Chapter 107: Could I Be? [R-18]

She surfaced, taking a quiet breath.

Water droplets streamed down her body. Her face was slightly flushed, her wet hair clinging to her head.

Seojin grabbed a towel from the edge of the pool and carefully wrapped it around herself.

With no gown or robe, just a single towel draped around her, she walked naturally toward him.

Rio was lounging on a sunbed in the cool night air, holding a wine glass. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps.

Under the bright accent lighting, he tilted the glass and watched her approach.

He offered the glass to her.

“There’s a little left. Just touch your lips to it.”

Seojin blinked, then clutched the towel with one hand and leaned in, her lips reaching for the glass.

Her lips touched the rim, but what she felt more than the bitter taste of the remaining wine was his gaze.

“How is it?”

Seojin lowered her eyes and slowly handed the glass back.

“…It’s bitter.”

It was on a completely different level from the grape juice that just tasted like alcohol. The bitter wine was enough to make Seojin’s face scrunch up in a grimace.

Her brow furrowed, and a short, quiet breath escaped through her teeth.

“…Ugh.”

Even so, Seojin carefully clutched the edge of her towel, knelt on his sunbed, and leaned her body toward him. Her warmth slowly seeped into Rio’s side and the crook of his arm.

Rio didn’t stop her.

He simply lifted an arm and rested it over her shoulder, on top of the towel. It was the same way he had held her in the back of the car before they arrived, just from a different angle.

“Hey, little Kang Seojin.”

His voice was low and indifferent, but he tenderly brushed her wet hair back.

Ignoring his playful taunt, Seojin moved her tongue around inside her mouth, trying to wash away the lingering taste of wine.

“With just a towel on, it looks like you’re wearing nothing at all. Are you sure that’s okay?”

She pouted and buried her face lightly in his chest. Then, she lifted an arm and parted the top of the towel just enough for him to see.

Just a little.

Really, just a little.

Only down to her collarbone and the top of her shoulder. The strap of her swimsuit was pressed into her skin, the damp fabric clinging tightly to her curves.

She lifted her head, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she said, “…I am wearing something.”

I’m not a child, either.

Her expression was one of clear complaint, despite knowing he was just teasing. His gaze shifted from the sliver of exposed skin to her eyes.

“While you’re at it, open it a little wider.”

When Rio acted as if he were about to shove his hand inside, his merciless touch flustered Seojin, leaving her no choice but to loosen the towel further.

As his hand slid shamelessly down to her bottom, Seojin, worried someone might see, quickly flung the edge of the towel over his shoulder to hide them.

“…Pervert.”

“You’re just now noticing?”

Her hands rested on his side, her head leaning against his chest.

Everyone else was enjoying the party, so no one was bothering them.

Still, a nervous Seojin kept glancing at the people passing by, until she decided that the only way to stop being so conscious of them was to not look at all. She turned her head sharply, hiding her face in his arm.

Rio, on the other hand, couldn’t care less what anyone else was doing. He idly kneaded Seojin’s bottom, delighting in her changing expressions.

“Your body’s still cold.”

“Well, I was in the water for a long time…”

“How about some whiskey this time?”

Seeing how much she struggled with the wine, Rio suggested another drink to warm her up, but she just shook her head.

She lowered her head and whispered coyly.

“…I thought I liked alcohol, and that I could hold my liquor pretty well. But I don’t think that’s true.”

Her voice was quiet, but it was tinged with a hint of self-consciousness.

She’d always thought that weary adults endured their grueling days with a drink. Seojin, who had nothing but her health, had assumed she would live out her days the same way.

But even though her life had become brutally difficult since she turned twenty, alcohol wasn’t sweet. It was just foul.

The first drinking parties she’d experienced as an adult had been far too intense to be called comforting, and the hangovers had been brutal.

Perhaps that was why. More than alcohol, Seojin preferred this night, this embrace, and the one who would gently soothe the lips that had just tasted wine.

Rio watched her for a moment, then chuckled softly. His hand moved slowly, stroking her bottom through the towel.

“Baby.”

“Don’t you dare try to make me sound even younger.”

The ample curves of her body were far too mature to be called a child’s or a baby’s, but Rio didn’t stop teasing her.

Light jokes and laughter passed between them.

“—You took your time getting out of the water. Did you have fun?”

Seojin peeked up at him. Then, as if trying to hide the budding excitement, her lips curved into a wide smile and she nodded slightly.

“It felt like… having friends? It was nice. I played hard since I knew it’d be hard to see them again.”

Rio watched her with a leisurely gaze.

“Why won’t you see them again?”

“Because…”

Coming to a place like this was entirely at his whim. Seojin was clearly his ‘date for the day,’ but she didn’t think she would be his partner next time, too.

But Seojin decided to keep that obvious thought to herself.

“I can’t contact them. They asked for my number and social media, but I just pretended I got rid of it all when I ‘lost’ my phone.”

“…Hmm.”

“They were all really surprised, but then they just laughed and asked if I was on a digital detox.”

She smiled faintly, as if recalling the scene.

Truthfully, defining relationships as fleeting encounters from the very first meeting didn’t suit her personality.

So, what lay beneath her words was a sense of resignation, an acceptance that she couldn’t form connections.

Rio tilted his head back slightly, glanced at the night sky, and then looked back down at Seojin.

“Should I get you one?”

“…Huh? W-What?”

Seojin’s eyes widened.

For a moment, she didn’t understand what he meant. But her confusion quickly turned to flustered surprise.

“No, I, that’s not why I said that.”

“It’s true you have no way of contacting me when I’m out, though.”

His tone wasn’t playful, but it wasn’t entirely serious either.

It was just… natural. As if he’d tossed the words out without any complex emotion behind them.

But that one sentence made Seojin’s eyes tremble.

“…Is that, for real?”

Her voice was cautious, her gaze filled with a tiny spark of hope.

Seeing it, Rio nodded.

“It’s not a big deal.”

It was the first time she’d ever looked so thrilled by the promise of a gift from him, even though she already owned things that were far more expensive.

“……”

Seojin lowered her head, then nuzzled her forehead against his chest. In a low voice laced with a hint of laughter, she said, “It’s been so long.”

For modern people, it was an indispensable item. But the reason Seojin was so happy was that it felt like she was getting back one of the things the world had forcibly taken from her—something she’d never been able to decide on for herself.

This was a first.

“I’ll treasure it…”

Watching her express gratitude for something she didn’t even have yet, Rio leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Then, he playfully kissed the shell of her ear, making a loud smack.

The sudden sound right by her ear made Seojin flinch. “Ugh…!”

Rio burst out laughing at her reaction. Even through his teasing, Seojin couldn’t hide her excitement as she looked up at him.

He enjoyed the captivating tragedy she displayed after he’d broken her, but there was a different kind of charm to the vibrant life that stirred within her now, as she reacted so sweetly to the smallest things, becoming utterly lovely.

Rio leaned his lips toward her.

No words were needed.

Seojin hesitated for a moment before carefully pressing her lips to his.

The first time was the hardest. After that, she kissed him again. Peck.

Each time she drew near, Rio pulled her shoulder a little tighter, their body heat mingling through the towel.

As Rio’s hand moved from her bottom and slowly up her back, gently pulling her closer, Seojin rested her hand on his side, her arm moving with his as he adjusted his embrace.

When he tangled his leg with hers, she could feel the hard proof of his arousal pressed between them.

“Ngh…”

She tried to ignore it, but when he parted his lips to deepen the kiss, she buried her face in his chest.

Her heart was pounding too loudly.

“Rio, maybe… not this, not out here…”

The tips of her ears, bright red against her black hair, betrayed her feelings.

“Getting me all worked up just to stop me, darling?” Rio whispered by her ear, making no effort to hide his excitement.

“Shall we go inside?”

She knew exactly what he meant without having to ask.

Seojin nodded, but she didn’t forget to make one request of the man who looked ready to sweep her up and carry her away that very instant.

“Please, let’s go quietly… so no one sees us.”

She’d had such a wonderful day, just fitting in and feeling normal. She didn’t want to ruin it at the very end by looking like someone who couldn’t control their lust in front of everyone.

At her words, Rio’s lips curled into a smirk, and he let out a laugh.

“Why are you so concerned with what other people think?”

He patted her back a few times and said, “Hurry up. Get up, little Kang Seojin.”

Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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