Chapter 24
Come to think of it, my wrists were fine too. After moving to the bedroom, we had played with my hands tied with the robe’s waist tie. But no matter how I turned both hands this way and that to check, there wasn’t even a faint bruise mark from the pressure. What a professional.
While massaging my wrists that showed no trace of last night’s transgression as if it were a lie, there was a part of me that felt somewhat disappointed. To feel regretful that no traces of sex remained… it seemed like I’d become a different person overnight.
Even without marks left on my skin, I had muscle soreness like last time. It was the pleasantly aching pain that comes after exercising with higher intensity than usual. Thanks to that, I had slept deeply for once, and as hunger set in, my appetite returned. I felt like I was living properly. I just wanted to carry this feeling a little longer.
I called up his saved contact and typed a message.
《I’m thinking of ordering room service. What’s the staff recommendation?》
I threw off the sheet covering my naked body and carefully stepped on the floor with a somewhat fearful heart. Perhaps because we mainly chose doggy style, surprisingly I didn’t feel any particular muscle pain in my legs.
Just as I was about to step toward the bathroom, ding, a reply flew back immediately as if he’d been waiting only for my contact.
《If there’s any menu you want, just say anything. I’ll talk to the kitchen.》
Why go that far…
《Isn’t that a kind of abuse of power too?》
《We do that even when staff family members visit.》
Isn’t he staff himself? Ah, regular employees with lower positions than him?
《I’m not Lee Han-ssi’s family though. Just recommend something from the room service menu.》
《How about grilled mackerel for Korean food? It comes with seaweed soup and will be filling.》
《That sounds good. I’ll try the recommendation then.》
Since the messages that had been arriving immediately seemed to be taking a bit longer this time, I took my phone and moved to the bathroom. Even while brushing my teeth, my gaze kept flickering to the phone I’d placed on the sink.
Come to think of it, even though my mouth had probably been forced open for over 30 minutes, there was no problem with my jaw muscles either. With foam around my mouth, I turned my face this way and that in front of the mirror, repeatedly opening and closing my lower jaw. Then the radical acts that had taken place in this bathroom belatedly came to mind. The space that had been an elegant suite bathroom transformed in an instant into a stage created for sex.
Ding. At the notification of an arriving message, I picked up my phone with the hand not holding the toothbrush.
《It would be nice to eat together, but I have a business lunch scheduled so I probably can’t make time during lunch. That’s a shame. That room won’t charge you for accommodation or room service costs even if you go to the front desk. So you can just leave the key in the room when you go. Should I send my car unless the company is picking you up? It would be awkward going out of the hotel alone in broad daylight. Your outfit is too much of a party dress too.》
So that’s why it took longer – sending such a long message.
I imagined the large frame pressing phone screens to send messages during work hours. Then I made eye contact with myself grinning in the mirror. Was he also looking at his phone with this kind of face at his office desk?
I rinsed the foam from my mouth with water, wiped my lips with a towel, and walked toward the bathtub. I threw the used towel into the empty bathtub and typed a reply again.
《No, I can contact the company. Thank you for your consideration.》
《I’ll contact you at this number from now on. Is that okay?》
《Yes, I’ll wait.》
I’ll wait.
I repeated writing and deleting that last sentence a few times, then sent it as is since it seemed more ridiculous to be conscious about it.
He seemed quite skilled at handling this situation – the situation of the day after sleeping with a stranger. The world was full of bastards who said they loved you while treating you like shit, so there could be people who treated you courteously even if you weren’t romantic partners.
Right, what could be bad about it? Even if just a bed partner, a kind guy was obviously better than a rude one. I wanted physical domination in bed, but I rejected guys who were domineering outside the bed too.
I entered the shower booth and entrusted my body to the warm stream of water. While my eyes were closed, I felt as if his rough kiss was opening my lips and penetrating. Despite having sex until I was so exhausted last night, surprisingly my member reacted.
■
“Hyung has never done this before. Do you know how worried I was?”
Jaewoo’s nagging started before my butt even properly touched the back seat.
“Sorry. I ended up drinking with a friend and it turned out that way.”
“It wasn’t with Taeyoon hyung though. Was it with that friend from Italy you met at the Knox Hotel event last time?”
“Ah… uh… right, yeah.”
I could feel Jaewoo’s presence observing my face through the rearview mirror. Pretending to have fatigue remaining from drinking late into the night, I massaged my nape and shifted my gaze outside the window. Nothing came into view except the dreary underground parking garage scenery.
“Did something happen at Director Kang’s house by any chance?”
Jaewoo asked cautiously.
Going underwater without even answering calls. Usually when that happened, I was with Taeyoon, but this time it wasn’t even that. Literally, I was doing things I didn’t normally do. So it wasn’t unreasonable for Jaewoo to speculate that something had happened in Pyeongchang-dong.
I took off my jacket and threw it on the side seat, then buried my body deep into the backrest and closed my eyes.
“It wasn’t really anything… I just felt a bit down.”
“CEO said to bring you to his office. Is it related to that?”
“To his office?”
My eyes opened again.
Jaewoo nodded greatly while facing forward as he exited the curved section of the hotel’s underground parking garage. Once we completely left the parking garage exit, the early summer afternoon sunlight was bright outdoors. Even seen through the heavily tinted windows, the light was white and abundant.
“Should I contact him that you’re coming right now? Or do you want to stop by home? I did bring clothes for you to change into.”
Jaewoo glanced back and pointed behind the driver’s seat. Come to think of it, there was a shopping bag placed in the legroom of the passenger seat.
“From Director Hwang Sooyoung’s side… there’s no contact, right?”
“She said she’d contact you within two weeks. There’s still time so we should wait more.”
Even while saying that, tension could be felt in Jaewoo’s voice. It was quite different from last time when he was excited that becoming a Hallyu star would just be a matter of time if this casting succeeded.
Driving slowly downhill, as soon as we left Knox Hotel’s gate, we had to stop at the first traffic light. Both of us were silent for a moment.
It wasn’t even the early stages of casting. At the point where only one role’s casting remained, two weeks was unusually long for making a final decision after auditions. Either they intended to see more auditions from other actors before deciding, or the audition content wasn’t quite satisfactory enough for a refreshing decision within a day or two… it was probably one of the two. Either way, it wasn’t a very hopeful situation.
Still, only two days had passed so I wanted to hold onto hope. For some reason, I had lingering attachment to this audition. It was an exceptional case for me, who had never shown greed for specific roles and just accepted incoming work in order. It wasn’t just because work had been cut off for half a year.
Jaewoo spoke carefully once more to me as I rummaged through the shopping bag on my knees.
“Should I visit the director once and pay my respects? To ask for your consideration. Or maybe CEO could directly treat her to a meal…”
I shook my head.
“It would be useless.”
“The female lead from the last work, Jeon Gyueun-ssi. I heard her representative also had a meal with Director Hwang before casting?”
Since I’d only talked with Director Hwang twice in total, I couldn’t say I knew her well. It was also true that she didn’t give off a particularly clean atmosphere. If I had brought wine on audition day, she probably would have gladly accepted it. Even so, it seemed like she wouldn’t have gotten the role thanks to that wine.
If someone had treated her to an expensive meal and then she got the role, wouldn’t it have been a role she could have gotten even without that meal treat? It was just speculation based on two meetings, but that speculation was hardening into my personal conviction.
I unbuttoned my shirt while half-heartedly listening to Jaewoo’s voice reciting the entertainment history Director Hwang had received so far, collected through hearsay from here and there. After completely taking off my top, my gaze went to my wrists once more.
I wish marks had remained.
I gripped my wrist like someone feeling soreness. The pulse that I normally didn’t notice was beating clearly there.
■
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
