Chapter 68. The Sound Youth Makes When It Drowns (24)

Eunkyo watched Jaeheon make coffee with a curious expression. Seriously, was there anything this man couldn’t do?

“Where’d you learn to make coffee?”

Leaning on the table beside the coffee machine, she asked. Jaeheon chuckled, leaned in, and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

The casual intimacy caught Eunkyo off guard, and she glanced around for a CCTV camera as she pushed him away.

“You’re gonna get hurt again.”

Jaeheon caught her wrist and glanced at the healing burn still wrapped in a bandage.

Under the filter, coffee was dripping steadily, releasing a rich aroma.

“There’s a camera, you know. Outside, you really shouldn’t…”

“You mean, don’t kiss you?”

“Yes.”

Her firm answer made him nod, then turn his eyes back to the filter, now starting to settle.

Lifting the hot kettle, he slowly poured water in circular motions over the grounds.

“I learned coffee naturally. Just kind of… picked it up.”

“I think you’re better at it than me.”

“Then hire me.”

Clouds blanketed the sky, and finally, the rain began to fall.

As the temperature dropped inside the air-conditioned café, Jaeheon’s voice sounded even clearer.

“I’ll seriously consider it.”

While Jaeheon focused on brewing the coffee with a small smile, Eunkyo quietly made her way to the shelf behind him, where the coffee cups were displayed.

It would’ve been better if the cups had been pre-warmed, but just being able to enjoy a good cup of coffee already made her happy.

She pulled out two identical white mugs, and in the reflection of the nearby mirror, Jaeheon’s image came into view.

He looked completely different from when he left the house earlier. A dark dress shirt, beige slacks. Normally, he wore a digital watch, but today he had on a classic timepiece.

In his mid-twenties, he looked less like a college student and more like a sophisticated businessman.

Each time he lifted the kettle, the veins on his forearms stood out under his rolled-up sleeves. With his tall frame slightly bent forward, he looked so different… like someone else.

But it wasn’t the appearance or height that brought someone to mind.

Whenever it rained and her low blood pressure left her feeling weak, Lee Dohyun would quietly make coffee for her in the kitchen just like this.

He’d place a lukewarm, diluted cup in front of her and look at her expectantly, as if waiting for praise.

‘Ah… I can’t do this.’

Why were memories—ones she thought she’d forgotten, that maybe could even be called nostalgia—coming back to her now?

“I miss you, Eunkyo. I won’t make excuses. I just… miss you.”

As she set the cup down, a shaky breath escaped her lips, and the scent of Jaeheon’s fabric softener brushed against her from behind.

“Light, right?” 

He asked.

His drowsy voice, the big hand reaching for the cups she’d just placed, and the gentle, subtle scent that hovered over the crown of her head—Eunkyo bit down hard on the inside of her lip.

“I don’t want any coffee.”

He had just started diluting the strong drip coffee with hot water. At her words, he turned his head and silently met her eyes.

Outside, the headlights of a passing car streaked through the blinds and then disappeared.

She could swear she smelled rain. But it had to be her imagination—the door was firmly shut.

Then where was this thick scent of rain coming from?

“Should I make you something else instead?”

He wiped his hands with a damp cloth and approached with a soft smile, leaning in slightly. Eunkyo shook her head and grabbed his shirt as she looked up and met his gaze.

“I… want to do something.”

Her clear eyes trembled.

His thumb brushed her lower lip, where a faint layer of lipstick still lingered.

“I’m curious now. What could a Jung Eunkyo with such sexy eyes possibly want to do?”

He pressed against her lip as if to open it, smiling gently as he leaned in to kiss her.

As though he already knew what she wanted, his tongue slid between her lips and swept gently through her mouth. Eunkyo didn’t resist—she accepted the kiss.

The more willing she became, the more his smile deepened—but little by little, Jaeheon’s expression began to harden.

Eunkyo didn’t notice. She only pulled him closer by the nape of his neck.

Their breathing grew deeper, the sweet taste of saliva filled their mouths. Jaeheon’s large hand cradled the back of her head as he leaned against the table for balance—knocking over one of the coffee mugs she had just taken out.

*Crash!* 

The sound of it shattering rang out.

When he tried to turn toward the direction of the loud crash, she cupped his cheek, rose up on her toes, and made him look at her.

“The supply room… open the door.”