Their lips merely touched, like two novices experiencing their first kiss. Her heart pounded as if kicking from inside her chest due to the warmth and gentleness of the touch, but perhaps due to nervousness in such a short time, cold sweat trickled down her back. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the man—whose cheeks looked more tense and redder than usual—staring at her without blinking.
“…….”
Seoryeong pretended not to notice and closed her eyes again, then nestled between the man’s knees and pressed her upper body closer. She tilted her head, and this time their lips truly met. Though still awkward, she brushed against the man’s lower lip and licked it slowly, like melting ice cream. It crossed her mind that this might be an unrepeatable mistake, but precisely because of that, she emphasized her closed eyes even more. The man seemed frozen, not moving even slightly. However, the soft flesh of his lips sank in like snow every time she pressed. She didn’t know if the breath tickling beneath her nose belonged to the man or the spring breeze. Their joined lips slowly parted.
“So, does today also count as a day you can just throw away?”
“…….”
Lee Wooshin frowned slightly, remaining frozen. Due to his flat reaction, Seoryeong felt awkward and slowly pulled her body away. Even though the man’s face showed no expression, his gaze stubbornly followed her every move. Pressured by that look, Seoryeong added a sentence as if in defense.
“I thought… you didn’t like cake.”
“…Ah… it’s not that I don’t like it.”
The man, who finally exhaled the breath he had been holding, smirked while frowning. Lee Wooshin’s face looked like someone who had just received a confession of love. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable in that position, Seoryeong was about to move away, but she was surprised when her waist was pulled forcefully, making her vision spin. The man pulled her back onto his lap with his firm thighs, then immediately pulled the back of her neck.
“――!”
The sun shone warmly that afternoon. Lee Wooshin looked as if he was about to cry as the corners of his eyes and lips trembled, then he kissed Seoryeong again. Startled by the sudden kiss, Seoryeong widened her eyes and saw the man close his eyes with an almost annoyed movement. The man’s lips parted, and his hot tongue explored the inside of her mouth.
“U-uhh…”
The drastically changed atmosphere made goosebumps rise on her arms. She could feel the man’s explosive emotions through the touch of their lips. Without resisting, Seoryeong opened her mouth. The man’s elastic lips sucked on her tongue, then changed angles and reconnected. The sound of the flesh being sucked echoed in a tantalizing way. Meanwhile, the man’s rough thumb continued to press gently on the back of her neck.
“Uh, Instructor, just a moment… mmph…!”
She made a muffled sound while trying to push the man’s shoulder, but Lee Wooshin didn’t budge. As soon as their lips slightly parted, he rubbed their noses together, then reconnected. The kiss that was so urgent didn’t give her time to feel the beauty of the spring breeze. It seemed that if this continued, they would really do something beyond this outdoor space.
“Mmm… mmh…”
“…….”
“Snap out of it a little… mmph, uh…”
Lee Wooshin gripped her face tightly, as if telling her to be quiet. Seoryeong could do nothing but pant. Her whole body flushed and her temperature rose drastically. The man calmly changed the angle of the kiss again and sucked on her lips forcefully. She could feel the soft flesh swelling with each passing second, but the man didn’t stop biting and licking it. Breath and heat transferred intensely. If this continued, she would be completely swept away. Due to the fear that pressed down on her chest, Seoryeong opened her eyes wide. At that moment, her eyes met those of the small children who were staring at them with curious faces like baby swallows.
“――!”
Seoryeong immediately pushed the man away and stood up. Due to the force of the push, Lee Wooshin’s wheelchair rolled back several times. Their lips parted quickly, Seoryeong took a long breath, while Lee Wooshin still tried to lean in and made a loud ‘chup’ sound.
“…Why did you take my cake?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Seoryeong, whose collarbone area was also flushed red, quickly wiped her lips, which must have been bright red. Only now did her face feel hot as she realized what she had just done. She glanced around and felt relieved that the nurses or attendants seemed to be asleep or busy with their phones. Even so, her heart pounded as if she had just done something bad.
“Uncle, do you want to ride the wheelchair really fast?”
“Just one lap?”
“Two laps.”
“Wow…!”
“Me too! I want to!”
“Me too!”
In an instant, the children’s attention shifted and they all clamored to answer. Lee Wooshin chuckled softly, then snatched the ball from one of the children and threw it as far as he could. The veins in his jaw seemed to tighten.
“The first one to get this ball wins.”
Hearing that, the children shouted with joy and ran to chase the ball that was still soaring through the air. …This… it feels like training at the training center… Seoryeong showed a dissatisfied expression. As soon as the children left, Lee Wooshin tapped his thigh again while touching his lips.
“Big girl over there, not interested in riding this one?”
“Haa…!”
Seoryeong suppressed her dry laughter and turned her face away. No decision had been made yet. She was just… showing that her heart was wavering, without trying to hide it.
“I’m going to quit Blast soon.”
Lee Wooshin, who had been watching the children run, now looked at Seoryeong.
“Then… Han Seoryeong, don’t you want to come with me?”
---
“I want to go—no, I will go.”
Chairman Kang Taegon’s face hardened, as if surprised by the answer that came without the slightest hesitation.
“Do you even know what kind of place that is to say you’ll just go like that?”
His expression seemed to ask, are you really sure? Even though he was the one who called me to persuade me…. Seoryeong came to the Blast headquarters after receiving a call from Chairman Kang Taegon. Because the special security team had currently ceased its activities, the mission to Africa they had been preparing for a long time was transferred to a new team called Team Beta.
“The mission is to Equatorial Guinea. Specifically, to transport the hidden assets of the country’s vice president via sea route. The escort team is all veterans, but the team leader requested additional personnel.”
“…….”
“I heard the special security team is quite tough in sea escort training. So, in that case, member Han Seoryeong…”
“Yes, I’ll go.”
“Are you in urgent need of money or something?”
Chairman Kang stroked his chin as Seoryeong answered immediately before he finished speaking, his tone sounding worried about something.
“It’s not because of that….”
It wasn’t really about money. But, it was indeed time to act quickly. Seoryeong had been constantly ignoring the non-stop incoming calls, and now her phone was on silent mode. After that first kiss, the end of it all had just faded away without explanation. No wonder he was angry. But if she kept listening to those words, for some reason Seoryeong felt that something big would change direction. So she ran, without looking back. In front of such a quick-witted man, if she carelessly showed her back, she would be immediately caught and unable to move. So she lied, saying she was going to the bathroom, and then fled the hospital as if her life depended on it. When she glanced at her phone screen, it was still brightly lit with notifications. Even on silent mode, her lips felt dry and a chill ran down her spine. With trembling hands, she pressed the ‘reject’ button and refocused her attention on Kang Taegon standing in front of her.
“――”
Since her first love was torn away without a trace, Seoryeong learned that not only the body, but the heart could also become disabled. Every time she faced Lee Wooshin, that sense of loss pierced her like a needle. That was why she increasingly wanted to confront Kim Hyeon directly. If her broken self wasn’t fixed first, nothing could start anew. Africa was currently becoming a silent battlefield for the struggle for power.
Because Blast’s mercenaries had to face the Chinese military controlling the ports there, the situation was highly prone to diplomatic conflicts. This time, she felt quite confident that she could draw Kim Hyeon out. Although it sounded absurd, that conviction arose along with her instinct: this might be her last chance. She had once promised to chase Kim Hyeon until the end of her life, no matter how long it took…. But for the first time, she felt her tongue go dry with anxiety. Quickly… Find Kim Hyeon… I have to…
“Actually, there’s something else I wanted to tell you first. That’s why I called you.”
A light tapping sound on the sofa armrest brought her wandering thoughts back to the present.
“Since the first time I saw you, I’ve wanted to groom you as a bodyguard. There’s something I really want to entrust to you.”
“What is it?”
Hearing something she had never heard before, her eyebrows furrowed.
“Initially, I wanted to send you to Russia to escort one of our VIP clients. But the schedule changed, and he will be coming directly to Korea.”
Her forehead creased coldly at the mention of “Russia” again.
“His name is Rigai Viktor.”
A name that sounded foreign to her ears.