TMWCL Ch 5 part 1

She tried contacting him through every means possible, including phone calls, various messaging apps, text messages, and even emails to his work email. But there was no response from Haegun. Did he block her? She didn’t think so. Then was he just not reading her messages and ignoring her?

Not reading and ignoring… Yes, he was blatantly disregarding her.

「Yeoreum~~ I’m Taehyuk-ahjussi. This is my number, so save it on your phone and call me if anything comes up~~~」

Was he teasing her? Taehyuk used too many waves when he sent his message. It was obvious that this man in his thirties was trying to act cute to a child. Even though she knew that the waves were his way of expressing his kind consideration, she still found them twisted. Because it seemed like he was making fun of her. Haha, Han Yeoreum. You got dumped by Jeong Haegun, didn’t you? You got dumped by a man who is more than ten years older than you, right? The waves seemed to be saying that.

[Waaaa! Yeoreum, that bastard is a son of a bitch!]

It just so happened that Soojin had a fight with her boyfriend and broke up with him. Yeoreum was worried that what she had said to Seongwoo yesterday might have reached Soojin’s boyfriend’s ears and caused some sort of misunderstanding. But fortunately, that wasn’t the case. According to Soojin, her boyfriend ordered some weird ddukbokki and he didn’t even order a side of cheese or Chinese noodles for her. Apparently, he had done something similar last time when he ordered mala soup. He had crossed a line. Yeoreum agreed with her. But she wasn’t sure if it was something to fight over until it led to a breakup. But right now, she needed a friend to share her sadness with.

[Do you want to have some drinks at my place?]

”Okay.”

Drinking for three days straight. She felt like this was a shortcut to becoming an alcoholic. So what? A self-abusing alcoholic was better than a thug who beat up other people. Yeoreum headed to Soojin’s house wearing a cap pulled down over her face, looking like a loser.

* * *

“Lee Seungwoo?”

”Yeah, Lee Seungwoo. He’s alright. I can tell he likes you. You should date him.”

The pain of separation, the sadness of heartbreak. She came here to share these feelings, but when she actually met her, Soojin was so excited that she put Seungwoo and Yeoreum together. It was better than rolling on the floor in a pool of her tears or wielding a kitchen knife making a vow of revenge, but it was difficult to calmly share her sadness with her friend.

“He’s okay. But he doesn’t seem like a man to me.”

”Why? Hey, there aren’t many kids like him these days.”

”He’s about to leave for his military training.”

”Ah, really? My bad. Come to think of it, I heard your dad’s friend came when you were meeting Lee Seungwoo yesterday.”

”How do you know that?”

“I heard it from my ex before we broke up this afternoon. I heard he was really handsome. Tell me about him.”

”He’s someone from my dad’s company.”

”Is he also a gangster?”

”Yeah.”

As soon as she answered the question, Yeoreum poured more than half of the soju into her glass. Her stiff face, her body movements as she poured the soju, her clenched teeth as she drank the soju she hated so much that she won all the games at drinking parties. It would have been strange if Soojin hadn’t noticed this change in Yeoreum’s behavior.

”Do you like him?”

Yeoreum froze as she brought her glass up to her lips.

”Yeah.”

”You’re crazy. Crazy!”

”But he rejected me.”

”Shit.”

”Can I finish this?”

”No, let’s drink it together.”

Soojin poured the soju into her own glass as well. She didn’t ask any more questions about Haegun. Instead, she started talking about something else.

”Have you heard? If you have your first time with a small guy, you’ll only end up with small guys for the rest of your life. If his sexual expertise isn’t very good, that’s just how it’ll go. There is a surprisingly large number of people with good bodies but small things. They say that they build all that muscle because of their sense of inferiority. Gangsters usually have muscles like that. If he’s your dad’s age, he’s probably not very good in that field anyway.”

“No, it’s really big and hard.”

“…What is? That thing?”

Soojin’s eyes sparkled.

”Did you sleep with him?”

”We didn’t, but I just felt it over his clothes.”

”Wow! How big is it?”

”Mm… Remember that black porn star dildo you had a while ago?”

”Yeaaaah, I remember.”

She nodded her head excitedly.

“It seemed bigger than that. Even though it was hidden under all his clothes, the silhouette was… His thighs were thick and muscular, and his stomach and chest were firm.”

”But if he’s a gangster, he might have sexually transmitted diseases. Even if things worked out, you might have ended up getting hurt for no reason. If you ever start dating someone like that, I’m going to have to make signs and protest. And if he’s your dad’s friend, going around and messing around with the daughter when your dad isn’t there is… He’s crazy. How is that normal?”

”Yeah, that would be crazy. I’m crazy, too…”

Yeoreum’s lips trembled. The swelling of her lips had gone down, but the scab was still firmly in place. As she shed tears, Soojin panicked and hurriedly corrected herself.

“You aren’t the problem. We’re still young and… I heard that ahjussi was handsome. He’s got a good body and his thing is big. It was a little late, but the fact that he turned you down means his personality isn’t all bad. Does he have a lot of money?”

“Probably. His car seemed really expensive.”

“Sounds like he has it all.”

Yeoreum nodded vigorously. Soojin thought for a long time and finally opened her mouth.

“As for STDs, that’s something you have to worry about no matter who you meet.”

“Yeah…”

”And he’s not my dad’s friend.”

”…So?”

”Yeoreum, can you introduce me to him? If it’s him, he might be able to help me forget the pain of my heartbreak.”

”Seriously!”

Yeoreum let out an empty laugh. Soojin laughed with her and lifted her glass. Soojin was saying all that, but Yeoreum knew. She knew that the reason why Soojin seemed to be in high spirits while drinking was because she was still in regular contact with her ex-boyfriend. The boyfriend she had just broken up with but hadn’t actually. And she knew that Soojin still loved him.

The drinking party ended when her ex-boyfriend came to Soojin’s place early that morning. And then the ex-boyfriend was officially given the title of boyfriend again. Yeoreum cheered him on and wished him luck, making sure that he brought cheese with him next time.

Yeoreum returned home and looked at her phone while lying in bed. As expected, she hadn’t received any messages from him, and Taehyuk sent her a rose-shaped message made up of waves and ampersats, wishing her a good day.

She was drunk again today. Her studies were ruined, and she still liked Ahjussi. Her life had hit rock bottom.

「Ahjossi.」

She pressed the ‘Send’ button and then fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, the first thing she smelled was men’s aftershave. But when she opened her eyes, there was no one there.

”…Is this some kind of hallucination?”

Could this also be a symptom of her hangover?

A few days ago, when she had drooled in her sleep, causing that strange fishy smell, she had also smelled him on her bed. It wasn’t this strong, but it was still there. As if he’d only sat down for a moment. It disappeared after a while, so she wondered if it was truly a hallucination.

Yeoreum buried her nose into her bed again. She quickly realized that it was really his scent.

Haegun had come and left.

When she checked her phone, the number ‘1’ was still there. However, the message she sent appeared in the preview. ‘Ahjossi.’ How could she have made such a stupid typo? She was so embarrassed that she could have hidden herself in a hole. But strangely, the corners of her mouth curled up.

He saw her text and came and left her place.

A good idea suddenly popped into her head.

* * *

Yeoreum deliberately did not change the password to the door lock. She made up excuses, claiming it was annoying, but she knew the real reason. She wanted Haegun to come by often. This place was too big for her to live alone.

The next day, she returned home with five bottles of soju on purpose. Then she pretended to drink the soju from a paper cup in the middle of the living room. Who knows? Haegun was a hotshot gangster, so he might have done something as outrageous as installing security cameras or wiretapping devices in her place. Right now, she wanted to depend on them. Please, let them be there. Let them be there…

Yeoreum lay on the living room floor and opened the chat again.

「Ahjoossi I I」

At this point, it was obvious that she had been drinking. She put her phone down, lay down on the living room floor, and pretended to be dead asleep. She closed her eyes and waited.

How much time had passed? While her mind was shifting between reality and sleep, the front door lock opened without the sound of a passcode being inputted. It seemed that he had a master key.

“Pfft.”

Yeoreum could hear him approaching, but she did her best to pretend to be asleep.

”You can act now, too?”

”……”

”First a barista, next an actress? Do you plan on going to acting school?”

“……”

”Your glass is still full of soju. If you’re just going to lay there like that, do you really think I’ll fall for it? Isn’t that right, Yeoreum?”

”Shi…”

”Shi?”

”No, I said Ahjussi.”

Yeoreum got up and faced Haegun. He was wearing a vest over a shirt with the top two buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up his arms. Thanks to the well-fitted vest, she could see in one glance how wide his chest and how firm his abdomen was. His other jacket was haphazardly folded and hanging on his arm as his hands were stuffed into his pockets.

”Why didn’t you have Taehyuk-ahjussi check up on me this time too? Why did you come here yourself?”

“He’s busy.”

”Aren’t you busier, Ahjussi?”

”The higher-ups never do anything.”

”You said you were busy last time.”

“I was holding myself back because you got me horny, and I was worried I’d devour you.”

”……”

”But looks like it was all a waste of effort.”

Haegun sat down across from her. Yeoreum couldn’t hold back her smile, and the corners of her lips curled up. She must like him a lot because she couldn’t help but smile just from looking at his face. Haegun followed suit and smiled back.

”Ahjussi, there’s a saying among us young people. If you have sex with a small guy for your first time, you’ll only have sex with small guys for the rest of your life. But you’re big, Ahjussi. For me, my first time doesn’t have any meaning.”

”So?”

“But I don’t want to spend my whole life with a small guy. I guess you can help me with that.”

”But you like me, Yeoreum. Are you sure this is meaningless?”

There was not an ounce of doubt in his voice. It annoyed her, but she liked it too.

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind after we sleep together. Right now, I might just have a crush on you because you’re pretending to protect me. And you told me before. I can just extort you and use you.”

”I didn’t mean for you to use me like that.”

”The one who is being used is supposed to do whatever the user says.”

“Since you’re so good with words, you should just be a lawyer instead.”

”I’ll think about it. But, Ahjussi, I don’t have much experience, so… You know what I mean.”

”Do you need more time?”

”No, that’s not what I meant… Please be gentle with me. I’m a little nervous. If it hurts too much, can you stop in the middle…”

“No way.”

Haegun spoke firmly before laughing softly. It was nice to see him laugh, but for some reason, it seemed a little scary. Her body tensed up as if she had just made a big mistake. Yeoreum rubbed her arm. Maybe it was because she had been lying on the living room floor for so long, but she felt a little cold.

”Yeoreum.”

“Yes?”

Her voice was mixed with anxiety and anticipation.

”It’s too late for regrets anyway.”

”……”

”My patience has run out.”

Haegun muttered as he loosened his tie. The smile disappeared from his lips.

When Yeoreum hesitated as she pretended to get up, Haegun grabbed her arm and pulled her down. She lost her balance and fell towards Haegun. He pulled her into his arms and got up. Yeoreum awkwardly straightened up and held onto his shoulders with both hands.

”Where are we going?”

”To the bed.”

”Aren’t we going to kiss?”

”We’ll do it on the way.”

Chu. After a short peck, he laughed again as if he found something funny. So it was possible to feel so ticklish after one kiss. Yeoreum learned something new. He covered her lips again. This time, he lowered his head and deepened the kiss, intertwining their tongues. Despite his words, his movements were gentle. Their hot breaths mixed between them. They kind of looked like lovers.

He didn’t smell like cigarettes. Instead, he smelled faintly of soap. Only then did it become real to Yeoreum. Haegun was really going to sleep with her this time. She knew that despite being a chain smoker, he did not smoke when he was with her. This time was no exception. Was this just another cunning trick like Seungwoo said? But even if it was a trick, it was too late. She had fallen for it.

Chuu, chu, chuup. Their lips pulled away and merged back together over and over again. Their eyes met whenever there was a little distance between their faces. Haegun seemed to be walking slowly on purpose. His eyes were deep and dark like the sea at night. So it wasn’t easy to know what he was feeling, but she felt like he liked her quite a lot at this moment. Did he give other women this kind of look before he had sex with them? Did he kiss them like this and exchange glances like this while their bodies came together?

“Is this how it usually is?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you usually look at your partners with such affectionate eyes before you have sex?”

Haegun laid her down on the bed and unbuttoned his vest. Tap, tap, tap, his long fingers unfastened the buttons before removing the vest from his body. His fitted white shirt was promptly revealed.

“No.”

She wasn’t sure if he was being sincere or if he was just saying it to make her feel better, but it was still nice to hear.

He came right up on the bed. Yeoreum lay on the bed and stared at Haegun with a stiff face as he approached her. His body covered her entire body. The lights in the bedroom were off, but the door was open. The lights were on in the living room, so the dim light shone into the bedroom. She just realized that the air conditioner was only on inside the living room. She could already feel the heat. Her heart began to race.

He was speaking the truth when he said they’d kiss on the way to the bed, because now that they were on the bed, the kisses were short. Haegun’s lips moved down along the corners of her mouth to her chin, under her chin, and along her neckline. At the same time, his hands moved up her hips and took off her t-shirt. When her t-shirt was pulled over her head, blocking her vision, Yeoreum tried to pull her head and arms out. Suddenly, Haegun’s hand moved to her back. She slightly lifted her hips, and his hand unhooked her bra, releasing her breasts.

“Ah…!”

Before she could finish taking off her clothes, Haegun’s hand wrapped around her left breast. His lips sucked the nipple along with the areola. Chuup. The wet sound of his lips on her breast rang in the air. Yeoreum’s body grew limp, and she didn’t have the strength to take off her clothes. But his hand suddenly moved to pull her t-shirt off.

“Take it off.”

Yeoreum pulled her head and arms out of her t-shirt before taking off her bra. Now that her upper body was completely naked, she suddenly felt ashamed. Haegun was still wearing all of his clothes except for his vest. He was on his knees with her underneath him. He took off his watch and placed it on the nightstand. His gaze honed in on her eyes.

“What is that next to you?”

“That… Ah, it’s a blanket.”

There was a navy checkered-patterned comforter next to the bed. It even had a comforter pad and a thick quilt.

“I just took it out for a bit.”

“Did Lee Seungwoo give it to you?”

“Yes.”

“He’s dying to start a family with you. But the dowry is a bit shoddy.”

“How do you even know that, Ahjussi?”

“You really don’t know? Is this your first time being surveilled, Yeoreum?”

She hadn’t experienced it before she met Haegun. He asked the question, but instead of waiting for an answer, he continued. As if the question didn’t need an answer.

“It looks like it’s something you treasure quite a bit.”

“Because it smells like you, Ahjussi…”

“Really?”

Haegun’s face drew closer to hers. Their eyes met, and her body grew tense once again.

“And here I thought you were getting ready to roll around with Seungwoo.”

“…We don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“Well, I guess you won’t be needing that anymore. From now on, this place will be completely covered in my scent.”