45

I woke up feeling like a whore. I had suckled on someone's thumb. Worse? I had enjoyed it. At this rate, I'd voluntarily hand myself to HR. Execute me. Behead this bitch for doing something so stupid.

For the first few seconds after the horrendous recollection, I couldn't dare to see if Jungkook was still there on the floor, sleeping.

He was gone. Thank goodness.

My head peeked behind the settee, eyes slowly scanning the entire room like a hawk. Mi Na was still passed out, starfishing into the bed. Mr Seo was sleeping with his butt up in the air too. The balcony window had been opened and the cool air of the early morning was rushing in. Jungkook. He must have done that.

I gulped, making sure I wasn't hallucinating that he wasn't there. He was nowhere.

I pulled the covers off myself, my hand clamping my mouth. The existence of my lips felt foreign. I blinked at the tube of lip balm on the table and muffled a squeal.

What do I do? What the hell do I do?

Wait. Bo Ah.

I gasped, my hands flailing to the pillow to find my phone. I threw the cushion to the floor, hands trembling as I dialled her.

She was a corporate jerk. She had to be awake by this time. It was eight in the morning. Please be awake, you bitch!

It was like my mouth didn't belong to me. The sensation of his thumb was unfortunately not a dream. It was fucking real. I had royally fucked up. Royally.

"Whaaaaaaaat?" Bo Ah yelled through the phone, clearly frustrated that I had interrupted her sleep.

The phone nearly slipped from my fingers when I dashed towards the bathroom. I had to hide somewhere before this man fucking found me. My plan was to pack my things and leave this resort. That was the best I could do. My throat scratched and I really needed water. I cleared it for the millionth time, pushing the tap on the sink open so that the noise drowned me out to anyone outside.

"B—Bo Ah, I fucked up. I fucked up, Bo Ah—"

"You did what...?" She groaned in her bed voice.

I felt guilty calling her but this bitch had one job. She had to listen. My life was topsy-turvy. The cactus was deeper in my butt now. The least she could do was listen to my life falling apart. Audience it.

"I had his thumb in my mouth!" I tried to whisper into the speaker.

"Huh...?"

She hadn't heard me.

My eyes closed. Fuck. I was all alone in this hell. Bo Ah was proving to be useless.

"Whose dick was in your mouth...?"

"Hah?!" I snapped at the same time that the shower curtain was roughly pushed aside.

"What are you doing here?" Jungkook said.

"Whoaaaaa!!!!" I screamed so loud that my phone slipped and fell into the sink, water filling it within minutes. The screen blanched as I screamed louder and shut the tap off. "No, no, no, no! My phone!"

The screen blanched again and my heart failed.

Not my phone. Not my fucking phone!

I heard the shower curtain slide away and the wet steps of the monster behind me. The thumb monster. My body prickled, hearing the soft steps he took towards me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My face was heating up faster than an oven. Damn it! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

I slapped my phone aside and ran the tap, splashing water on my face so fast that half of the water fell on the bathroom floor and the front of my t-shirt. Cool off Haerin, please.

"Look at me."

Oh god. Oh god, he was ordering me to look at him! Kinda hot, honestly but holy moly. His voice was so deep and needy. As if he would cry if I didn't listen to him.

I turned, trying to square my shoulders, "I—I thought the bathroom was empty—"

My eyes slid to the naked man in front of me. Only a towel—his navy blue towel—was wrapped dangerously low on his waist. His body was slick with the soap, soft remnants of half-washed foam on his chest. He smelled of that body wash again. Just like he did last night. The fuck was this man trying to do?

I lifted my face to match his eyes. He was staring. Not looking. He was staring. So deep and hard that I feared he was pyrokinetic. His hair was wet, strands sticking to his forehead and the side of his face. My fingers twitched, holding myself back from pushing them back to clear his countenance. His lashes were soaked too. And the water had somehow made his eyes dewy too. His mouth opened, chest struggling to inhale fully.

"You—you didn't lock the door!" I tried to move away from him, the floor making sure I looked stupid enough. My foot slipped. Not in the way that would make me slip and die. Just a small stumble.

Just that.

But his hand shot out as if he had been waiting to grab something. The other hand was already around my jaw, steadying my face. My face was cold against his warm hand.

And when this motherfucker grabbed my arm it was so hard that it felt like he was marking his skin on me or something. I was half-mad at him for gripping me so hard but I was more startled at how needy he looked there.

"Do you want to die, Miss Kang..."

My eyes flew wide.

The way he said Miss Kang. He slurred it. As if he was tasting my name too. Oh goodness, this man!

Or wait. Was he still drunk?

My face was bombed with heat all over again.

"Why didn't you lock the door if you're using the bathroom?" I snapped again, undoing his grip on me. His fingers shook as they let go. "Oh god, are you a pervert who wants to be seen naked...?"

"When you say it like that..." He pressed his temples, hiding his face behind his veiny hand.

When I say it like that WHAT? What the hell was the end of that fucking sentence?!

I backed into the sink, shaking from the water droplets, gliding down my neck.

His gaze found them rolling down my skin into my t-shirt.

"Pervert!" I covered my chest when his eyes wouldn't stop sliding down. "P—Per—"

"Fuck. S—Sorry," He exhaled, looking at the ceiling and then at me. "Miss Kang, about what happened last night,"

My heart stopped. Oh, the talk. The talk. My brain was not prepared for it. It was about to explode. I gripped the sink tighter, my gut clenched hard.

"We both were drunk." He began.

"It didn't mean anything. I know." I cut him off.

I couldn't hear him say that to me. Not after looking at me like he was about to make me steak and eat me. So I clawed at it first. Then maybe he'd step back from the embarrassment.

"No." His eyes saddened a bit, making me question if I said the wrong thing. "Fuck. I mean—I—you don't feel dirty, right?"

"Dirty?" My voice fell to a frail whisper.

What was he asking? What the fuck was he saying?

"How the fuck do I say this?" His trembling fingers tore through his hair, eyes haunted as they remained pinned on me.

Say something you fucker!

"I hope you don't feel violated, that's what I want to—"

My eyes narrowed, "What? Then that would mean I violated you too! Did I violate you?"

He blinked. His throat bobbed. Then, his eyes caught my lips, water beading down his chest so powerfully that I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

I stumbled back into the sink. "I—I'll step out. I'll leave you—"

"No, wait." He stepped closer, hand already reaching for me as if he had no control over it. His chest pressed me into the sink. I was tempted to touch his chest because of how glowy his skin looked. His finger found a stray strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear, slowing down as he slid the same finger on the edges of my jaw. My senses were thwarted when drops of water from his hair splotched on my t-shirt. I pushed at his abdomen.

"You're dripping all over me, you menace!" My quake sounded so weak. As if I wasn't even mad at him.

I saw his lips almost twitch but his eyes never left me. He reached for the spare towel kept aside and handed it to me.

I clutched it with both my hands, patting my face with it.

"I'll wait outside. Freshen up, Miss Kang."

What was wrong with this bastard? Why was he talking like I was holding him by a leash? Like a dog master. Was he masochistic or what? And why the hell did that make my knees weak?

"But—but you're soapy," I pointed dumbly at his chest, my voice still shaking from just standing there, "You need water. Wash up."

I blinked at his chest and then back up at his eyes.

There it was again. That weird look.

It made him look drunk. Did he smoke weed or something?

"You missed a spot." He took the towel from me and softly patted the side of my face, his movements so careful as if he was afraid to break whatever he was doing. He bit his lip and my mind died a bit.

Oh fuck me. Oh god. What the hell was happening?!

"So soft again..." His words slipped.

I knew that he didn't mean to say that because his eyes shot wide and so did mine when I looked at him, terrified. What was this man? What the fuck was this man?!

I separated him by pushing at his wrist. He stalled, mouth opening when he looked at the t-shirt sticking to my chest. My shoulders caved, blinking at whatever the fuck was happening there.

"Eyes up here, Aquaman!" I snapped, making him look away, guilty and ashamed.

"You're not wearing clothes, you bastard." I insisted. "Do you want people to see that outside? I'll wait. You can wash up. And lock the door. Perversion is an offence." I said, with my body still shaking from the heat of how close he was.

Once I was out the door and the door shut, I landed on my knees.

Shit. I left my phone inside. I forgot about my fucking phone. I forgot everything with him that close. Chop me to pieces for this.

I bolted out of the bathroom like a ghost was lathered in soap and chasing me. My knees barely held up as I stumbled back into the room, snatched my bag, and started throwing my life into it.

Don't look at him. Don't think about him. Don't remember the towel. Don't remember the thumb. Don't remember the "soft, dangerous" whisper. And don't think about the fact that it was turning me on.

I yanked at my shirt so hard I almost ripped the collar. Changed so fast I could've set a Guinness World Record for Fastest Woman to Avoid a Man.

"Why's your face so red?" Mi Na sat up, rubbing her eyes, starfish hair everywhere.

Great. Sea creatures were up. First, that forbidden Aquaman and now a star-shaped fish.

"Soap allergy," I squeaked.

She blinked. "Soap… allergy?"

"Yep. Happens when soap…touches my face."

Face? Really, Haerin? Face? Well, it could be called 'face' in a universe that calls someone's glowing and wet chest 'face'. Oh my god. Oh my terrible life. I was having sexual thoughts about that bastard. It felt illegal. ILLEGAL.

My mind was corrupting. My battalion was at stake!

"Anyway! Towel!" I fumbled, grabbing to catch the towel I had kept aside.

Behind me, I felt him walk in. The air shifted—thicker, warmer, like the room had suddenly gotten smaller.

I held the towel to my chest, hunched over like I was prepping for the Olympics. My hands shook. My ears burned.

He moved behind me, so close I swore I felt the heat of his skin. And then just when he could move anywhere closer, I turned and started into the bathroom to freshen up. No point even looking at him.

It took me more time to freshen up than I usually would. Because my body was in a seizure. I was shaking too much as if I had been electrocuted by live wires or something.

When I packed for this trip, I never once considered that I'd regret carrying my sexiest denim jeans and cute pink tube top to it. Because as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, changed, I was ready to run away. Jungkook located me. He was drinking coffee that was brought in while I was rethinking my life in the shower.

His eyes widened. And I saw that pervert checking me out.

It was quick. Almost too practised. Just a quick once-over. Bastard pervert final boss.

I lunged for my bag, huddling for my shoes, bent over, tying the laces like I was on a timer.

But. As all backside buttish things happen. He hovered over to me with ease as if that wasn't the most outrageous thing he could have done in that moment. The coffee cup was still in his hand. My brain was already melted cheese when I heard the thump of his boot on the floor.

My heart panted, fuming red as I felt his heat conductor ass body corner me out. Again.

"Your bag strap is twisted," his voice was quiet, restrained.

"I'll twist you," I muttered under my breath, jerking away so hard I almost toppled sideways.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him pause. His jaw flexed. His hand dropped back to his side, his knuckles pale.

Seo groaned on the floor like a dying buffalo. "Water. Anyone… water."

Jungkook's shadow fell over me as he extended a bottle toward me instead.

I glared at it. "I'm not thirsty."

He didn't reply. Just left it on the nightstand where I'd have to see it.

My chest tightened. My throat was dry. I refused.

We shuffled out of the room with the others. I stuck to Mi Na's side like she was my emotional support pet. Jungkook trailed behind, silent, but I could feel his eyes drilling holes into the back of my head.

Outside, everyone was waiting with their bags next to the bus that we were supposed to load ourselves into. I tried to keep a safe distance from Jungkook but it turned out that my attempts were making people notice faster that something was wrong. So I bit my teeth down, standing there next to him when he leaned sideways, closer to my ear.

"Come with me."

My eyes flicked to his car parked some feet away.

"Do you think I'm suicidal?" I snapped, "Your car? No! I'd turn myself in before that happens."

He exhaled uneasily, offended by my rejection. I saw his jaw shift, eyes trying not to look at me but he did. And when his lashes lowered to my bated chest, I threw my back at him. No way was this bastard going to enjoy my body with his eyes. I would kill him before that happens.

Once people started getting inside the bus, I saw Jungkook try to get in too. Like a nasty bug through my open window. No smarty pants. I was smarter.

I ejected him from the bus with a push, blocking his path with my human shield body. "What are you trying to do? You have your car. Go to your car."

I glared.

He stared harder.

His eyes were brown and sun-kissed like wands of wheat in a field. And I wanted to die all over again.

"I need company." He answered, low and cracked a smirk to show me that he was enjoying the look on my face.

Mr Seo and Mi Na looked confused but they decided to agree as they headed inside the bus, deciding to wait for me near the driver's seat instead.

"No—I—I know what you're getting at. Stay away from this bus." I growled, stepping back to feel the metal behind me.

He smirked, "I guess I don't have a choice."

"What?" I jerked when he bent lower and threw me over his shoulder like I was a sack.

My stomach hit his arm and I cried out desperately, "This—This is corporate harassment!" I screamed as he began climbing the bus. "My discussion is slipping! I'm not a suitcase, you bastard!"

My mind exploded when the crowd started howling at the top of their lungs. I wanted to jump off and die somewhere. I hid my face in my hands, screaming and elbowing his back to fight back but this man was made from the base rocks of a mountain.

"J—Jungkook!" I harshly whispered. "This is humiliating—"

He showed me off to the crowd like a wrestling champion. "This is for the thigh strength test!" Then I felt his head turn and lock eyes sideways as he whispered, "And this way I can see you."

WHAT—?

My face burned. I was about to smell like steak because I had been burning in the face since last night. I was cooking myself at this point.

The men jeered, the women cheered and my soul left my body because it couldn't take it anymore.

When he finally landed me in a seat, my head swung to the right. He held my face till I was sure I knew how to hold the weight of it. Our eyes aligned. His fingers were slightly trembling around my jaw, thumb dangerously close to where it had been the night before.

Wands of wheat. Sugary honey. That's what his eyes looked like to me in that hellhole of a bus. His eyes adjusted to my mouth, his lips opening as if that was some kind of invitation. The shadow of his thumb fell on my lip and my body jerked. I smacked him away, fast and deliberate.

He stepped behind, victoriously. His fists closed tightly beside his thigh.

He took the seat directly behind me, his knee bumping the back of my seat every time he shifted. Deliberately, I was sure.

"Hey," Mi Na looked at Jungkook, "Why didn't we leave together the way we came?"

Exactly!

My head whipped too, curious to hear the answer.

Jungkook's eyes shifted to me with that same weird glare, kind of intense look. "I want company."

Huh. Lame. I turned ahead again. Liar.

Mi Na stretched, yawning. "You're really quiet today, Haerin. Did something happen?"

"Nothing! Nothing happened. Not a single thing happened last night. Nothing. Ever." I laughed way too loud, then slapped my own mouth.

Mi Na raised a brow. "Okay…"

I leaned against the window, pretending to nap. The glass fogged with my breath.

Through the faint reflection, I saw him.

Jungkook.

His eyes.

On me.

Not moving. Not blinking. Just burning.

Showers started pouring outside the window. It was officially raining into the season. I stared outside the window, pretending that Jungkook wasn't keeping up with me like a fucking stalker.

It wasn't long before all of us dozed off on the bus. We were tired. Exhausted. Drunk. Ashamed. Guilty. A lot of things.

My phone was working but I could see the signs of it collapsing sooner than it should have.

And some cheap wacko decided to play I Know You Know by Empires.

It was deliberate. I knew it was deliberate, and I knew that Jungkook had a hand in whatever this song was about how the guy romantically confesses how it feels to have tasted this girl until she climaxes.

I sat there, my body responding more weirdly than it should have.

I felt his knee nudging my seat as if to make sure I didn't forget anything. He was awkward, too but he wasn't backing down. He wasn't talking about how that was a mistake or the fact that he regretted it.

Did he not regret it?

I was passing out in sleep and waking up the entire time through the ride. Once the hours had passed and we finally reached Neureva's parking, I groggily sat up, trying to fix my hair. My head was already heavy from the nostalgia of the trip.

Mi Na swung her bag over her shoulder, half asleep as she stood up, ready to leave. I slid outwards, ready with my bag to my chest when some bastard from the crowd yelled.

"Jeon! Pick Miss Kang up for the final stroke of revenge! Round two!"

My heart stopped and I shrank into the seat.

"No, no, no, no! Don't you dare, Mr Jeon! Don't you—"

There he stood.

Tall. Dark. Above me. Looking down at me like I was a prey caught in his trap. He was going to have a steak dinner tonight—oh this fucker.

He didn't even feel anything.

One second, I was shrinking back; the next, he scooped me up princess-style this time like I was some task he was waiting to get over with. I screeched, "You stupid stupid man! Put me down! Put me—MY GOD!" My fists pounded on his chest. On the soft fabric of his sweet-smelling shirt.

He walked down the aisle, carrying me like the weight of me didn't even matter. Like this was some scrap picking competition. Like my pumpkin face was what he wanted.

Outside, it was pouring. The smell of the mud hit me, and a gust of wind almost flew my top upwards but the princess-carrier caught my waist to keep it covered.

I curled up, squeezing his shoulder. "Don't you dare step outside. Don't—"

He leaned closer to my ear, eyes hooked into me like he'd never look away but with that bastard energy still alive in him. "I don't regret tasting you. I'd beg for it again if I have to."

Dead.