Don’t Close Your Eyes Like That
“Are you going to pretend you don’t know until the very end?”
There was a deep darkness in Jeho’s eyes as he looked at Yulri.
He seemed hurt by something, and somehow, he even looked a little sad. Yulri flinched and stepped back, but her back soon hit the cold wall. With nowhere left to retreat, she swallowed dryly as he approached.
At that moment, with a soft ding, the elevator doors slid shut.
Inside the small space, only the two of them remained. A strange flutter mixed with heavy tension began rising from deep within her. The citrus scent blended with musk that drifted from Jeho wrapped around her.
“Are you really going to keep turning away?”
Turning away? Was he talking about yesterday?
He had acted so normal all day that she’d thought she must have imagined it.
Did their lips really touch?
Yulri’s mind felt completely tangled.
“Do you really not know what I want?”
His voice came out like a sighing whisper. Unable to withstand his intense gaze, she turned her head aside.
Truthfully, she was afraid because she thought she did know what he wanted. It didn’t feel like a joke. It felt like he was approaching her with sincerity.
The elevator lights, which had been blinking slowly like a heartbeat, suddenly began flickering rapidly. He lifted his hand and gently cupped her cheek.
His warmth against her skin made her heart pound and her breath catch.
To breathe even a little easier, her lips parted slightly. His thumb softly brushed over them. At the subtle pressure, she couldn’t speak—her tongue felt frozen.
The flickering lights went out completely, plunging them into darkness. Yet his gaze, darkened with desire, remained fixed solely on her.
“Yulri.”
It was only her name, but her chest tightened and tears pricked at her eyes. Without realizing it, she slowly closed them.
She should push him away and walk out.
But she couldn’t.
She didn’t want to.
She must have been out of her mind. Otherwise, why would his low breathing send shivers down her spine?
“Did you already forget? I clearly told you not to close your eyes like that…”
She hadn’t forgotten. She remembered vividly. But she still couldn’t open her eyes.
“If you close your eyes like that… I said I’d misunderstand.”
His low voice was rough at the end. Even with her eyes shut, she could picture him staring at her. The pounding of her heart grew louder and louder in her ears.
Then, after watching her in silence, he slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers.
“Ha…”
A breath slipped through her lips at the soft sensation. Without realizing it, Yulri clutched at his collar.
The sweetness that filled her mouth lasted only a moment before it turned into a burning heat.
He gripped her waist and pushed her firmly against the wall, as if crushing her. The unfamiliar sensation pressing deeply inside sent sharp tremors through her. It felt as though not only her lips, but her entire body was burning. Without thinking, she rose onto her toes and clung to him.
The hand at her waist traced upward along her smooth curves. His lips, which had covered hers roughly, slowly traveled downward. Yulri had to swallow the moan threatening to escape.
At some point, the buttons of her shirt came undone. Against the cool air, hot lips descended onto her pale skin.
The heat spreading through her body made it hard to breathe.
In the pitch-black darkness, their sharpened instincts filled each other without restraint.
Buzz—
A loud ringing suddenly echoed in her ears, as if her head were vibrating. The ringing slowly turned into someone’s murmuring voice.
“Unni…? Unni?”
As the voice became clear, a cold hand pressed on her shoulder. In an instant, the heat vanished, replaced by a chilly stillness.
“…Mm.”
Struggling to lift her eyelids, Yulri saw Yuri’s face through blurred vision.
“Unni, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
Yulri blinked blankly.
What happened?
Looking around as she slowly sat up, she realized she was not in an elevator but in her own bedroom.
“…Ah.”
She covered her face with both hands in disbelief. She must have dozed off shortly after lying down.
“Wow, unni, look at you—you’re drenched in sweat.”
Yuri brushed Yulri’s messy hair back with concern. Just as she said, beads of sweat clung to her forehead.
So all of it was a dream?
The sensation on her lips still felt vivid. Even if it was a dream, it had escalated to a dangerously intense level. As the heated images flashed in her mind, Yulri frowned.
She wasn’t even sexually frustrated—why would she dream something like that?
“Dad’s home.”
At Yuri’s words, Yulri checked the wall clock. She had slept less than thirty minutes. It was incredibly dramatic for such a short dream.
There had been unintended physical contact yesterday, and she had been losing sleep for days. Maybe her body had grown weak because of it.
Yes. It was nothing.
Her heart was still pounding wildly, but she calmed herself with deep breaths before getting up.
“Where is Father?”
“In the study.”
The night before, Assemblyman Chae had stayed overnight at the National Assembly for work and hadn’t come home, so she hadn’t been able to ask what she wanted.
Leaving her bedroom, Yulri went straight to the study. She knocked and entered. He was on the phone with an aide. After the call ended, she spoke immediately.
“Why didn’t you tell me who was designing the newlywed house?”
“Didn’t I?”
He looked puzzled.
“But why? Is that a problem?”
“Kwon Jeho was my former fiancé. How can that not matter?”
“What does that matter? Then or now, it’s not like you’re marrying for love…”
He turned back to the documents in front of him as if it were nothing.
Perhaps he was right. It was a formal marriage without personal feelings. The partner had changed naturally with circumstances. Maybe she would have accepted it calmly.
But the other person was Kwon Jeho. He had just appeared in her dream and shaken her.
“I don’t like it.”
She clenched her fists and spoke firmly.
“It’s the house I’ll be living in. If I live in a house he designed, I’ll obviously feel uncomfortable. If you permit it, I want to meet Chairman Kwon myself and decline.”
“Fine. If you hate it that much, so be it.”
He answered bluntly without lifting his eyes.
“…However.”
As she turned to leave, he called her back.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t provoke Chairman Kwon over something unnecessary.”
She stopped and turned around.
“Think carefully about who would truly stand on your side in your in-laws’ family.”
It was advice befitting a seasoned politician. She listened silently.
“Don’t stir up trouble for no reason. If you truly don’t want it, have Minwoo decline from his side. It won’t look good if you step in personally.”
After a moment of silence, Yulri nodded slowly.
“I will.”
His words were reasonable. Leaving the study, she looked down at her phone.
After hesitating, she decided to call Minwoo. It felt easier to simply refuse outright. But no matter how many times she called, he didn’t answer.
It was nearly nine, and she didn’t want to postpone the conversation until tomorrow. Perhaps the strange dream had come from the pressure of living in a house Jeho designed.
Since he wouldn’t leave work before ten anyway, she drove Yuri’s car straight to the KG Group headquarters.
As she entered the building, a security guard who recognized her greeted her warmly.
“You’re here to see Director Kwon. Please wait a moment.”
He called up to announce her visit and opened the gate.
“It seems the Director stepped out briefly. Please go upstairs and wait. I’ll try contacting him again.”
As he said, the office door was locked. She was about to sit on the sofa when her phone rang.
“Yulri? Where are you? In the lobby?”
It was Minwoo.
“No, I came upstairs. I’m in front of your office.”
“What? In front of my office?”
Why did he sound so startled?
She had come to the company before, and he’d always been delighted.
Strangely, though she heard his voice through the phone, it also felt as if it was coming from beyond the office door. She turned toward the closed door.
“Yes, in front of your office. Are you inside?”
“Huh? No, no… I’m in a meeting room downstairs.”
His voice lowered to almost a whisper.
“Wait a moment. I’ll wrap up here and come up right away.”
The call ended abruptly.
She stepped into the hallway to greet him. Though he said he’d come immediately, twenty minutes passed before he appeared, breathing heavily.
“Why did you come so suddenly without calling?”
“I had something important to say. But you didn’t answer.”
“Oh? Really? I turned it off during a meeting.”
“I see. I thought I’d be able to see you if I came here.”
“Yeah. Good thing you did. Let’s go inside.”
After catching his breath, Minwoo smiled brightly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
A fresh lemon scent brushed past her nose. Not strong like cologne, but a light scent like someone who had just showered.
Her gaze moved to his hair. The ends were still slightly damp.
He said he came from a meeting—so why did he smell freshly showered?
As she frowned slightly, the sound of high heels clicked from down the hallway. Turning her head, she saw a long-haired woman approaching.
She wore an ordinary office suit, but her appearance was striking. Her full lips, painted bright red, drew attention.
When she saw Minwoo, she smiled sweetly.
“Director, the meeting’s over. Aren’t you heading home?”
“Oh, Assistant Manager Shin. Yes, I should be leaving soon.”
“Yes, please don’t overwork yourself.”
After speaking, Assistant Manager Shin glanced at Yulri. Was it her imagination? The look in her eyes felt meaningful.
“Then I’ll head out first.”
She bowed politely and passed by Yulri.
At that moment, a familiar scent brushed her nose.
This scent…
The exact same lemon scent she had just smelled from Minwoo.
