A Night Soaked With You - Chapter 28
“We’re going to the bar.”
At last, Yeong-won hesitantly lifted herself from the seat and got out of the car.
Tae-geon walked confidently, as if familiar with the place, and Yeong-won had to hurry to keep up with him.
As soon as they entered the bar, the smooth rhythm of jazz music filled Yeong-won’s ears.
But she had no time to enjoy it.
Apparently, Tae-geon had made a reservation, as a staff member, who was waiting near the elevator, guided them to a table with a clear view of Namsan Tower.
Yeong-won hesitated as she sat down.
‘Why does it have to be a place like this……?’
The seats were the kind you’d expect lovers to occupy—side by side, with a perfect view of the nightscape through the large window.
But instead of feeling enchanted, Yeong-won’s anxiety only deepened.
It would have been better to sit across from him, where she could at least apologize directly. Sitting this close, how could she even properly face him to apologize.
Though they both sat down, no words passed between them.
Yeong-won’s mind spun with confusion, while Tae-geon moved fluidly, his expression still unreadable.
He casually chatted with the sommelier and ordered a vintage wine.
Even as an oyster dish, meant to pair with the wine, arrived, Tae-geon remained silent.
In the end, Yeong-won was the first to break the silence.
“I’m sorry.”
Tae-geon looked at her as if hearing this for the first time.
“For what?”
“Well…….”
When Yeong-won hesitated, unable to continue, Tae-geon gave a relaxed smile and asked again, “What are you sorry for?”
Yeong-won realized that Tae-geon wanted her to confess her mistake directly.
“I…… because of a misunderstanding…… I, uh, headbutted you……”
She couldn’t bring herself to say lip-to-lip, so she phrased it that way. At that, Tae-geon finally nodded as if recalling the incident.
“Oh, right, that did happen.”
He gently rubbed his elegant brow, grimacing as if it still hurt.
Hearing him mutter “It still hurts,” made Yeong-won shrink even more into herself.
“And didn’t you give me some advice, too? Oh, right, and I also got slapped, didn’t I?”
Though he spoke as if he were just talking to himself, it was clear those words were meant for her to hear.
Tae-geon, seemingly still holding onto every detail, recited them all without missing a beat.
Yeong-won felt wronged, but in a world where everyone said their piece, there wouldn’t be such a thing as pent-up frustration.
She simply bowed her head apologetically.
“I’m sorry for…… hurting your feelings.”
If this man weren’t the investor behind ‘Distress’, she would have argued that he was the one who initiated that intense kiss, or that the slap was because he leaned in suddenly and made weird remarks. But in this power dynamic, she was probably barely a “Jung,” if there were an A, B, C, and D in the hierarchy.
(t/n: ‘Jung’ represents the lowest level ‘D’ in the Korean hierarchical system, a four-tier power structure (A-B-C-D) commonly used to describe business and social relationships.)
“Aah, both my lips and heart still seem deeply wounded, not healing at all.”
Tae-geon kept circling around the point, not getting straight to it.
Yeong-won blinked and stared at the wine glass in front of him.
She knew she couldn’t let herself shrink back like this, but in the context of their relationship, nothing was on her side.
“……Do you want something from me?”
In the end, she asked bluntly. She figured this was what Tae-geon wanted anyway. Though she tried to sound casual, her fingertips had gone cold with tension.
She could feel his gaze fixed on her. From her forehead, to her nose, lips, collarbone, and then further down—his eyes swept over her, making her painfully aware of their heat.
After a long silence, Tae-geon finally spoke.
“Why? If I were to make a strange proposal again, would you still refuse?”
A crooked smile had appeared on his lips at some point.
Tick-tock.
The sound of a wristwatch’s second hand—something she shouldn’t have been able to hear—thundered in Yeong-won’s ears.
Her mind went blank, and time seemed to crawl unbearably slow.
Even after blinking her hazy eyes, Tae-geon remained unchanged in front of her.
Yeong-won never considered herself a perfect person.
However, when it came to ‘transactions’ involving her body, she could proudly claim to be quite flawless.
To her, s*x was something precious, something that could only be shared with someone she truly loved.
