4. Torment

Beep beep beep beep―

Beep beep beep beep―

The sound of the door lock repeatedly failing echoed, and the eyelids of a man lying on the bed trembled faintly as reddish-brown eyes were revealed. His eyes blinked slowly, still heavy with sleep.

The man got up with a weary look, splashed his face with water, and walked out into the living room. It should’ve been time to give up, yet the intruder was still pressing the door lock. Lucas let out a deep sigh and opened the door.

“Who the hell at this hour―”

Before he could finish his sentence, the intruder roughly threw their arms around his shoulders. The force sent both of their bodies falling backward.

A loud thud and the sound of the door lock engaging rang out at the same time. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, he finally let out a sigh and spoke.

“…Yoon, is that you?”

“……”

“How much did you drink this time?”

“……”

“Come on, at least get up.”

“……”

No matter how much he talked to her, Yoon didn’t move an inch. Lucas furrowed his brows, his face full of irritation. He had hoped to finally get some sleep—what a disaster.

Letting out a sigh inwardly, he pushed himself up. As he braced himself with his arm against the floor, Yoon’s body came up with him. Once he sat up properly, he grabbed her shoulders and gave them a small shake.

“Yoon.”

He softly called her name, as if urging her to get up, but she didn’t move at all, her face still buried in his neck.

As Lucas debated whether to just pry her off, he let out a sigh and effortlessly lifted Yoon into his arms. This damned childcare showed no sign of ending—even after eight years.

Without hesitation, he carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. But even after arriving at the bed, Yoon didn’t let go of her arms wrapped around his neck.

“You need to let go, Yoon.”

He spoke while rubbing his eyelids as if exhausted. Being woken up only made him more tired.

The moment he grabbed Yoon’s hands to pry them off by force, her black eyes slowly opened.

Their breath brushed against each other’s noses. A quiet silence settled between them.

Unfazed, Lucas calmly unwrapped her hands. Yoon also released her grip without resistance. Lucas studied her face carefully and asked,

“What happened?”

“……”

Even at his question, Yoon remained silent. Giving up on getting an answer, Lucas smoothly took off her jacket, then casually placed his hand on her shirt.

Click. Click.
The sound of buttons being undone echoed as the shirt opened down to her chest. His hands moved without hesitation, but then suddenly stopped. Through the parted shirt, a soft curve was visible.

“…Go to sleep.”

His body was so drained with fatigue, he wasn’t even thinking straight. He needed sleep. Even the sofa would do—he just needed to lie down. As he turned to leave, his body tilted.

Thud―

Lucas let out a deep sigh and looked beside him. A warm, soft body was tightly hugging his arm. Yoon murmured,

“Don’t go.”

“……”

Yoon, her face buried in his arm, lifted her head and looked up at him. Her eyes blinked blankly at him, and a low groan escaped through his clenched teeth.

Of all places, why the bed? And why now, when he wasn’t even in his right mind?

His self-control, something he’d never doubted before, felt dangerously unstable today. Lying in the same bed wasn’t helping.

Lucas ran a weary hand across his forehead. Today had been rough for him too.

With a resigned sigh, he turned toward Yoon. Maybe it’d be better to just get her to sleep quickly.

His rough yet gentle hand reached for Yoon’s head. Her eyelids slowly fluttered shut. That familiar touch melted the tension in her body, making her sink into a drowsy calm.

His hand, which had been stroking her in a steady rhythm, subtly changed course. His large hand brushed over her smooth forehead, traced the curve of her elegant nose, and landed on her red lips. At the soft sensation beneath his fingertips, he froze.

At that moment, Yoon’s eyelids trembled, revealing her black eyes. Their gazes met in the air between them, and a strange tension crackled in the space around them.

‘This won’t do.’

He was on the verge of crossing a line. He wasn’t in his right mind either. Exhaustion had completely stripped away his reason.

He tried to pull away, ready to leave immediately, but Yoon followed him like a magnet. As if that wasn’t enough, a small whimper escaped her lips.

Like a kitten craving warmth, Yoon nuzzled her face into his arm. As she pressed closer, her soft body molded against him. Her warm breath brushed against his forearm.

In that instant, he muttered a curse under his breath and covered his face with one hand. He knew she wasn’t doing it on purpose, but the stimulation was too much.

He was tired, drowsy, and barely thinking straight—and now this? It was getting impossible to hold himself back. There was a limit to how much coaxing and restraint he could manage tonight.

In one swift motion, Lucas slipped his arm free and moved on top of Yoon, bracing himself over her. The positions had reversed in an instant.

Lucas locked eyes with Yoon in silence, then let out a soft sigh and buried his face in the crook of her neck. At the shift in position, Yoon’s fingertips twitched.

“Please, Yoon.”

He paused, as if steadying his breath, then spoke again, his words sounding almost bitten out.

“Just go to sleep.”

Because I can’t hold on much longer. His low, hoarse voice sounded almost like a warning. The arms supporting his weight tensed, muscles hardening.

Yoon, lying dazed beneath him, reached out and wrapped her arms around his back. Her hands slowly patted the broad expanse that she couldn’t even fully hold.

“Ha…”

Lucas let out a breathless laugh at her innocent action. As Yoon continued to gently pat him for a while, he finally sighed deeply and collapsed onto her. His large frame gave out all at once, and a small sound escaped Yoon’s lips.

Even as she squirmed, trying to get out from under him, Lucas didn’t move. It was a form of payback—for breaking her promise to drink in moderation, for barging in and waking him up.

Completely relaxed, Lucas kept his face buried in her neck and closed his eyes. The familiar scent at the tip of his nose soothed his frayed nerves.

After a brief struggle, Yoon resumed patting his back. Her awkward touch made him chuckle softly, almost like a sigh. As the urge bubbling inside him slowly subsided, Lucas lifted his weary body.

If he stayed any longer, she might actually get crushed. Whether she realized she’d woken him or not, Yoon continued to pat him, murmuring for him to sleep. Oddly enough, that made her seem more endearing than irritating.

Lucas gently unwrapped her arms from his shoulders and fully got off her. Though she tried to hide it, her cheeks were flushed a light red, proof that it had all been a bit much.

Letting out a quiet sigh, he lay down beside her. Then he lightly tapped his arm.

“Come here.”

His voice was hoarse with fatigue, yet even that sounded gentle. Yoon, her eyes hazy, shifted and nestled into his arms.

A large hand gently patted her back. Yoon buried her face in his chest, and with every breath, his scent filled her lungs.

That calming scent of wood made her burrow deeper into his embrace. His hand paused for a moment, but then, as if nothing had happened, he resumed slowly patting her. After a while, Lucas spoke in a low voice.

“…Did something happen?”

For her to come here and cling to him like this—something definitely had. When Yoon drank, she usually passed out without much fuss, not seek him out and cling like a kitten.

“Whatever it is, just tell me. I’ll listen… until I pass out.”

Maybe it was the warmth of her body against his, but his own started to feel languid and loose. His eyes blinked slowly, sleep pulling at him.

“…You like me too, don’t you?”

“…What?”

His body, which had been relaxing, suddenly stiffened. That was the last thing he expected to hear.

“Because I can’t feel pain.”

Yoon continued slowly, as if to clear up his misunderstanding. Lucas let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Now he understood where this was coming from.

Lowe Howard. It had to be that bastard. Silently, Lucas continued to pat Yoon’s back.

His steady, rhythmic touch seemed to coax more words from her. Things she wouldn’t normally say slipped out, softened by the haze of alcohol.

“You like me because I’m useful… is that it…”

Her murmuring voice was heavy with certainty.

“Yeah… I figured.”

Yoon tightened her arms around his waist. Thump, thump. She pressed her ear to his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and closed her eyes. The sound of his heart echoed clearly in her ears.

“…I hope you’re not like that.”

The words slipped out before she realized it. She didn’t care how others treated her. She was used to it—their words never fazed her anymore.

But Lucas… was different. If even he saw her as nothing more than a tool…

Just the thought of it made her chest ache. That fragile part of her, buried deep within, began to surge up.

Once the dam broke, the emotions showed no sign of stopping. Yoon stared blankly, wondering—when would this kind of life end? Would it ever end?

Sometimes, she felt trapped in a tunnel with no exit, swallowed by endless darkness. No matter how far she walked, no sliver of light ever appeared. The tunnel went on and on.

With every step, her legs sank into the damp, heavy ground. Even when she clawed her way out, something like a swamp dragged her back in.

That mud was cold and sticky, clinging to her like ice. The chill seeped into her bones, and Yoon wrapped her arms around herself.