Chapter 48: That Night, We...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: That Night, We...
Yeon-ju remained perched on the kitchen island while Eun-seong finished clearing away the broken glass and wiping the wet floor. Her heart hammered so hard she could feel the pulse thrumming through her entire body, completely driving away any thought of tying up her hair.
Once he finished cleaning, Eun-seong walked over to the island. Yeon-ju watched him approach, feeling as if she needed his permission to even move. He stopped directly in front of her.
"Um, can I get down now?"
"Wait."
Unable to bear the awkward silence, Yeon-ju shifted slightly. In response, Eun-seong stretched out his arms, gripping the edge of the island on either side of her. Trapped between his arms, she froze, her body tensing as she looked up at him.
Their eyes met. Eun-seong’s brow twitched, as if demanding she read his mind. Then, his Adam's apple bobbed, a knot of raw emotion tightening in his throat. The sight made Yeon-ju’s lips part slightly.
"Do you dislike me?"
"Wh-what kind of question is that?"
"Answer me. Do you dislike me?"
"...I wish I did."
Startled by her own words, Yeon-ju’s fingertips went rigid. Because she had allowed that sliver of hope to remain, her burgeoning impulses began to thrash wildly, begging her to finally give in.
"Do you... like me?"
"I'm not going to say. I don't want to answer that."
"Then I'll have to imagine whatever I want. That might be more dangerous, though."
Eun-seong placed his hand over hers, which was still stiff with tension. Fearing he could feel her pulse pounding through his palm, Yeon-ju’s breaths came in short, shallow bursts.
Push him away. Get away from him right now.
"It's been a really long time since I've looked forward to filming days like this," he said, his voice low. "Going to the set has become fun."
Her heart mounted one last, desperate struggle, but she was already lost.
After playfully toying with her fingertips, he gently stroked the back of her hand and lifted it. For a moment, it seemed he might clasp it, but instead, he pressed his lips to her palm and slowly closed his eyes.
Without pulling away, Eun-seong opened his eyes again, his gaze sinking into hers. He wanted to lose himself in her dark pupils, which shone like black pearls. As his desire to possess her grew, his breath turned hot. A searing warmth pooled in her palm and rushed down to her toes in an instant.
His hair, left to dry naturally, curved softly as if it had been styled. A subtle scent she hadn't noticed before now lingered at the tip of her nose.
"You tell me," he murmured.
Pushing this man away felt harder than dying.
"Should I stop?"
She almost resented him for it—for turning her world upside down only to leave the choice in her hands.
Releasing her hand, he leaned his upper body a little closer. Normally, she would have shrunk back, but now she had nowhere to go, nor the will to retreat.
Yeon-ju simply stared at him as he drew nearer, offering no reaction. She wasn't startled or frozen. She had simply accepted it. No matter how much her mind screamed ‘no,’ no matter how she tried to push him away, she was bound to be drawn to him.
"What if I say you don't have to stop?"
"I'd be more than happy."
As if he could no longer bear to just look at her, his lips descended toward her neck. Yeon-ju spoke quickly.
"What if... what if I tell you to stop?"
"Too late."
His breath, hot as searing metal, washed over her skin. Yeon-ju squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. His impatient lips seemed to brush her collarbone before moving straight to her mouth.
A fierce, wild energy flared between them, a world away from the gentle kiss he’d placed on her cut lip. His tongue slipped between her parted lips, sweeping through her mouth with reckless abandon. The heady rush in her veins felt like it would burst through her skin, and Yeon-ju suddenly pushed him back.
Phew…
A ragged, uneven breath escaped her. Gasping, she felt dizzy, unable to support her own weight. Just then, he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in once more.
Yeon-ju squeezed her eyes shut again. Parting his lips from hers for a brief moment, Eun-seong pulled her flush against his body. Then, grabbing her right ankle, he wrapped it around his waist and whispered, "Wrap the other leg around me, too."
His voice was dangerously low.
"Let's get up."
The sheer force of his presence was dizzying, making all her naive assumptions and crude judgments feel utterly ridiculous.
Acting on pure instinct, Yeon-ju wrapped her left leg around his waist as well. Eun-seong lifted her effortlessly and turned. Looking down at him, she saw his dark, heavy gaze—a silent warning that he wouldn't let her go easily.
Yeon-ju parted her lips, as if this were her last chance.
"You'll regret this."
"I've been regretting things all along. What's one more regret when it's a daily affair?"
Yeon-ju looked at him, her gaze anxious. Suspended in his arms, feet off the ground, her emotions fluctuated wildly, leaving her breathless.
She stared at him quietly, then reached out to stroke his hair. Even though it was perfectly smooth, her fingertips tingled and ached as if brushed by thorns.
"You asked me to play with you, didn't you?"
In the end, she had no choice but to be dragged along wherever he led. It was a foregone conclusion. He wasn't asking her to marry him. He wasn't asking her to have his child or make their relationship public.
What more did she have to shake off to return to a world without him?
It was impossible.
"Then let's really just play."
"..."
"If this is what you want, and if this is all it is, then I don't care either."
For a moment, a mix of emotions crossed Eun-seong's face. He closed his eyes and opened them again, as if pondering her words, before letting out a short, dry laugh.
Ha.
"Look at you. You really have a knack for stirring a person up. Are you trying to make me lose my mind?"
"What do you mean by—"
Eun-seong, who had been standing still while holding her, suddenly began to move. His gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a hurried stride that forced Yeon-ju to wrap her arms tightly around his neck.
He kicked open a closed door and stepped inside. The bed immediately came into view, making Yeon-ju's eyes widen. Laying her down gently, Eun-seong looked down at her.
"So you don't care, as long as this is what I want and this is all it is?"
He lowered himself over her. Still not looking away, Yeon-ju met his approaching gaze. Her chest was on fire and her face was flushed, but the more desperate she felt, the more afraid she became.
"So, what is it that I want?"
"I have no intention of dating you, Actor Im. Do you still want to sleep with me?"
"And if I say I do? You're saying you can't give me your heart, but you can give me your body?"
At his harsh, biting words, Yeon-ju fell silent. Eun-seong tilted his head, prompting her to answer.
He seemed a little angry.
"You should finish what you were saying. That way, I can figure out my end of the deal. What should I give you in return, since you're giving me your body without your heart?"
"..."
"Money?"
His carelessly thrown words didn't hurt her at all.
"Say something. A deal has to be made for me to be comfortable with this—"
"We are going to break up."
Her words, spoken with absolute sincerity, must have hurt him. His trembling eyes said as much.
"In the not-too-distant future, we will return to our respective lives. You and I will go on as if we had never met."
"..."
"I just... don't want to fall apart when that time comes. I want to be able to turn away with a moderate amount of regret, and greet you warmly if we ever meet again. I mean it. For the sake of that moment, we shouldn't share our hearts. It's better for both of us."
She had torn out a piece of her heart and offered it to him, all for a few glasses of champagne. As if begging him to heed her plea, she gently caressed his face. She didn't know if he could possibly understand her wicked, selfish heart—one that was always plotting its escape, yet desperately wished today wouldn't be the day it fled.
"Then let's do that," he said, his feelings already past the point of no return. "I won't ask for it, so don't give me your heart. If that's how you survive, then do it."
"What about you?"
"I'll take care of myself. It seems you can separate your body and mind, but I'm not that kind of person. So let's just do what we're each good at."
"..."
"Fine. Like you said, there's an end. Even if we wanted to stay together, we wouldn't have time to meet anyway. And even if that weren't the case, I have no intention of ruining the ordinary life you want to live."
Eun-seong tilted his head.
"So let's play in our own ways. I'm the type who has to give it my all to avoid regrets, so I plan to pour everything I have into you while I can."
He still looked angry, still exuded a cold, cynical aura, but his gaze gradually softened, as if he knew he couldn't keep it up for long. Every single one of his gestures tugged at her heart, because she knew their words and actions right now could only exist between two people in love.
"I must be out of my mind. To think I still like you, even at a moment like this." Yearning weighed heavily on his eyelids, like a thick blanket. "I want to keep looking at you. I'm going crazy wanting to be with you all day."
With every blink, the dense layers of his love flickered, shining and then fading.
Yeon-ju, who had been endlessly caressing his face, made a quiet plea with sorrowful eyes.
"Later... don't forgive me."
"..."
"Never... never forgive me..."
His lips pressed against hers, cutting her off. He tugged her soft knit sweater upward, exposing the pale skin beneath in an instant.
With a gaze that had let go of everything, Yeon-ju accepted his kiss. Her hands, which had been hovering in the air, came to rest on his shoulders, and all the strength drained from her body as she submitted to his touch.
Only after they kissed did she realize. From the very beginning, she had dreamed of them being together far more than he ever had.
As a warm, crimson glow enveloped them and their shallow breaths mingled in the air, she offered a silent prayer.
Punish me.
Punish me. Punish me.
Please, punish me. I will gladly accept it for being so selfish and cruel.
It was the beginning of the night.