I stopped in the middle of putting on the bathrobe Rashanin handed me. When I looked up at Rashanin asking what he meant, he smiled ambiguously.
“I can’t be docile, you see.”
Rashanin tugged lightly at the ends of my hair again. Separate from thinking that pulling hair seemed to be his habit, I couldn’t figure out what expression I should make.
Moreover, after turning someone’s skin into a spotted mess, he was saying he couldn’t promise not to do it next time. What kind of bad guy was this?
“Once is enough for me.”
“To throw me away after sleeping with me once, you’re a bad man.”
Who’s calling who a bad man?! I looked up at Rashanin with incredulous eyes. He was acting like he’d been abandoned with a shameless face.
Fine, I’m a bad man.
“Now you know. I’m a bad man, and I’m throwing you away after sleeping with you once, Rashanin-ssi.”
I retorted terrifyingly.
“My. To say such things to my face.”
“You called me a bad man.”
“Still, I don’t mind.”
“…?”
“Bad men are my type, you see.”
Rashanin bent his waist and thrust his face close. Having a fantastically handsome face right in front of your nose, enough to make you forget even to breathe for a moment, was bad for the heart. His transparent purple eyes sparkled with pleasure.
“You don’t dislike me. Last night was good. Right?”
“…”
I pressed my lips firmly together and didn’t say anything. Just as Rashanin said, I didn’t dislike him. If I had, I wouldn’t have been the first to suggest one night.
“This time I’ll be the one to seduce you. Instead, for your sake—since you’re cautious and conscious of other people’s gazes—I won’t do anything conspicuous. I’ll avoid cameras too. And as I said before, if your boss bites into you, you can say it’s all my fault.”
It was a very specific and attractive proposal. So my heart wavered a bit… no, a lot. All the more so because the man’s eyes were full of laughter.
A sigh came out. I said just once, but what is this? Things really don’t go the way you want in this world.
“Do as you please. I’ll figure it out.”
“I’ll tell you in advance, don’t think about avoiding me. I swear I’ll use any means necessary to keep you by my side.”
This man was a formidable opponent. He was acting as if he could see right through me.
“I won’t avoid you.”
“Good. I’ll give you just a little taste.”
A taste of what? Before I could ask what he meant, Rashanin grabbed my left hand and lightly bit my index and middle fingers. Something soft and moist touched my fingertips, and I was startled and tried to pull my hand away but failed.
In the meantime, Rashanin put my fingers in his mouth and rolled them slightly. Goosebumps rose all the way to the top of my head.
“R-Rashanin-ssi?!”
I tried calling Rashanin’s name at the unbearable sensation, but he paid no attention and stuck out his tongue long, licking my back of my hand smoothly. Like last night, the visual shock of his red tongue exceeded imagination. On top of that, the pleasure from last night reflexively came to mind, and heat rushed to my face. Really, trying to kill someone.
Just as I was about to yell at him to stop, Rashanin let go of my hand with good timing. I hurriedly hid my saliva-covered hand behind me and wiped it vigorously on my robe.
Not just my fingers, but my head felt like it was on fire.
“Your face turned red.”
“Don’t say such things out loud.”
“I may be a lecher, but I’m not a scoundrel.”
The man defending himself by saying he wasn’t a scoundrel really spoke well. But at the point where he’d already turned someone into a spotted mess, saying he wasn’t a scoundrel was a contradiction in terms.
“Oh my, you don’t trust me.”
When I looked at him with distrustful eyes, Rashanin insisted I should trust him.
“Aren’t you too horny?”
“Isn’t it natural for a man to be horny?”
“Still, there should be limits.”
“There are no limits. Of course, everything would need your consent, but I’m very confident about that.”
I had nothing to say. The point was that I just shouldn’t respond to his seduction, but if that were as easy as it sounded, I wouldn’t be in this situation now. Like a well-fed cat—no, like a tiger—the man wearing a satisfied smile exuded a dangerous and alluring atmosphere just by standing there.
It wasn’t that I disliked his charm, but it was like holding a bomb that could explode at any moment. Knowing well that I couldn’t last long without falling for his seduction, the future seemed distant. Damn it. I should have held out for two more days. When I stayed still without giving any answer, Rashanin’s smile deepened.
“Not to brag, but you won’t easily find a man like me. Enjoy yourself to your heart’s content.”
If only he couldn’t speak, he wouldn’t be so hateful. While I was thinking that to myself, Rashanin said he had prepared a meal so I should quickly change clothes and come out, then left. My thoughts and feelings jumped around wildly, making my head dizzy.
Even though I worried, cared, and acted sensitive, one thing was clear. My body and mind were excited by an unknown heat.
*
Sleeping with Rashanin also meant sleeping with a man—a vampire at that. It was a major incident I could count on ten fingers in my life so far. But that didn’t mean the world ended. Everything flowed as usual.
Department Head Kim Cheol-jin generously overlooked the excuse that I overslept due to a hangover, but sternly nagged that I didn’t properly manage my cell phone. And he wouldn’t even hear my plea to change handlers.
Vampire enthusiast Seong-jin sent a text saying that arrowroot juice sold at convenience stores was the best for hangovers. And I carelessly answered a call from an unknown number and got an earful of nagging from my stepmother. My stepmother threw a fit about why I went to Jeju Island in this situation. There had never been a time when I felt so regretful about not being able to turn off my cell phone or change my number.
Due to lack of sleep, I fell asleep on the bed, then repeatedly woke up to Seong-jin’s texts, spam texts, and my stepmother’s phone attacks before falling asleep again.
At the tail end of the afternoon when I felt like I hadn’t slept at all, a call came from an unexpected number.
“Witness questioning?”
According to Gyeongsu sunbae, the police had called about Namsu’s case. He said they notified him that they’d sent a notice for witness questioning. So he called wondering if I’d been contacted too.
“But why are they calling you as a witness, sunbae?”
―That’s what I’m saying. I thought it was strange too, so I asked what witness questioning for a hit-and-run accident. Then they said to come in first. So I said I’m busy with work and it’s hard to go to Incheon, so either talk on the phone or if they come to me directly I’ll meet them, and they said they’d come meet me. Doesn’t something feel off?
“Could it be what Jinchul sunbae mentioned before?”
I recalled what Jinchul sunbae said about how it might not be a hit-and-run accident because of loan sharks.
―I’m thinking the same thing…… But why me.
“Did you contact Jinchul sunbae and Taemin?”
Jeong Taemin was a college classmate and the last investor. He had withdrawn money in the middle for his younger sibling’s hospital bills, so his damages were the least.
―They said Jinchul and Taemin haven’t been contacted yet. Damn it. Why am I the only one for witness questioning. Fuck. If I could at least get my money back, I wouldn’t feel so wronged.
Gyeongsu sunbae, who had a quick temper, huffed angrily.
“When are the police coming?”
―Tomorrow.
“It’ll just be a formal investigation, so don’t worry too much.”
―Who’s worried? I’m just pissed off. Ah, shit. Come out for dinner. Let’s drink. I’m buying.
“Uh, sorry sunbae. I’m on a business trip to Jeju Island right now.”
―These guys. Jinchul’s in Japan and you’re in Jeju Island?
“Jinchul sunbae’s in Japan?”
―He’s on a business trip too. Tsk, what’s with this.
Jinchul sunbae, who worked at a foreign trading company, frequently went on overseas business trips. After consoling the grumbling Gyeongsu sunbae, I hung up and let out a long breath.
Witness questioning. I’d forgotten, but the missed call from an Incheon area code on the night Namsu died bothered me. If that was really Namsu’s call, it would feel strange.
“Haah.”
I sighed deeply and rubbed my cheeks. This was something I’d have to wait and see. I gathered my troubled mind and checked the time. It was past 5 PM. I’d eaten breakfast-slash-lunch and fallen asleep just before 11 AM, so the calculation showed I’d been lying down for 6 hours. But because of the texts and calls that came in between—especially because of my stepmother’s calls—it didn’t feel like I’d slept properly.
Time aside, feeling like sleeping more would be useless, I tried to get out of bed but my waist throbbed, making me involuntarily groan.
“Oof.”
It hurt as if I’d been beaten, and remembering why it hurt made me incredibly embarrassed. When I closed my eyes, obscene scenes flashed in my head. Bad quality 3D images with lewd, wet sounds and vivid sensations. On top of that, remembering licking fingers this morning made heat flush to my face.
