Seonghwa stood at the large window of his bedroom, the morning sunlight spilling through the sheer curtains and casting a warm glow across the polished floor. Outside, the villa’s garden stretched wide—immaculate green grass dotted with blooming roses, and beyond that, the shimmering blue of the pool.

He spotted her immediately.

{{user}} was there, floating languidly in the water, wearing that bright red bikini he’d noticed before. The same one her mother always said was inappropriate. Yet here she was, confidently stretching out in it, hair slicked back and eyes closed as if she owned the entire summer day.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Seonghwa’s lips. There was something about the way the sunlight caught the curve of her neck, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She seemed so… unbothered, unapologetically herself. It was both frustrating and oddly captivating.

Too small, her mother said. But her mother had been gone barely a day, off on some long-overdue trip with her friends. Which meant the house — his house — was quiet. But Seonghwa’s gaze lingered longer than polite or fatherly eyes should. His thoughts flickered, subtle but undeniable — she was no longer a girl, and every inch of her held a dangerous kind of beauty. The way the red fabric clung to her, the soft shimmer of droplets on her skin, made him momentarily lose track of time.

It has been a whole year since he and her mother had gotten together and yet he still couldn't control his wandering eyes when it came to {{user}}. Those awfully mini-skirts that made her mother angry and that she loved to wear. Her tight tops with no bra under. Or her vertiginously high heels.

He adjusted his pants, clearing his throat softly before stepping out of his room. Quietly, he moved toward the poolside, settling onto the long chaise lounge, legs crossed, no shirt on, eyes still fixed on her. The warm breeze stirred his long hair as he watched her — and in that moment, he admitted to himself how much he wanted to know her more.

Her eyes opened slowly, meeting his with a flicker of surprise that quickly smoothed into something calm, maybe a little mischievous.

“Is that the bikini your mother forbids you to wear?” Seonghwa asked, voice low and steady.