Chapter 109: It’s Love [R-18]

Rio wrapped an arm around her stomach, bringing his lips close to Seojin’s ear as he asked again.

“Hm?”

Seojin turned her head, hiding her face, but he slowly traced the back of her hand before enveloping it in his own.

Then, with a smile deep enough to form dimples, he whispered.

“…I don’t know. Maybe because I want you to learn what’s good, so you’ll start craving it?”

He was certainly no Prince Charming on a white horse who had come for Cinderella.

This was a miniature preview of the future: he would give her a taste of heaven, and just as she began to struggle to stay there, he would grow bored and cast her aside like something utterly useless.

Having been denied even the simplest of pleasures her whole life, her desires were so small to begin with that Rio was merely trying to cultivate them to suit his own tastes.

But she didn’t know that. Confused by words no one had ever said to her, she buried her face in his chest, ignoring his selfish tone.

Unable to say more, she simply let herself be held, pressing down on the feeling that was softly blooming in her heart.

This wasn’t a mere deviation. This was a love she was never meant to have.

Resting his chin on Seojin’s head, Rio smiled quietly and whispered in her ear.

“But… don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

His voice was playful and light, but it held a clear desire. I want to stay like this—

Seojin flinched and lifted her head.

“…I do.”

A moment of hesitant silence hung in the air before her words came out, crisp and clear. Rio didn’t miss that brief pause.

“Really?”

When he teased her again, Seojin averted her gaze as if to hide her embarrassment.

Rio chuckled softly and began to shower her with kisses—on her shoulder, her chest, the nape of her neck.

A soft press of his lips, and then another. He moved like a current over her bare skin, leaving a sound wherever he touched.

“Babe… you’re being too harsh. It’s Saturday.”

At his sigh-laced words, Seojin’s head snapped up as if she’d just come to her senses.

“Ugh…!”

“Forgot, didn’t you? After a few days off work.”

Realizing Rio had been teasing her, Seojin lightly slapped at his body.

“You’re the one who didn’t take me—”

But the problem remained. Even if she chose to stay here longer, all Seojin had to wear was a revealing swimsuit. Inside, she could still feel the warmth he’d left behind, the sticky fluid.

“…Are there any tissues?”

She took a small breath, carefully covering her inner thighs as she prepared to get dressed again.

“Even if there were, I wouldn’t give them to you.”

Rio bent down toward the clothes he had dropped on the floor, one piece at a time, and knelt before her.

“Here.”

He held open the bottom half of her swimsuit with both hands.

After a brief struggle, Seojin placed her hands on his shoulders and stepped into it. As he adjusted the strings, he instinctively tensed his body, his back curving.

Though it felt like his semen might leak out at any moment, the flimsy fabric and strings at least offered some support to her lower body.

Next, he retied the strings of her top, one by one.

“Really…”

Once he was finished, Seojin grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and wrapped it around herself, just as she had before. Only then did she cautiously look up at him.

“…There. Happy?”

Rio tilted his head slightly at her words.

“If you were going to do this, you could have just walked out with the towel.”

At his comment, which implied his efforts to dress her had been for nothing, Seojin stared at him for a moment before reaching out and swatting his forearm again.

“Are you serious…?!”

After leaving fresh marks where everyone can see them!

Her small outburst was a mix of embarrassment and shame. Her glare was blunt, as if to say, Do you think I’m like you?

Finding her reaction amusing, Rio laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders again.

“What? I think it’s sexy.”

He planted another soft kiss on her forehead.

The two of them quietly opened the door and left the changing room. In the hallway leading back to the party, the music was softer now, mingling with the sound of people’s laughter.

The water play seemed to be mostly over. The floats and balls that had been in the pool were now leaning against the floor, and wet towels were draped here and there.

People were gathered around sofas and tables, sipping their drinks. The lighting seemed softer, perhaps because of the warmth of the crowd.

“…This is a little awkward,” Seojin whispered.

Rio patted her shoulder gently through the towel.

“Just act natural. You’re surprisingly good at that.”

Seojin shot him a small glare but didn’t bother to argue.

As they approached, Jian, who was sitting at a table, was the first to wave.

“Oh, Seojin!”

Seojin flinched for a second but quickly bowed her head with a smile.

“Ah… I just had to get something I left in the car.”

It was a natural excuse, and no one questioned it. The atmosphere wasn’t one where people cared about such minor details.

“Is this spot okay? We wiped the floor down a bit.”

“Ah, yes… thank you.”

Seojin carefully sat down, keeping herself tightly wrapped so as not to expose her body. Rio casually settled into the seat next to her.

The table was a mess of half-empty bottles and glasses, with plates of snacks scattered about. It was clear from the look of the drinking party that a few people were already quite drunk.

“Seojin, is it okay if I post the picture we took earlier on social media?”

“If she tags you, you’ll become an influencer overnight.”

Seojin gave an awkward laugh at the women’s words.

“Ah… sure, I don’t mind.”

Even if they sounded disappointed, it didn’t matter. She didn’t have an account anyway, and she’d only had this body for a few months. No one would recognize who Seojin was.

“But you don’t drink much?”

Seojin nodded lightly.

“I can’t really handle it.”

“Come on, you get better the more you drink. Just look at this pro.”

“I was born this way.”

Even to Seojin, the beautiful woman who could down drinks without a change in her complexion was a fascinating sight.

“Then I guess Rio will have to drink Seojin’s share?”

At someone’s joke, Rio raised his wine glass.

“Give me a break. Just this atmosphere is enough to get me drunk today.”

“You liar! You can drink anyone under the table!”

A ripple of chuckles spread around the table.

Quiet laughter and hushed voices. Seojin glanced down at the empty glass she was only holding to participate in a group toast, then felt Rio’s finger gently poke her knee.

She looked up at him, and he was smiling without a word. Seojin couldn’t hold back a soft laugh of her own.

Even at the same table, they were within a distance where they could feel each other most acutely.

As the night deepened, the music at the party faded. The mood relaxed, and the excited, alcohol-fueled chatter gave way to lower voices and softer laughter.

“So, so what did he say?”

“That he was going to buy up all their fucking shares and see them at the next shareholders’ meeting.”

“Ahahahaha!!”

“How could he even think of cheating on you? He must have been terrified when he heard that.”

Aside from the dozen or so people who were still awake, some had collapsed onto sofas, while others were leaning against walls, asleep under blankets or towels.

The prepared rooms had been claimed early on, so the rest were scattered about, sleeping wherever they could find a spot in the house.

“…”

Seojin, too, had started rubbing her eyes and dozing off a while ago. She had already been with him several times that day, and on top of the swimming and the few drinks, her body was exhausted.

Overcome with fatigue, Seojin sat in her chair, her head nodding forward.

Rio, on the other hand, was still at the table, enjoying a conversation with his friends over drinks.

But when Seojin, reaching her limit, closed her eyes halfway and slowly leaned her body toward him, Rio smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

As she leaned, her towel started to slip. Without so much as batting an eye, he reached over and adjusted it for her, tucking the edge in to hide the kiss marks he knew she wanted to keep hidden. Then, he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her effortlessly onto his lap.

“Mm…”

Seojin let out a breathy, short moan, but as if his arms were a familiar comfort, she quickly fell into a quiet sleep.

Seeing this, someone laughed playfully.

“Hey, hey, isn’t she uncomfortable? Go lay her down somewhere.”

Rio swirled his glass, not bothering to finish his drink, and shook his head.

“No.”

The reply was nonchalant but firm. A mix of playful and genuine laughter erupted.

“What, you worried someone’s going to make a move on her?”

“Jeez. Seojin is pretty, and sexy.”

Despite his friends’ jeers and teasing, Rio took it all in stride, chuckling.

They all knew he wasn’t exclusively with Seojin. But thinking about it again…

“—Yeah. That’s why I can’t.”

He gently stroked the head of the woman nestled in his arms. Her breath rose and fell steadily against his arm, her small hand clutching the fabric of his shirt as she dreamed peacefully.

And so, with a wine glass in one hand and the other patting her back as if holding a baby, Rio sat with Seojin in his arms until the dawn began to break, smiling as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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