The Rules of the Night

“He pulled out a fresh cigarette, drew on the filter once, and handed it to her.”

Jian took it hesitantly, bringing it to her lips and inhaling deeply for the first time. Almost immediately, she burst into a fit of violent coughing. The harsh smoke clawed at her throat, making her feel as though every organ in her body had been jolted awake.

As her face flushed red from the effort, the man watched her with a faint, amused smile.

“Guess it really is your first time,” he said.

“I told you,” she rasped, clutching her throat in discomfort. Even as she struggled to breathe, she firmly rejected the cigarette he offered again.

“I’m not done with this one yet.”

Determined, she alternated between inhaling and coughing until her head grew light and foggy. The unpleasant weight she had carried from the bar slowly began to dissolve into the background.

“You’re really trying to let loose tonight, huh?” he asked, smirking.

Her gaze drifted to the faint red wound at the corner of his lips.

“What happened to your face?”

“Got into a fight.”

“With who?”

“Someone I didn’t like.”

“Why?”

“Sometimes you just want to stop thinking and go wild. Isn’t that what you’re doing tonight?”

Jian frowned.
“Why do you keep acting like you know me?”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“Me? No one’s ever told me that before.”

“Then you’ve been dealing with idiots,” he replied with a chuckle.

Her lips curved into a dry smile.
“Do you even know how old I am to be saying things like that?”

“I don’t know how old you are, but I do know you’re a little drawn to me right now. And you probably know I feel the same.”

His lips curved into a teasing grin, the subtle movement exuding a sensual charm.

“You’re really annoying,” she said sharply.

“So, am I wrong?”

Instead of answering, Jian’s gaze wandered to his loosely buttoned shirt. The glimpse of firm muscle beneath it stirred something she thought she had long buried—a longing for pleasure she had denied herself for years. Compared to the cigarette, the man standing before her seemed far better suited to ease her suffocating tension.

“Why don’t you button up your shirt?”

“Why?”

“It’s distracting.”

“What’s distracting?”

“I want to touch you. And since I’m not in the right state of mind, I might actually do it.”

He let out a low laugh.
“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” she replied, her tone teasingly ambiguous.

His warm breath drew closer, brushing against her skin like a whispered promise.
“But I want to,” he murmured, his voice dipping into a seductive hum.

Her breath hitched as his gaze flickered between her trembling eyes and her parted lips.

“Have you ever kissed a stranger?”

“No.”

“Then how about trying something new tonight?”

Jian had never allowed herself to act on impulse. From a young age, she had avoided distractions, committing herself to careful plans and lofty goals. For her, emotions like desire and impulsiveness were luxuries—or worse, obstacles.

But tonight, a fierce and unfamiliar impulse was overtaking her.

“What do you say?”

His voice, damp and sultry, clung to her ears. Though he framed it as a question, his tone made it clear he already knew her answer. Jian met his gaze, her breath shaky.

“Do it,” she said softly.

His eyes gleamed with mischief as he leaned in, tilting his head. His lips brushed hers, soft and teasing.

“Just a taste before we really start,” he whispered.

The red of his lips, visible as he spoke, was unbearably enticing.

“And? How was it?”

“Delicious,” he replied, his voice low and tantalizing, close enough to tickle her nose.
“Want to try for yourself?”

For a moment, Jian studied his eyes. Then, without hesitation, she leaned forward and ran her tongue along the curve of his neck, tracing his Adam’s apple. The man flinched slightly, his eyes narrowing in response.

“That’s… pretty bold,” he said with a crooked grin.

“Then hurry up. I’ve never done this before, and I might change my mind,” she replied, her voice tinged with urgency.

He let out a soft laugh as he leaned closer, pressing his lips to hers. Slowly, his mouth moved against hers, his warm breath mingling with her own. Their desires collided in the confined space, charged and electric.

Between tilted heads and feverish touches, the wet sound of their lips meeting filled the air, obscene yet captivating.

“Haah…”

The friction was intoxicating, sending sharp shocks through her entire body. A soft moan escaped her lips as his tongue brushed against her palate, invading with a possessive fervor. It left her dizzy, disoriented, like the heady rush of a first cigarette.

Panting, Jian pulled back slightly, putting distance between them. The intensity of the moment had left her legs weak, as though she might collapse.

His lips, smudged with the remnants of her red lipstick, curved into a wicked smile.

“You can’t run now,” he murmured, his voice like a dark promise.
“We’re just getting started.”

Swallowing her ragged breaths, Jian spoke.

“I’m not running away. I just want it to last longer.”

He chuckled slyly and tugged her head closer, his hand gripping her with an intensity that felt almost like restraint. The pressure sent a jolt of pleasure coursing through her veins, radiating to the very tips of her toes.

“Do you want more?”

The heat in the man’s voice clung to her ears, the unspent tension between them hanging heavy in the air. Jian, her chest still rising and falling in uneven breaths, managed a quiet reply.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Anywhere we can be alone.”

“I need to grab my bag. Wait here for me.”

“Alright.”

Before she turned to leave, he reached out and gently wiped the smudged lipstick from the corner of her lips with his thumb.

“Take your time. I’ll wait.”

Jian glanced over her shoulder before stepping back into the bar. The man was leaning against the wall, watching her. The alley’s shadows obscured his expression, but the memory of his touch lingered, leaving her flushed. She licked her lips instinctively, still tasting the faint trace of him, and felt her cheeks heat up. Her heart raced with an unshakable urgency.

“Professor Song, where’ve you been?”

Drunken laughter greeted her as she stepped back into the room. Professor Choi waved her over, his face flushed, the disarrayed table evidence of a night nearing its end.

“Professor Park, how about karaoke for round two?”

“I’d love to, but I have a conference in Busan tomorrow,” Park replied with an apologetic smile.

Amid the drunken chatter, Jian scanned the room, looking for her bag.

“Professor Song, you’re coming to the second round, right?”

Choi’s question earned a sneer from Professor Kim.

“Oh, please, ask something more realistic. Do you really think someone like her would bother joining us?”

Jian ignored the remark, replying coolly, “I have work to do, so I’ll be heading home.”

Kim’s mocking voice trailed behind her as she moved, but she dismissed it. Her only thought was to escape this suffocating space and return to the alley. Her eyes finally caught sight of her bag, half-hidden beneath Choi’s chair.

“Professor Choi, could you pass me my bag?”

Only then did Choi realize he’d been sitting on it. He reached beneath himself and handed it over with a sheepish laugh.

“My bad, I didn’t even notice. But are you really leaving? Stay a little longer. You’re not heading to a conference tomorrow, are you?”

“I have papers to review,” Jian replied curtly, tugging at the bag.

But Choi held on to the other side, refusing to let go.

“Come on, don’t be like that. You’ve had too much to drink to focus on papers anyway.”

His tone, unusually insistent, grated on her nerves. A wave of exhaustion washed over her.

“Please let go of my bag,” she said firmly.

“You didn’t drive tonight, did you?”

Her irritation rose, but before she could respond, Park interjected.

“No, she didn’t.”

“Then let me give you a ride. I’ve already called a driver,” Park offered with an easy smile.

“No, really, I can manage on my own—”

“It’s not safe to send someone who’s been drinking home alone at night,” Park said gently. “I’ll drop you off on my way.”

Jian hesitated, ready to refuse again, but quickly understood what Park was doing. He was diffusing the situation, trying to prevent her from having to fend off Choi’s persistence.

“Professor Song’s had a lot to drink. It’s better to have someone take her home while they’re still available,” Park added, keeping his tone light to avoid offending Choi.

Finally, Choi released the bag with a laugh.

“Alright, then. But you’re responsible for getting her home safely, Professor Park.”

“Of course. Don’t worry,” Park replied easily.

Park Tae-hoon had been Jian’s senior during her university days. Back when he was in his master’s program, he had often stepped in to help her navigate difficult situations—just as he was doing now.

To avoid further unnecessary conflict, Jian decided to go along with Tae-hoon’s plan.

“Then I’ll take you up on that. Thank you.”

Following Tae-hoon out of the bar, Jian glanced toward the alley. But the slight bend at the entrance made it impossible to see where he had been standing.

“Hurry and get in. The other professors are heading out. If you stay here, they’ll pull you right back in.”

As she climbed into the backseat, the car started moving along the narrow road. Jian stared at the receding alley, frantically searching for an excuse to stop and get out. She needed to go back—back to where he was waiting.

“Don’t stress too much about Professor Kim,” Tae-hoon said. “He’s been trying to get a paper into QJE for years. Then you come along and pull it off at such a young age—it’s bound to sting.”

“I understand. But, senior…”

“Professor Kim is different from someone like me, who came through a national research institute. His whole career, his whole identity, has been built on his reputation as a scholar.”

“I know.”

“Just… don’t make yourself too sharp. At the end of the day, this field is about people. Even if you’re brilliant, it’ll be hard if you have too many enemies. When you’ve got allies, people will overlook a mistake or two. But if everyone around you sees you as a threat, even the smallest slip-up will have them swarming like wolves.”

“…….”

“You know that, don’t you? They’re all just waiting for you to make one mistake.”

In that moment, the smoldering desire Jian had carried from the alley began to cool, extinguished by the cold weight of reality. The sharp edges of her world loomed once again, like a blade pressed against her throat.

Her climb to the top had been grueling. But staying there was proving even more perilous. In the male-dominated field of economics, Jian stood out—whether because of her gender or her abilities.

One misstep, even a small deviation from the expected path, and those around her would pounce like predators, ready to tear her apart.

Only now did the full weight of her impulsive actions in the alley hit her.

What was I thinking? What did I even know about him to do something like that?

The recklessness embarrassed her, the childishness of it glaringly obvious.

I’ve lost my mind. Not even in my twenties did I act like this…

Outside the window, the neon signs blurred into streaks of light as the car picked up speed. At some point, Jian stopped searching for an excuse to ask the driver to pull over.

He’s probably gone by now anyway. It was just an impulsive thing for both of us—no one’s getting hurt.

She clung to this rationalization, forcing herself to erase him from her thoughts.

The car sped up, the hum of the engine carrying her farther and farther away.