The moment she saw her own reflection in the man’s eyes, the jealousy that had been sharply rising suddenly crumbled. It was just her own foolish feelings that she had built up alone. Suddenly, no thoughts came to mind. Oh Chae Won’s existence became smaller than a speck of dust.

“It’s not a lie.”

The man curled up the corners of his mouth in a small smile, his eyes filled with deep passion. His appearance was so breathtakingly beautiful that Da Jung held her breath for a moment.

This appearance, this situation, this Lee Jae Ho with such breath. To think this was really her reality.

She worried about the brutal stimulation that their first intimacy would bring, but apart from that, she was happy that this man desired her so much.

What if he thinks I’m too easy?

They say easy women aren’t attractive, will his feelings cool after tonight?

She didn’t know how to react to appear appropriately difficult and intriguing. As Da Jung mumbled, unable to find the right words to say, he let out a sharp moan as if wailing.

“I want you. Da Jung.”

Ah.

Da Jung stretched out her arms and wrapped them around his neck. It was permission.

Without hesitation, Jae Ho buried his face near Da Jung’s neck. When Da Jung flinched at the heat of their clasped hands, Jae Ho pulled her in deeper. What had excited the man so much? The man’s touch, though still gentle, had become rougher somewhere and showed no hesitation.

Every part of her was stained by him.

“I’ll show you the stars.”

“Mmph…”

“I promise.”

“…”

“In the whole universe, you’ll only see Lee Jae Ho.”

Da Jung helplessly crumbled.

Was the autumn night sky clear? Were there many stars on that beach?

Da Jung, who had crash-landed in an unexpected place to see completely different stars, squeezed her eyes shut. The dreamlike man entered her, as if splitting her body in half. A long and brilliant night of ecstasy was beginning.

**

The effective period of the accident that had stirred up the media was exactly one month.

When the mourning period ended, reporters stopped coming. Rather, Dad began to search for reporters in every way possible. For some reason, writing even one article became as difficult as plucking stars from the sky, and even if they managed to get an interview, it often ended up buried. The cries of the victims’ families could not become sound.

‘Hey! You filthy world! What are you afraid of, burying it! What do the children’s deaths have to do with the election!’

The bereaved families shouted, sitting on the ground.

Da Jung, caught in between, could neither sit nor stand as she watched everyone’s reactions. Unable to cry freely, her brother’s death was always followed by conflict.

The 49-day memorial service was held at the temple. Only then did a few media outlets come to report briefly before disappearing.

Da Jung stayed like a shadow by her mother’s side before returning home. And she waited for someone.

There was someone who had promised to come visit on the day of her brother’s 49-day memorial service. It was her brother’s friend who used to come over often, but now his name and face were hazy. However, she clearly remembered the fact that she had been waiting at that time. Because she had been scolded by Kyung Jun for lingering outside until it got dark.

‘Hey. Who are you waiting for? Come inside already. It’s gotten dark.’

‘You go. I’ll be there in a bit.’

‘Who is it anyway?’

‘There’s someone.’

Come to think of it, that was the first day she had kept a secret from Kyung Jun.

For some reason, she hadn’t wanted to tell him who she was waiting for.

They say that after the 49-day memorial service, the soul completely leaves this world, but until then, Da Jung had believed, even if just a little, that her brother might come back to life. She was still young enough to harbor such expectations.

But the 49-day memorial service ended, and her brother left his family forever. Her brother, who they said had burned black beyond recognition, now had no soul left here either.

Would he have gone in a clean appearance? She hoped that, if possible, he would have been spotless and neat as was his usual habit. She worried if that would be his final appearance as he embarked on a long journey. She had thanked him for being a good brother, and apologized for grumbling at the end as a final gift. It was such a day when she missed him achingly.

‘I’ll tell you about Woo Jung’s last moments. I’ll definitely come to your house on the day of the 49-day memorial service. Da Jung. Wait for me.’

That person she met at her brother’s funeral had said so. There was no way her memory could be distorted. He had promised precisely two, three times. He had said many other things too. But in the end, he didn’t come.

She thought he might have gotten confused about the date of the 49-day memorial service. So she waited a few more days. He was the person with deep eyes whom her brother used to call ‘Hyun Ah’.

Even while living through difficult realities, Da Jung would sometimes think of him. What he had wanted to say. Why he hadn’t come.

The man with the unsolved question occasionally knocked on the door of her memories.

**

It became a late morning.

Da Jung, buried in the blanket, wriggled and opened her eyes. Suddenly, memories of last night came flooding in. The high-pitched moans that she could hardly believe came from her own mouth, and his fiery movements as he poured himself into her.

Her face heated up.

“Are you awake?”

A broad chest approached from behind and embraced Da Jung. It was a firm and wide body. Da Jung took a sharp breath. Embarrassment and a sense of security rushed in simultaneously.

“Breathe.”

Jae Ho turned Da Jung’s body to face him. He smiled, lazily brushing her hair.

“Did you sleep well?”

…How could he ask if she slept well. Really.

Da Jung glared at him silently.

The man wasn’t very kind last night.

Certainly, it started gently, but his patience wasn’t very long. Soon he pushed Da Jung to her limits, taking her somewhere between heaven and hell. He also muttered incomprehensible profanities to himself.

Saying he was going crazy, he was losing it, and finally that he was going to die because of Yoon Da Jung. Da Jung was half melted and couldn’t retort, but inwardly she found it absurd. She was the one who was really going to die.

“I slept well.”

He said shamelessly.

“Really, you’re mean.”

Hearing Da Jung’s complaint, he laughed loudly. Da Jung pounded his chest. But it was as hard as stone and her hand hurt more. In the end, he grabbed her wrist. Now he rushed in to clash their lips without even asking for permission.

After gently devouring Da Jung’s complaint, he whispered in her ear.

“Miss Yoon Da Jung, how was it yesterday? Was it good?”

His expression was full of confidence despite being so self-centered. Da Jung found his perfection annoying and didn’t want to give an affirmative answer.

“I won’t say.”

Then he repeated in her ear the words she had thrown out mindlessly yesterday. That final cry, embarrassing and obscene, that she had uttered for the first time in her life.

“!”

Da Jung turned red in an instant.

“What did these words mean?”

This man really…

It was true. It had been a much harder and rougher time than she had expected, but at some point her brain went white and she felt like she and Lee Jae Ho were the only ones left in the world.

In the end, it was a time when, as Lee Jae Ho said, only he existed in the entire universe. Da Jung bit her lower lip and confessed.

“…It was good.”

He, who had been playing by twirling his fingers in Da Jung’s hair, finally smiled in satisfaction.

“For me, saying it was good isn’t enough.”

“…”

“I’m sorry in advance.”

“For what?”

“I think I’ll end up selfishly embracing you more often.”

Then, before Da Jung could object, he quickly got up. He properly put on Da Jung’s dress and said while tidying up the blanket,

“I want to hold you now too, but let’s eat breakfast first. I’ve prepared it.”

Then he added one more thing.

“I guess I tormented you too much yesterday. You need to recover your strength.”

“When did you prepare breakfast…”

Da Jung was a bit surprised as she hadn’t noticed any movement at all. If there had been any bustling sounds, she would have naturally woken up, but she must have fallen asleep like she was unconscious again.

“You didn’t wake up even when I made noise.”

When they came out to the living room, soybean paste stew and a few simple side dishes were prepared. Jae Ho put a spoon in Da Jung’s hand while she was still dazed.

“The soybean paste and side dishes were provided by the pension owner. I actually just made the fried eggs.”

“Ah. Thank you. Then let’s eat quickly and go look for the car.”

Da Jung’s heart became urgent as she suddenly remembered the reason they were staying at the pension. It probably wouldn’t have disappeared, but they had left an expensive luxury car worth hundreds of millions in the middle of the road.

“There’s no need for that. Eat slowly.”

“?”

“Actually, my manager is staying nearby. I called him this morning using the owner’s phone and explained the situation.”

“Ah.”

“The insurance company towed the car, and he brought a spare car I had. He also found my phone. He couldn’t enter your accommodation because it was locked.”

“I see.”

Da Jung nodded and ate the stew, but suddenly had a strange thought and tilted her head.

“Ah. But then.”

“Yes?”

“Last night too… couldn’t you have asked the pension owner to contact your manager?”

Silence fell.

Jae Ho put down his spoon and gazed at Da Jung with a leisurely look. He slightly furrowed his brow and then slowly curled up one corner of his mouth.

No way.

“…Why would I.”

“Pardon?”

“Why would I make such a foolish choice.”

Silence descended.

The scent of last night, when they had desperately embraced each other, rose like a heat haze.

“Ah.”

Da Jung picked up her spoon with a clatter. What should she say? It’s silly to get angry. She had already said it was good. Those words were true, and it had been an overflowingly ecstatic time.

Not wanting to show her reddened face, Da Jung buried her head in her rice bowl. Jae Ho laughed softly. After eating about three spoonfuls of rice like that, suddenly a thought crossed her mind. She had to ask this question no matter what. Da Jung raised her head.

“Jae Ho. Surely, surely not, right?”

“What?”

“…You didn’t puncture the car tire on purpose, did you? Right?”

For a moment, he laughed loudly as if he had heard a very funny joke. Da Jung looked at him like someone desperate for something, and he gently narrowed his eyes as if looking at a lovable cat.

“I can’t deny such a suspicion.”

**

As soon as Da Jung returned to her accommodation and opened her phone, the first thing she encountered was the Lee Jae Ho fan group chat room. Real-time chatter was exploding. It was a room that would talk all day long once in a while when the timing was right, even after being quiet for a few days.

The person who talked the most was .

[They say rumors that Lee Jae Ho is the heir to the Taemyung Group have surfaced again in the financial world.] [Lol, you’re talking about that again] [Isn’t Lee Jae Ho just too perfect? Lol]

It was the chaebol rumor that came up again. That gossip that becomes a hot topic among fans whenever it’s about to be forgotten.

Da Jung was well aware of it too. Because his educational background and visuals were so excellent, these kinds of rumors kept circulating.