I couldn’t gaze into those pretty eyes for long. Soeun reached out to the right and turned off the light. With the darkness deepening, she gained a little more courage.

Soeun fumbled and grabbed his shoulders, pressing down and lowering her body. When her sweet lips touched him, Taejun felt an electric sensation from his fingertips to his toes.

“Why are you like this today?”

As Taejun asked in confusion, Soeun’s spine chilled. Perhaps he sensed something from her awkward behavior.

“…Why?”

Her heart pounded like a fish caught in a net.

“No, today feels a bit different. Do you have something to ask me for?”

“…Where did you get that idea? Why? I’m not particularly good at this.”

Relieved by his response, Soeun quickly dispelled his suspicions.

“It’s not bad.”

“Not bad?”

“No, it’s good.”

“…”

“What should I do? I like it.”

“…”

“It might become a bad habit.”

Even in the midst of vague thoughts about what to do, Soeun felt a slight pleasure in his reaction.

Like a graceful swim on angry waves, the woman who had become aware of how he could feel better moved her body. His dense breath escaped loosely into the darkness.

I love you more than anyone else in the world.

I’m sorry for giving only good things to others. I’m sorry for not being able to give you something better than that.

I gave a part of my body to Yang Hee-wook, who now feels nothing.

I want to give you everything, more than my mom and dad, who gave me the most in my life.

If you ask for my voice, I’ll give you my voice. If you ask for my heart, I want to give you my heart.

So, I’m leaving my heart here.

My beloved, my love.

There will never be anyone like you whom I can love.

“No.”

As if he heard her inner thoughts, he muttered softly. When the surprised Soeun stopped moving, Taejun, as if he couldn’t stand it any longer, quickly got up.

Thump. Soeun’s body sank onto the bed sheet. In an instant, everything was turned upside down.

His patience, pushed to the limit, exploded.

In the revenge on the heart that had been itching all over his body, he moved hastily, as if to scream, but the sound was swallowed up in his mouth.

She had just carefully teased his body. The pressure on her now was incomparable, making her feel stifled. Only rapid breathing echoed in the pitch-black darkness.

In the time she dominated, she had turned off the lights as she pleased, so now it was his turn to turn them on. Detecting him reaching out to the right, even amid the flickering colors, Soeun resisted desperately. But Taejun’s hand was faster.

The yellow light from the bedside lamp came on. Looking down, Taejun belatedly realized what he had done and became vague with regret.
She was crying beneath me.

“Why…”

Taejun was perplexed by her deeply sorrowful face.

“Does it hurt?”

He coaxed her in a gentle tone as if he should comfort her first.

“Don’t cry. I’ll take it slow.”

Soeun nodded her head hesitantly. It wasn’t that.

She didn’t know when she had started crying.

From the beginning to the end, it was tears that had overflowed because she liked him too much.

She kept wanting to say, “I love you,” but she didn’t. She endured it. Worried that someday this man would have a harder time because of those words.

He moved his lips to the spot where tears had flowed. His affectionate lips seemed to drink up her tears and sadness as if he would absorb them all.

Yet, Soeun, who couldn’t stop crying, looked pitiful. Taejun, like giving candy to a crying child after getting an injection, whispered as if putting candy in the mouth of a crying child.

“I love you.”

The words that she couldn’t spit out came out through his voice.

Soeun, who took a deep breath, lifted her upper body and wrapped her arms around his neck. As he was pulled closer, she released her breath into his lips.

Even if what she was letting go now wasn’t just a breath but her life, she would gladly do it as long as it could protect this man forever.

From now on, when he is in pain, when he is sad, when he misses someone so much that it feels like he’s going to die, if today’s breath could protect him forever, she wanted to pour it all out and leave.

The innocent prince, who knew nothing, gave her breath as if he didn’t know the meaning of it, and as much as her breath filled her, he gave his breath to her.

For the first time, Soeun prayed to God. Please protect this lovely man.