A Madman in Love-Chapter 59

He felt utterly pathetic.

Scheming to win over a woman—what kind of despicable man had he become?

"Why am I like this?"

While Ihyeon spiraled into self-loathing, Ahjin reveled in her own self-centered satisfaction.

The mere thought of Lee Suin being thrown into turmoil delighted her.

It was like blowing her nose without lifting a finger.

"Isn't it more than just a possibility? It’s already reality, isn’t it?"

Lighting her second cigarette, she glanced sideways at Ihyeon, whose eyes looked sunken and dark.

"Don’t you see? It’s not about Suin becoming your woman; she already is."

"What?"

"Ugh, you’re so frustrating."

Clicking her tongue, Ahjin threw her unlit cigarette back into its pack, exasperated by his moral indecision.

"If you’re going to overthink it, just stop."

She crossed her arms and raised her chin, looking at him as if he were some naive schoolboy.

"Don’t you get it?"

"..."

"Suin and you are now the Hyesung Group’s official office couple. The moment employees ask you about it, and you confirm, it’s game over."

She jabbed her index finger into his chest. Her eyes widened slightly, surprised at the solid muscle beneath his shirt.

"So, you should be thanking me."

"Yoo Ahjin," Ihyeon exhaled deeply, taking a step back.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. I may be blinded by my own greed, but that doesn’t mean I condone your selfishness."

He coldly admonished her before turning his back.

As he left the 30th-floor lounge, he stopped abruptly and turned around.

"By the way, how did you even access the intranet? You’re a contractor—you shouldn’t have access."

"...You insult me to my face and then ask that?"

Unable to answer, Ahjin snapped irritably. Before he could press further, she brushed past him and left the lounge in what was practically a retreat.

***

Once again, they had danced on the edge of madness.

Suin could barely move a finger.

Lying limp, gasping for air like a fish out of water, she slowly turned her gaze to the side.

"We must be insane."

"Ha."

Jaehee chuckled briefly.

His crescent-shaped eyes softened as he placed a large hand on top of her head, gently stroking it as though praising her.

"Lee Suin, you were incredible."

Annoyed by his satisfied tone, she swatted his hand away.

"This is all your fault."

"Why is it my fault now?"

"If you hadn’t provoked me, I would’ve walked out of this suite like a normal person."

"That wouldn’t have happened."

Pointing begrudgingly at the bedroom door, Suin felt his arm wrap around her waist, pulling her into his firm embrace.

His leg draped over her body, pinning her down with ease.

"Because this guy wouldn’t have let you leave."

He pressed against her with exaggerated stubbornness.

Slap!

Suin’s hand smacked his solid thigh, the sharp sound echoing in the room.

"Ah."

Jaehee groaned dramatically, exaggerating the sting, as Suin pushed him off and checked her smartwatch.

The midday sun had already shifted, and it was now past 4 p.m.

"Wow. We’re truly insane."

She sat up, pulling the sheet up to cover her chest and wrapping the rest around her back.

The sheet tugged against Jaehee, exposing his naked body in full view. He didn’t seem to care.

In fact, he lay there nonchalantly, leaning on one arm and unabashedly displaying his still-unsubdued pride.

"What time is it?"

"Four! What are we even doing during office hours? I’ll get fired for this."

"There’s nothing scheduled this afternoon."

"What? Don’t you have a conference meeting?"

"I canceled it on my way out."

"This man is unbelievable."

She glared at him briefly, only to see him grinning cheekily.

With an exasperated sigh, Suin reached down and picked up her bra, which lay discarded on the floor like a forgotten relic.

"Hmm."

She hesitated before heading to the bathroom.

The glaring white light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows felt overwhelming.

To reach the bathroom, she’d have to walk across his line of sight, her bare backside completely exposed.

It was ridiculous.

Just moments ago, she had been shamelessly thrashing around naked, letting him take her in every possible way.

"Lee Suin."

As she stretched her arm out to pick up a pair of panties lying just out of reach, Jaehee called to her softly from behind.

"Yeah?"

Her reply was casual as she freed her legs from beneath the sheet.

That’s when Jaehee’s arms snaked around her waist, still wrapped in the sheet, pulling her back into his embrace.

He held her warmly and spoke in a low, sincere voice.

"I trusted you."

She froze mid-motion, her knees half-bent, and turned her head slightly.

"What?"

"I mean the scandal with Baek Ihyeon. I never doubted you, not even for a second."

"Then why did you seem so mad?"

She turned to face him, and he responded with a cocky smirk and a knowing squint of his eyes.

"Someone like Baek Ihyeon doesn’t even come close to being competition for me."

"Then why did you storm all the way to the airport?"

He grinned wider, not bothering to answer.

That sly smile made everything clear.

Using the photos as an excuse, he had played the role of a jealous maniac to take her hostage, dragging her to the hotel under the pretense of rage.

And I fell for it completely, tumbling into bed with him.

What’s worse, I was the one who initiated things...

"So, from the start, your goal at the airport was to bring me to this hotel?"

"Yeah."

"And you pretended to be angry to lure me here?"

"Would Lee Suin have willingly come to a hotel with me in broad daylight during work hours otherwise?"

"You came up with all this the moment you saw the post?"

"Yup. And thanks to it, we got to enjoy some midday fun."

Watching him raise his eyebrows smugly, she felt anger bubbling up inside her.

"Ha!"

She let out a deep sigh, chastising herself for falling so easily into his trap.

As if that weren’t enough, the infuriating man fanned the flames even further.

"We should do this more often. You were so... enthusiastic, Suin."

"You bastard!"

Unable to contain herself, she swung her fist at him.

But, as if anticipating it, he effortlessly caught her hand and yanked her body toward his.

"Ahh!"

Her scream, sharp and indignant, echoed as she was pulled down.

Before she could process it, he was on top of her, laughing like a devil consumed by madness.

5:30 PM.

With the end of the workday approaching, Ihyeon buried himself in his tasks all afternoon, shutting out the world. The barrage of questions and whispers from coworkers had left him on edge.

"Sigh."

The headache that had started after his meeting with Ahjin in the smoking lounge still hadn’t subsided.

Click.

He retrieved some painkillers from his desk drawer and swallowed them, then opened the company intranet on his monitor.

[Notice] Privacy Violation Policy and Guidelines Update

The post that had garnered dozens of comments was now gone, replaced by an official notice about prohibiting privacy violations.

"Finally," he muttered, letting out a breath of relief.

His tired eyelids fluttered as he stood up, intending to take a moment to clear his head. Wanting to avoid conversation, he popped in his earbuds.

"Hey! Deputy Baek!"

Unfortunately, someone spotted him before he could escape.

"Finally got Lee Suin, huh?"

Kim Janghyuk, a coworker, waved at him from a vending machine in the hallway as Ihyeon walked by.

Pretending to be on a call, Ihyeon mouthed, "I’m busy," and pointed to his earbuds before stepping into the elevator.

He rode it straight down to the first floor.

Even the office garden felt unappealing.

Everyone he encountered would just pester him with more questions.

Instead, he decided to walk along the street outside the building.

His footsteps echoed faintly on the pavement, casting a slanted shadow that looked as downcast as he felt.

"Like a criminal running from the scene," he muttered bitterly.

He had stirred up trouble he couldn’t handle, and now he was avoiding the fallout.

He had spent his life striving to live without regrets, but today felt like he had undone years of effort in just a single afternoon.

"Pathetic," he muttered under his breath as he reached the outdoor parking lot.

That’s when he spotted someone familiar through the fence.

"Ah, Suin..."

His lips formed her name before he could stop himself.

But just as he was about to call out to her, someone else stepped out of the car—a figure emerging from the back seat.

Seo Jaehee.

It seemed he had just returned from an external engagement.

Ihyeon closed his mouth.

Suin waited quietly as Jaehee approached. When he got closer, she gave a small bow, silently indicating for him to take the lead.

Jaehee made a small gesture with his chin, signaling her to follow him.

And then it happened.

As he walked past her, Jaehee’s fingers brushed against Suin’s hand, briefly curling around three of her fingers before letting go.

Suin flinched as if startled and quickly pulled her hand back, her shoulders trembling.

Was that harassment?

For a moment, Ihyeon felt a surge of outrage.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

But then...

Once they were alone, Suin playfully tapped Jaehee on the arm.

Jaehee turned, laughing heartily at her small gesture.

Suin, glancing after him, couldn’t suppress her smile, her lips curling into a soft, radiant expression.

"Ah..."

Ihyeon’s heart sank.

He had never seen her smile like that before.

So genuinely, so happily.