Chapter 112
"Ugh, damn it, h-huh…!"
Jae-gyu, letting out a fervent groan, ejaculated directly into Bom's vaginal wall. The viscous, milky white fluid pulsed, filling Bom's body, and some of it trickled down her thighs.
"Ah! What do we do? These are new sheets!"
Bom urgently slapped Jae-gyu's shoulder.
"It's fine. I'm the laundry king. Didn't you know?"
Jae-gyu scooped Bom up and carried her out of bed.
"Should I just hold you like this and pound you? I'm still raring to go."
"Stop it! I'm tired…"
"…"
Jae-gyu opened the sliding door to his connected room and headed for the bathroom. He filled the large bathtub with warm water and bath salts, then snapped his fingers as if something had just occurred to him.
"Should I go pick some rose petals from the garden? That'd really set the mood."
"Hmm, I've always wondered what difference floating petals makes."
With permission granted, Jae-gyu dashed outside, and Bom sank into the steaming bathtub. Ah, this feels good. The water, almost hot, was perfect for her tired body.
When Jae-gyu returned, he would get into the tub and settle in behind her. Before, he'd rubbed his penis against her in the same position, trying to get something going.
Should I suggest we switch places when he comes back? The thought of Jae-gyu's flustered expression thrilled her. A soft smile played on Bom's lips.
'I wish I could live like this every day.'
⋆★⋆
"Alright, speak your minds freely."
This was inside the JK Power Energy conference room.
Bom narrowed her eyes, observing Jae-gyu's actions.
"CEO, I pick number 2."
"Wow, Cho-rong. You have no taste. Number 4 is the clear winner."
Gu Philip and Ham Cho-rong. The two managers' opinions diverged. They thumped their chests, claiming the other knew nothing, and a flurry of petty remarks followed.
"Quiet down."
Jae-gyu gazed idly at the newly installed wall screen, tapping his fingers on the table.
"One-on-one…"
It wasn't a meeting. The day's work was already over, and everyone had plans. They were just messing around in the conference room during their free time, due to their various Circumstances.
'Jae-gyu must be messing around too, right?'
He was the only one with a noticeably serious expression.
"Bom, what do you think?"
"Huh…?"
"Which one looks the coolest? Be honest."
Bom lifted her head and stared at the screen she had been trying to ignore.
"…"
What should she say? The screen was split into four sections, all displaying photos of Jae-gyu. Each one showed him dressed up smartly, but with slightly different styling.
"Pick the cut that looks most sophisticated and handsome."
Bom sensed a strange atmosphere.
He's been acting suspicious lately.
Recently, Jae-gyu had started doing things he never used to, and those four-panel photos were one of them.
'Suddenly trying to look stylish…'
It felt like just yesterday he was walking around in a functional T-shirt bought from the town, but could a person change this much?
Feeling her gaze, she turned her head to find Jae-gyu staring intently at her. When their eyes met, Jae-gyu's neck flushed, and he adjusted his tie. The clothes he was wearing now were also a sophisticated winter suit.
He's definitely strange.
He used to say comfort was king, but could people really change?
"…"
For some reason, her spirits sank a little. Bom shifted her gaze back to the screen.
Which one of those looks the coolest?
He had mentioned that when he went to Busan recently, he visited a famous tailor shop that was difficult to get an appointment at, and tried on samples of recommended styles. These photos were those very cuts.
A perfectly tailored navy basic suit, a light gray pinstripe three-piece suit, casual wear coordinated with a beige knit, and a wine-colored business casual outfit with a flamboyant pattern.
It seemed he wanted her to choose one from these.
"Hmm… they all suit you well."
She spoke honestly. He had such a good physique for clothes that any combination of those would look fine on him.
"Just one. Which one looks the coolest? What style do you like?"
"…"
Of course, she didn't dislike Jae-gyu wearing nice clothes. However, his proactive effort to get cool-looking clothes tailored at a famous, hard-to-book tailor shop felt unfamiliar. What's more, the fact that he'd been in less frequent contact during his recent business trip to Busan bothered her somehow.
Chapter 19. The Shelf Life of Love
A chapter from the book A Guide for First Love, which she had bought at the school Bazaar, automatically came to mind.
According to observations by a human behavioral science research institute in the United States, the shelf life of love is 18 to 30 months. This coincides with the period when neurotrophin, the primary hormone that draws men and women to each other, is no longer secreted. After this period, people often fall into the terrifying swamp known as 'Spring Fever'.
Back then, she and Jae-gyu were just starting to have something going on, so she hadn't thought deeply about this part while reading it. But now, it was a detail she couldn't simply overlook.
"Bom?"
"Ah… I'll choose number 1."
She pointed to the navy suit, which perfectly suited Jae-gyu's skin tone.
"Do you think it suits me?"
"Yes, it looks great."
Only then did Jae-gyu grin, seemingly satisfied, and turn off the screen.
"Quitting time was ages ago, what are you still doing here? Go on, hurry up. Bom, let's head out."
"Manager Ham Cho-rong and I decided to grab a drink. She said she was curious about the Soljjak program. Would you two like to come along?"
Philip, who had appeared on Soljjak Season 3, had recently returned.
[Mr. Park and Ms. Kwon are secretly dating, aren't they? You can't fool me!]
As soon as he returned, Jae-gyu had already grilled him with questions like a 'question mark killer,' and now knew the program's A to Z.
"It's fine. You two go alone."
"Alright. We'll head out first then."
While the two packed their things, Jae-gyu also finished preparing to leave work. They had decided to have dinner together again today.
"Um, about dinner tonight. Are we eating at your place again this time, Jae-gyu?"
"Yes."
"What's on the menu?"
"I'll make seafood and steak and a few other things. My Bom-Bom♡ just needs to eat well and tell me what she prefers."
Steak again, and seafood again. This had been the same menu for several days now. As December began, temperatures were dropping day by day. Today, in particular, was so cold that white breath plumed out with every exhale.
'I wanted a warm soup dish.'
But Bom, who had never properly cooked, was simply grateful that Jae-gyu, who could whip up anything, always served her perfect meals. Perhaps he had bought a large quantity of seafood and steak meat all at once. Bom, resolving to quietly eat whatever was given to her on the way, went to Jae-gyu's house and ate the food he served until she was full.
"Bom. This one I served today is better than that sirloin from before, right? You seemed to eat it better. Right?"
"The filet mignon? Yes, it was really delicious. It was the best steak I've had this time."
At her honest feedback, Jae-gyu's face brightened considerably.
"Ah, what a relief."
"What is?"
"…It's nothing."
He's really suspicious. Next, she neatly finished the slice of cake Jae-gyu brought out.
"Why don't you rest a bit before you go? You have a room here now."
"I have to go."
There was a reason.
"I have to prepare the final exam questions."
"Wow, has it been that long already?"
"Time flies, doesn't it?"
"It does. After that, it's winter break, right?"
"That's right."
Could Jae-gyu have forgotten? Soon, she might receive official notice of her return to Seoul. At first, he'd talked about practicing a long-distance relationship and so on, but lately, he hadn't mentioned the matter at all. She had a few things she wanted to discuss regarding this, but Bom hadn't been able to say anything yet. A decision would be made soon, so it would be better to speak once things were definite.
"Oh, then you'll have to go to Cheongseol-eup. Should I drive?"
"With Hin-suni? What will you do when you come back? And you have to go to work tomorrow."
"It's fine, I can just walk back for exercise."
Even if it was the next town over, it wasn't close enough to just walk.
"Don't worry, my two legs are strong. See these muscles?"
Seeing things like this, perhaps her worries about the shelf life of love or Spring Fever were just groundless anxieties. Bom decided to change her mind about having suspected him for a while.
"Let's do this. We'll go in your car, Jae-gyu, and can you pick me up tomorrow morning when I go to school?"
Of course, she could take the bus to work, but Jae-gyu disliked that intensely, and if she didn't say this, he would insist on going with Hin-suni.
"I'd love to. I have plenty of time in the morning, so it'll be a piece of cake."
Jae-gyu readily agreed, then drove Bom in his black sedan towards Cheongseol-eup. They crossed the Stone Bridge, observing the usual peaceful scenery, and he squeezed into a narrow spot to park in front of her house. But something was different.
"Huh?"
"I've never seen the lights on there before. Looks like the landlord's here."
"I know, right? It's been almost a year."
The first-floor living room of Bom's landlord's house was brightly lit. Her surprise at the unfamiliar sight lasted only a moment before she remembered what the neighborhood elders had said.
"I heard it too. They're probably putting this house up for sale."
Jae-gyu, who had been unbuckling his seatbelt and adjusting his bangs, froze and looked surprised.
"Ha, what perfect timing."
"Right? It doesn't really concern me, anyway…"
Jae-gyu predicted that in this sparsely populated area, such a secluded detached house was unlikely to be sold to an actual resident. He also shared confidential information that a local housing cooperative had recently started buying up empty houses in Cheongseol-eup for "land-banking." He speculated that Bom's house would probably be sold to such a place.
'Then it'll be a problem even if I don't go to Seoul next year.'
She hadn't worried much, thinking she could continue renting even if the owner changed.
'Nothing is easy…'
After seeing Jae-gyu off, she knocked on the landlord's door to confirm. Sure enough, as expected, the house was indeed listed for sale.
A troubled Bom took Bom-sik, who had suddenly gained weight, for a walk around the neighborhood and then returned.
"Starting tomorrow, let's do interval runs, okay?"
She gave Bom-sik, who was baring his teeth and growling, a thorough wash.
After taking a quick shower herself, Bom noticed a missed call notification on her phone. It was an unsaved number, so she assumed it was spam, but it kept catching her eye.
It feels weird, so should I check it?
She sat on the living room floor, trapping Bom-sik between her legs. While drying his wet fur with a towel, she pressed the call button and switched to speakerphone.
"Hello?"
The person who answered immediately was a young woman.