Limits of Paradise

Despite his words, Hyun-ho had cooked scorched rice for her. The savory, warm aroma filled the spacious second floor.

“Don’t force yourself to eat. Just have as much as you want.”

“Okay, I’ll eat well.”

Tae-eun picked up her spoon with a guilty heart. She regretted responding so coldly when he had asked out of curiosity. An uncomfortable lump seemed to have formed in her throat.

They continued their meal, each focused on their own bowl. The sound of the spoon hitting the bowl was unusually loud.

“I looked it up online.”

He spoke up as she was finishing her bowl of scorched rice. He had already finished his and was waiting for her.

“What did you look up?”

“About us having the same dreams.”

She quietly placed her spoon down. She didn’t want to spend another uncomfortable time with him, but he didn’t seem inclined to drop the topic.

“There don’t seem to be others like us who share dreams.”

As if there would be. Even if there were, the chances of them posting about it online for advice were slim. It was the kind of story that would have people thinking they were crazy.

“There’s a movie about it, wanna watch?”

“There’s a movie?”

“Yeah, a Hungarian film. Wanna see it?”

Tae-eun nodded, her eyes wide. Her heart suddenly started racing. At the same time, she felt relieved that this might not be as absurd as it seemed.

At least the filmmakers must have found the story compelling.

Hyun-ho cleared the table and closed the large window on the right wall with a blackout curtain. With the gloomy weather outside, the room was plunged into deep darkness as soon as he drew the curtains.

He turned on the projector facing the white wall opposite the sofa and brought tea and a blanket. Tae-eun mumbled a thanks and sat a little apart from him.

The movie began with a pair of deer strolling through a snowy forest. That scene was the protagonists’ shared dream. It was far more lyrical and gentle compared to their own explicit dreams.

Whenever the movie showed the protagonists’ tender romance after discovering they were sharing the same dream, Tae-eun couldn’t stop fidgeting. She gripped the warm cup tightly and twisted the edge of the blanket.

The movie ended with the protagonists’ love coming to fruition and the shared dreaming phenomenon ceasing. Tae-eun’s expression grew somber as the screen darkened.

Does that mean…she had to fall in love too?

“The movie was good. What did you think?”

“Mm, it was fun.”

The movie had ended, but Hyun-ho didn’t turn on the lights or open the curtains. They sat in the dim, intimate darkness, silently gazing at each other.

She wanted to turn away, but his gaze held her firmly. The blanket crumpled in her hands.

“There’s something Noona didn’t tell me about yesterday. Can you tell me now?”

“Me? What?”

Anxiously, Tae-eun’s thighs under the blanket kept shifting. She swallowed hard, waiting for the next question.

“How did it feel when we kissed?”

Tae-eun’s lips parted, but no sound came out. The man’s solid knee pressed against her own. It felt like sparks were igniting where they touched.

“Did you dislike it?”

Her eyes darted back and forth. Dislike it? Not at all. The pleasant sensation of their lips meeting was the issue, enough to distract her from the remarkable phenomenon of sharing dreams.

“Was it horrible?”

“No!”

She hastily replied, only to realize she had again fallen for his tactics. Biting her lip in regret, she caught a glimpse of his lips curving upward.

“So you felt good, like I did?”

Hyun-ho reached out and touched her lower lip. Her lip, trapped between her teeth, was freed. His thumb slowly caressed the creases of her lip.

“Are you too shy to talk about it?”

As soon as he asked, her face started flushing. A look of resentment filled her eyes. His thumb continued to stroke her lower lip.

“If you don’t want to talk, just nod your head. Did you like it?”

If she opened her mouth, his finger would likely slip right in. So she had no choice but to obediently do as he asked.

Tae-eun slowly nodded her head. In the darkness, his irises seemed to briefly shine brightly. But it was likely her imagination, as the warm brown hue disappeared back into the curved lashes.

“I’m glad. We both enjoyed it.”

He leaned in close, as if he had been waiting for this. His large hand suddenly wrapped around the back of her neck, preventing her from backing away.

She was well aware that when she was with Ji Hyun-ho, she often ended up swept up in his pace. She could anticipate that he would now want to kiss her. But before that, there was one thing she had to ask.

“Hyun-ho.”

“Yes, noona?”

“Why were you in a bad mood today?”

His fingers languidly trailed up the fine hairs on the back of her neck, his long digits reaching behind her ear. She suppressed the urge to shrink away.

“I told you the dream was a bit sad for me.”

She felt the conversation was veering off track again, but she waited patiently. Adapting to his manner of speaking required calm patience.

“For me, it was a disturbing dream.”

“Why?”

Tae-eun blurted out in bewilderment, then immediately clamped her mouth shut. The dream of a stranger’s funeral would have been unsettling enough for him. She had unwittingly led him to that.

“I wondered what expression you’d have if that funeral was mine.”

Her momentary sympathy evaporated. His words made her expression turn as pale and rigid as the wall in front of them.

“How can you say something like that?”

“Would you grieve for me like that?”

“Is this really the time for that?”

Her voice trembled unpleasantly. She hated the thought of someone she knew dying again – she couldn’t even casually entertain such an idea.

“I was just curious,” Ji Hyun-ho shrugged, bringing his high-bridged nose close to brush against her nostril. She closed her eyes, exhaling in shaky breaths.

“You’ll cry, won’t you?”

“Stop it.”

“Cry more for me than for that friend.”

“I don’t want to.”

A low chuckle was heard. Soon, his damp lips engulfed hers. His slick tongue immediately barged in, roughly rummaging.

She was tempted to bite down on the man’s hurtful lips. But the chill creeping down her throat made her hesitate.

The chill turned into a warm breeze that swirled around her body. This peculiar sensation felt familiar, as if she had experienced it before, though she couldn’t quite place it.

As Hyun-ho’s tongue roughly scraped against her palate, a frigid current filled her lungs, like a raging storm outside. She furrowed her brow, grunting in discomfort.

“Ugh…”

Hyun-ho gripped her tongue with his lips, sucking it forcefully. The air in her lungs warmed up again. This pattern of frenzied kissing repeated several times.

The thoroughly exhausted Tae-eun couldn’t recall when she had ended up lying on the sofa. When she came to her senses, Hyun-ho’s heavy body was pressing down on her.

“Ngh…”

Tae-eun shook her head, trying to breathe. But he cupped her face with his hands, keeping her still. His wide-open lips engulfed her from the philtrum to the chin, as if wanting to devour her whole.

As she tried to find a more comfortable position to support his weight, she felt a hard sensation in the lower abdomen area. The puzzling part was that it was firmly pushing into her.

“Ah, open your mouth a little wider.”

Heavy excitement laced the man’s deep voice. Obediently opening her mouth, she then widened her eyes in a sudden realization.

He was rocking his hips against hers.

“Ah, ugh!”

Though she had never even held hands with this man before, she knew what his actions implied. Her thoughts extended to the nature of that hard sensation. It felt like a silent alarm was blaring in her ear.

His tongue ruthlessly probed her mouth. Her body alternated between chilled and warm. Down below, his movements conveyed an unsavory desire.

She could no longer bear it. She felt suffocated, her body felt strange, and his actions were somewhat frightening. Unable to hold back, she pushed against his shoulders.

“Ngh, stop…”

Hyun-ho miraculously ceased all movement. Panting heavily, he looked down at her. His usually clear face was flushed red.

Without a word, he gazed at her lips before gently lifting himself off of her. He then helped her sit up. As she tried to tidy her disheveled clothes, she faltered.

Her underwear was damp.

Her already reddened face burned even hotter. Tae-eun hunched over, awkwardly sitting. Shocking events continued to unfold, more than she could handle.

“How are you feeling now?”

Carefully raising her gaze, she saw his swollen lips. Her own lips were surely more puffy as well.

“I’m fine.”

Now that she thought about it, she really was fine. While eating the scorched rice, she had secretly worried she might throw up, but unlike yesterday, her stomach was calm today. She even felt like she could eat more.

“Seems the effect is working a bit.”

A loose smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Unsure of his meaning, she looked up a little more, only to be met with his amiable grin.

“Let’s go. It’s raining today, so I’ll drive you home.”

As he cleared the cups and stood up, his pants bulged noticeably on the left thigh. Tae-eun lowered her head once more.

 

 

🍉🍉🍉