To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 33
Yet Kwon Yeol suppressed his questions, pushing the uncertainty down instead.
As he always had.
Because what mattered in this contract wasn’t some incomprehensible emotion.
“You’re not eating?”
“I came here to feed a sickly little thing today, so don’t worry about me—just eat slowly and well.”
Beneath the sharp edge of his words lay a warmth that held her steady. Hee-jo’s lips curved upward, and she brought another piece of meat to her mouth.
Perhaps it was because she hadn’t hidden anything about Madam Jung—she’d laid it all bare.
He wore an expression of disapproval, yet he didn’t actually stop her.
“A shame, really. There was so much we could have done in that apartment.”
“Like what?”
“This kind of indecent thing, that kind of bold thing. I was planning for us to do plenty of it, just the two of us.”
“What?”
Watching Hee-jo’s eyes widen, Kwon Yeol let out a soft laugh.
“I’m joking.”
“Oh…”
“Though the Family Home isn’t exactly off-limits either.”
“…Brother.”
As Hee-jo shot him a reproachful glance, the corners of Kwon Yeol’s eyes softened.
‘Is this what being married is like?’
The thought brought a delicate blush to Hee-jo’s cheeks.
He sipped the wine she’d chosen, and she ate the meat he’d cut for her—they looked like a proper couple.
Hee-jo placed another piece of meat he’d sliced into her mouth.
The nausea that had plagued her all evening had vanished, replaced by an inexplicable sense of peace.
* * *
After dinner, the two of them made their way to the Jazz Bar in the basement of The Lotus Hotel, a place they’d visited together before.
This time, it had been Kwon Yeol’s suggestion.
“We need to confirm it. That the marriage announcement is real.”
There was no better shield to protect Hee-jo completely than to declare their marriage as one rooted in affection, not mere political calculation.
Kwon Yeol threaded his thick, long fingers deep between the delicate bones of Hee-jo’s hand.
With a firm grip on their interlocked fingers, he led her across the corridor.
“…”
The warmth of his palm and the solid pressure transmitted through her skin made Hee-jo’s breath catch.
As they entered, a rich jazz melody swelled, and the eyes of patrons poured toward them.
At first, it was mere curiosity drawn to the striking beauty of the two elegant figures.
But this place was also the exclusive retreat of the elite—a tight-knit circle where you couldn’t cross more than a few degrees of separation without knowing someone.
The moment people recognized Kwon Yeol, shock flickered across their faces, and their gazes naturally shifted to Hee-jo, whose hand he held.
Whispers rippled through the room like waves, yet Kwon Yeol paid them no mind, drawing Hee-jo closer to his side.
“Where would you like to sit?”
“Somewhere visible, right?”
“That works too. Or—”
Kwon Yeol leaned down toward her and whispered softly against her delicate ear.
“If you want to do something else, you can sit somewhere less visible.”
As Hee-jo, her cheeks flushed crimson, bit her lip and averted her gaze, Kwon Yeol chuckled and led her to the Bar Table.
“Welcome, Executive Director Kwon. Thank you for returning to us.”
The Bartender’s courteous greeting mingled with the palpable curiosity of those around them, casting a heavy pall over the air.
Kwon Yeol was undeniably at the apex.
Setting aside his overwhelming background, the fact that he had never been touched by even the slightest scandal made him an even more untouchable figure.
The legend that he would immediately dissolve any contract the moment a woman appeared at a business dinner was already well-known.
And then this Beom Gwon-yeol suddenly announced his marriage, only to appear brazenly with that woman nestled in his embrace.
In a place where a single glance or word instantly became whispered gossip throughout the Financial Circle.
And all while radiating an affection in his gaze that no one had ever witnessed before.
Kwon Yeol wrapped his arm around Hee-jo’s waist and pulled her close. The weight of his grip was substantial, pressing firmly against her side.
“Don’t be nervous.”
Kwon Yeol whispered low against Hee-jo’s ear.
“Because we’ll have to do far more than this going forward.”
Hee-jo drew in a shallow breath.
It felt as though her every heartbeat was being transmitted directly to him.
The Bartender placed a whiskey and a cocktail on the Table.
“Drink slowly. Don’t guzzle it like water like last time and get drunk and throw yourself at me.”
Hee-jo’s face flushed crimson in an instant.
Throw herself at him…
Well, he wasn’t wrong, technically…
“I have no intention of ending things hastily tonight.”
At his low whisper, a delicious tremor ran down Hee-jo’s spine.
“I’m going to check, one by one, very slowly. Until there’s nowhere on you my touch hasn’t reached.”
He brushed his lips lightly against her ear, then lifted his glass.
The crisp sound of ice clinking seemed unusually provocative.
Was it an act? It must be. It had to be…
So why couldn’t she stop her heart from racing?
His gaze, his whisper, the warmth of those large hands enveloping her body—her heart trembled uncontrollably.
Hee-jo, unaware of her own turmoil, gripped her glass tighter to suppress the wild beating of her chest.
She drained her cocktail to soothe her parched throat.
Throughout their time together, Kwon Yeol’s gaze remained fixed on Hee-jo’s lips and the curve of her neck.
The murmurs around them blended into the sticky jazz melody, sounding almost unreal.
People’s eyes swept openly across Hee-jo’s face and Kwon Yeol’s firm forearms.
He buried his face against Hee-jo’s shoulder and whispered low.
“I think everyone’s seen enough.”
A droplet of condensation on the cocktail glass’s surface rolled slowly downward.
“Shall we go?”
Kwon Yeol led Hee-jo out of the Bar.
Just as when they’d entered, he kept her delicate frame pressed firmly against his chest.
The moment the Suite Room Exclusive Elevator doors closed and external noise faded away, Kwon Yeol’s composed demeanor shattered like a lie, and he pinned Hee-jo against the wall.
The instant their lips met, he parted them and his thick tongue delved deep, licking and drawing in every corner of her mouth.
The audience had vanished, yet the performance didn’t stop.
Rather, he was becoming even more consumed by it.
I wanted to ask whether this burning heat was merely an extension of our contract, or something beyond my control—an instinct I couldn’t suppress.
But from between my parted lips, only heated breath and breathless moans escaped.
The dizzying sensation that set my body ablaze clouded my vision far faster than any question could form.
“Ah… mmm….”
Ragged breathing filled the narrow space, and by the time we entered the darkened Suite, I had already lost all grip on reason.
Kwon Yeol pushed me onto the bed and loomed over me, his lips tracing down my pale, slender neck as though he meant to devour it.
When he gripped the curves exposed above my thin dress with rough intensity, the supple flesh trembling in his palm was devastatingly sensual.
“Ah…!”
Wherever his lips touched, a scorching heat bloomed across my skin.
Feeling my entire body ignite, I tried to push against his shoulders, but Kwon Yeol pinned my wrists above my head and delved deeper.
Zzzzzt—.
A sharp sound cut through the silence as the zipper of my dress descended without hesitation.
Kwon Yeol carelessly discarded the cumbersome fabric to the floor, then hoisted my exposed pale thighs firmly onto his shoulders.
“I told you. I’d verify every single detail without exception.”
It was far too fervent to be mere contractual obligation, yet far too calculated to be genuine passion.
Then I understood.
“For the next year, you want me to be your wife, not just my brother’s friend.”
“…Yes. Let’s end the rehearsals tonight.”
Ah, this man was far too faithful to his promises with me.
He was confronting my request head-on with absolute seriousness—to treat me as his wife in every way.
The ache that had bloomed in my chest faded quickly.
I crumbled helplessly beneath his touch.
With his voice grown rough and low, his tongue wound persistently around the sensitive peaks of my breasts, drawing them in.
My vision flickered white.
Every nerve in my body melted away beneath his fingertips and lips.
Though the alcohol had clouded my mind, I wasn’t losing consciousness the way I had that night.
Instead, the pleasant intoxication became a catalyst rather than an anesthetic, making me hyperaware of every breath he exhaled against my skin—dozens of times more sensitive than usual.
Each time his palm pressed into the tender flesh of my inner thighs, I trembled at the exquisite sensation of being utterly exposed.
Beyond the haze of alcohol, only Kwon Yeol’s body heat remained vivid and real, consuming me entirely.
“Ah….”
I exhaled a trembling breath.
With unfocused eyes, I watched as Kwon Yeol raised his upper body, gazing down at me.
His eyes fixed on my face, he began undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one, as though they were merely an inconvenience.
Finally, with a soft pop, the last button came free, and his firm chest and deeply carved abdomen were laid bare between the parted fabric.
Even in the darkness without light, his broad shoulders and smooth musculature—trained like a beast—were threateningly vivid.
Hee-jo inhaled sharply and swallowed dryly without thinking.
“A punishment.”
A punishment…?
As her gaze fixed on him, Kwon Yeol stripped off his shirt and tossed it to the bedroom floor, continuing his words.
“For deciding everything on your own without consulting your brother.”
When his firm chest pressed against hers, the thundering heartbeat between them filled the narrow space.
“It won’t hurt. You did well being honest.”
“Ah…!”
“Though it might be a bit much for you.”
I’ll keep going until I’m satisfied.
Kwon Yeol slowly applied his weight.
At the tight, overwhelming sensation, Hee-jo moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Soon, a strange pleasure layered over the pain, and her mind flickered white.
It was the beginning of an irresistible, sweet punishment.
* * *
Eyewitness accounts poured in of the two of them in close contact at the Hotel Basement Bar and their entry into the Suite Room together.
That wasn’t all.
Kwon Yeol, previously famous as a workaholic, began leaving work punctually to pick up Hee-jo, and he was seen personally purchasing items from a famous dessert shop known for long queues—a series of dramatic changes completely opposite to his usual behavior.
Rumors that Beom Gwon-yeol had fallen in love spread like wildfire, and the ripples reached Hee-jo as well.
A few reporters who had heard the rumors were lurking around the Transmission Hall.
Without hiding their sinister intent, they waited for their chance, and the moment Hee-jo stepped out of the car, they rushed forward.
“Ms. Yoon Hee-jo, how does it feel to become the next lady of the Beom House?”
“Is it true that you’ve had a close relationship with Beom Gwon-yeol since childhood?”
Rude camera lenses and sharp questions blocked her path.
Amid her confusion, one particularly piercing voice cut through.
“Ms. Yoon Hee-jo, is it true that your brother’s death is connected to this marriage?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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