<60>
The three people gathered to eat worried the table legs might bend. Chinese and Korean dishes were mixed together, and at a glance, it was obvious that great care had been put into it. Il-hyun had left to give them space, but even without him there, this place was no more comfortable.
"Jian... no, it feels awkward trying to use your original name. Anyway, it's good to see you again."
The mistress didn't ask further questions and smiled as she welcomed the returned Ja-kyung. But Ja-kyung no longer trusted even the mistress. From the start, an old woman who could smile while burying someone's head in the ground couldn't be ordinary. It was a mistake to briefly think of her dead grandmother.
After she left, Wang Lun whispered.
"Can we eat? They didn't put anything in it, right?"
Wang Han, who had been hesitating, picked up some food first and nodded his head, finding it tasty. Soon Wang Lun and Ja-kyung also began eating. As expected, the taste was as excellent as the smell. Having starved for four days, Ja-kyung silently chewed and swallowed the food. Earlier she had been too angry to notice she was hungry, but now hunger rushed in late. Perhaps out of Kang Il-hyun's consideration, no staff members were visible during the meal.
After finishing their meal, the three gathered on the second floor. With teacups between them, silence came and went for a while. At Kang Il-hyun's suggestion, they had decided to stay here for the night, but their minds were still unsettled. Opinions differed regarding the offer to pay the full amount at once.
Wang Han was displeased, and Wang Lun agreed without hesitation. Changing one's mind over money might seem shallow, but in this world, money was everything. With money, one could kill people or save them—nothing was more terrifying than that.
"Ja-kyung, what do you think?"
Ja-kyung couldn't make up her mind. Being tied down somewhere for a year was one thing, but having Kang Il-hyun as the counterparty was unsettling. Humans who betrayed once always had something go wrong afterward. It was the reason she hadn't renewed her contract with Dmitri either. But setting everything else aside, looking at the amount alone, it was enough to sway her heart.
"How about just taking the money and running away?"
At Ja-kyung's careless words, Wang Han and Wang Lun's gazes simultaneously fixed on her. Wang Lun scratched his nose and hesitated.
"But did you really with that person—"
Just as he was about to speak, Wang Han nudged his leg. Seeing the two exchange glances, Ja-kyung's eyes narrowed like a flounder. She could roughly guess what Wang Lun was trying to say.
"I said I didn't."
Wang Lun laughed.
"I don't have any prejudices about that kind of thing."
Wang Han raised his hand in agreement. Me neither. But having Kang Il-hyun as the partner didn't sit right. Man or woman didn't matter, but if possible, she hoped Ja-kyung would meet someone generous-hearted who could pour lots of love on her.
Even as she denied it again, looking at their expressions, neither seemed to believe her. Thinking it would be the same no matter how much she protested, Ja-kyung reluctantly nodded.
"It was just one mistake. Enough? Don't talk about it anymore."
Wang Han sighed softly, and Wang Lun murmured admiringly to himself.
"Amazing. That a human like Kang Il-hyun would bottom for you."
Ja-kyung's face twisted at hearing that. She knew they'd think that. Her mouth opened, wondering what to say. Noticing, Wang Han signaled Wang Lun to stop, but Wang Lun continued admiring, saying it was Ja-kyung after all, and Ja-kyung finally stood up.
"I'm going. Let's talk again tomorrow."
When Ja-kyung left as if fleeing, Wang Lun looked at Wang Han and giggled.
"Cute. Look at her being embarrassed."
Wang Han clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"You're bad at everything, but being clueless is the worst."
***
Ja-kyung looked around the bedroom. The place she returned to after a year hadn't changed much. Looking at the neatly arranged sheets and pillows, she went to the window and looked outside. They said it had rained fiercely for several days, but the night sky visible through the window was impossibly clear.
The swimming pool was still there, the sunbeds where they had lain together remained, and the surrounding trees had grown more lush. Outside, security was tighter than before. Was she still under threat of assassination?
Ja-kyung took out a cigarette and lit it. When she exhaled smoke at the window, it turned hazy then returned to normal. Her head only grew heavier. The numbers she saw in the contract kept coming to mind. It was an absurdly large amount, enough to buy that island she liked and still have plenty left. If only it weren't Kang Il-hyun, she would have accepted without hesitation.
She ground out the finished cigarette in the ashtray and went to the bed, stripped off all her clothes, and lay face down wearing only panties. Whether from drying in the sun, both the pillow and sheets felt crisp.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and before she could ask who it was, Kang Il-hyun entered. In one hand a mug, in the other a patch. He set the mug on the table. Steam rose from it.
Il-hyun's gaze swept down from Ja-kyung's head as she lay face down on the bed. Her smooth back muscles, waist without excess flesh, and full buttocks looked tantalizing. His gaze traveled down to her toes then back up, fixing on Ja-kyung's face.
"Get out."
Ja-kyung turned her head to the other side as if annoyed.
Il-hyun approached and sat on the edge of the bed. The snake tattoo on his shoulder was clear. No matter how she looked, a cat suited him better than a snake. Come to think of it, she'd had a similar thought before. She should have turned him into a cat when he'd fainted.
The marks from their earlier fight were vivid on her body.
"The bruises show well."
Ja-kyung turned her head and stared at Kang Il-hyun's face. After a few ice packs, the swelling from being hit had already gone down. Unfair. She felt like she'd lost, and her insides twisted. Kang Il-hyun took out a patch that had a sharp scent.
She let him apply it to the bruised areas, but when he started subtly groping her body later, she pushed his hand away and sat up. She got off the bed and picked up the shirt draped on the sofa and put it on. When she turned around, Kang Il-hyun was taking off his shirt. Ja-kyung's eyes widened.
"What are you doing now?"
"Can't you see? I'm taking off my clothes."
With a brazen face, he finished removing his shirt and threw it on the floor. He still boasted a body similar to a Western underwear model. Broad squared shoulders, a firm and thick torso. Exercise was part of it, but he must have been born with it too.
Even though Ja-kyung also had a body that wouldn't lose out if stripped, she somehow felt compared. Before she could even feel self-deprecation, he started taking off his pants. Ja-kyung quickly came to her senses, picked up his shirt from the floor, and threw it fiercely.
"Put this on and get out. Now."
Kang Il-hyun brazenly pulled down his pants. Surgical scars were visible on his thigh. Ja-kyung glared at them then averted her gaze elsewhere. Il-hyun chuckled.
"Seems like you do feel sorry?"
I'd rather just leave. The moment she grabbed the doorknob, intending to sleep on the living room sofa, Kang Il-hyun came up behind her and pressed his chest against her back. His body heat was felt entirely. He pushed the door, which was open about a hand's width, shut, and hugged her tightly from behind. His firm arm wrapped around her shoulder, and his breath touched her cheek.
"I missed you."
His heart beating against her back suggested those words were sincere.
"Get off while I'm asking nicely."
As she grit her teeth, he turned her around. He pushed her against the door and smiled with his eyes slightly closed. Ja-kyung clenched her teeth and glared at him, hitting his shoulder to tell him to move. But his face came closer first. When she turned her head to avoid him, he roughly grabbed her chin and hungrily devoured her lips.
Then he put his thigh between her legs and subtly rubbed her cock. Unable to resist the stimulation, she pushed Kang Il-hyun away. Flustered and angry, she fumed, and Kang Il-hyun stroked her cheek with his hand.
"Everything here is good, but the soundproofing isn't."
"...."
"If you don't want to wake your siblings in the next room, let's be quiet. Okay?"
This bastard. So that's why he gave her the room right next to theirs. As she frowned, his hand that had been touching her cheek moved up and brushed her hair. His touch was as tender as his gaze. It had been like that back then too. That's why she was deceived, almost fell for it.
Looking at Ja-kyung who was still glaring, Il-hyun gazed at her and spoke with a serious expression.
"What I said earlier, that I was sorry, was sincere."
"Don't make me laugh."
"I've lost too much trust, haven't I?"
His face disappeared from her sight. Il-hyun slowly knelt on the floor. Bowing his head, he brought his lips to her underwear. When she tried to push his head away, he stuck out his tongue and licked over her underwear.
When he opened his mouth to take her cock, Ja-kyung kept her mouth firmly shut. His lips touching her through the fabric were hot. Slowly he removed her panties. Seeing that it was already starting to get hard despite her words, he moved his eyes up and smiled at Ja-kyung.
Ja-kyung clenched her teeth. She should push him away. She should stop here. But her body remembered that electrifying pleasure that felt like her whole body had been electrocuted, so she couldn't easily shake it off.
He opened his mouth and took Ja-kyung's cock inside. The glans scraped against the mucous membrane, teeth grazed, and the wet, sucking sounds were lewd. Ja-kyung kept her teeth clenched, then tilted her head back, leaning her head against the door. Standing, her legs trembled. Kang Il-hyun's hands gripping both her thighs were hot as if burned. As he stuffed it in his mouth and rubbed with his tongue, her mind gradually went white.
"Mmph."
She let out an involuntary moan and quickly covered her mouth. The urge to ejaculate built up. She reached her remaining hand down, grabbed the back of Kang Il-hyun's head, and moved her hips. Looking down, she could vividly see her cock moving in and out of Kang Il-hyun's mouth.
He looked up at her. His intense gaze made her toes tingle. The speed of her hips quickened. Even feeling it reach his throat, he didn't bat an eye. Strength went into the hand gripping his hair.
Then, unable to hold back, she released into his mouth. Ja-kyung's chest rapidly rose and fell. Kang Il-hyun pulled out the cock and swallowed the semen in his mouth.
Still caught in the aftershocks of ejaculation, Ja-kyung breathed roughly. Il-hyun even scraped the remaining semen from his lips with his finger and licked it off, then slowly stood up. Then he placed both arms on either side of her shoulder and whispered with a smile that seemed to melt away.
"Now it's my turn, right? Lie down."