Just a moment ago…

Was it an illusion that Kim Eun Sae looked like a different person without her glasses on?

Had his brain gotten screwed up from reading too many romance manhwa?

Joo Kang Hyun returned to his seat with a trembling hand holding a coffee cup.

Something felt off so he glanced at Kim Eun Sae. Through those stupid glasses was a pair of tiny eyes.

The romance webtoon he first drew came to mind.

The male and female leads in that webtoon…had a very childish setup.

Wearing thick coke-bottle glasses, they would transform into handsome and beautiful characters when they took them off. They were leads with a childish cliché that wasn’t commonly seen these days.

Then why were those characters coming to mind when he looked at Kim Eun Sae…?

Joo Kang Hyun frowned. Maybe he had seen it wrong.

Though he had drawn those characters, logically speaking, such things were just comic troupe, not something that could happen in real life. It was absurd to think that one’s beauty could be obscured by mere glasses.

* * *

He was immersed in work again…

“Author Joo, I’m sorry,  but I really need to work overtime today.”

Eun Sae spoke in a serious tone as if it were a significant matter, unlike her usual self.

Joo Kang Hyun snorted at her ridiculous formality.

“…If you say so.”

Was it because Kim Eun Sae kept insisting Christmas was special? For some reason, he didn’t want to be alone today either.

“Only for an hour.”

“…Yes.”

With conditions attached, he finally felt at ease.

However, after about 30 minutes, a strange noise caught Joo Kang Hyun’s attention to turn his gaze.

“…What are you doing?”

There was a bottle of wine on Kim Eun Sae’s desk.

“It’s Christmas… Can’t we have a drink, author Joo? We’ve never had a company gathering…”

“What kind of nonsense is this…”

Joo Kang Hyun furrowed his brow in irritation. But Eun Sae paid it no mind. She even brought a wine opener and started pouring the wine.

Ugh…

Joo Kang Hyun’s insides were boiling, but he kept his mouth shut when she brought up Christmas.

He had never once celebrated Christmas. When living alone, he didn’t have the mind for it, and after he started working, he was always busy.

Only memories from his childhood remained… sneaking away to cry.

Every Christmas, seeing people passing by laughing as if it was the happiest day in the world and hearing carols on the streets – all of it irritated Joo Kang Hyun.

Alright, just one more hour.

With that mindset, Joo Kang Hyun accepted the wineglass Eun Sae offered him.

And precisely 3 hours later…

Joo Kang Hyun sat at the table, cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

Across from him sat Kim Eun Sae in a similarly drunken state.

On the table were not one but five more bottles of wine that had been gifted for Joo Kang Hyun, opened in addition to the bottle Eun Sae brought.

Joo Kang Hyun wasn’t one to enjoy drinking. It wasn’t that he had a low alcohol tolerance, but rather, he seemed to get drunk quickly thanks to his good mood.

Eun Sae was the same. In truth, she had brought the wine as an excuse to engage him in conversation about how she had been a long-time fan of his work.

By telling that she had been a devoted fan for a long time and knew he always cherished his readers, she thought it would move him.

If his heart weakened, she planned to make a move on him.

Kim Eun Sae was actually an expert in unrequited love.

She had always been prone to developing crushes on others. However, this was the first time she had experienced such intense affection for someone. It was also the first time she had liked someone for over a year.

If a new assistant were to be found, she would have to quit without finishing her handover.

She didn’t want that. If she had to quit someday…she wanted to have a short memory with Kang Hyun.

It might be a little insidious, but she felt like she could live with that one memory for the rest of her life.

Even if her one-sided love wasn’t reciprocated, at least it would leave a precious memory for her.

That’s why she planned to make her move, but… she didn’t expect to get this drunk. Eun Sae tried her best to hold onto her spinning thoughts.

Fortunately or unfortunately, author Joo seemed quite drunk. His flushed cheeks looked adorable.

While sharing various stories about their works, Eun Sae hesitantly raised another matter.

“And author Joo, back then… I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. I got confused between my secret work-in-progress and…”

“….”

Joo Kang Hyun gave her a pitiful gaze and spoke.

“Despite sending the wrong one, it seemed like you genuinely put effort into it.”

“… H-How did you know?”

“I can tell by looking.”

I even reread it hundreds of times.

Joo Kang Hyun succeeded in swallowing his latter words, but unintentionally, others slipped out.

“I’ll read chapter 2, so draw it.”

“Really?!”

Damn it…

Joo Kang Hyun bit his lip hard, regretting the words that sprang from his mouth without passing through his brain due to the alcohol.

Eun Sae jumped with joy. Seeing her delighted expression annoyed Joo Kang Hyun, making him want to pour cold water on her.

“That male lead… is a slave.”

“Yes?”

“He looks like me.”

“……”

Eun Sae was startled, covering her mouth.

So it is.

Joo Kang Hyun felt curious. What exactly was so great about him in this woman’s eyes? His appearance, money, things like that?

“Kim Eun Sae, what is it about me that you like so much?”

“…Um…”

“I’m curious. What makes you like me so much?”

“Uh…well…you see…because…”

Eun Sae hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“First of all, your face is totally my type. Your height and body are what I envision as my ideal type. Normally, tall guys tend to be skinny like a stick, but you’re not. Your physique is well-built, and when I see you from the side, you have… um… a ‘broad’ chest…”

“……”

He didn’t want to hear these kinds of words.

His face distorted as he glared at her. Yet Kim Eun Sae shamelessly continued speaking.

“Your face is really… the angles of your jawline are like a work of art. Your nose, when seen from the side, is no joke either. Did you have surgery, by any chance…?”

“…No.”

“I thought so. I can tell just by looking. Author Joo, you’re a natural beauty.”

“…….”

Stunned, Joo Kang Hyun regretted asking in the first place.

“And there’s more.”

“Enough. Stop.”

At this rate, she seemed ready to talk all night so Joo Kang Hyun cut her excitement. Eun Sae immediately wore a gloomy expression.

For some reason, he felt irritated, and his mood soured. Joo Kang Hyun really wanted to pour cold water on her.

“Did you draw those pictures of me, then?”

“…Yes?”

“I guess you have a lot of strange imaginations about me.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“…”

Damn… It was just a random comment.

To think it was actually true.

Just thinking about how he was being conceptualized in that bizarre woman’s head made him feel queasy. Goosebumps rose, and something churned within him. D*sgusting? Anyway, it was a similar sensation.

So, does this woman want to sleep with me?

Joo Kang Hyun frowned and averted his gaze.

He had just seen a pair of small eyes twinkling behind the glasses. It was eerily unsettling.

Joo Kang Hyun had no intention of getting involved with anyone, especially not with a coworker. And Kim Eun Sae had no s*xual appeal at all.

That dumb face and terrible fashion sense.

Today especially, the thick cardigan she always wore irritated him.

“Why do you wear such clothes, Kim Eun Sae?”

“This cardigan?”

Where had she picked up this old-fashioned thing? Did she have eyes or not…Joo Kang Hyun shook his head.

“My grandmother personally knitted this for me.”

“…”

“Isn’t it cute?”

“…Well, yeah. It’s cute.”

Joo Kang Hyun clamped his mouth shut. He couldn’t say anything more.

“My grandmother is good at knitting. I even have a sweater made with the same yarn at home.”

“…That sounds nice. It was made with care and effort.”

“Yes, hehe.”

Hearing her foolish laughter, Joo Kang Hyun felt a deep sigh welling up from within.

“Now, go home.”

It was already past 11 p.m. To loosen up like this just because it was Christmas…

Joo Kang Hyun tried to send Kim Eun Sae away, regretting his actions today.

However…

“I…I don’t want to go…”

“…”

“Can I stay, author Joo? If I leave now, I might sleep on the street…then I’ll freeze to death…”

Eun Sae began to plead desperately.

He should have expected this from the beginning…

Joo Kang Hyun sighed, feeling a throbbing headache.

“I have to come back tomorrow to finish the deadline too…if I freeze to death, I won’t be able to work, right author Joo…?”

He should ignore her…he should firmly reject her. But her mention of having to return tomorrow to meet the deadline strangely shook him. Yes, the deadline was more important, for now.

“…Sigh. Go to the room at the end.”

It was a room he had prepared when he first started seeking assistants. In front of the entrance, there was a guest room with a small bed and a wardrobe.

But he had never let anyone stay there. It was just prepared in case assistants needed it.

Without any support, Kim Eun Sae walked wobbly toward it. He had no intention of supporting her.

When they arrived at the empty room, he was about to open the door and tell her to sleep there…

Bump.

Suddenly, Kim Eun Sae grabbed onto his waist and hung on.

“Can’t you let go?”

“Ugh, author Joo…”

This is really…

Kim Eun Sae, heavily intoxicated, tightly grabbed onto his waist. Her grip was no joke. Joo Kang Hyun was taken aback by the daring position of her hold.

Since earlier talking with Kim Eun Sae about that damn 19+ webtoon, his c*ck felt like burning. His erect*on still hadn’t subsided. 

As he pushed Kim Eun Sae away with force, something swiftly brushed between his legs.

Cold sweat formed on Joo Kang Hyun’s forehead.

Kim Eun Sae slumped to the floor but instantly raised her upper body.

“A-Author Joo… just now… I think I touched something.”

“…….”

This damn…

Anger surged through Joo Kang Hyun from head to toe. Meanwhile, Kim Eun Sae’s eyes sparkled behind her glasses.

“Author Joo, you’re… standing! S-Should I… should I take care of it for you?”

“What…?”

Is she out of her mind?

Joo Kang Hyun was creeped out by the woman hanging onto him. Kim Eun Sae, who had suddenly approached, grabbed onto his belt and clung tightly.

“Ah, just once, author Joo! Just once, okay?”

“You damn…Won’t you let go?”

Even as he shook his leg, Kim Eun Sae stuck to him like glue and wouldn’t let go. Her cheeks were flushed bright red beneath her glasses from the alcohol she had consumed.

“I-I can do it well…”

“For f*ck’s sake, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Yes, what?”

“What I mean is, how the hell do you plan on getting rid of it? I have absolutely no intention of having s*x with you, so let go.”

“Ah, no… Just let me… let me do it with my mouth… Only with my mouth.”

Does this woman have no shame?

He couldn’t understand how she could say such things. It was as if she had been waiting for it.

“…….”

More than that, he felt like he was losing control as his impulsive thoughts began to take over.

…Yeah, it was because of the alcohol. Joo Kang Hyun began to undo his belt. Seeing this, Kim Eun Sae abruptly stood up.

Was she scared now that he was actually asking for it? Just as he was about to snicker, Kim Eun Sae urgently spoke.

“Wait, just a moment, author Joo! Please wait a moment! I’ll go brush my teeth!”

“…”

His mind went blank at her words. In this situation, her consideration of his obsessive-compulsive disorder left him dumbfounded.

F*ck… What am I doing right now?

His legs weakened, and he plopped down onto the bed. As a moment of self-reflection washed over him, Kim Eun Sae burst into the room after finishing brushing her teeth.

And then…

Click.

“……Why are you locking the door?”

Joo Kang Hyun asked with a frown.

“Yes? No, it just… locked by itself.”

With an unbelievable excuse, Eun Sae hurried over to him in case he would soon change his mind. And without an ounce of shame, she knelt between his legs.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I… I’ll give it a try.”

Eun Sae said with a strong determination.

Ha…

Joo Kang Hyun, with a “whatever happens, happens” mindset, placed his palms on the mattress and leaned his head back.

Rustle, rustle.

He could feel a touch on his pants’ buckle.

Maybe because of the alcohol, even the slightest stimulation made his body twitch.

Gumi: Such boldness of the fl (?o?;)

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