Chapter: 6
She blinked several times and shook her head before taking a closer look at his face. He’d lost his baby fat, but traces of the boy Mu-hyeok from her childhood were still clearly there.
She had followed him around constantly when they were young, so once she really looked at him, the memories of his younger face came back.
Mu-hyeok smiled faintly.
“It’s been a long time, Yoon Haeru.”
As he spoke, he leaned closer toward her lips again. She quickly turned her head away.
“Ha—are you really Chae Mu-hyeok?”
Looking at his face stirred another strange memory. Something that could never have happened in reality.
“Yeah. So… look at me for a second. See how well I grew up.”
“What? Are you crazy? Let go of me right now.”
She twisted and struggled, trying to pull her hand free, but she was too drunk to control her body properly. She couldn’t escape his grip.
He leaned even closer, his breath brushing against her face.
“Why? Are you scared? Afraid we’ll go all the way again, just like eight years ago?”
“What… are you talking about?”
Her eyes widened as yet another memory flooded in.
That impossible memory from eight years ago began unfolding vividly before her eyes.
Earlier in the day, when she had thought of Mu-hyeok, a vague image of herself in bed with a man had surfaced. Now, the man’s face—once blurry—came into sharp focus.
Her eyes widened as she looked at him.
* * *
Eight Years Earlier
At twenty-three, Mu-hyeok had been studying abroad and had come back to Korea for a short visit. Not long after his arrival, he received a message from Mu-yeon and went to where she told him to come.
Haeru was there.
Mu-yeon disappeared for work soon after, leaving only Haeru behind, nodding off in her drunken state. Mu-hyeok supported her and helped her into his car. The moment she got in, she fell asleep.
Unable to wake her, Mu-hyeok had no choice but to bring her to his own place.
He turned off the engine and glanced toward the passenger seat. Haeru was sleeping soundly, making soft breathing noises.
“She sleeps so well, not knowing how someone else feels…”
After watching her face for a moment, Mu-hyeok got out of the car. Somehow, she seemed uncomfortable where she was.
He opened the passenger door and carefully lifted her into his arms, as though handling a baby. Passing through the parking lot and along the stone path in the garden, he carried her into the detached guesthouse.
The interior was dominated by white tones. She burrowed deeper into his arms, still fast asleep. Mu-hyeok froze. His legs wouldn’t move. Even his breathing stopped for a moment before he slowly exhaled.
“…Hoo.”
From childhood, he had followed Yoon Haeru—who had always been more upright and steadfast than her older-sister figure, Chae Mu-yeon. As he followed her, his feelings grew. Because he went abroad at a young age, he couldn’t see her often, but every time he came back, he watched over her.
As a student living overseas, he couldn’t get close to her—but his gaze had always been on her.
She was his first love. And his unrequited one.
The more she pressed into his chest, the harder his heart pounded, animal instincts threatening to surface. He wanted to lay her down and hold her immediately.
Standing still, regulating his breathing, Mu-hyeok looked at her once more before turning away and carefully climbing the stairs to the second floor.
Since he hadn’t been back from the U.S. for long, most rooms weren’t ready. Only the living room and his bedroom were usable.
Worried she might wake up, he climbed the stairs step by step, stealing glances at her face.
Just as he began to feel out of breath, he reached his bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. He nudged it open with his foot and pushed his way inside, then gently laid Haeru down on the white bed.
As he carefully set her down and tried to straighten up, her arms suddenly wrapped around his neck.
He could have shaken her off easily. Her grip was weak, barely hanging on.
But he didn’t push her away.
Clenching his fists, he traced her flushed face with his eyes, wondering what on earth he was thinking while she was still unconscious and drunk.
He shook his head repeatedly and tried to pull away—but he couldn’t.
She laced her fingers together and pulled him even closer.
“Ugh—!”
Unable to get off her, he found himself leaning closer, staring down at her.
Haeru slowly opened and closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. Today had been the day she heard news about her mother, Kim Jang-mi.
Im Su-jeong—a friend she’d met in middle school through Mu-yeon—was studying abroad in England. She’d been busy and out of contact for a while, but suddenly called.
She said she thought she’d seen Haeru’s mother at a party.
She looked like a refined lady, Su-jeong said, then hung up.
Feeling bitter toward her mother, Haeru had drunk with Mu-yeon until she was completely intoxicated.
“Huh? Mu-hyeok!”
Her unusually cheerful voice made him bite down on the inside of his lip. She was clearly drunk. The problem was that his eyes were fixed on her swollen, vividly red lips.
“Yeah. It’s me. Chae Mu-hyeok.”
“I know!”
As she nodded, he swallowed hard and blurted out—
“I want to… kiss you.”
At his words, curiosity filled her round eyes. She frowned, thinking for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Her gaze softened, and she deliberately squinted as she met his eyes.
“Well, you are that age now, I guess? Go for it! Be brave! You can do it, Mu-hyeok! Noona’s cheering for you…”
Hearing her encouragement, he frowned.
“…Ha.”
Her eyes relaxed again as she slowly blinked.
“But who with? Did you talk to Mu-yeon? You said you like someone, right?”
Still worrying about her friend’s younger brother, Haeru slid her hand from his neck into his dark hair, gently stroking it. Then she lifted the corners of her lips.
“My goodness… when did you grow up so much?”
His brows furrowed. As she reached for his creased brow, his eyes hardened and he grabbed her wrist sharply.
“You agreed.”
He spoke in a low voice, his gaze steady. Then he lunged for her lips.
Her unfocused eyes snapped clear.
His lips met hers, moving hotly at once. His hand slid from her wrist to the back of her neck, deepening the kiss, invading her mouth.
When her breathing grew ragged and her heart thundered, Mu-hyeok finally pulled away. Flustered and dazed, her face flushed bright red.
“Hah—th-that kind of kiss is something you do with someone you love—”
Before she could finish, he said,
“I love you, Yoon Haeru.”
After saying her name, he crashed into her lips again.
Her mind went blank.
Already drunk and unfocused, she was overwhelmed when Mu-hyeok’s heated lips covered hers again. Like being swept away by waves, she reacted without thinking.
When she moved her lips in response, Mu-hyeok grew more excited and pulled off his shirt. She knew this shouldn’t happen—but she couldn’t avoid it. Her body wouldn’t listen to reason.
His lips were too hot, too sweet to push away.
At first rough, his kisses soon softened. As though afraid she might break, he handled her carefully.
Then, as if overcome by heat, Mu-hyeok straightened and tore off the rest of his clothes before covering her again.
The intensity made her hands clutch his arm instinctively. Startled, he pulled back slightly and looked down at her, biting his inner lip, brows drawn tight.
After staring at her with a burning gaze for a long moment, he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, but… I can’t stop.”
He had planned to stop at just a kiss.
Even that alone made his heart feel like it would explode. But the more her skin touched his, the more he wanted to hold her tight. The more she kissed him back instead of pushing him away, the more he wanted to consume her.
His body was already uncontrollably hot, as if set ablaze.
It was a feeling he’d never experienced before. He slightly furrowed his eyes and began slowly exploring her body, starting from her neck.
She squeezed her eyes shut, overwhelmed by the pleasure he gave her.
Nothing came to mind. It was as if her thoughts had been completely wiped clean. His lips moved upward again, and his hand gripped her thigh tightly.
It was dizzying.
She bit her lip.
“I can’t think of anything…”
Her resentment toward her mother, the fact that he was her friend’s younger brother—everything seemed to vanish.
Why had she done this? Was it because she was drunk? Or had she really harbored hidden feelings for him?
She didn’t know.
All she knew was that she couldn’t stop.
“Just think about me tonight.”
