In response to Soeun’s request, Taejun changed his words instead of answering.

“I won’t turn on the lights as you wish, so please look at me too.”

“What?”

“Please understand my situation. I won’t be visible to the eye.”

In a warning tone, his voice lowered, causing Soeun’s gaze to shake finely.

He decided to grant only one of her wishes, changing his mind. He wanted to capture her hesitant eyes. Concealing his subtle impatience, he responded.

“Answer.”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then.”

The moment his dark intentions were revealed, the elevator doors opened.

As if catching a hand fluttering in the air, Taejun grabbed Soeun’s hand. Her hand fit perfectly into Taejun’s palm. It was a hand that could be endlessly warm if gentle, or endlessly oppressive if fierce—a hand that inevitably held tremendous significance. Guided by that hand, Soeun took a step forward.

As Taejun opened the entrance door, he let go of Soeun’s hand. Following Taejun’s guidance, Soeun entered the house first.

Click, as the door closed. The large hand that had kindly led her from inside suddenly attacked from behind. One hand wrapped around her delicate waist, while the other hand enclosed her neck and jaw. Although there was enough space, the firm grip and pressure made Soeun feel trapped inside a bronze sculpture.

The entrance sensor light went out. When darkness filled the space, he lowered his head from behind. Lips traced along her forehead and cheek, and then explored her earlobe.

“Ah…”

An involuntary sigh escaped. Soeun quickly covered her mouth. As she moved, the sensor light illuminated the space again.

Despite the light coming in, he didn’t stop. Sounds, both real and unreal, tormented her skin.

“Wait, let’s go to the bedroom…”

“I’m going. Right now.”

His voice poured into one ear. Her trembling, hurried breath escaped between her lips. Taejun, who felt as if he were gripping his heart to death before suddenly letting go, kissed Soeun as if engraving her breath. He released the restraint.

Taejun, kneeling on one knee, held Soeun’s ankles, removing her shoes. The hand neatly arranging her shoes even had an elegance to it. When that hand had just now bound her, Soeun felt a shiver at the contrast between then and now. The light went out again.

When it came back on, Taejun had risen.

“Wait a moment.”

Under the fading light, Taejun’s voice sank with a hint of regret.

A face she could freely touch but not see. She felt she should look at it properly to remember and imagine until the last hazy moment.

Soeun’s pupils were shaking like leaves in the wind. Taejun sighed repeatedly because her transparently swollen pupils were both worrisome and charming.
Having come this far. She said she would accommodate everything. Yet, that is frightening again.

As if comforting such Soeun, Taejun’s hand moved up over her face. His delicate hand wiped away the tears in Soeun’s eyes, gently caressed her cheeks, and then firmly pressed down on her chin. As her lips parted, he immediately lowered his head.

Ha. Before the body temperature touched, the breath burst out first. Taejun covered Soeun’s lips as if capturing that breath. Even in this vague moment, he entwined his breath honestly.

The stickiness was overt, yet it was a kiss that swallowed up her stifling fear with no force. Closing her eyelids, her lost gaze found stability.

The lights went out.

Taejun pushed her further inside to prevent the lights from coming back on.

The large hand that had touched the wall briefly paused near her neck before moving gently upward and then down again. Unlike her, his hand, with a different temperature, was large enough to completely grab her head, as if it could crush anything. But no matter where it touched, it moved delicately as if it would feel good. Amidst this, is it really okay to feel good? Is it okay for me? Can there be such a hand in the world?

Feeling that she was becoming infinitely precious, Soeun felt like tears would keep coming out. Soeun’s arms wrapped around Taejun’s neck. Welcoming the cling eagerly, Taejun lifted Soeun up.

Finally placing her on the warm goose-feather blanket, Taejun asked, “Is this enough?”

Truly an empty darkness. At best, it was an all-encompassing darkness where the only thing visible was the night sky outside, made more prominent by the high altitude, with a faint light scattered like starlight.

At this point, Soeun could also feel relieved.

“Okay.”

When permission was granted with a small voice, sensations returned starting from her legs.

Since nothing was visible, other senses became more sensitive. Moments of stillness were filled with restlessness and trembling. Like electricity being generated at the fingertips, her whole body continued to shiver.

Exploring her reactions to his torment, he hesitated several times before raising his upper body. Surely, nothing could be seen, but somehow Soeun felt like he had been staring at her face all along. It felt as if he were drawing a picture with slow breaths in the black void.