Another Life With You

Dangerous Daydreams

Seri had forgotten what it was like to feel young again.

It wasn't like she was old or anything, of course (and most definitely not when it came to her looks) but all throughout her twenties and thirties, she had been so embroiled in work that her emotional life had fallen by the wayside. Perhaps that's why she had found herself at the prow of a boat in Switzerland, ready to dive into the clean water and bring an end to her life.

It wasn't that she felt physically younger, of course. She still woke up with a crick in her neck, but perhaps waking up to the smell of freshly made coffee had started her day off right. That, and being greeted with the sight of Ri Jeong-hyeok standing in her kitchen, hair still ruffled but greeting her with a smile as bright as the morning sunlight filtering through her curtains.

Or perhaps it was the domestic act of kissing him goodbye at the door as she headed for the Seri's Choice offices, and he for Edelweiss Studios. Even though she wouldn't be seeing him for the rest of the day, the afterglow of his company was warm enough to last her through the workday.

Or maybe, if she were to be really direct about it, it was that they had finally slept together the night before.

It wasn't as if this was her first roll in the hay. Seri had slept with other men before, although she was adamant about not letting them in to her apartment. In that respect, Jeong-hyeok was the first. But this was the first time it made her feel so much like a teenager. For the entirety of the day, she had an anxious, fluttery feeling in her stomach. Her heart skipped a beat whenever she thought that he might have sent her a message. Her cheeks would grow warm whenever her lovelorn brain would tease her with memories of the night before, whether she was alone in her office or in the middle of a meeting.

And her brain was doing that a lot today.

When she went to the office pantry to grab a cup of tea, she would remember how they had entered her apartment the night before with takeout bags in hand. How he seemed to have made a point of leaning close to her as they prepared the food, while Seri second-guessed his every move. Had he suggested picking up where she left off as a way of teasing her, or was he actually going to act on it? Would it have been too bold of her to be the one to act first? Despite her verbal bravado, Seri wasn't that forward when it came to physical intimacy.

As she was having a quick lunch at her office desk, Seri's mind would suddenly flash with images of them finishing dinner the night before. Jeong-hyeok suggesting they move to the sofa to share the tiramisu that had come with their set. "There's cocoa powder on your mouth," he had said, reaching to brush it off. His thumb had lingered on the corner of her mouth. Their eyes had met. And then they were reaching for each other, hands everywhere – in each other's hair, necks, under clothes – and mouths meeting in hungry kisses. Seri had eventually found herself on Jeong-hyeok's lap, her hair falling in a curtain around their faces, Jeong-hyeok's upturned face raw with emotion and full of yearning. "Saranghae," he had murmured, giving her a smile so pure and guileless that it almost hurt to look at. At that moment, his palms felt so warm through the fabric of her top, where they were resting on her waist, that Seri felt an unbearable heat burning somewhere low in her stomach. She had replied with a kiss, reaching down for the zipper in his trousers, relishing the sharp exhale he let out when she finally touched him there.

Seri blushed to think of it now, as she was just digging into her salad box. She had to put her fork down and bury her face in her hands. "Shameless," she whispered to herself, smiling widely regardless. Her cheeks felt hot in her hands, too. "Yoon Seri, aren't you a grown woman?" she scolded herself, picking up her fork again and stabbing the salad leaves happily. "Aigo, and here you are daydreaming like a schoolgirl with a crush! Even though you've already slept with the man and seen pretty much every part of him!"