Power & Sex, and... 02
Train time rolled around, so I forced Kim Driver—who insisted on coming along—back home and took a taxi to Seoul Station. I settled into my assigned seat, leaned my head against the headrest, and closed my eyes. As memories from the past few months flickered through my mind one by one, I sank into them. The train was passing through Daejeon Station.
"Assemblyman?"
"Yes? Who is this?"
A familiar-looking young woman with a slender figure and a pretty face beamed down at me with a bright smile. But no matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't recall meeting her at the Assembly Members' Office Building or the district office, so I just stared at her with a blank expression.
"You saw me earlier and already forgot?"
It hit me in an instant. She was the bold yet cute idol singer who'd come to my office that afternoon with CEO Hwang Bo. She'd changed clothes somewhere along the way, and now she exuded a simple, fresh vibe.
"Ah! The girl who came with Entertainment CEO Hwang Bo?"
"Yes. I told you, Suji."
"What brings you on this train?"
"Just finished a show in Daejeon, heading to the beach."
"I see."
"Where are you off to, Assemblyman?"
"Home, for me."
"Home isn't in Seoul?"
"Yeah, Busan."
"No place in Seoul as a congressman?"
"What, you think congressmen are all chaebol heirs with multiple homes?"
"So where do you crash in Seoul?"
"Rented an officetel on a jeonse deposit."
"Ah, got it."
The ride from Daejeon to Busan felt incredibly short. Her clear, refreshing voice tickled my ear nonstop as she chattered about herself and peppered me with questions. Every now and then, she'd burst out laughing at something I said, tapping my shoulder, or she'd casually thump my thigh in a fit of giggles—but each time, a thrilling shiver ran through me, blood rushing to one insistent corner of my body.
She might be young, but she had more than enough sex appeal oozing from her—enough to idolize, leading her pack of oppa fans. Need I say more? If she'd taken off her sunglasses for disguise, every soul on that train would've envied me.
And so, I rode the train down to Busan with this idol singer named Suji. Parting at Busan Station with a pang of regret, I headed home. What the hell was this thing called pride anyway...
Ara greeted me warmly when I got home. After the election win, I'd been swamped with courtesy calls, and once I started at the National Assembly, adapting to the new atmosphere left no room to even think about coming back to Busan. We hadn't fully savored our honeymoon bliss, and here she was, separated from her husband over something so trivial. For a woman in her early twenties who'd dreamed of sweet newlywed life, it must've been torture.
Feeling guilty, I pulled her into a gentle embrace. She clung to me, our lips crashing together, her hot tongue filling my mouth.
"Ara, I love you."
"Yeah, I missed you so much, honey."
"Sorry. Where's your mom?"
"Mom's at a gathering tonight, she'll be late."
"Perfect."
"Perfect my ass—what's perfect?"
I ended the heated kiss and carried her to the living room. When she tried to wriggle free from my arms, I only held her tighter.
"Honey, I'll make coffee."
"Nah, forget coffee. I wanna taste my wife's tits first."
"You're crazy! In broad daylight...?"
"Yeah, I'm crazy. Been ages since I got a proper look at my wife's body—can't even remember."
In my rush, I laid her on the sofa. Seoul's new world had drowned me in work, leaving no time for women—and no safe ones to fuck anyway. Plus, that physical tease with Suji on the train down had my cock raging the moment I saw Ara. As I fumbled to strip her, she pushed me away.
"Ew, stop with the nonsense and go wash up. Then let's head to Mom's."
"Just a quickie first."
"Quickie what? Not now. Greet her first."
"I'm gonna lose it. You have no idea how much I've held back."
"Pfft, didn't you fool around with some other girl in Seoul?"
"When would I have had the time?"
"Anyway, shower and come out."
With Ara prodding me, I headed to the bathroom, half-hoping. I rushed through the shower and emerged to find her by the door, changed into going-out clothes, holding my underwear.
"We really going to Yeonsan-dong first?"
"Yeah. If Mom finds out you skipped it to fool around with me first, what then?"
"Come on, how would she know?"
"Still, no. It'd be lying to her."
I couldn't break her stubbornness and slid into the driver's seat. This woman used to charge at me anywhere, anytime she was horny—now marriage had flipped her completely. Was she living out that old saying men gripe about: "No need to feed a fish once you've hooked it"?
"We're back, Mother."
"My son, come in. Doing well in Seoul?"
"Yes, Mother."
"So when's the move?"
"Move?"
"You gonna keep shuttling back and forth, leaving your new bride at her parents'?"
"No plans to move for now."
"Why?"
"Most assemblymen relocate to Seoul after winning, but that kills their ties to the district and distances them from local voters. So I'll stick around here."
"If that's your call, what can I say? But leaving a fresh bride alone...?"
"I'm fine, Mother."
"Fine? You need to make a baby soon."
"Yes, Mother."
Like every mother in the world, mine subtly hinted at wanting a grandson. But in my current mess, it wasn't easy. Piles of urgent work loomed, and with elections in four years, I couldn't slack on the district even if the office manager busted his ass. No way I'd pack up for Seoul.
Sure, at first I'd visit weekly, handle local issues, tour the area—but time passes, and neglect creeps in. Who could guarantee I wouldn't slip?
Truth be told, post-election, I'd toyed with moving to Seoul. But it wouldn't help much; it'd cramp things with Ara and Eun-mi both there; worst, focusing on Seoul life might drift me from Jeong-ah and her young supporters. So I kept base in Busan to show loyalty, treating Seoul like a weekday office gig. The decision thrilled the district office staff and had party members bragging I was different from the rest.
After dinner at the Yeonsan-dong family home, I picked up Ara and headed to Minrak-dong.
"Songjeong?"
"What, wanna go there?"
"Not that, just... heading here instead of home."
"Your mom shows up, and cuddling gets awkward. Hotel it is."
"What if someone spots us?"
"Who's gonna care if I wanna sleep with my wife at a hotel?"
"True. But during the election, everyone kept asking if we were really married."
"You're too young-looking."
Mid-chat with Ara, my phone rang as we neared our old hotel spot in Minrak-dong. Driving, I answered via earpiece without checking.
"Yes, Park Maru speaking."
"Assemblyman?"
"Yes, Park Maru. Who's this?"
"It's Suji."
"What's up this late?"
"I'm in Gwangalli. Buy me a drink?"
"Sorry, on a date with my wife right now."
"Okay."
Her deflated tone tugged at me a bit, but I hung up. This girl, calling a strange guy at night without fear—what guts these young ones had.
"Honey, who was it?"
"Some girl group singer."
"Girl group? Why's a singer calling you? Which group?"
"Dunno the group. Suji something. Met her this afternoon with her agency CEO at the office, then she hopped on at Daejeon."
"Suji?"
"Yeah, know her?"
"Of course. Pretty popular. Why'd she call?"
"Wanted a drink."
"Where?"
"Gwangalli right now."
"Honey, let's go to Gwangalli."
"Why?"
"I wanna see that singer Suji."
At Ara's earnest plea, I shelved sex for now and turned toward Gwangalli. But I needed Suji's okay first, so I called her back.