Chapter 16
The dinner venue was a beef barbecue place near the law firm.
Beneath a long, stretched-out ventilation hood, oil sizzled and spattered. The faint smell of smoke spread through the air, and the inside was so noisy with laughter and the smell of grilling meat that the atmosphere was nearly stifling.
Yiyeon had already quietly raised her glass several times. The liquor poured by Attorney Choi overflowed and dripped down the side of the cup.
“Come on, the interns should have a drink too. It’s our firm’s tradition,” Attorney Choi said.
At his words, Yiyeon reluctantly smiled and accepted the glass. “Yes, thank you.”
Then she downed it in one go. The cold liquid flowed slowly down her throat. As the alcohol spread through her body, her tension eased slightly, replaced by an inexplicable heat rising to her face.
That’s when it happened.
Her gaze met the scorching stare of the person sitting across from her, who was holding a water glass instead.
It was none other than Woo-kyung, sitting there with a water glass in place of a liquor glass.
“Attorney Cha, what’s the occasion?” Attorney Choi, sitting next to him, asked with a puzzled look.
“You actually attended the dinner gathering.”
Woo-kyung took a short sip from his water glass before answering. “It’s not that I dislike dinners. I just didn’t understand the tradition of celebrating a loss.”
“You’re a cold one,” Attorney Choi said with a bland expression, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. “Sharing sorrow has its meaning too.”
“Isn’t that just a difference in personal style?” Woo-kyung’s tone was still calm, but his gaze remained fixed on Yiyeon.
Yiyeon, however, oblivious to his stare, was busy emptying her glass again.
Attorney Choi, who had just finished his own drink, looked at Yiyeon with a worried expression. “Oh, Ms. Yiyeon, you should stop drinking now.”
But Yiyeon’s glass was already empty again. As another mouthful of liquor was making its way down her throat, Yiyeon set her glass down and said quietly, “I’ll excuse myself to the restroom.”
Her movements were slightly unsteady as she rose from her seat. Woo-kyung’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly at that subtle instability.
As Yiyeon stepped out into the hallway, Woo-kyung silently got up from his seat.
“Huh? Attorney Cha, are you leaving?” Attorney Choi asked.
Woo-kyung replied briefly, “Just for a moment.”
Yiyeon, who had gone to the restroom at the end of the long hallway, stood in front of the sink and wet her hands. The cold water on her fingertips seemed to bring back a bit of her senses, but her flushed, red cheeks still hadn’t cooled down.
Just as she was drying her hands and about to step out, a low, firm voice came from behind her.
“Yoo Yiyeon.”
Yiyeon turned her head, her face disheveled. Woo-kyung was standing right behind her. Under the light, the contours of his face were sharp. His expression was slightly stiff, and his gaze was somewhat askew.
“Stop drinking.”
“Huh?” Yiyeon blinked and asked again.
“Yoo Yiyeon, I said stop drinking,” Woo-kyung said, closing the distance by one more step.
“You don’t need to worry. I’m drinking in moderation, controlling it myself,” Yiyeon retorted in a sulky, small voice.
Woo-kyung let out a short, scoffing laugh. Then he roughly swept his hair back and shook his head. “Control?” His low laugh carried a tone of disbelief. “I’ve lost count of how many glasses I’ve seen you drink. Can you really call that control?”
Yiyeon, averting his gaze, muttered, “Attorney Cha Woo-kyung… must be nice to be so experienced.”
“What?” Woo-kyung’s black pupils trembled slightly.
“For me…” Yiyeon’s voice, which had started boldly, gradually grew smaller. “Everything with Attorney Cha Woo-kyung is a first for me.” She bowed her head and mumbled as if talking to herself. “It’s unfair.”
Her words blurred, muffled by the effects of the alcohol. Then, Yiyeon’s body swayed and leaned forward.
“Yoo Yiyeon?”
Woo-kyung quickly reached out and steadied her. In an instant, her slender shoulders collided with his embrace.
“Hey, what are you two doing here?” A familiar voice came from the end of the hallway. It was, unsurprisingly, Attorney Choi.
Woo-kyung turned his head, holding Yiyeon’s body firmly against him, and answered calmly, “She seems drunk. She’s my intern, I’ll take responsibility.”
Attorney Choi laughed as if it was ridiculous. “Yeah, yeah. Take good care of her.”
Finally, only the two of them remained in the hallway.
Woo-kyung gently brushed aside a strand of Yiyeon’s hair with one hand. The heat from her forehead was intense.
“‘Just one drink,’ she said,” he muttered under his breath with a long sigh. Woo-kyung slowly bent down and carefully picked Yiyeon up. Her soft hair cascaded over his shoulder.
He began walking without a word.
Throughout the journey to the parking lot, Yiyeon, nestled in Woo-kyung’s arms, was quiet and offered no resistance. She simply rested her small head on his shoulder, breathing quiet, sleepy breaths, seemingly overcome with tiredness.
In a corner of the parking lot, under dim lighting, a black sedan was waiting. It was a car Woo-kyung had arranged in advance, just in case he wasn’t in a condition to drive.
Secretary Jin, who had gotten out of the driver’s seat, hurried over and bowed his head. “Young Master.”
“I’m not in a state to drive now. I’ll need your help, Secretary Jin.”
Secretary Jin opened the rear door. Woo-kyung bent down and placed Yiyeon in the back seat.
Under the soft light, a single strand of hair fallen across Yiyeon’s cheek caught his eye. He nonchalantly brushed it away with his fingertip.
“Where shall I take you?”
“Let’s go home. Please drive slowly.”
“Understood.”
Woo-kyung, who then got into the back seat himself, took another firm look at Yiyeon sitting beside him. Her face was still flushed red, and her faint breath fogged the window like mist.
“Really…” Woo-kyung let out a low, stifled laugh. “As stubborn as ever about not listening.”
He shook his head slightly as he closed the car door. “I’ll just get the bags and clothes. Please wait here.”
Woo-kyung hurried back inside to retrieve the belongings they had left behind.
***
About thirty minutes later.
As the car came to a stop in front of their destination, Woo-kyung carefully shook Yiyeon’s shoulder. “Yoo Yiyeon?”
But then Yiyeon mumbled something between her lips, said she was cold, and suddenly wrapped her arms around Woo-kyung’s neck.
Her body, limp and leaning against him from the alcohol, her hot breath tickling his neck. Having no other choice, Woo-kyung sighed and carefully lifted her into his arms.
Her light body slipped snugly into his embrace.
Holding Yiyeon carefully, Woo-kyung got out of the car and subtly said to Secretary Jin, who was waiting, “I’ll take it from here. You can go in now.”
After sending Secretary Jin ahead, Woo-kyung made his way inside, holding the unsteady Yiyeon tightly, and brought her to the bed, laying her down carefully.
Unaware of where she was, Yiyeon comfortably lay back, her relaxed body slumping, her transparent cheeks still flushed. Her hair was also stuck to her cheeks. In her sleep, as if feeling stuffy, the neatly fastened button at her neck had come undone unintentionally, revealing her slender neckline through the gap in her blouse.
Her defenseless state was, to anyone seeing it, no different from an invitation to be devoured.
Woo-kyung, who had been letting out sighs through his lips, had intended to lay Yiyeon down and leave the bedroom. But soon, his feet remained rooted to the spot. Because Yiyeon, perhaps in her sleep, had suddenly grabbed hold of his suit sleeve.
“…Don’t go. I don’t want to be alone,” her voice, muffled by alcohol, whispered.
At the sound of her voice, Woo-kyung, who had been unfastening the suit button trapped all day, took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and lay down next to Yiyeon.
Crossing his long legs, which reached almost to the end of the bed mattress, he lay back on the bed, placing one arm behind his head. His fingers, with his elbow bent wide, loosely brushed through his hair.
“Attorney Cha Woo-kyung, if you’re going to be like this, why are you so nice to me? It’s confusing…”
“What?”
Woo-kyung turned his head towards her at the mumbling voice, whether she was asleep or not. Then, Yiyeon curled her legs slightly, tucked her arm deeper under the pillow, and twisted her body a little.
Suddenly, the plump curve of her chest came into Woo-kyung’s line of sight through the half-opened front of her blouse.
But the problem was, as Yiyeon moved her body left and right in her sleep, brushing against his most隐秘的本能, his desire surged unbidden.
What the hell am I doing?
“Ha, this is driving me crazy.”
Even the lower half of his body, which had shown no reaction during attempts at intimacy while dating, began to ache and throb.
Looking down at his lower body, Woo-kyung let out a self-deprecating sigh, finding himself utterly ridiculous.
