Limits of Paradise

“Tonight?”

Tae-eun’s eyes widened, and he gave her a charming smile.

“You said you saw a ghost. I thought you might be scared to sleep alone.”

“How can we sleep together with my parents at home…”

She muttered, blushing. She had gotten used to kissing and having sex with him, but spending the whole night together still made her feel shy since they’d only done it once before.

“Like last time, leave the front door open, and I’ll sneak in. No one will notice.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Do you think I’ll get caught?”

His confident attitude left her speechless. She still wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea. The last time, she had been so shaken by a nightmare that she called him over impulsively, but planning it out and sneaking him in felt like a major rebellion.

It almost felt like betraying her parents.

“If we do get caught, I’ll just say you had a nightmare and I came over to comfort you.”

“Logically, why would you come over when my parents are home?”

“Well, then we’ll have to tell them we’re dating.”

“Are you crazy?”

Her intense reaction made Hyun-ho’s shoulders droop. His eyebrows fell too.

“That really hurts.”

He murmured, burying his face between her neck and shoulder. His lips subtly brushed against her soft skin.

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“No, why would you say that? I just don’t want to tell my parents yet. It’s embarrassing to talk about that stuff.”

“Then I’ll sneak in quietly, without getting caught.”

Hyun-ho insisted. She knew he wasn’t just being stubborn because he wanted to be with her; he was genuinely concerned. Understanding this, she nodded.

“If it looks like we’ll get caught, just leave. Got it?”

“That won’t happen.”

He smiled with a determined glint in his eyes.

After dinner, Tae-eun pretended to inspect the camellia tree in the yard, leaving the front door slightly ajar. As she worried about the wind closing in, she realized she was eagerly waiting for Hyun-ho to come tonight.

“How are you feeling?”

Inside the house, her mother handed her a warm cup of plum tea, asking with concern. Tae-eun felt a pang of guilt for prioritizing her boyfriend over her parents.

“I’m fine.”

“Let us know if you feel even a little strange, okay? How about sleeping in our room again tonight?”

Her mom must have noticed that she had spent the entire afternoon in the living room instead of her room after returning from her part-time job. But Tae-eun was waiting for her guest, who would arrive in three hours.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just leave the lamp on.”

“If you can’t sleep alone, come to our room right away.”

“Okay. Don’t worry, Mom.”

She sipped her plum tea while sitting on the living room sofa, flipping through TV channels. Normally, she’d be holed up in her room, but she wanted to avoid being alone in her room until Hyun-ho arrived.

Sensing her mood, her parents stayed in the living room, making a lot of noise on purpose. Dodam entertained them with his tricks, happily munching on late-night snacks.

When the nine o’clock news started, Tae-eun petted Dodam’s head and got up. Her parents’ worried eyes followed her.

“Going to bed?”

“Yeah, I’m tired from waking up so early. Don’t worry. If I get scared, I’ll run straight to your room. Goodnight.”

She wasn’t sure if her lie was convincing. Guilt lingered around her as she deceived her worried parents.

As she entered her room, she heard her parents tidying up and the final sound of Dodam’s nails clicking on the floor before the bedroom door closed.

A heavy silence pressed down on her. She quickly opened her music app and started playing random songs from the top 100 chart. The mix of upbeat and mellow tunes calmed her a bit.

But her neck still felt cold. She buried her nose in her phone, trying to focus on the lyrics she didn’t understand.

After about ten songs, she noticed the door she had left slightly ajar slowly opening.

Hyun-ho slipped in, carrying his sneakers. He placed them on the newspaper she had prepared and took off his coat.

He climbed onto the bed, smelling faintly of the night air, and hugged her.

“Why are you sitting here looking so pitiful?”

He frowned, seeing her curled up with her knees to her chest. She turned off the music and nuzzled into his chest, whining softly.

“I was scared…”

“I should have come earlier. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Let me be your pillow.”

Tae-eun gave up her pillow to him and lay her head on his thick arm. He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

“How do you feel now?”

“Better. I drank some plum tea too.”

“Good job.”

When his lips touched her forehead, she couldn’t help but smile. She had been so anxious about getting caught, but now that he was here, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“You came in so quietly. I didn’t even hear the front door.”

“I told you, I’d sneak in without getting caught.”

His fingers, which had been stroking her cheek, moved to her lips, tracing her smile. Her affection for him surged, and she couldn’t hold back. She kissed him first.

Peck.

Hyun-ho’s eyes widened. Under the soft yellow light of the lamp, his light brown eyes reflected her smiling face. He blinked in surprise.

“It’s nice to be together like this.”

He sighed deeply, his warm breath enveloping her lips.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“God, really.”

Hyun-ho hugged her tightly, and she felt something hard pressing against her thigh.

“I came to protect you while you sleep. But at this rate, I might just end up devouring you.”

Tae-eun squirmed in his arms, pushing against his firm chest. Her ears burned hot with embarrassment.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m on my period? And we’re at my house.”

“I know,” he muttered, eyes closed as if chanting to himself.

“Let’s just kiss.”

Before she could respond, his lips covered hers, and his eager tongue slipped into her mouth with unrestrained desire.

The kisses they shared before had been comforting, almost like lullabies. But this kiss was full of raw, undeniable lust.

The narrow bed wobbled as he moved on top of her. The weight of his body made her eyelids flutter, triggering memories of the previous night.

Desperate to drown out the bad memories, Tae-eun clung to his neck, kissing him passionately. She needed twice as many good memories to overshadow the nightmare she had.

Hyun-ho slipped his hand under her sweatshirt, caressing her bare chest. His erection strained against his tracksuit, rubbing against her plaid pajama bottoms, creating a friction that seemed to ignite.

“Ha…”

“Mmm…”

Their suppressed moans, the rustling of fabric, and the wet sound of their lips filled the room, the quiet night of Hajung-ri amplifying their noises.

Through the haze of desire, he struggled to hold onto a shred of rationality. Gazing down at her with cold breaths, he looked for any lingering negative energy but found none.

It was strange; if she had been to the shaman’s house that morning, she should have brought back some residual energy, but he felt nothing.

Even as Tae-eun reached a weak climax, his scrutiny persisted. Eventually, she lay exhausted on the bed, and his underwear was sticky with his release.

“Well… you should sleep well now.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

She glanced at him, startled when he stripped off his pants and underwear in one motion, turning away quickly. He wiped himself with a tissue, put his pants back on, and climbed back into bed.

“Make sure to take your underwear. Don’t forget.”

“Got it.”

Hyun-ho chuckled softly, pulling her into his arms and patting her back in a slow rhythm. Her breathing gradually steadied.

He never took his eyes off her as she fell asleep. His sharp gaze followed the movements of her eyelids and the rapid movement of her eyes beneath them.

As the night deepened, Song Tae-eun experienced sleep paralysis once more.

“Ugh.”

She took a short breath and her body stiffened. Without watching her closely, one might think she was simply sleeping peacefully. But her eyelids quivered, and her eyes darted rapidly.

The man slowly sat up, his gaze fixed above her.

A vengeful spirit with long hair cascading to the sheets was jumping on her chest.

 

 

🍉🍉🍉