Chapter 111
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, she’d glimpsed something similar online—filtered through a screen, distant and untouchable. It had never felt particularly interesting.
But this—
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 you’ve 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 couldn’t have before—that was something else entirely.
Derek paused for a beat, then let out a low laugh.
"Then... do you want a closer look?"
Under Suzy’s puzzled gaze, he reached down and tugged off his tank top.
In an instant, his body was laid bare.
Smooth, defined lines. Balanced muscle—not 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 couldn’t help licking her lips.
What a dangerous temptation.
So this is the male lead from my dream...
If she hadn’t already had a taste before, she wouldn’t 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 his—
She felt it.
A subtle tremor ran through his body.
A quiet, almost involuntary sound slipped from his throat.
"...Mm."
Suzy’s cheeks warmed instantly.
"What was that for...?" she muttered under her breath.
But her fingers didn’t stop.
She traced the firm lines beneath her fingertips—solid, 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 actions—paired 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 feel—even his attitude was pleasing.
He earned himself a silent point of approval.
At some point, Derek had already settled beside her.
Though he’d worked up a sweat, there was nothing unpleasant about him.
"If you’re done already...?" he asked, a hint of regret in his voice.
"That’s enough," Suzy replied casually.
"...Alright." He stood up reluctantly. "I’ll 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 full—clearly 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 freely—without 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: It’s dangerous right now. Everything’s 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 passed—no 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 wouldn’t respond—
[Thomas Kim: When are you coming back?]
Suzy held her phone, glancing out at the gloomy sky.
[Suzy: I’ll 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 couldn’t stay here with Derek forever.
Besides, she had spent a fortune building her safehouse—she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.
[Thomas Kim: The rain’s already lighter now. I can come get you. I remember the way—it’s not far.]
Suzy blinked.
For a moment, she thought she’d read it wrong.
He was... coming to pick her up?
He actually offered?
Interesting.
Was it because he didn’t want her staying at Derek’s 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 area’s flooded.]
[Thomas Kim: No. But I’ll 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 isn’t comfortable with you staying there.]
Suzy clicked her tongue.
Deflecting the question, huh.
[Suzy: I’ll 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 didn’t 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 bathroom—a full forty minutes had passed.
Did guys really take that long to shower?
She had assumed he’d 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 didn’t 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 moment’s thought—
As long as she was still here now, that was enough.
They leaned against each other, lingering in quiet intimacy.
Under Derek’s subtle, deliberate teasing, Suzy eventually found her resolve slipping.
In the end, she gave in, pulling him along as they crossed another line together.