Thrilled by Madness (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3

When So Yeon asked, Seo Jun’s deep-set eyes narrowed slightly.

It meant “just keep doing that.”

Up close, Tae Seo Jun had smoother skin than most women. Beneath his high, straight nose, his vivid lips were strikingly red even without anything applied.

Even this man’s eyes were beautiful. It was partly thanks to his long, thick eyelashes, but his exceptionally dark irises carried a mysterious hue, as if filled with quiet sorrow.

Her gaze, which had been exploring the face of this man who lacked a single flaw, soon turned toward the entrance of the hall. So Yeon cautiously spied on the woman who was still standing motionless like a statue.

“Let’s go.”

“Uh, where…”

Seo Jun suddenly stood up and grabbed So Yeon’s wrist.

“My room.”

“But I still…”

It was a waste to leave the remaining cocktail, and she hadn’t even touched the gambas yet. While So Yeon hesitated, feeling a little regretful, Seo Jun pulled her arm and urged her.

“If you’re short on drinks, we can have more upstairs together.”

Seo Jun casually walked past that woman with So Yeon in tow, left the bar, and stopped in front of the elevator. While waiting for the doors to open, the man’s arm wrapped around So Yeon’s waist. Feeling a sudden chill on the back of her head, So Yeon instinctively turned around.

At that exact moment, her eyes met perfectly with those of the unknown woman.

“Ah!”

Seo Jun pulled So Yeon close by the waist and stepped into the elevator, then pushed her back against the hard wall. What happened next was instantaneous.

“Don’t be startled.”

With that short warning, Seo Jun lowered his head deeply.

“!”

Their lips overlapped without a single gap. So Yeon’s eyes widened in shock.

The posture looked convincingly like lovers, but their joined lips only lightly brushed the surface. Yet at that moment, So Yeon couldn’t do anything and no thoughts came to mind. It was because an electrifying thrill, like being shocked, completely bound her body and mind.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Seo Jun pulled away and took one step back.

“……!”

When the support she had been leaning on moved away, So Yeon’s legs wobbled as if she might collapse. Just as she was about to lose balance, a strong arm quickly reached out and pulled her waist back in.

Holding So Yeon tightly with one arm and bracing the wall with the other, Seo Jun asked,

“Are you all right?”

“I’m not all right…”

Her heart had almost burst—how could she be all right!

His resonant voice was extremely polite. So if that made her feel even more flustered, did that mean she was the abnormal one?

“N-no, I’m fine.”

As So Yeon stammered, Seo Jun flashed an elegant smile, gently wiped her moist lips with his thumb, and stepped back.

The spot his fingertip had brushed burned hot. Without realizing it, So Yeon bit her lower lip hard.

The elevator doors opened smoothly on the VIP floor.

They had been in this enclosed space for less than a minute. Yet to So Yeon, it felt as distantly long as years.

“U-um, I’ll get going now.”

When Seo Jun, who had stepped out first, turned around, So Yeon bowed slightly as if saying goodbye.

His kiss had been meant to show that woman, and the plan had succeeded. So there was no longer any reason to stay with him.

Through the narrowing gap of the closing doors, she saw his handsome brow furrow deeply. A short encounter like a 30-second commercial. So Yeon blankly watched the doors almost fully close, feeling this might be the ending between her and Tae Seo Jun.

“Wait!”

Seo Jun’s long arm suddenly shot in through the reopening doors.

[This is the timeline separator]

Perhaps his words about still having things to say had worked. Pushed by his inescapable persuasion, So Yeon found herself inside the room in no time.

“If you’re doing this because I helped you, I’m really fine.”

While Seo Jun closed the door and turned around, So Yeon spoke awkwardly from near the entrance.

“I’m the one who’s not fine.”

Perhaps from the effort of bringing her here despite her trying to leave, the man’s chest heaved with a deep breath.

“I can’t just let you go like this. Give and take. Let’s do as we first agreed.”

“Even if I say I won’t accept anything?”

“There’s nothing more uncomfortable than owing someone when you should pay them back. Besides, you kissed my cheek first, didn’t you.”

“That was only to help you!”

He hadn’t said a word earlier, and now he was bringing up that peck? Feeling a bit wronged, So Yeon raised her voice slightly.

“I’m not blaming you for that. Didn’t your kiss mean you agreed to the deal I proposed? I’m just saying we should settle accounts properly.”

“……”

So Yeon’s heart wavered back and forth.

She wanted to stay with Tae Seo Jun a little longer, but she had an anxious feeling that if she did, her whole life might suddenly turn upside down.

Perhaps because that fear was fully reflected in her greatly shaking eyes. Seo Jun, watching So Yeon’s expression, led her toward the sofa in the spacious room.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding—I’m not that kind of person.”

Seeing him say it like this, he must have been quite offended.

“It’s not because of that…”

Sigh, whatever.

Giving up resistance, So Yeon let out a long sigh and plopped down on the sofa. Whatever the scary reason was, it now felt like fate she could no longer refuse.

But no matter how plush the sofa, to So Yeon it was clearly a bed of thorns. Just being in the same space as Tae Seo Jun was confusion itself.

“I really don’t think this is right. At most it was brief skinship—so calculating that with money feels even stranger. And it’s so sudden I can’t think of anything.”

“Then since you’re already sitting, so think slowly. If you ponder carefully, I’m sure at least one thing will come to mind.”

“Well, I wonder what that would be.”

“I’m curious too. What you’ll end up wanting.”

She did try thinking as he said. But no matter how much she racked her brain, nothing particular came up. Only the scene of kissing Tae Seo Jun kept replaying endlessly.

“Honestly, what did I even do? I don’t think you need to feel burdened.”

To calm her still-racing heart, leaving quickly was the priority, so So Yeon started to stand up.

“I’m really fine, so I think it’s best I head back now…”

“If you leave right now, it might put me in a slightly difficult position.”

With a polite gesture, Seo Jun seated So Yeon back on the sofa and persuaded her in a calmer tone.

“Ah… I didn’t think of that.”

If she rashly left the hotel, she might run into that woman again. Only now understanding his deeper intention in bringing her here, So Yeon acknowledged her shortsightedness with a small nod and quiet voice.

“Then do you want me to stay in this room a bit longer?”

“If possible, I’d like your help with that too.”

“Since I already stepped up to help anyway, I’ll stay a little more before leaving. I do have at least that much loyalty.”

Seo Jun made his request flexibly without forcing, and So Yeon accepted his second favor as well.

“You must have been quite flustered today—thank you. I’ll definitely repay you. Shall we have a drink first?”

“Sure, why not?”

The suite with a large living room and two bedrooms was quite spacious. While So Yeon slowly looked around the luxurious interior, Seo Jun asked,

“Your name?”

“Eom So Yeon.”

They were only now doing the basic introduction. After the peck and the kiss, no less. It was because of the sudden request and blindly helping, but somehow a sense of camaraderie had formed in the process.

Exchanging glances, Seo Jun and So Yeon both let out a soft laugh at the same time.

It was a smile tinged with excitement.

Taking wine from the minibar in the dining area, Seo Jun removed his jacket and looked at So Yeon approaching him, gently narrowing his eyes.

“Take that off too.”

So Yeon, about to sit at the table where light snacks were placed, froze with a startled face. His words had sounded far too direct.

“Huh? Take what off…”

His eyebrow and lips twisted along with his lips in a smirk that said “as if.”

“I mean the long boots. They must be pretty uncomfortable after wearing them so long.”

“Ah…”

I thought he meant something else.

A mix of embarrassment and relief crossed So Yeon’s startled expression as she took off her boots and changed into the slippers Seo Jun handed her.

Sitting across from Seo Jun at the table, So Yeon felt the current situation was utterly unreal.

But the lingering sensation of their first kiss on her lips was anything but unreal. A man who seemed possible only in the most fantastical dreams. The fact that she had kissed Tae Seo Jun was still burned on her lips and pounded in her chest.

Feeling somewhat shy about that truth, So Yeon took a sip of wine. Yet she couldn’t shake the feel of his lips from her mind.

But why had his lips trembled? What was that moist gaze soaked in melancholy? Was it the pain of a breakup? Had he parted with that woman but his heart didn’t want to? Was he pretending to be fine to keep the sorrow from growing, when actually it was unbearably painful?

In the moment their lips touched, So Yeon had strangely felt all of that, and she wanted to comfort even a little of his sadness.

It would only be for an hour or two, but gladly.

The low chandelier lighting and indirect lamps heightened the winter night’s atmosphere. Moreover, this was a hotel room—inevitably stimulating. A man and woman alone in such an environment was the perfect condition to awaken even nonexistent desires.

Though the room air was a bit cool, as they continued tilting their glasses Seo Jun grew warm and undid the top button of his shirt, removed his cufflinks, and rolled up his sleeves.

Realizing she had been staring dazedly at even his minor wrist movements as if they were a movie scene, So Yeon unnecessarily touched the back of her neck and turned her gaze elsewhere.

The large frame on the wall was an erotic masterpiece brimming with mysterious golden hues.

So Yeon carefully parted her closed lips.

“Is that painting real?”

“Would the one in the Austrian palace be hanging here?”

“Ah…”

Of course not. How stupid of me.

Feeling awkward, So Yeon slightly puffed her cheeks in a pout. Seo Jun glanced at her face and let out a soft chuckle. At that instant, So Yeon’s phone on the table vibrated briefly.

[So Yeon-ah, I’m dying to know the audition result but I can’t bring myself to ask. Still, I’ll ask— you’re not wandering around this late at night because you got rejected, right?]

Having roughly seen the message that appeared on the screen, So Yeon hesitated for a long time, unsure how to reply. In the meantime, the phone rang.

“Answer it.”

“It’s my friend. I can call her back later.”

So Yeon completely turned off her phone—there was a good reason she ignored Yeo Do Sun’s contact.

Yeo Do Sun was a passionate fan of Tae Seo Jun.

Because of that friend, even So Yeon knew Tae Seo Jun’s entire history from debut until now by heart. So if Yeo Do Sun found out she was with him right now…

She wouldn’t believe it even if told, but no matter how close they were, today’s events had to remain a secret.

“It’s getting very late—don’t you need to contact your parents or family, Eom So Yeon-ssi?”

Seo Jun said slowly, raising one eyebrow slightly raised.

“My parents are abroad. My older sister is a workaholic and has no plans to return from New York, and my younger older sister married early and settled in Jeju. So I live alone. Meaning I take care of everything myself.”

“Then you could stay the night? I’m only saying this because there’s an extra bedroom.”

“……!”

So Yeon’s eyes wavered.

They had drunk wine and it was very late, so it was probably out of consideration—but her heart still dropped. This kind of fluttering was a first for her. Without thinking, So Yeon answered,

“Then can I have more wine? Actually, I’m in the mood to drink a bit.”

Seo Jun stared briefly at the empty bottle, brought a new one, and refilled So Yeon’s empty glass.

“You seem to have something weighing on your mind—drink a little more and then rest.”

He was quick to notice. What more needed to be said. So Yeon gulped down the contents of her glass. But as the alcohol piled up, the events of the afternoon she had tried to forget kept resurfacing, making her mood gloomy.

Her large eyes reddened.

It looked like tears might roll down any second, yet she stubbornly held them back. He could tell she was on the verge of crying from whatever upset her, but he didn’t know why his own heart ached.

No—actually, Seo Jun did know.

Even though they had met for the first time today, she didn’t feel like a stranger at all, and he felt a strange urge to be anything for her.

A warm impression that could melt even a frozen heart, and beautiful on top of that. What man could just watch a woman like her cry in front of him. She seemed unaware that unintentional seduction was the hardest to resist.

Seo Jun’s right arm twitched.

He quickly clenched the hand that wanted to reach out to her against his will.

It was true he had needed help at the bar, but there had been no need to bring her to the room. Offering comfort to the woman who had followed him here without knowing that…

He had to restrain himself.

At least for tonight.