No more masks: Pulling out your safety pin

I'm Hungry

Gang Tae was hungry.

Him, Moon Young and Sang Tae had just had a hearty breakfast of omelet, braised quail eggs, soup and rice. They had ended up eating a lot more than they usually do, as Moon Young was in a good mood after a long time, which meant the three of them had chattered on about everything and nothing while they ate, prolonging their time at the breakfast table. Moon Young was in such a good mood that she had almost told Sang Tae what the two of them had got up to last night. Gang Tae shuddered, imagining the conversation if he wasn't there to stop it.

So no, food wasn't the issue here. His stomach was full. But he was very, very hungry.

He was putting the leftovers away, while Moon Young washed the dishes. He slid another glance at her back. She was wearing an off-white off-shoulder dress with pink and red flowers this morning, with her hair up, revealing the long line of her neck, down to the smooth expanse of her creamy, bare shoulders. She always wore such fierce and elegant clothes that when she dressed like this, in bright and floaty fabrics, she looked too damn approachable.

He wanted to bite down on her exposed shoulder and leave a mark, multiple marks, there, the curve where her neck met her shoulder. He wanted to pull the elastic of the flimsy dress down because it looked like it would slide down extremely easily.

This was bad. Really bad.

Well, a part of him always knew it would be bad, which was the reason he had avoided Moon Young's advances for so long. She kept asking him to let go, but was she really ready or willing to deal with what that meant?! He wasn't sure if he was ready to deal with it himself.

He was a virile young man who had gone through the prime years of his life totally avoiding any form of female companionship. When other guys his age were chasing after girls, he was always too busy making money, moving, switching jobs, and taking care of his brother. A perpetually exhausted zombie. Yes, there were women who were interested in him, and yes he had gone on a few dates, but they quickly lost interest when they learned about his brother, his lack of education, his dead-end career prospects, and most importantly, the fact that he was totally emotionally unavailable and never expressed his feelings. He had reached a point very early on, possibly his late teens, when he had given up on wanting to be in a romantic relationship, because it was all just too hard. He was fine just being an empty can, going through the motions of his miserable life, happy to do so until he died in peace.

But now, with Go Moon Young coming into his life like a perfect storm, constantly provoking him by asking what he really wanted, and telling him to stop suppressing himself and give into his desires, he was finally learning to rethink his life. He was slowly climbing out of the tunnel of guilt and self-loathing he had buried himself in. He was learning to ask himself, and others, for what he wants.

And what he wanted right now was very clear to him. He had just slept with a woman for the first time in his life last night, and a second time this morning, and he was very, very ready for the third time. He should have known this would happen — after all these years, now that he had finally tasted it, he would want it all the time. Especially with this incredibly sensual woman with her direct gaze, who had tormented his secret fantasies since she stabbed his hand and looked straight through his empty can facade.

Gang Tae opened the fridge, took out a bottle of cold water, and drank half the bottle in one go. He knew he had promised himself to be honest about his feelings, but he wasn't sure how Moon Young would take it. Surely this was too much? They had just been in bed about two hours ago. It was only midday. It wasn't right for him to force himself on her again so soon. Right? Right. It was wrong. He was a nice guy, not a selfish, demanding jerk. He wasn't an animal. He could wait until later tonight to touch her. Wait, would she let him touch her tonight?