SEM 1

SEM

Chapter 1

Thud—

The hotel room door hadn’t even fully closed when the man, until now expressionless, suddenly changed. He shoved Yoo-joo against the wall, his cold face twisting as searing heat poured out of him.

Before she could even catch her breath, his hand gripped her jaw. The sudden force pushed her backward, but just before her head struck the wall, his warm hand cradled it.

“Ah…!”

His lips crashed against hers, startling Yoo-joo into balling her fists. Before she could inhale, hot breath spilled down her neck.

The sensation on her lips was hot, soft, and unfamiliar. Her heart pounded violently, her pulse racing so fast it made her dizzy. Her mind went blank, her hands frozen stiff in midair.

The man never paused. He tilted his head this way and that, deepening the kiss as his lips pressed and pried at hers with unrelenting force. Her lower lip quickly swelled from the onslaught. His tongue swept inside gently, only to suddenly yank harshly, making her legs tremble.

Pinned between his hand and the wall, Yoo-joo gasped for breath. But he didn’t let go—he only pressed her deeper into him.

She couldn’t think at all.

Finally, unable to endure any longer, she broke away with ragged breaths.

“Haa… haa…”

Her knees buckled as she exhaled in short, shallow gasps. His fingers lifted her chin once more.

“We haven’t even started yet. If you’re already like this, it’ll be a problem.”

His low, resonant voice made Yoo-joo swallow hard.

She reminded herself why she had come into this room with him. There was no turning back now.

Bracing her trembling legs, she exhaled deeply and looped her arms around his neck. This time, she leaned forward first. The moment her lips brushed his, he seized them greedily, pulling her closer as if he had been waiting all along.

His mouth trailed down to her neck, then to her collarbone. The new, unfamiliar sensations made her stifle the sounds that threatened to spill out.

At the end of their fevered kisses, he looked down at Yoo-joo sprawled across the bed. Loosening the tie that had been strangling his throat, he murmured—

“…If you think this isn’t right, say it now. I’ll stop.”

His restrained voice sounded almost dreamlike. His gaze seemed to be searching her face carefully—but that had to be her imagination.

“That won’t happen.”

The instant her answer fell, he pulled off his shirt in one motion and tossed it aside. Then he covered her with another breathless kiss, stripping off her off-shoulder dress as lightly as if shaking dust from it.

Every time his lips and hands brushed across her, Yoo-joo clutched the bedsheets tighter, her mind exploding with sensation. Something inside her seemed to swell until it threatened to burst, only to collapse into a dizzying haze.

After a long while, he pried her clenched fists from the sheets and placed them firmly on his shoulders.

“Relax. Instead, hold me here.”

The moment she gripped his shoulders, he pressed into her harder, driving her past the edge. Yoo-joo’s hands clung tighter as the overwhelming pressure closed in on every part of her.

Unconsciously, she clenched her teeth—until his warm fingers pressed against her tense jaw, slowly easing it.

Just as her lips instinctively tried to close again, his mouth descended, parting them with a kiss. Unlike before, it was gentle, languid.

The deeper the kiss grew, the hotter her body burned. His rich scent, like rain-soaked pine, clouded her mind. It was so vivid she feared it would etch itself into her memory forever.

Before she could remind herself of her purpose, the sweet pain and feverish heat filling her body completely consumed her.

“Mm…”

With a faint groan, she opened her eyes to see the hotel ceiling. She must have drifted off without realizing it. The man lay beside her, sound asleep, one arm wrapped beneath her.

The digital clock on the nightstand read 2:30 a.m.

Yoo-joo slowly sat up and turned to look at him. Beneath the slipped blanket, firm chest muscles and neatly defined abs were visible. Unlike earlier, he looked completely defenseless, his breathing deep and steady.

He didn’t know who she was. But she knew exactly who he was.

Hyun Seung-hyuk.

The only son of the director of Hyun General Hospital. The man set to marry Gong Seol-ah, sole granddaughter of Gong Suk-hoon, head of the law firm Yul, next month.

Though an heir to the hospital, he worked not at the Seoul headquarters, but at a small branch in Gangwon Province as a surgeon.

When she first met him yesterday at the lounge bar, he seemed cold and indifferent. Yet the moment they stepped into the hotel room, he had transformed into someone entirely different—overwhelming, explosive.

“We haven’t even started yet. If you’re already like this, it’ll be a problem.”

Though his words had been sharp, his touch had grown gentler, more careful.

“Relax. Instead, hold me here.”

His warm hand guiding hers to his shoulder, his burning gaze, his strong arms around her, his scent of wet pine…

All of it still lingered so vividly.

Carefully, Yoo-joo lifted his arm from beneath her head and set it back at his side. The warmth of his hand almost brought tears to her eyes.

What if this marriage was something he truly wanted?

The thought struck suddenly, and her heart plummeted. Fear coiled in her chest.

What if this marriage was essential for him?

A grand hospital joining hands with a powerful law firm.
An ideal, flawless match.

Her chest tightened. She had only thought about destroying Seol-ah, never once about Hyun Seung-hyuk.

If he became collateral damage—if she twisted his life with her revenge—

How would that make her any different from Gong Seol-ah?

Yoo-joo looked at his sleeping face once more, guilt gnawing at her.

Suppressing her breath, she picked up her dress from the foot of the bed. The dull ache in her waist brought last night vividly back to her, and she bit her lip.

I can’t stay here any longer.

As she dressed hastily, Yoo-joo pulled out her phone.

“Don’t send the photos. Delete them. It’s over now.”

She typed the message, and just before leaving, glanced back at his peaceful face. It felt as though some fragile thread inside her had snapped. With trembling fingers, she shut the door.

Stepping outside, the humid summer night air pressed against her cheeks. For a moment, everything that had happened seemed like a dream.

The information the errand center gave her had been accurate. On the last day of every month, Seung-hyuk came up from Gangwon to dine with his father, the hospital director, and stayed at this very hotel. And last night, just as predicted, he had appeared at the H Hotel lounge bar.

Yoo-joo had recognized him instantly. Not only because she had studied his photos countless times, but because his very presence was impossible to overlook.

Even in dim lighting, his sharp features stood out clearly. His deep brown eyes, the blade-like jawline, the broad shoulders beneath his neatly tied tie—he radiated a cold tension.

Could she really bring down a man like this? Nervously, she had clenched her fists.

Chae Yoo-joo’s one goal was clear.

To seduce Hyun Seung-hyuk.
To spend one night with him.
To capture proof of their night together and send it to Gong Seol-ah.

And with that, ruin her marriage.

That was why she had painted her face with makeup that didn’t suit her, worn a daring dress for the first time in her life, and approached him—armed even with the name of his favorite whiskey.

“Lagavulin 16, on the rocks, please.”

Sitting beside him at the bar, she had whispered the order she had practiced over and over.

Talk to me. Please… talk to me first.

Her lips went dry with tension—

“…Do you usually enjoy whiskey?”

She had done it. He had spoken to her first.

Keeping her composure, Yoo-joo turned toward him.

“Are you asking me?”

“Lagavulin isn’t an easy choice for most.”

He flicked his eyes toward his own glass, implying he was drinking the same.

Yoo-joo, who barely had the tolerance for a can of beer and knew nothing about whiskey, had forced herself to look the part.

“Ah, yes. I prefer something smoky.”