Shall We Start with a Kiss?
"Th-that's not it. I gave it to her as a gift."
At my stammering words, he snorted.
"Then you should've said so earlier. Why play dumb?"
It was the man who was truly sharp, not me. After glancing at the director's back as he took a call, I lowered my voice.
"Don't tell anyone. And don't let it show to Unnie either."
"Why?"
"Just do it. It's none of your business."
"That's not the reaction I was expecting. You're being no fun in the weirdest places."
"What were you expecting?"
"Stealing my precious jewels? Unforgivable—something like that."
I stared at him in disbelief as he suddenly raised his tone like he was acting, but he didn't stop there.
"I can't leave cleaning my room to someone like that. I'll have to kick her out right away."
"What are you doing?"
"Then I'll seize the chance to make a move."
"……."
"Oh dear, that would be a problem. I'll kick Jeong Hui-yeon out for you. In exchange, will you sleep with me?"
He must be out of his mind.
"Move."
I frowned and pushed his shoulder, and he stepped back willingly, chuckling. I glared at him, floored, then a snort of laughter escaped me unbidden.
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it was. I had no intention of kicking her out in the first place, and if I really wanted to, I could just do it myself—why complicate things like that? The way he thought...
As I snickered and stabbed the watermelon with my fork, I suddenly realized the man's laughter had stopped. When I lifted my eyes a little, he was leaning in, peering at me.
"What, so you can smile after all."
"……."
I stiffened my expression awkwardly and averted my gaze, so he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to draw my attention.
"I'm not done talking yet."
"...About what?"
"'I'll kick out Jeong Hui-yeon if you sleep with me'—that's impossible, so I gotta change direction."
"……."
"I've got that much quick thinking, at least."
Curious what nonsense he'd spout next, I kept quiet and listened.
"I won't tell anyone, so will you sleep with me?"
"……."
"—the justification's a bit weak. You don't seem particularly attached to anyone else, so you'd probably just tell me to go ahead and spill."
The way he stroked his chin pretending to deliberate looked so ridiculous that another laugh slipped out. Watching me quietly, the man came to a conclusion.
"So how about we start with a kiss first? What do you say?"
"……."
"As payment for keeping my mouth shut about Jeong Hui-yeon's sticky fingers. That seems like a fair trade, doesn't it?"
What shameless, mercenary nonsense was this? I couldn't even tell if he was joking or serious.
The strange thing was how entertaining this situation felt. Not unpleasant, bothersome, or troublesome—just amusing and funny. And there was an oddly refreshing satisfaction to it as well.
"Does it even make sense to get turned on by something you don't like?"
To my question, he replied casually.
"Does it matter if you don't like it when it turns you on?"
"……."
It was a strangely lucid answer.
Suddenly he turned his head back. Following his gaze, I saw the director ending his call and walking toward us.
"Sorry, sorry. The call went on a bit, didn't it?"
"Yes. I thought you were coming tomorrow."
"You too, really."
Laughing heartily as he returned to his seat, the director grabbed a piece of watermelon and stuffed it in his mouth.
"Looks like you two got a bit closer already. What were you talking about so much?"
"Tomorrow's schedule. I'm working two jobs now, after all."
"Ah, right. Take good care of our Ji-yul."
As he exchanged light conversation with the director, the man had a fresh, clean face that belied the one who'd just been talking about getting turned on and such.
I understood why his advances were fun.
He wasn't looking for some half-baked emotional game from me. What the man wanted was simple, straightforward satisfaction of desire and curiosity. Light play. That appealed to me quite a bit. After all, it was true that I felt some kind of stimulation from him too.
A dull daily life was boring, and the heat that clung scorchingly was far more interesting than fleeting emotions of unknown duration. And since he'd been the one to put forward Hui-yeon Unnie's kleptomania as an excuse, the justification for playing along was already in place.
A gentle breeze swept lightly through the heat. As I tucked my tousled hair behind my ear, the man looked at me. Fiddling with the shell of my ear, I quietly opened my mouth.
"What's your last name?"
"……."
"I overheard your first name, but not your last."
The muscles in the man's face twisted minutely. So slight you wouldn't notice without looking closely. Instead of the man silently crushing fruit in his mouth, the director answered.
"Ji-yul, you still didn't even know Seon-tae's full name properly? It's Cha Seon-tae. You can call him Seon-tae Oppa. He's the same age as Ha-jin."
Cha Seon-tae. Twenty-five. It had been a very long time since I'd gotten to know a stranger.
"I want to hammer some nails into the wall of my room..."
One of his eyebrows shot up.
"Come do it after work."
"Hanging a picture? Should I do it for you, Uncle?"
"Director, you really have no sense of the room."
He said to the director while staring straight at me.
"Huh? Why me?"
"It's obvious she wants them high up. You'd need someone about my height."
"Come on, if I get on a chair, even a shorty like me can hammer nails up to the ceiling."
"I'm more efficient since I don't even need a chair."
"Well, yeah... that sounds good..."
Leaving the dejected-mumbling director behind, Cha Seon-tae slowly rolled his tongue inside his mouth.
"I'll come by later."
I nodded and stood up. Avoiding the gaze that followed me up, I gave the director a polite bow of the head, then turned away.
Conscious of the gaze sticking hotly to my back, my steps faltered needlessly. Walking as naturally as I could, I exhaled a long breath the moment I entered the house.
"Hoo."
My heart pounded just like when I'd watched Driver Kim's video. The nervousness of confronting a stranger. The man wasn't a stranger anymore, but since I'd soon be having a strange experience with him, it was natural in a way.
Biting my lip lightly then releasing it as I took off my shoes, I felt a dampness and dusted off my butt. Even though I'd found a relatively dry spot to sit, the fabric was strangely damp—must have been sweat seeping into the towel here and there.
It wasn't enough to bother me much, so I let it slide and stepped inside, only to run into Hui-yeon Unnie. She was coming down the stairs, apparently finished with cleaning.
"Been out for some air?"
Even though we'd clearly seen each other through the window, she asked as if she didn't know. Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were stiff. I just nodded as if nothing had happened and passed her to go up to the second floor.
The moment I entered my room, I checked the jewelry box first. Seeing the necklace was gone, I let out a short scoff.
In truth, overlooking Unnie's thieving was the real price. She was one of the rare people kind to me, like Do Ha-jin, so I could turn a blind eye even if she stole jewels like this. But for the first time now, I felt resentful. If she was going to take them, she should've kept treating me well.
As I idly entertained spiteful thoughts, knock knock—a knock sounded.
Unnie? Or Madam? Since it was rare for anyone to come to my room except during cleaning or mealtimes, I wondered as I headed for the door.
"What is it?"
Hoping it would be Madam if possible, the moment I turned the handle, a heavy scent of a body invaded the room.
I recognized who it was before even confirming the person.
"Euk...!"
And before I could even see his face, my lips were swallowed up. Startled by the flesh suddenly thrusting into my mouth, I stumbled backward, but the man pressed even closer so there was no chance for our lips to separate.
What the hell all of a sudden? Why is he here now? Wasn't the kiss implicitly for later? What? The confusion lasted only a moment before his large tongue began rampaging through my mouth, cutting off the flow of my thoughts.
My stiff tongue was entwined, and the sensation of the rough surfaces meshing was somehow even shocking.
"Heuk, nngh."
What is this?
The soft, sticky, hot tongue churned relentlessly inside my mouth, and with every motion, my tongue was licked helplessly by the other.
It was a sensation I'd never felt in my life.
"Huu..."
The moment our lips slowly parted, my eyes met Cha Seon-tae's. Looking down at my dazed self, he wiped his sweat-soaked forehead, then soon raised one hand. He was holding a toolbox.
"The director told me to take care of your job first."
"……."
"Thanks to that, I don't have to wait long—lucky, right?"
"Then you could've at least said something beforehand..."
"It's more fun this way."
My mouth burned hotly. It was heat of a completely different dimension from when he'd touched my arm or thigh or lips. Feeling as if I held fire in my mouth, I kept exhaling hot breaths when I heard footsteps. Only then did I notice the half-open door behind him and hurriedly pulled away, and soon Hui-yeon Unnie appeared.
"I heard you asked him to hammer some nails?"
"...Yes."
In Unnie's hands were two glass cups filled with red juice. Unlike Cha Seon-tae who took the cup nonchalantly, my head was still hazy so I grabbed the cup held out to me a beat late.
Quietly looking down at the bright red liquid, I lifted my head and immediately locked eyes with him as he drank the juice. Startled, I brought the cup to my lips. Even the cool, sweet watermelon juice couldn't quell the heat.
After roughly sipping a couple of mouthfuls, I raised my eyes again, this time meeting Hui-yeon Unnie's. Looking at me with a somewhat sensitive expression, she soon shifted her gaze to the man. Her brows were furrowed ever so slightly.
"If you're done drinking, give it to me and help the young lady."
He handed the empty cup to Unnie and strode toward me. When I reflexively stepped back, the cup shook and juice spilled onto the corner of my mouth.
"Where should I hammer them?"
"……."
Blocking Unnie from view, he gave a sly smile only I could see, then stuck out his tongue. Staring blankly at the lump of flesh that had licked inside my mouth moments ago, I gulped down the juice and pointed roughly at any wall.
"Next to the clock."
"How many?"
"...Two?"
"Got it."
My head turned following him as he brushed past.
Crossing the large room, Cha Seon-tae tapped the wall with the wall clock with his fist a few times, then squatted down and opened the toolbox.
The way his back rippled with every movement quite captured my attention as I sipped the juice and stole glances, when I heard Hui-yeon Unnie let out a short sigh. Looking over, she was staring at the man's back with a dissatisfied face. Then she turned her gaze to me and forced a smile.
"I'll head down now."
"……."
It was unexpected. Honestly, I'd thought Unnie would keep up her surveillance that wasn't quite surveillance by my side. Bringing the juice up for no reason, and the way she'd been subtly wary of me getting close to Cha Seon-tae. But she really left the room.