Chained by Expectations | Park Sunghoon

Fourteen (M)

The guest house was silent, except for the occasional rustle of leaves outside. Haneul, wrapped in the sheets, lay in bed, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts that refused to settle. Despite the exhaustion tugging at her, she couldn't bring herself to sleep.

A couple of hours had passed, and the room was steeped in a deep, hushed stillness. Unbeknownst to Haneul, on the other side of the bed, Sunghoon was struggling with the same restlessness. The proximity of the person next to him was both a comfort and a torment. His thoughts swirled with unspoken question, hesitating on the tip of his tongue like an unresolved chord.

Sensing that Haneul, too, was struggling to fall asleep, Sunghoon sat up, his back against the headboard. He stole a glance at her, seemingly pretending to be asleep, but the air in the room was thick with unspoken tension. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, the internal struggle evident on his face.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Sunghoon finally mustered the courage to voice the question that had been lingering since dinner, an unspoken weight pressing on his chest. "Did Jake see you naked?" he asked.

Haneul's eyes shot open, her heart pounding at the unexpected question. Sitting up abruptly, she turned to face Sunghoon, her eyes wide as she stammered, "what?! W-why would you ask me that?" She rushed out obviously flustered by the question.

Sunghoon hesitated, his gaze locked on hers. "Just answer me," he admitted, his tone a mixture of vulnerability and curiosity. The room seemed to hold its breath as he continued, "Did you guys see each other naked?" Haneul's eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks burn even hotter. The question hung in the air, a delicate thread waiting to be acknowledged. 

Caught in the spotlight, she took a deep breath before responding, "No we didn't see each other naked why would you think that?" She muttered.

"You guys said you went swimming but you came to dinner with no bra on. " He said as he studied her face.

"W-we did go swimming but Sunoo called saying you guys were waiting for us we didn't want to show up in wet clothes so we just took our swimsuits off." She explained watching his eyes slightly widen upon hearing the last part.

"But we turned around so we didn't see each other!" She rushed out not wanting him to misunderstand.

"And here I was thinking you guys went skinny dipping together but I should have known," He confessed looking away from her "You're a prude you would never go skinny dipping." He continued.

"I'm not a prude...and why does it matter if we saw each other naked?" She huffed.

"It does matter, I can tell you're too innocent to be doing things like that princess. Plus, I'm your husband if anyone is gonna see you naked don't you think it should be me?" He smirked at her seeing her face flush red again. 

"Would you quit acting like you know me Sunghoon? You know as much about me as the execs staying in the main house. And if I was So-he I wouldn't like it if I found out that my boyfriend wanted to see another girl naked." She sternly said looking at him. 

"So-he isn't my girlfriend." He said bluntly. "And I know enough about you to know that your pretty push over Haneul, the next doormat of the KIM enterprise. Oh, and don't forget daddy's little princess. How do you think he'd feel if he knew that you and Jake stripped naked in front of each other?" He asked.

"I'd never forgive you if you told him Sunghoon." She said her tone serious. He knew one thing for sure and that was that Haneul feared letting her father down and would seek his approval in all things. His eyes traced the seriousness look on her face his eyes falling lower to her chest, clearly being able to tell through the thin fabric of her pajamas that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.