Sweetness
“Nothing’s prettier than someone who eats with real appetite.”
Jung Na-yeon said it softly, watching Hyun-soo. She had tried to sound casual, but the moment the word “pretty” left her mouth her face burned. A married landlady calling a twenty-seven-year-old man pretty? She cleared her throat once and lifted a spoonful of broth to her lips.
“What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?”
Dinner wasn’t even finished, yet she was already asking about tomorrow morning. The question carried her quiet wish that he would sit at this table again the next day, and Jung Na-yeon knew it—yet she made no effort to hide it.
“Tomorrow? Hmm… spicy stir-fried pork!”
Hyun-soo named one of his favorites. He liked chicken, but he loved other meats just as much.
“Spicy stir-fried pork?”
Jung Na-yeon chuckled as she sipped her soup.
“You really do love meat, don’t you? All right. Not for breakfast—I’ll make it for dinner tomorrow.”
She set down her spoon and began counting on her fingers.
“Gochujang, chili powder, onion, green onion… and I’ll need to buy lettuce and vegetables for wrapping, too.”
Her eyes sparkled as she organized the shopping list for tomorrow’s dinner in her head. The simple fact that she had someone to shop for filled her with this kind of excitement. Had she ever felt this way two years ago, back when her husband still ate his meals at home as a matter of course?
“You know, eating this spicy chicken stew… you’re really good at cooking. If it were me, I’d want you to make it every single day…”
“Every day?”
Jung Na-yeon’s grip tightened on her spoon. It had probably been a casual remark, just a reaction to how good the food tasted. Yet that single phrase echoed off the empty walls of the house and sank deep into her chest. Even in the early days of their marriage her husband had taken meals for granted; he had never once said anything sweet like “make it for me every day.” There were always excuses—company dinners, appointments, running late—and eventually those excuses piled up until the only thing left on the table was a solitary meal.
“Every day…”
She trailed off.
“I could make it every day.”
“Really?”
Hyun-soo’s face lit up.
“I was getting tired of cooking for myself anyway…”
She spoke as if it were nothing, but her voice had grown noticeably softer. The scent of the spicy chicken stew still lingered in the kitchen. Under the fluorescent light above the table, Jung Na-yeon’s eyes glistened moistly.
The space left by loneliness was being filled by something else entirely.
“But Hyun-soo…”
“Yes?”
Jung Na-yeon held out a tissue again. She gently wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth. This time she did not suppress the impulse. The moment her fingertips brushed near his lips her heart raced, yet she did not pull her hand away.
“It’s good that you enjoy your food, but don’t eat so messily. You’re not a child…”
“I’m a bit of a slob, aren’t I?”
Hyun-soo laughed and tossed out the joke.
“A big slob.”
Jung Na-yeon laughed along with him.
When the meal ended and Hyun-soo rose from his seat, a hollow feeling spread through her chest. Was he leaving already? It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. Her hand, reaching to clear the empty plates, froze. Her lips parted as if to speak, then closed again. She was frantically searching her mind for an excuse to keep him. Should she ask him to help with the dishes?
“Could I trouble you for a cup of coffee?”
Then she heard the word “coffee.” Watching Hyun-soo’s back as he headed for the sofa, Jung Na-yeon quietly let out a breath of relief.
He’s not leaving.
It meant he intended to stay a while longer. She ducked her head beneath the table to hide the way the corners of her mouth lifted.
“Coffee? I have some.”
Jung Na-yeon opened the cabinet above the sink. She knew her voice was brighter than usual, but she didn’t care.
“I’ve only got instant mix coffee—is that okay?”
“I love instant mix coffee~”
She felt an inner relief when he said he liked it. She took out two coffee cups. They had originally been her husband’s, so she hesitated for a moment—then took them out anyway. A small act of rebellion. As she boiled the water and tore open the coffee-mix sticks, she hummed under her breath as if singing a little tune.
“Want extra sugar?”
“I’m good~”
He was satisfied with what was already in the stick. It felt good to have someone she could ask even about something so trivial. She knew her husband’s coffee preference—black, no cream or sugar. He claimed he enjoyed the pure natural flavor. And he would drink it in silence, without conversation, or simply disappear into his study. Jung Na-yeon shook her head, brushing those memories away.
When the water boiled she carefully poured it and stirred with a spoon. Then, carrying the two cups into the living room, she sat down beside Hyun-soo.
“Here.”
“Thanks—I’ll enjoy it.”
After handing him the cup she took a sip of her own. Warm steam rose between them. The television was playing a variety show; the laughter and chatter of celebrities flowed out, but none of it reached Jung Na-yeon’s ears. Only the sound of him drinking coffee beside her stimulated her hearing.
“I used to drink coffee alone at this hour every day, watching TV.”
“Same here. No one to talk to.”
Hyun-soo grinned and continued.
“It’s different when it’s the two of us, right?”
“Yeah…”
Her eyes were on the television, but her awareness was fixed on Hyun-soo sitting next to her.
“The coffee’s good.”
Jung Na-yeon was drinking her coffee and looking at the screen, yet she was perfectly aware of the gaze she felt from the side. Not on her face, but lower—following the line of her neck and lingering on her chest. She pretended not to notice and kept drinking.
“Is the coffee that good?”
She chuckled and turned her head naturally. She saw Hyun-soo’s gaze snap away in a fluster. She found that reaction adorable. Last night those hands had stripped her clothes without hesitation; now they were simply holding a coffee cup and drinking.
“Instant mix coffee all tastes pretty much the same… You’re the type who says everything tastes good no matter what I give you, aren’t you?”
As she turned her head back to the television she felt his gaze drop again, and her face flushed. For two years—especially the last one—her husband had never once looked at her body so openly. Even lying in the same bed he had turned his back to her. Yet the man sitting beside her now was looking at her even while pretending to sneak glances. That fact was watering the dry pride of a married woman.
Unconsciously, Jung Na-yeon sat up straighter. Her full breasts formed a pronounced curve.
“Hyun-soo.”
She set her coffee on the table and called his name. The television sound became mere background.
“Yes?”
Hyun-soo, who had been staring blatantly at her chest, answered and straightened his gaze. Looking down at her hands resting on her knees, Jung Na-yeon said,
“Once you finish your coffee… are you going upstairs?”
It was phrased as a question, but her voice carried the meaning of don’t go. Under the fluorescent light her collarbone was exposed.
“No, I’d like to stay longer… is that okay?”
At Hyun-soo’s words that he wanted to stay longer, Jung Na-yeon’s eyelashes trembled. And then that blatant gaze again. The one that had been withdrawn a moment ago returned to her.
“You’re asking if it’s okay, right now?”
Jung Na-yeon smiled softly. The end of her smile trembled, but there was no sign of refusal.
“You didn’t ask last night.”
She leaned back against the sofa and turned her head to the side. Her eyes met Hyun-soo’s head-on. She clearly read the desire contained in those eyes. The compliment about the coffee tasting good, the wish to stay longer—she knew they all meant the same thing.
Her heart was racing.
“How am I supposed to look at you like that?”
She spoke in a whisper, but she didn’t avert her gaze.
“Then how should I look at you?”
“……”
Jung Na-yeon couldn’t answer. On the television the hosts were making a racket. She picked up the remote and lowered the volume. The living room grew quiet. Only the sound of their breathing remained, and the distance between them seemed to vanish. Hyun-soo’s knee touched Jung Na-yeon’s thigh. She didn’t pull away. Instead she leaned into it slightly.
“I took a birth control pill today.”
It was a safe day so she didn’t really need to, but she had taken one just in case. Because she was a married woman. It seemed like a statement thrown out without context, yet the meaning it carried was clear. Tonight, there was nothing to worry about.
“Is that so?”
Hyun-soo said with a smile.
“Even so… you know you have to take responsibility, right?”
Na-yeon’s voice echoed through the living-room space. Her eyes were glistening moistly, and her body, already half-tilted toward Hyun-soo, wasn’t waiting for an answer. The moment Hyun-soo’s hand wrapped around her shoulder, Jung Na-yeon’s body flinched minutely. But only for a moment.
Their lips naturally overlapped, and as his tongue pushed in, Jung Na-yeon’s eyes slowly closed.
It was different from last night. Last night had been an impulse tangled with alcohol, anger, and a desire for revenge; now her mind was clear. When the tongue carrying the scent of coffee was boldly sucked, a breath escaped from the tip of Jung Na-yeon’s nose and a small sound like a moan rose. Without resistance, without excuses—this time it wasn’t revenge; she simply wanted to.
Her hand slowly rose and gripped Hyun-soo’s shirt. Not pushing away, but clutching. The sound of tongues entwining and saliva mixing echoed in the quieted living room. Beyond the lowered volume the hosts’ voices murmured faintly, but Jung Na-yeon didn’t hear them. As the kiss deepened, the warmth of the hand on her shoulder seemed to transmit directly.
“Haaa…”
When their lips parted from lack of breath, the area around Jung Na-yeon’s eyes was flushed red. Her moist lips glistened with saliva. Her breathing was rough, as if she were out of breath.
“Doing this in the living room…”
Jung Na-yeon trailed off as she caught her breath. The curtains were drawn, and the front door was locked. Her husband wasn’t coming. As if confirming that fact she glanced once toward the entrance, then looked back at Hyun-soo.
“Then we just don’t do it in the living room, right?”
He stood up. At that touch Jung Na-yeon stood as well. Just like last night, the path past the hallway toward the room. This time she didn’t even glance at the wedding photo hanging in the living room. Instead, holding his hand, she opened the bedroom door and said softly,
“You don’t have to be gentle today.”
Jung Na-yeon’s back and Hyun-soo’s, entering the dim room, turned their backs on the living-room light and disappeared as silhouettes.