The Prince Gallery Tokyo – 36th Floor Suite / 09:47 PM
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, Tokyo's nightscape flowed in silence.
City lights shimmered against the glass like silver fish gliding through the sky.
Inside the bathroom, soft steam clung to the black marble, and the golden lighting melted over it like the quiet breath of night.
In the wide tub, lavender drifted in the air, sinking into the mist like a dream.
"Come in."
Celeste tied up her damp hair, then quietly sank into the water.
Her bare shoulders and collarbone glistened under the steam, a sculpture of stillness in the center of the room.
Jinwoo followed without a word.
He stepped in behind her, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist beneath the warm water.
Her back rested gently against his chest, and their breaths spread across the surface in soft ripples.
His arms held her as if they weighed nothing—like peace itself.
"…You must be tired," he murmured softly.
"Mm." Celeste closed her eyes.
"Branch meeting in the morning. Department store buyers in the afternoon. And some random reporter shoved himself into the schedule."
Her breath mingled with the lavender rising in the steam.
"That's how business trips usually go."
He pulled her closer, until there was no space left between them.
Leaning over her damp hair, he placed a kiss on her neck, then cradled her face in his palm and kissed her again—slow and deep.
"Nights like this... make everything worth it. I'm happy, truly."
Celeste turned to look at him.
The water shimmered around them, refracting the light like something out of a dream.
Their legs had naturally intertwined beneath the surface, and beneath the warm waves, their heartbeats quietly mingled.
She lifted her head and met his eyes.
The bathroom light caught on his wet lashes, sparkling before it reached his gaze.
"Being in a bath with me—this is your idea of an ordinary night?"
"It is,"
Jinwoo said with a soft smile.
"It feels… like we're really married."
Celeste laughed quietly and cupped his jaw in her hand.
Then she leaned in and kissed him.
It was quieter than words.
The kind of kiss that made language unnecessary.
Gently, Jinwoo lifted her in his arms.
The water swelled and spilled over the tub's edge, and her damp robe slipped over his chest like silk.
Her weight settled into his lap, and for a moment, neither of them breathed—just gazed.
"You're… dangerously beautiful right now."
he whispered, kissing the slope of her shoulder.
Celeste closed her eyes and combed her fingers through his wet hair.
She leaned her forehead to his lips and whispered,
"I wish it could always be just us like this."
Jinwoo didn't respond.
He simply pulled her closer, his silence more complete than any vow.
Outside, Tokyo's lights blurred softly in the window.
Inside the tub, love bloomed in the stillness—rising quietly like breath over water.
Unable to hold back, Jinwoo wrapped his arms around her waist, his gaze filled with longing and a kind of reverent restraint.
The water rippled with a soft splash as their bodies pressed tighter.
Celeste wrapped her legs around his waist.
There was no more space between them.
They sank into each other—slowly, quietly—under the warm water.
Jinwoo held her gently, one hand resting on her waist, pulling her closer.
His lips trailed down her collarbone, and her breath grew shorter, warmer.
He moved carefully, feeling her breath as she began to shift—her hips lowering slowly, her body guiding him in with quiet certainty.
The last bit of space between them disappeared—softly, completely.
Water bloomed around them in waves.Her lashes fluttered.
She began to move—rising and sinking again—and the water moved with her, rippling softly in rhythm with her body.
The wet sounds of the tub grew steadier, as if echoing the silent tension in the air.
Each motion, each ripple, deepened their connection—quiet and real.
Jinwoo's hands found her waist, his movements syncing to hers, gently helping.
Steam clouded his gaze, but the heat beneath his soaked lashes was unmistakable.
"Celeste…"
Her name rolled from his throat like a tide.
It traveled down her spine in shivers.
She swept her wet hair over one shoulder and leaned back.
Water slipped between her back and his chest, every movement sending a new wave across their skin.
She found a steady rhythm—slow, deep, certain.
As their bodies met again and again, heat pooled between them.
Steam floated in waves.
Her hand gripped his shoulder, and she exhaled a trembling breath.
Jinwoo's lips touched her forehead.
His breathing grew shallower.
His hands tensed at her waist, his back straightened—quiet and tight with release.
"I can't… hold it… I'm coming…"
With one low breath, he drove himself deeper into her.
And then—heat burst between them like a breaking wave.
Water splashed upward.
She bit her lip, accepting the shudder that passed through him.
His body trembled—small but undeniable.
For one suspended moment, the entire tub fell still—only their breath filled the space.
In a room full of steam and lavender, warmth thickened in the water.
Their heat remained—lingering like a tide that refused to recede.
Jinwoo rested his forehead against her shoulder and exhaled long and deep.
Celeste held him close, her wet hand stroking his back—quiet, slow, as if they were still making love without words.
Tokyo's lights beyond the window drifted like a lullaby.
And inside the bath—love remained, rippling softly in the quietest place.