Chapter 17….
Yujin wrapped his thick arm around Seung-ah’s waist. His tongue wickedly traced along the roof of her mouth.
“Mmm…”
At the urgent kiss pressing against her, a faint sound slipped from her throat.
Yujin placed his hand on Seung-ah’s trembling back. His fingers explored the hollow beside her shoulder blade, then slid down along her ribs.
All the while, his tongue relentlessly explored the inside of her mouth. The tip of it swept across her smooth teeth before tangling tightly with her tongue.
“Mmph… ha…”
A small breath escaped.
The wet sound of skin meeting skin pierced her ears vividly, mingling with her ragged breathing.
Yujin greedily sucked on Seung-ah’s perfectly made-up lips.
With every smacking sound, the heat on her already flushed neck grew hotter still.
“Ungh… ah…”
Their mingling saliva tasted as sweet as melted sugar. Yujin must have felt the same, because he rubbed his tongue against hers even more aggressively.
His almost violent tongue play made her head feel sticky and sluggish, like tar.
Seung-ah barely managed to keep up with his rough kiss before she shifted slightly, stomping her foot.
Clack—the heel of her shoe tapped the floor.
At that, the man’s tongue slowly retreated.
Yujin didn’t pull away immediately but rubbed against her lips a little longer, leaving behind heat.
Finally their lips parted, and Seung-ah slowly opened her eyes. She saw Yujin’s long eyelashes lift.
The moment his pitch-black pupils locked on her—
Bzzzt. Bzzzt.
The phone’s vibration shattered the silence. Since it was someone he couldn’t ignore, Yujin arched a brow and pressed the call button.
“Yes. Understood.”
Unlike his kisses, his tone was completely dry as he ended the call.
“That was Secretary Shim. Grandma seems to be looking for us—since we both disappeared all of a sudden.”
Gasp! They must have taken too long. Yujin, as the star of the party, had to keep his place.
And besides, this was Ilbong’s house.
It might be Yujin’s old room, but still—what on earth had they been doing sneaking in here!
As Seung-ah lightly tapped her overheated cheeks with her fingertips, Yujin slipped his arm around her waist again.
When he turned toward the door, his elbow bumped a picture frame on the shelf.
Clatter. The sound came from the family photo they had seen earlier.
Setting the frame upright again, Seung-ah’s eyes lingered on the figures inside.
“But… does your grandmother not like taking photos?”
Even if his parents were gone, it was strange that Ilbong had stopped taking pictures with him.
“It’s not that. Grandma and I just… don’t really feel like taking pictures together.”
Yujin answered curtly and left it at that.
As Seung-ah followed him across the room, her gaze caught the pictures on the wall—all of them were with friends.
Photos taken on trips with friends. A snapshot with Yujin’s American football teammates.
Among them was a man she had met at the party, and even Heryeon—the one who had picked out Seung-ah’s dress at the boutique.
There were so many photos, yet Ilbong was nowhere to be seen.
If both his parents were gone, wouldn’t it be natural to become closer to his grandmother?
Of course, family didn’t always mean closeness, but Ilbong was kind and warm—or at least that’s how Seung-ah felt.
She clearly had a sharp, businesslike side, but surely that was just the mask of a company head.
The Ilbong who welcomed Seung-ah at the workshop was grandmotherly and gentle—so wouldn’t she be even more affectionate with her real grandson?
That’s what Seung-ah thought… but now that she reconsidered, at the party Ilbong hadn’t spoken to Yujin much at all.
She hadn’t even smiled at him once.
All throughout, she had only spoken to Seung-ah—asking about her favorite dishes, fussing over her—while not offering Yujin so much as a single kind word.
Could something have happened between them?
Seung-ah managed to play the perfect role of Yujin’s girlfriend throughout the party.
Part of it was thanks to the confidence she gained from Heryeon’s styling, but also because she realized it wasn’t hard to mingle with guests and blend into the atmosphere.
The guests showed a great deal of interest in her, and most were friendly.
But the one most interested in her… was none other than Ilbong.
After Seung-ah and Yujin emerged from the mansion, Ilbong looked at them with a slightly mischievous expression, as if asking, “Did you two have fun?”
Oh my, Grandma really intends to push us all the way to marriage, doesn’t she?
Ilbong must already know why Yujin chose Seung-ah as his partner, and what Seung-ah felt about going along.
So whenever Seung-ah looked the least bit burdened, Ilbong would smooth it over with her breezy “It’s fine, it’s fine!” manner.
Until the very end of the party, Seung-ah could feel her grandmotherly gaze full of expectation trailing behind her.
And so the weekend came to an end.
On Monday, Seung-ah put on her usual clothes, went to work as usual, and sat at her desk.
Beside her, the same colleagues tapped at their keyboards just as they did every day.
Back in her routine, what she’d experienced at the party already felt strangely distant.
Unlike Seung-ah, who had spent such an unusual weekend, Mi-yeon had spent an ordinary one—and was now ranting about braised cutlassfish from the morning.
“Ugh, I’m starving. I’m craving something salty!”
Since Seung-ah valued their friendship, she accompanied Mi-yeon to get the dish. Mi-yeon’s grin stretching ear to ear was worth seeing.
Seung-ah picked out the bones from the fish, mixed it with the radish and savory broth into her rice, and scooped up a big bite.
And just before putting it into her mouth, she dropped a bomb.
“Someone asked me to get engaged, and I don’t know what to do.”
The moment Seung-ah stuffed her mouth full of rice, Mi-yeon nearly spat out her water.
“What…! What did you just say?”
“Mhm.”
Seung-ah only nodded while chewing, which made Mi-yeon impatient.
“With who? Don’t tell me you’ve had a boyfriend all this time and kept it from me?”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“You only ever go to work, the workshop, and home. Where on earth did you meet someone? Did someone new join the workshop?”
“It’s not the workshop.”
“Then… maybe that guy who just joined the design department? The one who always talks to you?”
“That’s just work. And it’s not at the office, either.”
“Then where?”
Seung-ah let out a hollow laugh.
“You just said it yourself. I only know work, the workshop, and home.”
“Wait—home?”
Again, with another steaming mouthful of cutlassfish rice, Seung-ah nodded.
Mi-yeon cried out.
“Home?!”
“Geez, you’ll burst my eardrums.”
The owner approached their table and set down a fried egg.
“Young lady, why are you shouting so loud? This one’s on the house.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
“Hey! Wait, don’t eat it yet.”
Just as Seung-ah was about to pop the egg into her mouth, Mi-yeon grabbed her wrist to stop her. Reluctantly, Seung-ah put down her chopsticks.
“Stop eating and explain.”
“What’s there to explain? From what I’ve said, you should already know.”
“If it’s someone you met at home, then… what, a delivery guy? A repairman?”
Mi-yeon scratched her head wildly, as if breaking out in hives.
“There’s no way—it can’t be our director. There’s no way Choi Seung-ah would be involved with Louis Han. Absolutely not…”
“Why can’t it be?”
“…You’re serious?”
“We weren’t actually dating before.”
Seung-ah briefly explained Yujin’s contract proposal.
Since Mi-yeon was her closest friend, she could confide in her. And Mi-yeon knew better than anyone how attached Seung-ah was to that mansion.
“Wow…” Mi-yeon gasped over and over, then asked,
“So you’re still debating whether to accept the contract?”
“I don’t know if I should let my relationship with the director deepen. Even if it’s just a contract.”
Mi-yeon tilted her head.
The proposal was tempting—most would jump at it. But Seung-ah’s expression showed she couldn’t accept it so easily.
“Is it because of… aftereffects?”
“Aftereffects?”
“You know. That guy.”
Just then, the bell over the restaurant door jingled.
This little eatery behind the office building often drew familiar faces, like the company cafeteria.
And among those who entered this time… was the very guy who had left scars on Seung-ah.
Mi-yeon’s face scrunched like crumpled paper.
“Ugh. Speak of the devil, and he appears.”
