Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Before long, the spot was neatly tidied up. They quickly washed up in the caravan and changed out of their clothes, which reeked of meat.
Outside, it was already pitch black, making it the perfect time for stargazing. Jae-gyu rummaged through their belongings, found mosquito coils, lit one, and placed it behind Bom, who was standing in front of the flat wooden deck, admiring the stars.
“Whew, we had a really fun time today.”
“We really did. So this is the kind of fun you come to the valley for.”
“I wouldn’t take you anywhere boring, would I?”
“Seoul won’t have much to offer, I bet.”
Bom said this because she was scheduled to go up to Seoul with Jae-gyu next weekend. Their sudden decision to go to Seoul had two purposes.
First, Han-gyeol and Se-jin’s ultra-short special lecture was ending next Sunday, and Jae-gyu was going to pick them up. And the day before, on Saturday, Bom’s cousin Seok-jun’s wedding was taking place in Cheongdam.
Bom was surprised when she received the mobile wedding invitation. It wasn't because of Seok-jun’s sudden wedding announcement.
The fact that no one in her family had told her about Seok-jun’s wedding beforehand came as a small shock.
[Yoon Bom, you're coming, right? They said you went down to the countryside to write research textbooks. Even if you're busy, please come and celebrate with us.]
And after talking to Seok-jun, Bom felt a bitter pang. She hadn't known at all that her family had been telling others she’d gone to the countryside to write research textbooks. Her parents’ cold reactions, telling her there was no need to come to Seoul, now made sense.
‘It must be for that precious image of theirs again.’
They must have packaged it up with plausible words, and probably drew a line beforehand, fearing that if she went and interfered, she’d expose them or complicate things.
That must be why they didn't mention Seok-jun’s wedding this time. Bom wouldn't have bothered going up to Seoul at any other time. But this time was different.
“Seoul has a lot more to see, doesn’t it? Starting next year, we’ll have to date there, so let’s do a proper reconnaissance.”
At the word ‘reconnaissance,’ Bom’s stiff expression softened, and she let out a small laugh.
In fact, Bom had confessed to Jae-gyu that she had to return to Seoul next year on the very day the typhoon hit, when she had expressed her feelings to him and they were walking in the garden.
[There’s something I need to tell you. Even if you change your mind after hearing this, I’ll understand….]
It was something she absolutely had to say, but she had been very worried.
[I’m only here temporarily as an inter-provincial exchange teacher. The term is two years, so I’ll be returning to Seoul next year.]
[Is that so….]
Jae-gyu didn't hide his disappointment either, but his feelings remained unchanged, so he suggested they try dating in Seoul this time. It even came with the somewhat grand subtitle, ‘Long-Distance Practice.’
“Right, it’s been so long since I’ve been to Seoul, I feel strange.”
“I’ve already booked the hotel for Saturday, and there’s a department store over there, so let’s do a lot of shopping. I’m really looking forward to it.”
A tender hand took hold of Bom. Jae-gyu, who had been sitting on the flat wooden deck, pulled Bom onto his lap.
“There’s so much I want to buy for you, this is perfect.”
“What? No, it’s fine. I have plenty of money too.”
“That’s not what’s important. It’s the joy of giving you something precious and fitting. Don’t be so… ”
Jae-gyu’s calm breath tickled her ear.
“Hmph, that tickles.”
“I’m going to hold you to my heart’s content while you’re next to me.”
Jae-gyu buried his face in the nape of Bom’s neck. The back hug, with his arms wrapped completely around her, felt secure, but Bom couldn’t see Jae-gyu’s expression.
“...Everyone’s going to Seoul.”
Jae-gyu muttered something, like a sigh to himself, but Bom didn’t hear the small, low sound.
“What did you just say?”
“That I like you.”
His hot lips began to trail down her neck. Jae-gyu’s hand cupped her soft breasts, which were no longer restrained by a bra, and slowly kneaded them.
With a warm breath, Jae-gyu’s other hand gently cupped Bom’s chin and turned her face towards him. His tongue slid thickly between her slightly parted lips.
She didn’t know how many times they had kissed just today, but what was strange was that every time their lips met, it felt as stimulating and exciting as the first time.
“Mmm…”
“I truly like you.”
Jae-gyu, who had begun to seriously caress her breasts, carefully laid Bom down on the flat wooden deck. His eyes, with the jewel-like stars at his back, gleamed with the desire to hold her.
A heated sigh escaped Bom’s lips. A large hand slipped inside her freshly changed clothes and began to grope her.
The hand, which had been gently stroking her waist, moved up, rubbing above her navel, then cupped her softly drooping breast and teased her nipple.
“Haa, hmm…”
Overwhelmed by an unbearable sensation, Bom parted her lips and arched her back. She felt as if tears might well up, so good was this moment with Jae-gyu.
“Mmm, suck me.”
Her loose T-shirt slowly rode up. Jae-gyu took Bom’s breast into his mouth and began to suckle it as if kissing.
The wet, sucking sounds and Bom’s moans intertwined sensuously. Her body, quickly aroused, was hot, and Jae-gyu kneaded her other breast.
Even without looking, she knew how erect Jae-gyu’s large penis must be. Bom’s lower belly trembled, knowing that firm, wick-like pillar would soon fill her.
Jae-gyu slowly but delicately touched and stimulated every inch of Bom’s body.
“Keep… keep going.”
Receiving his stimulating, hot touch, Bom slowly closed her eyes.
The long, long night with Jae-gyu continued ceaselessly until she lost consciousness.
⋆★⋆
“Somehow, you’ve been acting strange.”
Bom, sitting with her legs drawn up on the sofa, snapped a photo of Bom-sik, who was sprawled on the living room floor, rolling his round eyes and wagging his tail furiously.
Jae-gyu. I think what Philip said is true.
On the way home from the valley yesterday, Jae-gyu had told her something. Philip had raised questions about Bom-sik’s true identity over the phone.
All this time, Bom had firmly believed Bom-sik was a Jindo Dog. However, there were aspects that contradicted the Jindo Dog’s unique characteristics of being bold and courageous, which had made her suspicious.
It was also far from the characteristic of following only one owner. Bom-sik had even clung to Vice Principal Seok Gwan-su, wagging his tail.
I had no idea that fella was a Jindoriver.
Bom nodded at Jae-gyu’s reply. They said he was a cross between a Retriever and a Jindo Dog, and looking at him that way, it made sense.
Did you have a good meeting with those people from China?
Ongoing.
The photo Jae-gyu sent was a selfie taken in what looked like a meeting room. Behind him, the smiling Chinese business partners were also captured.
Surprised that he was in a meeting, Bom put down her phone. She felt that if she kept replying, she would only be a distraction, so she decided to wait for Jae-gyu to call her after it was over.
Bom checked the clock on the wall and took a deep breath.
‘It’s okay, Yoon Bom.’
Encouraging herself, she pressed the power button on the remote. An advertisement appeared on the pitch-black TV screen. In the upper right corner, ‘Operation Winter - Final Episode’ was emblazoned.
She had deliberately tried not to watch regular broadcasts until now, but knowing the final episode was airing, Bom decided to muster a little courage.
She felt inexplicably anxious until all the commercials ended, and her palms grew sweaty. Lee Jun had broken up with her, and she had also seen Jae-gyu at Lee Jun’s house, so she had no idea what had been said back home.
With contact completely cut off, she had been feeling uneasy, and seeing her mother’s face on the TV screen was, in fact, not easy. The commercials ended, and the drama began.
“...”
Her mother, who wasn’t the lead but a main supporting character and the final villain, appeared on screen as soon as the drama began.
<How dare a nobody like you deceive me?>
Her mother’s voice was vivid. A hysterical scene followed, with her slapping cheeks and raging. Bom felt like her heart would burst.
<Someone like you has never been any help in my life. Understand?>
It was as if those words and actions were directed at her. The mother on TV, with wide, white eyes, spewed venomous words without hesitation, chewing her lips until they bled.
Until the drama ended, Bom remained frozen, her face drained of color. Since she hadn’t seen the beginning, it was hard to grasp the plot or the ending, but that wasn’t the issue.
“Ugh.”
The drama had a bad ending. The male lead died, and the female lead’s eyes, left alone, were zoomed in on as the drama’s ending song played.
<Thank you for watching.>
Bom clapped a hand over her mouth and rushed to the bathroom, dry heaving. Things she had barely managed to forget flooded her mind haphazardly, clawing at her heart.
All the ridicule and scandals she’d endured at school, her father’s shouts and physical abuse, and her mother’s pathetic expressions and sarcastic remarks directed at her…
‘I had forgotten all of it.’
The emotions she had forgotten while busy meeting Jae-gyu and adapting to Shinsu High now rushed in like a tidal wave.
She thought two years would be enough. More than enough to forget everything and start anew.
Fearing others would call it a privileged complaint, Bom had kept her mouth shut and lived in compliance.
Just looking at Jae-gyu, it was clear. In front of Jae-gyu, who had grown up so well and uncreased despite such parents, Bom couldn’t fully confide her complex feelings about her own parents.
‘In the end, I’ll have to overcome this on my own, won’t I?’
Though a part of her wanted to confide in Jae-gyu and be comforted, Bom decided not to.
Thinking that if only she did well, if only she changed her mindset, peace would return, Bom picked up her phone.
She was glad she had pressed Jae-gyu for information and found out.
-Yes, hello. This is The Vine Flower.
“Hello. I received a bouquet from you before, and it was so beautiful that I’d like to send a gift to someone else. A lavish flower basket, please.”