Chapter 36
“What?”
The sound came out almost metallic from sheer surprise.
He was clearly flustered.
It would have been normal to feel offended in such a situation, but strangely enough, as if he had expected that very reaction, Seung-eon pulled him in tighter just as he tried to turn away and whispered,
“Letting go of this time feels like such a waste.”
Meeting him was always wonderful, but the hours between parting and the next meeting felt unbearably long.
“Even seeing you every day isn’t enough.”
She wanted to look at his face constantly, all the time.
“But I can’t exactly show it openly.”
There were perks to the thrill of a secret relationship, sure—but whenever other women showed interest in him, her insides boiled with jealousy.
“From head to toe—you’re all mine, Kang Seung-eon’s. I want to shout that out loud.”
She wanted the whole world to know.
That this man was her man.
That he was tender, smiling, and endlessly vulnerable only to Kang Seung-eon.
‘That’s why I want to protect him.’
She wanted to mark him, claim him, and keep him at home as soon as possible.
“That is…”
The man didn’t reply right away to her words, so heavy with desire. Only after a long pause did he finally speak.
Tch.
She hadn’t really expected instant permission, but she had hoped for something more. With a pout, Seung-eon tightened her arms around his waist, refusing to let go.
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one clinging too hard.”
Her lips jutted forward defiantly, voice edged with hurt.
But then—
The man, who had been turned away, suddenly spun back around. A large hand, soft and warm, cupped her cheek.
And then something unbearably sweet fell onto her lips.
“Ah.”
Cool air brushed across her lips, making her close her wide eyes. Her heart pounded. Breath caught inside her chest, unable to escape.
The stiffness in her neck began to melt away as his soft tongue slipped between her lips. Slurping lightly, he sucked away the lingering wetness on her upper lip, sending goosebumps racing across her body.
‘It’s really…’
Sweet.
So dizzyingly sweet it was bliss itself. Just one kiss, and she felt herself melting. This wasn’t a kiss—it was performance art. Addictive, intoxicating. Trembling, she tried to cling to him when he finally pulled away, but her hands grasped only air.
“Seung-eon.”
Not “Director.”
“…Mm.”
The affectionate call opened her eyes again.
‘Huh?’
His face—
Strangely, his beautiful, handsome face wasn’t clear. It blurred, like a watercolor painting smudged by falling drops of water. His face, and then everything around him, hazed over.
How could that be?
As she struggled to understand, he spoke again.
“You’re not the only one clinging.”
……!
“I like you. A lot.”
It was only that expressing it didn’t come easily to him.
“Maybe even more than you…”
More than you do, I like you.
His tender, sweet voice, riding on the kiss, reached her head and filled her whole being. Seung-eon smiled brightly.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Really-really?”
“Mhm.”
The same answer, once, twice, thrummed her heart even harder. Laughing in joy, she flung her arms around his neck, and he naturally pulled her onto his thigh, gazing up at her.
“As you know, I don’t have any family to rely on.”
Yes, she knew.
“But these days, being with you… it feels like that emptiness is finally filled.”
“Baby, even if you’re joking, I love hearing that!”
She kissed his cheek lightly, smiling.
He chuckled softly, as if helpless against her, though strangely, his lips still weren’t clear in her sight.
‘This is ridiculous.’
How could her boyfriend be this handsome—yet his face so blurry?
‘Maybe if I get closer…?’
His unforgettable features were right there, and yet… fuzzy. She narrowed her eyes, trying to sharpen her focus.
“Baby, come a little closer?”
“…Like this?”
“No, closer…”
“Closer? Like this?”
Mm.
“Yes, just like—huh!”
Just as she was about to smile at the sight of his face right before hers, her eyes flew wide. Staring back at her, only a finger’s breadth away, was a familiar face.
Startled, she nearly slipped from her chair. Heart pounding wildly, Seung-eon blinked at him.
Secretary Chu looked down at her calmly and said,
“I was just wondering what kind of dream makes you grin so lecherously.”
“What?”
“Seemed like you were having a dirty dream.”
“Ahem! Hey—I’m not that desperate—”
“Baby, come closer—mmmph!”
With a deadpan face, Chu flawlessly mimicked the very words she’d murmured in her sleep. If someone opened him up, she half-suspected he’d be AI.
How could anyone imitate others that well?
“Anyway, stop sleeping. You’ll actually die like that.”
She clapped a hand over his mouth, then released it. Chu sniffed in disdain, stepped back, and straightened his clothes.
“Chu, you’re so cold-hearted to someone who just woke up.”
“You’ve been in this state for three months now. It’s time you faced reality.”
Cold-hearted? Heartless, more like.
Seung-eon grumbled.
“And since you said ‘baby,’ I’m guessing you were dreaming of your Bunny Lover?”
“Yeah.”
“Did something come back to you?”
“Of course.”
Her eyes sparkled.
She’d gathered several clues about her “secret boyfriend.”
First, he was an employee of LUKIN, who beta-tested on the same day as her.
Second, his tone was often cynical, far from ordinary.
Third, he had a tiny mole just under the left pectoral muscle.
And fourth—
“As you know, I don’t have any family to rely on.”
She couldn’t recall which of the three possible voices had said it, but she remembered the words exactly.
‘No family…?’
Seung-eon turned to stare at the man in the driver’s seat.
“Wow, what an intense gaze. If you keep looking at me like that, my face might heat up.”
And as if he felt her stare, the man at the wheel smiled warmly.
“Heat up? I feel fine.”
“You just don’t show it easily. But right now your heart’s pounding, isn’t it?”
“You really lie as easily as breathing.”
“By the way—why were you looking for me last week?”
With a sly grin, Yoo Hyun-jun smoothly changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, senior, you’ve been looking for me a lot lately. Why? Did you miss me too much after just a few days apart?”
He said it so smoothly, without the slightest awkwardness. Not cheesy at all—just natural.
Was it because she’d grown used to it? Or because she never questioned that such words came from Yoo Hyun-jun?
“Team Leader Yoo, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Anything, if it’s our senior’s curiosity.”
He nodded eagerly. Seung-eon asked,
“Didn’t you say you live alone?”
His natural brown eyes flickered toward her as the car rolled to a gentle stop.
