By Zephyria 
……What is this?
That was the first thought that came to mind. For a brief moment, I tried to escape reality, wondering if I was still asleep, but unfortunately, I was not.
“What the…”
I tried to speak, but my voice was so cracked and hoarse that it cut off immediately. In my panic, I gripped my throat with one hand, and only then did I realize the state I was in, sitting atop the bed.
I wanted to cover myself urgently, but I didn’t want to look flustered in front of this man. I pulled up the thin sheet that was barely clinging to my thighs, pretending to be nonchalant, and wrapped it around my waist. In my heart, I wanted to pull it all the way up to my neck, but I resisted with all my might, fearing it would make it too obvious that I was conscious of him. Even so, the burning sensation creeping up to my neck served as a poignant reminder that such things were already beyond my control.
Nathaniel Miller looked down at me, a faint smile—bordering on a sneer—playing on his lips as he spoke.
“Drink this. It will help.”
I silently took the cup and brought it to my lips. As the warm tea slid down my throat, I felt a slight improvement in my mood. Though, it didn’t actually change anything.
“……What happened?”
Fortunately, my voice flowed out calmly, as usual. I deliberately held the cup, which still contained some tea, and stopped it near my chest. As I asked the question filled with wariness, the man shifted his gaze from the skin blocked by my arm and met my eyes.
“Do you not remember?”
In response to the returned question, I asked point-blank.
“Did you bring me here after I fainted?”
I couldn’t remember anything after falling into the water. I glanced at the stick Nathaniel was leaning on—not the cane I had gripped back then—before returning my gaze to his face.
“And were you the one who took ‘all’ my clothes off?”
When I deliberately emphasized the word ‘all,’ he narrowed his long eyes and replied.
“I’m the type who doesn’t let an opportunity slip by when it comes.”
I was left speechless by his sheer audacity. In that moment, I decided I would not apologize for provoking this man or throwing a punch while drunk the previous night. Had he not said it himself? That he doesn’t miss an ‘opportunity.’
If I thought of it as an exchange between today’s humiliation and yesterday’s accident, it wasn’t something to dwell on too much. While I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was the one who lost out far more, it was my own doing. I was the one who started the foolish behavior. I felt a wave of self-loathing, but I didn’t want to fall into self-deprecation in front of this man. Instead, I pointed out another fact.
“Didn’t you come with your partner? If you hadn’t appeared at the pool and had spent the night with her as planned, such an accident wouldn’t have happened.”
Since I had fallen into the water and was unconscious, he might have just been observing the situation. I tried my best to ignore the fact that this man might have stripped me naked, laid me on the bed, and admired the sight. I couldn’t help the sharp edge in my tone, however.
Regardless of my thoughts, Nathaniel Miller replied leisurely.
“There was something more interesting than that.”
I could only stare at him, my face contorted in disbelief. It was obvious what that ‘interesting thing’ was without even asking. Either the unsightly scene I made at the pool, or the sight of me sprawled naked and asleep on the bed—or perhaps both.
“The owner was quite furious that that man emptied several bottles of his prized wine.”
Nathaniel Miller delivered the news in his usual relaxed manner. Sensing a hint of amusement in his voice, I continued to glare at him with a furrowed brow, as if asking what on earth he was talking about. Nathaniel Miller, who had been standing while leaning on his cane, raised his free hand in the air. Before I knew it, in a timing I hadn’t anticipated, that hand took the mug I was holding. It was a perfectly natural movement, but I had suddenly lost the tool I was using to cover part of my body. As I realized this and stood there dumbfounded, Nathaniel Miller gave a silent laugh. As if he had seen right through my meager scheme. What happened next was once again unexpected.
I saw Nathaniel’s hand, having placed the cup on the side table, reach toward me. The tip of his firm thumb touched my lips. He pressed down firmly on my still-wet lower lip, slowly stroking the inner flesh of my mouth. Suddenly, the memory of kissing another man the previous day flashed through my mind. Nathaniel slightly raised the fingertip that had been touching the inside of my lip. The sharp edge of his nail pressed into the tender flesh. I instinctively frowned, but it didn’t hurt at all. Looking down at me intently, Nathaniel’s lips slowly curved outward.
“Next time, Chrissy Jin.”
He called my name in a low, whispering voice. A chilling shiver ran down my spine. Looking down at me with lowered eyes, Nathaniel lifted the tip of his nail and gently stroked my teeth.
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t roll around with such low-quality men just to provoke me.”
His tone made it sound as if I had been caught fooling around with a pig from a farm. How presumptuous, don’t make me laugh. Instead of getting angry and frowning, I stuck out my tongue. As I slowly licked the finger that was still touching my lips, the man frowned. I stared intently at the creases of his face—formed for a reason far removed from displeasure—and wrapped my tongue around the tip of his finger before letting go. The man’s eyes followed the movement of my tongue as it drew him into my mouth. Keeping my gaze fixed on his face, I slowly closed my lips. The man continued to watch my lips as they stroked his thumb with the inner flesh before opening again. Then, I narrowed my eyes into a smile and whispered.
“It doesn’t matter to you who I roll around with.”
Nathaniel Miller stared at me in silence. His finger was still touching my lips. I could feel my heart beating more violently in my left chest than usual. What would this man do next? I couldn’t predict it at all. Just waiting made my nerves fray and my heart tighten. While I was inwardly tense.
Nathaniel, who had been watching me without breaking his stubborn gaze, suddenly let out a short chuckle. The moment I flinched at the unexpected reaction, he withdrew his hand from my lips. While I was momentarily bewildered, Nathaniel Miller spoke.
“Go ahead and try, and see what happens.”
His tone was light, as if he were joking, but he wasn’t. I felt it instinctively. However, he changed the subject before I had a chance to verify.
“Then, Prosecutor, I’ll see you in a week.”
Having arbitrarily decided the date, he took a step back and turned around. It was only for a very brief moment, but his indifferent gaze seemed to catch something. Then, he walked away, the familiar sound of his cane accompanying him. Between the footsteps, the crisp, inorganic sound of the cane echoed at precise intervals.