The Rules of the Night

“Driver, could you pull over, please?”

Jian’s abrupt words came out almost like a command, and Tae-hoon’s face immediately filled with confusion.

“Why? You’re not heading straight home?”

“There’s somewhere I need to stop by.”

The overwhelming desire that had gripped her earlier was gone, but she still felt a restless need to confirm that he wasn’t waiting anymore. She couldn’t shake the idea that he might still be there.

“It’s fine if it takes time. I’ll wait for you,” he’d said.

It had been an impulsive promise, yet the thought that he might actually mean it lingered stubbornly in her mind.

“You’ve had a lot to drink. I can’t leave someone drunk alone in the middle of the street,” Tae-hoon argued.

“I’m not drunk,” Jian retorted sharply.

“Jian…”

When it became clear that Tae-hoon wouldn’t relent, she turned to the driver instead.

“Please stop at the crosswalk ahead.”

The car came to a stop, and without hesitation, Jian opened the door.

“Sorry, senior. I’ll contact you later,” she said quickly.

“Then let me take you. I’ll go with you,” Tae-hoon called out urgently.

Ignoring his plea, Jian hurried across the crosswalk. She could see Tae-hoon shouting something from behind the passing cars, but the noise drowned out his words.

I’ve come so far…

It was well past midnight. The subway and buses had long since stopped running, and every passing taxi already had passengers. Worried that Tae-hoon might follow her, she walked aimlessly in the direction she had come from.

What am I even doing right now?

As reason slowly crept back in, the impulsive desire she’d felt earlier seemed like a lie. Now, she couldn’t tell whether she wanted him to still be there or to have left.

After walking for what felt like an eternity, she spotted the bar in the distance. Her watch showed that it was already 2:00 a.m.

He must have left by now. There’s no way he’d still be waiting.

But as she rounded the corner and glanced down the alley, she froze.

“You’re late,” his low voice reverberated through the quiet.

His languid expression, utterly out of place in the freezing winter air, made her heart pound wildly.

“Why are you still here? It’s been over an hour,” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

“You said you’d come back.”

“I could’ve changed my mind. I could’ve decided not to come.”

His steady gaze rested on her, unwavering.
“But you didn’t. You came.”

“I didn’t come to sleep with you. I changed my mind, and I came to tell you that,” she said firmly.

He let out a soft chuckle.
“How considerate of you.”

Without warning, he reached out and pulled her closer, guiding her to sit in front of him on the outdoor unit. His strong thighs pressed against her sides, holding her in place like a cage.

“I’m not joking,” she said, her tone steady. “I don’t sleep with strangers. Especially not on a drunken, miserable night like this. The farthest I go is a kiss. And right now, I’m sober enough that logic has taken over.”

Her words were deliberate, but the feel of his hands on her waist made it hard to focus. The pressure of his thighs, his arrogant gaze, and the heat of his breath brushing her collarbone were maddeningly provocative.

The man studied her trembling eyes before speaking.
“You’re good at holding back, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m good at it.”

“Great. Then keep doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“If the farthest you go with a stranger is a kiss, then that’s all we’ll do. But stay with me until morning.”

Jian’s beautiful eyes narrowed sharply.
“You seriously think I’ll believe that?”

“I don’t touch women who don’t want me to.”

“And why should I trust that?”

“Even animals know better than to cross that line. It’s basic decency.”

His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt. Strangely, the steadiness in his tone inspired trust.

“I’ve never waited over an hour for a woman before,” he added, glancing around the grimy alley. “Especially not in a filthy place like this. So, isn’t that worth something?”

Jian tried to replay Tae-hoon’s earlier warnings in her mind, but before she could muster a refusal, the man’s fingers brushed against her earlobe. His thumb and forefinger toyed with the delicate skin, sending a shockwave through her body and turning her thoughts blank.

“What are you doing?” she asked sharply.

“I don’t know. I just really wanted to touch you.”

“I told you—”

“This doesn’t count as going too far, does it?” he interrupted.

“…….”

“It’s less than a kiss.”

Jian closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, trying to steady herself. She’d thought her earlier desire had completely faded, but now it surged back, climbing to her throat. Even with her eyes shut, she couldn’t block out the feel of his hands or the heat of his breath on her skin.

“Let’s go,” he murmured. “I’ll make sure you don’t think about anything tonight.”

He knew exactly what she wanted.

Jian was fully aware of how dangerous this impulsive act was. There were no guarantees behind the promises of a man she’d just met.

And yet, the reason for her hesitation was painfully clear. For just one night, she wanted to crack the rigid structure of her carefully planned life. To escape the crushing weight of reality that would undoubtedly greet her again in the morning.

He likely felt the same. That shared understanding was why he’d made this offer.

After a long silence, Jian finally opened her eyes and met his gaze.

“Fine. But let me ask you one thing first.”

“Go ahead.”

“Are you an office worker?”

The bar was far enough from her university to make it a reasonable distance, but the affiliated hospital nearby gave her pause. His relaxed demeanor and attire didn’t fit the image of a student, but she needed to be sure.

The man’s dark eyes flickered slightly as he considered her question.

“That’s a strange question.”

“I’m asking because I was worried you might be a college student.”

“And what if I were? Would that be a problem?”

Unable to reveal her real concern, Jian quickly concocted a flimsy excuse.

“I don’t deal with kids.”

The man chuckled softly, furrowing his brow.
“What nonsense. Men always prefer younger and prettier, don’t they?”

“So, are you saying you’re a college student?”

“No.”

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“I’m not. Want me to show you my business card?”

He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet, but Jian grabbed his arm.

“That’s not necessary. As long as you’re not, don’t show me anything.”

“…….”

“And don’t ask me anything about myself either. Not my name, my age, or my number. Don’t get curious, and don’t tell me anything about you.”

“…….”

“That’s my condition for being with you tonight.”

The heat that had simmered in her body earlier now glimmered in the man’s eyes, radiating intensity.

“Deal,” he said with a faint smile.

The man’s car brought them to a luxury collection hotel in Yeoksam-dong, completed just a year ago. After parking, they ascended to the 25th floor, where a lavish lobby spread out before them.

“If we’re just sleeping, why come somewhere like this?” Jian asked.

The man smirked.
“Then what kind of situation warrants a place like this?”

At the front desk, the receptionist greeted them with a professional smile.
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”

“No,” the man replied.

After checking availability, the receptionist said, “Currently, we have two types of rooms available: the State Room and the Grand Masters Suite. Which would you prefer?”

Without hesitation, the man pulled out his card.
“The suite, please.”

Startled, Jian grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing? Just pick something reasonable.”

“I’m choosing the room that’s least likely to have been used by others. It’s for me, not you, so don’t worry about it.”

Even without saying much, a person’s actions and words often reveal a lot—but this man was an enigma. His appearance suggested someone in his mid-to-late twenties, but his actions were far too polished and natural for someone that young.

The car he drove wasn’t something an average young person could afford, though it wasn’t extravagant enough to scream “heir” or “venture capitalist.” Yet he had casually paid for a room that easily cost over a million won per night.

His striking looks might suggest he was a celebrity, but his indifference to others’ gazes didn’t align with that. Everything about him was full of contradictions.

As the elevator ascended, Jian fixed her gaze on the floor numbers and broke the silence.
“I’ll pay half the cost of the room.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Why should you cover the whole thing? I have plenty of money.”

“I’m the one who dragged you here.”

Jian stared at him, her expression skeptical.
“You’re calling that ‘dragging’? Seriously?”

“For me, it was. Pathetically so.”

“What kind of life have you lived where you think that was ‘pathetic’?”

“A life where I never had to try, and people clung to me anyway.”

Jian couldn’t suppress a dry laugh.
“You’re incredibly obnoxious, you know that?”

“I do.”

The man let out a soft chuckle. When he opened the door to their suite, the luxurious interior—complete with a separate living room and bedroom—came into view. Jian scanned the space quickly before turning to him with a pointed question.

“So, are you sleeping on the sofa?”

“No.”

“So, you expect me to sleep on the sofa?”

“Why would you sleep on the sofa when there’s a perfectly good bed?”

“We agreed not to sleep together.”

“Does not sleeping together mean something different to you than it does to me?”

Jian frowned.
“So, you’re saying we’ll share a bed, and you’ll hold back?”

“Yes.”

“Are you joking?”

“I’m confident I can manage.”

The man’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. Staring at his calm face, Jian felt a surge of defiance. She set down her bag and shrugged off her coat.

“You said it yourself. Keep your promise.”

“Don’t worry.”

When she stepped out of the shower, he was already cleaned up and fully dressed, sitting calmly on the sofa.

“You’re sleeping like that?”

“Yes.”

“Won’t it be uncomfortable to sleep fully clothed…?”

Her words were half mocking, half testing. She had meant to tease him—if he could hold back so well, why bother putting on clothes? But the way his gaze shifted to her neck, sharp and animalistic, made her breath catch.

“If you’re not trying to tempt me, don’t say things like that.”

“…….”

“Come here.”

He pulled her down onto the sofa and pressed his lips to her neck. His hot breath slipped beneath her collar, and Jian shuddered involuntarily.

“Is this more than a kiss, or less?”

The friction of his lips on her sensitive skin made a wet sound that sent waves of pleasure coursing through her. As his hand alternated between tightening and loosening its grip on her neck, the sensations deepened, leaving her head resting weakly against the sofa.

“Don’t go below my neck,” she said, drawing a boundary with difficulty.

His lips, however, moved upward instead.

“Then this should be fine,” he murmured, nipping at her earlobe before tracing it with his tongue. Wherever his lips touched, her skin burned as if scorched. If her mind hadn’t been so clear—or if she had been just a little more drunk—she might have surrendered entirely.

Her lower abdomen felt restless, tingling with anticipation.

“Have you done this a lot?” she asked, knowing it wasn’t the kind of thing you should say to a man you’d just kissed for the first time. Yet she clung to the words, desperate for a distraction from the growing heat.

“I haven’t. You’re the first.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t. Whether you believe me isn’t important to me.”

“Then what is important?”

“The fact that I’m feeling this kind of impulse for the first time in my life. Isn’t it the same for you? You followed me here because you were drawn to your own desires.”

His words didn’t just expose her vulnerability—they pushed her boundaries dangerously close to the edge. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. Every movement left her skin bristling with tension, her body on high alert.

“Your scent is intoxicating. I feel like I’m going crazy just breathing it in.”

His fingers, forbidden from moving lower, tangled into her hair. His kiss carried the urgency of someone trying to substitute for what he couldn’t have, his lips fervently pressing against hers.

Each time he pulled back, only to press harder again, his movements evoked something far more intimate. The overwhelming presence of him in her mouth made her lips tremble, slick and heated, as if nearing a climax.

“Wait….”

Feeling as though she might collapse onto the sofa entirely, Jian propped herself up slightly. But when her hand reached out, it landed on his solid, weighty chest. The heat radiating from his body felt like a pulse, pounding in sync with her own racing heart.

The man frowned slightly, his expression strained.
“Damn it… this is driving me insane.”

The forbidden nature of their restraint seemed ready to snap, ballooning into an unbearable tension.