He was wearing a white tank top today. Damp with sweat, the thin fabric clung tightly to his well-built frame, outlining every contour of his body in a way that was almost unfairly alluring.
When had Suzy ever seen a sight like this up close?
At most, sheâd glimpsed something similar onlineâfiltered through a screen, distant and untouchable. It had never felt particularly interesting.
But thisâ
This was the real thing.
And suddenly, her fingers itched.
She reached out toward Derek.
A flicker of confusion crossed his face, but he still stepped closer, casually wiping the sweat from his neck with the towel draped there.
"What is it?"
"I never really noticed before... but youâve got a pretty great body," Suzy said, her gaze roaming freely over him.
Looking was one thing.
Touching was another.
And being able to touch what you couldnât have beforeâthat was something else entirely.
Derek paused for a beat, then let out a low laugh.
"Then... do you want a closer look?"
Under Suzyâs puzzled gaze, he reached down and tugged off his tank top.
In an instant, his body was laid bare.
Smooth, defined lines. Balanced muscleânot exaggerated, but strong and clean.
His chest was firm and well-shaped, his abs sharply defined. The V-lines at his waist dipped deep beneath the edge of his waistband, while beads of sweat traced slow paths down his skin, catching the light like liquid glass.
It was... distracting.
Irresistibly so.
Suzy couldnât help licking her lips.
What a dangerous temptation.
So this is the male lead from my dream...
If she hadnât already had a taste before, she wouldnât have realized just how "blessed" Wendy had been.
Men like this... And she had more than one.
Living on that level every day... it was honestly enviable.
Fortunately, now it was her turn.
Lost in thought, Suzy suddenly felt her wrist being caught.
She blinked and looked up.
Derek was holding her hand.
"What?"
"Just looking is kind of boring," he said with a soft smile. "Senior... want to feel it instead?"
Before she could respond, he guided her hand and pressed her palm against his abdomen.
The moment her skin met hisâ
She felt it.
A subtle tremor ran through his body.
A quiet, almost involuntary sound slipped from his throat.
"...Mm."
Suzyâs cheeks warmed instantly.
"What was that for...?" she muttered under her breath.
But her fingers didnât stop.
She traced the firm lines beneath her fingertipsâsolid, warm, faintly damp with sweat.
Real.
Alive.
"Just now, when you touched me... it felt like a shock," Derek said, smiling a little sheepishly.
The contrast was striking.
Bold actionsâpaired with that soft, almost shy expression.
Tension lingered in the air.
Suzy knew he might be doing it on purpose.
But so what?
As long as he was willing to put in the effort with her, that was enough.
She took her time, thoroughly enjoying herself, her hands wandering without restraint.
Finally, she nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad at all."
Not just the feelâeven his attitude was pleasing.
He earned himself a silent point of approval.
At some point, Derek had already settled beside her.
Though heâd worked up a sweat, there was nothing unpleasant about him.
"If youâre done already...?" he asked, a hint of regret in his voice.
"Thatâs enough," Suzy replied casually.
"...Alright." He stood up reluctantly. "Iâll go shower, then."
"Go ahead," she said absentmindedly, her attention already drifting back to her phone.
There was nothing left worth watching on the surveillance feed.
With a faint sense of disappointment, she closed the app.
Snack in hand, Suzy stepped out onto the balcony.
The wind had died down considerably, though the rain still fell in a steady, unrelenting curtain.
As the storm weakened, more and more people began venturing outside in search of supplies.
In just the short time she stood there, she had already seen several groups pass by.
Some even returned carrying bags stuffed fullâclearly successful.
More people were joining the search.
Suzy lowered her gaze, thoughtful.
Order had completely collapsed.
Emergency lines no longer worked. Police calls went unanswered. Some people had already started breaking into shops, looting freelyâwithout consequence.
The chaos was only escalating.
The time for "zero-cost shopping" had arrived.
With that thought, Suzy pulled out her phone and sent a message to Leonard, outlining her plan.
She had just finished messaging him when another notification popped up.
A message from Thomas Kim.
[Thomas Kim: I heard from your uncle that you went out?]
[Suzy: Yeah.]
Suzy was a little surprised that Thomas had messaged her.
She had barely replied when another message popped up.
[Thomas Kim: Itâs dangerous right now. Everythingâs chaotic. Why go out?]
[Suzy: I came to drop something off for a friend.]
On the other end, the typing indicator flickered on and off.
But more than a minute passedâno message came through.
Unable to hold back, Suzy sent a single question mark.
Only then did his reply arrive.
[Thomas Kim: That junior of yours?]
[Suzy: Yes.]
Silence again.
Just when she thought he wouldnât respondâ
[Thomas Kim: When are you coming back?]
Suzy held her phone, glancing out at the gloomy sky.
[Suzy: Iâll head back once the rain eases up.]
After a typhoon, there was usually a brief lull.
Of course, after that lull, the storm would return even more violently.
That was when she planned to go back.
She couldnât stay here with Derek forever.
Besides, she had spent a fortune building her safehouseâshe wasnât about to let it go to waste.
[Thomas Kim: The rainâs already lighter now. I can come get you. I remember the wayâitâs not far.]
Suzy blinked.
For a moment, she thought sheâd read it wrong.
He was... coming to pick her up?
He actually
offered
?
Interesting.
Was it because he didnât want her staying at Derekâs place?
Could it be... That he was already starting to care?
A smile tugged at her lips.
[Suzy: How are you planning to get here? Do you have a boat? This whole areaâs flooded.]
[Thomas Kim: No. But Iâll figure something out.]
His tone felt... oddly insistent.
Suzy narrowed her eyes slightly.
[Suzy: Do you want me to come back?]
There was a pause before his reply came.
[Thomas Kim: Your uncle isnât comfortable with you staying there.]
Suzy clicked her tongue.
Deflecting the question, huh.
[Suzy: Iâll come back in a while.]
Thomas seemed to realize she had made up her mind.
After a moment, he replied:
[Thomas Kim: ...Alright. I can come get you then.]
Suzy didnât respond.
Because just then, Derek had stepped out of the bathroom.
Steam still clung to him as he emerged, heat rolling off his tall frame. His cheeks were faintly flushed from the shower.
"Why did you take so long?" Suzy glanced at the time and asked casually.
Unexpectedly, the question seemed to hit a nerve.
Derek stiffened slightly. "Was it that long? It seemed fine to me."
Suzy checked again.
From the moment he entered the bathroomâa full forty minutes had passed.
Did guys really take that long to shower?
She had assumed heâd just rinse off quickly.
Fresh from the shower, Derek seemed even more uninhibited. He moved closer, wrapping an arm around her as he asked,
"Senior... what were you looking at just now?"
Suzy didnât mention Thomas to him.
She only said she had been messaging Leonard.
Derek knew she had an uncle who was still at home.
"Did your uncle tell you to go back?" he asked.
Suzy nodded.
His expression dimmed instantly.
"...Are you leaving?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. In a while."
His eyes lit up again.
He knew she would leave eventually. He had wanted to ask
when
, but after a momentâs thoughtâ
As long as she was still here now, that was enough.
They leaned against each other, lingering in quiet intimacy.
Under Derekâs subtle, deliberate teasing, Suzy eventually found her resolve slipping.
In the end, she gave in, pulling him along as they crossed another line together.