Structural Damage

Chapter 9 - Abyss

While his body was comfortable, his mind was on the verge of spiralling out of control. Se Ri's arms were wrapped around him, her head was resting in the middle of his back – this felt comfortable and was something he could get used to. Something he would like to have on a regular basis. She felt good to him, oh God how she felt good. He loved how soft she was and the way his body felt when pressed against her. It was as if they were made to fit together, two puzzle pieces that were specially made to match. It wasn't just the way their bodies met, it was how they seemed to intrinsically relate to one another. He never fell this hard or this fast for anyone. One minute he is flirting with her over drinks at the Hancock building and the next they are having non-stop sex in his hotel room, and he is cancelling his plan to go home just to be with her. And now he is here, in her apartment, enjoying a magnificent view of the city of Seoul from the 80th floor of a building she designed and built. Her words were bouncing through his head, 'the invitation is open for you to stay, and never leave.' Things were moving fast between the two of them, it was almost like a landslide. He knew he needed to get out of the way or find a way to stop it, but he wasn't sure he wanted to.

Yoon Se Ri wasn't the type of woman that Ri Jeong Hyeok falls in love with. Wait? Love? Is that what this was? Isn't it a little early to throw that word around? He knew he needed to get out of his head, he had Seo Dan's warning going off in his mind as well, 'Se Ri doesn't do relationships.' Why doesn't she do them? She was certainly acting like she wanted this. He knew that he needed to centre himself and quiet this brain noise, it was going to drive him insane, and it would threaten the time he had with her. He needed answers, though. He needed to understand what was really going on between the two of them and where this was going, if anywhere.

He wondered if the doubt and concern that was flowing through his mind were making its way to Se Ri. The comfort he was feeling moments ago was starting to ebb, and Se Ri was starting to move. Her arms slid from his body, and she lifted her head and stepped away. For a moment, he felt as if his heart was going to stop. Which was a surreal thought considering he was concerned things were probably moving too fast not more than a minute ago.

He turned to look at her, "Is something wrong?" He was sure that the pain he felt was evident in his eyes.

She placed her hand on his cheek, "Hey, don't worry, everything's fine. I just figured I should go ahead and call the office and leave a message for my secretary." He knew he was giving her a questioning look; his mind was confused. "Jeong Hyeok, it's okay, I want to tell her to clear my calendar for tomorrow. I'm afraid if I don't do it now while I'm thinking of it, I'll forget. And, if I do it in the morning, she'll ask a million questions. Today, I can do it and leave a message and then turn my phone off."

She moved effortlessly across the room towards the small nook that served as her office when she worked from home. He noticed the space wasn't very large, but it was comfortable and inviting and provided one hell of a view that could serve as her inspiration. He watched as she settled in at her desk and then suddenly jumped up and ran back to the door to peek out at him, "Go ahead and look around and make yourself comfortable. You can take your things upstairs if you want, our bedroom is the first one at the top of the steps."

Those words, 'our bedroom,' they struck him as an odd turn of phrase. Why didn't she just say, her room? Was it the fact that for the next two nights they would be sharing the room and she was trying to be inclusive? It gave him a weird, sinking feeling in his stomach and he began to worry that he was thinking too much about this. She must have seen it on his face because she commented on it.

"Is something wrong?"

"Huh, oh no," he lied, unable to come clean on what he was thinking.

"Jeong Hyeok, really, what's wrong? You look like something is really bothering you," suddenly it seemed to hit her, as if the words came to her, "Oh! I freaked you out, I'm sorry. My bedroom is the first one at the top of the steps, I just took for granted you would be staying in there with me tonight. Hence, our bedroom. But if you would rather sleep in one of the guest rooms, you are more than welcome to do so. I'm sorry if I sort of jumped to a conclusion."