Chapter 50.1

Chapter 50.1

At some point, Gukyun’s er2c!.on had already hardened, standing tight and high against his abs.

“Absolutely not.”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t want to. Why make it ‘absolutely’? You’ll hurt your boyfriend’s feelings.”

Gukhyun said it with a straight face, one that looked about a hundred million light years away from anything resembling hurt feelings. Even setting aside how ridiculously fake his “sensitive” act was, did he really not realize how terrifying it was to say things like that while standing there, fully hard?

A chill ran down Heeju’s spine. She hurriedly grabbed the clothes scattered on the floor and threw them over her shoulders, shivering. Goosebumps prickled all over her arms.

It wasn’t that she disliked having s.!x with him. Honestly, it was embarrassingly good. But the problem wasn’t pleasure; it was stamina. The difference between them was brutal. “I thought I might die from s.!x” wasn’t an exaggeration.

Her whole body felt limp, practically falling apart, while he looked perfectly fine. No, more than fine. He looked refreshed, like he’d worked out all his pent-up urges and come out lighter for it. That lazy, teasing grin on his face was downright infuriating.

“Lock the door when you shower, baby.”

The shirt Heeju grabbed at random turned out to be his. As she buttoned it up and staggered toward the bathroom, his amused voice followed her from behind.

“You never know when some horny pervert might barge in.”

“Was that your self-introduction?”

Heeju slammed the bathroom door shut and turned the lock with a sharp click. His low laughter outside was soon drowned out by the sound of the shower.

When she came out, Gukhyun was slouched on the sofa, staring at the black fish tank.

He flicked the lighter open and closed, the small flame flaring and dying again. His hand and forearm were wet, glistening faintly in the light.

Another click. This time, he lit a cigarette. The flame caught, and as he drew in deeply, enough to hollow out his cheek, the tip glowed red. Wisps of smoke drifted and curled in the air around him.

“What are you doing today?”

He gestured subtly to the seat beside him, as if telling her to come closer. Heeju sat down next to him.

Normally, a living room sofa faced the TV, but in this room, it faced the aquarium, as if that had been the plan all along.

To Heeju, it was just dark, ominous water. The fact that he sat there every day, staring at something that reminded him of the moment he almost died, struck her as an unhealthily morbid habit, both psychologically and emotionally.

How broken must a person be to end up like this?

A dull ache bloomed in her chest.

‘Am I… feeling sorry for him right now?’

A little unsettled by her own reaction, Heeju glanced at Gukhyun. The arrogant, sly man beside her, who looked as far from pitiful as anyone could, exhaled a slow stream of smoke.

She had no idea which part of this crude, vulgar man—who couldn’t open his mouth without saying something obscene—was stirring a sense of sympathy in her. The thought itself was almost funny. Maybe she really had been brainwashed by his words, Once someone looks pitiful to you, it’s over.

She wasn’t exactly living a happy life either. If it was possible for two miserable people to be drawn to each other like magnets, that was ridiculous in its own way.

“I’m going out for a bit.”

“Where?”

“Do I have to say?”

“If you don’t, you’re not leaving today.”

Gukhyun put out his cigarette and wiped the moisture from his arm onto his pajama pants, looking bored.

“I was thinking of skipping work and f!***ing you all day.”

For him, weekdays and weekends didn’t mean anything. It was Christmas, technically a holiday, but she had naturally assumed he’d still go to the office. The fact that he sounded dead serious about spending the entire day having s.!x made her flinch.

Gukhyun looked straight at her and smiled softly.

“So tell me. Where are you planning to go?”

He looked like a charming villain pretending to be gentle.

—

When Heeju entered the address into the navigation system, Gukhyun frowned slightly. He seemed to recognize the location immediately.

“You really don’t know how to give up, do you?”

“That’s why you don’t have to come with me. I said I’d go alone.”

“Yeah, keep dreaming. You’re not wandering around by yourself for a while.”

“If you’re that worried, you’ve got plenty of underlings. Send one of them instead.”

“They’re all busy. It’s Christmas. Probably out on dates.”