Chapter 30

“You avoided it yesterday.”

The kiss—she had desperately dodged it yesterday. He already figured it out.

“You noticed? Rubbing lips with you… it just felt gross.”

“Sex wasn’t gross? And we did kiss during sex last night.”

True. In the heat of it, they were sticky all over. Every time Iseong’s tongue touched her, it was electric.

Still, there was no need to bring it up so explicitly.

“You’re too blunt.”

“Can’t help it. I think I’m only going to get more blunt.”

“What?”

“You said ‘let’s kiss,’ right? If we’re doing it, might as well make it as hot as possible.”

Strange. The way the tip of his tongue grazed the corner of her mouth looked unbelievably sexy.

The acts they shared last night began flooding her memory, making her whole body buzz. The soreness between her thighs hadn’t even healed.

Ugh. She had to admit it. The sex with Iseong had been good. But even if the process was good, the purpose wasn’t to indulge in feelings—it was to fix his “condition.”

“Think of me as another woman.”

Jung-a, aren’t you tired of that excuse? Don’t you know it doesn’t work?

“Of course.”

He spat the lie, then slid his long fingers into her hair, gripping the back of her head.

Suddenly, her teasing eyes were so close they were reflected in his pupils.

“Gasp.”

She inhaled sharply from the shock—no time to even catch her breath before Iseong’s lips pressed onto hers.

Last night, their kiss had been a mess of passion, driving them to climax.

But today was different. His breath touched her first—soft, trembling. Her heart fluttered.

His full lips pressed hers down with a stunning realism. It was new and intense.

Her lips parted slightly as his tongue traced along the surface, unbearably ticklish.

“Mmm…”

A strange moan slipped from her mouth, and his tongue snuck inside.

Smack. Smack. Smack.

With each touch of lips and tongues, the sounds grew louder, filling the car with heat.

Their breaths grew ragged, his tongue rougher. Saliva mixed, her lips went numb.

God. How could she describe this strange, thrilling feeling? She wanted to throw herself into him. She wanted his naked body to crawl inside hers.

The kiss that had started with excitement had become overwhelming desire, clenching between her legs. The sensation of wetness was shamefully vivid.

“Wa-wait, Iseong.”

She pulled her face back and met the blazing look in his eyes.

Such a foreign face. This wasn’t the friend she knew—this was a man. Last night she hadn’t noticed, but now it was painfully clear.

The face of Iseong… as a man.

What do I do?

This is bad.

I see you as a man now.

Not as my friend—but a man. And maybe that’s why my heart is racing out of control.

No. This can’t happen. Not after all we’ve built for nearly 30 years. If I see you like this… our history might collapse.

She stared at him with confused eyes, and Iseong, now fully aroused, tried to kiss her again.

She turned her head, dodging both his lips and his gaze.

You’ve become too unfamiliar.

“Wait. Just—just give me a second.”

His eyes were still burning, but he didn’t push. He leaned back into his seat with a long sigh.

Then he said, casually—but it stung:

“I’ll calm down. Give me a minute.”

He turned the AC up on his side and said:

“Tell me if you get cold.”

His usual kindness—something she’d never thought twice about before—now made her self-conscious. The same mannerisms he showed everyone… now felt like something deeper.

You haven’t changed. It’s me who’s changed.

This… isn’t okay.

“Iseong.”

He stared off at the distance for a while, as if cooling off, then guessed what was on her mind.

“You freaking out? Over doing this with your friend of 30 years?”

Freaking out? Is that the right word?

No. It’s not that they did something. It’s that doing this made her see him differently. That she was starting to see him as a man.

“I am freaking out… but not for that reason.”

Her heart thumped so loudly she thought she might go insane. If she admitted the truth, would he think she’d lost it?

“Then what?”

She couldn’t say it. That she saw him as a man now. That would spell the end of everything they’d built.

“I… I need time to think.”

Just then, her phone vibrated. Grateful for the distraction, she pulled it out of her pocket.

“Hold on a sec…”

Damn it. Shouldn’t have pulled it out. The name “Dog Trash” (Go Dohun) lit up the screen, and she switched it to silent.

Iseong had been watching her. He commented offhandedly:

“Why don’t you just answer? I’m curious what that bastard wants.”

Dog Trash. Iseong now knew that was Go Dohun. Of course he knew. How could he not wonder why that guy kept clinging to her?

The thought that someone like him might be bothering her when he wasn’t around—it irritated him. No, it made him jealous.

Emotion checked the message and sighed.

“It’s him, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Still spewing crap?”

“It’s about the apartment… Ugh. It’s nothing.”

Iseong felt frustration building, but he didn’t push. If she didn’t tell him, he didn’t have the right to know.

She tucked the phone back in her pocket and spoke carefully.

“Anyway… let’s think this over. I’m gonna go.”

She wanted to leave—needed to. The way she was hyper-aware of Iseong made her feel like a stranger to herself. His presence beside her made her heart race uncontrollably.

She needed distance. Before her chaotic feelings got the best of her.

She opened the passenger door. Iseong’s voice caught her just before she stepped out.

“I’ll call you. You’re not gonna call me first.”

What do I do? I shouldn’t be excited… but I think I am.

Even his simple words felt like they carried meaning. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably.

Without looking at him, she replied softly:

“Okay.”

She shut the passenger door and hurried out of the underground lot.

She didn’t notice Iseong still watching her retreating figure.

Chin resting on his hand, he murmured quietly:

“…This is hard, Jung-a.”

***

In Director Do’s office, the mannequin that once wore the outfit had been stripped bare. After passing the project to Emotion, Director Do had handed over full responsibility.

It was a position she accepted out of ambition, but also because she genuinely wanted to do well.

Director Do called her in, arms crossed over his desk, probing her intentions.

“So? How’s it going? Working with Dohun and Yeora—okay with that?”

“It’s manageable.”

“If you say the word, I’ll deal with Yeora.”

“How?”

“By removing her from your team.”

Emotion couldn’t help but wonder what his real motive was. There had to be something else he wanted to say.

“You’re not going to take Dohun off, are you?”