“......!”

For once, excitement crept across Lee Wooshin’s face—that man who always seemed aloof and detached.

Staring straight at him, Seoryeong felt flushed, despite the snowfall that hadn’t stopped for days.

Do men normally look like this? Did they always stare at women with such raw, feral eyes? She wouldn’t know. She’d never even looked at her husband’s face during sex.

Those dark, sunken eyes seemed to peer straight through her.

She had never, before or after her sight returned, seen eyes like his—so heavy, so burning, so strangely provoking.

It was nothing like that revolting look from Sung Wookchan. The charred black of Lee Wooshin’s pupils simmered with anger and regret—violent, erratic heat that made her want to close her eyes and turn away.

“Ugh...!”

As she twisted her face and resisted, his hand clamped down on her head again. His lips bit and chewed hers like he was trying to suppress something uncontrollable.

It felt like he was satisfying a thirst through these shallow bites. Eventually, her lips split, and the taste of blood flooded her mouth.

“Ugh, it... hurts...”

What had started as an act to share body heat had morphed into something more primal. Lee Wooshin even sucked at the blood like it was sweet. Heat bloomed under her skin, burning and swelling. No tongue had entered, and yet even the sound of lips pulling apart had turned lewd.

“Haa...”

Her once-chapped lips were now drenched, glistening with wetness. She had no idea how many seconds—how many minutes—had passed while their mouths remained locked. Time had disappeared.

His hot breath washed over her again and again. His tall nose pressed into her cheek, stealing her air. Her lips, once cold, now pulsed with a dull ache, and her heartbeat had finally surged again.

The harsh breath through their noses sounded obscene. Still, he never lost full control—he never crossed into her mouth. As if restrained by some taboo.

Even she felt her tongue twitch at times, and yet he didn’t give in. That restraint alone felt shocking.

“Haa...”

As he finally pulled away, he pressed two fingers to her throat.

Seoryeong seized the moment to complain like a cheated customer.

“Instructor...! That wasn’t what I meant by... ‘talking’...!”

“How was that a kiss?”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t even lick your tongue. How is that a kiss?”

He corrected her misunderstanding while still panting. That was his excuse?

She frowned. “Then what was it?”

“It worked better than slapping you across the face.”

“......!”

“You told me not to slap you.”

He licked the sheen of spit off his lips as he chuckled. Her eyes flicked, involuntarily, to the vivid red of his swollen lips and the thick, wet tongue that darted out. She felt her stomach churn.

“Your color’s back. Your lips aren’t blue anymore. What’s the problem?”

“Still... why were you moving your lips like that...?”

“What should I have done?”

“Haa... I thought we were supposed to talk to stay alert?”

“Exactly. So now, let’s sit here and trash our bastard spouses together.”

“They’re not all bastards...”

“Oh, really? You know who my wife was?”

“Then what else are we supposed to talk about here? That’s the only thing we’ve got in common!”

“Go ahead. This should be fucking hilarious.”

But instead of giving her a chance, his scorching lips crashed down again.

“—!”

Lee Wooshin gripped her chin, forcing it open.

She wanted to shove him away, but her arms were useless inside the zipped-up coat. She couldn’t even lift them.

Again, he sucked in her breath and latched onto her lips. The rough rhythm of his mouth made her body sway helplessly.

“In fact, I’ve got plenty to say.”

He spoke between kisses, his voice low and disruptive.

“My wife used to keep a list of men. Wrote them down like a fucking grocery list...”

“......!”

Her eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that to be true.

“Felt like she couldn’t go five minutes without thinking filthy thoughts...”

“......!”

“But open those big, pretty eyes and she thought she could get away with anything.”

“.......”

“Didn’t matter if it was a mountain or the sea—she’d toss her body around like it meant nothing.”

“What kind of... what kind of woman...”

His mouth landed again. Wet tissue clung, noses warmed by shared breath, lungs groaning through heavy exhales. The moans were deep, raw, tangled.

Lee Wooshin still refused to use his tongue. Instead, he pressed into her gums, sucking at her lower teeth like he meant to tear them out. Her jaw ached, and each time she swallowed the pooled saliva, her gut twisted.

A guilty, shameful heat that shouldn’t have been there.

At last, Seoryeong had to admit it:

Maybe... maybe my husband really was bad at kissing.

Kim Hyeon must’ve been too naïve.

Finally, Lee Wooshin sucked once more, loud and sharp, and released her.

Their eyes locked—hers dazed, his unreadable. Slowly, something shifted in his expression.

Not quite regret. More like... frustration. As if he’d made a fatal mistake.

No corpse would leave a man looking that devastated.

A horrible misstep.

Seeing that look filled Seoryeong with a strange relief. So it was a mistake for him, too. So they could both walk away from it, forget it ever happened. Thank God for that.

“You ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) should’ve just gone all the way with it.”

Best to change the topic and lighten the air.

Ignoring the burn in her lips, she kept going.

“Honestly, no wonder you got sick. Bottling up all that rage from a cheating wife.”

“......”

“Of course it turned into trauma. No wonder you freaked out over one little bite mark. If you want to be able to work with others, you’re gonna have to stop acting like a bloodhound.”

“Haa...”

“And if you feel any better now, just consider yourself in my debt.”

Suddenly, he sagged and let his jaw rest on her crown. His breath tickled her hair as he sighed in and out.

“You know, for someone so tough, you really flinch at the weirdest stuff. Try half the shit you put me through.”

“Should I push him harder?”

He chuckled, repeating her words mockingly.

“If it were me, I’d have never let a husband like that off the hook.”

She imagined Kim Hyeon scribbling women’s names on a notepad. A blaze of fury erupted in her chest—far hotter than anything Lee Wooshin had kindled.

With her confidence returned, she went on.

“You keep dating based on looks, you’ll keep ending up with freaks.”

“Did you not date by looks, Recruit Han?”

“I didn’t see anything back then. I was blind to everything.”

“And how’d that turn out?”

“......”

She clenched her jaw, unable to reply. Meanwhile, Lee Wooshin tilted his head, as if calculating something.

“But Recruit Han.”

His face hardened, and he gritted his teeth.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing right now?”

“What?”

She feigned ignorance, afraid he might bring up the kiss again. But his eyes narrowed viciously.

“Where the hell do you think your hand is?”

“......!”

Their eyes locked again. Pierced by his accusing glare, she sheepishly pulled her hand away—from between his legs.

She hadn’t even realized it. Her fingers had drifted there in search of warmth. She’d been so distracted by everything else.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. It was just... really warm down there...”

“......”

“I mean, it’s not like you’ve got a hot pack in there, but it’s surprisingly effective.”

“...You’ve got to be kidding me.”

He exhaled like cursing, and Seoryeong snapped back.

“You stuck your fingers in mine, too...!”

“......!”

“And this isn’t a drill, it’s a real emergency. You’re hogging all the warmth—what, I’m not allowed to share?”

Rather than pull her hand away, she slid both palms deeper into the space beneath his crotch.

Ah... yeah, this was the warmest.

She thought she felt something harden. But in her half-frozen mind, all she could register was the heat.

Then, suddenly, he shoved her off, muttering darkly.

“Enough. Get out.”

He yanked the zipper down just as—

Thump! Thump!

A loud crash echoed like someone hammering through a mine. Ice pellets fell like hail. When she looked up, she saw the tip of a boot spike swaying above them.

“Team Leader—!”

A familiar voice rang out. A man was descending on a rope, harnessed securely with gear. Instructor Jin Hoje pulled off his goggles and shouted confidently.

“We came as soon as we got your signal! Are you both alright?”

Behind him, more instructors followed, rappelling down the ice wall with practiced ease. Seoryeong glanced down at the long wire still binding her to Lee Wooshin.

Alive. Intact. Even the beast was calm.

At long last—it was time to go home.