CHAPTER 308: THEN, CAN... CAN WE GO NOW?

By the time we broke the hug, I realized it was very late. And how did I know? My stomach did not hesitate to speak out loud and remind me that I had yet to put anything in my mouth for more than six hours.

Just how much more embarrassing could my stomach get?

"Looks like I worked you too hard." He said and I blushed.

He didn’t work me ’that’ hard, but if he was going to take responsibility, why should I refuse?

"Can you stand?" He asked, holding my hand to help me up and I nodded.

Though my leg felt like Jelly, it was better now that I had gotten a feel of my situation.

"Thank you," I said and stepped, only to crash into his arms. Ah, my legs won’t listen to me.

It was worse than I thought.

"Jo-Pil," Seo-Jun called. "Did I push you too hard?" The tone of his voice sounded heavy.

For someone who usually enjoyed watching his partners struggle under his hands, he didn’t look pleased this time.

Maybe it was because it was ’me’.

He didn’t want to see me hurt. He tried hard to keep his darker urges in check, because he knew breaking me wouldn’t bring him joy.

What he wanted instead was to see me happy, to love the things he did and crumble with pleasure, not collapse with a broken spirit.

"This won’t do." He suddenly muttered and before I knew it, he lifted me up.

He held me like I was a child, his arms around my pits and looking into my face as if trying to find a lie I had said.

Wait, why was he carrying me this way?

What happened to princess carry or piggyback?

And what was with this strength?

I knew my masters were all on another level and could do what normal men wouldn’t be able to do but can they please not lift me up like I was an empty vessel?

I mean, I have flesh too. I have bones, I have a soul... So why was I so light to them?

The thought of it pissed me off and I pouted, but this simply made Seo-Jun smile.

"What’s out, dear Jo-Pil, pouting about right now?" He asked, rubbing his cheek against mine, as if I were a cute pet he was holding up.

"Okay, knock it off," I said, pushing his face away and he laughed. "I’m hungry."

"Alright, but you’ll have to get dressed properly before we leave." He said and I nodded.

But even after saying that, he didn’t let me down.

Um, hello. How am I supposed to get dressed if you keep me up in the air like this?

I wiggled my feet a bit but only got him chuckling in amusement.

"Cute."

It was as if I were a funny piece to him and... I didn’t exactly hate it. I blushed and looked away, thankful that he didn’t seem all that worried anymore.

"Then, can... Can we go now?" I asked and he pulled me in as if hugging me, only to hold my thighs and wrap them around himself.

"Yes, yes. I know just how much you value your meals." He said. "So let’s get back to the mansion. I heard dinner’s ready. Or... Do you want me to take you out to dinner alone?"

Ah, going out for dinner sounded nice but I just wanted to get back to the mansion as quickly as possible.

With my arms wrapped around his neck, I shook my head gently and said,

"No, let’s go back," I said.

"But are you sure you can last that long?" he asked, his lips curved as if underestimating me.

"No, I can’t. We can just grab snacks on the way, Seo-Jun." I said to him and moved my head back.

He must’ve been very busy. I took one hand from around his neck and brushed his hair back.

He had dark circles but his eyes were as sharp as ever while looking into mine.

He was exhausted, but it didn’t seem like he was exhausted because he was holding me in his arms.

"Jo-Pil," he mumbled and dropped his head on my shoulder. "I’m so glad I brought you out today."

Why, though? We didn’t do much.

If I misinterpreted it, I could assume he was glad that he was able to show me off. But it might also not be a misinterpretation.

You never know what goes in and out of this one’s head. And after knowing that he was a character quite contradictory to what I know of, I began to doubt almost everything I think about him.

And this care... It definitely couldn’t be faked.

"Let’s just go," I said, but I didn’t expect him to walk out with me like that. "W-wait," I stuttered, but my words went into deaf ears as he opened the door and walked into the well-lit office room that had a window view of the city at night.

It was pretty.

It was to the point that I forgot the reason I felt so embarrassed going out with him like that.

Seo-Jun did not notice I was mesmerized by the view at first and was giving instructions to his assistant and secretary when he asked,

"So, what snacks would you like?" But I didn’t respond and he turned his head, only to find my eyes glued to the scenery. "Do you like beautiful scenery, Jo-Pil?"

At the mention of my name, I snapped out of it.

"What?"

"You were lost staring at the scenery." He said. "Would you like to see something as pretty?"

What was he talking about all of a sudden? I was just staring because it had been a while since I saw something this beautiful. The view in the day couldn’t be compared to the nighttime at all.

"I just got caught up in it," I said, sliding my hair back a bit. "I never really go out so I don’t get a lot of chances to see something like this. And... Even if I did have an opportunity in the past, before I met my masters," my expression suddenly went soft with melancholy. "I don’t think I had the privilege of enjoying such scenery."