Chapter 19
Since their honeymoon, Sua had missed him countless times every night. But now, to be reunited with him like this, right after suggesting divorce. How absurd.
“Ha, haa.”
She kept taking deep breaths.
His red lips felt like they would engulf her at any moment, so Sua slowly tried to move away.
But Hyun-oh’s hand pulled her close, making every part of her body feel hot even though she was fully clothed.
Hyun-oh had always been good at studying since he was young. He was good at sports, good at everything.
Even skilled at kissing, Ji Hyun-oh.
His fingers brushed against Sua’s neck. A shiver ran down her spine. How could a simple kiss feel so strange?
As Sua slowly backed away, she reached the table. She thought she couldn’t move back any further, but he lifted her onto the table.
“Damn it.”
He cursed under his breath. He seemed as excited as she was. It wasn’t his usual gentle and affectionate voice. It grated on her ears, scratching her brain.
Looking at Sua on the table, he swallowed dryly. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and unknowingly, Sua stared at him blankly.
“You seem like a different person. Not the Han Sua I knew.”
Sua whispered as she brushed away her disheveled bangs.
What kind of person was reflected in his eyes?
“…What do you mean?”
“You were beautiful before, but now….”
His eyes roamed from Sua’s forehead to her swollen lips, down to her body pressed against his.
“You’re driving me crazy.”
“I don’t understand. Why now?”
Yesterday morning, he had been soft and kind, but he didn’t even look at her like a woman. Late at night, he didn’t even turn around when she rested her head on his back.
But now.
“I don’t understand either, so I can’t answer.”
His shadow loomed over her. His body, towering above her, seemed even larger from below. She tried to reach out and push back, to retreat from his influence, but Ji Hyun-oh wouldn’t let her go.
Perhaps it was futile to run away. The scent of his cologne brushed against her nose. The scent filled her lungs, making her inexplicably tense. Trying to escape was just a fleeting feeling; her body didn’t move an inch.
Hyun-oh reached out and brushed Sua’s tousled hair aside. Even though they weren’t in direct contact, her breath caught in her throat.
It seemed like she would just surrender to his words.
But she couldn’t.
Sua pushed Hyun-oh away with her palm.
“Stop it now….”
“Don’t you like it?”
This time, she didn’t answer the question. She didn’t want to lie. But she couldn’t honestly say either. Could she say that her legs tingled and her mind flipped every time they touched?
Sua remained silent, still pushing against Hyun-oh’s hard chest, which felt like it would engulf her at any moment. When she did, he stepped away from her.
Hyun-oh was unlike his usual self. His neck burned red, and the muscles around it tightened. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.
* * *
He couldn’t stop himself when he touched Sua. Unable to restrain himself, Hyun-oh stood by the window, away from her, looking at the city lights outside.
The dazzling lights brushed against his eyes. While looking at them, he tried to distract himself from Sua, who was breathing heavily behind him. He could have taken Sua with him just out of momentary desire. If this is what you want from married life, I would gladly provide it for you.
But he thought her talk of “married life” was just an excuse to divorce him. Now that her father’s interference was gone, she wanted to be free.
Was it right to let her go?
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t let her go.
The twinkling city lights.
Right now, Han Sua still didn’t know. She didn’t know that if she stepped outside, a cold reality would await her. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to live as his wife than to face the harsh truth outside? Better than being like trash like Choi Dong-ryul from Lot’s Company.
“Ha.”
A laugh escaped from Hyun-oh’s lips as he thought about it.
“It’s a useless excuse.”
Hyun-oh just hoped Sua wouldn’t leave him. He just wanted her to stay by his side. He didn’t even know the source of his desire yet.
He would turn away from both her body and mind. But it wasn’t by forcefully taking her. He breathed out as he touched the file he brought from the office.
Some time passed. Fixing her disheveled clothes, Sua came down from the table. Just as Hyun-oh’s red neck returned to normal, he turned to look at Sua.
“About what I said earlier.”
Hyun-oh brought back what he had teased about before, about not breaking up just because they share a bed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
Sua, who didn’t expect him to apologize, widened her eyes.
“I ignored your desire for divorce. I should have respected your decision.”
“…Thank you for saying that.”
“So.”
He raised his hand, pulling out a thin file from his embrace.
“Let’s do as you said.”
“What?”
Several thin sheets of paper were clenched in his hand.
If he was going to do as she said, was he going to divorce her? Did he already print out the papers today? A bitter feeling spread through Sua’s chest for no reason. But with a thud, he placed the documents on the table.
They were not the dull documents she expected, but colorful brochures. They contained beautiful landscapes from different countries or Jeju Island.
Travel brochures?
“What’s this?”
“Even if we divorce, let’s try it once.”
“….”
“Let’s see if you can live as yourself, even if we divorce.”
When he mentioned the reason for divorce, Hyun-oh recited exactly what Sua had said.
“Let’s go on trips, let’s work.”
And….
Hyun-oh’s warm breath reached Sua as he got closer. He lowered his head to look at her.
“Let’s live as a ‘normal’ married couple first, and then leave.”
“….”
“Just for 6 months. No more, no less. Let’s call it a trial period.”
He gently reassured her, then growled again, shaking her uncontrollably.
Of course, she didn’t think they could just break up right away. They had already completed the marriage registration, and if they broke up as soon as Han Dong Group fell apart, Hyun-oh might face some disgrace. And Sua couldn’t deliver this news to her mother, who was already struggling with her sister Jisoo’s problem. If Jisoo’s breakup was already a big blow, it would have devastated her if she heard that Sua was also breaking up.
So when she brought up divorce to him, she naturally thought that there would need to be a period before they actually broke up.
To try living as a normal married couple and then leave.
“Is it really decided that we’ll break up then?”
“If you want.”
“But…”
Six months was too long. Hyun-oh and her married life for six months? The longer their marriage, the bigger the mark it would leave on Sua’s heart.
“….Six months won’t do.”
“Then?”
“One month?”
He lifted a finger. Then he grinned, reaching out to hold Sua’s delicate fingers. Another hand pulled out two more fingers. Joints brushed against joints, sending shivers down her spine.
“…Three months.”
His fingers extended to three.
“How about three months?”
“Okay.”
That should be enough time to sort things out.
With Sua’s consent, the man’s lips moved up. With those dizzying curves, he whispered softly.
“Good. So it’s three months from now on. If you still want a divorce after that, I’ll let you go.”
Sua nodded slightly. Then Hyun-oh lifted her chin with his finger.
“Open your lips.”
“….”
“Today’s the start. It’s the beginning of our ‘normal married life.'”
And before she could even retort, Hyun-oh’s lips covered Sua’s.
