A Summer with My Bitter Rival - Chapter 6

Chapter 3.1 – The Forgiving Type (1)^[*]

“Or… did you think I’d be miserable hearing you brag about that oh-so-great boyfriend of yours?”

Emeline was momentarily caught off guard.

The piercing green eyes that locked onto her burned with a rage she couldn’t quite put into words. She was the one who had every right to be furious, yet here he was, acting as though he were the victim as if he had been wronged.

Emeline’s expression slowly morphed into a frown. She was too shocked to even respond.

‘What is he trying to pull here?’

Could it be that now, after all this time, he actually regrets that she’s found someone else? Or maybe, he just couldn’t stand to see her happy, thriving without him.

After all, he had shattered everything in her life before getting up and walking away.

Just as her anger flared and she braced herself to shove him away, Zenon, always one step ahead, seized the chance to speak first.

“All those times you tried to carelessly toss me aside… it looks like you had some fun with that, Lady Delzeor.”

His breathing grew ragged, his lips curling into a twisted smile.

Emeline didn’t fully understand his words at first and opened her mouth to ask, but Zenon had no intentions to clarify. Instead, his voice turned colder as he continued,

“But here’s the thing. I can still show up in your perfect little world anytime I please. I can barge into your happiest moments and ruin them as much as I want.”

Once again, he pressed his finger firmly against the rim of her ear. As she reflexively winced, narrowing her eyes, Zenon leaned in even closer and whispered,

“So… you’re going to pay for each and every single wound you’ve inflicted upon my heart.”

As you know, I’m not exactly the forgiving type.

He finished with a rough, biting tone, then forcefully grabbed Emeline’s chin with his other hand.

“What are you…?”

Before Emeline could fully voice her confusion and displeasure, warmth abruptly engulfed her lips. It all happened so fast. Shocked, she gasped and froze. Heat invaded her parted mouth, rough and unyielding.

It finally hit Emeline what was happening.

‘…Is he out of his mind?!’

She immediately fought against him, desperately glancing around to check if anyone was watching. But the more she resisted, the more Zenon pressed his body against hers, keeping her chin tightly in his grip.

Emeline’s eyes naturally found Zenon, and as if on cue, their gazes locked. Her attempts to push him away, pounding at his chest, suddenly stopped. A dark fury burned in his eyes as he stared down at her intensely. It was something even deeper and more consuming than what she felt.

A strained groan escaped from between their harshly colliding lips.

His tongue had found its way into the cavern of her mouth, and the humiliating sound of wetness filled the air between them.

What had started as a sudden kiss had turned into something violent.

Her breathing grew heavier. Emeline continued trying to push him away, but it was no use—she didn’t have the strength to overpower him.

Her body began to weaken.

Despite four years having passed, Zenon still knew exactly how to exploit her most sensitive spots with unnerving precision.

As her mind started to blur, Emeline furrowed her brows. Through her trembling eyelashes, she caught a glimpse of his annoyingly handsome face.

‘You’re the one who left me with nothing but cruel words… so what in God’s name do you think you’re doing?’

An unbearable wave of humiliation and anger welled up inside her.

You’re still playing these stupid games.

Still treating me as if I’m nothing.

Filled with rage, Emeline bit down hard on his bottom lip. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

Zenon flinched and pulled back, his lips separating from hers. As the cold air struck her face, she gasped for breath, her expression twisting in fury.

Slap!

The sharp crack echoed as Zenon’s head snapped to the side.

Emeline grounded her teeth and glared at him. Her breath escaped in shaky, angry bursts.

‘How easy does he think I am to treat me like this?’

Zenon stayed still for a moment before slowly turning back to face her. His hand gingerly touched his cheek, where a red handprint had already formed.

Emeline’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears as she let out a rough exhale.

After a moment of silence, Zenon let out a small chuckle.

“That’s quite the intense response.”

“Are you seriously messing with me right now? You’re the one who made a fool out of me, Zenon Trantium!”

“You’re right. It’s my fault for acting on my own, especially considering you’re already spoken for…”

His voice trailed off as his eyes narrowed sharply, but that was the end of it.

Zenon took a step back. His solemn gaze lingered on Emeline, and she sensed an emotion from him she couldn’t quite decipher.

“You still think I’m easy, don’t you?”

He muttered weakly.

“…What?”

Then, unlike his violent behavior moments ago, Zenon gently tucked her hair behind her ear with an unexpectedly tender touch.

Without a word of apology, he turned and walked away.

His figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Emeline, who had been standing as if her soul had left her body, suddenly let out a crazed laugh. She felt completely drained, and her body collapsed against the railing in exhaustion.

‘What a lunatic…’

As her heart raced out of control, she roughly scrubbed her lips with the back of her hand.

The lingering heat on her lips slowly faded, and as the cold began to creep in, she finally stopped her frantic movements. As she lowered her trembling hand, Emeline let out an empty sigh. It felt like a violent storm had just blown through, leaving her in its wake.

‘Disgusting…’

She felt dirty, repulsed. She hated the fact that her body still reacted to his touch and the erratic pounding of her broken-feeling heart—everything about it made her feel sick. It was like she had been swept away by him once again, completely powerless to stop it.

Just like those countless summers, when she had first laid eyes on him four years ago.

Now, the soft crashing of the waves was the only sound that remained on the quiet deck. Emeline squeezed her eyes shut, trying to escape from all the sensations that were tormenting her.

Translator’s Note:
1. The author used the word 대인배, which translates to “a person with great magnanimity.” It’s a neologism referring to someone with a broad, generous mindset. Since Zenon mentioned that he “wasn’t exactly the forgiving type,” we chose to use this phrase as the title for this chapter. ↩