Power & Sex, and... 43
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Holding her naked body close as we lay there, I drifted off to sleep myself, only to be jolted awake by my phone ringing. It was Eun-mi.
"Honey, where are you?"
"Yeah, I came out to the suburbs for some air. What's up at this hour?"
"Can't get through to Suji. You with her by any chance?"
Lying to Eun-mi didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't exactly say I'd spent the night with Suji either. So I bullshitted that we'd gone for a drive and she'd stepped out to the bathroom.
"When Suji comes back from the bathroom, could you two head to the office together?"
"Sure. Something going on?"
"You'll see when you get here. Make sure you're here before midnight."
Once the call ended, I shook Suji awake. Looked like there was some urgent business at the office. She'd fallen into a deep sleep, whining and rubbing her eyes before finally sitting up.
"I'm so tired. Just a little longer~"
"Suji, your CEO unnie's calling you in right now."
"The CEO?"
At the mention of Eun-mi summoning her, Suji—who'd been dragging her feet—jumped up in surprise and bolted to the bathroom. Water ran for a bit, and soon she emerged, towel-drying her body. It was clear Eun-mi, as the head of the company she'd soon join, held absolute sway over her; Suji couldn't ignore a call from the boss.
"Oppa, hurry up and shower. Come on~"
Caught off guard by her sudden shift, I stood there blankly until she prodded me. Rushed through my shower, and by the time I got out, Suji had not only dressed but done her makeup too—she'd moved like lightning.
We had to make it to Guro by midnight, so time was tight. We practically sprinted down the hall to the elevator, then to the parking lot, and peeled out. Luckily, the roads into Seoul weren't jammed, so whenever it cleared, I floored the accelerator.
Even as the nav blared its beep-beep-beep warnings, I kept my foot down, ready to eat the speeding ticket. We flashed past an automated speed camera—no helping it—and somehow screeched up to the office entrance ten minutes early, at 11:50. Suji and I dashed up to the second-floor office.
The late hour meant the hallway was dimmer than usual, but we raced down it and flung open the door to Eun-mi's office.
"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Suji~"
Eun-mi and Jeong-ah sang the birthday song, holding a cake lit with nineteen candles as they approached Suji.
"Suji~ Happy birthday~"
"CEO unnie~ sob~ sob~"
As Eun-mi offered her birthday wishes, Jeong-ah chimed in loudly, "Suji~ Happy birthday!" Suji burst into tears. I shot Eun-mi a baffled look, but she just smiled at me with her eyes while patting Suji's back as she sobbed.
"Why didn't you say it was your birthday?"
Suji, who'd been trying to stifle her tears, broke down again at Eun-mi's question. Jeong-ah stepped up and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Today's Suji's birthday?"
"You didn't know?"
"Nope. Not a clue."
"I figured since you were with her, you were throwing a birthday party or something."
"She just said she was feeling cooped up and wanted a drive."
As Eun-mi and I talked, Suji wiped her tear-streaked face and gazed up at her.
"Thank you, CEO unnie."
"I told you to call me unnie when it's just us."
"Yeah. Thanks, unnie. Since Mom and Dad passed, you're the only one who's remembered my birthday."
"……."
Suji looked genuinely grateful. After thanking Eun-mi, she turned to Jeong-ah with hugs and more thanks.
"So how'd you know it was Suji's birthday?"
"Saw it on her personnel card."
"You could've told me sooner."
"Just wanted to surprise our little Suji."
"If you'd said something, I'd have gotten a gift."
"You've been swamped lately anyway."
While Eun-mi and I chatted, Jeong-ah and Suji beamed, chatting away like sisters.
"Oh, and the company registration came through."
"Already? That was fast."
She pulled a document from an envelope on the desk and showed it to me. The company name read Ara Entertainment. I gave her a puzzled look.
"Ara agreed to it too. You know what 'Ara' means? It's from Buddhism—someone who's severed worldly desires and accumulated perfect virtue. I want our kids' songs to bring peace to people's hearts, brighten the world. That way, they're spreading virtue too."
No reason to object—it was her business, after all. I smiled and nodded approval. She dove into details on operations and direction, but I just kept nodding.
"You seem a bit drunk tonight."
"Guess I got carried away with the mood. I'll crash hard and be fine tomorrow."
Eun-mi was tipsy, so we left her car there and took mine first to drop Suji home. As I pulled away after letting her out, Jeong-ah hopped down and called me back.
"Oppa. I'm crashing here with Suji tonight, so take care of unnie, okay?"
"……."
"She's been stressed from work stuff lately, really struggling. And you've been busy too."
Her words left me a touch embarrassed, but also guilty toward Eun-mi. She'd been bending over backward to help with my work, yet since Busan, I'd barely had time for her beyond excuses of being busy. No wonder she might feel lonely—especially at her age, deep into her late thirties, when her desires ran hot.
"Oppa, fighting!"
Suji echoed with a small but spirited cheer. Linking arms with Jeong-ah, they headed into Suji's apartment. Suji glanced back with a wink and a knowing smile.
"Where'd she go?"
"Said she'd crash with Suji and head straight to the office tomorrow."
"Suddenly?"
"Told me to hold you tonight."
"Heh! Really? Jeong-ah said that?"
"How clueless are you? Didn't know?"
"Not with me. She's always so sweet and cute."
"Once you see her real side, you'll faint. Total Jekyll and Hyde."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"She looks pure as can be, right?"
"Yeah."
"But when it comes to sex? You're a lightweight, and even Suji pales next to her."
"What? She's that good at it?"
"Not just good—obsessed, blunt, aggressive. You get shy and can't even ask properly when you want it. Jeong-ah? Straight-up demands it."
"For real? That intense? Holy shit!"
"Think I'd make it up? She's been like that since she first jumped me."
"You didn't seduce her?"
"Hard to believe, I know, but true. Ask her yourself if you doubt it."
"I'm jealous. Even with Assemblyman Hwang, and now with you, I'd want it but hold back, scared you'd think I was some slut."
By then, we'd crossed Seoul's outskirts.
"Where we headed?"
"Home, right?"
"Nah, this is the way to Goyang."
"Yeah. Thought we'd try Anyang. They say there's a love motel there."
"Why the sudden change?"
"Hotel staff might recognize my face since I go often."
At my mention of a love motel, she pondered for a second, then turned to me with a playful grin.
"So that drive earlier? You weren't out for air—you fucked Suji, didn't you?"
"……."
"Eww~ Knew it. I was having a nice time, and you had to barge in cluelessly."
I had nothing to say. Apologizing felt off too, so I clamped my mouth shut and focused on driving. But I needed to smooth things over before we got intimate—figuring out how weighed on me.
Sex wasn't just about stimulating the body to awaken hidden cells and arouse; the heart had to open first. Until Eun-mi's mind eased and she craved it herself, it'd likely flop. In this situation, better to call it off altogether.