Chapter 40.2

Chapter 40.2

“Hm.”

Jae-heon’s gaze lingered on her face.

Goyo’s breath hitched as she sensed danger in his eyes. Her throat burned, and her body flinched involuntarily. One of Jae-heon’s eyebrows lifted slightly before he let out a quiet chuckle.

“I’m not heartless enough to torment an exhausted little thing.”

He pulled his finger from her mouth and gave her cheek a light tap.

Her unusually pale skin only made the bruises stand out more. The inside of her cheek was intact, and a scab had already formed on her split lip. Of course, a kiss would reopen the wound—but if he was the reason for it, he didn’t mind.

It was a process of erasing Lee Yoon-gun’s mark and replacing it with his own. The catharsis he felt at the thought of branding her was nothing short of contradictory.

“I’m glad you’re healing.”

The decision was made. Instinct had won over reason.

Seeing Goyo standing in his domain made something deep inside him throb. And this spot, where they stood now, was also her favorite place.

“My house’s foyer is bigger than a hotel suite.”

“It is.”

Goyo swallowed and glanced around the foyer where she stood.

At the end of the black-toned shoe cabinet was a second set of doors. Unlike the Taehan Hotel suite, where the foyer blended seamlessly into the living room, Jae-heon’s foyer was structured like a corridor—long and spacious enough for several kids to run around without feeling cramped.

“Do you realize we’ve been standing here for fifteen minutes?”

“A-already?”

Fifteen minutes had passed? She hadn’t even noticed.

Yoon-gun had called, and Jae-heon had destroyed the phone—so it made sense. Not that she had deliberately lingered here. It wasn’t like last time when she had hesitated over something special.

“I didn’t realize that much time had passed.”

She must have been so dazed that she lost her sense of time. Now that she was aware of it, her calves suddenly ached. Maybe it was the tight high heels—her entire foot felt numb.

“It’s fine. I’ve stood here for an hour before.”

“That time… there was an unavoidable reason…”

If only she hadn’t sucked his finger, the mood wouldn’t have turned so strange.

“The time I’ve spent in the foyer with you feels longer than all the time I’ve ever spent in a foyer in my life.”

“…….”

I wanted to say I felt the same, but I held my tongue, afraid it would only provoke him further. Now wasn’t the time for excuses or explanations—I just needed to get away from the foyer.

“I’ve already smoked five cigarettes here today.”

At his words, Goyo’s gaze dropped. Scattered near the wreckage of the broken phone were several crushed cigarette butts.

Was it even okay to smoke like this in a shared building? Surely, the other residents would complain.

Maybe it was because she had spent her whole life being mindful of others, but the sight of the cigarette butts immediately made her worry about complaints from the neighbors. Not that anyone would dare voice their grievances to Kwon Jae-heon.

“I usually avoid smoking indoors when I can, but thanks to you, I’ve been smoking more.”

“…….”

She didn’t know his usual smoking habits well enough to argue, but something about that felt like a lie. He had smoked at Hanyoung Resort, at the Taehan Hotel, even in his hospital room. Weren’t all of those indoors?

“You don’t believe me?”

“I’ll try to.”

Unable to bring herself to say she did, Goyo glanced at the cigarette butts with a resigned expression.

“I appreciate your trust.”

Jae-heon, looking languid, wrapped an arm around her waist. He tilted his head down, their noses brushing. Their lips were close—almost touching.

“At this point, I can expect something more, right?”

“W-what do you mean?”

The more he spoke, the worse her instincts flared. She could already guess what he was going to say.

“Last time, you used your hand. So today, you’ll use your mouth, won’t you?”

His voice was barely more than a murmur, lips barely parting. But the words pierced her ears with precision.

Goyo inhaled sharply before she even realized it.

Why did she stop in the foyer? A wave of regret suddenly washed over her.

‘Are all men like this?’

He said it so casually, without a hint of embarrassment—asking her to do something so intimate. Was it just Kwon Jae-heon, or were all men like this? She felt like she needed to look it up online.

A man who talks too much, like Park Jung-hoon, was exhausting, but someone like Kwon Jae-heon, whose every word carried a teasing edge, was overwhelming in a completely different way.

“You’ll do it for me, won’t you?”

He had a lazy smile on his lips, but his eyes were sharp, predatory.

Her breath hitched, and her mouth went dry. Goyo barely managed to part her trembling lips.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean…”

“Why are you pretending not to?”

Jae-heon dragged out his words, then ran a finger slowly across her lips.

Goyo widened her eyes, hesitating, but he must have reached his limit because he leaned in closer and murmured into her ear with a deep, languid voice.

“You know what I want, Goyo.”