Bad addiction

The conversation of her colleagues automatically replayed in her ears.

“No matter how handsome he is, who would like that kind of personality? Even if they dated, would they even hold hands, let alone sleep together?”

“Last time, our hands brushed slightly when passing a document, and he glared at me like I was some kind of filth. Do I smell or something?”

It was an emergency.

“I’m… I’m sorry!”

Ha-eun instinctively pulled away from Do-jun.

At that moment, the sky roared again with a loud, rumbling thunder.

“Why now, of all times?”

Unable to fight her fear, Ha-eun clenched her hands tightly and endured it.

The deafening thunder was terrifying, making her whole body tremble.

Even so, she felt the need to apologize to Do-jun first.

“I’m not a fan of thunder. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

She knew all too well what kind of person Do-jun was, so she felt anxious.

Just when she thought they had grown closer, it felt like the distance between them had widened again.

She didn’t have the courage to meet Do-jun’s gaze, imagining the cold, disdainful look in his eyes.

As expected, she and rain could never get along.

“Are you okay?”

“…What?”

“You don’t just dislike it, do you?”

She had been trying to steel herself against any harsh words, but instead, a calm voice reached her ears.

“I actually find it scary.”

Ha-eun quickly continued, feeling like she wouldn’t get another chance to explain herself.

“Of course, that’s no excuse for making you uncomfortable…”

“Do you want another drink?”

“…Huh?”

She hadn’t expected that response at all.

Ha-eun swallowed nervously and looked up at Do-jun.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?”

Ha-eun hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

“If you’re trembling that much, how do you plan to leave? I’ll stay with you until the thunder stops.”

“You will?”

“Yes.”

Before she could even process his words, Do-jun had already responded.

It was hard to believe this situation. Instead of pushing her away in annoyance, he was offering to stay with her.

Still in shock, she just stared at him as he turned away.

“If you don’t mind, let’s go.”

With that, he walked away with long strides.

She didn’t know what he was really thinking, but all she could do was follow him.

⸻

The place Do-jun led her to was a lounge bar on the same floor.

Feeling relieved that they weren’t sitting face-to-face, Ha-eun settled into a round chair.

“There are a lot of cocktails and whiskey options. Pick whatever you like.”

Do-jun slid the menu toward her so she could see it more easily.

“Thank you.”

It was a small gesture, but it made Ha-eun’s heart flutter a little.

As she checked the menu, she saw that Do-jun was right—there were plenty of options.

Since she didn’t frequent places like this, she had no idea what to choose.

Not wanting to waste too much time, she simply picked the cocktail with the prettiest color.

A little while later, the bartender placed a mysterious, shimmering pink cocktail in front of her.

“Enjoy.”

After Do-jun’s drink arrived, they lightly clinked their glasses in the air.

As soon as Ha-eun tasted her cocktail, she frowned.

“Mm?”

The alcohol was much stronger than she had expected.

Since it was pink, she had assumed it would be sweet, but she was way off.

However, as it went down, a creamy sweetness followed, making it surprisingly pleasant.

The refreshing body of the drink quickly erased the initial bitterness from her memory.

As she tilted her glass for another sip, Do-jun gave her a concerned look.

“Are you a strong drinker?”

“I can drink a little.”

“Then take it slow. The sweeter a drink tastes, the faster it gets you drunk.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Clink.

Ha-eun set her glass down and absentmindedly traced the thin stem with her fingers.

“Why is he looking at me like that?”

But all her attention was on Do-jun.

From the moment they entered the lounge bar, she had felt his gaze on her hand.

Of course, it could have been her imagination.

She could just turn her head and check, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

One thing was certain, though: just the thought of his gaze made her body warm, and she felt strangely nervous.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe she was just embarrassed, but her cheeks were burning.

“Get a hold of yourself, Seo Ha-eun.”

Taking a deep breath, she decided she needed to wrap this up quickly.

She reached for her glass again, ignoring Do-jun’s warning, and drank half of the cocktail in one go.

That’s when he suddenly asked,

“Are you seeing someone?”

Her heart dropped.

Her pulse pounded so loudly she worried he might hear it, so she tried to calm herself down.

“Why do you ask?”

Do-jun slowly stroked his chin.

“Because I feel like tonight, any question will be allowed.”

As he spoke, his gaze went straight to her hand.

So she hadn’t imagined it.

Still, she didn’t want to read too much into it.

It was probably just a random habit of his, but Ha-eun still felt herself blushing.

Thankfully, the dim lighting helped hide it.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

She hesitated.

If she stayed silent, it might seem like she was seeing someone.

It was silly, but she hated the idea of him misunderstanding.

So she spoke up.

“I’m not seeing anyone.”

Because I like someone.

She swallowed the words before they could leave her lips.

She had been harboring this one-sided love for so long, yet she still couldn’t say it.

Feeling frustrated, she instinctively reached for her cocktail again.

Clink.

Just then, Do-jun’s large hand grabbed her slender wrist.

It was probably just to stop her from drinking too much.

But even such a simple touch sent strange sensations through her body.

Since she had never seen him make casual contact with others, she couldn’t help but wonder.

“Are you trying to get drunk?”

“No, I just like the taste.”

“If that’s the case, order something with a lower alcohol content.”

“No, this will be my last one.”

She forced a smile and gently pulled her wrist free.

The air between them had suddenly become tense.

After a brief silence, Do-jun spoke again.

“Can I ask you for a favor?”

“A favor? What is it?”

Hearing the word favor from him felt strange.

She looked at him with wide eyes.

“Your thumb. The mole on it.”

“My thumb?”

“A mole?”

She lowered her gaze and examined her thumb.

For the first time, she noticed a tiny mole she had never paid attention to before.

She absentmindedly rubbed it with her index finger.

“I never realized I had a mole there.”

“But I always notice it.”

“You do?”

“So… can I touch it?”

“W-what?”

The atmosphere grew even more unusual.

“The mole. I’ve always wanted to touch it whenever I saw it.”

She had no idea how to respond.

She still couldn’t understand his intentions.

Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment before slowly extending her hand.

“Then… go ahead.”

Since this would probably be the last time.

That thought made her act in ways she normally wouldn’t.

Do-jun’s deep black eyes focused on her thumb.

Even though he had only looked at it, she was already nervous and breathless.

Then—

Thump.

His large hand completely wrapped around the back of hers.