Cigarette Ash on the Grass
The man walked faster.
His legs were much longer than hers, and perhaps his nature didn’t bother to show any consideration to the person walking beside him at all.
He said nothing the whole time. The only sound between them was the rhythmic thud of his shoes on the pavement.
No expression on his face. When Woo-hee finally caught up and lifted her head, that dry, expressionless countenance struck her straight in the chest.
Even with his capabilities, the manners were truly admirable. Men with good manners weren’t exactly rare. Yet this man was different. Something about his gestures and actions felt both elegant and powerful. Cold when his face was expressionless, he became incredibly tender when he smiled, spoke well, and everything he did looked refined.
He was praised for his manners and tenderness toward Ha-rin.
Was this the kind of man who wouldn’t even match steps or smile between them for a woman he was going to sleep with and discard?
It didn’t matter. Woo-hee walked hurriedly just to keep from losing him. She didn’t know where Je-hyeok was taking her. Honestly, the destination didn’t matter much. As long as she could get through whatever had to be done, anywhere would be fine.
As they walked, an outdoor garden-like area appeared. It was small for a garden. There were no chairs anywhere, not even behind the building, and not a single tree worth looking at. Just shallow grass surrounded by a white wall.
The early autumn sun overhead blazed hot. But the breeze that swept through was cool, and the thin, short clothes she wore made her skin break out in goosebumps.
“Aren’t you cold?”
The tone was short and perfunctory. After asking, Je-hyeok tilted his head and placed a cigarette between his lips.
“...I’m fine.”
“You look cold.”
He should have answered that he was cold. Would that have made him see her as easier to provoke?
“Actually, it’s a little cold.”
As soon as she changed her answer, Je-hyeok let out a chuckle. It was as if he had already seen through her.
Her own embarrassment ignited. But it didn’t matter anyway. The feelings would subside soon. Yes, I want to sleep with you. It would be better if those intentions could be read and taken care of quickly.
“Then why are you doing that?”
With the cigarette still in his mouth, he asked. Snap. He opened the Zippo lighter, lit the end of the cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“Why am I doing what?”
Smoke fell directly above and blocked Woo-hee’s breathing. The cigarette’s scent was especially pungent. Woo-hee frowned hard, covered her nose, and looked up, but the hazy smoke obscured Je-hyeok’s features. She couldn’t see his expression properly.
“Wearing that in this weather, as if inviting it.”
She couldn’t respond properly because of the cough.
“You want to be sold at such a high price like that painting?”
“...”
“I know a few guys who would pay a lot. Want me to introduce you?”
Through the smoke that was slowly dispersing, Je-hyeok’s slightly smiling face became clear.
“Tell me. I want to help. Maybe three? Four is possible too. Then those guys will pay more.”
She soon realized the entire conversation was mockery.
“Why such a face? You were following me anyway for that purpose.”
Woo-hee let the forced smile at the corner of her mouth relax.
Je-hyeok was smiling, but it didn’t look like he was enjoying it. It was a condescending smile. No need to smile at you, but I’ll smile once anyway.
Watching that perfunctory smile, Woo-hee thought through her thoughts one by one.
He already knows what I want. No need to keep acting anymore. No need to follow him anymore either. Time to get straight to the point. But to sleep with him, do I have to do it with three or four together?
She still thought he was trash, but there was a point where her train of thought got stuck.
Sex was nothing special, men were nothing special. Yes. Whether two or three men, what was sex compared to anything else?
“Doing it with three is your preference?”
What mattered was that she had to create tension with this man. The easiest, quickest, and surest way for Woo-hee.
“A preference?”
“Let me guess.”
Je-hyeok seemed to laugh low. On the man’s face, interest and disgust appeared at the same time. That contradictory expression made Woo-hee’s chest blush with shame.
“I was just throwing it out there. Cheaper than I thought.”
The woman’s face slowly hardened. The artificial smile she had been holding onto disappeared. In an instant, she became a noble, looking up at him with pride. Unlike someone who acted like a cheap woman, her face was truly elegant.
That mysterious gap intrigued him. Her appearance, as if carved from glass, still held its charm.
But the gaze that lifted her head to glare at him, not understanding the subject at all, didn’t please him.
Women like that usually caused more trouble trying to soothe their high pride than they gave pleasure. He had seen many times how they acted arrogant only to end up grabbing at the hem of pants while regretting it.
She pretended to be noble, but this woman was no different from those others. When he proposed first, she rejected him haughtily, then came back begging for sex.
In the end, all the women at Woo Min-ho’s event had the same purpose. Since she came to such a place, her reason for wanting sex with him late was obvious. To get a sponsor.
With that motive, she even came to the gallery run by his mother.
She had crossed every line. So he had to tell her to stop being annoying and get lost.
“You said you don’t do it with people your age.”
He felt like bothering the woman more.
“Ah, you didn’t want to because of my age? Would things have been different if I had asked to do it multiple times?”
Time was plenty until the cigarette was finished. He was bored. He had decided to play plenty during the remaining three months, and luckily there was a woman in front of him who was easy to provoke.
Also, this woman was perfectly made to his taste, and stepping on her once, twice, three times wasn’t a big deal.
He added all kinds of reasons, but suddenly felt a sense of unease. When had he started making excuses like this when dealing with women? It was just because he wanted to, and he wanted to discard her. His way was to do whatever he felt like.
He didn’t feel like himself putting a woman he had to discard in front of him just to add reasons. But Je-hyeok didn’t think deeply about that strange impulse.
“Then what? My heart’s already cooled.”
It didn’t matter if the woman didn’t cling. At that time, he could just enjoy the sight of that glass-like face cracking.
“Acting cheap isn’t a preference either.”
Je-hyeok looked at the small fist hanging under the woman’s thin arm. Thin veins bulged on the back of her white hand. It was still called a fist, like a rat’s paw. He spat out a laugh and exhaled smoke.
The woman’s lips that had been tightly shut finally opened.
“...The one who acted like a slut first was you.”
Her low, sharp retort was quite stinging. ‘You did while I wasn’t allowed to?’ That was the meaning. She was a woman with more temper than he thought. With that temper, how was she going to get a sponsor? Je-hyeok laughed shortly and lowered his cigarette.
“I’m a slut, but I don’t like my partner being a slut.”
The woman let out a breath as if astonished. A short, low ‘ha.’ That sound was strangely odd. Feeling his lower part stiffen, Je-hyeok shook the ashes from his cigarette onto the grass.
“But you’re still curious. You rejected me so coldly then. Why did you come back?”
“...”
“What did I say? You called me trash.”
The woman was still glaring at him. Je-hyeok smiled lazily, waiting to see what she would say.
He hoped for an interesting answer. He didn’t want to kick her out immediately, but to feel the value in spending time talking to her.
“I changed my mind too.”
“What mind?”
“I don’t do it with people my age, but I want to try with you.”
“Why?”
“Just because I’m curious.”
“So what?”
“...The sex with you.”
“No sincerity in the answer.”
“...”
“If you’re going to keep acting like that, just go back.”
What sincerity did he want? How much sincerity did one sex need to show? Sex with Je-hyeok wasn’t that amazing. What was someone like you talking about?
Trash subject. He was the one who threw out the idea of sex first. If you’re trash, lower your pants and be trash.
Woo-hee couldn’t say those words. She just looked up at Je-hyeok with determination.
But the man looking down at her withdrew his gaze, threw the cigarette on the ground, and crushed it with his shoe.
The man who had finished his cigarette now looked like he no longer found the conversation with her interesting. It seemed like he was really going to leave like this.
If he left now, she could sense he wouldn’t face her with Woo-hee again. This conversation would be her last chance. Her restless heart urged her lips.