A Personal Favor
The van's windows were blacked out behind dark tinting.
Im Jihyun sank into the seat with her eyes closed, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her. According to the schedule, her next stop was a meeting with the contacts for a newly signed commercial — but her mind was occupied by something else entirely.
"Jihyun, it looks like we'll need to keep your schedule in Korea going a bit longer. I talked to the director again about the overseas location shoot, and he says it's going to be delayed due to circumstances on the ground."
At her manager's cautious words, Jihyun's brow furrowed beneath her closed eyelids. Irritation surged up through her.
"Haa, seriously... Are you even managing my schedule properly? What am I supposed to do when things change like this out of nowhere?"
"I'm sorry, Jihyun. I only just got the call myself... It's a schedule the CEO is personally handling, so for now..."
Her voice, laced with a sigh and a snap, left the manager fidgeting as he trailed off. As if anyone would throw this kind of fit because they actually wanted to go overseas. God, this was infuriating. The moment she had even a little breathing room — or found herself trapped alone in a cramped space like this — that bastard kept creeping into her thoughts. The so-called treatment had even shattered her pride.
I'm exhausted. Stop thinking about this crap and just sleep.
There were still two hours until the dinner appointment with the advertising agency contacts that the CEO had forced onto her calendar. She emptied her mind as best she could and closed her eyes.
How much time had passed? The sensation of her manager carefully shaking her shoulder made Jihyun lift her heavy eyelids. The van had come to a stop in the underground parking garage of an unfamiliar building.
"We're here, Jihyun."
"Where is this? This doesn't look like where we were supposed to meet the advertisers."
The manager only offered an awkward smile and mumbled something noncommittal. The elevator delivered them to the entrance of a private room — unexpectedly luxurious, with a clean, refined design. No signage, no directory. A secret space.
"Jihyun, I'll wait down in the car. Take your time talking, and give me a call when you're done."
The manager didn't go in with her. He bowed at the door and hurried off. Jihyun found the whole situation suspicious, but the exhaustion outweighed everything else. She dismissed it as nothing and opened the door.
The moment she stepped inside, she couldn't believe her eyes.
In the center of the wide, spacious room stood Baek Donghyuk.
"Your CEO called the hospital personally. Said your body wasn't holding up under the brutal schedule, and asked me to take a look."
Her mouth wouldn't open. Her heart hammered like it had lost its mind.
Baek Donghyuk rose slowly from the sofa. Jihyun's face was a mix of bewilderment and displeasure, but it didn't fall far outside what he'd expected. And her agency, completely in the dark about the real situation, had offered a full five million won for his cooperation in arranging today's meeting.
Even without the money, there was no reason to refuse a situation this welcome. He'd even dropped a subtle request of his own — that they set up meetings like this from time to time, since he'd do his utmost to soothe her.
The agency will just assume it's about the money.
When the motive looked obvious, it was that much harder to suspect anything else.
"Have a seat first, Jihyun. Why don't we have a cup of tea and talk things through slowly?"
"Talk? Since when have we been that close, Baek Donghyuk?"
"I'm only here because the company asked me to come. I was told you needed some psychological stability."
"Hmph. If that's your story, go ahead and spin it however you like. I need to leave."
The instant Jihyun spun on her heel, Donghyuk caught her by the shoulder.
"You've come all this way. Why not at least loosen up those tight shoulders before you go?"
A faint thread of Qi was already flowing through his palm into her body. It merged with the energy accumulated from the previous treatment, spinning roughly — and then red dots began to appear around her shoulders.
"Hah— hhup!"
He watched her for a long moment as she moaned. Every nerve in her body seemed to stand on end, a tingling sensation racing through her. How long had she been holding out in this state? She bit down hard on her lip, trembling, then dropped into the chair and presented her back to him.
Donghyuk's gaze lingered on the back she'd offered so readily. The slender line of her neck visible beneath the black silk blouse, the shoulders slightly raised with tension. He took a slow, low breath and stepped behind her. When he reached out and wrapped his hands around her soft shoulders, her body flinched and shuddered. A faint heat already radiated from beneath her skin — the lingering effect of the Qi that had swept through her once already.
"We'll start lightly, with the shoulders."
Speaking in a low voice, he began to knead the upper trapezius with gentle pressure. Every time his hands passed over her, Jihyun's shoulders trembled. He moved along the levator scapulae toward the erector spinae.
The faint rigidity of muscle under his fingertips, and beneath that, the writhing flow of Qi. Jihyun bit her lip, trying to hold back her moans, but her rapidly rising and falling shoulders told the whole story. Wherever his hands touched, the red dots grew more vivid.
"Jihyun, for a more effective treatment, it would be better if you took off your top. Direct stimulation along the muscle fibers is far more helpful. Would that be all right?"
"Oh, please. Don't make me laugh. Last time you just stripped me however you wanted, and now you're suddenly asking permission?"
Jihyun whipped her head around and glared at him.
"That was a procedure conducted within the hospital system, under a doctor's explicit prescription. The situation is a little different now, don't you think? This isn't a commercial medical service so much as a personal favor — your agency's CEO asked me to make time, and I'm helping you as an acquaintance."
"What's even the difference? Stop asking and just do it! I don't have time!"
She snapped at him irritably and turned her head forward again. Explicit permission. Perhaps she, too, had been waiting for this stimulation without quite admitting it.
Donghyuk said nothing more. He quietly moved around in front of her, meeting her trembling gaze as he reached for the first button of her silk blouse. Careful, but without hesitation.
One, two — with each button that came undone, her collarbones and the upper swell of her chest, rising and falling with tension, were revealed. The blouse fell fully open, exposing the ornate black lace bra underneath. He took a moment to appreciate the view, then unhooked the bra. The straps slid down her shoulders, and her breasts spilled free.
Firm, well-defined breasts, the nipples hardened as if from sheer tension. They looked like ripe, succulent fruit.
"Even with a packed schedule, you haven't neglected your workouts. Your breasts have excellent elasticity."
"A-are you... sexually harassing me right now?"
"It's nothing more than a medical professional's genuine admiration for a patient's physical condition."
Donghyuk answered evenly, then reached out with both hands and gently took hold of her full breasts. The sensation filling his palms was heavy, yet springy with elasticity. He wrapped his entire hands around them, applying light pressure as he began to circle.
"Hnn! Th-that's... disgusting."
A moan slipped from Jihyun's lips. Her words were still negative, but her body was honest — flinching and reacting with every touch. Her ragged breathing and slightly unfocused eyes proved she was already floundering in a swamp of pleasure.
He squeezed her breasts firmly, kneading them, while the fingers of his other hand pinched and twisted the protruding nipples as if to torment them.
"Haa, ahhk! Y-you lunatic...!"
Jihyun's back arched sharply, then collapsed forward, over and over.
"The muscle tension is too severe. This level of stimulation may not be enough. I'll have no choice but to... use my tongue."
The words had barely left his mouth before he lowered his head and took her left nipple into his mouth. The sensation of warm, yielding flesh filling his mouth. He rolled the hardened bud with his tongue, pressed it against the roof of his mouth, then sucked hard.
"Kyaaah— haaahn!"
A moan close to a scream burst from Jihyun. She couldn't even keep her body under control, squirming until she finally threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
Her hot breath tickled his nape. She required a significantly greater volume of Qi than Choi Yunjin, but the method of conquest wouldn't be all that different. If anything, being able to skip certain steps would save time — an advantage.
The red dots that had appeared on her lower body. He'd already confirmed through treating other patients that unless Qi was injected directly to draw them up, they could fade quickly.
Can't let this chance slip away.
Donghyuk quickly pulled his lips from her nipple and reached down, pressing firmly into the inner groin where the red dots had appeared. Jihyun's body lurched again.
"...Hhup!"
"This is a critical point where the femoral nerve and femoral artery pass, Jihyun. It has a major effect on overall blood circulation and sensation in the lower body. Simply releasing the tension here significantly reduces fatigue throughout the legs, and it also helps correct pelvic imbalance."
"S-something's... poking from inside my skin..."
"Just relax and stay comfortable. It won't cause any particular pain."
In contrast to his calm voice, Donghyuk's body was soaked with sweat. He poured Qi in even more strongly, concentrating the stimulation around that area. Just as dizziness set in and his stomach began to churn, the red dots finally spread all the way to her labia.