So, the fact that he could confidently show excessive attachment might be because he is confident.

‘How annoying.’

Narrowing her eyes, she stared at the dozing Kang-woo. In doing so, unintentionally, her fingertips seemed to touch the phone screen. It wasn’t intentional.

I thought it would be locked, but the home screen appeared immediately.

Three missed calls from G-Coms Lee Min-young. Two messages. They were from last night at 9 o’clock.

She stared down at the screen until it went off, as if having an eye duel without using a finger.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah!”

Suddenly interrupting, Se-ah made a startled sound.

“Did you secretly look at my phone? Don’t just stand there.”

“I did look, but I didn’t see anything. The red light kept blinking, so I was worried that Kang-woo might wake up because he’s already sensitive. Also, the light kept bothering me, so I thought… I thought it was coming in too much….”

The explanation got longer, becoming somewhat incoherent. Seeing Kang-woo’s raised eyebrow that peeked for a moment, then lowered again, he seemed not to believe her.
“I saw it, but it doesn’t matter.”

What did he see? Kang-woo mumbled cheerfully as he took out his phone.

I really didn’t see it, I couldn’t. Se-ah saw Kang-woo checking the contents with an unjust look. After a quick check, Kang-woo placed the phone on the desk.

“There’s nothing special. It’s just work-related.”

“…Yes.”

Kang-woo laughed as he looked at Se-ah, who had her lips tightly sealed.

“Do you need an explanation?”

“…What explanation?”

“Regarding Vice President Lee Min-young’s contact.”

“…”

Whether to honestly tell him or not, Se-ah’s dilemma deepened. Kang-woo, sitting down, raised his knees. His sitting height had grown a bit taller than before, surpassing Se-ah. He extended the hand holding the phone toward Se-ah.

“Check it.”

“It’s okay. I’m not curious. If it’s work-related.”

“Why aren’t you curious? Shouldn’t you be nosy?”

“Kang-woo doesn’t like that kind of thing. Let’s separate work and personal matters, shall we?”

With only her lips moving, Se-ah brushed her hair behind her ear. Kang-woo’s lip corners tilted askew.

“If it were the same situation, I would have grilled you.”

“What?”

“If Kim Do-young had sent you a message, I would have interrogated you.”

Whether Ji Se-ah is cool, or her affection and interest are limited to that point. Se-ah looked at Kang-woo disdainfully with a mocking tone. Is it sincere? Is she testing him? It’s confusing.

“Don’t believe it’s okay. Trust and jealousy are separate things.”

“…I can’t just accept it.”

Tempted by the soft tone, she tried to be fascinated. It might be her pride or something. To be tempted by his seduction.

“I trust you, but endless jealousy arises. I worry that someone else might snatch you away.”

“…”

“I can’t control it, so I get angry. Didn’t you see that?”

Isn’t it reasonable to accept it now? If it continues, it might be annoying to push away his hand.

Smirking, Se-ah accepted the phone Kang-woo offered. Kang-woo’s gaze dropped abruptly. As she scrolled through the messages with a curious gaze, she received the phone.

“Did you already see everything? Are you sure?”

Suppressing an embarrassed smile, Se-ah nodded her head.

“As Kang-woo said, it’s related to work, so I just glanced at it. I didn’t look closely.”

“If you’re satisfied, it’s fine.”

“…But. Kang-woo.”

As Se-ah, bending her firm waist, turned around, she spoke. Kang-woo’s gaze stuck to her.

“To be honest, I do care about Min-young. I know we have to contact her and sometimes meet her as a business partner. Meeting a few times like this can create a bond. I was going to tell you because I didn’t want to seem lacking in confidence. I don’t have the confidence to keep pretending to be cool.”
A satisfied smile spread across Kang-woo’s lips. Without hesitation, his fingertips lightly touched Se-ah’s rounded philtrum and playfully tousled it.

“It turned out well. I’m far from being cool myself.”

“What?”

“Feel free to show that you don’t like it. Anyway, I’ll be more finicky, so.”

Se-ah’s gaze was fixed on his lips, which were moving slowly again.

“I plan to withdraw once I clean up the distorted parts of the collaboration. After that, Kim will take over as an acting manager.”

“…Ah…”

“I’ll tidy it up within a month. Just bear with me until then.”

With a subtle seal of Se-ah’s lips, the plea danced gently.

“You should answer.”

“…I understand.”

Her slightly blushing lips tempted him, making Kang-woo’s agile jawline twist involuntarily.

Slowly parting lips gently brushed against Se-ah’s, and her body surrendered to the firm force pulling at her nape.

As his hand skillfully moved down her spine after wrapping around her back, the intense pressure left her with no escape.

A sophisticated and cunning sense of touch played persistently.

Kang-woo reluctantly pulled his lips away.

In the time when the moon lingered in the dawn, faint light passed through the hospital blinds. Se-ah, shyly, cupped her cheek with both small hands. The moonlit contour of her face was delicate.

“I love you. Endlessly longing for you.”

The words that came out of his mouth were so chilling that they seemed unintentional.

With her hands slightly squeezing her small cheeks, Se-ah raised her head. A bright smile spread across her face.

“I love you too. More than Kang-woo thinks. More than I can express in words.”

Kang-woo silently pulled her lips. After putting on slippers and kneeling, he put one hand around Se-ah’s shoulder.

“I plan to give you three gifts soon.”

Through the connected upper bodies, the strong beating of his heart could be felt. Holding her breath, Se-ah focused on the slowly echoing voice to avoid missing what he was saying.

“On the day of the third gift, I’ll propose to you.”

The closely pressed Kang-woo slightly pulled away. Kang-woo met Se-ah’s big, round eyes.

“I’m giving you a heads up. So that you won’t be taken by surprise with sudden words.”

“…Kang-woo.”

“I can’t wait any longer. You’ve waited for several years, so why wait longer.”

“…”

“I can’t. I can’t wait any longer.”

The subdued voice decisively descended. Anticipating her hesitation, he looked at Se-ah’s face without blinking.

“I’ll wait. I’ll wait for Kang-woo to propose again.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I also have something to say to Kang-woo on that day.”

With an affectionate gaze, Se-ah stared into Kang-woo’s eyes. She kept many words she wanted to say right now to herself.

She had been wondering when to talk about the prenuptial agreement. It seemed like a good idea for Kang-woo to propose. A reason to buy time while creating one more memory with him.
The proposal that I’m already looking forward to may be something I’ll never hear. Because before he proposes, I will confess about my relationship with Nam Tae first.

If there’s one wish,

Please forgive me for being someone who had no choice but to do that.

“What are you talking about? Just say it now.”

“…I don’t want to.”

With a wry smile, Se-ah lightly teased him. Although her finely raised eyebrows shook his heart, this time, he didn’t let it get to him.

“Wait for me, Kang-woo. Just like I did.”

A hearty laugh burst out briefly. With innocent eyes, she blinked her eyelids.

“Compensation?”

“The current situation seems like a give and take, doesn’t it? Even Kang-woo’s counting seems blurred.”

Se-ah’s cheek, which was puffing out nonsense, was slightly twisted. Kang-woo’s palm, devoid of strength, squeezed her soft cheek.

“Jisea says she gives a 1+1 love. When will you gently coax me?”

Contrary to the leisurely voice, the entwined black pupils were impatient and persistent. The corners of his mouth, where a smile was embedded, maliciously lifted. Filled with tension, Se-ah tightly gripped the mini table next to the bed.

“Come up to the bed.”

And then, soothe me quickly and hold me. His sweet breath mixed in her ear.