...
The moment was purely simple, just two pairs of lips meeting with a sweetness that dispensed with any artifice. There were no intertwined tongues, no hands lost in forbidden regions, just the raw beauty of a first kiss that carried within it all the unspoken promises.
When they pulled away, it was slowly, reluctant to break the fragile enchantment that enveloped them. The silence between them spoke more than a thousand words, heavy with the heat that still pulsed in the air, in the living memory of their newly shared touch.
Yeonha brought her trembling fingers to her chest, where her heart was beating hard enough to leap out of her body. Her violet eyes, normally filled with a touch of coldness, were now unguarded, revealing a dizzying mix of emotions:
Amazement, at having finally given in.
Satisfaction, that it had been better than she had imagined.
Embarrassed, because she liked.
Theo studied each micro-expression with the attention of someone deciphering treasure maps. The kiss hadn't been technically perfect, he had felt her initial hesitation, the almost imperceptible tremor that revealed her inexperience. But it was precisely this authenticity that captivated him.
There was a clumsy tenderness in the way her lips sought his, a shy curiosity that turned to confidence as he guided her with subtle touches where, in a matter of seconds, Yeonha had gone from nervous princess to queen master of her pleasure.
"Uh! Good... Very good."
The tease came out before she could stop herself, her tongue flicking across her lips in an instinctive gesture of savoring the moment. The effect was immediate, Yeonha blushing up to her ears, her fingers twitching in the fabric of her dress as she struggled to find words.
Theo smiled, delighted to have taken her off-axis. There, in that instant, Yoo Yeonha wasn't the heiress, the ruthless strategist or the girl who was supposed to be perfect for the world. She was just a woman discovering the taste of her own desires.
He leaned forward, using his hand, he brushed away a few strands of hair falling over Yeonha's cheek, while studying every nuance of her expression.
"So?"
He asked, a little puzzled as to what she thought of her first kiss.
"What did you think?"
Yeonha looked away for a moment, her fingers going to her lips and pressing them lightly, as if trying to preserve the sensation. When she finally raised her eyes to meet them, there was a vulnerability there that she rarely allowed anyone to see.
"It was... different from what I imagined, I thought kissing was just the simple meeting of skin to skin... I never thought I'd feel the things I feel now."
She admitted, her voice almost a whisper.
Theo remained motionless for a moment, his red eyes scanning Yeonha's every expression. Her voice, so soft, echoed in his ears like an unexpected melody; he hadn't really expected her to tell him her true thoughts.
"What things?"
He asked, more curious than teasing now.
Yeonha took a deep breath, her fingers still unconsciously tracing the outline of her own lips.
"As if..."
She hesitated, searching for the right words.
"As if there was a fire starting here..."
She touched her chest.
"...And it spread all over my body. And at the same time, I felt a happiness that I can't explain... Eh?!"
She stopped talking, her eyes going wide as soon as she realized what she was doing, she stammered as if she couldn't believe she'd said that out loud.
"I-I... No..."
Theo watched in silence, absorbing every word Yeonha said. The raw sincerity on her face, the shock as she realized what she had just said.
She tried to look away again, as if to undo what had been said, to hide behind the rationality she held so dear. But he wouldn't let her.
With a gentle gesture, Theo took her hand, the one that was still near his lips, and gently pulled it away. His fingers intertwined with hers, firm enough to provide security, but light enough not to press.
"Yeonha."
He said, with firmness and softness mixed together.
"No need to deny it."
She didn't answer straight away, biting her lower lip as if she wanted to control herself, her feelings, the chaos inside her.
"It's confusing... I still don't understand."
She whispered, almost defeated.
Theo leaned in slightly, his ruddy eyes so close now that she could see the reflection of herself in them.
"I don't expect you to understand now either. I just want you to accept that you felt something real. That's all."
He smiled slightly, that smile that made her hate how her heart reacted.
"It wasn't just a kiss for me, Yeonha. It was a beginning."
She swallowed. Her heart raced, her hands sweated, her face grew hot. A beginning, those words sounded dangerous. But somehow, it was comfortable too.
"Cough! Ham!"
Someone approached them, pretending to cough; it was none other than Nayun.
The world seemed to stop when Nayun's green eyes landed on them. Yeonha jumped as if she had been burned, her face a shade of red that rivaled Theo's eyes.
"N-Nayun! It's not what it looks like..."
Nayun raised his hand, interrupting her with a smile that was half amusement, half resignation.
"It looks exactly like what it is, Yeonha. Don't worry, I've seen it all."
Her gaze went up, meeting theirs.
"Stop being afraid, I've already accepted it... I don't mind having you as a sister."
Yeonha's eyes widened, completely lost between shock and disbelief. Her mouth opened slightly, without a sound, and, for an instant, all the training, all the composure of an heiress daughter evaporated like mist in the sun.
"Sister...?"
She repeated, almost out of breath.
Nayun crossed her arms and shrugged, as if it were obvious.
"You heard me. If you're going to stay with Theo, at least do it properly. I won't accept anything less, after all, I'm his first."
Yeonha blinked, stunned.
"But... he and I haven't confirmed anything."
Yes, they had kissed, but that didn't mean she was already dating him.
Nayun let out a short laugh, his green eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Heh! Of course it's only a matter of time, I speak from experience."
She looked at Theo with an air of complicity.
"You're practically melted already, Yeonha. All that's left is to admit it."
Theo, the bastard, just smiled and shrugged, as if to say, "She's right."
Yeonha felt her face burn.
"I'm not like that."
She muttered, but even she knew she was sounding weak.
Nayun didn't wait or say anything. With a decisive move, she slipped between the two of them, firmly grasping one hand in each.
"Enough small talk."
She declared, starting to drag them towards the hall.
"We have an important event to attend and I'm not going to be late just because you two are having a romantic crisis."
Yeonha stumbled a little, still processing Nayun's deft handling of the situation.
"N-Nayun! You don't have to drag us around like children..."
"Of course I do."
Nayun interrupted, without slowing down.
"The way you're going, you're just going to stand there until you grab each other again."
Theo laughed, allowing himself to be pulled along easily.
"She's right, Yoo."
Yeonha didn't even have time to protest, because seconds later, they were back in the hall, which now looked very different from before.
The environment that had once seemed oppressive in its own way now had a completely different atmosphere, lighter and with a touch of expectation hanging in the air.
The lights of the crystal chandelier shone more brightly, the soft music in the background sounded almost cheerful and, near a stage that would serve for a brief press conference, reporters and journalists were finishing setting up their equipment.
As she was being dragged away, Yeonha saw her mother sitting at a table a few meters away.
"Wait... I have to talk to my mother."
"Ah! Of course. Go ahead."
As soon as Nayun let go of Yeonha's hand, she left without even looking back.
"Theo, Daddy wants to see you.
Theo arched an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden change of subject and tone. Nayun now looked more serious, although her voice still had a certain lightness to it, as if she didn't want to seem too worried.
"Did you tell him about us?"
"Not yet, but when I told him I'd come with someone and said it was you, he said he wanted to talk to you. I think he already has an idea of us."
"No problem, after all, that's why I came here today."
Nayun stared at him for a second, as if trying to decipher whether he was bluffing or really sure of himself.
"Come on, it's time to meet my father-in-law..."
Theo let go of her hand and took her arm. Knowing what he was implying, she linked her arm with his and led him to where her father was.
...