Chapter 36: Do You Want to End It Like This?
Chapter 36. Do You Want to End It Like This?
"Did it feel that good?"
At the low question, Jin-hyeok's shoulders stiffened.
His face, half-lit by the campfire, turned to look at Eun-ju. Pretending not to understand—or perhaps genuinely not understanding.
"Mother?"
His voice cracked slightly as he echoed her.
"I asked if it felt good."
Eun-ju repeated herself. This time, she didn't avert her gaze. She stared straight into Jin-hyeok's eyes, determined not to miss the flicker within them.
The air between them grew heavy. Only the occasional crackle of dying embers filled the silence.
Jin-hyeok glanced sideways. Deok-su still had his head bowed. The rhythmic sound of snoring confirmed he was asleep, oblivious to everything.
Only after confirming this did the tension in Jin-hyeok's shoulders ease slightly.
"Tell me the truth."
Eun-ju leaned forward until her knees nearly touched his.
"I'm not angry."
Her voice dropped, almost pleading. She knew it herself—this wasn't the composed question of an adult. It was closer to a woman begging for an answer.
I want to pull him away from that girl.
Eun-ju's gaze flickered toward where Na-eun had gone.
Her daughter's traces left on Jin-hyeok's body.
I want to erase it all. Every place she touched—his fingertips, his lips—cover them with my own.
Right now, she wanted to wrap her arms around Jin-hyeok's neck and kiss him. To smother his lips—still carrying her daughter's scent—with her own.
And yet.
Even as she pretended to be angry, she was terrified of Jin-hyeok answering honestly. It felt good. She wasn't sure she could bear hearing those words.
Eun-ju forced her expression to remain neutral. The face of someone merely asking out of mature concern. Only the tightening of her fingers around her glass betrayed her.
Jin-hyeok took a slow breath.
Inhale. Exhale.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was low.
"I can't answer that."
"Why?"
Eun-ju's voice wavered.
"Why not?"
Jin-hyeok lifted his head and met her gaze. Gone was the flustered face that had called her "Mother" earlier. Now, it was the face of someone holding back—yet refusing to retreat.
Then, softly, he called her.
"Eun-ju."
The moment her name left his lips, her body stiffened.
Not Mother, but Eun-ju.
The words sent a chill down her spine. The ground beneath her—the position where she had always led, where she had comforted and guided this young man—seemed to tilt beneath her feet.
Instinctively, Eun-ju glanced at Deok-su. Her husband was still dozing, his head lolling once before settling again.
Seizing the moment, Jin-hyeok's voice pressed closer.
"Are you jealous?"
Eun-ju ducked her head.
She didn't know how to answer.
The fire crackled.
Red embers silently scattered atop the collapsed charcoal. The faint sound rang unnaturally loud in her ears.
Something dark was spreading inside her. Jealousy—toward her own daughter. A girl twenty years her junior, born from her own body. The realization made her face burn. A mother jealous of her daughter. Worse, a mother who wanted to steal her daughter's boyfriend.
It was ugly.
And yet, that ugliness seared through her, igniting something deep inside.
"I..."
Her voice trembled.
"I'm not jealous."
Eun-ju couldn't meet Jin-hyeok's eyes. She stared at the fire pit as she continued.
"It's just, as a mother..."
Her words trailed off. Even to her own ears, it sounded pathetic.
"I'm worried. Just... worried."
She knew how ugly it was, but she clung to the excuse. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground.
Then, suddenly.
Jin-hyeok's hand grabbed her face and pulled her in.
Their lips met.
There was no time to resist. His tongue pushed roughly past her parted lips.
Sluurp.
Eun-ju's eyes widened.
Even as her mind blanked, two thoughts surfaced first: her dozing husband beside them, and her daughter inside the tent.
What if Deok-su wakes up? What if Na-eun comes out and sees?
Just then, Deok-su shifted in his drunken sleep, burying his head in the opposite direction before settling again.
Eun-ju held her breath. Despite having crossed every line imaginable, the fear of being caught still paralyzed her.
"W-wait. Mmmph—"
Her words were swallowed by Jin-hyeok's mouth.
Mmph.
Her hands, which had been pushing against his chest, froze against his collar. She knew she should shove him away—but the thought never gained strength.
Haa.
Their lips parted. A thin, transparent thread stretched between them before snapping.
Under the glow of the fire, Eun-ju stared dazedly up at Jin-hyeok. The face before her felt unfamiliar. Was this the same boy who had once been so timid? The one who had just claimed her so fiercely?
"Come here."
Jin-hyeok took her hand and stood, pulling her up with him.
As she rose, Eun-ju glanced at Deok-su. Still fast asleep.
Her feet moved reluctantly.
Yet, led by Jin-hyeok's hand, she followed him into the empty camper.
The moment they stepped inside, Jin-hyeok pulled her into his arms.
Their lips met again—a continuation of the kiss by the fire. His tongue plunged in, slick and relentless, mapping every inch of her mouth.
Nghh.
He gave her no room to breathe. Jin-hyeok sucked on her tongue, swallowing her essence as if devouring her whole. Her lungs burned.
Eun-ju barely managed to push against his chest.
Haa. Mmmph.
Wiping the drool from her lips with her sleeve, she gasped for air.
"What—what are you doing all of a sudden?"
Jin-hyeok chuckled softly. Instead of answering, he backed her against the wall. Her spine pressed into the cold surface.
His scent enveloped her—thick, intoxicating. The moment it filled her nose, her body ignited.
Ahh.
"Then do you hate it?"
At his question, Eun-ju couldn't speak.
Jin-hyeok braced one arm beside her head, looming over her. His breath and scent poured down over her like a wave.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Most of all, she could feel it—the hard heat pressing insistently against her lower belly. Even through their clothes, his arousal was unmistakable. She didn't know what to do.
Every breath of Jin-hyeok's scent made her mind grow hazier.
"Eun-ju."
"D-don't use informal speech."
It was a weak protest. She was the one who had told him to call her by name, yet now she bristled at the intimacy.
Jin-hyeok looked down at her and smiled. This time, it was a knowing smirk.
"Should we end it like this?"
The words froze her in place.
"I told you to call me by name, not to drop formalities."
Eun-ju grasped at straws, knowing full well how ridiculous she sounded.
At her petty defiance, Jin-hyeok gave a shallow laugh.
"Eun-ju. No—"
He corrected himself.
"Ms. Eun-ju. You should answer me properly."
His voice shifted back to formal speech. Yet the politeness only tightened the noose around her neck.
"Should we end it like this?"
"End what?"
"What else?"
Jin-hyeok lowered his head, pressing his lips close to her ear as he whispered.
"Us."
His scent flooded her senses, leaving her helpless.
This relationship had been her doing. She had seduced him first, drawn him in. She had assumed she would always be in control—the older woman guiding the younger man.
She was wrong.
When had it changed? No, she knew. The moment she had clung to him that day, the balance had silently shifted.
She was the desperate one. Jin-hyeok had nothing to lose.
He was tall, handsome, capable. Kind and diligent, too. If he wanted, he could have any woman by his side.
And what was she?
Older. Married. And above all—her daughter's man.
Jin-hyeok whispered against her ear again.
"Don't you want this?"
As he spoke, something hard pressed insistently against her lower belly. Hot and unyielding, even through the fabric.
Her body answered before her mind could, clenching with need.
Submit already, it seemed to say. Spread your legs and beg.
Just as her thoughts grew hazy, Jin-hyeok kissed her again.
This time, it was different. Not the earlier assault, but slow—teasing, coaxing.
Haa. Mmmph.
"Eun-ju."
Back to informal speech.
"I'm not letting you go."
A vow, spoken plainly. The man who had mocked her with politeness now drove the words home with raw honesty.
At that, Eun-ju crumbled completely.
She was the one who reached for him first, pulling him into another kiss.
I don't know what to do.
Frantically, she pressed her body against his, clinging to his lips. Jin-hyeok's hands groped her full breasts with rough possessiveness.
Ahh. Mmmph.
His hardened length ground against her heated core. Between her legs was already soaked, slick with arousal.
Haa. Hng....
Their panting breaths tangled between them.
Slurp. Schlick.
She wanted to drown in his mouth, to tangle their tongues endlessly. She craved to be taken right then, mindless with pleasure. In the haze of lust, the existence of her husband and daughter evaporated from her thoughts.
Jin-hyeok's hand slid beneath her skirt, fingers tracing up her bare thigh. The touch against her naked skin made her tremble.
"Want it?"
"Y-yes. Schlick... I want it."
Eun-ju lifted one leg, rubbing herself shamelessly against his pelvis. Jin-hyeok pressed a finger against her soaked panties and whispered.
"Not now."
"Whyyy...."
Her voice quivered with frustration.
"Hold on. If you do, I'll reward you tonight."
His soothing tone was at odds with the way he unzipped his pants.
Ziiip.
Haa....
A thick, musky scent filled the air. His swollen arousal sprang free, angry and eager. Eun-ju stared dazedly at the flushed length before her.
Ahh....
"Then you'll have to wait."
She nodded mindlessly.
"But you can have a taste."
The moment he gave permission, Eun-ju dropped to her knees.
The reddened tip hovered before her.
Amid Jin-hyeok's scent, she caught the faintest trace of something familiar—Na-eun's. A vicious jealousy burned through her, her lower belly tightening painfully.
