Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 4: "You Said My Lips Are Sexy"

Chapter 4: “You Said My Lips Are Sexy”

After Mrs. Kang left, silence fell over the table with just the three of them remaining.

“Her temperament, as always…,”

Chairman Tae mumbled disapprovingly, then said some comforting words to Eunchae.

“Don’t let it bother you; just finish your meal. You know how your mother is—this isn’t the first time.”

“Yes, Father,”

Eunchae replied quietly, glancing at Lee Joon. He continued eating as if nothing had happened, completely detached from the situation. A lump of emotion rose in her throat. More than her mother-in-law’s harshness, it was her husband’s indifference that hurt and saddened her the most.

Eunchae picked up her glass and drank the water in one gulp, then forced herself to eat the tasteless food on her plate.

***

With the difficult breakfast finally over, the two returned to their annex and hurriedly began to prepare for work.

“Lee Joon,”

Eunchae called softly, holding a necktie in her hand. Lee Joon, who was wearing a vest over his shirt, leaned down slightly toward her.

“Could you lower your head just a little more?” she asked.

At Eunchae’s request, Lee Joon lowered his head a bit more. Even though he was quite tall and had to bend down significantly, Eunchae still had to stand on her tiptoes.

“It seems like you’re growing taller every day. No matter how much you bend down, I still can’t quite reach,” she remarked.

“Or maybe you’re shrinking every day,” Lee Joon replied with a hint of teasing.

At Lee Joon’s playful response, Eunchae playfully glared at him.

“I’m not that short. You’re just too tall,” she replied.

This lighthearted exchange lifted her spirits. She then focused on tying his tie, a moment that always made her feel both excited and a bit nervous.

Outside of their intimate moments, Eunchae rarely had the chance to be close to Lee Joon. He was always busy, especially since he became the vice president of Kumyoung Electronics earlier this year. He had cut back on sleep to spend even more time at work.

That’s why these few minutes of tying his tie meant so much to her. The almost-touching closeness and the tension in the air were moments she cherished.

The feeling of Lee Joon’s breath brushing against the top of her head sent a tingling sensation through Eunchae, making her chest flutter. She had to bite her lips to keep from smiling.

The heavy scent of his cologne teased her senses, and a warmth began to spread in her lower abdomen. Her toes curled as she was swept up in the sensual tension of the moment.

But most of all, it was the way Lee Joon looked down at her, his eyes fixed on her, that made her whole body heat up. A sudden dryness in her mouth left her feeling unexpectedly thirsty.

Eunchae let out a short breath to calm the rising heat inside her as she slid the finished knot of the tie and met Lee Joon’s eyes. His deep, intense eyes held her in place, making it impossible for her to move.

With one hand in his pocket and his head tilted slightly, Lee Joon raised his other arm.

Eunchae’s eyes widened in surprise. Her eyelids trembled as her pupils flickered with anticipation. His big hand moved closer, filling her vision as it approached.

There were moments like this when Lee Joon would gently stroke Eunchae’s head while she was tying his tie, then kiss her. A couple of times early in their marriage, this had led to them quickly becoming intimate.

On one occasion, they were so caught up in the moment that they couldn’t stop, leading to a long, passionate encounter. That day, Lee Joon was late to work for the first time.

Back then, Eunchae was filled with hope that she could build a good relationship with Lee Joon. She believed he was genuinely interested in her, not realizing that his interest was solely physical.

“Are you going to let me go to work like this?”

Instead of the gentle touch on her head that Eunchae was expecting, Lee Joon’s hand moved to his lips, specifically to the scabbed-over wound.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Just a moment,” Eunchae quickly responded.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Eunchae quickly stepped away from Lee Joon to get the first aid kit.

“You bit down hard. Were you that excited?” Lee Joon’s direct comment made Eunchae’s face flush with embarrassment.

“Don’t say it like that,” she replied, flustered.

“Like what? How exactly?” he teased further.

Lee Joon, uncharacteristically playful, teased her with another question. Eunchae, feeling embarrassed, lowered her gaze.

“It’s just… too blunt…” she finally replied.

Lee Joon gently lifted her chin to make her look at him and smiled, laughing a little.

“What we do in bed is much more blunt and wild.”

“Well, that’s…” Eunchae began to answer, nervously.

Eunchae’s face flushed as red as a ripe tomato. She started to say something but then pressed her lips together, overwhelmed by Lee Joon’s presence so close to her. His intense gaze made the hairs on her body stand on end.

“Why did you stop talking?”

His low voice reached Eunchae’s ear and lingered there, warm and thick.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it,”

Eunchae muttered, quickly trying to push the conversation away. Her body was reacting and she didn’t want to continue this exchange. When she dipped a cotton ball in the ointment and brought it to his lips, he shook his head and instructed her.

“Skip the ointment. Just cut a small piece of bandage and cover the wound so it doesn’t show.”

“Ointment will help the wound heal faster,” she replied.

Even when Eunchae tried again to apply the ointment with the cotton ball, Lee Joon refused.

“I’m not trying to treat it; I just want to cover the wound,” he explained, frowning slightly as he added his reasoning.

“I don’t want people making assumptions and gossiping.”

“I understand,”

Eunchae nodded in agreement. Lee Joon was particularly sensitive about his privacy and always concerned with how others perceived him.

Lee Joon’s almost perfectionist self-discipline extended even to physical restraint. On their first night as a married couple, Eunchae was shocked to learn that she was Lee Joon’s first woman. He had never been in a relationship before and had no experience.

‘I’m inexperienced and not very considerate. So, just bear with me.’

Lee Joon’s warning was completely different from what Eunchae expected. She thought it meant he might be clumsy because of his lack of experience, but that wasn’t it at all. It meant he didn’t know how to control himself.

Eunchae couldn’t fathom how Lee Joon had managed to restrain himself all those years. He held her over and over again until she was utterly exhausted, begging him to stop.

The next morning, when Eunchae woke up, Lee Joon was already gone. It was a business trip combined with their honeymoon, so he had left early to attend a meeting at the New York office.

The emptiness and loneliness she felt in his absence was overwhelming. The emotional pain was far worse than the physical pain that made her groan with every movement. It was an incredibly lonely and desolate first morning of their married life.

Despite everything, Eunchae still loved Lee Joon. Even though she knew it was a foolish one-sided love, she couldn’t stop herself.

“Hurry up and cut the bandage. We’ll be late,” Lee Joon urged her.

As Eunchae was cutting the bandage, she suddenly voiced her true feelings.

“But… do we have to hide it?”

“What?” Lee Joon responded, surprised.

“When people see it, they might think, ‘That couple must be close,’”

Eunchae said with a playful smile, looking at Lee Joon’s injury. She didn’t want to hide the mark. To her, the wound on his lip felt like a sign that he belonged to her.

It was a warning to the women who flirted with Lee Joon, telling them to stay away from her man.

“Besides, the cut on your lip makes you look even more sexy,” she added.

Holding the small piece of bandage, Eunchae spoke sincerely. The wound somehow made Lee Joon’s already intense and sharp features seem more subtly alluring.

Then again, this look isn’t something to show others, she thought.

Deciding to cover the wound to keep her husband’s appearance in check, Eunchae was about to put the bandage on Lee Joon’s lip when a cold remark interrupted the moment.

“So, you want me to be on display like a zoo monkey?”

“What?”

Eunchae looked at Lee Joon in surprise, noticing his expression had turned cold and stiff. Realizing her mistake, she quickly tried to explain.

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“I see now who’s being blunt and thoughtless,” Lee Joon responded, his tone icy.

Lee Joon frowned in annoyance, snatching the small bandage from Eunchae’s fingers. He then looked in the vanity mirror and applied the bandage to his wound.

“That’s not what I meant. Please don’t be angry, Lee Joon,”

Eunchae said, feeling flustered and unsure of what to do. It was rare for Lee Joon to show his emotions so openly, especially in anger. This made her even more anxious and scared.

“Lee Joon, I just thought… it wouldn’t be a bad thing if people saw us as a couple who get along well, without any problems. So…”

“Does that mean you think we’re not getting along? Are you saying there’s a problem in our marriage?”

Leaning against the vanity and crossing his arms, Lee Joon asked her pointedly. Eunchae stared at him, feeling as if she’d been hit hard out of nowhere.

Does Lee Joon think there’s nothing wrong with this marriage and their relationship? Despite how precariously their marriage is holding together?

Eunchae didn’t know how to respond, so she bit her lip. She didn’t want to lie and say there were no problems, but she also didn’t want to admit that there were.

“We’re running late, aren’t we? I need to get going too, so I’ll just… Oh!”

As Eunchae tried to avoid answering and turned away, Lee Joon suddenly pulled her back toward him. She lost her balance for a moment, but he caught her by the waist, holding her steady.

“Lee Joon…”

Eunchae squirmed, trying to push his arm away from her waist. But instead of letting go, he pulled her closer, pressing their bodies together.

“Why? Didn’t you say my lips were sexy?” he teased.

Lee Joon smiled slightly as he used his other hand to gently hold Eunchae’s chin. Her small, pale face fit perfectly in his big hand. Eunchae frowned, her eyes reflecting her discomfort.

“If you move too much, you might make the wound worse,” he warned, almost like a threat, as he softly brushed his thumb across her lower lip.

Eunchae let out a soft gasp, reacting sensitively even to the brief touch. Afraid of aggravating his wound as he had warned, she kept still, her lips barely moving.

Lee Joon brushed her lips again, this time pressing his thumb firmly against her lower lip and slowly rubbing it. The pressure from his deliberate touch caused her coral lipstick to smudge.

Lee Joon lightly bit down on the lipstick-stained finger and then licked it with his tongue. His blatant action made Eunchae’s eyes flutter with a small tremor. It felt like he was kissing her directly. Even the sight of him licking his finger seemed incredibly sensual.

“Even if there were problems in our marriage…”

Lee Joon wiped his finger on his navy suit jacket, then gently grabbed Eunchae’s chin and met her teary eyes. His eyes were filled with desire.

Despite the intensity in his eyes, Lee Joon’s expression and demeanor remained calm. It felt as though he was caressing and teasing her entire body with just his gaze.

“You made that choice, Yoon Eunchae.”

When Lee Joon reminded her of the situation before their marriage, Eunchae’s expression darkened noticeably. As he looked into her troubled, wavering eyes, he spoke in a commanding tone.

“From now on, no matter what, don’t avoid me or reject my touch.”