It had been a long time since he'd slept that well. He stretched a little, exposing the red marks scattered across his body. The sheets were slightly cold. He closed his eyes, and the memories of last night flooded back. Suddenly, he sat up and glanced at the other side of the bed where someone might have laid.
He spotted a pair of shorts in the closet and slipped them on before making his way to the living space. It was empty. He wondered how long she'd been gone—and she hadn't even left a note.
He sighed. He'd been messing up since he landed at the airport. Aunt Jumy was definitely going to give him an earful. He picked up his phone from the coffee table. Just as he'd expected—89 missed calls and 44 messages.
Yesterday's shoot had been important, one of those follow-ups after a tour. But he'd ditched it. It was worth it—though, for some reason, he still questioned whether it had just been another booty call.
He was about to call Joohyun to come pick him up but paused when he heard movement from the kitchen. Quietly, he walked in—and there she was, eating crackers with chocolate spread.
The thought of being used and dumped evaporated instantly. Still, there had been a real chance she'd be halfway across the globe by the time he woke up.
"You're awake," she said. "I thought you were dead, the way you slept."
"I haven't slept like that in a long time," he replied, walking up to her and kissing her lips. He watched her, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
"You haven't done a lot of things in a long time," she pointed out. His ears flushed red. She wasn't wrong. Last night had been a wake-up call. Aside from ditching everything just to take her hand, he wasn't even sure what he'd been expecting.
"I had the cap and mask on—and you still knew it was me."
"It was a wild guess. If it wasn't you, I would've apologized and gone straight to my suite. Besides, he always looked at me like he wanted to pop my head open."
"I thought I was imagining things when I heard your voice on the phone. I didn't even want to go to the airport, but I was blackmailed into it. I'm glad I went."
"Last night, you said you had a shoot and that leaving it would be a problem."
"It ended twelve hours ago. My agent's busy putting out the fire I started in my career."
"You still do whatever you want. I like that about you."
It had been fun—like a proper date. For his sake, they chose somewhere private and made the most of it. And, as things go, one thing led to another.
The suite was in a new high-end hotel on the outskirts of Incheon. He kept checking over his shoulder for cars or tails—but surprisingly, there were none.
"Just the weekend?" he asked, visibly disappointed.
"Yeah, just the weekend. I was supposed to go to the Bahamas, but that's for the family vacation. Besides, I'm brushing up on Asian languages."
He chuckled, briefly forgetting his disappointment.
"Hm. I know quite a few languages myself—English, French, Korean. How good is your Korean?"
"Not perfect… soljighage malhaeseo eojesbam-i eolmana joh-assneunji allyeojusigess-eoyo?"
He choked on his tea. Staring at her in disbelief, he tried to collect himself.
"Did you Google that?"
"Did I sound like I Googled it? I know a bit of Japanese too—I watch anime when I travel."
"I know Japanese too."
"Ah… Nan-jikan mo tsudzukimashita. Son'nani nagaku tsudzuke rareru to wa omoimasendeshita. Wain no seidesu ka?"
This time, he wasn't drinking anything. He had intended to tease her about what happened, but clearly, she was several steps ahead.
"Watashi wa kōfun shite ita, utsukushī josei to issho ni ita. Wain ga tasuke ni natta."
"Jikai wa motto oishī nomimono o erabou," she suggested with a playful smirk. He nodded in agreement.
This was going to be an eventful weekend.
It was just enough to make him question everything. She was wrong about him being free—the leash only tightened with time. Once this brief spell of joy ended, he'd have to crawl back to Aunt Jumy. She was the only one who gave him attention. And if he wanted to be acknowledged by Grandpa, marrying Seo had to happen.
There was a time he wanted that—right after middle school. They were told they would be engaged. Tae had liked the idea. She didn't. Her resistance had led the families to call it off. Back then, the younger Tae was crushed. But over time, he understood why it had happened.
Seo was grown now—and not refusing anymore. She made it clear she would marry Tae and claimed to have fallen for him. But he didn't believe it. It felt like just another political move, and he wanted no part in it. He didn't want to be a pawn in the hands of a family that never wanted him in the first place.
He sighed. Turning to his side, he saw her sleeping soundly with her back to him. He reached for her, his long arm wrapping around her and pulling her close. She snuggled into him, finding the warmth he needed just as much.
"Let's get married," he said. He let the words linger in the quiet.
"…I'll quit everything to be with you," he added softly, kissing her shoulder.
She sighed.
"Are you going to let them get away?" she asked gently. Her words threw him.
"Who? What are you talking about?"
"We've talked about a lot this weekend. One of them being how trashy your family is." She turned to look at him. His eyes were beautiful—the kind you only see in mixed men.
"They have nothing on me," he scoffed, trying to brush off how much the words hit. But she had been listening—and that meant more than he could say.
"I know. But not everyone does. Don't let them get away with how far they pushed you and your mother. Rip the fucking leash off—and we could make something out of this. Please don't let them win."