Chapter 27

―I have a schedule. I’m heading out.

―Contact me when you wake up.

―Make sure you do it.

Contact?

How was she supposed to do that?

Talking to him on the phone would be just as awkward as facing him in person. She decided to just leave his messages on read.

And she decided to escape this den of a wolf.

Even if it meant running away like a coward—so be it.

Before leaving, she tidied up the mess of a bed. She couldn’t bear to look at the chaos that reminded her of the raw acts from last night.

“Ah… Emotion… You crazy woman… Ugh…”

Even now, curses slipped from her lips as she berated herself.

“Yeah, I just helped Reason out, that’s all. Like a robot—I just lent my body. Besides, he was thinking of another woman the whole time… So it’s fine. Emotion and Reason… our friendship will stay the same. It will.”

She muttered those words like a chant to soothe herself.

***

The commercial shoot wasn’t going to wrap up anytime soon. Since wire action was involved, it took a lot of time and effort.

By lunchtime, they agreed to resume filming afterward. Reason sat in the waiting room, chewing on gimbap.

Across from him, Changshin also munched on his gimbap.

He kept checking his phone obsessively. About an hour ago, it seemed like Emotion had finally read his message.

But she left him on read.

“She read it and ignored it…”

His quiet mumbling drew a curious reply from Changshin.

“Who’s got you this worked up? Who dares to leave Reason on read like that… Miss Emotion?”

“Sigh. I asked her to call… and she just ignored me.”

“So, any progress? Her engagement got called off. Is this your big chance, finally?”

“I thought so…”

“You thought so?”

He sighed and stared at his phone again. She definitely read the message an hour ago. But no reply. No call either.

Yeah… I get it. You might be confused. I did push you into this situation.

But you weren’t drunk. And when we were together, you looked into my eyes, felt what I felt. Even if you won’t admit it was Emotion.

So I believed you wouldn’t avoid me.

“…And yet you’re already running.”

Maybe it wasn’t the alcohol—maybe it was the night itself that intoxicated us.

“Why is she avoiding you? Did you confess or something? Or threaten her? This is killing me. Just tell me.”

“There was no confession.”

“You didn’t even confess and she’s still avoiding you? What did you do then? Don’t go blurting out feelings too soon. If a friend suddenly goes full speed like that, she’ll slam the brakes. You have to stir her heart first—as a man.”

He was right. Reason had used an extreme method to go from being “just a friend” to a man in her eyes.

It wasn’t like he planned it from the start, but the timing and situation opened the path. A path to the extreme.

It wasn’t like he’d never imagined touching her body—reaching deep inside her. No, those thoughts had often invaded his mind, no matter how hard he resisted.

Since dreams kept coming true, he had to endure it.

Maybe last night was just a dream. A fleeting illusion. It was that surreal, that fantastical.

Even though they had made plans, he couldn’t stop worrying that her heart might change.

“Hey. We’ve been friends for a long time. So I have to ask… aren’t we ruining everything by doing this? Aren’t we throwing away years of friendship?”

Seeing her hesitate had felt like watching a carefully built tower crumble. So selfish as it was, he pressed his desire and greed onto her.

“I knew that, and I still asked for your help. Emotion, as a friend—earnestly.”

He slyly poked at a vulnerable part of her heart.

“I might be selfish. She probably doesn’t feel the same way.”

“There was a director I knew—she quietly loved her guy friend for over 10 years, never said a word. One day, she decided she couldn’t take the emotional toll anymore. She was going to cut ties. Then, one drunk night… they slept together.”

Hearing a story eerily similar to his own, Reason paid attention as Changshin continued with passion.

“But after that, the guy finally started seeing her as a woman. He didn’t even realize it before—but suddenly, boom! It hit him like one of those steamy romance dramas.”

“I think I know that director.”

“Curious, huh? Want to hear the rest of the story? I’ll tell you if things work out for you. Anyway, moral of the story: take the hint.”

If this were a story, it would be time for a reply—not a read-and-ignore.

Thanks to last night, he had only cemented Emotion in his mind as a woman. She was wedged firmly into his brain—his body—so deeply he couldn’t pull her out if he tried.

Like some horny mutt, even after two rounds, he couldn’t stop.

His frustration—unable to reveal the truth—had been released by biting into her chest.

That sweet flesh on his tongue, the moans that swelled until they cracked—it was the only comfort he had.

So when the moment came, he dedicated himself to her pleasure. He touched every part of her with care.

The trembling moans, the furrowed brow, her flushed cheeks—every sign from her turned him into a drooling, red-eyed male.

To know her unknowns for the first time in 30 years… was ecstasy.

Like a beast, he bit her delicate shoulders, sucked on her neck, caressed her soft back and sides with his fingers—and every time, she reacted with different gasps and sighs.

That’s why he couldn’t stop touching her, tasting her.

When he moved roughly inside her, overwhelmed with possessiveness, her twisted, breathless expression made him crazy with desire.

Emotion passed out, nearly fainted.

But he wasn’t satisfied yet. There were urges still writhing inside him. Even if he tossed and turned all night, the thirst wouldn’t be quenched.

At dawn, alone, he got up to prepare for his schedule. He had barely slept, but didn’t feel tired at all.

His body was light. Only the unspent lust still clung to him, sticky inside. A cold shower doused it temporarily.

He found her clean clothes and folded them neatly.

His usual routine would be to make the bed first, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to wake her.

She was sleeping so peacefully, like an angel.

He glanced at her serene sleeping face and was suddenly struck by a wave of lust again, remembering her unfamiliar expressions from last night.

He sighed as he stared at her profile.

He couldn’t think of a single thing to make her stay. Should he have hidden her clothes like some pervert woodcutter?

He snorted at himself.

“Idiot…”

All he could do was leave her a message as he left the house.

***

Emotion sighed deeply as she trimmed bean sprouts for dinner. Across from her, her mother, Mrs. Shin, peeled sprouts too and casually commented.

“You did a great job staying out all night, and now you’re sighing? Regretting the broken engagement?”

Mrs. Shin was off-target. That bastard wasn’t even in her thoughts. And that, at least, was a relief.

If things hadn’t happened between her and Reason, she might’ve fallen into an unrecoverable pit of heartbreak and betrayal.

At the perfect—or imperfect—moment, things had crossed the line with Reason. She had seen all of him. He had seen all of her, even the secret depths.

The boundary she had maintained as a friend crumbled completely. She hadn’t been drunk, nor lost in grief over betrayal. If anything, she had tried to hold the line because of Go Dohun’s threats.

But she gave in. She fell for the simple words: “Please help me, as a friend.”

Did she really help him? No matter how many times she recalled it, Reason didn’t seem like someone sexually inexperienced. If anything, he seemed like a total playboy.

Maybe that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to contact him. It hadn’t felt like she was helping—it felt like she had just shamelessly enjoyed it.

Looking at his face, feeling his touch, moaning at the sensations he brought…

Each time he drove into her, it felt too good, and she screamed.

“…Insane.”