Legal Disclaimer
This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. However, the characters, events, and situations portrayed are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental. This content does not intend to represent or reflect the historical, social, or cultural reality of either country. The author disclaims any legal liability arising from the interpretation of these elements.
Content Warning
This chapter contains romantic themes and sexual suggestions intended for readers aged 18 and over. The story includes intimate interactions and sexual tension but does not show explicit scenes of graphic sex.
Chapter 35 — The Heat That Changes Everything
35.1 A Conversation That Activates Something
Ryu woke up before dawn.
The humid heat of the jungle drove him out of his cabin without a second thought.
His hair was still slightly damp from his morning shower as he walked toward the dining area.
There was barely any light in the sky, and a few workers were already chatting in low voices under the wooden eaves.
"It's so hot!" one mumbled, fanning himself with his hat.
"I miss my wife."
"Tell me about it, buddy."
The other laughed.
"The minute I'm done here, I'm going straight to see her.
There's nothing like being at home... especially when you've got a hankering..."
Both men laughed. The first one added, lowering his voice.
"They say this kind of heat... it just sets you on fire. It's crazy."
"Yeah, it's like the heat awakens those instincts, right?"
The other replied, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
***
Ryu stood still, watching without interfering.
It wasn't the content that surprised him exactly.
It was the naturalness of it. He reflected.
"A hankering... for intimacy, of course. I'd never thought of it that way... how curious.
As if passion and climate were sisters."
He frowned slightly, analyzing it.
His lips tightened for a moment, as if he wanted to contain something he barely understood.
His mind, inevitably, drifted to Zayra. A slight blush crept up his cheeks,
and his fingers tensed as he remembered the curve of her lips.
He took a deep breath, trying to order his thoughts.
They hadn't reached that point yet.
The heat she provoked in him just by thinking about her.
"Only a few weeks... and I already like her so much."
He thought, clenching his fists slightly.
His fingers tensed strongly, he took a deep breath,
trying to order his thoughts before approaching her.
35.2 The Pool
Later, the heat won the battle again. Ryu and Zayra decided to go to the hotel pool.
Ryu walked beside her, a little rigid, his shoulders tense.
He didn't say anything; the conversation with the local men was still on his mind.
About how the heat could awaken other "things," and he didn't dare to ask.
They arrived at the pool.
While Zayra arranged her towel on the lounge chair,
Ryu stood still, deep in thought.
Zayra noticed, glanced at him, and let out a low, flirtatious laugh.
"Why so serious, Ryu?"
She asked, looking at him with curiosity.
He didn't know how to explain what was on his mind.
He just mumbled.
"Nothing…"
Zayra raised an eyebrow, and a mischievous smile played on her lips.
She walked slowly, swaying her hips with a delicate balance, as if marking her territory without saying a word.
Ryu felt his chest tighten.
A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed the way she was looking at him.
"Why does my heart react to her like this?"
His breathing quickened slightly, and an uncomfortable heat rose up his neck as he unconsciously backed away.
He didn't know it, but Zayra was looking at the pool behind him and intentionally cornering him to the edge of it.
"Nothing's wrong, really?"
She whispered, getting closer, looking at him with provocative eyes while he remained frozen for a moment.
Ryu swallowed.
His heart was beating faster. Just when he thought the situation couldn't get more intense,
his hands tensed, and for a moment he hesitated whether to move or stay frozen, trapped by Zayra's provocation.
She smiled coquettishly, and with the softness of a calculated gesture,
Put two of her fingers in his chest and pushed him slightly backward... straight into the pool.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, falling abruptly, water splashing all around him.
Zayra let out a playful laugh and stuck out her tongue.
"See? It's not so scary."
Ryu emerged from the water, soaked, and looked at her with a glimmer of disbelief and amusement in his eyes.
An involuntary smile escaped his lips, and he couldn't stop a slight blush from coloring his cheeks.
He asked her to come closer, and when she did, he gently pulled her toward him without a second to spare.
Both ended up splashing, pushing, and playing like children, the tension of seriousness gone,
replaced by a contact that made both of them blush slightly.
Zayra would approach, laughing, and Ryu would follow,
trying to maintain control but enjoying every second of the unexpected game she had started.
35.3 Words That Can Change Everything
Later that night, the breeze was barely a warm caress.
Zayra was sitting on the terrace of her cabin in light clothes, drinking cold water when Ryu saw her.
She looked at him and smiled slightly.
"Hot enough?"
"Yeah," he replied, smiling back.
"And... are you coming to sit down or just going to melt standing there?"
Ryu approached.
They sat under the roof, talking about unimportant things.
The foods they missed most, the funny phrases they heard,
how strange it was that some cows here had names like "Lourdes" or "Roberto."
Zayra laughed. And that was enough to make Ryu feel at home.
The fresh air contrasted with the accumulated heat of the day,
and they both held glasses of cold water, laughing and commenting on some funny detail from the day.
Ryu noticed something that made him pause for a moment.
Zayra was looking at him with a different intensity, her attention more focused on the curve of his lips than usual.
He felt an unexpected heat rise up his neck, and for the first time all day, he didn't know where to put his hands.
A slight blush rose to his cheeks, and suddenly,
without thinking, he lifted his glass, and accidentally, the water spilled onto his shirt.
"Ah!"
He exclaimed, pulling his shirt off.
"Well... this wasn't what I expected."
He looked from side to side, noticed there was no one else but them, and took his shirt off.
Zayra leaned toward him, holding the towel in her hands.
"Are you okay?" she asked, with a hint of a smile in her voice.
Ryu nodded, but he couldn't help his gaze from meeting hers.
The distance between them shortened without anyone saying anything.
Her fingers brushed the fabric as she tried to dry him, and a small shiver ran down his arm.
Unconsciously, he tilted his torso slightly toward her, feeling the closeness as something impossible to ignore.
In that instant, Zayra leaned a little more to bring the towel to his torso, and the strap of her dress slipped.
A moment later, they found themselves looking at each other, their breathing a little faster.
She didn't say anything, but her eyes shone with something that went beyond her previous laughter.
Ryu swallowed, aware of the closeness, the heat, the tension growing between them.
He blinked several times, as if trying to look away would help him control what he was starting to feel.
There were no words, only the silent understanding that they were both crossing a line,
playing with a spark that arose unhurriedly but with determination.
The heat continued to rise, and between soft words, shy laughs, and increasingly deep kisses,
Ryu noticed a shadow of doubt in her eyes. Slowly, he brushed her cheek with his hand, giving her space to pull away.
"Zayra... only if you want to," he murmured.
The tenderness in his voice melted the knot in her chest.
She placed her hand over his and nodded, which was enough for Ryu to kiss her again, this time with calm and care.
***
They went into the cabin, letting the night speak for them, wrapped in a shared silence.
Later that night, Ryu and Zayra lay in silence.
Zayra didn't know what to do; she thought,
"Oh my god... we did it... even though I liked it..."
But the wounds of the past came back, and with them, the tension in her body.
Zayra shifted slightly, and Ryu felt that something was off.
"Zayra... are you okay?"
She nodded, her breathing choppy.
"It's been a long time since I let someone get this close."
Ryu swallowed.
He didn't fully understand, but his body knew that this was real, true, intimate.
He hugged her tightly, as if doing so could protect everything he didn't understand.
For some reason, Zayra felt she could relax and thought.
"It's Ryu... I don't know why, but I feel safe..."
Minutes later, already wrapped in the shared silence of those who have just entrusted their bodies to each other.
Ryu said, "My father gave me a month to decide if I'm going back to Korea... or if I'm staying."
She looked at him in silence. She felt a pang in her chest.
"Maybe this shouldn't have happened today." she thought, anxiety beginning to surface.
However, she didn't dare to say anything, she took a deep breath and listened to him,
since over the years she had learned that it's better to hear a complete story before reacting.
He looked away toward the ceiling and continued.
"I wouldn't mind staying... if it meant staying with you."
For some reason, she felt relieved.
Her body relaxed, and a smile appeared on her face.
She realized that, deep down, she felt the same way. Out of nowhere, a thought invaded her.
"Zayra, he doesn't know about your whole past, and what if he did know, would he still be with you...?"
A shiver ran down her back.
She controlled herself as much as she could; she couldn't let Ryu realize what was going on inside her.
At least not for now.
They both stayed in silence, embracing.
Ryu perceived the tension in her body, the way her breathing accelerated slightly, but he didn't say anything.
He remained still, letting her process her thoughts.
Zayra felt a whirlwind of emotions, relief, fear, and the weight of a secret she still didn't know how to reveal.
Her chest was beating hard, and every time she brushed Ryu's skin, a shiver reminded her of what she was holding back.
She didn't know if he would accept it.
Neither how a man like Ryu, so proper, from another culture, would react. S
o she simply remained with him, in silence, while her mind spun without finding the words.
And in that instant, the air filled with a soft, expectant tension.
Something was about to change, though neither of them knew when or how.