Chereads / 'Chains of Desire' / Chapter 36 - A Desperate Dependence

Chapter 36 - A Desperate Dependence

Seo-jin's days blurred together in a haze of anticipation and longing. Every morning, as Min-jae left for work, she would watch him go, her chest heavy with the emptiness that followed in his absence. The quiet of their penthouse seemed to stretch on forever without him, and she would pass the hours in a sort of restless waiting, counting down the minutes until he returned.

Her need for him had become an all-consuming force, gnawing at her from the inside. There were times when she could hardly sit still, her mind fixated on the moment she would hear the sound of the door unlocking, his presence filling the space.

When he did return, her heart would leap in her chest. The moment he walked through the door, everything seemed to shift. The house would come alive with his energy, and she would feel the weight of his attention settle over her like a comforting, familiar cloak. His love, his validation—it was what she craved, and in that moment, she would surrender to it completely.

She would rush to him, barely able to control the frantic desperation that welled up inside her. She would throw her arms around him, pressing herself close, needing the warmth of his body, the assurance of his affection.

Min-jae would hold her, though his embrace was always a little too controlled, a little too deliberate. His hands would rest on her back, his voice calm but laced with something that almost sounded like amusement. "I know you're eager, Seo-jin," he would say with a slight smirk. "But patience, remember?"

Yet, despite his teasing words, he would pull her closer, his lips gently brushing against her forehead, her cheeks, and sometimes even her lips. His touch, though controlled, would ignite something inside her—something raw, something desperate. It was as if her entire being was attuned to his presence, craving his affection more than she could ever put into words.

She needed it—his love, his validation. She needed it more than she had ever needed anything else in her life. And the more he gave it to her, the more she reveled in it. The way he would kiss her lips, the way he would touch her, was both a gift and a reminder of her dependence on him. Each gesture, no matter how small, was a reminder that she was his. That she would never be free from him, but that, in his eyes, it was exactly what she wanted.

Seo-jin had stopped questioning it. She had stopped trying to understand why she needed him so much, why she couldn't stop herself from clinging to him. The truth was, she no longer cared. She didn't care about the reasons, or the consequences, or even the chains that had bound her to him.

All she cared about was that when he was near, she felt alive. When he held her, when he kissed her, she was whole. Without him, she was nothing. The loneliness, the void—it was unbearable. She needed him. And he was the one person who could fill that emptiness.

It was a dangerous game she played, one that she knew she had no real control over. But every time he validated her, every time he gave her the affection she had once denied him, she couldn't help but revel in it.

She would sit by the window, her heart still racing after their evening together, watching the city lights twinkle outside as she waited for the inevitable—his departure in the morning, his return in the evening. And she would do it all over again. Cling to him. Desperate for his love. Desperate to feel the weight of his attention on her, and to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was his.

The love she had once feared was now the very thing that held her captive. But as long as he continued to give it to her, she was content. After all, what more could she ask for than to be the one he never let go?