The Rules of the Night

“Let’s sleep.”

His words left no room for interpretation—they could only mean that. Jian’s heart pounded dangerously, her breaths uneven, her body heated with burgeoning desire. It was impossible to imagine another meaning.

“You promised—”

Before she could finish, he kissed her again.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured, as his hand reached to fasten the buttons of her loosened blouse.

“Keep them fastened. I don’t want to see anything I shouldn’t.”

His eyes, burning with suppressed heat, never dipped lower, but they were alive with simmering intensity.

“The bed’s dangerous. Turn around,” he said, threading his fingers through hers as he guided her toward the bed.

When she lay down, he slid in beside her, wrapping an arm around her from behind. His warm breath tickled the nape of her neck, and every exhale felt like it was sinking her deeper into his grasp.

“I didn’t know my heart could beat like this,” he said, his low voice vibrating against her back.

“Just ignore me and sleep. I swear I won’t do anything.”

“How am I supposed to sleep with you pressed against me like this?”

“Let me stay close. If there’s no distance between us, I won’t be tempted to do anything else.”

As his head nestled closer to her back, a tingling sensation ran down her spine, spreading like an electric current.

“I thought you said you could control yourself.”

“I did. But it’s harder than I expected.”

His lips brushed against her neck, gently sucking at her skin. The muffled sounds of his movements, coupled with the heat of his breath, sent waves of pleasure coursing through her. Every touch seemed to intensify the desire he was fighting to suppress.

Jian wondered how many times this man had whispered such seductive words to others, pulling them toward the edge of temptation.

His appearance alone was enough to turn heads. While she didn’t know his profession, his financial means were obvious, and his smooth, confident demeanor made him dangerously persuasive.

A man like him couldn’t possibly be doing this for the first time. And while she couldn’t deny her attraction to him, the idea of being treated as just another passing distraction stung. She didn’t want to lose herself to someone she barely knew.

Her thoughts spiraled, and a soft laugh escaped her lips.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked.

“Because I’m ridiculous.”

“How so?”

“I came all this way because I wanted to rebel against my usual self, but now I can’t even bring myself to see it through. It’s funny, isn’t it?”

He buried his face against her neck, his voice low and soothing.
“It doesn’t matter. Do whatever feels right for you.”

Jian lay still, listening to the rhythm of his breathing. Then she turned to face him, their gazes meeting. Her eyes lingered on the faint scar near his lips, recalling the taste of blood during their kiss, and the way his shirt had hung open recklessly.

She realized that he, too, must have been desperate for an escape tonight. They both needed a refuge, even if it was only for one night.

“Still holding back?” she asked softly.

His eyes, hazy with desire, wavered dangerously.
“Yes.”

Jian wrapped her arms around his neck and slid her tongue between his slightly parted lips. She explored him slowly, her tongue gliding against his. His low moan reverberated between them, and the sensation traveled down her spine, pooling heat in her chest.

Her breath mingled with his, their movements growing more fervent. The man, who had been restrained until now, finally gave in, his fingers tangling in her hair. Their kisses deepened, wild and unrestrained, each movement charged with raw energy.

“Haah…”

Their legs tangled, bodies pressed together as heated friction built between them. The damp heat of their shared longing clung to their skin as muffled moans escaped from somewhere neither could identify.

The night stretched on, long and endless.

Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains, warming Jian’s face and coaxing her awake. The clock read 9:00 a.m.

So, I can sleep in after all.

From high school onward, Jian’s mornings had always begun at 5:30 a.m. Without the benefit of formal tutoring, she had relied on her own discipline to stay at the top of her class—waking early, sleeping late, and squeezing every second out of her day.

Even during her time studying abroad, she never allowed herself more than four hours of sleep, and the habit continued after she returned to Korea. But the tension of resisting temptation all night had left her utterly drained, leading to a rare indulgence: oversleeping.

As she shifted to get up, the man’s drowsy voice came from behind her.
“Where are you going?”

“It’s almost checkout time.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“I have work to do.”

When she sat up, his arm, which had loosely held her, slipped away. His face showed clear signs of exhaustion, as if he hadn’t slept at all. She found herself watching his eyes flutter open and close, then spoke softly.

“You’re really beautiful.”

He frowned slightly.
“What does that mean? Are you saying I look feminine?”

His face wasn’t delicate, though there was a youthful charm to it. It carried a balance of boyishness and undeniable masculinity.

“You’re the one who said men are best when they’re young and pretty. ‘Beautiful’ suits you better than just ‘handsome.’ If you didn’t look like this, I wouldn’t have followed you here.”

The corner of his mouth twitched upward into a faint smile.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face at the boundary where her waist transitioned to her hips. The unresolved desire filled the room, creating an intense atmosphere as if something was about to happen at any moment.

“Eat and go.”

“No. If I stay with you any longer, I think I’ll cross the line.”

“What’s wrong with crossing over?”

She turned and looked at his shirt, which was unbuttoned.

“When I do something, I think about dozens of possibilities and risks. No matter how intense the impulse is, I can’t ignore all of them.”

“I don’t even know your phone number, your name, or your age. How could I be a risk to you?”

“……”

“You said you can hold yourself back, right? Nothing will happen just by eating.”

She had never been unclear about ending things. After breaking up with the men she had dated, she had never once called them, nor had she answered any incoming calls.

If she thought it was over, then it was over, and if it was over, she never looked back. But his gaze, she couldn’t shake it off.

“Then let’s stay in the room and eat. Afterward, we can part ways.”

The man slowly sat up, smiling.

“You’re surprisingly good at listening when you’re clingy.”

When she came out of the shower, the room service she had ordered had arrived. Jian sat in a chair and calmly said, “You paid for the room yesterday, so I’ll pay for the food.”

“It’s fine. I forced you to stay, didn’t I?”

“I didn’t stay because of force. I’m not passive enough to be dragged around by anyone.”

A mysterious smile escaped the man’s lips.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I’m crazy about you….”

The man leaned back in his chair and picked up his glass of water. His lips slightly parted, just like when they kissed the night before, and he let the liquid slip into his mouth. His prominent Adam’s apple moved up and down.

Watching him like that, Jian felt a heat rising in her lower abdomen again.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I’m good.”

“You’re not eating?”

“Yeah. I usually don’t eat breakfast.”

“Then why did you order it?”

“If I told you I wasn’t eating, you would’ve just left, right?”

She couldn’t understand him. Even if he had impulsively kissed a woman he had just met, that could be understood, but he had waited on the street for over an hour in the cold, and even when they came to the hotel, he hadn’t crossed the line.

Now, he was desperately trying to keep her a little longer, as if they were lovers deeply in love.

He stared at her, as if he knew what she was thinking.

“Do you think I would’ve done this with just any woman?”

“……”

“You think it wouldn’t have mattered if the woman who entered the alley yesterday was someone other than you, right?”

Jian hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Isn’t that right?”

“How about you? If I were another man, would you have kissed him?”

“……”

His calm gaze pierced Jian’s heart sharply.

“Yes, it was impulsive. But not everyone gets an impulse.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“You’re sexy. I’m going crazy wanting to touch you right now… I want to kiss you, hold you, and sleep with you. But if that was all, I wouldn’t have waited for over an hour in that alley.”

“……”

“I like that you try to protect yourself by being aggressive. I like the way you talk and look at people as if you’re looking down on them, and the times when you’re dangerously honest. That’s why I waited for you.”

She had been criticized all her life for not being obedient. People, including her parents, friends, and colleagues, blamed her for not being more easygoing, for always being so sharp and defensive.

But she was dangerously shaken by the man who said he liked that about her. She began to fear that this man, whom she had just met yesterday, might become significant in her life.

“I hate obedient and dependent women. My mom is like that, and she’s been suffering her whole life because of it.”

“We agreed not to talk about personal stuff.”

“If I don’t say this, you’ll just think I’m one of many women to you.”

Jian put the spoon she was holding down on the table.

“I’m leaving.”

The man’s eyebrows furrowed, but he tried to ignore it. It was worse for him to develop feelings for her than just mixing bodies for one night.

Her few experiences with relationships had only left her with the worst memories. The men who had approached her, thinking she was attractive at first, eventually pressured her to become ordinary. They didn’t understand her obsession with research, and some even went as far as asking her to quit her job.

When Jian stood up and began to gather her bag, the man grabbed her wrist.

“What’s the problem? Is it that you don’t want to be one of many women?”

“I don’t do relationships. I’ve had a few, but I’ve never once regretted not having one.”

“I’m not asking you for that. I’m just telling you how I feel.”

“If we’re not going to have a relationship and we’re not going to sleep together, then there’s no reason for us to be in this space together.”

“……”

“Sorry, I’m a coward and selfish. So, right now, I’m running away to protect myself.”

Jian, holding her jacket and bag, left the hotel room. Her heart was pounding.

She pressed the elevator button and waited anxiously for the doors to open. She felt like the desire tightening between her legs, the irresistible pull, and the sticky regret were about to drag her back.

Finally, the elevator door opened. Jian stepped inside and quickly pressed the close button. But just before the door could shut, a hand with bulging veins abruptly reached in, stopping the door.

She couldn’t speak and just looked at the man in front of her.

“My name is Kim Jae-hee.”

His voice was calm, as if he were suppressing emotions about to explode.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise not to speak.”

“……”

“Now go.”

As his body, which had leaned in as though to invade, pulled back, the elevator doors closed. His intense gaze didn’t leave her until the door shut completely.