Episode 9

A deep sense of humiliation dragged Sohee’s heart down to its lowest depths. Here he was, offering to clear the debt she could never seem to escape, convinced she was selling herself to make ends meet. Maybe, she thought, maybe this is all she deserved. The faint glimmer of defiance in her had long since faded.

“Fine. Let’s do it that way,” she whispered, a bitterness settling in her voice. Yet a thought gnawed at her: what if he figured out she was inexperienced and demanded even more from her?

“You’re the creditor, so take what you want. I don’t care who it is.” Sohee’s hands shook as she clenched them tightly to mask her tension.

“Don’t care who it is, hmm?”

His broad, unyielding hand kneaded her soft hips, releasing and squeezing again, rough and indifferent. The harsh touch drew a small gasp from Sohee.

“…Huh…”

“You should have said so sooner,” Gye Wonho sneered. If that was the case, she wouldn’t have had to expose her fair skin to just any man. Every time he had come to collect, a raw, primal desire simmered beneath his calm demeanor. He had no plans to mix business with indulgence, especially not with someone so young.

Yet here was this fragile girl, barely half his size, averting her gaze as if her body was just another tool in trade.

“Only having me from now on should make things easier,” he murmured.

Sohee, struggling with the unfamiliar sensation through the fabric of her pants, shook her head feebly. But instead of easing, his hand moved lower, pressing between the curves with an intensity that made her shiver.

“Is this what they call working from home?” he muttered, his breath grazing her tense neck.

The hand that had been at her hips moved to the front, pressing close. Through the smooth fabric of his suit, she felt the hardened outline of his arousal pressing against her stomach.

“S-stop…”

She stammered.

Not until I’ve had a taste, he thought, biting down as he hooked one thick finger over the neckline of her knit cardigan.

“Ugh…”

The tension in her back made her muscles lock. Her lips, bitten and trembling, finally released a small, stifled moan, and his movement froze. He lifted his head, his lips curving into a sardonic smile.

“Ah… still young enough to feel every bit, aren’t you?”

His hand moved deftly to unbutton the very top of her cardigan, as his eyes never left hers.

As the fabric covering her chest opened, the thin tank top underneath revealed the soft, fair skin beneath. One by one, the remaining buttons came undone, exposing her delicate collarbones and the gentle swell of her breasts beneath.

“Mmm…”

His gaze burned intensely, sweeping over the sight of her chest, barely contained by an undersized bra that struggled to support the fullness beneath. The sight of her chest, rising and falling with each breath under the weight of his presence, made his eyes narrow with intent.

Sohee was barely holding herself up on shaky legs, her breaths short and labored. Each unfamiliar sensation seeped into her skin, flooding her senses. Feeling her mind slipping, she suddenly called out in a desperate voice.

“D-Don’t do this… Just…!”

She blurted the words but hesitated, uncertain how to finish. Her chest heaved with each rapid breath.

“Just what?”

His tone softened, almost feigning kindness.

“Tell me.”

Sohee hesitated, then finally let the words spill out.

“…Just get it over with.”

Gye Wonho’s cold smile returned.

“Here I am, taking my time, and you’re not even grateful?”

“That’s not it…”

Her lips trembled as she spoke, fearful of this unfamiliar warmth overtaking her body. She wanted him to stop, yet some part of her dreaded this unsettling intimacy, a vulnerability she’d never known before.

“You… with the other… customers, you always just get it over with.”

His gaze darkened as it fixed on her, an expression unreadable and filled with quiet intensity. His eyes lingered on her flushed cheeks, delicate as dewy peach blossoms, as her trembling lips parted with shallow breaths, and her wide, uncertain gaze danced around aimlessly, unable to find a steady point.

“Enough with the damn ‘other customers.'”

He growled, his voice harsh.

Without warning, his hand yanked her bra down, her chest springing free into his firm grasp. His fingers moved to her nipples, rolling them between his fingertips, pulling and twisting with rough insistence.

“Ah!”

Unable to stifle the intense sensation, Sohee let out a sharp, gasping moan. She tried to push him away, but his solid shoulders wouldn’t budge. Instead, he held her flesh even tighter, his hand splaying across her breast, kneading the tender skin and tugging at her with relentless force.

An unfamiliar intensity coursed through her entire body, overwhelming her. Tears sprang to her eyes as she beat weakly at his shoulders once more.

“Stop… I don’t want this… And the other customers…!”

A brief silence fell between them, his fingers stilling in place. Gye Wonho’s expression turned colder, more severe, as he straightened his back.

“So… what about me?”

He muttered, his voice heavy with a note she couldn’t quite place.

In an instant, the tension shattered, every movement and rhythm broken.

“You’ve got a rude way of doing business.”

Gye Wonho muttered, his gaze sharp as a knife, holding Sohee in his stare for a long moment before turning toward the door. Each strike of his shoes against the floor echoed through the room, slicing the air as he walked away.

Sohee blinked, trying to catch her breath, watching in a daze as he moved farther and farther away. The door slammed shut with a resounding bang, leaving only the lingering trace of his scent and a heavy silence that blanketed the room.

What… had just happened?

As her mind began to clear, fragments of the recent encounter replayed in her mind. He hadn’t looked back once—not until the very moment he left, with an unyielding finality that left her with a hollow feeling. She looked at the spot he’d vacated, a desperate breath caught in her throat. This was all the result of her reckless, impulsive decisions, a mess she couldn’t possibly undo.

Maybe, in a way, it was a blessing. At least he hadn’t seen her at her worst.

“Ha…”

She covered her flushed face with both hands, feeling her emotions crumble. In the empty space he’d left, only shame and a miserable sense of worthlessness remained.

“What have I done…”

She murmured, voice trembling as she fought back the tears. A flood of regret stirred her heart, racing as if someone had ripped it open. Why had she let herself get so caught up in her pride and frustration?

She’d allowed herself to hope, to feel relieved that he’d taken on her debt, as if he were somehow different from Jungsik. It had been a foolish, presumptuous misunderstanding of her own making. That last disdainful look he’d given her was burned into her memory, searing in its intensity. To him, she was nothing more than a girl with a cheap price tag, a body to be sold.

He probably wouldn’t even bother to come back to collect from her directly anymore. Perhaps he’d even sell off the debt elsewhere, thinking he’d made a smart deal on her. That might be for the best, she thought bitterly, bracing herself against the end of it all.

Yet, unbidden, her mind drifted to the warmth of his embrace, so vast it made her feel like she could be safe there, if only for a moment. She realized now that maybe it was that brief sense of warmth, that illusion of safety, which had made her forget his darker nature.

Stupidly. Foolishly…

Her eyes prickled with tears, but she held them back, pressing her fingers against her heated eyelids, a habit ingrained from years of swallowing her emotions. She blinked, looking up with heavy, reluctant eyes, steadying herself against the wall.

Just then, the silence was shattered. The door, which had closed with a forceful bang, swung open once more. He strode in with a force that shook her out of her stupor.

“Sir—”

“Damn it, you’re too pretty for your own good,” he growled.

In a heartbeat, he had her pinned against the wall, his shadow engulfing her. Leaning in, he locked eyes with her, his gaze so intense it felt almost violent. His hand, slipping into the open front of her cardigan, gripped her chest possessively, pulling her closer as his other arm snaked around her slender waist, holding her tightly in place.

“Haah.”

“Ugh!”

A stifled moan escaped, a warmth spreading low in her abdomen. When he pushed his firm thigh between Sohee’s legs, his expensive, polished suit stretched taut. Before she could register it, his eager hands had slipped off her coat, letting it drop to the floor with a heavy thud.

Their intense gazes met for only a brief moment.

“Mm…!”

With a swift movement, Gye Wonho’s thick fingers entangled in the back of her hair as he pressed his lips against hers, consuming her. A short, startled moan slipped out as he gripped her neck tightly, holding her in place as he kissed her with a hunger that bordered on devouring.

The soft warmth of her lips, faintly sweet-scented, was pressed and scraped under his demanding mouth, the friction causing her delicate skin to flush a deep red.

“How many times have you seduced customers like this?”

He muttered, pulling back just enough to hover his lips near hers, his minty breath brushing against her skin.

He caressed the back of her head gently, an almost tender touch, though his eyes stayed fixed on her lips. Seeing her lips swollen and red from his kiss, as if blood were pooling beneath, he felt a surge of desire. No doubt, her tongue inside would be the same shade, and he couldn’t shake the bitter thought of others having tasted it before him—biting, sucking, handling her…

“So, is this how you work customers up?”

Trapped between his broad chest and the wall, Sohee’s shoulders shrank, her eyes desperately following his lips, unaware of the breathy sighs escaping her own.

“Hah… damn it, still smells young.”

His breathing grew rough, and he gripped the back of her head, pressing his red-stained lips against hers with force.

“…Mm!”

Sohee’s hands shot up, clutching his shirt, trying to push him off, but her efforts were useless. The more she struggled, the closer he pressed against her. As her breath grew short, she tried to turn her head to get air, but he released her lips only for a moment before grabbing her chin firmly, his teeth sinking into her plump lower lip.

“Ah…!”