Yoon Jooho leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, and shot me a crooked look.
When he did that, he looked just like a debt collector here to shake someone down—except, of course, he was dangerously handsome while doing it.
From experience, I knew there was no way to win a battle of wills against Yoon Jooho.
Letting out a sigh, I limped back to the sofa, “weirdly hobbling,” as if to make a show of it.
Yoon Jooho scooted aside and patted the spot next to him.
I didn’t even feel like resisting anymore, so I sat where he told me to.
“My right pinky toe got a little scraped. That’s all, really.”
“Shoes will drive you crazy if there’s even a single grain of sand inside.”
He wasn’t wrong. But I remembered that strange feeling I’d had when changing socks at Yoon Jooho’s place, and now I hesitated to show my bare feet.
With Yoon Jooho, even the most ordinary moments could turn oddly suggestive.
If he wanted, he could make peeling garlic or chopping onions look sexy. He was dangerously talented that way.
“What are you waiting for? Take it off.”
“……”
“Or should I do it for you?”
See? That’s what I mean. The words themselves weren’t even remotely dirty, but coming from him, they sounded loaded.
I shot Yoon Jooho a sidelong glance. Come to think of it, even his looks seemed unnecessarily suggestive…
If I stalled any longer, he really would try to take it off himself. Reluctantly, I bent down, untied my laces, and slipped off my shoe.
The socks were so long that I had to reach deep under my pants to pull them down. It almost felt like taking off pantyhose—strangely out of the ordinary.
Trying not to think about it, I made a show of yanking off my socks as casually as possible.
Just as I thought, the skin on the outside of my pinky toe was red and swollen, the surface pushed up where the shoe had rubbed.
It was right on the verge of blistering. Yoon Jooho frowned slightly when he saw it.
Buying nice shoes ends up being a problem, too. Or, if you’re hurting, you could just say so—why suffer in silence?
I braced myself for a scolding, but unexpectedly, he didn’t say anything harsh.
“It doesn’t look too bad.”
“I told you, it’s just a little irritating. Once I break them in, it’ll be fine. See? I can put my socks back on now, right?”
As I hurried to grab my socks, Yoon Jooho caught my arm and pulled me back.
“Not so fast. Hold still.”
He got up from the sofa, walked over to where our bags and his staff’s things were piled up, and rummaged through the stylist’s makeup box. He returned holding something—disposable bandages.
“Oh, thank you. That’ll help a— Ugh! Ahhh!”
“What’s with that screech?”
Yoon Jooho, sitting next to me and reaching for my foot, frowned at my outburst.
I was the one who wanted to make a face. I yanked my bare foot away from him, tucking it to the far side, and stared at him in horror.
“What are you doing? That’s gross.”
“I’m just trying to put a bandage on you, and you’re making a scene.”
I was afraid he’d actually say that.
I snatched the bandage out of Yoon Jooho’s hand.
“It’s fine. I’ll do it myself. You’re crazy!!”
Turning my back to him, I quickly tore open the bandage wrapper. Yoon Jooho, sitting beside me, grumbled as he picked up his Champagne glass.
“What’s with the screaming?”
“You were about to touch my foot, that’s why.”
“No sex appeal at all.”
I glanced over my shoulder and shot back.
“Sex… Excuse me, I have plenty of sex appeal, just not for you, okay?”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I mean, maybe not as much as you, but I was pretty popular back home.”
“Really now?”
Yoon Jooho sounded amused. He poked the back of my neck with his finger as I wrapped the bandage around my toe.
“So, why don’t I ever see that supposed sex appeal?”
“……”
I pressed the edges of the bandage firmly around my toe, then licked my lower lip, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Why would I show it to you? There’s nothing in it for me.”
From right behind me, Yoon Jooho let out a soft snort, as if he could see straight through me—or more accurately, as if he knew things about me that I didn’t even know myself.
Then, suddenly, a hand reached over my shoulder and pressed something against my cheek.
“Miss Sexy Dynamite, why don’t you put one of these on, too?”
A bandage, wrapper already off, fluttered down from my cheek.
Whoa—my heart jumped. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me on the cheek.
There’s no way a bandage could feel like lips, but for a moment, I’d honestly thought that’s what was happening. It’s all because of his unnecessary sex appeal. He’d already caught me off guard earlier by brushing his lips here and there, hadn’t he? That’s why my delicate sensibilities were on high alert.
Blaming Yoon Jooho for my pounding heart, I picked up the bandage from my thigh.
After sticking it on securely, I pulled my socks and shoes back on and stood up to test my foot.
It felt much better. The bandage’s pad cushioned the scrape perfectly.
“Oh, I should have put this on earlier.”
Yoon Jooho, who had stood up to pour more Champagne into the Ice Bucket, let out a short laugh.
Watching him, I rubbed the back of my neck and turned away. Did he really mean to put the bandage on my bare foot himself? I hadn’t even just washed.
I’d jumped away in protest, but not because I hated the idea.
I didn’t know how to handle these feelings, or how to explain them to Yoon Jooho. So I turned away.
With no more limp in my step, I headed for the window. The deeper the night grew, the darker the sky became, and the city lights below sparkled even brighter—like earthbound stars.
When would I ever get another chance to look down on the world from the 81st floor? I wanted to take in the view, maybe snap a few photos. But somehow, I couldn’t focus on it at all.
Because the room was dark, the reflection of the interior was sharper than the city lights outside.
Yoon Jooho sat perched on the back of the sofa, sipping Champagne and watching me.
More than the Diamond Tiara–like sparkle of the nightscape, my eyes were drawn to his reflection, layered over it.
“By the way, I saw Jin Seoyeon earlier. Wow… She looked gorgeous on screen, but in person, she’s even prettier.”
Behind me, Yoon Jooho snorted and sipped his Champagne.
“You seemed pretty close with her.”
“Did that bother you?”
“Huh?”
“I figured you’d be too busy making cocktails to notice things like that.”
“It’s not that, it just… caught my eye, I guess? You even took her coat, being all gentlemanly…”
Leaning against the window, I muttered as if it was no big deal, like I was just making conversation. But my gaze never left Yoon Jooho’s reflection in the glass.
He let his arm dangle with the glass in hand, tilting his head.
“Are you curious if I slept with her?”
His directness hit me like a fastball at 160km/h. I couldn’t breathe for a second.
I scratched at the windowpane with my fingernail.
“No, not really. It’s just… You said before you only sleep with Top Stars, and Jin Seoyeon is a huge Top Star… It all kind of adds up, you know?”
I didn’t even realize I was rambling.
Clink. Yoon Jooho stood up and set his glass down on the side table. His slow, deliberate steps were reflected in the window as he drew closer. With each step, my breath grew tighter.
Like a baby whale helpless before an approaching great white shark, I was defenseless.
Yoon Jooho stopped right behind me, his shoe toe brushing the heel of mine. Even without turning around, I could meet his eyes through the darkness reflected in the glass.
He leaned in, his mouth close to my left ear, but his gaze stayed fixed on my reflection.
“So. Which of us were you jealous of?”
“Jealous?”
“Me, who might have slept with Jin Seoyeon?”
I felt his body press down, enveloping me, and his left hand covered mine on the window.
“Or Jin Seoyeon, who might have slept with me?”
I spun around. My eyes, looking up at Yoon Jooho, were swirling with shock and confusion. Only now, confronted by his question, did I realize why seeing him so close to Jin Seoyeon had bothered me so much.
My lips were dry, my mouth parched. His scent made me dizzy.
“I, I…”
Yoon Jooho leaned even closer, shadow falling over my face. The next moment, his lips were on mine.
Was this a kiss? No, it was more like he was about to swallow me whole—his lips pressed so fiercely against mine that I sucked in a breath and froze. I couldn’t even process what was happening.