Chapter 36
A muffled breath seeped into Yeonwoo’s mouth.
“…Ha.”
The tongue that had been swirling hotly inside her mouth withdrew, only for her lips to be gently drawn back into his.
As if to swallow not just her saliva but even her breath, he entwined himself even more deeply, wrapping one arm around her waist while seating her on his thigh.
Yeonwoo, swept up without a second thought, looped her arms around his neck.
Where they were didn’t matter in the slightest.
Holding her tight against his solid body, he plunged into her mouth, exploring every corner.
The kiss was so intense her head spun, and Yeonwoo clung to him, panting for air.
“Haa… haa…”
She couldn’t think straight.
The only thing that filled her was the desire to be even closer.
Sa-jun briefly pulled his lips away, pressing his forehead against hers and exhaling hotly.
His pitch-black eyes blazed like fire.
“…”
“…”
Looking into Yeonwoo’s hazy, unfocused eyes, he claimed her lips again.
His hot tongue brushed her lips, licked her gums, and roamed every corner before curling around hers.
As if to swallow her whole, he sucked her in with fervor.
“Mmhh…”
Even the trickle of saliva was swallowed up before he finally let go of her lips after a long moment.
“It’s… inconvenient here.”
His voice was low and deep.
Yeonwoo nodded and slid down from him.
In the distance, old man Bae was stumbling toward them, drunk.
“Oh? Isn’t this the doctors, eh? Well, well, we meet again today.”
Only then did Yeonwoo snap back to her senses.
She’d lost her mind.
Her face flushed hot.
A kiss in public?
It was a relief they hadn’t been caught in trouble. She quickly bowed a greeting to old man Bae.
Sa-jun studied Yeonwoo’s face closely before stepping toward the approaching elder.
Standing behind Sa-jun, Yeonwoo cupped her flushed cheeks, breathing lightly in the afterglow.
Somewhere in the distance, as if to mark the start of another performance, the sweet voice of some unknown singer drifted on the wind.
The meeting of eyes~~ what do they say~~
It was as if the song was blessing her very first kiss.
“Yeonwoo.”
Sa-jun called to her as she fidgeted beside him, feigning distraction.
Where had the boldness gone—the boldness of the woman who’d told him to come at her with full speed instead of moving slowly?
Now, she couldn’t even look him in the eye.
Her peach-tinted cheeks drew his gaze irresistibly.
God, she’s driving me crazy.
Switching off the car’s overhead light, Sa-jun wondered what to do next.
At his call, Yeonwoo, who had been staring straight ahead, sneaked a glance at him.
Under the light of the parking lot lampposts, he studied her face in detail.
Her small, plump lips were flushed and swollen—the very lips he had bitten and sucked.
“So, what now? Should I take you home?”
“…Yes.”
He reached out and gently stroked her plump earlobe and cheek.
Her skin was so soft and hot, his palm felt like it might melt.
If just her face was like this… how must the skin she kept hidden feel?
His mind was already full of wicked thoughts now that his brakes were off.
Not that he intended to act on them—Yeonwoo was far too precious for that.
He didn’t want to just lunge at her to satisfy his own greed.
And besides, it wasn’t as if she’d accept him so easily.
“Remember what old man Bae gave us earlier?”
Yeonwoo glanced at the dongdongju and chili pancakes left on the back seat.
“So?”
“Want to have them together at home? You didn’t even get to eat properly.”
“Should we do that, then?”
“Yes~.”
Ha…
Yeonwoo kept tempting him without even realizing it.
Running a hand through his hair, Sa-jun muttered under his breath like a sigh,
“I can’t promise I’ll behave if I drink.”
His breath grew hot, his voice coming out husky and rough.
“Then don’t behave.”
“How do you know what I might do?”
Apparently, Yeonwoo had no idea what came next between a man and a woman, judging by her fearlessness.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have said something like that.
“When a healthy man and woman meet, what else do you think happens? I’m an adult, you know. I might not have experience, but I know enough.”
“So you’re saying you could sleep with me?”
“Yes. Of course. I have desires too, you know.”
“You little brat, getting all cheeky.”
Sa-jun needed to rein himself in—and shut Yeonwoo’s careless mouth before she said something even more dangerous.
A drive would cool him off.
Today was a historic day—his confession had been accepted by Yeonwoo instead of being shot down.
That joy alone was enough to make his heart race.
He pressed the start button and set the car in motion.
“I’m serious, though…”
“I know.”
He took her hand and kissed the back of it.
This audacious little fox was so lovable it drove him mad—but also made him think he’d better keep his head straight.
Meanwhile, Lee-kwon clicked his tongue as he looked at the darkening sky.
He’d tried to hurry today, yet the sun was already setting.
“The air is incredible, though.”
Bzzz.
He rolled the window down, letting in air so fresh it couldn’t even be compared to Seoul’s stale atmosphere.
But so what?
All he could see was farmland and rice paddies.
He’d first come here last December, and it looked exactly the same as back then.
“I still can’t believe our Yeonwoo is stuck in a place like this. Ridiculous.”
Shaking his head at the unbelievable scenery, Lee-kwon turned the steering wheel.
Having cleared his surgery schedule, he’d finally gotten some vacation time, and the moment work ended, he’d hit the road.
Even though his GPS was leading him to the right address, it felt like he was being led deeper into the forest.
“How many mountains have I crossed by now?”
It was probably just because the night was making the drive feel longer, even though this wasn’t his first time here.
Glancing unnecessarily at the rearview mirror, he drove on through the eerie mountain road.
After countless twists and turns, he finally reached the town.
But what was going on today?
It seemed there was some sort of festival—noise and bustle filled the whole place.
From the banners strung up everywhere, it looked like the second day of the festival.
He passed the festival grounds.
A short way out from the town center, he spotted a three-story red-brick building.
Cheongbong Sarang Hospital.
That was where his little sister Yeonwoo worked.
And if things worked out a certain way, it might be where he worked in the future as well.
Part of why he’d come down was to check with his own eyes whether Yeonwoo was basically living like a slave here—but also to pass on a message from their grandmother, Mrs. Song.
“Get Yeonwoo married. Before she gets any older.”
The whole family had been skeptical about that order.
But no one dared to defy their grandmother.
Marry off a girl who was at the peak of her career?
He’d heard vaguely that the guy was an only son of a family who ran a hospital.
With so many doctors out there, did she really need to marry one?
In any case, no matter how much their grandmother wanted Yeonwoo married, the most important thing was Yeonwoo’s decision.
If she didn’t want it, no one would force her.
Their parents felt the same.
For now, the matchmaking matter could be left to Yeonwoo’s judgment—more urgent was Beom Sa-jun, who might become both his colleague and his nemesis.
There are no eternal secrets, and when Lee-kwon had learned that Sa-jun was the one who’d brought Yeonwoo to Cheongbong, he’d been furious at the betrayal.
We were in Africa together, and you didn’t say a word?
Thinking of Sa-jun’s poker face as he’d pretended ignorance made his blood boil.
“That sly bastard. I could chew him up and still not feel satisfied.”
Compared to their other classmates, Sa-jun had always been especially mature and dependable, so Lee-kwon had relied on him more than anyone.
Despite looking like he played around all day instead of studying, Sa-jun had never missed the top rank—his brain was exceptional.
When Sa-jun had announced he was applying to general surgery, Lee-kwon hadn’t dared to go for the same specialty, instead applying to neurosurgery.
He’d been swayed by Sa-jun’s words that a real doctor held a scalpel.
A man with that much charm could easily lure Yeonwoo in—and Lee-kwon feared that’s exactly what had happened.
