Too Late, He Finally Knew

"Hah—!"

A thin, broken moan slipped from between Chaeyoon's lips.

Taejun swallowed the sound with another deep kiss as he undid her buttons one by one. The soft rustle of clothing coming loose scattered into the air, and at last, his hot breath settled over the pale expanse of her bare shoulder and collarbone.

Under the relentless press of his lips and the firm graze of his teeth against her skin, Chaeyoon's head fell back before she knew it, her fingers tightening in his hair.

"Ah, Taejun… oppa."

The moment she called his name in that flushed, heated voice, Taejun faltered for an instant. But soon his touch grew only deeper. With one hand he gathered her slender wrists and pressed them gently above her head, and with the other he trailed down the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, pushing up the hem of her skirt. Everywhere his flesh met hers, her skin burned hot.

At last, his heavy weight pressed deep between her legs. The tightly locked hollow of their hips, the strong pressure bearing down on her waist—Chaeyoon drew in a shallow breath and buried her face against his shoulder, her fist clenching hard around the sheets.

Sensations she'd thought long forgotten came surging back to life, burning hot. Memories of the nights she'd spent with him. That alone was enough for heat to spread rapidly through her entire body. She could feel the tips of her toes curling.

"Haa…"

A ragged breath spilled out between her teeth.

Matching the steep rhythm of her breathing, Taejun began to move—slow, but heavy and deliberate. The deep, grinding friction pushing into her innermost depths arched her spine off the bed. Every time their locked bodies shifted and that scorching heat climbed along her whole frame, Chaeyoon couldn't gather her thoughts at all.

Then came the rustle of the sheets, the raw friction of tangled skin, and the two of them gasping against each other's mouths as the sounds filled the room.

"Ah—!"

At her muffled moan, Taejun gripped her hips firmly and pulled her harder against him. A shivering jolt shot up her spine and burst like fireworks. The hands that had been pushing against the heat now clung to the solid line of his back. His pace quickened. Each time the weight pressing down her crossed the powerful thrust rising from below, the bed rocked in a steady rhythm.

Their sweat mingled, their body heat climbing to its limit. Taejun hooked one of her legs over his waist and drove deeper at a sharper angle. In the endless whirlwind of pleasure, their breaths tangled rough and ragged. Tears finally welled in Chaeyoon's eyes and spilled over, and Taejun kissed them away, driving his hips up hard one last time, as if to fill her with everything he had.

"Hah—"

With Taejun's low, guttural groan, the heavy movements pressing hard against her deepest core continued a few beats longer. Then, as if every nerve in her body had converged into one, a sharp current of electricity tore through them both.

In the moment her vision flashed white, Chaeyoon clung tightly to his neck. Taejun, too, wrapped his arms around her waist hard enough to bruise and exhaled a long, shuddering breath.

Their bodies trembled in fine aftershocks, and at last the long, deep rhythm slowly stilled. Their slowing breaths intertwined in the narrow space between them. Each other's warmth felt familiar and yet strangely new. But it wasn't unwelcome. Not the beating of their pressed-together hearts, not the ragged breathing, not even the searing heat.

Taejun slowly drew her into his arms. His chest was solid and warm, and the moment she leaned into that heat, Chaeyoon felt something long frozen inside her begin, little by little, to thaw. With her eyes closed, she buried her face in his shoulder.

"……"

Without a word, Taejun pressed a kiss to her forehead and slowly stroked down her back. At his touch, Chaeyoon felt an ache rise in her throat for no reason, and she clung to his neck even tighter. Wrapped around each other, the two stayed that way for a long while, unable to let go. That night, for the first time in ages, Chaeyoon fell asleep in a deep and gentle warmth. Her breathing gradually settled into a slow, even rhythm.

Feeling her fall completely asleep in his arms, Taejun let his gaze drift slowly down over her.

Her damp lashes.

Her cheeks flushed hot and red.

Even the small hand that hadn't let go of him even in sleep.

For a long moment, Taejun simply looked at her without a word. One side of his chest ached, strangely and dully.

Only now did he begin to understand.

Why he'd felt like he couldn't breathe the moment she'd said the word divorce.

Why the sight of her cold, retreating back had nearly driven him out of his mind.

It hadn't been simple obsession or stubbornness. He hadn't wanted to lose Yoon Chaeyoon.

Taejun's fingertips brushed slowly through her sleeping hair.

The warmth against his fingers felt impossibly precious. And when he thought about it, it had all been strange.

When had it started?

Seeking her out after work like it was habit.

Feeling the house so empty without any trace of her that it didn't make sense.

Being bothered for no reason by the blank way she used to look up at him.

Taejun exhaled, low and long.

Love.

In the end, there was no other word that explained it. He had loved her for a long time already.

He simply hadn't realized it.

Taejun scoffed quietly at himself, once again confronted with how belated the realization was. Regretting it now was useless. No—there was nothing left he wanted to regret. He drew the sleeping Chaeyoon deeper into his arms.

Like a man who would never let anyone take her from him.

And then, very slowly, he closed his eyes.

I won't leave you alone again, Yoon Chaeyoon.

I won't let you be hurt on your own ever again. This time, I'll always be by your side.

For the first time, Taejun made a decision that was absolutely clear.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Chaeyoon blinked slowly awake.

She was almost certain there had been the touch of lips on hers as she drifted in and out of sleep.

She thought she'd heard a low, drowsy voice say, I'm heading out.

"…No way."

Bolting upright, Chaeyoon reached for her phone—then let out a short cry instead.

"Aagh."

A dull, heavy ache shot through her lower back. She checked the time and promptly muttered a curse under her breath.

"Unbelievable. I slept right through him leaving for work."

Chaeyoon pressed her burning cheeks hard with both palms.

But really, there was nothing she could do about it.

She'd fallen asleep in his arms last night as if she'd blacked out. It was the kind of night where she couldn't even remember how she'd drifted off.

"Haa… Honestly… I can't live like this. Ah."

The moment she twisted her shoulders slightly, a yelp escaped her. Her whole body throbbed like it didn't belong to her. Even the smallest movement sent her muscles screaming. In the end, Chaeyoon simply lay back down and pulled the blanket up over her face.

Then, without warning, the way Taejun had looked down at her last night floated back into her mind.

The low laugh in his voice, too.

And the breath that had brushed her ear.

Why do I keep thinking about this?

No—why is it all so vivid?

Chaeyoon gave the bed a pointless kick with her foot. Then her gaze drifted toward her phone.

…What is he doing right now?

In a meeting?

Working, obviously. Of course he is.

But something was off. She suddenly missed him terribly. She wanted to see his face right this second, hear his voice, call him for no reason at all—which was absurd, given that this same person had been groaning about her aching back just minutes ago. Chaeyoon picked up her phone blankly, then set it right back down.

"…What is wrong with me?"

She felt like someone bewitched by some strange spell.

Or like some lust demon had gotten its claws into her.

And the thing that surfaced in that instant was Taejun's arms as he'd held her at the very end. Even the hot, solid heat of his body was remembered too vividly, and Chaeyoon dove under the blanket, swallowing down a scream.

"Get a grip, Yoon Chaeyoon…"

Throwing off the covers, she sat up with a jolt. If she stayed like this, she'd spend the whole day flailing in last night's memories.

Smack, smack. Chaeyoon patted her own cheeks lightly.

There was something she had decided yesterday. Chaeyoon didn't want to divorce him.

And for that, there was something she needed to deal with first.

Jang Hyun-ah had said she was going to bring a woman into this house—one who could bear Taejun's child. Before Chaeyoon's divorce was even finalized.

"By whose permission? What kind of nonsense is that."

Some things needed to be made perfectly clear. Chaeyoon threw off the covers and rose to her feet.