?”
Perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa, Min-ah offered a strained smile.
She couldn’t look at him directly; her gaze kept drifting back to the wine glass.
Oppa asked for this himself.
She repeated the words inside her head, but the sharp ache in her chest refused to fade.
“Um… then maybe just one glass? I’m… a little nervous… hehe…”
Gyeong-rok nodded silently and poured wine into the glass in front of her.
The ruby liquid swirled inside.
Min-ah took one slow sip, then another.
As the alcohol slid down her throat, a faint flush rose to her cheeks.
The hem of her beige dress wrinkled slightly over her knees.
“Does it taste all right?”
“Yes… it’s sweet… and I feel like the tension is easing a little.”
Min-ah forced another bright smile. After a few more sips the small glass was empty.
“Feeling less nervous now?”
“Yes…”
“Shall we sit a little longer?”
Min-ah couldn’t answer. The fingertips toying with the wine glass trembled faintly.
Until just moments ago she had been certain of her resolve.
Yet now that the moment had truly arrived, her chest felt painfully tight.
Min-woo’s face rose in her mind.
The way he had forced himself to smile at the front door. The way his hands had shaken even while he told her it was okay.
Min-ah bit down hard on her lip.
“Team Leader.”
“Yes.”
“I’m… scared.”
Her voice was tiny. Gyeong-rok simply looked at her without speaking.
“Honestly, I still don’t know if this is the right thing…”
Silence settled between them.
“Then would you like to go back?”
Min-ah lifted her gaze to him. There was no trace of reluctance or persuasion on Gyeong-rok’s face.
She remained silent for a long time.
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
“…No. It’s a promise… so I have to do my best.”
Min-ah let out a shaky breath.
“…I want to do whatever oppa wants.”
Gyeong-rok watched her quietly, then gave a small nod.
“I understand.”
Min-ah rose slowly from the sofa.
Her calves, visible beneath the hem of her dress, trembled faintly.
She set the glass on the table and smiled awkwardly.
Following Gyeong-rok into the bedroom, her eyes fell on the king-size bed.
Min-ah stopped for a moment.
Her fingers, which had been fidgeting with the dress hem, tightened.
Gyeong-rok, who had been watching her silently, approached slowly.
Guided by his hand, her body sank gently onto the bed sheets.
The hem of her dress rode up to her thighs, revealing her pale legs.
Min-ah stared at the ceiling and breathed in small gasps. The instant Gyeong-rok’s lips touched hers, her shoulders flinched.
“Haa… um… Team Leader…”
Gyeong-rok simply looked down at her without a word. After a long hesitation, Min-ah finally spoke.
“Please… don’t kiss me…”
Understanding, Gyeong-rok gave a small nod.
His lips moved from her mouth to trail along her neck instead.
Her brown hair spilled across the pillow as a tiny sigh escaped between her lips.
Her fingers clenched the sheets.
“Haa… haa…”
Min-ah’s breathing grew rougher. When she heard the smooth sound of a zipper sliding down, her body stiffened with tension.
The dress was slowly peeled away, exposing her body.
The moment the black lace underwear was revealed, Min-ah drew in a sharp, involuntary breath.
Reflexively she brought both hands up to cover her breasts.
Gyeong-rok smiled reassuringly and gently wrapped his fingers around her wrists, lowering them to the bed.
“Haa… Team Leader…”
Tears began to gather in Min-ah’s eyes as she looked up at him.
“Min-ah. If it’s too difficult, shall we take it slower?”
“…It’s all right. Please… just finish quickly.”
Having come this far, there was no turning back. It might be better to end it as fast as possible.
Gyeong-rok’s large hand cupped her breast and pushed the bra upward.
“Ahhng… haa…”
His tongue gently rolled her nipple. Every time the hardened peak was stimulated, Min-ah’s body shuddered.
When he softly squeezed her breast, she couldn’t hold back another moan.
“Hngh… haa… ah… haa…”
She bit her lip hard and turned her head to the side. Her face burned crimson, embarrassed by her own reactions.
The guilt of letting another man—not Min-woo—touch her breasts mixed with the physical responses, leaving her mind in a dizzy haze.
“Huu… haa… ah… I… I shouldn’t be feeling this…”
Min-ah’s fingers clutched the sheets tightly. The beige dress her husband had given her lay discarded on the floor.
Now the only things left on her body were the bra pushed up to expose her chest and the matching pair of panties.
“It’s all right, Min-ah.”
Gyeong-rok spoke in the calm, soothing tone one might use with a child. Yet he did not stop his caresses.
His tongue traced a slow circle around her areola. Min-ah’s toes curled tightly.
Her breath came in short, broken gasps, and uncontrollable moans kept slipping from her lips.
Her slender waist kept lifting slightly from the bed before sinking back down.
“Relax. Just let yourself be comfortable, Min-ah.”
Gyeong-rok’s hand slid down her spine to her hips.
He hooked his fingers under the panties at her pelvis and drew them lower. They only stopped once they reached her ankles.
Min-ah let out an involuntary cry.
“Kyaaah…!”
“Sorry. Did that surprise you?”
Embarrassed by her own outburst, Min-ah shook her head vigorously.
“I… actually… besides oppa… I’ve never been with another man…”
Gyeong-rok nodded silently. His hand gently stroked the soft skin of her inner thigh.
There was an odd weakness in Min-ah’s legs.
She couldn’t quite close them, nor spread them; they simply trembled in that awkward, half-open position.
Gyeong-rok’s rough, firm fingers brushed over her pussy.
“Ahk… haa… ngh… haat…!”
Every time his fingers rubbed against her, Min-ah’s eyes lost focus and darted wildly.
Cold sweat trickled down her flushed cheeks. She shook her head and pressed her face into the pillow.
Her breathing grew harsher.
“Haa… ngh…”
When his finger grazed the tip of her clitoris, her waist arched sharply.
Only after her arousal had soaked the sheets did Gyeong-rok lift his mouth from her breast.
But his fingers continued their persistent, unrelenting caress of her clitoris.