A Perfectly Normal Romance Chapter 6.3 - Ever After (Side Story)

The moment Lee Hyun, who had been turning his head nonchalantly, faced me with his cool expression, I unknowingly threw both my hands up in the air. Lee Hyun, who was about to turn towards me while still holding the knife, saw my strange posture and placed the knife down on the cutting board.

“What’s wrong.”

“I’m turning myself in.”

“Hm?”

In an instant, his until-then gentle eyes turned crooked. The courage I had mustered to speak first instantly diluted and vanished.

“Looks like you did something wrong.”

As soon as I heard that calm voice, regret washed over me. Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut until he asked.

Lee Hyun didn’t react much to my confession that Choi PD had said that… stupid thing. However, his slowly blinking gaze fixed intensely on my half-raised fingertips, then slowly and deliberately scanned me from head to toe. And from toe to head. Then he turned his body and started moving his hands again. Mechanically.

As his arms moved, the outline of his shoulder blades under his shirt created and erased shadows. At the end of that series of static movements, his arm began to move again.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

Thwack. Thwack.

Thwack.

In front of the clean, bright kitchen counter. Lee Hyun’s back, his head slightly tilted as he chopped, revealing the long, pale nape of his neck, and the slightly sharp smell of the food. It was a kitchen full of warm and positive things, yet an indescribable sense of foreboding lingered. It was like a scene from a horror movie that was bright only on the surface.

Alright. What should I do now? I stood still, staring only at Lee Hyun’s back. As I was inching sideways towards him, Lee Hyun seemed to finish his prep and put the knife down with a thud. The blade made a final sharp sound as if it would split the cutting board. I flinched, startled, and stood stock-still right behind him, and Lee Hyun glanced at me and said.

“It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not going to get pointlessly annoyed, so you don’t have to stand there.”

“No. I just came over to see if I could help with anything.”

Why doesn’t he know that saying it in an already-annoyed tone isn’t very convincing? He says it’s fine, but I have no intention of leaving him like this. I deliberately drew out the last syllable of each word as I approached him. Should I do this? Lee Hyun-ah? The knife, pushed far away on the cutting board, boosted my courage even more.

Lee Hyun poured the chopped ingredients into a frying pan, drizzled oil with a flick of his wrist, and stood at an angle, shifting his weight to his left foot. He didn’t look back, shaking the heavy frying pan back and forth with his right hand, sleeve rolled up. The veins and tendons on the back of his hand stood out tautly. And he wasn’t looking at me. What a strange thing. We’re in the middle of a conversation, and you’re not looking at me at all?

I stood close behind him, careful not to interfere with his cooking, and tilted my head.

“So. Are you not going to look at me?”

“What are you talking about.”

“What do you mean, what am I talking about. Can’t you just confront me openly?”

“I told you it’s not like that.”

Whoosh. My attention was briefly stolen by the sizzling, golden-brown vegetables in the flipped pan. When the pan remained quiet for the next beat, I looked at Lee Hyun’s profile. The twitch of his brow, on the verge of furrowing, was ominous.

“So, what exactly did you hear.”

“No, first of all, you weren’t completely right.”

“Then why did you walk in with your hands up?”

Right. That point right there was my biggest mistake. I’ll carve it deep into my heart. Even if I do something wrong, first pretend I know nothing, act like it’s no big deal. Minimize the incident as much as possible when explaining. If something happens next time, I must remember to follow these points.

“He just said… he was a bit uncomfortable.”

“Why was he uncomfortable.”

“Because I was unfamiliar.”

“Just how different were the feelings he had for you compared to other people for it to be that uncomfortable. For a guy in a profession where he meets all sorts of people.”

All I said was a three-word sentence, but his skill at interpreting it was truly remarkable. Did you hear about it beforehand? I swallowed the unaskable question and kept my lips sealed, and Lee Hyun took my silence as a stepping stone to push even further.

“Next time, what will you come home and tell me that will make me completely right?”

“Do we really have to fight about something like that, Lee Hyun-ah?”

That is to say… As soon as I noticed the upward lilt at the end of his words, I stood on my tiptoes and threw myself onto Lee Hyun’s shoulders. As he faltered, I clung to his back, clamped my right hand over his mouth, which might say who-knows-what, and pressed my lips firmly below his ear. As I repeatedly pressed and released my lips against that spot, where his body scent mingled with cologne, the heat of his skin tickled my lips. I had to raise my heels even higher to whisper right next to the shell of his ear.

“I was wrong. I said I was wrong.”

“Let go.”

“Let go? How can you do this to me. Huh?”

My efforts in clinging to him and placating him paid off handsomely; by the time I was dishing the food onto plates, Lee Hyun had returned to his usual self. He looked straight at me when he spoke. He put a lot of carrots, which I hate, in my dish again today, and his tone was very biting.

“Very well done.”

“Your sarcastic tone is no joke.”

“I’m not being sarcastic. So you left right away?”

“Yeah.”

“And after that?”

“The studio.”

“You were there the whole time?”

“Yeah. I looked up and it was nighttime, so I came right over.”

Lee Hyun, who had been gauging the time in between, finally shook his head and moved his chopsticks again. I need to move out quickly.

“You look pretty excited about the thought of coming to get me.”

“I’ll escort you up with all due respect.”

“How.”

“‘Mr. President. It is time for you to go up.’ Should I do it like that?”

“I think I’ll get PTSD. Reminds me of the old days at Link.”

Lee Hyun laughed at my shuddering form, then diligently scraped up the leftover carrots and placed them on my spoon again. We had a rather cheerful dinner. With a slightly gloomy heart, I stuffed the mushy carrots into my mouth, chewed them roughly, and swallowed with a gulp, then asked.

“But you know him really well.”

“Know what.”

“Choi PD. Even after he said he found me unfamiliar, I was like, ‘what kind of bullshit is this,’ and had to think about it for a while.”

“I know because I’ve felt something similar before.”

“What? When did you ever torment me?”

“I was nice to you before I could actually torment you, so don’t look at me like that.”

Unable to hide his disdain at my horrified expression, Lee Hyun brought his finger up to my face as if he was about to flick my forehead. I dodged by tilting my head slightly and went back to scraping up the last of my curry. Lee Hyun, after confirming that there were no carrots left on my plate, spoke as if to himself.

“Don’t you dare compare me to that moron.”

He looked so full of pride as he said it that I nodded my head eagerly so as not to ruin his good mood. Right. You’re not a moron like that. You’re the best. You’ve always been the best.

“Stop it.”

Even as he said to stop, Lee Hyun only stood up from his seat after hearing my praises four more times.

˙✧˖🎥⋆˙

Lee Hyun doesn’t throw hissy fits like he used to anymore. I don’t walk on eggshells excessively either. I just naturally add a few more actions to show that I’m happy. Like telling him my schedule for the day more diligently, hovering around him whatever he’s doing, and agreeing with him right away without needlessly opposing what he says. They’re less like chores and more like things I have to be mindful to remember.

Just like a moment ago. It was supposed to rain for three straight days, and the sky showed no sign of the downpour letting up. I was watching the raindrops fall like streaks under the streetlights from the terrace for a long time when I asked, Should I go pick you up? but the reply came to just stay put. As he said, I’m staying put quietly.

I lay blankly on the bed for a while, then, out of boredom, placed my laptop on my stomach and typed for a while. There was nothing left to check on the business proposal I had to submit to receive government funding. It would be perfect if my business was selected.

Staring only at the laptop in the dark room made my eyes sting, so I closed them for a moment. I thought I had only closed my eyes, but it seems I had fallen asleep. I forced my eyes open at the sudden feeling of the weight on my stomach lightening. A tall figure appeared before my eyes, which had grown accustomed to the dark.

Lee Hyun, having moved the laptop far out of reach, slowly leaned down and sat, then rested his head where the laptop had been. I moved my hand, stroking the top of Lee Hyun’s head as he leaned on me, and then down his back, and asked.

“When did you get here.”

“Just now.”

“Yeah.”

“I let you rest, so why are you working again.”

“As if I could ever work as much as you…”

Lee Hyun chuckled a little at my heartfelt mumble, then changed the subject.

“Should I buy you a camera?”

“No.”

“Why.”

“It’s fine.”

“Right. You get bouquets from other guys. And confessions. But you won’t even accept my camera.”

“Ah. Are you going to keep bringing that up?”

“Look who’s talking.”

At the playful touch of his nose rubbing against mine, my sleepiness finally began to fade. I wrapped my arms around his back as he settled heavily into my embrace and shook my head dazedly. I whispered to Lee Hyun, who was gently rubbing his cheek against mine.

“The effect of that has almost worn off.”

“Try to remember it a little longer.”

“You like it that much when I’m walking on eggshells around you?”

“It’s not like you walk on eggshells that much anyway.”

I had nothing to say to his attitude of brushing off my words as if they were nothing. It seems he’s found me out.

Strangely, I don’t feel as guilty as I used to, not to the point of dying. Is it because I know it’s not something I should feel guilty about? When we were twenty, I was scared of your feelings getting twisted even when it wasn’t my fault. I’d be needlessly restless. That’s how it was.

But now, we’re not the kind of people who would stop seeing each other just because of one little thing getting twisted. Right? It must be.

There are things you can know without having to voice them out. Feelings like this. Moments like these.

“Hyun-ah.”

“Yeah.”

“Just for a moment, stay still.”

“Yeah.”

“Hold me.”

Now, even if I do something wrong, you just hold me. That’s all. What’s wrong? The question rumbles from above my head. The moment his warm breath tickles my forehead, a sense of immense happiness mixed with an inexplicable sadness makes my chest prickle for no reason.

It feels like there’s nothing left to worry or fret about anymore, but sometimes, a certain part of Lee Hyun’s touch hurts. The things he says sometimes make me feel inexplicably sad. Fortunately, this strange, unidentifiable feeling often disappears without a trace.

Curious about me just rustling without answering, Lee Hyun lowered his head to look at me. His jet-black eyes were so close I could feel his breath. I stared into those eyes that seemed to overflow with emotion, then raised my hand and fiddled with his eyelids. Lee Hyun, who closed his eyes gently, wrapped his arms around me and crumpled me into his embrace once more.

I could smell the faint scent of alcohol, but I knew he wasn’t completely wasted. I took a deep breath, then buried the tip of my nose in Lee Hyun’s neck and asked.

“Is it all over?”

“Yeah. Over.”

“Really over?”

“Yeah.”

“Then how many days of vacation do you have?”

“Three weeks.”

“Three weeks is really long. Let’s start tomorrow, us.”

“Because it’s three weeks.”

I wondered why he paused after speaking, then I felt dry lips touch the area around his Adam’s apple. It tickles. As a sensation like my fine hairs standing on end ran through me, I twisted my waist, and he pulled up the shirt around my moving waist and rubbed his palm there.

“It’s the perfect time if we start now.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Wasn’t this the week you were supposed to go along with all my opinions?”

“It just ended.”

“Why.”

“But is it that obvious?”

“How could I not know?”

Mwah, mwah. The sensation of our lips meeting and parting tickled my face.

“When you’re being so obedient.”

“It’s just this week. Only this week. I don’t even think I was that wrong beyond that.”

“Okay.”

And then the hand that was subtly caressing my stomach went behind my back and pulled up the hem of my shirt even further.

“Today is still this week.”

An elegant, smiling corner of his mouth drew closer. In front of my eyes, even closer. So close that I couldn’t see anything else. It was a kiss that pecked at my upper lip and lightly bit my lower lip to open my mouth. Dry lips touched, delved into my mouth, and he kissed me, tilting his head slightly. It was a familiar touch. The sensation of him sucking on my tongue as if to soothe it was soft.

“Mmm…”

In the meantime, his hand had moved up to my chest and squeezed. Between the index and middle finger of his hand, I could feel the nipple, protruding as if squeezed out, being stimulated as it was pressed between his knuckles. The pain was still more prominent than the subtle tickling.

“It hurts…”

“For someone in pain, you’re getting harder.”

The hand that had moved pulled up my shirt completely, and then his other hand moved as well. The tongue that had been tickling the corner of my mouth trailed down the line of my neck. I could feel him biting and licking the skin around my upper chest. He licked the area around my areola until it turned reddish, and the moment he sucked on the nipple that had hardened from the stimulation and prodded it with his tongue, my legs jerked.

At that moment, Lee Hyun shifted his weight and mounted my thighs. A heavy heat pressed and rubbed against me, weighing down the throbbing sensation in my lower abdomen.

The fingers that had pulled down my pants also pulled down my damp underwear. Between my wide-open legs, Lee Hyun’s penis rubbed against the skin of my inner thigh. The The dark red glans cast a shadow, and the sensation of it poking me was heavy. Every time the curved tip rubbed against me, I forgot to breathe and watched, then opened my mouth to let out a gasp of air. Sensing my reaction, Lee Hyun kissed my eyelids as if licking them and asked.

“Why do you keep forgetting to breathe?”

“It just happens when I look at you.”

“Then should I not touch you?”

As if he didn’t intend to hear the answer to his rhetorical question, Lee Hyun released the hand that had been wrapped around my waist and pressed it gently between my legs. I felt it slide past my tingling lower abdomen and gently grip my shaft. As the shaft was gently rocked and then squeezed firmly, the sleepiness slowly faded away.

Every time his fingers rubbed and pressed the head, then lifted and touched it again, it felt like a small bolt of lightning flashed before my eyes.

“Ah. Hh…”

“Hm? Don’t touch you?”

He teased, his fingers wriggling, and a pleasure so intense it felt like my whole body was being clenched and then released shot through me. The words didn’t just tickle my ear; they seemed to be booming inside my head. I glared at him with force in my eyes and answered.

“Now, of all… hhh…”

“Now, of all times?”

“If you were going to do this, you shouldn’t have touched me in the first place.”

It felt like my moans would break off every time the angle of his hand changed as it rubbed my shaft and his lowered fingers prodded between my legs. Lee Hyun laughed, looking down at my lower abdomen, which was contracting as if in a spasm.

I glared at his seemingly excited face, then reached out and fiddled with the thick shaft of his penis, which stood erect and twitching by my thigh, almost touching my lower abdomen. The heat, as if even the foreskin had hardened, and the bumpy texture of the veins were transmitted vividly. My hand went down to the root, brushing against his coarse pubic hair before coming back up, stroking and caressing.

His trembling eyelashes were close. Lee Hyun seemed to lower his eyes for a moment before pressing his lips to mine again. His smooth tongue tangled softly, and the sensation of it thrusting deep inside felt like it would blur my vision. I moved my hands again. The moment our breaths tangled, Lee Hyun pulled me towards him, gripping my waist. His penis, which had been rubbing against my lower abdomen, thrust between my thighs, adding to the friction and heat. It was a moment when a ticklish pleasure rose from the brushing contact.

Even after he was slick with precum, Lee Hyun didn’t ejaculate; he clenched his jaw and stopped moving. Only the sound of our breathing remained. My head, dizzy from having just woken up, lolled as I panted for breath. The musky scent was felt deep in my nasal passages. At that moment, the excitement that had washed over my entire body once again swept over me, making me tingle.

As the dizzying pleasure came to a halt, only my panting moans became clear. Lee Hyun, reading my state, asked gently.

“Are you awake?”

“Mostly. You knew I wasn’t fully awake, didn’t you.”

“That’s why I touched you gently.”

Before I could protest and ask when he had ever been gentle, his lips, which had slid over my brow, touched the tip of my nose, then skipped my lips and landed on the tip of my chin. It seemed like an overly ticklish kiss for a situation where we were already naked, having seen all there was to see of each other. The hand that had gone behind my back and was stroking down my spine began to squeeze and knead my buttock, and when Lee Hyun suddenly scowled, I muttered in advance.

“Don’t treat me like a puppy you’re raising.”

“Did you not eat dinner?”

“I did. A lot.”

He didn’t seem to believe me, but his gaze showed none of its usual hardness. It was soft and endlessly gentle. I stared, mesmerized, into those jet-black eyes, then let out a terribly hoarse voice.

Lee Hyun briefly sat up and rummaged through the bedside table. I heard the sound of a gel cap opening and being squeezed. Then I felt a hand leisurely spread my legs, stroking my inner thigh before moving up and pushing its longest finger inside my body. My wet insides, stirred by the tangled pleasure, twitched. The finger, parting the entrance, gently burrowed inside.

Past knuckle after knuckle. As I vividly felt the foreign object slowly making a place for itself inside me, there was nowhere to turn my face. Lee Hyun leisurely observed my expression as my eyes darted around. His own expression was completely pliant, as if soaked in relief.

With my outstretched hand, I fiddled with Lee Hyun’s arm and shoulder, then moved my fingers from his forehead. Over his hard brow bone and the hollows of his eyes beneath. The moment my fingers, after sliding down his long eyelashes and past his cheekbones, dropped lower, Lee Hyun’s hand moved more.

The fingers that were parting my legs pushed a second one in, impatiently spreading and prodding the clinging inner walls.

“Ah, wait…”

“I know. Slowly.”

A wet sound echoed, and the moment I couldn’t hold back a moan, the hand movements that had been stretching my insides stopped. His unejaculated penis continued to poke and rub firmly against my lower abdomen and thighs. When I reached down and took his length in my hand, stroking it, the rich scent of his body seemed to thicken.

Lee Hyun’s brow twitched as he closed his eyes, as if savoring my handiwork. The hand that had been caressing the back of my hand on his penis moved down and spread my thighs wider, rubbing them. After fiddling with my softened, wet entrance with his fingertips, he dug in and got into position. Rubbing himself against every patch of slick skin between my wide-spread legs, Lee Hyun whispered in my ear.

“Do you have work tomorrow?”

“I think… so.”

“You said you didn’t.”

“You knew, so why are you asking?”