Melting Slow

Sitting in the hotel lounge room, Yeo-min stared blankly out the window. The dazzling city nightscape spread out before her.

‘It’s beautiful.’

In this dark, seemingly endless tunnel she was passing through, if only the choices she made could shine as brightly as the nightscape.

She had been gazing out of the window for what seemed like an eternity. 

Knock, knock, knock.

“Yes,” she answered, and someone walked inside.

Yeo-min rose from her seat and gave a small bow. 

“Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine. Have a seat.”

It was Yoo Hwan who answered, taking the seat across from her. He leaned back loosely in the chair, looking a little tired. Understandably so, considering he had been the lead of the recently completed project. He must have been through a lot during that time.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Yeo-min offered, handing him the menu.

But instead of choosing a menu, Yoo Hwan took it from her and threw it down.

“No. Let’s get straight to the point.” 

His voice sounded almost cold. 

Yeo-min looked determined, deciding to follow his lead and get straight to the point.

“I want you to marry me. It will be a choice you won’t regret.” 

“You’re getting pressured by your grandfather to get married anyway, right? I think I’d make a decent match. My grandfather used to be a school principal, and my father is an executive at a big company. I have a good education and a stable job.”

Yoo Hwan was silent for a while. He seemed to be reflecting on her sudden words before he eventually smiled.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I haven’t even had a beer today. I’m saying this with a clear mind.”

“Interesting. No matter how much of a fool you are, you’d at least know better than to gamble your life on someone like me.”

The smile on his face looked like that of someone pitying a lamb about to jump into the fire.

A womanizer and drug suspicions. 

Considering the rumors that surrounded him, it was understandable. 

“I’m not as foolish as you might think. I’ve heard plenty of rumors about you, but it doesn’t matter to me. I want only one thing. Someone richer than Kim Seung-jae, my ex-boyfriend. Someone who, when Kim Seung-jae hears about my marriage, will make him feel uneasy.”

Yeo-min knew that Kim Seung-jae always saw Yoo Hwan as a threat, an irritating thorn in his side. Objectively speaking, Kim Seung-jae was a charming man, but his only misfortune was being related to Yoo Hwan. 

Without Yoo Hwan, Seung-jae might have risen to the top more easily, but instead, he had grown up constantly being compared to Yoo Hwan. 

Yoo Hwan’s the legitimate heir to the chairman. 

His education.

His looks, his height, everything about Yoo Hwan made Seung-jae jealous. 

Each time Seung-jae lost in his one-sided rivalry with Yoo Hwan, he would grind his teeth in frustration.

Perhaps that’s why, even after beating Yoo Hwan and becoming an executive at Holdings, Kim Seung-jae was still on edge about Yoo Hwan. 

All while Yoo Hwan himself barely even paid attention.

Yoo Hwan. 

Kim Seung-jae’s only Achilles’ heel.

Yeo-Min was determined to marry his only weakness. 

“We can be a typical show-window couple. I can live pretending to be a wife, while you pretend to be a husband. I’ll respect your privacy” she added, her lips pressing together slightly as she tried to hide her nervousness.

In other words, she was offering to be a decorative wife who would let him live as freely as he wanted. It meant that she wouldn’t care if he had affairs, cheated, or betrayed her. She could be exactly what Yoo Hwan needed someone who would give him the freedom he wanted while still satisfying the pressure for marriage.

Yoo Hwan let out a small laugh, clearly intrigued.

“I appreciate your honesty.”

Yeo-min cautiously observed his expression. 

Though he didn’t seem particularly displeased, it was still difficult to read his thoughts. What was he thinking? His picture-perfect smile seemed cold.

What she did today was, in a word, not a romantic proposal, but a ‘marriage offer.’

It took Yeo-Min a long time to find the courage to go through with it today. 

Was this the right path? 

Is it best to make such a crazy proposal. 

But after she saw her family’s betrayal in its entirety, and after hearing Kim Seung-jae criticize her without a shred of doubt, she made her decision. She decided to become as cold and ruthless as he claimed she was. Even if it meant starting a false relationship with the man Chae-Nari so admired and the man Kim Seung-jae saw as his greatest threat.

“Chae Yeo-min, you’re fascinating…”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of tapping on the table echoed in the quiet room.  

Yoo Hwan, lost in thought for a moment, soon rose from his seat. 

At the same time, he tossed something in front of Yeo-min’s table.

“If you have the guts, follow me.”

Yeo-min’s gaze dropped to the unfamiliar object. It was a pitch-black hotel key card, lying on the table. What it meant was clear. 

“Room 8601.”

With that short, sharp statement, he left.

Click.

The door slammed shut, and the room fell silent. Yeo-min stared out at the nightscape, her expression lost in thought. She looked, but her eyes were not truly seeing anything.

Yeo-min sat in silence for a while before finally making up her mind and gripping the key. A few moments later, she stepped off the elevator, took a deep breath, and slowly walked towards Room 8601. When she held the key to the door lock, a soft beep sounded, and the door opened. Walking through the entrance adorned with framed artwork, she felt an unease like she was intruding into someone else’s space without permission. Soon, she reached the sitting area. A marble table with a vase of fresh flowers stood before a vast window displaying the entire Seoul skyline. But there was no sign of the room’s owner.

She glanced around cautiously. There was no sign of life. 

“Are you here?” she called out into the empty air, but there was no response.

It wasn’t as if she could go opening doors to search for him, so she stood by the window, gazing at the night view.

‘Seoul has always been so beautiful. ‘

The city lights flickered. Streetlamps shone like jewels, and toy-like cars raced along the distant roads, guided by the glow of their headlights.

How long had she been lost in the sight.

Deciding to sit down and wait, Yeo-min lowered her hand from the window, turning around, only to find herself face-to-face with an unexpected sight. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Did you enjoy the view?” 

Yoo Hwan was sitting on the sofa, staring at her.

He sat comfortably, leaning back against the sofa, his head resting on his hand, an expression of calm indifference on his face. The tired look around his drowsy eyes seemed to give him a peculiar charm.

“Sit down.”

Yeo-min awkwardly followed his direction and took a seat. She placed her hands neatly on her knees, stealing glances at Yoo Hwan. Through the loose robe, she caught glimpses of his firm chest. A droplet of water slid slowly from his wet hair down to his neck.

An intimate sight, perhaps, for only those who would spend the night with him. 

“Now, tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“You proposed marriage, didn’t you? Shouldn’t you try to convince me properly?”

Yeo-min straightened her back and lifted her shoulders. This was the main part of the real discussion. Seeing his expression change from a while ago, she focused her thoughts. She looked as determined as a job applicant in front of an interviewer.

“As I mentioned earlier, I am confident that I can be the ideal wife you desire.”

“Do you even know what I want?”

“A comfortable person who will guarantee your freedom and not interfere with your private life. I won’t be needy, asking for attention or pestering you for love. You’ve made it clear before—you hate whining.”

“Someone who will give you your freedom and keep out of your personal life. I won’t pester you for attention, I won’t bug you for love. You’ve made it clear before, you hate whining.”

She recalled a conversation they had previously. 

‘Um, Team Leader…’

‘Don’t.’ 

‘What?’

‘Don’t whine to me about it, thinking you’re complaining or seeking sympathy. I can’t stand that.’

Even when she had no intention of complaining, Yoo Hwan had built a wall, drawing a line firmly in the sand. He’d always been that way since they were young. Yoo Hwan was someone who drew clear boundaries around himself and allowed no one inside. Very coincidentally, except for… ‘Young Yeo-min.’ She assumed that even now, he wouldn’t let anyone get close.

Rumour has it that he enjoys casual encounters, but not serious relationships. It was probably because of his upbringing and family environment… Yeo-min guessed. 

She knew about Yoo Hwan’s past and what he hated most, and she wanted to become the kind of wife he’d wanted. Someone who understood the boundaries. A very simple, clean relationship.

“I don’t want love, and neither do you, so if you don’t want to marry because you don’t want to be tied down, then I’ll be the one you deserve.”

Yoo Hwan despised love, and Yeo-min was also fed up with the idea of it. 

“You only have to pretend to love me on the outside. I won’t ask for anything else.” 

“……”

“I just want us to look happy in the eyes of others.”

The truth didn’t matter. If she couldn’t attain real happiness, she at least wanted to fake it—just to escape from being the pitiful, downtrodden Chae Yeo-min she was now.

Throughout her proposal, Yoo Hwan’s face remained unreadable. Yeo-min had no idea what he was thinking. Maybe it was too ridiculous after all. The silence was nerve-wracking. She was about to say something else when Yoo Hwan finally moved.

“A perfect wife in exchange for me pretending to be a husband…” 

He got up from the sofa and slowly approached her. Yeo-min looked up at him, watching as he leaned in closer. His eyes were unreadable, almost as if they were piercing into her depths.

“Alright, how far do you want me to pretend? Even in sex?” 

Yeo-min’s eyelashes fluttered in shock. Before she knew it, she was lying back under his weight, pinned beneath him. 

“Yeah, Chae Yeo-min might just be perfect.” 

A shadow began to fall across her face, and her nervousness spiked. His large hand brushed against her neck, moving slowly across her skin, leaving her whole body covered in goosebumps.

“Good family background, decent education, a pretty face…” 

His fingers, which had been grazing her tender skin, paused near her trembling eyes. As Yeo-min swallowed nervously, Yoo Hwan smiled loosely.

“Those scared eyes are such a turn-on.”

Yeo-min struggled to calm her pounding heart. Just meeting his gaze made her so tense she felt dizzy.

Yeo-min’s shallow, ragged breaths were impossible to hide. The light cast behind him made his figure appear like a shadowy abyss, and the sheer presence of his body looming over her was overwhelming. It felt as though no matter where she tried to escape, she could never get out from beneath those broad, solid shoulders.

“I’m rough when it comes to sex, can you handle it?”

His hand had now traveled to the nape of her neck and was gently rubbing her collarbone. 

“Surely you didn’t make this proposal without expecting something like this, did you?”

Yoo Hwan’s low, sweet voice leaned in closer, and she felt her earlobe nibble slightly, his hot lips licking her flesh.

“I… I did.”

She closes her eyes, feeling frightened as Yoo Hwan’s dark gaze seems to delve into the depths of her being. A shiver runs down her neck, and she feels his teeth biting down on her nape. Her shoulder trembles as his hand moves beneath her skirt, caressing her thigh. The touch, which feels almost burning, gradually advances towards her most intimate areas.

Beneath the rolled-up hem of her skirt, she felt Yoo Hwan’s hand brushing against her stockings. Instead of probing her pussy, it hovered over her underwear and stockings, caressing her as if she were carrying a baby. The slowness of his movements made it all the more erotic. Despite the lack of stimulation, a tingling sensation returned and her pussy began to get hot and wet. She clenched her legs in panic, but his firm grip forced them open again.  

“Spread your legs wider.”

Yoo Hwan’s hand slipped under her skirt and the other slipped between her blouse, deftly undoing the buttons. As soon as Yeo-min’s bra revealed a white upper breast, Yoo Hwan buried his face in it. He kissed the soft flesh and ran his tongue over it. Yeo-min stood on her toes. She’d never felt anything like this. Not even with Kim Seung-jae had she ever experienced anything like this. 

Deep corners that no one else had ever penetrated. The sensation of probing her vagina, clogged with underwear and stockings, with only the fabric above, was erotic and she gagged. His fingertips felt with lewd purpose as he spread her legs wider. To be touched directly by a man was so unfamiliar and dizzying. To be pinned beneath someone, basking in his heat, unable to escape.