Chapter 23. Lee Jaeheon (3)

In the early dawn, rain began to fall. A quiet, steady drizzle turned the world dark and gray. Before the alarm even rang, Jaeheon got up, threw on a tracksuit, and layered a thin windbreaker over it.

With his hood pulled low, he stepped out into the dim blue-black sky. Other early risers were already out for exercise. Everyone’s crazy, he thought.

With the black, rippling Han River on his left, he began to run. It was a route he’d taken almost every day since completing his military service.

But today, he left the house earlier than usual. If he didn’t burn off some energy like this, he felt like he’d lose control and do something reckless again.

The rain grew heavier, soaking his face. Water splashed from puddles all around, and under the bridges, people huddled for shelter.

Even though his lungs felt like they were going to explode, Jaeheon kept running through Hangang Park. It wasn’t until the highways started filling with commuters’ cars that he finally turned back toward home.

He stripped off his soaked clothes and threw them straight into the washing machine, then walked into the bathroom, kneading his tight muscles.

As hot water sprayed from the shower, steam rose quickly. His vision blurred, just like Eunkyo’s face had been hidden behind mist the night before.

‘Haeda’s sleeping at my place right now. I’ll get the fan back tonight.’

‘He got drunk and was totally out of it. I told him to sleep until lunch.’

Ha. Unbelievable. Kim Haeda.

The moment Eunkyo mentioned she let Haeda crash at her place, something in Jaeheon snapped. He didn’t show it, but if Haeda had been standing in front of him at that moment, his fist would’ve flown first.

Something primal inside him had boiled over. Even though he knew Eunkyo wouldn’t cross that line, the thought made him furious. So he pushed her.

Looking down, he stepped fully into the shower and braced one hand against the wall. With the other, he grabbed his now painfully hard erection. His breath hitched as he stroked from the thick head down the veined shaft.

He felt like a goddamn dog in heat.

Water pounded down over his head, rushing over his broad shoulders and muscular torso. His tight, well-defined body seemed sculpted—six-pack abs leading to long, powerful legs like those of a statue.

He’d been born tall, sure—but the rest was hard-earned. And it all started changing the day he met Jung Eunkyo.

‘Hi.’

Had it been ten years since he first heard that voice? Pale skin, slender frame, soft brown eyes, and hair so light it was almost golden. She didn’t smell like makeup, unlike the other girls their age.

“Shit…”

His eyes darkened, and a curse slipped through his clenched teeth. Jaeheon slammed his fist against the tiled wall. For a split second, he thought he saw her face.

You’d have to be completely out of your mind. After holding it together so well until now…

His lips pressed tightly together and his jaw tensed as he looked down at his hand, slick and unpleasant with semen.

After finishing his shower, he gulped down a bottle of water and collapsed onto his bed.

9:30 a.m. A message came in, right on time.

「Your birthday’s coming up. Anything you want? If not, I’ll just send you a car. Yours is due for a change.」

The tone was generous, but it made him scoff. He dropped his phone beside him—but it buzzed again.

「Seo Jaeheon. You should come see your father sometimes. This isn’t how father and son should be.」

Even now, his birth father insisted on calling him Seo Jaeheon—despite the fact that he’d changed his name long ago.

He was seventeen… no, maybe eighteen when everything fell apart. His parents, who had been together nearly twenty years, suddenly split. Jaeheon chose his gentle, soft-hearted mother over his domineering, ill-tempered father.

He dropped his father’s surname without hesitation.

He became Lee Jaeheon. His mother later remarried, and he gained siblings.

‘I saw. Yeah, I saw it! You moaning my name… while masturbating. That’s why I wanted to date someone! Because I didn’t want to fall for some cocky kid trying to seduce me!’

Busted. The horny bastard got caught.

But instead of being embarrassed or shaken, Jaeheon was pleased. That Eunkyo had even started seeing him in that way—he was weirdly proud.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already well past noon.

* * *

“It just won’t stop raining.”

For the twelfth time, Eunkyo wiped the floor and wiped her forehead, exhausted.

Even with a carpet by the entrance, rainwater from customers’ shoes kept soaking into the floors, making them slippery and dangerous.

Rain or snow, this was always a hassle—but one bad fall could cause real trouble.

“Boss, since it’s raining… how about we have a pancake and makgeolli party tonight?”

Seontae, who had been pouring a hand-drip coffee, asked Haeda with a sly smile. Haeda glanced outside and let out a small laugh.

“Better off doing that with your friends. Eunkyo and I both get knocked out on rainy days.”

“Low blood pressure?”

“Probably.”

“Wow, how are you two even similar in that way? Are you sure you’re not dating?”

“Told you already we’re not. Why do you keep saying weird shit?”