PTC Chapter 11. Once Isn’t Enough

His tongue softly invaded her mouth, teasing her palate and intertwining with her own. The sensation stole her breath. Time seemed to reverse, flowing back to ten years ago, to her early twenties.

The fluttering in her chest, the tingling in her stomach—the same sweet, heady rush of their first kiss resurfaced, and she involuntarily closed her eyes. Seojun, who had begun the kiss gently holding her shoulders, found himself unable to stop as his arms tightened around her waist, the kiss deepening.

He’d dreamt of kissing her like this, a recurring fantasy that always escalated, leaving him restless and yearning in the dead of night. The suppressed feelings he’d buried for so long kept resurfacing. As the kiss intensified, their positions shifted. Seojun lifted Da-in and placed her on the table, the kiss taking on a more urgent quality.

The kiss, though brief, was intense and dizzying. The past and present collided in Da-in’s mind, creating a whirlwind of emotions. Finally regaining her senses, she stopped him.

“Wait. Stop, stop it.”

At her whispered plea, Seojun pulled back. Da-in, still perched on the table, looked at him.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m kissing you. We need to see if we can even live together, don’t we? A kiss is a good start.”

She was speechless. They both knew how intensely they’d desired each other, how well they’d connected. His justification for the kiss felt absurd. Instead of arguing, she got off the table.

“So. What do you think?” he asked.

“How can I tell from just one kiss?”

“What?”

As she looked up in surprise, his lips met hers again. This kiss was deeper, more intimate. His hand slid around her waist, lifting the hem of her blouse. His fingertips grazed her bare skin, sending shivers down her spine. She gasped.

His touch remained restrained, however, lingering at her waist without venturing further up or down. Da-in recognized his effort at control. The Seojun of the past wouldn’t have held back. He was trying, restraining himself. She could have pushed him away, but she didn’t.

She accepted the kiss fully, then stepped back. Seojun, though he could have held her tighter, let her go.

“This is driving me crazy,” he muttered.

Why is she still so sweet? Why hasn’t anything changed?

He was bewildered by his own actions: pursuing the woman who had left him, heartbroken, only to propose a 100-day contract marriage, and then initiating a passionate kiss before even signing the contract. But it was Da-in.  Because it’s you, Park Da-in. An inexplicable heat surged within him. Their ragged breaths filled the quiet room. The silence stretched, punctuated by the weight of their gazes. Finally, Seojun spoke.

“Fine. Let’s do this. Let’s sign the contract.”

“Then about the job…” Da-in started.

Seojun shook his head, cutting her off.

 “No. First, we introduce each other to our parents. Then, the marriage registration.”

“No, the job first. Get me into the design department. As an experienced hire.”

Seeing her firmness, Seojun relented. 

“Alright, fine. Telling my family you’re one of our designers sounds better than saying you’re a temporary sales clerk.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting then.”

Seojun tilted his head. “Shouldn’t we be seeing each other now?”

“No. It’s in the contract, remember? 8 PM to 8 AM. I’ll be working during the day, and outside those hours, I’d appreciate it if you treated me as a colleague in public, not your wife.”

“Okay, fine. Wait a minute.”

Seojun quickly printed the contract and signed it. “Your turn.”

“Sign? Do we need a legal contract?”

“Of course. It’s a safeguard for both of us.”

“Fine.”

Da-in signed. They hadn’t set a date, but she knew it would be soon. She needed to tell her mother.

***

When Da-in came home from work, her mother, Eunjeong, was pacing back and forth, holding Sol in her arms. Sol, who had been hospitalized for a few days due to a urinary tract infection, recovered quickly but always fussed in the evenings.

“Sol! Auntie’s here!”

“Auntie!”

Da-in scooped up Sol, who stretched out her arms to be held, and asked her mother.

 “Did Sol cry a lot?”

“Oh, she’s like this every evening. She keeps asking for her dad, too.”

Da-in fell silent at her mother’s words.

“Sol, shall we have some strawberry milk with Auntie?”

Da-in gave Sol the strawberry milk after she nodded and asked.

 “Mom, did Sol have dinner?”

“She said she didn’t want to eat, so I managed to feed her a little. She already had strawberry milk once at lunchtime, though.”

“Really? Another one won’t hurt.”

Da-in stroked Sol’s hair as she sipped her strawberry milk. After a quick dinner prepared by her mother, Da-in did the dishes. Once the kitchen was clean, she finally had a chance to talk to her mother.

“Mom, I think I won’t be able to come home in the evenings for about four months.”

“What? Why?”

Da-in had thought long and hard about what to tell her mother. Until she signed the contract, she had planned to say she was going to an overseas branch, but that no longer seemed feasible.

Her older brother had gone missing after being assigned overseas; if she said she was going abroad too, her mother would be shocked and immediately object. Besides, she definitely had free time from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Of course, she’d be at the “workplace,” but she could occasionally take a day off and maybe even see her mother briefly during the day. There was no need to lie about going to an overseas branch.

“I think I’m going to change companies. The new company is a bit far, and they provide accommodation near the company for designers to stay together. They said they’re launching a special project to design and produce furniture. Designers often work together as a team for about four months at a time.”

“Really? But for four months?”

Worry lines creased Eunjeong’s forehead. Da-in tried to reassure her.

“Yes, but I can visit during the day when I have time, and I’ll come home every weekend, so don’t worry too much, Mom.”

“Okay. Sol will miss you too. Just me and Sol alone….”

Da-in knew it would be hard for her mother to look after Sol alone. But there was nothing she could do. She had made up her mind.

“Mom, it’s just four months. Besides, I received a large advance payment as part of the recruitment deal.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It was a special arrangement. So, I think we should switch our apartment to a jeonse¹.” 

“A jeonse?”

“Yes.”

“That much money?” Her mother’s expression was wondering if Da-in had received millions.

“Yes. Mom, I’m quite skilled, you know? I have experience, too. I talked to the company, and they said it’s possible.”

“Really? That’s great. See? Being a furniture designer is different from being a sales clerk, isn’t it?”

Eunjeong’s face lit up with a smile, relieved and proud of her daughter. The power of money. Her mother’s smile. Da-in smiled back at her.

“Yes. So, Mom, don’t worry about anything and just take good care of Sol.”

“Thank you. You’re working so hard.”

Her mother took Da-in’s hand. Da-in smiled again, trying to reassure her.

“Mom. Think about how you raised me all this time. I’ve thought about that a lot while watching Sol. How you have to hold them, feed them, and keep them close all day long for them to grow. Thinking about that makes me realize how much I need to repay your kindness, Mom.”

“Don’t be silly. Everyone grows up that way. I grew up that way, too. That’s what makes us a loving family.”

“So, Mom, even if I can’t come home on weekday evenings, please don’t worry too much.”

“Okay. I won’t worry. So, will you talk to the landlord about the jeonse?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to them and see if we can switch to a jeonse.”

***

That night, as Da-in lay in bed, Seojun called. He always called late at night, right before she went to bed.

“Why are you calling?”

―Why? To talk about your resume. I’ll send you the email address.

A text message with an email address arrived immediately.

―Send your resume to this email address, and you’ll hear from the Modern Living design team within a few days.

“Okay.”

She was grateful. Relieved, too. Thinking of her mother’s smile, Da-in pushed away all other uncomfortable thoughts.

―Did you tell your mother?

“I told her I’m changing jobs and joining a project team, so I’ll be staying in company housing for about four months.”

―Sounds plausible. Well, everyone believes whatever Park Da-in says. I did, too. I didn’t know I was shooting myself in the foot.

Da-in didn’t respond to Seojun’s sarcasm.