Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

On the subject of Jumin’s bed, MC had had a week to study and was certain of two things: first, that it was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, and second, that it would have been infinitely more comfortable if Jumin had been in it, too.

The enormous mattress was somehow both perfectly soft and perfectly firm. It was so perfect that she had, several mornings, been very close to being able to sleep in. Weeks had passed since she’d quit her barista job to be the RFA’s full-time party coordinator, but her internal clock hadn’t gotten the memo that she didn’t need to rise at the crack of dawn anymore. She peered at the alarm clock on the nightstand, which read 5:54 a.m. That was even earlier than usual, but she could tell going back to sleep was a lost cause. Gorgeous morning light was already spilling through Jumin’s velvet curtains, so she let it beckon her up and out of bed.

MC brushed her teeth and gave her face a quick cleanse in the ensuite bathroom. She still wasn’t used to the fact that it was bigger than her old apartment. Everything was smooth warm marble, gold metal accents and soft backlighting. She assessed her appearance in the large, gilt mirror mounted over the sink. The bags under her eyes were worse than the previous day, and she decided changing out of pyjamas could wait until after coffee. She returned to the bedroom and quickly made the bed, then padded barefoot into the hallway.

It was not exaggerating to say Jumin’s home was nicer than everywhere she had ever lived, combined. If Rika’s apartment had felt like a nice hotel, Jumin’s penthouse was a palace. Everything from the marble flooring to the carved ceiling panels seemed too nice to be inside a real person’s home. She felt like at any moment someone might tap her on the shoulder and politely ask her to leave.

She checked her phone while she walked down the long hallway toward the living area. The other RFA members had also had a restless night, based on the new chatrooms. Zen had once again questioned the wisdom of her staying with Jumin, which made her smile ruefully. If he knew how much of a gentleman Jumin had been so far, she suspected he would back off. She skimmed her emails and made a mental note to reply to a few new party guests when she was more awake.

She had wondered if Jumin might still be asleep since it was so early, but she heard him moving around in the kitchen as she approached.

“MC, good morning.” Jumin turned toward her as she rounded the corner. He stood before a gleaming, wall-mounted espresso maker that had definitely not been there when she had gone to bed and was possibly fancier than the one at her old job. He placed a mug on the tray under one of several nozzles and pressed a few buttons as she walked over to him.

“Good morning!” MC slipped her phone into the pocket of her pyjama bottoms. She smiled and adjusted her bangs as Jumin took in her bed head and sleep-rumpled pyjamas. She still wasn’t used to him levelling his full attention at her – it made her happy and anxious at the same time.

Unlike her, he was ready for the day, looking perfectly put together as usual. Despite that, there were shadows under his eyes. She was learning that he dealt with stress by throwing himself into his work; he’d risen early and retired late every night since she’d been there. She was sure the negative press from the events of the past few weeks didn’t help his workload, either. She hadn’t heard him go to bed before she’d drifted off past midnight the previous night. 

Her heart squeezed at the thought of him running himself ragged night after night, and she almost had to laugh at how hopelessly gone she was for him. If she were being honest, she’d been drawn to him from her first day using the RFA app. He had been slower to trust her than the others, which, though sensible, made her feel like she needed to prove herself. But as the weeks went by and he opened up, even getting comfortable enough that they could exchange jokes or short phone conversations, she realized how much lay beneath the surface.

He was undoubtedly a snob, but this was tempered by what MC thought was an endearing desire to learn about different ways of life. Zen griped about him being a trust fund kid, but she admired how he devoted himself to his work, hobbies and loved ones, sometimes with single-minded determination. Though stiff and formal at first glance, he had a wide playful streak, which she loved and wished the other RFA members appreciated more. She cherished each glimpse into his heart and mind like a treasure and found herself longing to expand their relationship beyond the chatroom.

Then the trouble with his father, Glam Choi and Sarah had started. Jumin had taken the rumours and intrusions on his privacy hard, and it was clear he was struggling. She hadn’t had any ulterior motives or expectations when she promised Jaehaee she would visit him at the penthouse. She was dubious that visiting would even be helpful, but Jaehee had seemed confident enough for her to want to try. She’d thought long and hard about her feelings for him before agreeing, and had resolved to keep them hidden. The last thing Jumin needed while dealing with a dating scandal and arranged marriage was another silly girl with a crush.

But she had badly miscalculated. Everything she liked about him before officially meeting him, she liked even more in person. She’d already known from photos that she found him attractive, but being around him every day drove her to distraction. His every word and movement drew her in like a magnet. Her skin tingled when he got close to her in anticipation of contact that never came. She had started having daydreams, or sometimes actual dreams, about him that made it difficult to meet his eye afterward. Even the sound of his voice did alarming things to her nervous system. She found herself getting distracted when he spoke to her, caught up imagining his mouth doing… other things.

Worse than the unrequited feelings or the heart-pounding physical afflictions, though, was how disappointed she felt that Jumin had shown nothing but platonic interest in her since she’d arrived. Being disappointed in the first place felt like failure. She had wanted to support him unconditionally when it seemed no one else could, but here she was letting herself get distracted by silly, unrealistic fantasies.

“You’re up earlier than usual.” Jumin’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He checked his watch, and his brow creased. “Are your sleeping arrangements unsatisfactory?” He frowned and glanced over her shoulder toward the bedroom. “I’ll have Jaehee arrange for a new mattress to be delivered immediately –”

“No, no, everything is perfect!” MC flapped her hands, alarmed at the thought of adding another task to either Jumin’s or poor Jaehee’s list. “It’s the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in,” she added. “I think I’m just too used to getting up early.”

She heard a meow and looked down to Elizabeth the 3rd twining around her legs. “Hello, lovely,” she cooed, crouching to scratch her behind the ears. “Did you sleep well?” Elizabeth the 3rd purred and leaned into her touch. After accepting a few pets, she sauntered out of the kitchen without sparing Jumin a glance.

“It seems she’s still upset with me,” he said wistfully, watching her fluffy white tail vanish around the corner. 

MC stood and wrung her hands at his sad expression. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sure she just needs a bit more time. She seems a lot perkier today!”

Jumin sighed and turned back to the espresso machine. He pressed another button and a stream of what looked like foamed milk poured into the mug. “I feel very foolish for how I reacted,” he murmured.

All three of them were still recovering from the events of the past few days. The morning after she’d arrived, Elizabeth the 3rd had escaped into the hallway while Jumin was introducing MC to the head of security and had somehow gotten deep into the lower levels of the building. The security team was excellent: they had tracked her down and returned her relatively quickly, but Jumin had been beside himself with worry. Afterward he’d moved her food, water and toys into his study and locked her in, ignoring her plaintive cries to be let out. MC had spent two days convincing him to relent, and even then he had only done so after installing a pet gate on the front door. She still caught him scanning the area around the door anxiously when he left or entered.

“Please don’t be too hard on yourself,” MC said. “You thought you lost her. We don’t always react how we want to when we’re scared.”

Jumin smiled sadly but didn’t say anything. The espresso machine stopped whirring, and MC caught a whiff of fresh coffee, which made her yawn again. 

“That’s a lovely machine, by the way,” she said. “Is it okay if I make myself a cup?”

In answer, Jumin picked up the mug from the tray and stepped toward her. Her breath caught when he pressed it into her hands and his fingers brushed her skin. 

“This is for you,” he said softly. “I don’t know much about espresso, but I’ve been told this machine is top of the line, so I hope it’s to your liking. It should have been installed a few days ago, but the… complications regarding Elizabeth the 3rd delayed things.”

“Oh! You didn’t have to – that’s not – thank you!” MC stuttered, mind racing. Jumin made it sound like he’d gotten the machine just for her. She felt dizzy imagining the price tag, not to mention the time he must have spent sourcing it, arranging for it to be installed, and learning to use it. “Do you really not drink espresso? Maybe I can show you a few different drinks so you can enjoy it too – it would be such a waste if only I got to use it,” she babbled.

Jumin’s flippant attitude toward spending money was a constant source of shock. Since she’d arrived, he’d offered to buy her a new laptop (hers had a finicky charging cable), a new wardrobe (she had spilled coffee on her shirt), and a gaming console (she had mentioned the newest GrayStation game in passing). She supposed someone as rich as Jumin wouldn’t think twice about it, but having spent most of her adult life needing to budget carefully, extravagant spending was a foreign concept.

She realized she was rambling and clamped her mouth shut. She glanced into her mug, too flustered to look at Jumin, and took a sip. Her eyes widened at the familiar taste of vanilla, nutmeg, simple syrup, and oat milk.

“How did you know how I take my coffee?” She beamed at him, inner turmoil momentarily forgotten. “I haven’t had it this way since I quit the café.”

Jumin now seemed a bit shy himself. He broke eye contact to adjust his pristine shirt cuffs. “You mentioned it in a chatroom during your first week with the RFA. I believe Zen was quizzing you about your favourite foods.”

That he remembered such a trivial fact about her all these weeks later made her stomach flip.

Jumin picked up a mug she hadn’t noticed before, which looked like it held a black Americano, and took a sip. She was relieved he would get some use out of the fancy machine after all – he’d probably been meaning to buy one anyway.

“That’s so thoughtful, thank you,” she said, touched. She hadn’t had good coffee in weeks. Now that she didn’t work somewhere she could get it for free, she couldn’t justify the cost of espresso. She kept a French press back at Rika’s apartment and usually stretched out a cup or two of drip if she set up at a café to work on party prep. Since staying with Jumin she’d made do with instant, since he took his coffee at the office and didn’t own a coffee maker.

She took a long sip, humming happily while she savoured the rich flavours, then licked the foam from her lip.

Jumin made an odd noise, so soft she thought she might have imagined it. She glanced up and could have sworn his eyes flicked away from her mouth. He cleared his throat quietly.

“It’s my pleasure,” he said. “I want you to feel at home while you’re here. I know things have been… intense the last few days.”

“I’m happy to be here!” MC said. “It’s no trouble, and…” She paused and bit her lip. “And I don’t think you should be alone right now. You’ve been working so hard, dealing with your dad and the tabloids, and I know everything with Elizabeth the 3rd was really scary, and – I hope it’s a little easier with me here. I’d hate to think you were going through all that by yourself.”

She stopped. She was suddenly embarrassed at suggesting her mere presence could help, especially since she wasn’t actually doing anything. Her instinct was to do errands or chores for loved ones who were stressed out, but the penthouse offered little to help with. Jumin kept a full team of staff in the building, from housekeepers to a personal chef. She at least made sure to clean up after herself, despite Jumin offering to have his team take care of her as well, but she hated not being able to do more.

To her delight, however, Jumin rewarded her with a smile. Though small, it seemed genuine, and she felt a little burst of satisfaction to have coaxed it out. His smiles had been hard to come by over the last week, especially given the rising tension with his father. Sarah, Glam Choi’s odd protegé, was becoming bolder, encouraged by the Chairman’s enthusiasm for her and Jumin’s supposed engagement. Only a few days ago she had arrived uninvited at the front desk and demanded to be let up to the penthouse. Security had escorted her away without incident, but MC could tell the threat of intrusion weighed on Jumin. 

She took another sip of coffee and licked away the foam again. To her amazement, Jumin’s breath hitched. He seemed a little stunned, she realized with a rush, and his face was full of an emotion she couldn’t place. Her cheeks warmed as she held his gaze and tried to make sense of his expression. The room seemed to shrink and narrow as they stared at each other, the moment stretching.

Jumin’s phone buzzed against the marble countertop, making MC jump. She straightened – she hadn’t realized she’d leaned in. 

Jumin looked at the phone like he was surprised to see it there, then picked it up and slowly brought it to his ear. “Assistant Kang… Yes, I recall now, thank you. I will depart directly.” He frowned and tucked the phone into his breast pocket. “My presence is required at the C&R building for an early stakeholder meeting. I’ll need to leave shortly.” He ran a hand along the front of his suit jacket, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles.

“Oh!” MC tried not to sound disappointed. “Of course, I didn’t mean to keep you.”

“Not at all,” Jumin said, still frowning. “I’m sorry to leave you so abruptly.” He held her gaze a moment longer – genuinely regretful, she thought – then left in the direction of his study. MC heard papers sliding into his briefcase. She suppressed a sad sigh.

“I must apologize,” he called, sounding distracted. “Breakfast is not scheduled to arrive until 7:00. If you’re hungry before then, the pantry has a few basics. I’ll have the delivery scheduled for earlier going forward.”

Food had also been a small point of contention since she’d arrived. She felt bad enough about taking Jumin’s bed – he had insisted, refusing to let her set up camp on the couch – and had hoped to help with cooking to make up for it. Jumin’s kitchen was essentially a showroom, however, with no cooking utensils to speak of and only a basic set of dishware. She wasn’t in a position to buy a whole new set of cookware or splurge on takeout for every meal, so she had reluctantly accepted his offer to have her meals catered, too.

“That’s okay,” MC called, wincing a bit when the words came out sounding a little sad. She smacked herself on the forehead, trying to stifle her disappointment. Of course Jumin wouldn’t skip work to talk to her, and of course she would see him again for dinner, and honestly who cared what that little moment between them might have been – she was almost certainly reading too much into it. Like she kept telling herself, dealing with even more unwanted romantic interest was the last thing Jumin needed, especially when he was going into the office on less than five hours’ sleep. Her disappointment morphed into worry, thinking of the long day he was embarking on while sleep-deprived. But just like she was powerless to stifle her feelings for Jumin, there was also nothing she could do about him being a workaholic.

She turned to scan the kitchen cupboards, deciding that looking for some food would be the perfect distraction from her steadily darkening thoughts. She made a mental note to replace whatever she took later when Jumin wasn’t looking. She hadn’t had much reason to explore the kitchen yet, but she recalled spying some packages in one of the upper cupboards that might have been cereal – or, fancy rich people cereal, anyway. She set her mug down and walked over to it.

While she preferred to think of herself as “space efficient” rather than “short,” she couldn’t deny the penthouse’s towering ceilings put the cupboards out of her reach. The only chairs in the vicinity were upholstered in velvet, which she would rather die than dirty by standing on, so she braced her palms against the cool marble, bounced on the balls of her feet a few times for momentum, and hauled her knees up. She grabbed the cupboard handles to steady herself, making sure not to let her bare feet touch the countertop. She had just pulled open the cupboard when Jumin cried out behind her.

“MC!”

MC jumped and looked over her shoulder to find Jumin rushing over. Mortified, she tried to hop down, but her pyjamas slipped on the smooth marble. She wobbled and fell, sitting down hard on the edge of the counter. Her momentum sent her backward toward the cupboards, but Jumin’s arm curled around her shoulders just in time to keep her head from smacking into them.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry,” she gasped at the same time as Jumin said, “You could hurt yourself!”

MC blinked. Jumin was very close. He was scared, she realized, not angry like she’d expected, but more importantly he was also standing directly between her legs.

“I’m sorry,” MC said, wide-eyed. “I get up on the counters all the time at home – I didn’t think about how rude it would be to do it in someone else’s house, I –”

“Did you hit your head?” Jumin asked, voice strained. He cradled the back of her head with his free hand. Sitting on the tall counter, she was much closer to his eye level than usual. He seemed unaware of how close their faces were as he studied hers for signs of distress.

“No, I’m okay,” MC said. “I was, um, trying to find something to eat, but I couldn’t reach.”

Jumin closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “I thought you would be safe in the penthouse.” He was talking more to himself than to her. “It never occurred to me that you could be in danger even here…” He removed his hand from the back of her head to grasp the open cupboard door behind her, dropping his head so their foreheads nearly touched. “I’ve already hurt Elizabeth the 3rd, and to think I could have let something happen to you, too…”

MC shivered.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said breathlessly. “I’m sorry, Jumin.”

She heard Jumin’s grip on the cupboard door tighten. “When you say my name like that, I…” When he finally met her gaze, his pupils were wide, and MC realized with a flash of heat in her belly that the emotion on his face was desire.

Looking back, MC would conclude she must have been possessed by the spirit of a much sexier and more confident woman, or perhaps simply by pure instinct. In the moment, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Jumin went still, and for a gut-churning second she thought she had horrifically misread the situation.

Then he surged into her. 

His arm tightened around her shoulders and he made a low, urgent sound against her lips. His hand that had been gripping the cupboard behind her tangled in her hair, tilting her head back as he pressed in. He opened his mouth against hers, and she could taste the coffee on his breath. His tongue swept across her lower lip and she gasped into his mouth, hands clutching at his lapels.

Abruptly, he pulled back. MC opened her eyes, dazed and, to her embarrassment, panting slightly. Jumin was wide-eyed.

“MC, I – I apologize, I don’t know –” He blinked several times, stricken. MC blinked too, trying to square the shift in mood with the warmth flooding her body. Jumin was still holding her, but he had gone still.

“Did you… not like it?” she asked with a flash of anxiety. She’d thought he had, but maybe she’d been projecting. Her stomach flipped while she waited for him to pull away. Her hands were trapped against his chest, and she could feel his heart hammering, despite his stillness.

He blinked again. “Like it? That’s hardly…” His voice became rough. “It’s all I can think about. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to…” His eyes fell to her mouth and the expression of desire returned. MC’s breath caught, and she bit her lip. His eyes darkened, and she was aware of the distance between them slowly closing. As their lips brushed together, he tensed and pulled back. He breathed out sharply through his nose.

“I’m so sorry, MC,” he said, looking pained. “You’ve placed your trust in me by staying here, and I’m behaving like some kind of animal.” With some effort, he released her and took a step back.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” MC sat up straighter and tightened her grip on his lapels. “Jumin, I kissed you .”

He froze again. He stared at her like she’d spoken in French. “You… did you?” He was so uncharacteristically at a loss that MC couldn’t suppress an exasperated laugh. 

“I’m 100% sure I did.” She wasn’t overly experienced, but she was sure this wasn’t how things usually went when a man wanted to kiss you, which, to her amazement, she was beginning to suspect Jumin did. She fidgeted and lowered her eyes, mind racing as she played back the previous ten minutes with this in mind. She let go of his suit jacket, suddenly self-conscious about touching him so casually, but then didn’t know what to do with her hands. She settled on clasping them to her chest.

After a few silent beats, she chanced a peek at him through her lashes. His eyes were still wide but were focused on her. His hands hovered, open-palmed, a few inches away from her shoulders, like he couldn’t bring himself to move closer or further away.

It had certainly felt like he had wanted to kiss her. He’d basically told her he had, but something wasn’t gelling – did he think she didn’t want to? Her skin was burning where they had touched, and the thought of going about their days like nothing had happened, without figuring out what was going on, made her feel like dying.

“I’ve been thinking about it too,” she tried, forcing herself to meet his gaze. Her cheeks grew warm with the intensity of it. “And I… I liked it,” she continued, quieter now. “So, if you also liked it… maybe we could, um –” she swallowed. She had hoped he might get the gist and put her out of her misery, but he was still looking at her with that dazed expression. Her heart was hammering and she could feel her pulse in her throat. Impulsively kissing a man she had feelings for was one thing, but verbalizing those feelings was apparently another. She took a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest, trying to slow her heartbeat. Was she getting dizzy? 

“MC –” Jumin reached toward her in alarm, which was decidedly a step in the wrong direction, mood-wise –

“Please kiss me!” she blurted out. They stared at each other. She realized she had grabbed him by the upper arms without meaning to. Her heart was beating in her throat. She wondered if she looked as crazy as she felt, but Jumin’s worried expression slowly shifted as her words registered. It landed on sheer hunger before his lips crashed into hers. 

He sighed into her mouth when their lips met again, as though some pain had been alleviated. His hands settled on her waist this time; his long fingers found the gap between her oversized t-shirt and pyjama bottoms and splayed across her bare skin. She shivered as they snaked under her shirt, stroked up her ribs, curled around her torso to her spine. He pressed his palms into her back, crushing her to him as they kissed, like he couldn’t get her close enough.

Her thoughts scattered; all her senses were flooded with him. Her hands slid up his biceps, over his shoulders – she noted with a thrill that his arms were corded with muscle beneath his suit – then cradled his face. She threaded her fingers through his hair and he gasped hungrily into her mouth. His lips moved against hers with bruising intensity. 

Liquid heat pooled in MC’s belly and zinged out toward her toes and fingertips. Her entire upper body was pressed against his; she could feel the firm contours of his chest and abs through their clothing. He pressed in closer to deepen the kiss, chasing her mouth like it was oxygen, tilting her backward. His hips pressed between her legs and the pressure sent fresh desire blooming through her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her ankles together over his tailbone.

Jumin groaned and slid his hands to her thighs. He hitched her higher on his hips and straightened, lifting her off the counter like she weighed nothing. He braced one arm against her back and tangled his fingers in her hair. MC dropped her hands from his face to rove across his shoulders and upper back. She had the sense that his body was absolutely delectable, but there was so much clothing between them…

MC broke their kiss. Jumin made a questioning noise that turned into a low gasp as she buried her face in his neck and inhaled deeply. He smelled incredible: under his expensive shampoo and cologne was a deep, spicy musk that MC had identified as purely Jumin’s. It had lingered on his sheets the first night she’d arrived – it had been late and she had insisted he not launder anything on her account if he was giving up his bed – and she had craved it ever since.

She pressed an open-mouthed kiss behind his ear, wanting to devour the scent. Jumin shuddered and clutched her tighter. “MC.” He said her name like it was being dragged from his lips. He used his grip on her hair to gently pull her head back. She panted and looked at him. He looked as dazed and hungry as she was.

“I’ve wanted to do this since the moment you walked through my door,” he said, punctuating his sentence with another long kiss. Her heart fluttered and she sucked greedily on his lower lip, relishing his sharp inhale. When he spoke again against her lips, he sounded reverent. “It never occurred to me that you would also…”

MC was beyond words. Her thoughts were short-circuiting, her senses firing faster than she could process them. She was fairly certain she was dreaming. She sighed into his mouth, half pleasure and half frustration. She’d tasted him and now she wanted more, couldn’t possibly get close enough. She parted his lips with her tongue, delving into his mouth with enough force to knock their teeth together. Jumin made a low noise in his throat and kissed her back, stroking his tongue against hers, and she shivered.

She dragged her hands down his chest, over his lapels, and huffed a small, frustrated grunt into his mouth. He was wearing far too many clothes. She fumbled with his tie until it unraveled enough for her to start on his shirt collar. Her pulse raced as each popped button revealed more smooth, pale skin. She had never seen him in anything other than his work clothes, let alone undressed. She planted feverish kisses along his throat toward his collarbone, sucking and nipping enthusiastically.

Jumin made a strangled noise and stiffened, gripping her almost tight enough to hurt. Then they were moving. MC lifted her head; Jumin was striding toward the bedroom. Her stomach flipped with equal parts nerves and arousal. To distract herself, she returned her attention to his throat and chest, peppering his skin with kisses. She thrilled at the way his breathing grew more ragged with each one.

Jumin’s hand untangled from her hair to twist the knob when they reached the bedroom door. He pushed the door open with his foot and reached the bed in a few long strides.

Sunlight streamed in through the curtains, falling in a strip of gold across the bed. Jumin laid her in the sunbeam with a gentleness belying the starved look on his face. He practically lit up in the sun, his dark hair and eyes glowing deep golden brown, and MC’s chest swelled with how beautiful he was and how much she wanted him. 

While she was becoming more flustered, reaching the bed seemed to have honed Jumin’s discomposure into near-predatory precision.

He sat beside her and leaned in, lowering his head to murmur into her ear. “I was quite partial to it, but our previous position was somewhat limiting.” His deep voice and warm breath in her ear made her spine tingle. “I want to touch you more.”

His long, soft fingers trailed over her shoulder, but he paused when he saw her arms had prickled with goosebumps. He touched her skin lightly with an awed, hungry expression, then looked up and studied her face. MC’s lips were swollen, her hair dishevelled, and her face felt flushed. 

“You look so lovely like this,” he said. 

MC felt a twinge of embarrassment – despite herself, she had imagined this moment in a lot of different ways, but wearing ratty pyjamas while Jumin was in a suit that cost more than her rent hadn’t been one of them. But he leaned down and kissed her again while sliding his hand up her side, and the thought evaporated. 

His fingers drifted higher; they grazed her breast, and she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. Jumin seemed to notice at the same time and hesitated, but MC arched into his touch.

“P-please,” she gasped, squirming beneath him. “I want – I want you to touch me.” It felt embarrassing to say, but she was dying for it. Now that she didn’t have her whole body wrapped around him, not touching him was painful. Impulsively, she grabbed his hand and placed it over her breast.

Jumin practically growled. He straddled her, caging her between his arms and legs, and she suddenly had the impression of a jungle cat. He whispered into her ear as he squeezed: “I’ll do whatever you want.” His voice was low, simmering with fervour. His fingers brushed and then pinched her nipple, drawing a soft moan from her lips. His touch electrified her, fired little zaps of pleasure through her, but it wasn’t enough.

She was about to plead for more, embarrassment be damned, when Jumin’s lips closed over her other nipple. She gasped, arching into his mouth. He swirled his tongue, dampening her shirt and bathing the sensitive area in delicious heat while he gently rolled the other between his fingers. She whined, overwhelmed with sensation.

Jumin drew back and blew softly on the place his lips had been. She shuddered as the air cooled the wet fabric. That spot between her thighs, which still hadn’t been touched, was beginning to ache. She reached down blindly, desperate for friction.

Jumin’s hand on her wrist, gentle but firm, stopped her. “So eager,” he breathed against the shell of her ear. “But please don’t take for yourself what I want so much to give you. Let me take care of you.”

MC let out a whimper. His words sent a pleasurable throb through her, and she pressed her legs together in search of relief.

“Now, now,” Jumin tutted. He placed his knee between her legs and slowly slid it up to part her thighs. He gathered her wrists in one hand, drew them over her head, and pinned them to the pillow. 

MC shivered as he leaned down toward her. “You’re so self-sufficient,” he said, kissing behind her ear. “Always doing everything for yourself.” He kissed her neck, then her shoulder where her shirt had slipped off. “Never letting me help you.” He kissed a line across her collarbone to the dip at the base of her throat. “Climbing up onto counters when I could easily reach the top shelf for you.” He murmured this against her sternum, and the words vibrated in her chest.

“I-I’m sorry,” she breathed, wide-eyed, guilt cutting through the arousal. “I didn’t want to bother –” Jumin interrupted her with a kiss, sucked gently on her bottom lip before he withdrew, and MC forgot about apologizing.

“There is no universe in which you could ever bother me.” He gazed at her intently; his voice was quiet but full of emotion. “I crave your attention. I’ve been so desperate to please you this past week, so distracted when I have to leave you here and can’t check on you.” He dipped his head to where her shirt had ridden up. “There is nothing I wouldn’t give you.” He pushed up her shirt with his free hand to uncover her stomach. “I want to protect you, take care of you.” Another trail of kisses, this time from her sternum to her bellybutton. MC watched his progress with awe. “But you never ask me for anything.”

He released her wrists – her arms fell to either side, limp – and touched the waistband of her pyjamas. He curled his fingers around the elastic, then looked up at her and waited. 

MC truly could not believe how horny she was. Her thighs were actually trembling in anticipation – surely Jumin must notice, given he was lying on them.

“Jumin.” It came out as a whine, but she was past caring. “Please.” She carded shaky fingers through his hair. “Please touch me.” She rolled her hips to illustrate her point. “Touch me h-here.”

Jumin’s eyes darkened. “Of course,” he breathed, and it sounded like “thank you.”

He pulled her pyjama bottoms off in one swift motion, rising to his knees to manoeuvre them off her legs, and cast them to the side. He removed her panties reverently – MC could feel they were nearly soaked through – caressing her legs from thigh to ankle as he pulled them off, and tossed them after the pyjama bottoms.

He slung her legs over his shoulders, sank back down, and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. “You’ve been such a good girl,” he whispered into her skin. He inched closer, nose skating toward the apex of her thighs. “Waiting for me so patiently.”

MC shivered, half anticipation and half self-consciousness. She felt vaguely relieved that she had showered right before bed. Then Jumin licked her. She gasped as the sensation shot through her. She was so sensitive, throbbing with want, that her hips bucked under his tongue. He moved his tongue in firm upward strokes, swirling at the top. Her fingers tightened in his hair and he hummed appreciatively.

His ministrations verged on overwhelming, but were somehow also not enough. Each stroke shot electricity up her spine, flooded her with warmth, made her crave more. She squirmed under him, chasing the pressure, hot, wet, firm against her throbbing flesh. Jumin gripped her hips more firmly. His lips closed over that sensitive bundle of nerves and he sucked, drawing a wanton moan from her. That was better, but something was still missing. She felt hollow.

“J-Jumin,” she gasped, “please, m-more –”

This time Jumin did growl, and the vibrations had her toes curling. Agonizingly slowly, he slid a single finger inside her. MC gasped and tensed, clenching around him while she adjusted to the sensation. He pumped in and out slowly a few times, stretching her, then added another.

MC moaned as he filled her, finally giving her the friction she’d been craving. Jumin settled into a rhythm, his fingers stroking deep inside her while his mouth lapped and sucked above.

“O-oh god,” she moaned, on the verge of coming apart. “That’s so g-good – haah –” Her thighs were shaking now, her hips jerking in tandem with Jumin’s movements. Everything narrowed to his mouth and hand between her legs as he pulled her closer and closer to release, building and building until finally –

MC’s entire body tensed as her orgasm broke over her. She bit back an honest-to-god scream. Her built-up arousal flooded her limbs all at once, leaving them tingling. She was aware of gripping Jumin’s hair so tightly it must hurt, pulling his face closer, but he continued pumping and licking her, working her through every last throb.

Finally, the aftershocks subsided and MC went limp. She released Jumin’s hair, and her legs slid off his shoulders. She felt like she was floating. She blinked at the ceiling, dazed and breathless, heart thundering.

“You seemed to enjoy that,” Jumin said, voice velvety. MC blushed at the undisguised lust in his tone. He rose onto his hands and knees, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. MC considered the dry-cleaning bill with alarm, but Jumin clearly wasn’t concerned. His eyes swept up her body, surveying his work with a thoroughly satisfied expression. He kissed her deeply, and she flushed at tasting herself on his lips. 

As they kissed, the familiar need to be as close to him as possible bloomed through her blissed out haze. She reached up with shaky arms and embraced him, tugging him to her. As his body pressed against her, she felt that he was hard. She supposed it wasn’t surprising after what they’d just done, but the confirmation was exhilarating.

“It seems like you enjoyed it as well,” she said, pulling back to look at him. He pushed up with one hand to avoid crushing her.

“It pleases me to please you,” he said simply, as though commenting on the weather. He nosed along the side of her neck, behind her ear, and placed a long kiss there. He inhaled deeply, like she had done to him in the kitchen. His hand grazed her side under her shirt, fingers gliding across her bare skin.

Though he was clearly turned on too, he didn’t appear to be planning on doing anything about it. But MC was feeling bold and, to her amazement, still horny. She cupped his face in one hand and turned it toward her.

“I’ve been thinking this whole time that you’re wearing too many clothes,” she told him, slipping her thumb into his mouth. Jumin’s eyes widened, and for a moment he had the same dazed expression he’d worn in the kitchen.

“You’ve gotten to see me, touch me,” she continued, letting a pout creep into her voice. “I want to see you too.” She stroked his chest with her other hand. “I want to touch you.”

Jumin inhaled sharply and sat up; her thumb left his mouth with a soft pop. He unbuttoned his suit jacket in three deft movements and was halfway through shrugging it off when his phone rang.

MC sat up too. “Oh my gosh,” she gasped as the existence of the outside world rushed back to her. “You’re supposed to be at work!”

Jumin plucked his phone from his breast pocket, shut it off without even glancing at the screen, and threw it over his shoulder. It clattered to the floor and slid under a wardrobe.

MC stared after it in shock. “Are you… don’t you need to leave?” she asked. Jumin was already shedding his jacket and vest as though nothing had happened. He tossed them to the ground with her pyjamas and panties, then looked at her.

“Do you want me to?”

His undone tie had fallen off somewhere between the kitchen and the bedroom; his collarbone peeked through his shirt where she had undone the first few buttons. 

She bit her lip. “Well, no…”

He started on the rest of the buttons.

“Wait.” MC leaned in to kiss him and capture his hands. “I want to,” she murmured against his lips. Jumin hummed approvingly into her mouth and dropped his hands, placing them on her hips instead. He held still to give her easier access, but his thumbs rubbed slow circles above her hip bones.

Each button opened like a gift. His shirt slowly parted, revealing the beautiful, toned muscles she had felt earlier. How did he have time to keep the schedule he kept and have the body of an underwear model? MC thought she might salivate as she pushed his shirt from his arms. She fought the urge to lick him.

Instead, she ran her hands over his chest, down his abs, all the way to his belly, which tensed as her hands ventured lower. He was well-muscled but not bulky, firm but velvety soft. He once again gave her the impression of a jungle cat: strong, graceful and lithe. She dragged her fingers up his sides, then over his pecs and across his shoulders. His arms fascinated her most, corded with lean muscle and veins that stood out delectably along his forearms. She trailed her hands along them several times, down, up, and down again, then nuzzled into his chest with a sigh, wishing she could somehow get even closer.

“If it’s me you want,” he wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair, voice rough, “I’ll give myself to you. Please take whatever you want.”

She once again wondered whether she was dreaming. “Actually,” she mumbled into his chest, “I’m feeling kind of greedy. I was hoping…” – she cupped her hand between his legs, where she was gratified to still find a bulge – “…you could give me this.” She dragged the heel of her palm over it. Jumin groaned softly, and his grip on her tightened. Then he surged forward, lowering MC onto the mattress. 

“You can be greedy,” he breathed into her ear. “Much more greedy.”

“Please,” she gasped, palming his crotch again as he kissed hungrily down her neck. Imagining his cock hard and throbbing mere inches away had renewed the hollow feeling from earlier – she was burning for it. “I… I need you inside me.”

Jumin let out a shuddering breath against her throat. Then he pulled back onto his knees, looking at her like he wanted to eat her while he worked at his belt. He stood briefly to shuck his pants off, somehow managing to look graceful. MC noted his underwear – black boxer briefs doing nothing to hide his erection – before he sat back down. He pulled her up as he leaned against the headboard and then across his lap so she straddled him. The position put them almost eye-to-eye.

“You’ve had this on quite long enough.” He grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it off, banishing it to the growing clothes pile on the floor. MC fought the urge to cover her chest; even if it was embarrassing, she wanted him to see her. 

He touched her like she was breakable. His fingers ghosted over her skin, across her shoulders, down her spine, up her sides. “You’re perfect,” he breathed. He kissed her and cupped her breasts, kneading them gently.

A thought occurred to her and she broke their kiss. “I’m on birth control,” she blurted out. She gestured toward the half-used packet of pills on the nightstand. “Um, just so you know. And I’m clean,” she added, blushing. She’d never had sex this spontaneous before and wasn’t sure of the script. In her opinion, regular STI screenings were mandatory for any sexually active adult, but throwing it out there felt somehow embarrassing, too technical. 

Jumin laced their fingers together with one hand and cupped her face with the other. “I have a clean bill of health as well,” he said, and kissed her again. “Thank you for telling me.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and nipped at her lower lip, and the embarrassment melted away.

Heat was pooling in MC’s belly again. She deepened their kiss, throwing her arms around him and pressing their bodies together. His hands moved to her waist; he pulled her toward him while he rolled his hips into her. The sensation was overwhelming – so little separated them now, only Jumin’s thin, soft underwear. MC was getting wet again and she could feel him , hot and hard beneath her. She moaned into his mouth and ground into him once, twice, chasing the heat and friction. She was desperate for him, on the verge of crying about it.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he whispered against her lips fervently. “You could ruin me with a word.” He rolled his hips again. “With a touch.”

“Oh god, Jumin, please.” Her voice sounded needy even to her. His hands slid from her hips to his underwear. He fumbled for a moment – she shifted to give him room – then pulled himself free.

For a wild moment MC thought Jumin’s cock was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. He was big – grinding on him had given her a sense, but seeing it made her stomach flip with excitement – and so hard that the tip was flushed and slick with precum. The hollow feeling in her belly grew sharper.

“Do you see now?” His breathing was becoming uneven. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, bringing MC with him so they were perched on the edge. His hands supported her back, holding her upright, and she could feel his fingers trembling. “Do you see how you affect me?”

MC looped her arms over his shoulders and braced her knees on the mattress on either side of him. She shifted her hips experimentally – their position gave her excellent control and leverage. 

Jumin gripped himself by the base and lined himself up. He brushed against her, sliding through the slickness between her legs. Their eyes met, and holding his gaze while they were touching so intimately made her entire body tingle. She lowered her hips and her breath hitched as she sank onto him. He slipped deeper inch by inch, stretching her deliciously, his girth soothing the hollow ache like water on a fire. Jumin drew in a ragged breath. He held still, letting her set the pace, but every muscle in his body was taut.

“You’re dripping,” he breathed into her ear. She felt a slight pressure in her belly and mewled quietly as she took him to the hilt; his grip on her waist tightened. His voice shook slightly when he spoke next. “So ready for me.”

MC stilled for a moment, trembling and clinging to him while she adjusted to being full of him. Then she rolled her hips, a slow slide up and down. The way their bodies were pressed together, each stroke stimulated her clit. A low moan rolled out of her. She had cum only a few minutes prior, had never managed to have more than one orgasm during sex before, but already she could tell she was heading for a second. Jumin groaned and panted into her ear; he gripped her hips and jerked his up, matching her movements. Hot pleasure shot through her and she keened, snapping her hips frantically as the sensation built.

“G-god, Jumin,” she groaned, voice rough as she jerked her hips. “You’re so big, s-so good –” She slumped against his chest and he let them fall back onto the mattress so she could take him deeper. She kissed him feverishly, running her hands across his chest, tangling her fingers in his hair. His hands roved across her shoulders, down her sides, gripping her almost spastically as they moved against each other. When he reached her ass, he cupped it and squeezed, grinding up at the same time, making them both groan. Then his hand moved again, and she felt his fingers between her legs. She whimpered and dropped her head to his shoulder while he rubbed her, putting pressure right where she wanted it. He rolled his hips rhythmically, driving into her over and over. Each stroke felt impossibly good, drawing wanton noises from her.

“You’re such a good girl for me,” he crooned into her ear, “moaning so sweetly. You take my cock so well.” His words sent little shocks of arousal zinging through her; her arms prickled with goosebumps again. She shuddered, nearly sobbing with pleasure.

“Jumin,” she whined. She was so turned on she could barely think. “H-harder, please – please fuck me harder.”

Jumin made a sound verging on animalistic and flipped them over. MC found herself on her back with Jumin hovering over her, eyes black with desire. He pulled back almost all the way, then drove in with one long, hard thrust. MC’s eyelids fluttered as his cock slammed into her.

“You’re so beautiful,” he gasped. He placed an open-mouthed kiss to her neck and sucked hard as he fucked her, driving into her like he would die if he stopped. Hot, throbbing pressure flooded her with each thrust, so intense she thought she might combust. “So tight.” Suck. “So warm.” Lick. “Mine.”

In the end this last word, hot and filthy-sounding in her ear, pulled her over the edge. She screamed with the sheer force of it. She clawed at his back and hooked her ankles around his waist, pulling him closer, deeper, as she spasmed around his cock.

Jumin’s thrusts grew more erratic as she came apart under him, and she could tell he was close. “Please cum inside me,” she gasped – she was suddenly dizzy with how much she wanted him to – and he groaned and went rigid. She clung to him tighter, shaking and gasping his name. She felt him twitch as he came, and a final wave of pleasure crashed over her at the thought of him shooting hot and deep inside her.

They lay in silence for a few moments, catching their breath. Jumin was a pleasant weight pressing into her. She could feel both their hearts pounding. Eventually Jumin stirred; he gathered her in his arms and rolled onto his back so she was on top of him. MC wondered if she should get up, but Jumin pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair. Her stomach flipped with happy butterflies.

Slowly, their heart rates returned to normal. MC nuzzled her face into his shoulder. His natural musk was stronger now after their exertion. She tried to inhale without being too obvious; she felt a bit perverted for enjoying the smell of his sweat so much. 

“I can’t get enough of you,” she admitted shakily. She braced her hands on his chest and lifted her head to meet his gaze. His usually perfect hair was dishevelled, standing on end where she’d dragged her fingers through it. His cheeks were flushed. She noted, with possessive satisfaction, faint red marks blooming on his neck and shoulders where she had nipped and scratched him. Her heart swelled at the sight – she couldn’t believe the reserved man she’d spent the last week with could also be like this. “Are you sure you’re real?” she asked him.

He smiled a genuine smile at that, and her chest squeezed with affection. “I could ask you the same thing.” He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips, lingering on the latter. He pulled back after several long moments and brushed her bangs away from her sweaty forehead. “I can’t express how much I’ve wanted this.”

She puffed out a disbelieving breath. “I had no idea. You were being such a gentleman about everything, I never thought…” She sighed, burying her face in his chest. “I’ve been pining after you all week like a lovesick teenager,” she mumbled. She still couldn’t believe that any of this was real, that Jumin could possibly return even a fraction of her feelings – it seemed more impossible the more she thought about it, like there must be some mistake. But then he began to rub slow, soothing circles across her back, and a wave of fatigue washed over her, drowning out her anxious train of thought. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t realize,” he said. “I want nothing more than to make you happy, to keep you safe.” His voice rumbled pleasantly under her, sounding further and further away.

“I’m happy and safe,” MC mumbled, nuzzling into him more. His pulse beat steadily against her cheek. His skin was so warm and soft; she felt enveloped in his arms, calmed by his touch. Her limbs grew heavy. She vaguely thought she should get up. Surely they should get ready for the day. Jumin was wanted at the office, and she had emails to reply to… 

But the thoughts floated away as she drifted to sleep.

Chapter Text

When MC woke, Jumin’s arms were still around her. She looked around the room, bleary-eyed. The light had shifted westward. From where she lay she could see the old-fashioned alarm clock on the nightstand reading 12:09 p.m. She gasped and tried to sit up, but Jumin hugged her tighter.

“Don’t go.” His voice was soft in her ear, rough with sleep. “You fit so perfectly in my arms.”

Her inward delight at his words was not enough to overcome her panic about the time. “We overslept,” she said. “It’s past noon!”

“I was ensuring you got some much-needed rest.” He yawned and buried his face in her hair. “It seems I drifted off as well.”

MC recalled the shadows under his eyes from earlier. “Well, that’s good,” she conceded. She yawned too. “You needed it more than I did.”

Jumin scoffed as he nuzzled her. She was reminded fondly of a housecat. She accepted that he wouldn’t be releasing her for the time being and sank back onto his chest. He hummed with satisfaction and rubbed his hands across her back.

“I thought they needed you at work?” she asked. She didn’t want him to leave, but she hated to think he might fall behind on her account.

“I have no intention of being more than an arm’s reach from you today,” he said, clutching her closer to his chest. He nipped at her ear, raising goosebumps on her arms and back. “Unless you feel otherwise, of course.”

“No,” she said, marveling at the heat in his tone. “I guess I can’t say no to that.” She snuggled against him. As she did, she realized he was still inside of her. Or, had been until a moment ago when she had shifted. She stiffened in horror as the sticky mixture of their bodily fluids started to migrate. She’d somehow forgotten they hadn’t used a condom – uncharacteristically reckless of her – and what the usual aftermath of that was. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry,” she yelped, mortified. She decided getting the sheets messy would be slightly less embarrassing than getting him messy and shifted off of him. “Oh no, what a mess.” She tried to sit up, but Jumin’s arms were still around her. “I’ll throw the sheets in the laundry right away and grab a washcloth and –”

Her mouth snapped shut as Jumin sat them up and swung his legs off the bed. He slipped one arm under her knees and stood, lifting her bridal style.

“Nonsense,” he said. “I have a better idea.”

He carried her to the ensuite, seeming totally unbothered. Still, MC covered her face in embarrassment and squeezed her thighs together.

Jumin approached the enormous shower that occupied most of one wall and set her down. It was encased in wide, transparent glass panels that almost reached the high ceiling. MC could see herself and Jumin reflected in them. The floors were heated, the cream-coloured tile warm under her feet.

“A shower does sound nice,” she said shyly, equally excited and nervous at the idea of having one together. “And I should probably tackle this catastrophe.” She ran a hand through her hair. She loved wearing it long but detested the upkeep. She tried to go as long as possible between hair wash days, but if Jumin might be running his fingers through it again… She cut off that train of thought before she got too carried away.

Keeping one hand on MC’s waist, Jumin reached in and turned the faucet. He tested the temperature of the water for a few moments, then tugged her in after him.

MC sighed as the water warmed her skin. Jumin ran his hands over her back and shoulders and kissed her under the spray. He seemed to be having a hard time keeping his hands off her. Her pulse quickened as their lips moved against each other. His skin, warm and slick from the water, felt divine against her body. She pulled away reluctantly after a few moments; if they continued, they might never get clean. She reached for her travel bottle of drugstore shampoo, which she’d tucked into the corner of the shower’s built-in shelving.

“I asked the housekeeping team to stock toiletries here for you,” Jumin said. He plucked an expensive-looking bottle from one of the higher shelves and examined it. “Were they not to your liking?”

“I didn’t realize those were for me,” she said sheepishly. She’d been using only what she’d brought with her, not wanting to mooch from what she assumed was Jumin’s personal supply. On closer inspection, it was a brand she’d seen recommended online for her hair type – she’d wanted to try it, but it was out of her budget. “Are you sure it’s okay?” she asked, flustered. “It’s such a nice brand!”

Jumin tutted and broke the seal on the bottle. He poured some shampoo into his hand, adjusted MC’s position under the spray, then turned her so her back was to him.

“All this time I’ve been trying to pamper you,” he said, massaging the shampoo, which smelled like vanilla, into her scalp. MC melted under his touch. “But here you are claiming things are too nice for you.” He said it like he found the concept ridiculous.

“I thought you just liked spending money,” she admitted, embarrassed. She never would have dreamed he was trying to spend money specifically on her. She didn’t know whether to feel flattered or guilty. Did Jumin do this for every woman he had sex with? Her stomach twisted possessively at that last thought, and she pushed it away.

Jumin hummed in amusement. “I’m usually quite reserved in my spending, unless it relates to one of my interests.” He pulled her wet hair off her shoulder and dipped his head to press a kiss to it.

The sensation of Jumin’s fingers carding through her hair was hypnotic. He worked his way from her forehead back toward her nape. She usually struggled to let people do things for her – even when they offered, she felt they must secretly resent her for accepting – but Jumin’s touches felt so nice that she was having a hard time not enjoying herself.

The shower head was removable and had a long, flexible hose. Jumin unhooked it and rinsed the suds from MC’s hair, careful to avoid her face. He followed the shampoo with conditioner, working a generous amount from the middle of her hair through the ends. When he was done, she grabbed a claw clip from the shelf beside her travel bottles and twisted her hair up, securing it at her nape to keep it out of the way while the conditioner set.

Now that Jumin’s hands were free, she couldn’t resist turning around for a hug. Immediately, his arms snaked around her, pulling her to him. The way he instantly responded to her felt like magic. She tilted her face toward him and he leaned down to kiss her.

“Thank you for washing my hair,” she said. “I hate doing it.”

Jumin picked up the wood-handled scrub brush that hung from a hook near the shower door and began lathering it with soap. “I’ll wash it for you every time,” he said.

MC knew better than to take it seriously, but hearing him say it unleashed a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest nonetheless. “You barely have time to sleep, let alone wash my hair multiple times a week.”

“I make time for things that are important,” he said matter-of-factly. “May I?” He gestured with the brush for her to turn. 

MC laughed incredulously as she presented her back to him. “Sleep isn’t important?” she asked. He rubbed firm but gentle circles across her shoulders. The soap smelled of vanilla, too. “It’s definitely more important than you washing my hair for me.” 

“A certain amount of sleep is necessary to maintain health and proper bodily functions, it’s true.” He worked his way down her back, then started on her arms. “But comparing that to spending time with you would be like comparing tap water to champagne.”

MC blushed, unsure how to respond to that. Jumin being so flirtatious was a pleasant surprise – it was like a flip had been switched since they’d woken up, and he was running on different settings than before. She wanted to write down everything he said so she could remember it later, and it occurred to her that she might be enjoying his banter a little too much. Sleeping together one time doesn’t mean anything , she chastised herself internally. Don’t get carried away.

She decided bantering back was a good balance of flirty and nonchalant. “If I let you wash my hair for me,” she said, “you have to let me help you with your sleep habits.”

Jumin hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s a fair request.” He finished scrubbing her arms and turned her to face him again. He moved slowly down her sides and across her stomach, taking care not to tickle. “Actually, you’ve already helped. I don’t remember the last time I slept past noon.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to come find you every night at a reasonable time and…” She stopped – was joking about them sleeping together again taking it too far? She didn’t want to be presumptuous.

Jumin stopped scrubbing. “And what?” he asked huskily, eyes darkening. Maybe it wasn’t presumptuous. 

MC felt a little thrill of power, realizing she could affect him with only a few words. She suddenly wanted to know how much further she could go.

“Well, I guess it depends on what exactly helped you sleep,” she said, feigning thoughtfulness. “Maybe it was… the skin-to-skin contact?” She wrapped her arms around him, cheek to his chest, and stroked her hands across his back. He sucked in a breath. The scrub brush clattered to the ground and his arms encircled her – that was certainly encouraging.

“I scratched and bit you a few times,” she continued, murmuring against his skin. “That must have hurt, but maybe the endorphins helped relax you?” She dragged her nails down his back and was pleased to feel his cock twitch between them. 

He groaned softly and clutched her tighter. “MC…”

She tilted her head to gaze up at him innocently. He had the same bewildered look as when she’d kissed him in the kitchen, like he hadn’t quite processed what was happening. She rose onto her toes, pressing in closer, clutching his shoulders for balance. Her breasts pressed against his torso as she reached toward him.

His head dropped onto her shoulder as though being tugged on a string. She felt his quickening breaths against her skin. She placed a hand on the back of his head. “Or maybe you just overexerted yourself,” she breathed into his ear, “fucking me so thoroughly.” A rush of pleasure flooded her as she said it. Jumin sucked in a breath.

He was fully hard now; she could feel his erection pressed against her stomach. Warmth was building between her own legs, and she rolled her hips experimentally, relishing the way their soapy bodies glided against each other. 

Jumin groaned again, and he placed his hands on her waist to still her.

“MC.” His voice was rough, muffled by her shoulder. “If you keep doing that…”

She lowered back down, clinging to Jumin’s shoulders. He pressed his forehead to hers, looking down at her with half-lidded eyes, his lips parted slightly.

She was stunned by how turned on she was getting from just talking. “Sometimes while I’m showering here, I think about you joining me,” she confessed breathlessly. “I think about what it would feel like if you pressed me up against the wall and fucked me senseless.”

Jumin made a sound of desperation and kissed her. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth and she moaned, pressing herself to him. She stroked a hand down his torso. He inhaled shakily as her fingers moved lower, found his cock, and curled around it. She stroked him once, from base to tip.

Jumin let out a shuddering breath and bucked into her hand. He held her by the upper arms and pulled back, gazing at her with open lust. “MC,” he said, chastising, his low voice wavering slightly. “You’ve worked me into quite a state.” He cupped the side of her face, thumb caressing the corner of her mouth. “Are you prepared to take responsibility for your actions?” His voice was dangerously soft.

Heat dripped down her spine to pool in her lower abdomen. “Make me,” she breathed.

Jumin’s eyes flashed. Then he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the wall. MC braced her hands against the tiles, stomach fluttering. He pushed the shower head away so the spray wasn’t falling on them and leaned in behind her. She swallowed as his large, firm frame pressed against her, caging her against the wall. The feeling of his hard length against her lower back almost made her mouth water. 

He covered her left hand with his and kissed her neck. Her skin prickled with goosebumps despite the steamy air. “Tell me if it’s too much,” he whispered into her ear. She nodded, breathless, heart pounding with anticipation. He pulled back slightly and she felt his other hand between her legs, fingertips ghosting at her entrance. He paused, as if waiting for any objection, then, hearing none, pressed two fingers inside. 

She whimpered softly as they filled her. They met almost no resistance, and he hummed his approval at how slick she was. Little shocks of pleasure sparked through her as he reached deeper. His breath fanned across her neck, tingling down her spine. He pumped his fingers in and out, slowly enough to make her whine. She felt swollen and oversensitive, and the sensation verged on too much, but she desperately wanted more.

“You’re ready for me again already,” he murmured. “Maybe you never stopped being ready.” His slow, firm strokes were hitting almost where she wanted them to, but the angle was limiting. She wanted him deeper. She pushed her hips back, chasing the pressure she was craving.

He withdrew his hand and she keened with the loss. Jumin tutted and gripped her hip with the hand he’d been fingering her with, holding her still. He paused and trailed his nose along her neck, inhaling.

“Jumin, god, please –” she whined. She thought about his slick, hard erection, the length and girth of it, and was dizzy with how much she wanted him inside her again. She pressed her forehead against the tile in frustration. 

“Patience, my love,” he breathed. “Didn’t I tell you I’d give you anything you wanted?” She felt him aligning himself behind her, heard his breath hitch as his tip pressed against her. She felt her heartbeat in her throat as he paused. Then he plunged into her, burying himself to the hilt in one thrust. MC arched her back and let out a drawn out, low moan, tingling pleasure suffusing her body. She marveled at how easily she took him this time, how completely he filled her.

“I thought I’d dreamed how perfect you feel,” Jumin said, voice unsteady. He drove into her with firm, measured strokes, but the feverish way he kissed and sucked along her neck betrayed his desperation. He wrapped his left arm around her; his hand roved across her front, stroking along her belly, over her breasts, across her collarbone. His other hand was still on her hip, pulling her back to meet him each time he snapped his hips. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he rasped. He sounded entranced, reverent. “How do you expect me to withstand it if you tease me on purpose?”

MC was having trouble forming coherent thoughts. The angle was intense, and Jumin was hitting deep inside her. Each pump of his cock sent waves of pleasure through her whole body, like she was turning to liquid. She was completely at his mercy, too overwhelmed with sensation to do anything but focus on staying upright. Her head lolled back onto his chest, her fingers sliding down the tile. Jumin’s hand slid from her hip to between her legs, where he rubbed tight circles in time with his thrusts. She let out a wanton moan as his fingers and cock hit sweet spots at the same time. Stars burst across her vision.

“Those noises you make will be the death of me,” he groaned. He leaned forward, pressing her gently into the wall so he could thrust deeper, faster. She made incoherent sounds of arousal as he drove into her. “Such beautiful, filthy sounds while you take my cock, my fingers, my tongue.” His breathing was growing heavier, his voice rougher. MC had the sense of floating as her awareness narrowed to just the places he was touching her. The friction was unrelenting, flame pouring in from every angle. Jumin filling her, stroking her, praising her, his breath hot in her ear. Her knees began to wobble.

“Oh god,” she moaned, nearly crying with pleasure. Her fingernails scrabbled against the tiles. “I’m so close –”

“ Good girl ,” Jumin whispered. He licked the shell of her ear, gripped her hip with the hand that wasn’t working between her legs. “I want you to scream my name while you cum on my cock.”

MC’s brain short-circuited. The sensation swelled, drew taut, exploded. “Oh, god, Jumin, fuck – !” She wailed and writhed as she came, back arching, head snapping back against Jumin’s chest. She grabbed his forearms, nails digging into his skin.

He groaned and jerked as she screamed, his thrusts growing less measured. He grabbed her hips with shaking hands and pulled them toward him, rolling his hips into her. He bit off a cry, and she felt him pulsing inside her.

They remained locked in position for a few taut moments before MC’s legs gave out. She went limp, sliding down the wall a few inches before Jumin’s arms wrapped around her, lifting her back up.

“My perfect, beautiful MC,” he whispered, breathless, as he eased out of her. He gently turned her around to pepper her face with kisses. “What am I going to do with you?”

MC let out a shaky sigh, mind hazy with pleasure. “That was amazing,” she breathed, sagging against him. Her legs were trembling and wouldn’t support her weight. “Even better than I imagined.”

Jumin crushed her to his chest, rubbing slow circles across her back, holding her steady as she recovered. She could feel his heart thundering, too. “We haven’t made much progress toward cleaning up,” he mused.

“Sorry,” she laughed, breathless. “I got carried away.” 

Jumin kissed the top of her head. “You have nothing to apologize for.” 

When he was satisfied she wouldn’t collapse under her own weight, he released her and picked up the fallen scrub brush and soap. “Shall we continue?”

They managed to finish showering without getting sidetracked again, which MC considered a small miracle. After they’d both scrubbed down thoroughly, Jumin rinsed the conditioner out for her, gently detangling her hair with his fingers as he went. He turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower as she was squeezing the excess water from her ends. She shivered as cool air rushed in, but Jumin quickly returned with an enormous, fluffy towel, which he wrapped around her.

“I keep forgetting you have towel warmers.” MC sighed and nuzzled her face into the warm cotton as she stepped out of the shower. Jumin wrapped one around his waist, then used a second to towel off his hair. The damp strands curled attractively across his forehead when he was finished. MC had no idea how he managed to look so handsome right after a shower; she looked like a bedraggled cat when her hair was wet.

As she was securing the towel around her torso, Jumin captured one of the wet locks of hair that was plastered to her shoulder, letting it slip through his fingers. “How do you usually style your hair?” he asked.

“I have to blow dry my bangs and roots or they get crazy, but I let the rest air dry,” she said.

“Would you show me?” he asked.

MC was confused. Did Jumin have secret ambitions to be a hairdresser? His hair already looked so perfect she knew he couldn’t be asking for himself. “It’s nothing fancy, but I can show you,” she said.

She wiped her feet on the plush bath mat then headed to the long, marble counter where her toiletries were stacked in a neat pile by the sink. Jumin followed close behind. 

She surveyed their reflections in the large, gilded mirror. She did look like a wet cat, although the heated way Jumin was looking at her made her question that assessment. She had a spray of faint red marks on both sides of her throat from where he had kissed and sucked her. She touched one gently, pleased that he’d marked her, too, then quickly lowered her hand. Don’t get carried away , she reminded herself.

She plugged in her beat up old hair dryer – she saw Jumin frown at it in the mirror and wondered with slight apprehension whether an expensive new one might show up in the near future – and grabbed a few bottles of hair products, her round brush and her tail comb. Jumin stood behind her, hands resting on her waist, and watched her movements in the mirror. She showed him how she applied heat protecting spray, sectioned her bangs and dried them with the barrel brush. 

She bit her lip in concentration while she worked – she’d had bangs for ages but still found styling them tricky. Whenever she glanced up, she saw Jumin watching her like he was studying for a test, and she had to bite back a smile. He was also rubbing her lower back absentmindedly with his thumbs. It was such a small thing, but it made MC’s heart swell. So far he’d been true to his word about not being more than an arm’s length from her, and MC found herself relishing his closeness and attention. She never wanted it to stop.

Once her bangs were sitting the way she liked, she moved on to her roots, demonstrating how she lifted the hair near her scalp with the brush and fluffed it with the blow dryer. Her arms always tired quickly at this stage, and after a few minutes she paused to shake them out. She felt Jumin’s fingers brush her hand that was holding the blow dryer, and their eyes met in the mirror. 

“May I?” she heard him ask over the din of the dryer, gesturing to it. She blinked in surprise but let him take it and the brush from her. She watched through the mirror in amazement as he methodically dried her roots, mimicking exactly her movements from earlier.

He moved so gently she could barely feel it. He seemed laser focused, his brow furrowed slightly in concentration. All his considerable care and attention, focused solely on her. MC felt a swell of affection so strong it nearly winded her, and it suddenly occurred to her that having casual sex – twice – with a man she had romantic feelings for may have been a bad idea. 

It wasn’t lost on her that they hadn’t discussed what would happen after today – or discussed much of anything, really. She’d been so caught up in the thrill of having him she hadn’t even thought about it. She couldn’t deny that he was attracted to her sexually, as surprising as it was, but she knew that didn’t necessarily equate to romantic attraction. Her limited knowledge of his stance on relationships wasn’t promising, either; she’d seen firsthand since coming to the penthouse how disgusted he was by his father rushing into a new relationship with Glam.

Maybe he would want to date her eventually, though? Ignoring the fact that six hours after first having sex was definitely too early to ask him that, it seemed more dubious the longer she thought about it. He was such an incredible person, and she was – well. She looked again at their reflections in the mirror: Jumin was tall, handsome and generations-of-etiquette-lessons levels of elegant, a sharp contrast to her short, unremarkable and awkward self. He, at 26, was already executive director of a multi-billion-dollar company; she was a glorified event planner who had spent the first three years of her 20s barely scraping by. It would make more sense if he was only interested in a sexual relationship.

What kind of woman would Jumin want a proper relationship with? She began to picture it, in spite of herself. Probably he would want someone driven, elegant and successful. An heiress, wealthy socialite or a career woman. Even if he seemed attracted to her now, the bloom would be off the rose when he inevitably fell for someone better, just like –

She snapped out of her thoughts as Jumin turned off the hair dryer. Their eyes met in the mirror, and he looked at her a touch anxiously for her assessment of his work. She ran a hand through her roots, which were now dry and felt silky under her fingers – better than she could have done, or would ever have bothered to do, for herself. She tried to tamp down the wave of emotion that washed over her as she realized she was dealing with more than just a crush. Oh , she thought faintly, I love him. So much for not getting carried away.

Outwardly, she said, “That’s perfect, thank you,” trying to keep her tone bright. “Usually my arms feel like they’re about to fall off by the time I’m done.” She took the hairdryer back from him and unplugged it, fingers shaking slightly, then wrapped its cord around it and tucked it beside her bag of toiletries. 

“Then I’ll do that for you, too,” Jumin said. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, apparently no longer satisfied with only touching her waist, and rested his chin on her head. Her heart squeezed again, too eager to read promises of a “next time” or a “later” into his banter. She knew all too well the dangers of relying too much on vague promises about the future.

Pushing down the painful memories that particular thought elicited, it occurred to her that she had two choices: one, dissolve into a sad, anxious mess over the question of what came next, which would undoubtedly upset Jumin – the opposite of what she’d come to the penthouse to do – and probably result in her having to leave, or two, try to enjoy her time with him while she could.

When she thought about it in those terms, things seemed much clearer. She steeled herself – she would not ruin this day, which so far had been better than her literal wildest dreams, by letting her emotions run away with her. She could enjoy her time with him for the day, at least, and face the emotional fallout later.

MC forced down her anxiety and stroked Jumin’s arm. “You can’t do everything for me,” she teased quietly. She had started feeling like she’d failed again – she was supposed to be the one taking care of him this week, and somehow he’d flipped it around on her.

Jumin hummed as though he disagreed but didn’t say anything. She leaned forward to grab her bottle of leave-in conditioner; Jumin moved with her like a tall, handsome backpack. She tugged the damp lengths of her hair loose from under his arms – she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to release her – then worked a small amount of conditioner into them.

“There,” she said, scrunching the ends to better distribute the product. “All done.” She turned around in the circle of his arms and couldn’t help but nuzzle her face into his chest. Tragically, their shower had erased his wonderful musky scent for the time being. Maybe she could entice him into exerting himself again later… she shook her head, feeling like a horny teenager now instead of a lovesick one. She was giving herself emotional whiplash.

“Should we put on clothes?” she asked to distract herself from thinking about emotional turmoil and Jumin getting sweaty.

They headed back into the bedroom. MC grabbed a clean pair of underwear from her suitcase while Jumin tugged on new boxer briefs, some expensive-looking black sweatpants and a charcoal gray t-shirt. She felt a little giddy seeing him in casual clothes – she had begun to wonder whether he owned anything that wasn’t a suit. Seeing him dressed down seemed somehow more intimate than seeing him naked.

She was reaching for a pair of jeans when she spied Jumin’s discarded pinstripe button-up on the ground. Impulsively, she grabbed it and slipped it on. It was almost a dress on her, the hem falling to her mid-thigh. She brought the collar to her nose, and to her delight it smelled like him. She looked up mid-inhale to Jumin looking at her quizzically. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, dropping the collar in embarrassment. “I know this is a work shirt – would you prefer I didn’t wear it?”

“Not at all – but wouldn’t you prefer something in your size?” Jumin said. “Or something freshly-laundered? If you’re running low on clothing, please allow me to purchase more for you.”

“Oh, no, I…” MC considered how to explain. She decided honesty was the best policy. “I want to wear it because it’s yours, and… because it smells like you.”

Jumin looked surprised for a moment, but his expression slowly turned possessive as he examined her. “I see,” he said, sounding pleased. “How novel.” He stepped closer to help her with the buttons.

“Have you never had a partner steal your clothes before?” MC asked, surprised.

“I suppose no one has ever had the opportunity,” Jumin mused. He finished with the buttons, leaving the top few undone. He rolled up the sleeves, which covered MC’s hands at their full length, to her forearms. “But I must say, I quite enjoy the effect.” He placed his hands on her hips, tugging her toward him; familiar warmth pooled in her lower belly. He leaned down, and MC tilted her face up for a kiss. 

As their lips touched, her stomach growled so loudly it startled her.

“Sorry,” she said, pulling back and clutching her stomach as though that would quiet it. “I guess we haven’t eaten yet.”

Jumin looked stricken. “How thoughtless of me – I’ll order lunch immediately.” He laced their fingers together, which made her heart flutter, and led her into the hall. 

MC had learned that Jumin kept a landline, which she found adorably old-fashioned. He used his cell phone for the RFA app and work calls, but he seemed to gravitate toward the landline for most other purposes.

“The building staff will have cleared away the breakfast delivery by now,” he said as they approached the old-fashioned rotary phone, which sat on an ornate carved table near the front door. MC felt a pang of regret over the food waste. “I’ll have my chef send up something fresh. What are you in the mood for?”

The food Jumin’s chef made was always delicious, but thinking about how expensive it must be always made MC feel guilty. Since Jumin would no doubt insist on paying, she wondered if she could take him up on his request for her to be greedy and arrange for something less pricey.

“Actually,” she said, twirling a piece of damp hair around her finger, “would it be too much trouble to order takeout? I’m craving fried chicken – my favourite restaurant is kind of near here.”

Jumin blinked. “Takeout? Is that what Jaehee is always eating?”

MC stifled a surprised laugh. She sometimes forgot how little Jumin knew about the lives of regular people. “Yes, I think she eats takeout a lot since she’s so busy. It’s pretty normal for, um, people like her and me. Oh – but we should get it delivered. I don’t really feel like going outside…” She squeezed his hand shyly.

Jumin smiled. “If that’s what you want, then of course. I’m interested in trying this ‘fried chicken.’”

Suppressing her awe that Jumin had never had fried chicken, of all things, MC dialed the restaurant. She typically cooked her meals at home to save money, but she had been patronizing this particular spot for several years and had the number memorized.

She ordered a few different mains and sides – she wanted Jumin to try all her favourites – and explained how to deliver to the penthouse. Jumin played idly with her free hand while she did so, listening to the transaction with interest.

The restaurant told her they could expect the food in about half an hour. After stripping the sheets in the bedroom and throwing them in the wash – Jumin insisted on doing this himself – they headed to the living room to wait with a vague idea of watching something on TV.

The main feature of Jumin’s living room was the giant leather sectional. Jumin had been sleeping there since she arrived; a few blankets and pillows were tucked neatly at one end. In contrast to the old money aesthetic of the rest of the penthouse, the living room was sleek and modern, with mainly black and white decor, a floor-to-ceiling illuminated fish tank in the corner, and an enormous flatscreen taking up most of the wall opposite the couch.

They sat down side by side. Despite her internal chants of “keep it light,” after a few moments she couldn’t stand the few inches of space between them. She reached toward him a bit hesitantly, and again, like magic, he reached back. Encouraged, she clambered into his lap and straddled him. Their bodies fit together like puzzle pieces.

“Hello,” he said, sounding pleased. She nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing him in, and tucked her hands against his chest. His arms circled her, stroking her back. In spite of herself, she felt a small spark of hope. If cuddling was on the table, maybe he would be interested in more than just sex?

With that thought, something Jumin had said earlier rose to the surface of her mind again, nagging at her. She was potentially leading them into dangerous territory, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She pulled back to look at him; his arms slid down her back and settled around her waist.

“Jumin, earlier you said no one had had the opportunity to steal your clothes. Is that because, uh – why is that?” She cringed internally at how awkwardly the question came out.

“I’ve never dated anyone before,” Jumin replied.

“Really?” She sounded more shocked than was probably seemly, but Jumin chuckled.

“Is that surprising?” he asked. Honestly, it was – the other RFA members teased Jumin about his dating life, or lack thereof, but MC had assumed he was going through a dry spell.

“I know how busy you are, but I would have… I would have thought lots of women would be interested,” she said quietly. MC had only ever had sex with people she already liked romantically, but she realized with a sinking feeling that it must not be that way for Jumin after all.

Jumin looked thoughtful. “I suppose I’ve had my share of admirers, but I’ve never been interested in anyone that way,” he said simply.

Her heart sank further – that made sense. Of course he didn’t want to date. Her thoughts flashed back to his distaste over his father’s relationship, the suggestion of marrying Sarah. She almost wanted to laugh at herself – she’d already known she probably wasn’t what he’d look for in a long-term partner, had tried so hard to tell herself not to get carried away, but it still felt like a punch to the gut. 

Her turmoil must have shown on her face, because Jumin suddenly looked worried. “MC, are you okay?”

“Oh, yes, I –” To her horror, her voice broke. She cleared her throat and started over. “Sorry, I – I’m not –”

He brushed her bangs out of her eyes, brow furrowing. “Have I said something that upset you?” The gesture seemed so loving, so gentle. She realized with a heave of sadness that she couldn’t put the conversation off any longer – it wasn’t fair to either of them to try to pretend she felt less than she did.

MC bit her lip. “I think I’ve… um.” He was looking at her with such concern it was short-circuiting her brain and also making her want to cry. “I think – I think I’m probably getting ahead of myself with, um – with all of this.”

Jumin’s expression morphed from concerned to confused. “I’m not sure I understand,” he said slowly. She steeled herself to explain.

“Sorry,” she said again, struggling to keep her voice steady. “I – I know you’ve got a lot going on right now, and I’m so sorry to add to that, but I think I –” She took a deep breath. “This is my fault for getting ahead of myself and not talking about boundaries first, but I – I don’t think I can be casual about this.”

Jumin looked stricken. “Have I done something that’s crossed a boundary? That’s certainly not something to be casual about. If I’ve made you uncomfortable, please tell me what I can do to –”

“No, no –” MC faltered, remembering Jumin’s sometimes weak grasp of slang words. She cast about for a better way to explain. “‘Casual’ means –” She swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat. “I can’t have a casual relationship with you, or – um, one where we just have sex.”

“A casual relationship?” he asked, sounding so surprised it bordered on reproach. “I had no intention of being casual with you.”

Her stomach dropped to her toes, and her face felt hot with embarrassment. She looked down. Of course sleeping together a couple of times didn’t mean he would want to do it again, even with no strings. Every time she thought she’d gotten out ahead of her emotions, she tripped up in some new way. “Of course, I’m sorry to have – I don’t usually have sex with someone unless I have romantic feelings for them, but I shouldn’t have – it was silly of me to assume that would be the same for you,” she stammered, staring into her lap. Jumin’s arms were still slung around her hips; she wished he would move them so she could run and hide. “I know another girl with unwanted romantic feelings for you is probably – would be the last thing you need right now, but I –” 

“MC.” Jumin hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. She stared at him, wide-eyed. His brow was knit as he scanned her face, concern etched into his features. “Are you under the impression I don’t have romantic feelings for you?”

She blinked. His question made no sense. “I – yes?”

Confusion and sadness flashed across Jumin’s features, and he sounded almost apologetic when he said, “MC, I’m in love with you.”

He – what? Her brain screeched to a halt as she struggled to parse his words. 

“When I said I had no intention of being casual, I meant that I hoped to have a serious relationship with you,” Jumin continued solemnly. “Have I misunderstood your feelings?” His expression turned pained, anxious. “If my advances are unwanted, I’ll stop immediately.”

“Oh, no, you – I didn’t mean –” MC stammered, alarmed by the turn the conversation was taking. How had things gone so awry? To her horror, she felt tears pricking behind her eyes. She blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them. Jumin’s eyes widened in alarm, and this tipped her over the edge. Her lips began to tremble, her eyes welled over, and two fat, traitorous tears rolled down her cheeks. 

Before she could lift her hand to wipe them away, Jumin made a noise like he was in pain and pulled her toward him, cradling her to his chest. She shook silently, trying not to sob against his neck. Her thoughts were a tangled jumble, racing as she tried to square Jumin’s declaration with what she had understood – no, assumed , she slowly realized – to be true.

“Oh, my love, please don’t cry,” Jumin said, voice husky. He stroked her hair with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. “I’m so sorry – I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.”

MC exhaled through her nose, trying to get her breathing under control. “No, s-sorry, it’s not – not you,” she gasped. She sat up and willed herself to calm down. “You didn’t do anything wrong, just – just give me a second.” She rubbed the heel of her palm against her eye and took another deep breath. Jumin reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark blue handkerchief – of course Jumin would keep a handkerchief in the pocket of his sweatpants – which he pressed into her hand. He placed steadying hands on her hips while she dabbed at her eyes and reluctantly blew her nose into the nice fabric.

“Sorry,” she said again with a sniffle.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Jumin said, cupping her cheeks. “Please, tell me what you’re thinking?” She willed herself to meet his gaze without flinching away. He looked so earnest and anxious that she almost started crying again.

“I – I’m in love with you, too,” she breathed. “I know it’s fast, but – I am.” Joy flashed across Jumin’s face at that, but he still studied her tear-streaked face with concern.

“I’m very happy to hear that,” he murmured. “But… it upsets you?” His expression became so vulnerable that it made her heart hurt.

MC shook her head fervently. “No, no, I was – I thought you wouldn’t want to date me, that – I assumed you only wanted to have a sexual relationship and I was going to have to pretend to be okay with it, but I realized I – I can’t pretend.”

Jumin’s eyebrows pulled together, like he didn’t understand what she had said. “Forgive me for the indelicate question,” he said softly, “but why? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Was it something I did, or didn’t do?” The hurt in his voice bled through despite his efforts to hide it.

MC shook her head again, feeling miserable and frustrated with herself. She thought back over the last hour or so – really, Jumin had been nothing but warm and affectionate, and somehow she had twisted it into something negative, and now she’d hurt him by assuming the worst of him. She should be over the moon that he returned her feelings, but instead she was still struggling to even accept what he was telling her. 

Jumin stroked the side of her face gently. “Is it so difficult to believe that I love you?”

Unfortunately, it was, though it had nothing to do with him, she realized. She would have to tell him. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, steeling herself. She didn’t like to talk about it, didn’t think it was courteous to get into her emotional baggage with so little preamble, but Jumin looked so worried, and he deserved context.

“I broke up with my first boyfriend when I was 20,” she said at length. She bit her lip, waiting for his reaction, but if he was confused or uncomfortable, he didn’t show it. “I moved here for him, actually,” she continued. “He was a couple years older, but we’d been together since high school. He had a fancy job lined up, and he was going to support us while I found something too. He was always really ambitious, and I hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do yet. I thought we were going to get married someday, so I didn’t think twice about uprooting my whole life for him, but he… he cheated on me with his coworker.” Her breath caught as the familiar, old hurt lanced through her. Talking about it felt shameful. Her face grew hot; she blinked furiously and stared over Jumin’s shoulder. His hold on her waist tightened, but he waited for her to continue. 

“She was really smart, pretty, successful… someone more ‘on his level,’ as he put it,” she said at length. She dragged her eyes back up to meet Jumin’s. “It took me a long time to get over it. I had to scramble to get a place on my own and find a job and everything. It was really hard to get back on my feet financially.” A few fresh tears slid over her cheeks. “Part of why it was so bad was I didn’t see it coming at all. Everything seemed perfect until it wasn’t. I couldn’t figure out what went wrong – all I could come up with was that it must have been my fault. He wouldn’t go for someone else if I was enough, right?”

She choked back a small, hiccupping sob, and Jumin tugged her toward him again, running a soothing hand along her back.

“It’s been three years,” she continued. “I’ve seen other people here and there, but I tend to get in my head about things, and I’ve never found anyone I like enough to push through that anxiety for. But I don’t want to be in my head about you. I don’t want to be so anxious that it ruins things, which it clearly already is if I misunderstood you this badly.” She scrunched her face up, feeling like she was going to start crying in earnest again. 

“I’ve been over my ex for a long time now,” she said, “but I guess all of that messed me up more than I thought.” She thought back on everything Jumin had said and done that day, everything she’d told herself not to get too excited about. “You were showing me how you felt all this time, but I convinced myself you couldn’t possibly mean it like that,” she said slowly. “You’re such an amazing person, and I guess I still find it hard to understand why you would choose me. I mean, I couldn’t even help you this week when you were struggling…” Her voice grew smaller and smaller until she was almost whispering, struggling not to burst into tears again. She dabbed at her eyes in frustration with the handkerchief.

“I wish I could show you how I see you,” Jumin said softly. “Maybe C&R could develop a product for that.” She let out a surprised laugh. “Since that product doesn’t exist yet, I’ll tell you instead,” he continued. She pulled back so she could look at him, blinking more tears away. “I’ve been drawn to you since the moment you entered that first chatroom.” 

MC opened her mouth to express her surprise, but Jumin smiled gently and held up a hand. She let him continue.

“The first thing I noticed was how kind you are.” He cupped her face. “You’re always happy to listen to everyone’s problems, always ready with a suggestion or encouraging comment. You have a beautiful heart.” He pressed a brief kiss to her lips. “You make everyone in the RFA happy. Actually, I suspect they’re all a little in love with you.” His expression turned possessive, and a small thrill bloomed through her sadness at the sight.

“When you came on as our party coordinator, I noticed how hardworking you are,” he continued, tucking her damp hair behind her ear. “You’ve been with us barely six weeks, but we’re already on track to throw an incredible party. I was impressed by how you adapted to the role and made it your own. You absorb and synthesize information with amazing efficiency – you would excel at C&R.” MC blushed and looked down. Jumin hooked a finger under her chin again and gently tilted her face back up.

“Next, I noticed your sense of humour.” His mouth curved as though he was recalling a joke she’d told. “I’m not what one might call a ‘funny guy’ – sometimes I can’t tell when the others are telling a joke. But when you do, I’m always able to laugh along with everyone.”

“You’re funny!” MC said, indignation briefly overpowering her sadness, and Jumin chuckled.

“The next thing I noticed was that you laugh at my jokes, too – it made me happy that I could make you laugh.” He kissed her nose, and she smiled in spite of herself.

“The more we talked, the more I wanted to know about you,” he continued. “I was so curious to see you in person, but I didn’t want you to feel pressured to meet me. When Jaehee told me you had agreed to visit me here, I was…” He exhaled softly and thought for a moment. “Elated is probably the right word.”

He studied her face for a moment, eyes soft. “The moment you walked through my front door, I was gone,” he murmured. “You took my breath away. At first I didn’t understand my feelings, but as soon as I saw you I knew I wanted to spend every possible moment by your side.” A warm feeling unfurled in MC’s chest, loosening the knot that had lodged itself there, and her lips parted in wonder.

“But you were a guest in my home,” he continued, more serious now. “You trusted me enough to come here by yourself, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that trust. I was so worried about making you uncomfortable that I didn’t even consider that you might return my feelings. But then you kissed me.” His gaze grew heated. He cupped her face with both hands, wiped her tears away with his thumbs, and kissed her like he couldn’t help himself. His lips moved against hers, softly but urgently, and it felt like he was pouring all his affection into her.

When he pulled back, he looked pensive. “I used to think I didn’t like sex,” he said at length. “To be honest, I never understood what the fuss was about. I tried several times with different people out of… perhaps out of expectation. It didn’t feel the way everyone said it should – not until you.” His voice grew rough. “I don’t think I’ll ever be satiated when it comes to you.”

She didn’t think she could ever get enough of him, either.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t clear about my intentions with you from the start,” Jumin said. “You’re so wonderful, so precious to me, that it never occurred to me you might not feel the same way about yourself.” He looked into her eyes and she could see no uncertainty. “I’ll keep telling you all the things I love about you until it’s impossible to doubt it.” 

He gathered both her hands in his and held her gaze, pausing like he couldn’t decide where to start. His eyes crinkled as he looked at her. “I love the way you fidget with your bangs when you’re nervous.” He kissed her forehead. “I love your smile, especially when it’s for me.” He kissed her cheek. “I love the way you’re always trying to help me, even though I only want to spoil you.” He kissed behind her ear. “I love that you love Elizabeth the 3rd – she may even prefer you to me.” She laughed at that, and he kissed the corner of her mouth. “I love the sound of your voice and how your eyes flash when you’re excited and the way your mouth curves when you tease me.” He kissed her nose, each eyelid, her mouth.

Bit by bit the knot in MC’s stomach unravelled. Jumin’s touch was like a salve. She melted under his fingers, sinking into him. She let him kiss and caress her however he wanted, and everywhere he touched felt like it was turning to gold. He told her how beautiful she was, how happy she made him, how lucky he was to spend time with her. Eventually he pulled back and looked into her eyes.

“That boy was a fool.” She could see the conviction behind his words in his face. “He didn’t understand what he was throwing away when he broke your trust, and I hope he spends every day regretting it. More than that, I hope you can learn to understand how utterly precious you are. I’ll spend every day telling you and showing you, if you’ll let me.”

MC nodded, eyes wide. “I can do that,” she breathed.

The doorbell rang. It took MC a moment to register the sound. She glanced at the door. “Oh! The food.” She bit her lip, reluctant to dispel the magic of the moment. Jumin was holding her like he didn’t want to let go, but her stomach growled as she remembered how hungry she was, and he let her clamber off of him, keeping hold of one hand.

The doorbell rang again.

“Just a minute,” MC called, heading to the door. She wondered if she should put on something other than Jumin’s shirt before answering it, but decided against it when it rang a third time.

“Sorry, sorry, hang on –”

She opened the door to find the entire RFA standing in the hall.

There were several beats of silence as everyone took in the scene before them – MC, wearing Jumin’s shirt, red marks on her neck, tear tracks drying on her cheeks, and Jumin, wearing loungewear, matching red marks on his neck, hands placed possessively on her waist.

“I knew it!” bellowed Zen at the same time Jaehee shouted, “Mr.Hanthereissomuchworktodowhereonearthhaveyoubeen?!” There was a small commotion as they both tried to force their way through the door, blocking each other in the process and tripping over the cat gate. MC saw Seven’s shock of red hair behind Zen’s shoulder; he was holding Zen back while laughing uproariously. 

“I knew we couldn’t trust this jerk with our sweet, innocent MC,” Zen was wailing. “Seven, let me go!”

“What’s happening? I can’t see!” She heard Yoosung’s boyish whine from somewhere at the back of the group.

“Mr. Han! The meetings! You’ve missed so many meetings!” Jaehee appeared to be on the verge of hyperventilating. “I’ve been calling you non-stop for hours, but it keeps going to voicemail!”

MC blanched – she hadn’t even thought of what Jumin disappearing for half the day would do to poor Jaehee.

“Oh my gosh, Jaehee, I’m so sorry,” she gasped. “This is all my fault –”

Jumin stepped forward so he was beside MC and slung his arm around her waist, pulling her toward him.

“Assistant Kang, my apologies for not being in touch. I was… indisposed,” he said. Seven guffawed. “Please clear my schedule for the rest of the day.” He paused. “No, the rest of the week. In fact, why don’t you take the week off as well?”

Jaehee’s expression shifted from frantic to confused to awed. “I… the week off?” she said, sounding faint. “Me? A whole week? A va… cation?” She blinked several times, looking between Jumin and MC as though expecting them to tell her she was being pranked. “Well then – okay. Excuse me, I… have to make some phone calls…” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and wandered off down the hall in a daze.

Yoosung’s head popped into the doorway in the spot Jaehee had vacated. “Hi MC!” He waved. “Zen thought you were dead since you haven’t been in the chatrooms all day. Is that Jumin’s shirt? Is it laundry day?”

MC blushed. Her phone had been lying untouched on the floor of Jumin’s bedroom for the last six hours or so. “Um, hi Yoosung. I’m okay! I’m so sorry to have worried everyone. Jumin and I have been, um, talking.” This prompted another howl of laughter from Seven.

Zen had abandoned his struggle against Seven, though the latter still had a tight grip on his arms, and was slumped miserably against the doorframe. 

“I tried to warn you,” he moaned. “Not even a robot like this trust fund jerk could suppress his beastly nature while alone with a beautiful woman…” 

MC blushed again.

“Um, I’m really okay, Zen – I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything…”

She trailed off as the washing machine played a tune from the laundry room, signaling the end of its cycle. 

“It seems the sheets are clean already,” Jumin mused. He captured a lock of her hair in his free hand and twirled it around his fingers. “Let’s not forget to put them in the dryer so we can use them again later.”

Seven dropped Zen’s arms to double over with laughter. Zen gasped in horror and covered his ears with both hands. “Please, god, why?!” 

MC flushed, but Jumin was now surreptitiously rubbing slow, sensuous circles into her lower back, which, combined with the mental image of using the sheets again later, was making it difficult to focus on being embarrassed.

“Zen, what’s wrong?” Yoosung laid a hand on the taller man’s shoulder, looking concerned. “They’re just doing laundry!” Zen let out a fresh wail of despair.

Seven had to overcome a renewed fit of chuckles before he could speak, but eventually he straightened, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. “Now that we’ve made sure MC and Jumin are alive and well , maybe we should leave them alone.” He looked like he might burst out laughing again at any moment. He picked up a brown paper bag from the floor and handed it to MC. “I think this is yours – great choice, I love this place!”

MC clutched the bag. The enticing smell of fried chicken wafted from it. “Oh – thank you.”

“Come on boys, let’s skedaddle!” Seven ushered Zen and Yoosung down the hall after Jaehee. “Have fun you two!” He gave an exaggerated wink over his shoulder.

“Aw what? But I wanted to hang out at Jumin’s!” Yoosung whined, craning to look back at the doorway. MC waved goodbye to him sheepishly.

“No can do, kid,” she heard Seven saying as they rounded the corner to the elevator banks. “Mom and Dad are busy!” Yoosung’s reply was drowned out by another moan of anguish from Zen before the elevator dinged and the hall fell silent.

As MC stared after them, slightly dazed, she noticed Jumin’s head of security was absent from his post in the hallway. She wondered if Seven had had anything to do with that. She hadn’t thought anyone could even reach the penthouse without Jumin’s express approval first. Jumin reached past her to shut and lock the door while she pondered the mystery.

“Well, that settles the issue of my time off,” he murmured, pressing a kiss behind her ear as he snaked his arms around her from behind. 

“What does?” The words came out as more of a sigh as she melted into his touch.

“I’m not ready to go back to sharing you with the rest of the world yet.” He nuzzled into her neck and inhaled. “I want you to only look at me for the time being.”

She turned around so she could hug him back. “That sounds good to me,” she said. “Maybe I’ll just stay right here for a whole week.”

His arms tightened possessively. “Maybe I’ll never let you go.”

She flushed happily at that, but then her stomach growled again.

“Ah,” Jumin said. “I fear I must relent until after you’ve eaten something.” 

MC wanted to say she would be staying wrapped around him like a koala indefinitely, thank you very much, but had to concede that she was getting too hungry to abstain much longer. They returned to the couch and unpacked the food. 

Jumin was confused and then delighted by both the complimentary sodas the restaurant had included with the meal and the disposable wooden chopsticks and plastic spoons; he declared the food “utterly delicious.” MC tangled their legs together and snuggled into his side while they ate, luxuriating in the knowledge that she could be free with her affection.

When they had finished, Jumin pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her snugly. She nuzzled into his chest. With a pleasantly full belly, her mind returned to the prospect of an entire uninterrupted week together. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through her at the thought.

“Is it really okay for you to leave work for a week, even with everything that’s going on?” she asked, peering up at him. “I wouldn’t want you to fall behind because of me.”

Jumin smiled at her – a soft, genuine smile that seemed to transform his entire face.

“With everything that’s going on, a week with you is exactly what I need,” Jumin said, and for once he didn’t seem to be weighed down by the myriad problems that were waiting for him outside the penthouse. “The rest of the world can wait. Not to mention, I haven’t taken a vacation in…” He trailed off, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully. “Actually, I don’t believe I’ve ever taken a vacation.”

“You know, that doesn’t actually surprise me,” MC laughed. “Maybe I’ll try to think of it like I’m helping you slow down a bit, rather than making you fall behind.”

“I think that’s a very logical way to look at it,” Jumin said warmly. He cupped her cheek, looking pensive. “Speaking of you helping me, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier – that you haven’t been able to do anything for me this week. Surely you know that’s not true?”

MC’s brow furrowed. “But I’ve just sort of been… around.”

Jumin chuckled. “Would you believe me if I told you just being around you makes me happy? You don’t need to do anything other than be yourself.” 

MC’s cheeks warmed. She slipped her hand into Jumin’s and smiled up at him. “If you say so, then I’ll believe you,” she said. 

She sighed happily and looked around the penthouse. With her anxiety assuaged and hunger satiated, baser urges were beginning to make themselves known. She spied several surfaces that looked like they might be fun to experiment on. Her heart raced with the possibilities, and she resigned herself to her newfound status as a nymphomaniac, at least as far as the man beside her was concerned.

“So… what should we do now?” she asked. From Jumin’s expression, she had a feeling his thoughts were travelling in a similar direction.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I think we should do whatever we please,” he murmured into her ear, making her toes curl. “For now, I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”

MC found it hard to argue with that.