Crazy bastard…….

Da Hae left her dropped jaw unattended and pressed her middle and thumb fingers to her temple. Whether it was her mood or not, she felt a chill down her spine.

Oh Se Dong, who had added that he was Kye Da Hae’s encyclopedia and to ask him anything, winked mischievously at his friend who was disgusted.

Her head bowed to the ground in embarrassment.

That little rascal could blabber all he wanted, but the man wouldn’t even care. Because he had Choi Ae Jung who would gladly run to him in an instant.

When that thought occurred, there was no way to explain the feeling of disgust. There was no reason to be angry, but a needless rage welled up.

The knit draped over her shoulders suddenly felt heavy. As she was about to pull up the limp, sagging knit, her body reacted greatly due to the strong grip wrapping around her waist.

A single syllable, “Oh,” squeezed past her lips.

Before she could even register someone approaching, she found herself restrained in a firm embrace.

She could clearly feel the warm heat from the tightly pressed body.

The man met her eyes looking up at him as if to say “What are you doing?” and pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“Such a close relationship with my wife…”

The languid low voice trailed off. His leisurely gaze turned towards Oh Se Dong.

“I’d prefer if it was just me now.”

“Huh.”

Oh Se Dong’s blank face apathetically scanned the couple. As if it wasn’t even funny.

He didn’t like it. Not a single thing. The fact that the handsome face he’d seen on the news sometime was even more striking in person was especially irritating.

The sight of General Kye snuggling up to his side like a woman was quite unfamiliar as well.

It was also annoying how the tomboy-like person was even blushing.

Oh Se Dong, who had been tilting his head at various angles like a pigeon and changing where to look, sneered while elongating his philtrum.

“What an old fart… Oh my! I didn’t mean to think that out loud.”

His palms met in a prayer-like gesture and covered his mouth demurely. Da Hae narrowed her eyes at the familiar act and lamented.

They say old habits die hard, and you can tell a tree by its leaves – he was exactly like that.

An existence like the unpredictable nuclear weapons of our northern brethren.

He was the type to say whatever he wanted wherever he went, so during school days, there was never a day without bruises. Because he was always getting beaten up.

Like Jack Sparrow who becomes the protagonist even when causing trouble, victory was always his, but that was probably because he had never met a proper opponent.

“My, my.”

Adding words in a tone that didn’t seem very sympathetic about the young friend already being like that, Jae Kyung let go of Da Hae’s waist and took out his wallet.

Saying he had just received something, he handed over a piece of paper, and Se Dong’s eyebrows raised before quickly furrowing. It was a business card of a psychiatrist.

Oh Se Dong scratched his brow with the corner of the card. A crazy-sounding carefree laugh followed.

Recommending psychiatric treatment to a young friend who couldn’t even control his self-awareness was quite intentional. As if to say, you’re at a patient’s level, so don’t be cheeky.

“If you mention my name, they’ll see you without waiting. They’re very competent in that field, so give it a try.”

Is this what they call having a strong presence? Though he might not be calm inside, his consistently smiling face and steady voice never wavered.

In the end, the childish madness lowered its tail before the subtle madness.

“You’re a real bastard.”

“Hey. Aren’t you leaving soon?”

Da Hae, not knowing that the card given was from a psychiatrist, couldn’t understand their conversation.

She only had the thought that she should quickly send away the crazy person before he crossed any more lines.

With her eyes narrowed sharply, Da Hae jerked her chin towards the elevator, and Se Dong, lowering his face to her, whispered in a voice only she could hear.

“Your husband is annoying.”

As the hot breath touched her delicate skin, goosebumps spread. Da Hae laughed quietly, her shoulder rising almost to her ear.

After that, feeling like she had excluded Kang Jae Kyung with the whisper, she pushed Oh Se Dong’s face away.

Quietly raising her head to check his reaction, sure enough, he didn’t look too pleased.

Just seeing his lips drawn into a straight line with the smile gone was enough to tell.

“…Ah. It tickled.”

She wanted to let him know that while she somewhat agreed that her husband was annoying, she wasn’t laughing at that.

Even though she awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth, the man remained expressionless.

“I just moved in today and I’m scared to be alone. Can’t I come over to your newlywed home?”

“Would that be okay?”

“Then how about a phone call?”

“Go, quickly.”

“The elevator isn’t yet…”

Da Hae finally pushed Oh Se Dong, who was leisurely looking for the elevator, into the emergency stairway and rubbed her throbbing forehead.

They were supposed to be indifferent to each other’s lives, but true to his eccentric nature, he was doing things he didn’t usually do today.

Though he had pretended to give in and exit, having keenly felt the difference in class with Kang Jae Kyung, it was clear he would be grateful to her for pushing his back and telling him to go.

Only silence lingered in the space the troublemaker had left.

“Do you let him into your home too?”

The tone was strange. Rather than a simple question, it seemed like a reprimand for improper behavior, or even a rebuke.

Da Hae took a breath and turned towards the cold voice.

The man, arms crossed in a displeased gesture, urged for an answer with the expression of a superior addressing a subordinate.

Da Hae’s indifferent face was clearly reflected in his dark eyes.

Before she could answer, the commanding tone continued.

“I hope you remember that you’re a married woman.”

Two gazes collided in mid-air and faced off tensely. The crimson lips that had been silent let out a short sigh. It was an involuntary sigh of disbelief.

He should mind his own behavior. Running off at just one phone call, and now his mouth is the only thing that’s alive.

Unable to say that out loud, she expressed her discomfort to a moderate degree.

“Can’t a married woman invite friends over? It’s not Kang Jae Kyung’s house, it’s mine, isn’t it?”

“Not close friends.”

“That’s,”

“Moreover.”

The man who cut off her words unfolded his arms and placed them smartly on his waist.

Tilting his head slightly and exhaling empty air, a firm voice flowed from his mouth.

“A male friend?”

“…?”

“There’s no such relationship on Earth.”

The words pronounced with clear enunciation ended with a grand Earth spiel. She felt completely deflated. Her eyes, which had been tightly focused, drooped docilely.

Thinking it wasn’t worth such a stern expression to say that, Da Hae laughed dryly.

The thought that maybe the older woman had been troubled by male friend issues briefly crossed her mind, but regardless of the reason, it felt quite nice somehow.

Even from the disapproving gaze, as if wondering what was so funny.

“Kang Jae Kyung, are you jealous right now?”

Because I smell jealousy.

The man she expected to deny it immediately remained silent.

The corners of Da Hae’s mouth, which had risen crookedly with arrogance, slowly came down. This isn’t right, she thought.

It was the timing to strike back, but his face looked contemplative, causing an inexplicable tension to pass through.

Did he lose his words because it was so ridiculous? Or was it a high-level strategy to maximize the questioner’s embarrassment?

Thinking it might be both, Da Hae tried to take back the word ‘jealousy’ that she had brought up.

She was about to change the subject by asking the reason for his visit, but when she met the intelligent eyes directed at her as if they had been waiting, her lips, forgetting their purpose, couldn’t make a sound.

“What if I am?”

“Pardon…?”

It was more of a tone of asking back rather than answering.

While choosing her answer, her two feet stumbled backward. Trying to widen the distance with Kang Jae Kyung, who was narrowing the gap as if to say it was her turn now.

Not long after, the wall touching her back signaled the end of her retreat.

Is the chill she feels at this moment due to the wall touching her back, or because of the man standing like a wall?

She was about to ask why he was asking her that. That’s when the man, who had pressed one hand against the wall, lowered his upper body smoothly.

Da Hae reflexively held her breath. It was a distance close enough for their breaths to touch.

“What happens, I asked.”

Hm? The whispering voice urged for an answer.

The woody scent that had occasionally wafted from the knit draped over her shoulders now rushed into her nostrils. Her toes curled tightly.

This is a move. The pitch-black flirtation of a highly intelligent snake. Just looking at how he turned the question that was neither positive nor negative back to her showed that.

Da Hae brought her eyes, which she had pretended to avoid, straight ahead.

Brown eyes gazing steadily without wavering. They were innocent eyes, unaware that they were making the man’s breath hot.

Thick veins bulged clearly on the back of Jae Kyung’s hand pressed against the wall.

Every time the red lips moved slightly, a mixture of sharp alcohol smell and sweet melon scent spread.

Curious about the taste of what was stimulating his sense of smell so closely, Jae Kyung lowered his eyelids as if drawn in.