Mine, Again Prologue

“W-Why are you taking off your clothes?”  

 

“Then, do you prefer keeping them on, Ms. Song Su-hwa?”  

 

Su-hwa stumbled backward, her body swaying before she collapsed onto the bed.  

 

The luxurious suite’s ceiling. The chandelier hanging at its center. The crystal ornaments reflecting light trembled violently in her eyes.  

 

What was happening? She had been certain they would be sleeping in separate rooms.  

 

They had acted like lovers in love up until the wedding, but now they were alone in a hotel room…  

 

“What’s the problem? You said you’d bear my child.”  

 

With a flick, the last button came undone, and his shirt was tossed to the floor. From his collarbone to just above his pelvis, his body was taut. The densely sculpted muscles gave the impression of stone even without touching them.  

 

Realizing too late that she had been staring as if mesmerized, Su-hwa quickly averted her gaze.  

 

“What? That’s true, but…”  

 

But you like men.  

 

The words caught in her throat.  

 

No matter how much people preached about a world without prejudice, the man before her occupied a position where conservative judgment was inevitable.  

 

Ryu Sung-woon. The only son of the Yuseong Group, where the character “星” (Star) had been passed down for generations.  

 

In the marriage market, she had never imagined she would be sitting across from him. The business world had a clear hierarchy, and the name Ryu Sung-woon was far beyond her reach.  

 

“My bride seems to be lost in thought, even in bed.”  

 

His voice, laced with quiet disappointment, seeped into her ears. Though he wasn’t even touching her, her ear tingled, making her shoulders shrink inward.  

 

As he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushed her earlobe. It was the lightest touch, yet her heartbeat pounded against it as if her pulse resided there.  

 

But this was Ryu Sung-woon—the man who had come out to his parents about his preference to avoid their pressure to marry.  

 

With a soft rustle, the sash of Su-hwa’s pale silk robe loosened before she could stop it. As his gaze roamed over the exposed skin beneath the fabric, her toes curled instinctively.  

 

Did his eyes have a physical force?  

 

Her skin, so translucent that fine veins were visible, flushed red as though gripped tightly by an invisible hand.  

 

“W-Wait. Let’s just calm down for a moment…”  

 

“Calm down?”  

 

“Yes. You seem a little… excited.”  

 

Excited, huh?  

 

Sung-woon stifled a bitter chuckle as he watched her guard rise.  

 

What man wouldn’t be excited at a moment like this?  

 

He was finally about to claim what he had wanted for so long.  

 

Those bewitching eyes looking up at him. Her long, jet-black hair splayed across the white sheets like brush strokes. Each slight movement made the damp strands rub against her cheeks and nape, leaving a faintly damp trail.  

 

The thought that he wanted his own saliva to be what lingered on that porcelain skin instead of mere moisture made him feel utterly deranged.  

 

“On a night like this, wouldn’t it be rude not to be excited in front of my new bride?”  

 

“That applies to a normal marriage.”  

 

“So ours isn’t normal?”  

 

A question mark appeared on her face, as if wondering what nonsense he was talking about.  

 

Suppressing the urge to lick the innocence from her eyes, Sung-woon edged closer on his knees.  

 

Su-hwa, in turn, scooted backward the same distance and spoke.  

 

“We… have a prenuptial contract. The marriage term is clearly stated.”  

 

“That’s right.”  

 

“So it’s not a normal marriage.”  

 

Saying it out loud left a bitter taste in Su-hwa’s mouth. She had been the one to propose this contract marriage in the first place. An arrangement centered around having a child.  

 

“You don’t have to force yourself. I’ll try to conceive as promised.”  

 

“And I’m saying I’ll try right now. Didn’t you say we should make the most attempts within our physical limits?”  

 

Within physical limits, as much as possible.  

 

She had said that herself. She just hadn’t expected it to happen in a hotel room instead of a hospital bed.  

 

“But Mr. Ryu Sung-woon… you… like men!”  

 

Su-hwa never wanted to be the one to say it. No matter what anyone else thought, they had gone through with the wedding and were now husband and wife.  

 

Even if theirs was a loveless marriage, it still stung to be forced into intimacy with a husband who preferred men.  

 

“That’s true.”  

 

Sung-woon nodded without hesitation. His voice was so composed that Su-hwa’s rigid body abruptly lost all tension.  

 

“However…”  

 

At that moment, Sung-woon’s face closed the distance until their noses almost touched. Su-hwa inhaled sharply and froze in place.  

 

Thick eyebrows cast shadows over piercing eyes. A straight, well-defined nose bridge, and full lips exhaling heated breaths. The man’s scent overwhelmed her senses, leaving her lightheaded.  

 

“Once I am actually in bed with a woman, my preferences might change.”  

 

The heat emanating from his body, pressed closely against her, reached Su-hwa as well.  

Why had that gotten bigger? Was her husband truly aroused by her?  

 

“Hnng!”  

 

A sudden, hot breath escaped from his lips as he bit down on the rim of her ear. The warmth was so intense that Su-hwa instinctively shrank her neck. Regardless of where he had bitten, her thighs pressed together, and a strange tingling sensation spread through her lower abdomen.  

 

In that moment, as she held her breath tightly, something even hotter parted her lips and slipped inside. His tongue, brushing against hers, probed through her mouth, touching her palate and the sensitive flesh inside her cheeks.  

 

“Ah, maybe it’s because I’m lying here with you.”  

 

This was turning into a real problem. All he had done was steal a single breath, yet his wife gasped like a parched sparrow with its beak wide open. Sung-woon murmured against her lips, nibbling them gently.  

 

“My wife’s mouth is quite indecent.”  

 

“Ha… what are you even…”  

 

Her small lips parted, revealing a tiny, triangular tongue. A deeper shade of red hidden within the already flushed pink.  

 

“You’re making me imagine things. It makes me want to examine it thoroughly.”  

 

His exploration of her nape trailed downward along the curve of her body. Su-hwa desperately tried to suppress her moans, but when his hand swept between her legs, there was no stopping the sound that escaped.  

 

“Hngh!”  

 

“Don’t hold back your voice.”  

 

Everywhere he touched sent jolts of electricity through her muscles. Her hips twisted instinctively, and an involuntary moan slipped past her lips. Her body no longer felt like her own, leaving her too dazed to think. The only thing she could do was bite down on her lower lip to stop herself from making any more strange noises.  

 

Was this really the same man she had met on a blind date two months ago? Could he be someone else with the same face?  

 

But her thoughts didn’t last long. He had settled between her legs and was sucking on the most sensitive part of her flesh.  

 

The sensations taking over her body easily shattered her reason. At some point, white flashes burst before her eyes, making it impossible to tell whether they were open or closed.  

 

“No, please, please stop.”  

 

“You’re so sensitive. You’ve already come.”  

 

Sung-woon wiped his glistening lips with the back of his hand and straightened his posture.  

How long had he longed for this? Her scent, her soft skin, even the taste that spread on his tongue—everything exceeded his imagination.  

 

He pressed down on her trembling knees, spreading them apart, and positioned himself.  

 

“Open your eyes.”  

 

At his firm command, her tear-filled gaze turned toward him. Fear and desire. And beneath that, an inexplicable reverence directed at him.  

 

Yes. This was the look.  

 

It seemed his preferences were quite clear. It had been her then, and it was still her now.