Falling From Grace

Chapter 7: Brunch

Ri Jeong Hyeok sighs as he blearily opens his eyes, woken up by the sun in his face. It's been a while since he'd slept so well and woken up feeling so well-rested.

As he mentally shakes off the last vestiges of sleep, he is reminded that he's not alone in his bed this morning by something warm and soft snuggling into his side. His arm instinctively wraps around her and rests on her shoulder, and she settles into him with a soft sigh.

Jeong Hyeok looks down and is greeted by the sight of Yoon Se-ri with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, fast asleep, her breathing deep and even.

With his free hand, he tucks the hair that was falling into her face behind her ear, careful not to wake her. He takes this opportunity to study her face closely in the soft morning light-something he did not have the chance to do the last time she was in his bed.

She was absolutely lovely as usual, but maybe even more in her sleep. Her flawless, porcelain skin, her long, dark lashes that were almost kissing her cheeks, and those soft, full lips that were just begging to be kissed.

He won't though, not right now, as he knows she needs her sleep. For now, he is content with her warmth, with watching her sleep, and with knowing that she is safe and well.

There is a part of Jeong Hyeok that never wants to leave this bed, that never wants to lose this feeling inside of him that is brought about by her presence. But there is a logical side of him that wants an explanation for this feeling, that wants him to make sense of it.

Jeong Hyeok has never felt anything even close to this for any woman he's shared a bed with. Does that make him a jerk?

Probably-and to a good many people at that, he thinks.

To him, to have sex with those women, to conquer them so to speak, had always the one and only goal. There was really no end game, no overarching purpose, no desire for anything more.

Relationships in general have always seemed so cumbersome, a complete waste of time and energy, if the only goal was sex and companionship. Why bother, right? He's always just been more interested in the process of seduction, in the game itself instead of the prize at the end.

But Yoon Se-ri... Things with her had been different even from the very beginning. There was something about her that drew him in, something that made him break all of his rules and throw caution to the wind. He took her to his own bed on the very first night that they met, fuelled by a possessiveness that he had never felt for anyone before.

And last night, when she gave herself to him body and soul and looked at him with such tenderness, it was as if something inside of him suddenly clicked into place, like he'd reconnected with a long-lost part of himself that he didn't even realise was missing.

In those beautiful brown eyes, Ri Jeong Hyeok found purpose. He found himself wanting to do everything he can to make things better for her, to do everything in his power to make her smile, to make her happy, to keep her safe.

All I truly know is, when I look at her, I feel peace. Like I've been wandering aimlessly for so long, and I've finally come home.

And if this is love, Jeong Hyeok thinks as he kisses the top of Se-ri's head, I don't think I mind it.

When Yoon Se-ri wakes up later that morning, Jeong Hyeok is nowhere to be found.

"Jeong Hyeok?", she calls out as she sits up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

No response came.

The realisation that he's gone somehow felt like a knife to the heart and a kick to the gut, all at the same time-a feeling that she did not expect nor anticipate.