Bad addiction

“It was said that there would be a lot of rain this summer, and it seems like that prediction was right.”

Dojun, looking out the window, appeared indifferent.

Unlike him, just hearing the word “rain” made Haeun feel uneasy.

“Are you still afraid of thunder?”

“Yes. No matter how many times I hear it, I can’t get used to it. I think I should leave before the rain gets heavier.”

She thought it was a perfect excuse to leave, but Dojun just stared at her silently.

As their eyes met, his gaze sent deep ripples through her. His eyes, which had been resting on her clear face, moved down, tracing the delicate line of her neck before sinking into the open neckline of her dress.

Heat rushed through her body in an instant.

“When I woke up alone in that room and saw the marks you left behind, how do you think I felt?”

She froze.

She hadn’t even considered that part. She felt foolish for not checking.

“As I said earlier, you don’t have to worry about it.”

It was a truth she wished she didn’t know.

Haeun’s nose tingled as if she was about to cry.

“Do you know how much guilt I felt every time it rained?”

Guilt?

That word sounded just as unsettling as when he had said “confirm” three years ago.

Still, she felt she should apologize.

“That wasn’t my intention. It was my mistake. I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say.

Dojun looked at her like he couldn’t understand.

“Do you think I brought this up just to hear an apology?”

With a deep sigh, he rubbed his furrowed brow.

An uncomfortable silence filled the space between them.

“Are you really sorry?”

“Yes.”

As Haeun nodded, Dojun leaned forward, interest flickering in his eyes.

“Then, make it up to me.”

“…What?”

“If I had known it was your first time, I wouldn’t have been so rough on you.”

“…!”

“Making someone’s first time a terrible memory… It feels awful.”

“Director…”

“So, sleep with me again tonight. I’ll change that memory for you.”

A private space.

The sound of heavy rain.

A man politely but firmly asking her to spend the night with him.

It felt just like three years ago.

When she came to her senses, she was already standing in the hotel hallway with Dojun.

A little later, they arrived at a suite.

As soon as the heavy door opened, Haeun took a sharp breath.

“Why? Are you nervous?”

“No.”

“Then come in.”

With an awkward expression, she stepped inside.

She puffed up her cheeks and quickly looked around.

The room was spacious and luxurious, and the night view was stunning.

It made sense—it was on the 48th floor.

She tried to shake off her nerves, but it was impossible.

“Do you want to shower first?”

“Yes, that would be good.”

Three years ago, she had been drunk.

Now, she was sober and needed time to process everything.

Grabbing only her phone, she quickly escaped to the bathroom.

“Haa…”

As soon as she shut the door, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

She wondered if she was making a mistake, but even if she could go back in time, she knew she would make the same choice.

Maybe she just wanted Dojun to comfort her—to heal the body and heart that had been hurt before.

She knew how warm and safe his embrace felt.

‘Ah, I should have made a call…’

While thinking that, she suddenly remembered Jongwon and Soonyoung, who had set her up on a blind date.

They were probably waiting for an update.

Since it wasn’t good news, she figured she shouldn’t delay.

But the moment she turned on her phone, she let out a short laugh.

[Got your message. Since you both like each other, it’s best to start preparing for marriage right away.]

It was a text from Soonyoung.

“What the… What did he say to them?”

She had never given any positive signals, yet Yoonhan had twisted the story entirely.

She needed to clear things up.

She quickly typed a reply.

[There must be some misunderstanding. I’ll contact Mr. Kim Yoonhan myself.]

This was ridiculous.

How could someone misinterpret things so badly?

She let out a small, bitter laugh.

The thought made her crave Dojun’s comfort even more.

Maybe she would regret it even more than she did three years ago.

But thinking about it now was pointless.

Haeun silently stepped into the hot water.

⸻

The next morning was no different from three years ago.

“Still the same.”

Dojun murmured, looking at the empty space beside him.

Haeun had been asleep in his arms until dawn.

When had she left?

He reached out to the spot where she had been.

There was no warmth left.

The rain, which had poured heavily until early morning, had stopped completely.

“When did she…?”

Biting his lip, he replayed their second night together in his mind.

If he had followed his instincts, he would have been rough and relentless.

But instead, he had matched her pace, even slowing down when her breathing grew too ragged.

Yet, it was Haeun who had dug her nails into his back, urging him on.

‘Deeper… More…’

Her desperate voice had shattered his control.

Lost in the heat of the moment, they had melted into each other over and over.

He had been sure she wouldn’t leave this time.

But once again, she had slipped away.

“She really knows how to play with people.”

It felt like she was denying everything they had shared.

For three years, from the moment he left Korea until the day he returned, there hadn’t been a single day he didn’t think about her.

‘You killed him! Murderer!’

Those words had haunted his nightmares.

They had changed his entire life.

But being with Haeun had erased that pain, even if just for a moment.

The fact that they had gone beyond just meeting again was surprising enough.

But the fact that she brought him peace…

It only proved how special she was to him.

He had come back to Korea to confirm those feelings.

Yet, the first thing he saw was—

‘I like curvy women. You’re not bad, but a woman should have the right shape.’

An old man making disgusting comments to Haeun.

Even though the man was clearly being inappropriate, Haeun had just sat there silently.

Dojun had been more frustrated with her than the man.

“She’s just a bystander in her own life.”

He hated people like that.

With a sigh, he stared at the ceiling.

“Did she run away once the rain stopped?”

Even now, he found himself worrying about her.

It was ridiculous.

Because of Haeun, he felt like he was hitting rock bottom.

“Not once, but twice?”

If she was doing this on purpose, she was cruel.

“How irresponsible.”

Dojun’s face darkened with frustration.

⸻

“Ahh…”

As soon as she opened her eyes, Haeun groaned from the soreness in her body.

The pleasure that had lasted until dawn had left her aching.

“I should have said no.”

No one had forced her—it had been her choice.

But the regret was overwhelming.

‘Don’t run away this time.’

That was what Dojun had said during their last moment together.

She had promised.

But she had broken that promise.

And that bothered her.

“This is crazy.”

But she didn’t have the courage to reach out to him first.

She didn’t have his number anyway.

And if they met again, she was afraid she would make the same mistake.

Because with Dojun, logic never won over instinct.

Just as she was thinking that she never wanted to see him again—

‘…!’

Her phone suddenly vibrated.