The Slow Unraveling
After the company dinner that had been full of twists and turns, I finally started to have more people I knew at work.
Haah. Does this finally feel like I'm living like a normal person at the company?
Until now, there had been an unspoken perception that I was a parachute hire, a useless burden who couldn't even earn his keep. After landing the Vietnamese buyer, the reaction had shifted to "What the hell is that guy? What does he even do?" and the distance never closed. I hadn't made any real friends.
On top of that, the place I worked—the D-dong Warehouse—was tucked away in the farthest corner of the company. Hardly anyone bothered to walk all the way out there just to see me, so the only people I could really talk to were Sumin noona and Jeonghun hyung.
Recently, Team Leader Lee Eunhye and Jiyeong had been added to that short list.
Because of all that, I had gone through my days at the company without anyone I could point to and say, "I know that person!" But now that I was chatting with the other female employees, my work life was becoming a little more lively and noisy.
Man~ People really are social animals, huh? It felt different from when I used to just keep my mouth shut and work in silence. There was finally some life in my days at the company.
I got invited to the group chat where everyone who attended the dinner was gathered, and I started sharing small talk and news. I also made sure to deposit my share of the dinner expenses into the group account and carefully nurtured these new connections.
Most of the conversations were about everyday things—how everyone was doing, good restaurants—but every now and then the talk turned to the public enemy of the Fashion Design Team and the Admin Team, Jiyeong noona's department: the Sales Team. I quietly listened to the gossip about the people we clashed with the most at work and chimed in when appropriate.
Even from my perspective, the Sales Team really wasn't pulling their weight, but sometimes the complaints piled up so much that I wondered if we really needed to drag every single thing into the open. Still, figuring this was just how things worked in a female-dominated company, I played along with the right reactions.
To be honest, a few of the names that kept coming up really were that bad, so there were plenty of times when I genuinely agreed.
That was how my small, ordinary company life continued. Unfortunately, during that time I still wasn't producing results that met the president's and management's expectations.
They kept trying to pile sales work, management duties, and all sorts of other tasks on top of someone they had hired specifically for warehouse work. I ended up completely burned out.
Finding and preparing stock that would satisfy the Vietnamese buyer, matching his business tastes, scouting new clients, organizing the warehouse…
I had never been taught any of it, and there was no one around to properly guide me. I tried my best at first, but eventually I changed my mindset to "just do the bare minimum."
After all, no matter how hard I worked, my salary wasn't going to go up and there wasn't going to be a performance bonus worth getting excited about. The company only took and took; it never took responsibility for the lives of the people who worked hard for it. At some point I realized there was no need to work myself to death.
Thanks to that change in attitude, I was finally able to focus on my coin trading and on Iseul's situation.
During this period, my assets grew so dramatically that my salary became completely irrelevant. The constant pumping in the coin market made every day exciting, yet I was also anxious about when it would all crash. The restlessness kept me up at night.
July 2017. I started buying Bitcoin little by little from the 2.5 million won range and eventually completed the purchase of 100 Bitcoin at an average price in the 2 million won range. To expand my trading options, I moved all my assets to the overseas B exchange and set up a new main base.
Around this time, I decided to invest in coins other than Bitcoin. The trigger was the Bitcoin Segwit update event.
I didn't really understand the technical issues, but the community was split over the update—some said the coin would die, others said it wouldn't—and there was a lot of noise. It was also the time when the famous Bitcoin Cash was born.
I debated whether to cash everything out and just watch, or to hold on like a gambler. In the end, I decided to hold onto the Bitcoin that was still rising and receive the Bitcoin Cash.
August 2017. Bitcoin Cash was listed on the B exchange I was using. It started at 0.003 BTC and quickly traded up to 0.01 BTC.
The price didn't crash as much as I had feared. Noticing the occasional pumps, I converted all my Bitcoin into Bitcoin Cash. During Bitcoin Cash's super bull run that climbed as high as 0.34 BTC in three days, I managed to sell everything at an average of 0.25 BTC and made roughly 400% profit.
That experience convinced me to start trading altcoins as well.
Even these cyber scraps of paper could make money if you managed the risk properly. After careful research, I split my now much larger assets across several major coins and bought in. The coins I timed well kept rising every day, sometimes pumping hard on good news and making me very happy.
I focused mainly on high-market-cap coins like OMG, the hope of Japanese coins, NEO, the leader among Chinese coins, ADA, created by Ethereum insiders, and XRP, which Koreans seemed to love suspiciously. I also did small buy-and-sell trades on coins with decent themes whenever they looked promising, steadily growing my assets.
Then, in October 2017, the domestic U exchange launched with the unique advantage of being partnered with B exchange.
At first the trading volume was low and the market was small, but thanks to the backing of a major domestic corporation, compatibility features, and the ability to trade in Korean won, I moved all my assets to the U exchange.
By December, Bitcoin and all my other coins had continued their upward trend, multiplying my assets. Every day I was able to go to work with a light heart, at least in spirit.
Work wasn't going particularly well, but it was proceeding smoothly enough, and my relationships with others had grown friendlier. There was even some joy in greeting people.
But not everything was good.
The baby-making project with Iseul, which we had been carrying out under an implicit agreement, had so far ended in failure, and she had fallen into deep disappointment.
We reduced the frequency of sex to conserve stamina, then released everything on the days that matched her cycle, cumming deep inside her on the dangerous days. After sex, we used a pussy plug bought from an adult store to keep the semen inside and help the sperm reach the egg. We also did pregnancy-friendly massages I found online.
Every night we held each other and made love until we fell asleep, and even little Han Byeol sometimes got jealous. Yet all our efforts failed.
Because we had approached it with genuine hearts, the disappointment was even greater. Iseul tried to smile and say it was okay, but I knew how much effort she had put into getting pregnant, so I comforted her and tried to encourage her to keep trying.
After that day, Iseul started eating foods said to help with pregnancy and did plenty of related exercises. She also prepared things she hadn't been able to do when she had Byeol, and she diligently wore the pussy plug even after sex.
But over the past five months…
Everything failed.
Every time she failed, she was sad, but she forced herself to put on a brave face and carry out her schedule. Sometimes the disappointment leaked out and she would laugh awkwardly while trying to hide it.
When pregnancy still didn't happen after three months, we even went to the hospital, but both of us were completely normal.
The doctor said these things happened sometimes and told us to stay strong. So was it just that we weren't compatible?
When we checked our Saju, the fortune-teller sighed and said the child wasn't ready to come yet. When we drew tarot cards, we often heard pleasant things like "A bright future awaits you."
Even the things we tried while grasping at straws all ended in vain. We kept telling ourselves it was all superstition, comforted Iseul, and continued trying.
But Iseul still hadn't gotten pregnant. Unable to watch her moping around in low spirits, I suggested she take a change of scenery and sent her and Han Byeol on a six-night, seven-day trip to Hokkaido, Japan.
I told her that a change of mood and hot spring baths would help with pregnancy—completely baseless, of course—but Iseul seemed to perk up. She enthusiastically planned the itinerary and left for Japan a few days ago.
Travel really did seem to lift her mood. She sent photos every day and her voice over the phone sounded much brighter.
It felt a little empty and lonely without Iseul, but I couldn't take time off work to go with her, so there was nothing to be done. It was only a week, after all. I told myself she would be back soon and focused on my own tasks while going about my daily life.
Then one day, the usually quiet company began to stir.
Time passed after the incident with Eunhye, and it was now early December 2017.
Fortunately, my work life continued smoothly without any major problems.
As expected, no one knew what we had done. Eunhye had spent about a month living in anxiety, but afterward she gradually returned to her usual self and was able to treat me normally again, just like before.
The only person who knew our secret was me, and she came to see me every single day.
To people she wasn't close with, she showed only a blank, businesslike expression, making her seem hard to approach and giving off a strong impression. But I already knew the complete opposite was true inside.
Eunhye, who smiled warmly and spoke kindly to those who entered her fence, was actually a woman with a very fragile heart who struggled to hide lies and had a habit of being swept along by the atmosphere while always considering others.
That was why the act of adultery left a deep wound on her conscience. The guilt of committing such a grave sin for the first time weighed heavily on her, and because she was mentally exhausted, she had no choice but to seek me out—the only person she could speak to honestly and receive comfort from.
Eunhye, who needed someone to lean on, came to the warehouse every day. While drinking the tea and snacks I prepared, she sought comfort for her anxiety and poured out her true feelings.
I did my best to cheer her up with every word I could think of, both meaningful and meaningless, and tried to help her heal the wounds in her heart.
Perhaps because of my efforts, Eunhye, who was spending more and more time in the warehouse, came to accept and acknowledge the sin she had committed against her husband. She made up her mind to be more devoted to him while silently asking for forgiveness, and she managed to shake off some of the anxiety and fear of being caught.
Through that process, we shared many conversations and grew closer, forming a deeper and more intimate relationship.
Contrary to our original plan to keep our distance, it wasn't easy for the two of us—who shared a secret no one else knew—to ignore each other.
Following our hearts. Following our bodies.
Without us even realizing it, we were naturally moving closer and closer to the line we had already crossed.
Eunhye made up some excuse at the office and came to the warehouse to see me once a day.
After listening to her anxiety and frustration and comforting her, I would carefully take her hand and give her a massage.
When I gently held her slightly cold hands in mine, warming them and massaging them, she would let out a pleased sigh and say it felt good. A strange atmosphere would begin to flow, and sometimes a shy expression would appear on her face as she imagined what might come next.
"Haah~ Where did you learn this? You're really good. Aah~"
"I just happened to have the chance to learn it. It's come in handy."
"Aah. There. A little gentler there…. Hnn!"
"You like it there? How is it? Does it feel good?"
"Yeah. It's really nice. Jinsu, your hands are strong."
"Team Leader, your hands are really pretty too."
"…Thanks. That's the first time anyone's said my hands are pretty."
Through these light conversations, Eunhye's guard toward me gradually lowered, and the distance between us slowly shrank.
Closer. A little more intimate skinship.
The contact that started at our fingertips gradually extended, with permission, to massaging her wrists, arms, and shoulders. After a month, even though her emotional state had improved considerably, she no longer hid the fact that she looked forward to my massages. She would even hold out her hands first, asking for one.
Up until then, I couldn't be sure whether she came because she liked the massages, to relieve her hidden anxiety, or because she had feelings for me.
But one day when something had happened at home and her emotions were running high, I noticed her distress, pulled her gently into my arms, and patted and stroked her back to soothe her.
"Team Leader, is something wrong?"
"……."
"It's okay. Everything will be fine. Nothing bad will happen."
"…Haah. Jinsu. Thank you."
Once I confirmed that Eunhye accepted even light skinship like a gentle hug, the next day and the day after that, I found excuses to pull her into my arms. Seeing that she still came to see me every single day, I could feel that she also had feelings for me she couldn't forget—lingering attachment.
If she truly hated me, she wouldn't have come every day like that.
Of course, it was still a sensitive time, so even when I held her, I never did anything sexual. I simply kept her in my arms and focused on comforting her with company-related stories or personal small talk instead of bringing up that day.
After two more months had passed, our greetings had developed to the point where we naturally hugged whenever she arrived at the warehouse.
I would wrap my arm around Eunhye's waist—skinship she now allowed to some degree—lightly escort her to the table, and sit side by side with her at a fairly close distance, feeling her body heat and scent while we talked. That had become our daily routine.
Eunhye didn't mind when I stroked her waist out of affection, but if my hand brushed against her butt or chest, she would give me a sharp look as a warning. So I couldn't push things any further. Still, I was grateful for even this much and cherished the closeness we had.
Another month later, Eunhye was lying on the bed in the secret room I had prepared, receiving a full-body massage.
She had slightly strained her back while doing home training.
When I saw her in pain, I suggested a massage without any special intentions. Since I had already been massaging her arms and shoulders, it came out naturally. But once I had her lying on the bed so easily, I realized I had done something quite significant.
Until now, she had thought it was just a wall. When the canopy wall opened and she saw the small room prepared inside, her eyes widened in surprise.
Originally, when the canopy was installed in the first-floor lobby, the entrance to what had been an unknown room was blocked off by the canopy wall. Since no one ever came here anyway, I hadn't thought much of it.
Afterward, once I got a little more used to company life, I considered putting in a mattress to deal with the drowsiness after lunch. But putting an actual bed in the office felt too obvious, so I agonized over it for a long time.
Then I remembered the empty room. After cleaning it out, I secretly brought in a mattress without anyone knowing. I also installed blackout curtains to block the sunlight from the window and prepared aromatic candles. It became my ultimate secret spot.
Of course, I hadn't bought the bed or created the secret room with this kind of situation in mind, but past me had made an excellent choice.
Very praiseworthy.
Eunhye was also surprised when a door appeared behind what she had thought was a wall. She was shocked by the sight of the secret room and the bed, staring at me in disbelief. She clicked her tongue at my boldness for having a bed at the company, but when I smiled and offered my hand, she followed me inside and lay face-down on the bed.
After asking if she was okay, I climbed onto her prone body and positioned myself on my knees. Since it would be easier to massage her back from a position above her hips, I had asked for permission beforehand, and after a moment of hesitation, Eunhye had agreed.
Kneeling over her, I was careful not to touch her unnecessarily and slowly placed my hands on her lower back, applying pressure.
"Aah~ There! Ow! G-gentler…."
"Forget the injury—your muscles are really tight. Don't forget to stretch before exercising. Got it?"
"Ow! I do pay attention…! Ow!"
"I'm already being gentle, so stop exaggerating, Team Leader."
The massage that started that way naturally didn't end with just her back.
Saying I might as well give her the full course, I moved from her back to her shoulders and arms, then down to her thighs, calves, and the soles of her feet. Only after finishing did Eunhye finally get to escape from me.
During the process, I tried my best not to touch her, but there were unavoidable moments when our bodies bumped or rubbed against each other. However, since my hands were already massaging every part of her body, Eunhye only blushed slightly and didn't say anything.
Afterward, Eunhye, drenched in sweat, lay flat on the bed to rest. I lay down beside her, taking care of her while also resting. Then I slowly scooted closer, gently pulled her into my arms, and enjoyed the reward of her fragrant scent, soft body, and warmth.
From that day on, whenever Eunhye came to the warehouse, it naturally led to a massage.
At first, she was too embarrassed to face me, so I only worked on her back and the less sensitive areas. But once she got used to it, I gradually began massaging her butt as well.
"I'll do this part too. Is that okay?"
"……Hnn!"
"It's really tight here. I'll loosen it up quickly."
"…Hnn! …Mmm!"
Eunhye didn't answer and silently accepted my touch. Sometimes I would hear her muttering to herself, "This is just a massage. It's just a massage…," and it was hard not to laugh, but at least during the massage I focused with full sincerity and dedication.
It still wasn't the right time for anything more.
I also pretended to have no particular feelings, treating it as part of the massage while thoroughly enjoying her soft butt with just my hands before letting her go.
After Eunhye allowed the butt massage that bordered on caressing, I waited for the right timing and suggested a front massage as well.
"Team Leader, I'll do the front too. Please turn over and lie on your back."
"…Okay."
With an expression that said "So it's finally come to this," Eunhye carefully turned over and lay on her back. She knew I wanted to gradually advance our relationship, but it wasn't easy for her to reject me when I took each step at the appropriate moment.
Her breathing was rough. Her face was slightly flushed. Eunhye's body, faintly aroused, clearly showed that it didn't want to escape my touch and wanted to accept more.
Perhaps embarrassed by the fact that she had turned over on her own, she covered her eyes with one hand and placed the other on her chest. Finding her girlish appearance questionable for a thirty-year-old, I placed a towel I had prepared over her eyes to cover them.
Then I took her hands one by one and moved them to her sides, removing her last line of defense. I climbed on top of the defenseless Eunhye and positioned myself.
By now we had adapted to each other quite well, so there was no need to awkwardly stay on my knees. Sitting lightly on her upper thighs, my posture was the perfect mount over Eunhye—a dangerous position from which I could pin her down at any moment and start having sex without her being able to do anything.
Perhaps because of that, tension and a slightly excited atmosphere hung between us, and for a moment we were both silent, saying nothing.
Gulp!
The sound of someone swallowing echoed.
After the silence between us was broken, I slowly moved my hands and began massaging the front of Eunhye's body.
"…Aah! Hnn! Hoo…."
"Aah. There…! Haah. Haah. G-gentler…."
"Hnn! Hnnn! Haah. That feels good…."
Fortunately, once the massage began, the sensation of her body loosening eased Eunhye's tension. I also had no intention of caressing her body from the very first day, so I continued the massage with care. That day, we were both able to finish the massage feeling satisfied.
From then on, Eunhye stayed in the warehouse longer because I was massaging both her back and front, and the extent to which she allowed me to touch her body deepened.
At first I was really focused on the massage, but gradually more suggestive hand movements mixed in. Naturally, the purpose reversed, and now the goal was to caress Eunhye's body.
Over the past period, I had already loosened her body thoroughly with massages, and her back was fine now, so Eunhye didn't really need daily massages. Yet the fact that she still asked for them every day, and that she lay on the bed to receive my increasingly bold touches, meant she was also giving permission—or rather, wanting it. So I didn't stop.
The time I spent caressing Eunhye's body under the name of massage grew longer each day. When her body was properly heated up, I would naturally and wordlessly place my hands on her breasts and butt, kneading them and completing my conquest.
After allowing me her butt, Eunhye finally permitted her breasts as well. She entrusted her entire body to me and lay comfortably on the bed, receiving my massages—my caresses. As I touched her here and there, sometimes feeling relief and sometimes deep arousal, she gradually adapted to my touch, found satisfaction in it, and was being tamed under the illusion that she was allowing me.
As a result of Eunhye gradually accepting my increasingly dangerous skinship, I was now able to carefully reach out and stroke her breasts and butt when we hugged or got close, and even caress and knead them at a mild level.
Of course, even after all this work, if I approached without the right timing, Eunhye would still pull away slightly. So I always had to be careful, again and again.
I always spoke to her warmly and affectionately, as if I was on her side. Only after creating a suggestive atmosphere by gently pulling her into my arms or stimulating her with a massage did the timing arise where I could freely knead her body over her clothes.
But whenever the atmosphere grew even slightly more intense, Eunhye would push me away despite her own difficulty, making it hard to go further. Still, our relationship was steadily and surely progressing, little by little.
Maybe it was because we had already had sex? They say the first time is important, that starting is half the battle. Even though she had put up such a strong wall and been so guarded, Eunhye was allowing me one thing after another.
If I had still been outside the iron wall she had built around herself, it might have been different. But since I was already inside—and she had even made a mistake with me—Eunhye had no way to push me away.
All she could do was delay the inevitable day as much as possible.
We both instinctively knew that moment would come someday, and I was gradually gaining confidence that if I just took my time, I would definitely succeed.
Now it was just a matter of when the opportunity would present itself.
I waited for that chance without rushing and devoted myself to working on her whenever I saw her.
When we met, I walked beside her and talked. When no one was looking, I would subtly touch or hold her hand. When we were alone, I would wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close.
And sometimes, when Eunhye came to see me for no particular reason, I would lend her my shoulder. At those times, she would silently hold my hand and fidget with it for a whole hour, while I held her waist and stroked it, waiting until her worries were over.
One day when it was raining outside, Eunhye had been sitting alone, lost in thought.
I don't know what I was thinking that day either, but I got caught up in the atmosphere. While holding her waist, I pulled her in and embraced her.
Eunhye didn't resist and melted completely into my arms.
"…Jinsu?"
"Team Leader…."
That day, there was none of her usual sharp refusal. Eunhye, who had always been on guard like a porcupine at the slightest hasty move, was completely disarmed. She leaned powerlessly against me and met my gaze.
The distance between us grew smaller and smaller.
Sensing what was about to happen, Eunhye closed her eyes.
The kiss we shared after four months was incredibly sweet.
In an instant, she wrapped both arms around my head and fell into the kiss. I held her and sat her on my thigh, continuing the deep kiss comfortably.
"Chuu~ Chururup! Chuu! Chuu chuu! Chururup!"
Had Eunhye also been waiting for this moment for a long time?
She desperately and actively sought my tongue, and I explored the inside of her mouth in return. The arm around her waist moved up to her breasts, while my other hand lifted her skirt and stroked her thighs.
That day, Eunhye didn't stop my hands from caressing her breasts and legs at a dangerous level. With her permission, I freely caressed her body, relieved my pent-up desires, continued kissing her, and enjoyed our time together.
The kiss went on endlessly.
I don't know how long we mixed our tongues, but we only parted after kissing until we were both out of breath, satisfied.
Afterward, in a brief awkward silence, Eunhye caught her breath, tidied herself up, gave a short greeting, and left the warehouse.
Was it fortunate? Or disappointing?
Because Eunhye left so quickly that day, things didn't progress any further. But the next day, as always, she came to see me and shared a short kiss with me before leaving.
Without saying anything, we had implicitly developed into a relationship where we kissed every day after a massage. From then on, I devoted even more effort to massaging Eunhye, making sure she let out satisfied breaths.
Then Eunhye would respond with a deep, passionate kiss, and even when I held her and touched her body with slightly lewd hands, she only trembled slightly and neither avoided nor rejected me.
Through that, I could feel that Eunhye was also walking the final tightrope.
The moans that escaped her lips unconsciously during the massage.
The posture that subtly invited me to touch her body.
The way she actively tangled her tongue during kisses and let out pleased breaths when I openly kneaded her butt and breasts.
Feeling that the peak was in sight, the massages I gave to loosen Eunhye's body gradually became more seductive and lewd.
In other words, I began deliberately caressing her body and stimulating her erogenous zones.
After a simple overall massage, I focused on intensely caressing her erogenous zones. Not only her breasts and butt, but all the sensitive spots I had discovered during the massages—I stroked and stimulated them thoroughly in a full-fledged caress.
When she was lying on her back, I covered her eyes with a towel and kneaded her breasts while pressing my fingers against her pubic bone to stimulate the area around her most intimate parts. When she was face-down, I would touch her hips, then firmly knead her butt, and press the inner thighs near her private area to make sure she got aroused.
And I would rub my erect cock against her crotch when she was on her back, or against the cleft of her butt when she was face-down, actively showing her that I was also excited.
As if I could pounce on her at any moment, I pressed down on her with my weight so she couldn't escape, moving my hips and rubbing my erection over her clothes. Eunhye seemed to feel something too—she tensed her body and let out moans while sensing my movements.
Eunhye pretended not to know what I was doing until the very end while also tacitly allowing it. When the massage ended, she would get up with her tired body and hug me.
Breathing hotly, she pressed her even hotter body against mine. I held her tightly, freely teased and caressed the body she had implicitly permitted, and relieved my desires with kisses.
The desires that grew stronger with each passing day. The skinship that increased in proportion.
Once the implicit starting switch called "kiss" was flipped, we began to crave each other even more deeply.
And at some point, I started boldly lifting her skirt, slipping my hand into her panties to knead her butt, reaching under her top to caress her breasts, and exploring Eunhye.
Eunhye, whose layers were being peeled away one by one each time.
With her bra pushed up and her breasts exposed, she had her nipples sucked while kissing. When I lifted her skirt and caressed her butt over her panties, she couldn't stop my hand from gradually pulling her panties down, so she ended up being caressed with her butt exposed.
But even so, the area around her pussy remained the final fortress that I could never breach, no matter how much I stimulated and aroused her.
Still, without rushing, waiting for the day when Eunhye would collapse on her own, I heated her body up every single day.
Even when her clothes were disheveled and messy because of me, Eunhye quietly fixed them and didn't blame me for the consequences of her own choices.
Watching her quietly tidy her clothes and the increasingly long time we spent together, I felt both excitement and satisfaction, and a definite sense that the peak was drawing near.
We didn't say it out loud, but we both knew it. The tension between us was so thick that it felt like just one trigger would make us have sex again.
Of course, every time I saw Eunhye, I still thought about that day and imagined making a mess of her delicious pussy, only to repeatedly pull myself together by thinking of Iseul.
Once my sexual desire calmed down, I would once again act on the surface as a reliable pillar of support to stabilize Eunhye. Eunhye also desperately pretended nothing was wrong in order to protect the line she had almost crossed, treating me normally.
That was how we spent our days—trying to make it look like nothing was happening at work while being both tense and expectant about the day that was steadily approaching.
Between a man and a woman—especially a man and woman who had already had sex—there could never be friendship.
Feeling that truth in our bodies, we trembled with the lingering afterglow while imagining the time we would have again tomorrow.