Chapter 37……………………………………………
It was, quite literally, a hellish night that went on and on. Otherwise, why would he leave at the crack of dawn just to catch up on sleep at the office?
The reason he worked late into the night was the same—and Seoyoung would never know it.
This won’t do. I’ll have to show her what happens when you hug a man so carelessly.
Hyukjin curled an arm around Seoyoung’s shoulders as she slipped neatly into his embrace and let out a sly smile.
The soft sensation that nestled into his arms night after night unfailingly stirred his desire again today.
Yawning repeatedly after just a single beer, Seoyoung brushed her teeth and took a quick shower.
She went to the dressing room, changed into pajamas, then collapsed onto the bed.
Hyukjin, who had come in with her, still hadn’t entered for some reason.
Why isn’t he coming?
She could fall asleep immediately like this, but perhaps she’d already grown used to sleeping with him after just a few nights—the empty space beside her felt oddly lonely.
Letting out a small sigh, Seoyoung squirmed a bit and pulled the blanket over herself roughly.
A moment later, the bedroom door opened and Hyukjin came in.
Seeing Seoyoung asleep on her back with only her stomach covered, Hyukjin frowned.
He had deliberately come in late to rein in his desire for a bit—but how long had it even been? She was already asleep.
At the sight of Seoyoung lying sprawled out, utterly unguarded, he could only let out dry, incredulous laughs.
“Do I really not look like a man to her at all?”
She was a capable, outstanding female executive who even appeared in magazines. At their first meeting, she had seemed quite cool and composed, which was why he’d thought he might tease her a little.
But he’d discovered, unexpectedly, that she had a clumsy, careless side. It was rather cute—and refreshing.
“Maybe I should’ve just gone through with it back then.”
He deeply regretted now whether he’d seemed too easygoing.
Seeing how uncomfortable and awkward she’d been, he’d thought there was no need to have a physical relationship before marriage. He hadn’t wanted to pressure her when she was so clearly stiff with tension.
But now, he was keenly realizing just how naive that thinking had been.
If it had been before the wedding, he could’ve pushed, saying it was part of the contract. Now that they’d even gone on their honeymoon, those conditions were completely useless.
It was his mistake to underestimate Seoyoung.
He’d enjoyed how she trembled every time he kissed her, finding her unexpectedly innocent reactions amusing under the conditions he’d jokingly proposed.
“Either sleep properly in my arms, or spend the night like a real wife—even now.”
He never imagined that would come back to bite him.
“Idiot.”
Roughly pushing his fallen bangs back, Hyukjin let out a self-mocking laugh.
He couldn’t even count how much he’d regretted it that night.
She was a woman who jumped the moment he so much as came close, so he’d naturally assumed that proposal would eventually go in the direction he wanted.
But then…
After the wedding, Seoyoung started subtly avoiding him.
She’d fall asleep before he came in, or claim she had work and hide out in the study, only returning after he’d fallen asleep.
And yet, when he woke up, she’d be sleeping without a care, one leg thrown over his, arms wrapped around his waist.
He’d let it slide several times because he had no intention of touching a sleeping woman, but when he could no longer endure it, he’d given her a choice.
Who would’ve thought it would lead to this?
“Then I’ll choose the first option.”
“The first? You mean you’ll stick right next to me and hug me while sleeping?”
“Yes. That’s what I mean. But until I give permission, I don’t want to have a physical relationship.”
And so, until Seoyoung gave her consent, there would be no first night for them.
He wasn’t a eunuch, nor was he without a wife—so why did he have to live in celibacy with her right beside him?
All he had to do was lower his head to kiss her lips. He could feel the soft flesh wrapping around his waist.
“Celibacy would be better. This is torture.”
His lips twisted as he let out a sigh.
With this much skinship, he should have succeeded.
He wasn’t a narcissist, but objectively, he was quite an attractive man—and every time they kissed, Seoyoung acted like she was about to give in.
And yet she still wouldn’t allow it. Instead, there she was, sleeping perfectly well on her own even now.
Is Han Seoyoung just unusual?
Though he’d already showered and brushed his teeth after work, Hyukjin didn’t trust himself to fall asleep beside that innocent little devil.
In the end, only after going to the bathroom to cool his desire did he climb into bed.
Seeing her innocent face sleeping softly, he suddenly felt mischievous and wanted to tease her a little.
“We should keep our promises, right, Seoyoung?”
If she couldn’t do it, then he would do it for her.
With the corners of his lips lifted, Hyukjin turned Seoyoung—who was lying straight on her back—onto her side and wrapped her arms around his waist. Then he pulled her tightly into his chest.
Perhaps he’d held her too tightly, because she whimpered and lifted her head. Her lips brushed against Hyukjin’s as he looked down at her.
Thump, thump. It felt like his heartbeat could be heard outside his body.
He wasn’t some teenage boy—what kind of situation was this?
Hyukjin froze completely, even holding his breath, lips still touching hers.
He’d been with countless women—was it really possible for his heart to race like this just because their lips touched?
Feeling absurd, he cursed his malfunctioning heart inwardly.
Sensing Seoyoung’s breath, Hyukjin slowly moved his lips.
She had started this first. So whatever came next wasn’t his responsibility.
Sliding an arm under Seoyoung’s head, Hyukjin gently held her and slowly savored her lips. He could smell beer on her breath.
She’d only had one glass, yet her face was flushed as if she’d drunk a whole bottle, and the faint scent of alcohol made his lips curl upward.
Looking at her face, he cautiously slipped his tongue in. Her teeth parted easily, yielding to his intrusion.
It was their first kiss since the honeymoon—should he really be this careful? He sneered at himself briefly, but didn’t stop kissing her.
Thankfully, the sleep-dazed Seoyoung slowly responded to his movements. Her hand tightened around his waist, and she, too, began to move her tongue sluggishly.
Encouraged, Hyukjin became more active in the kiss.
The scent of toothpaste and beer mixed together, but the sensation of her soft lips and tongue was intoxicatingly good.
Thinking he was like a teenage boy attempting his first kiss, Hyukjin’s eyes curved downward.
After matching his lips for a while, Seoyoung suddenly fell back asleep as if nothing had happened.
Unable to bring himself to wake her, Hyukjin let out a sigh and pressed her head into his chest.
Please, let me sleep well tonight.
Not long after, Hyukjin, too, fell asleep early for the first time in a while.
Only the sound of their breathing, tangled together in each other’s arms, broke the silence.
Waking up in a good mood, Seoyoung stretched. Then she tilted her head, feeling as though she’d forgotten something.
She had fallen asleep first, but she felt like she’d hugged Hyukjin in her sleep—though it wasn’t very clear.
In fact, kissing him in her dream felt more real.
She turned to the side. As expected, his spot was empty.
“Looks like he went to work early again.”
On weekdays, he was so busy that even eating breakfast together was difficult.
Suddenly recalling how he’d scolded her for drinking, a small smile formed on her lips.
“Time flew by already?”
Glancing at the clock, Seoyoung hurried to the bathroom.
Today was the day of the Hano Electronics employees’ workshop, so there was a lot to prepare in advance.
After the meeting with Hano Construction, she’d completed a plan to offset their previous missteps.
With Chairman Cha’s help, they had even reached an agreement to hold Hano Group–related events at the Calos Hotel.
It wasn’t an issue even if information leaked to insiders, and since the events weren’t being handled inside the hotel itself, her mind was at ease and the work progressed smoothly.
Arriving at the hotel, Seoyoung moved around even more busily than usual.
There was a separate workshop management team, but she felt at ease only after personally checking that everything was prepared flawlessly.
With the shareholders’ meeting just around the corner, she had to give her all in everything. If anything went wrong before then, it would be disastrous.
That was why she did her best even with the smallest details and stayed on top of things until the very end.
After going down to the convention hall and carefully checking all the equipment and table settings, Seoyoung finally headed up to the director’s office.
Just as she stepped out of the elevator, her phone vibrated.
