“Cha Yi-hwan.”... more>>

She calls out his name, and just those three simple syllables feel like they’re pulling him into an abyss. For the first time, he realizes that her calling his name can make his heart sink completely. It’s because she’s the one who called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

It’s because all his senses are focused on her.

“Do you want to stay over at my place tonight?”

“…What, are you trying to play with me again?”

His voice trembles slightly at the end, embarrassingly enough. Yi-hwan fidgets with his burning neck, then covers his mouth, struggling to contain his emotions.

---

After becoming lovers with him, there hasn’t been a single moment where she could control her emotions. Feelings she’s never experienced before rise like tidal waves, and she finds herself saying things she would have never dared to say before. All of this is because of Cha Yi-hwan.

“You’re too lovable. I want to strip you bare and devour you whole.”

See? He drives her crazy with his teasing, then with just one sentence, makes her heart race uncontrollably.

“Well… if you want to devour me, go ahead.”

Her mind is in chaos, her heart pounding wildly, and she has no idea how to handle these overwhelming emotions. <<less

His face was close. His hair and collar seemed slightly damp with sweat, the scent of his skin mixed with perfume, and a subtle hint of cigarette smoke. It was a dangerous scent.... more>>

Na-yeon knew that what she was about to do was crazy. But she wanted to move forward. If she needed a deviation, she wanted to do it. She had a strange conviction that this man in front of her wouldn’t be a bad object for a deviation.

Na-yeon carefully placed her hands on his shoulders. She pushed through the dangerous pheromones emanating from this man and approached his lips. She placed her trembling lips on his red lips. Their breaths intertwined. Even though she had initiated the kiss, she felt a strong sense of pressure, as if she were being forcibly violated. She felt like an asteroid that had entered his orbit, unable to escape his gravitational pull. Should she back away before being drawn in further? Just as she was contemplating, their eyes met. He was smiling dangerously.

“You’re good. Suck properly. I’m already half-hard.” <<less

His arrogance and insolence knew no bounds, sparing no one. A man beautiful yet untouchable, whom she yearned to define but dared not depict. She couldn’t deny the longing and attraction for something she had never possessed. But Cha-eon vaguely sensed it. This man was a poisoned chalice. A dangerous man who threatened to destroy everything if she dared to drink.... more>>

For a while, she silently stared at their touching fingertips. What was he thinking? Cha-eon let out a dry laugh and smiled a little. When she raised her head, she met his eyes, still tilted down, watching her. The man’s eyes, perfectly suited to the dawn, were fixed on her.

“I told you to keep your eyes to yourself. You’ll be misunderstood. Can’t you control yourself?”

Suddenly, she wondered. Did this man treat other women like this too? Even women who desired him? Tap, tap. The subtle rhythm of raindrops drumming against the window, the sound of rain growing faster like breaths. Just as the sweltering heat seemed to subside, the rain returned. The monsoon, which seemed to be ending, had started again. <<less

“Pretty girl, what are you looking at?”... more>>

From the very first moment she saw him, she had an indescribable intuition.

This man could save her from the filthy reality she was trapped in.

Song-ah needed that man, Kim Jong-seop. She had to make him her ally by any means necessary.

“When a customer’s so damn tempting, you gotta decide whether to devour them or not. Your lower half should be itching like crazy. That’s how you know whether to buy them or chew them up.”

She thought he needed her too.

She had so much to say, but all the words she had carefully stacked up in her mind were crushed like a tin can and thrown into a tr*sh bin, tangled in chaos. How long had they even known each other? They didn’t know each other, yet they hadn’t even properly introduced themselves. There was no room for an ordinary, normal conversation—it was a complete mess.

“I get that your a**hole’s in a state of chaos, but what do I get out of sucking on your sh*t hole? You think this is some neighborhood where I’m here to clean up your mess?”

There was no logic in their conversation, so common sense didn’t apply. It felt like talking to a wall.

“Once you’ve stamped your mark on someone, the contract’s valid until someone dies. If you want to break it, you’ll have to stake your neck, kid.”

She felt like she’d made a terrible mistake.

But by the time she realized it, she had already thrown herself into the fiery pit that was Kim Jong-seop. <<less

No matter how many dazzling adjectives you attach to him, at his core, he’s a thug.... more>>

The kind of man who would take a life if things didn’t go his way. Perhaps the only flaw in this otherwise perfect man is the world he stands in. That’s what makes him seem more dangerous, and that’s why he’s such a paradox—someone you can’t help but be drawn to.

I won’t deny that I was attracted to him, that my eyes were drawn to him. But that’s exactly why I wanted to distance myself.

---

“I have plans tomorrow.”

“…I know.”

“I’m meeting a man at a hotel.”

To be precise, it was a blind date at a hotel café.

---

“…But.”

“If I like him, I’ll book a room this time. I’m not going to reject him again.”

I wasn’t sure if I was saying this to Si-baek or making a promise to myself.

---

“Stop talking nonsense. If you’re just going to spout nonsense, go to sleep.”

If this were just a fleeting argument we had today, it wouldn’t feel so bittersweet. I have no idea when I’ll be able to put an end to this long, exhausting emotional journey. How much longer will it last? How many more wounds will I endure in the process? I’ll only know once I’ve lived through it.

Even if I know now, there’s nothing I can do about it.

It’s something I have to endure, even though I’m fully aware of it.

Nothing that has come into my hands has ever been easy. Love is no exception.

Damn love—no, unrequited love. <<less