Chapter 18
A strange heat rose from below and relentlessly struck Haejoo.
More than anything, Seungjo’s sharp nose pressed against Haejoo’s skin as he touched her, making the moment unbearably sensual and thrilling.
Eventually, Haejoo, who had been holding back her ragged breathing, burst into a hot sob.
“Huuk.”
“There’s not a single part of you that isn’t beautiful, Seon Haejoo.”
Seungjo frowned slightly as he brushed his lips, scented with Haejoo’s fragrance. As expected, Seon Haejoo was terribly sweet. The way her body clung to him, as if craving him, aroused him intensely.
It gave him a strange sense of relief, too. Feeling Haejoo’s scorching passion as if she would devour him, Seungjo began unbuttoning her blouse.
Looking down at Haejoo, whose body had stiffened, he moved his fingers as if confirming her feelings.
“Haa, Executive Director, please… slow down…”
Seungjo’s handsome eyes darkened with desire. He kissed her flushed cheek, then rose from the bed.
“I’m going to wash up.”
If he embraced Haejoo as he was, she might be exhausted too soon. He needed to take care of himself in the bathroom first—only then could he control his desire for Seon Haejoo to a manageable level on the bed.
Looking down at Haejoo, Seungjo quickly stripped off his clothes. Even after over a year of seeing his body, Haejoo still bashfully averted her eyes like it was the first time. It was cute.
Her small lips, like gathered flower petals, parted and gasped for breath.
Suppressing his urge to kiss her deeply again, Seungjo took off his remaining briefs and strode into the bathroom.
He didn’t even imagine that Haejoo would be gone by the time he came back.
“Hah… what the hell is this?”
Only the traces of their passionate intimacy remained on the sheets. The clothes Seungjo had taken off were neatly folded and placed on the nightstand.
20 minutes earlier,
Haejoo got out of bed and looked toward the bathroom where Seungjo had disappeared.
“I can’t keep doing this anymore.”
Her legs still trembled with the remnants of his touch. She bit her lip hard. She folded Seungjo’s discarded clothes and placed them on the nightstand.
Like a habit, she touched his suit—still carrying his scent—and tried to catch her breath.
“You can’t keep wanting Executive Director Seungjo, Seon Haejoo.”
She smiled bitterly. Though she wanted to stay and listen to the indifferent sound of running water, she quickly wiped herself with tissue, adjusted her clothes, and left.
Leaving Seungjo’s residence, she ran straight to the bus stop. Just as she boarded the bus, a text arrived.
[Kyaa! As expected from the Taehwa Group’s heir! Look at this car—absolutely stunning!]
It was a text from her uncle Mancheol, posing with a luxury foreign car, making a V-sign.
[Some people work their whole lives and still can’t buy a car like this, but just one call and their staff come out to explain everything! You clever girl! Should’ve done this from the start!]
Haejoo’s face went pale. Her stomach twisted.
This was Seon Haejoo. And this was Taehwa Group’s Seungjo.
She was relieved, in a way, that she was moving farther and farther from Seungjo’s residence.
“The Executive Director will see you now. Deputy Manager Seon Haejoo from Strategic Planning is here.”
The next day, Haejoo came to Seungjo’s office.
“Let her in.”
With his permission, Haejoo entered and calmly organized her thoughts.
But when she saw Seungjo’s cold face—completely indifferent, as if nothing had happened between them yesterday—she swallowed a hollow breath.
“Our Haejoo… turns out you’re quite bold. I’m curious to hear what someone says in front of the man she left behind with just her underwear.”
“I came to return these.”
Haejoo placed several items on his desk: the wristwatch he gifted her, the credit card he had given her when their relationship began, and the access card that allowed her into his residence. She brought them all.
“I’ll be changing the passcode to my apartment soon, too.”
“What, afraid I’ll sneak in to see Seon Haejoo because I miss her?”
Seungjo put down his pen and looked at the items she laid out. His red lips curled into a cold, mocking smile, and it stabbed at Haejoo’s chest.
“I’ll repay the cost of the car you gave my uncle.”
Seungjo glanced at her with his sharp eyes, completely unshaken—as if he had already predicted this.
It made sense. She had snuck out while he was in the shower.
Haejoo lowered her eyes. It was the first time she had ever turned away from him, even before they had slept together.
She had worried he might get angry from being left unsatisfied, but Seungjo’s reaction was far beyond her expectations.
“You didn’t even use the card I gave you for a whole year. No need to return it.”
“…Thank you for everything.”
“‘Thank you’—that’s a bit stiff, considering we’ve slept together for over a year.”
His tone showed no regret, like there were plenty of other women out there. Holding the watch Haejoo had returned, Seungjo spoke again.
“I’ll probably remember the sex with Seon Haejoo.”
“…”
“I taught you a lot, didn’t I? You didn’t know a thing when we started.”
There was a flicker of desire in his eyes—but only for a moment.
“I’m not saying you have to repay me over 10 or 20 years. Think of this: just one more month. Meet me for one more month, like you are now.”
“…What?”
“Treat it like a part-time job. If you give me that month, your debt to me is gone.”
“….”
Seungjo’s arrogant voice made Haejoo’s eyes tremble in shock.
“I can’t do that!”
“Do you know how valuable my time is? You’ll make me worry about you for decades, and you want me to give that time to you?”
“That’s not…”
“Someone who owes doesn’t get to set the terms. I do. Isn’t that right?”
He cut her off mercilessly.
“It’s nothing special. Just keep seeing me like you are now, for one more month.”
“…”
“I understand your position. No need to repeat it. You can go now.”
He stared at her for a moment, then turned away coldly and picked up his pen.
“Was there ever a moment we were truly lovers…?”
Haejoo’s steps stopped in front of a flower shop after lunch with Secretary Soyeon.
Soyeon sipped the plum tea they brought from the restaurant while admiring the flowers, and Haejoo bent over a display of pink roses, murmuring softly.
“Huh? What is it, Deputy Manager? Want to buy flowers?”
“No, I just thought of someone.”
Haejoo smiled faintly as she remembered Seungjo.
‘I bought them because they matched the roses, but the scent’s different from Seon Haejoo’s.’
‘Ah, is it this scent? It’s an old skincare product I’ve used for a long time.’
‘No… that’s not it. This isn’t the scent.’
Though always cold, Seungjo had surprisingly given her roses often. Coming home in a classy suit with a bouquet of vibrant roses—that image of him made her heart flutter.
“They’re beautiful. Thank you, Executive Director.”
They were the first flowers she had ever received from a man. And because it was Seungjo, it was even more special.
She tried not to be mistaken by his gestures.
But on those days, Seungjo would make things hard for shy Haejoo. He would pull her into his arms, brush her neck with his sharp nose, and inhale her scent like he was claiming it.
‘So it was the scent of Seon Haejoo’s skin, laced with roses.’
Whenever Seungjo said that, as if he had found the source of the fragrance, Haejoo would blush and tightly hug the bouquet.
She remembered how his kisses had felt like those of a man deeply in love, and she quickly composed her shaking heart.
“Treat it like a part-time job. If you give me that month, your debt to me is gone.”
