Once Love Begins - Chapter 8. Part 1

Chapter 8. Part 1

“Oh, so you had a meeting with Professor Kim,” she acknowledged.

“Yes,” he confirmed, deeply engaged in his conversation with Hana, unaware of the turmoil brewing within her.

Their eyes met briefly, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had feelings for her. His look seemed intense, hinting at a desire she couldn’t ignore.

Arrogant, possessive, and implacable, she imagined he wouldn’t let her go even if she begged. But she knew it was just a fantasy, so she swallowed hard and drank the water in front of him.

Unconsciously, Hana became excited. “I thought you forgot to buy me something delicious,” Hanna said.

“No, of course not. I promised to treat my wife’s friend,” he replied casually.

If he had an appointment with the professor, he should have gone to meet him. She knew he didn’t wait for her on purpose.

Her breath caught when she saw Jae-ho sitting across from her. His expression was unreadable.

If he hadn’t stopped her, she could have gone to her favorite tteokbokki restaurant and treated herself.

“You said you were Ms. Hana, right? Thank you for that, too,” he acknowledged.

“You’re welcome. When my friend gets drunk, I feel obligated to help,” she replied. Yeon Woo couldn’t believe his smile. He was showing Hana a side of himself she had never seen before.

His smile wasn’t exclusively directed at her, causing a twitch in her lips. Despite the occasional gentle look he gave her, he appeared to lack genuine happiness.

“I’ll ask for your help next time,” he added. He left her feeling unsettled.

“Yeah. Don’t worry, you and I will get along perfectly.”

At Hana’s words, Jae-ho’s lips curled, and she broke out in a cold sweat, knowing that things between him and her were not normal. She couldn’t look at the food for fear that Hana would find out too.

She just wanted the time to pass quickly. She felt her shoulders tighten. 

“You know how Yeon-woo becomes more affectionate and smiles when she drinks? Well, me and Jae-ho mark her perfectly.”

“You can tell me anything you want to eat,” he said.

Why is he suddenly acting like this when he hates wasting time the most and can’t even be bothered to have dinner with her?

At first, she was pleased by his fake affection, but after being married to him for more than two years, the accumulation of hurt has dampened her feelings about his actions.

Sure, it hurt sometimes, but not as much as before. With no expectations, there was less disappointment.

She avoided meeting his eyes, not wanting to witness his fake sweetness or Jae-ho’s knowing stare. Instead, she played absent-mindedly with her fingers.

“Yeon-woo,” Hana exclaimed.

Silence followed.

“Ha-Yeon-woo!” she reiterated.

“Huh?” she responded, confused.

“What do you call each other?” she asked again.

“What?” she replied, confused.

Three pairs of eyes focused on her, waiting for an answer.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, feeling nervous.

“What do you call each other?” The question persisted.

“Um…” she hesitated.

“A term of endearment?” Hana suggested.

They never used endearing names for each other, so she hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“Baby? Honey? As a married couple, you should have a special name for each other,” someone suggested.

“Oh, I just call him by his name,” she replied, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment at her lack of creativity.

Naming him seemed like the safest option. She wasn’t very good at lying, so her blush deepened unnecessarily.

“Hot?” someone teased, noticing her embarrassment. She pretended not to hear, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and feigning concern. His stare intensified.

“No,” she said, closing her mouth quickly to avoid further embarrassment.

“I want to hear about your first kiss. I’ve asked Yeon-woo many times, but she never answers. Who initiated it? And where did it happen?”

She knew they meant no harm, but it was still an awkward question. She gave one of them a warning look, but he seemed drunk from a single glass of wine.

She couldn’t believe that he was a soju drinker and still tipsy from wine.

“Yeon-woo made the first move,” he explained, taking a deep breath. She slowly turned to look at him while Hana and Jae-ho stared at him in surprise.

“Just kidding,” he quickly added, and Hana and Jae-ho visibly relaxed. But she remained as tense as ever.

“Actually, Yeon-woo kissed me first, and then I kissed her.?” His words surprised her.

She had never seen Cha Kang-jae smile like that before, and she felt embarrassed for not knowing this side of him. Technically, his statement was true; she was the one who had impulsively kissed him first, and then he…

“Do you know that Yeon-woo is very popular?” she asked, changing the subject.

Her shoulders tensed even more this time. With each passing moment, her resentment towards him grew stronger.

“Really?” he asked, his tone revealing her doubt.

“Of course! Didn’t a senior confess to you not long ago?” Hana said, unaware of the discomfort her words caused.

“Senior Joo Chan? Is he still bothering you?” she added.

She wanted it all to stop. The urge to escape overwhelmed her, and she stood up abruptly, attracting their attention.

“I need to use the bathroom,” she said, almost sprinting away.

One of them followed her as she washed her hands with cold water. Suddenly, a smile appeared on their faces as they playfully punched her in the forearm.

“I was worried because you always seemed hesitant to go home, but I guess I shouldn’t have been,” Hana teased her.

Her heart pounded with frustration. She was expressing her love for them and her jealousy.

“He loves you so much,” she said. Her envy was obvious.

As Hana stomped her feet and screamed inwardly, she wondered if she should be grateful for her friend’s ability to see the truth that she couldn’t. Should she appreciate her unwavering love, even though she is skilled at lying?

She continued to run her fingers through her neatly arranged hair. Then she heard Hana yelling at her and left.

The look in his and Jae-ho’s eyes is strange. She shouldn’t have left them alone. She regrets it.

The atmosphere was strange; she wondered if Jae-ho had said something to him. She sat down nervously, and Jae-ho and Kang-Jae looked at her.

Her mouth was on fire at the thought of what their words might have been.

“If you’re done eating, should we go?” Kang-Jae said.

He urged her to get up, but she did not seem to want to get up.

“Why are you hiding that you are married?”

“Huh?”

She asks Jae-ho with her eyes why in the world he would ask such a question, but he turns around to look at her.

“…….”

She doesn’t say a word; she just stares at Jaeho with a curious expression.

“Why are you such an idiot?” she exclaimed, frustration evident in her voice. “Did you not notice how Yeon-woo never talks about his family? He’s always afraid of stirring up trouble, so it’s probably something along those lines, don’t you think?”

“Ugh, yeah,” Jae-ho grunted, feeling a pang of guilt at her words. He could only nod. The truth was that the reason she hadn’t revealed her marital status was due to the circumstances of her marriage.

I had not told him because he did not ask, and now I was glad I had not.

“Come on, let’s go.”

He urges her to get up, and she reluctantly does. He goes to pay the bill.

As they were leaving the restaurant, they bumped into a woman who had come in. 

“Huh? What are you guys doing here?”

“Hye-yoon?”

Whenever they crossed paths, they exchanged greetings. Hye-yoon didn’t need to say a word to sense that she didn’t like her.

Hye-yoon’s disgust was written all over her face. She grumbled, “I came here to eat; why else would I be here?”

Hye-yoon’s expression softened.

Kang-Jae finished paying and stood next to her. She looked at him, wondering.

“Who is he? Is he your boyfriend?” she asked.

Hana understood what Hye-yoon was hinting at. However, Hye-yoon’s failed attempt at deception was obvious.

Hye-yoon’s looked at Kang-Jae’s clothes and expensive things.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Hye-yoon pressed, noticing his silence.

Hana and Jae-ho looked at each other in confusion, waiting for Yeon-woo’s answer.

Kang-Jae appeared curious and waited for her response.

“He’s my brother,” Yeon-woo’s finally replied.

“Huh?” Hye-yoon seemed surprised.

“He’s a relative,” she clarified, avoiding eye contact.

Hana noticed that Jaeho’s eyes returned to her, but she kept them lowered.

“Yes,” she added, forcing a smile.

Jae-ho, we’re here because Yoon-woo’s relative’s brother invited us for a meal, right, Jae-ho? Hana said.

“Yeah,” Jae-ho responded.

The side of her face stings. She looks at him, and his smile narrows. He can’t be called her husband. She leaves Hye-yoon behind and gets into the elevator. The elevator ride is silent. No one spoke.

“I’ll take you home.”

“I’ll stay with my friends a little longer. You go first.”

“No, we should go home.”

Although her friends invited her, she felt powerless. Someone grabbed her wrist, and though she looked at him, silently urging him to release her, he only tightened his hold.

“We will talk about it tomorrow. Goodbye, Yeon-woo! Thank you for joining us for the meal!”

Hana waved goodbye, but she didn’t have a chance to do the same. She glares at him as he gets into the driver’s seat, feeling like they’ve been played by the palm of his hand.

He gets into the car but doesn’t start it. He turns his head to look at her and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Are we related?”

“…….”

“Am I related?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t, I can’t… Heh!”

He pulls her by the nape of the neck and kisses her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. He explores the inside of her mouth.

He explores every corner of her mouth with his tongue, then slows down to gently caress the top of her mouth. If she tries to hide her tongue, he opens her mouth as if to punish her.

He takes it in his mouth and s*cks hard. She choked as he s*cked so hard that she wondered if he was going to pull out the root of her tongue.

She wasn’t choking, but rather concerned that someone might see them in the car. Her lips parted at the same time.  

“Do you do this with your brother?”

She looked at his stained lips, suddenly worried if her lips were stained as well. He moved closer, and she took a step back, but it felt useless, like trying to escape from a confined space. 

He kissed her harder on purpose, and she couldn’t stop him. His angry eyes stared at her. She closed her eyes, unsure if she could handle the intensity of his kiss.

The hand that had been on her cheek moved down and grabbed her chest. She opened her eyes, startled.

Her breath caught in her throat as she asked what was so alarming. He quickly slid his hand under her skirt.

She brought her legs together, but his hand was faster.

The sound of tearing stockings filled the air. She was speechless. She trembled like a rabbit caught by a hunting tiger.    

He asked, “Have you ever tried having sex in a car?” Then, he slipped a finger inside her torn stocking and rubbed it over her panties.

She bit her lip hard to prevent it from tearing up. He pressed their foreheads together and looked into her eyes, then whispered weakly.

“Do you want to try?”

“You’re a pervert! Get off me!” she exclaimed, pushing him in the shoulder.

His eyes were unreadable as they fell on the back of her trembling hand.    

“I want to get out!” she demanded, but the car continued to move.

“Stop the car now!” she yelled, but it didn’t come to a stop.

She looks at him as he passes her and fastens her seat belt. She grabs the seatbelt like it’s a lifeline and waves it around, and he smiles. 

“Are you sure you want to do this? I’d love to, but I don’t have much time. Perhaps we can arrange for a more suitable time?”

She turned her head away from the window, refusing to speak to him.

‘Did he have sex with her?’

She watches as he looks at her hand once more before dropping his eyes, but she stares at the window like a broken doll. The car ride was quiet until they reached home.