"You're Late."

Chapter 9: Spoil Me, From Anyone Else

Chapter 9.1: Us Against The World

"I feel like nobody truly knows anything about me," I exclaimed, the words tumbling from my lips with a sense of urgency. "It all bottles up inside me, and I had to get it out somehow," I confessed, the weight of my emotions heavy in the air as I struggled to catch my breath.

She listened intently, her gaze fixed on me with a mixture of empathy and understanding. "I care about my husband," I continued, my voice wavering with uncertainty. "I care about him, but I don't love him," I admitted, the confession hanging between us like a heavy cloud. "Not romantically," I added, the words feeling like a betrayal even as they escaped my lips.

Her touch was gentle as she slowly stroked my knee, a soothing gesture that offered a sense of comfort amidst the turmoil of my emotions. "But he's never here," I continued, my frustration evident in the furrow of my brow. "That's part of why we fell out of love. Always busy, always working," I lamented, the bitterness of my words echoing in the empty space between us.

I glowered at the coffee table, unable to meet her gaze as I laid bare the truth of my loneliness. "I'm always alone with my thoughts, stuck in this endless cycle of work, sleep, repeat," I confessed, the monotony of my existence weighing heavily on my shoulders. "And then there's Jiyeon," I said, my voice trailing off as I struggled to articulate the tangled web of emotions that bound us together.

"I felt like I was missing out on what others had," I continued, the admission bitter on my tongue. "Adventure, spontaneity. So I went to that club for an escape," I confessed, the memory still fresh in my mind. "It was easy, Jiyeon knew what I wanted, but not what I needed," I admitted, leaving the implication hanging in the air for her to decipher.

"And then I met you," I said, turning to face her with a mixture of frustration and longing. "And my life just got more complicated. I realized things within myself that I never knew existed, and that just made me more unsure," I exclaimed, the frustration evident in my voice.

"I slept with Jung-woo because he felt secure," I confessed, the words rushing out in a torrent of emotion. "I had a really shitty day at work, and I just needed a release, a safe haven," I rambled, the confession leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"I didn't mean to hurt anyone. It was just me deciding to be selfish again," | confessed, my voice tinged with defeat.

In the heavy silence that followed, she broke the tension with her words. "Have you ever realized that you deserve to be selfish?" she inquired, her tone gentle yet probing.
I turned to look at her, surprise evident in my expression. "You're a world-famous doctor, with a public profile responsible for lives all around you," she pointed out, her smile warm and understanding.

"On top of that, you're hiding your own identity from the closest people around you. That's a lot of work," she added, her admiration palpable.
"If anyone else were here, they'd agree with me when I say that, if anything, you deserve to be spoiled," she continued, her hand tracing a slow path up my leg. I felt my cheeks flush at her touch, the warmth spreading through me like wildfire.

"I want to spoil you," she declared, her hand dangerously close to my crotch, sending a surge of desire coursing through me. My lips parted in response, my breath & hing in my throat.

"Does Jung-woo ever spoil you like this?" she asked, her question hanging in the air between us. I shook my head, the truth of her words hitting me like a revelation.

Haerin's breath sent shivers down my spine as she leaned in close, her lips tantalizingly close to my neck. "You know, I'm kind of hurt," she murmured, her voice laced with a hint of sadness.