Side story 3 Ch 1.2

The strange tension that had passed between the man and me lingered around us for the next few days.

To be honest, when I first brought it up to him, I had been thinking, It’d be nice if he agreed. If not, oh well.

If he didn’t want me to do it, I hadn’t planned to go against his wishes. I expected he wouldn’t like it—but he really, really didn’t like it.

Still, having been with me for a while now, he didn’t voice his discomfort out loud like he used to.

But just because he didn’t say anything didn’t mean I couldn’t feel it. His tightly clenched jaw and stiff neck, like a block of wood, said enough.

He acted like a man who wanted to trap me in a nest made with his own money and raise me there.

…Ah, the thought that suddenly popped into my head made a chill rush over my entire body.

Given what kind of man he was, I could believe he’d actually do that—and the idea was terrifying.

“…Haa.”

A sigh slipped out of me.

How was I going to come up with an excuse to turn down the professor’s offer?

I’d spent days racking my brain but couldn’t come up with a good answer.

If it had been any other professor, I might’ve just let it slide. But this was my major professor—if he held a grudge, it could affect my grades. I couldn’t take the risk.

Staring at the professor’s stern face, I spent the entire lecture brooding over it.

Not that I came up with a solution then either.

“That’s all for today’s lecture.”

The screech of chairs being pushed back echoed through the classroom. I stood up as well and began packing my textbook.

“Seo Yeowon, could you stay for a moment?”

The professor called out my name just like that.

A junior from my department, who was sitting right next to me, asked what was going on.

As I left the classroom, I could feel several pairs of eyes flicking my way.

Trying and failing to hide my discomfort, I said,

“Can you go ahead to the cafeteria?”

“Sure, take your time.”

Mihyun, one of the few people in my department I was friendly with, left the classroom first.

Once the students had cleared out, the professor and I were the only ones left.

“Have you given it more thought?”

“…Ah.”

I trailed off, and the professor pressed me again for an answer.

“It’s okay—just speak honestly.”

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity, but… I’m sorry…”

He had said I could speak freely, but clearly expected I’d accept his offer.

His expression twisted slightly, as if my response had caught him off guard.

Seeing the way his graying eyebrows crumpled, I quickly started babbling excuses.

“I’ve never really considered that kind of work, so I think it’d be better if someone else had the opportunity…”

Even I could tell it was a pathetic excuse.

“Then is there something you have considered?”

My half-open mouth clamped shut.

Honestly, I had been leaning toward a regular office job.

But there was no way I could say that in front of a professor in my major.

His face looked even more puzzled now.

“This is an incredibly good opportunity. Why pass it up?”

He was right—it was, objectively, a good opportunity.

Unless you were one of those students who had gotten a spot early through a professor’s recommendation thanks to close ties, most students at the College of Education around this time were too busy preparing for the teacher certification exam set for next semester. Even then, the competition was fierce due to the limited number of openings.

In my case, I lacked the social tact to receive any recommendations, but I hadn’t even considered taking the exam in the first place. It was a decision born from the belief that someone like me shouldn’t be standing in front of children. Instead, I had been eyeing an administrative job, something entirely unrelated to my major. If he allowed me to, I wanted to apply even to a very small company. I figured somewhere like that might be willing to hire someone like me—awkward, from an unusual field of study.

If it was a position at the sports association that the professor had recommended, then I could make use of my degree, and the pay would likely be better than a regular office job.

But still—

“…Well.”

I started to speak but couldn’t come up with a decent excuse. I couldn’t tell him that the man I depended on hated the idea. But I couldn’t very well say that he was so fabulously rich that I wouldn’t have to work a day in my life, either.

The professor was quite persistent.

“I’ll give you a little more time. Think about it slowly, okay? Let’s talk again during the advising session.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times, then eventually nodded and left the lecture hall. Mihyun, who had been fiddling with her phone by the door, looked up with wide eyes and asked,

“What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

I gave a small shake of my head. As I headed toward the cafeteria, I quietly counted the days left until the advising session.

***

Once I got home, I was looking through one of my major textbooks when I happened to check the time on my wristwatch and jolted. I hadn’t realized it was already that late. I closed the book and stood up. Heading into the bathroom, I ran water into the tub. As I watched the stream pour down, I dipped my hand in and swirled it around. The temperature felt just right.

I heard the door lock beep and walked toward the front door. The man stepped inside with a jacket slung over one arm. While he bathed, I set the table with the dinner the housekeeper and I had prepared in advance.

He sat in the study reviewing documents, while I sat at the living room table flipping through pages of a book. At some point I must have dozed off, because when I came to, he was seated on the sofa, staring down at me. The mechanical pencil slipped from my hand and fell to the floor with a soft clatter.

I glanced down at my wristwatch. The hour hand had already passed the “2.” He must’ve come out to look for me before bed and found me already asleep.

I closed the book and stood up, heading to his bedroom. Not long after, he entered as well. A sharp scent wafted from him—he must have just smoked a cigarette.

Normally covered by a shirt and tie, his body was littered with brown scars. And near his collarbone, just visible inside his clothes, there was a fresh reddish bite mark. That was from a few days ago—when I’d bitten him hard. It looked like it’d sting even at the slightest touch, but he wore the same indifferent expression, which only made me more conscious of it.

Noticing my gaze, he let out a low hum. Then, as if to show off, he covered the area near his shoulder with his large hand.

“…Hmm.”

He massaged his own shoulder roughly, frowning as if in pain. The blatant way he was fishing for sympathy left me speechless. He hadn’t even cared until I looked. And he’s the same man who left marks all over my body, making it impossible to wear short sleeves even in spring and summer.

“Do you grind your teeth or something?”

His shamelessness was absolutely absurd. It’s only romantic when I do it—when someone else does, it’s scandalous.

…Come to think of it. Something the golf course staff had been gossiping about flitted through my mind. I was shoving Director Jang’s golf bag into his locker when I overheard whispers.

‘That CEO Jang…’

My ears immediately perked up at his name.

‘Is he married?’

‘No, as far as I know he’s single.’

‘Right? I thought so too. But I saw a ring on his ring finger today.’

I could feel eyes glancing in my direction.

‘But he totally seems like the type who’d act like that even if he were married.’

They giggled among themselves. My face flushed with heat. What did they think we were doing, to say something like that?

Granted, I agreed with their opinion that he looked like someone who could have an affair without batting an eye. His appearance was downright debauched. Though in reality, he didn’t spare even a glance for anyone but me.

“……”

As my thoughts reached that point, heat suddenly rushed up the back of my neck. It felt like someone had peeked into my head—like I’d been caught thinking something embarrassing. I rubbed the back of my neck with the back of my hand. The man looked down at me with a questioning gaze. I shook my head, pretending it was nothing.

…Well, whatever the reality was. What mattered was that his public image was just as messy as his actual personality.

Even as I cursed him silently in my head, I found myself gauging his mood. Slowly, I lowered my head and rested my cheek on his shoulder.

“Tomorrow is the advising session.”

He was the kind of man who kept his own complex schedule perfectly organized in his mind. There was no way he’d forget the single entry in my simple, repetitive routine. Still, just in case, I gave him a heads-up.

“Behave yourself.”

I traced one of the bite marks with my fingertip and whispered back,

“…Okay.”

By the time I reached the fourth bite mark, he suddenly grabbed my wrist. Startled, I looked up at him.

“I said behave.”

Was he upset because I’d answered without meeting his eyes? This time, I met his gaze squarely and replied clearly,

“Yes, I’ll behave.”

His eyes curved into an odd smile. Finally satisfied, his lips stretched into a smirk. His mouth lowered to my eye. When his smooth tongue rasped over my eyelid with its rough tip, I couldn’t help but frown. When I opened my eyes again, he was already on top of me, grinning in the dark.

At dawn, I watched his back as he got ready to leave. He fastened each cufflink with care, tightened a black leather belt around his waist, then dabbed perfume—gold-tinted and sleek—onto his wrist and rubbed it on the back of his neck. As he turned to face me, I quickly shut my eyes. I could feel him approaching.

Soon, the mattress near my waist dipped under his weight. His gaze burned into my skin. Then, his lips touched my cheek. It was a kiss heavy with scent.

“……”

“……”

A moment later, a soft hiss scattered droplets across my face and neck. His rich fragrance bloomed all around me.

Leaving only his scent behind, he walked out. I pulled on the stockings that were tied around my wrists. They only seemed to tighten instead of coming loose. In the end, I had to gnaw at the knot with my teeth.

When I looked down at my lower half, a shred of black fabric barely clung to my thigh. It was shredded from his rough hands, but it had once been a perfectly good pair of stockings.

Tsk. Clicking my tongue, I got up from the bed to make it easier to undress. I hooked my fingers into the inside waistband of the stockings and rolled them down. Pulling my feet out of the coiled stockings made me feel humiliated.

Suddenly, the CCTV on the bookshelf flashed through my mind, and I glanced in that direction. Could he be watching this, too? If it’s that man, the one who urges me to wear nothing but stockings and takes pleasure in watching my humiliation, then it wouldn’t be surprising at all…

Shuddering, I quickly headed to the bathroom.

My body, wearing not a single thread of clothing, still reeked of men’s cologne.

Even after showering and changing into fresh clothes, the scent clung to me relentlessly. Hugging my bag close, I made my way to the car parked in front of the house. I heard Kim Joongdeok’s voice from where he stood smoking on one side. With a phone in one hand, he seemed to be in the middle of a call.

“Baby.”

Haah. He exhaled smoke.

“You’re getting paid regularly, so why the hell can’t you handle the job properly?”

His appearance was undeniably that of someone from that line of work. With a face and build like his, standing firmly in front of the entrance, it was impossible not to attract attention.

Kim Joongdeok, however, didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“‘I’m sorry?’ Would you say that in front of the CEO, too? You dumb fucking bastard…”

Sensing something, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He lowered the phone and quickly turned around to look at me. Spotting my face from a distance, he slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose.

“You’re here?”

Feigning friendliness, he waved a hand at me with a smile. His ability to switch expressions in mere seconds sent chills down my spine.

Feeling the eyes of others on me, I reluctantly approached him. Through clenched teeth, he muttered,

“Right, make sure you get things done properly before the CEO finds out and report back.”

Though his face wore a mild expression, the warning in his voice was deeply menacing.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

As I reached him, Kim Joongdeok closed his phone and shoved it into his jacket pocket. Opening the backseat door for me, he asked kindly,

“You’re out earlier than usual?”

“…Yes.”

I gave a small reply and got into the backseat.

The car rolled forward smoothly. In the confined space, the scent of cologne on my body seemed even stronger. Worried it might reach Kim Joongdeok, I instinctively pulled my neck in like a turtle.

“Yeowon.”

Startled by the guilt I felt, I looked toward the rearview mirror. Kim Joongdeok was looking at me.

“I heard you had plans today.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ll be waiting in front of the restaurant, so come out when you’re done.”

After a moment of hesitation, I said,

“I’m sorry, really. For always troubling you.”

Hmm? Kim Joongdeok blinked, as if surprised by what he’d just heard. Looking out the window, he slowly responded.

“Well, I guess this is me slacking off too.”

Buzz. Buzz. His phone vibrated relentlessly, yet he called it slacking off. In the silence that followed, the vibration sounded even louder. He took out the phone, turned it off, and tossed it onto the passenger seat.

“You don’t have to worry about stuff like that, Yeowon.”

He said it with that easygoing smile again. But after seeing that face—one that could bury someone with a shovel without flinching—it didn’t come off as very reassuring.