IMFOBO | CH 44 | Not Everything is Cute

WHOOSH. Heavy rain poured down.

It was a sudden shower, not even mentioned in the weather forecast.

Eun-cho hesitated as she stepped out of the front entrance of Baekunjae.

“I don’t have an umbrella. What should we do?”

“It’s just for a moment. We can run.”

Tae-san took off his jacket and held it up over his head. He spread it wide, gesturing for her to come under it. There was just enough space for Eun-cho to fit.

“Don’t want to?”

When Eun-cho hesitated, Tae-san raised an eyebrow. It would only take a moment to cross the yard to the garage.

“Mother, please don’t come out. We’ll go in.” “Hey! Just a minute!”

At that moment, she felt a presence behind her. It seemed her sister-in-law was also about to leave Baekunjae.

Perfect timing.

Tae-san grinned and beckoned to Eun-cho once more. He was pretending to be the most affectionate lover in the world, but if they acted too formal now, it would look strange. She was smart enough to understand that.

“Oh, really…”

Eun-cho squeezed her eyes shut and burrowed into Tae-san’s arms. In that moment, mixed with the smell of rain was Eun-cho’s distinctive green apple scent. He guided her hand, which had been awkwardly floating in the air, to his waist.

“Hold on tight.” “…!” “One, two, three!”

Eun-cho had no time to be properly surprised as she ran with Tae-san. Water splashed from puddles, soaking their feet. The loud sound of rain struck the jacket, and the air felt like a vacuum being drawn into her lungs.

Their shoulders kept bumping together. Eun-cho tightened her grip around his waist to avoid falling. It was probably an instinctive action she wasn’t even aware of.

The distance between them kept shrinking.

Until their breathing and the heavy sensation where they touched felt almost too real. They were extremely close.

“Haah…”

Finally reaching the garage, Eun-cho exhaled heavily. Despite it being midday, the garage was dim, with just a small ventilation window. The moisture-laden air felt heavy against her skin.

Instead of lowering the jacket he’d held over his head, Tae-san just stared down at Eun-cho. They should naturally separate, but he didn’t want to.

He liked how Eun-cho was looking up at him with dazed eyes. What must have been just one or two seconds felt incredibly long.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

He caught Eun-cho’s hand as she tried to pull away like the receding tide. The warmth he felt was momentary before their body heat quickly mixed together.

“Where are you going? I’m not done yet.”

Eun-cho’s breathing became ragged, and she felt like her chest was tightening.

‘This is definitely a romantic moment…’

As Eun-cho tried to escape, her body rotated, and she ended up almost falling into Tae-san’s arms. A sweet fragrance wafted from her soft body as she melted against him. His gaze deepened as he looked down at Eun-cho.

The man slowly traced his tongue along his lips before speaking. In a much deeper voice.

“You’re wet.”

Eun-cho’s front was subtly soaked. Just enough that her skin was almost visible.

Tae-san casually brushed at Eun-cho’s damp clothes. She swallowed hard and looked up at Tae-san with moist eyes. His presence felt remarkably large and clear, reflected in her transparent, glass-like pupils.

“You’ll catch a cold again.” “There are no adults around now. I think you can stop acting.” “Who says I’m acting?”

Eun-cho scolded him and tried to move away from Tae-san, who was blocking her path.

No, that won’t do. You can’t leave like that.

“Which part of me did you find cute?” “What?”

He was curious. Which part of Ryu Tae-san did Eun-cho find cute? He was anticipating a rather bold answer.

Tae-san’s gaze fixed once again on Eun-cho’s chest. Sensing something ominous, she gathered her wet clothes tightly and watched him warily.

“My face? My body? Or the things I do?”

Tae-san smiled faintly and slowly stroked the inside of Eun-cho’s wrist. He could feel her pulse beating beneath his fingertips. His fingers gradually moved downward, filling the spaces between hers. Interlocking their fingers firmly, he met her eyes.

“You have to answer, Eun-cho.” “…All of it?”

All of it? As usual, Eun-cho caught him off guard in unexpected ways. Tae-san momentarily stopped, pleased by her surprising answer.

“Are we done now?”

Wow, Eun-cho has really fallen for me. Completely smitten.

Tae-san smiled widely enough to form deep dimples. It was a smile he rarely showed, but here it was—a generous gift.

Eun-cho, who had just thrown out something like a confession, turned away, pretending to be cold-hearted despite her true feelings. As if she had given an answer meant to be discarded after consumption.

Yet her feelings, like those of a child completely taken with him, were as transparent as clear stream water. Even her prickly facade was born of embarrassment.

“Where are you going after coming all the way here?” “You got your answer, right? I need to go to Grandmother…”

The garage, with its lights off and the rain outside, was as dark as night despite it being daytime. He wanted to scrutinize each of Eun-cho’s reactions, but the shadows made it difficult to see her expression clearly.

“There are parts of me that aren’t cute. Aren’t you curious?”

It had started when Eun-cho said she would “wait quietly.” He couldn’t quite put it into words, but a strange, subtle feeling lingered. He even ended his phone call quickly during the meeting, not wanting his employees to see his distracted expression.

His mind kept drifting to Eun-cho’s lips that he had tasted the night before, his entire consciousness flowing in that direction. Like a man obsessed with Eun-cho.

“I’m not curious at all because you’re entirely cute, Mr. Ryu Tae-san. Now, let’s stop this and go.”

That’s when it probably started. The tightness in his lower abdomen that was almost troubling.

How could I just let this go when you’re showing with your whole body that you find me cute and are crazy about me?

“Why are you running away again?” “That’s not what I…”

Having already tasted those lips, it was impossible to hold back. What expression would you make when doing intimate things with me? What scent would your secret skin have? His body burned with the desire to peel away each layer.

Perhaps it was just a wicked desire that would disappear once he got her into bed.

“…!”

Tae-san released their interlocked hands and tucked Eun-cho’s slightly damp hair behind her ear. When he caressed her eyes and cupped her cheek, her shoulders hunched.

Eun-cho trembled at even this slight contact. What should he do with this unsettling impulse to devour her whole body? It was impossibly perplexing.

“If that’s not it, then why are your eyes tightly closed?”

The sensation of her soft, supple body pressing against his was intoxicatingly wonderful. Tae-san lightly embraced Eun-cho’s waist. He looked down at the woman’s bright red earlobes in his arms, and the tension grew even deeper.

Tae-san briefly kissed Eun-cho’s eyes and pulled away. Damn, he shouldn’t have touched her. This was no joke—it was incredibly tantalizing. He felt the urge to suck on her crimson tongue and mix thoroughly with her.

“W-what are you doing?” “Wasn’t this the right mood?”

You were looking up at me with those moist eyes earlier, and now you’re playing innocent?

There was something quite lovable about Eun-cho responding to his every touch. The way she glanced sideways while gathering her front was far too stimulating.

He was attracted to her. More precisely, his body was responding. To this tiny woman.

“No, it’s not! It’s daytime! There’s absolutely no way! I think you’re mistaken.”

She’s going to cry at this rate.

Eun-cho fired off rapid denials while pushing against Tae-san’s chest. As the gap widened, a fresh scent mixed with herbal notes wafted through the air. Absurdly, he felt a deep tension rising from his core.

One step, then another. Once again, Eun-cho was running away. Even though she would soon reach a dead end, making it a pointless action.

When her back touched the wall, Eun-cho looked up at Tae-san once more. She bit her lip hard as if troubled.

Not even realizing how provocative that was.

His grandfather’s suggestion that he might have made a mistake with Teacher Lee wasn’t entirely unconvincing.

It was a miracle that he hadn’t touched the woman who had entered his space and had let her sleep peacefully.

If I hold back and then release this impulse, this desire—would you be able to handle it?

That’s when it happened. Click. The garage door opened, and someone approached.