Today, it seemed that Juwon had resolved not to back down a single step.

Ina’s heart began to pound uncontrollably at his relentless demeanor.

And a moment later, Juwon said, “Yes, all right,” and hung up the phone.

With a trembling heart, Ina couldn’t even look at Juwon and was staring at the ground when Juwon swiftly bent his upper body.

“What’s on the floor?”

“Huh?”

Startled by Juwon’s voice right next to her ear, Ina lifted her head in surprise.

Juwon was wearing a playful smile.

And at that smile, Ina’s face began to burn bright red.

Now not only her head but also her face had turned into a perfect apple, and seeing this, Juwon laughed.

“You’ve completely turned into an apple right now. You know that?”

“I, I don’t know.”

Ina touched her cheek and quickly turned her head away.

“But what were you trying to say just now?”

“Huh?”

“You said ‘me too’ just now. What were you going to say after that?”

“Oh? That, that’s……”

When she actually tried to say it, the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

As Ina bit her lip, her eyes caught sight of a coffee shop located not too far away.

“For now…… can we have coffee first before talking?”

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

Juwon nodded his head with a relaxed smile.

The two entered a coffee shop located with a full view of the Han River.

After placing their orders and receiving their coffee, the two went and sat in the inner seats.

With a nervous heart, Ina fiddled with her warm coffee cup as Juwon stared at her intently.

Finding his gaze somewhat ticklish, Ina slowly avoided his gaze, then turned her head and gazed back at Juwon.

“By the way…… who was the person who called earlier?”

She had a hunch, but she wanted to hear it directly from Juwon’s mouth.

Juwon propped his chin with his right hand and silently gazed at Ina.

“Why? Does it bother you?”

Juwon asked with a playful smile.

If it had been Ina from just yesterday, she would never have been able to answer that it bothered her, but the Ina now was different.

Recalling how Juwon had honestly said he missed her in front of the beautiful sunset just a little while ago, Ina also decided to be honest now.

“Yes. It bothers me.”

Juwon’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected that answer.

The playful smile lingering on his lips disappeared, and surprise took its place.

Juwon slowly removed his hand from his chin and gazed at Ina.

“What did you just say?”

“I said it bothers me.”

Ina answered again with a trembling but resolute expression.

Juwon looked at Ina with a surprised expression.

Once she mustered up the courage, it was easier to say the next words.

“Actually…… it bothers me a lot. So I’m curious. About who called you.”

“It’s the daughter of my father’s business partner.”

Juwon answered straightforwardly.

“The daughter of a business partner?”

“Yes. My father had strongly urged me to come have a meal with them today. But when I got there, there was an unfamiliar couple and their daughter.”

“Ah……”

“I wasn’t aware of the arrangement either. That’s why I went upstairs to the 2nd floor when you called earlier. While we were talking, that daughter came up and told me to come down for tea.”

“Ah……”

Ina nodded her head as if she finally understood, but for some reason, she pouted her lips.

“But…… you said it was your first time meeting her, so why did that woman call you elder brother?”

Ina’s small mouth jutted forward in jealousy towards a woman who wasn’t even in front of her, and Juwon gazed at Ina with the corners of his lips curled up.

The woman in front of him, this woman feeling jealous with flushed cheeks, was so adorable that he felt like he was going crazy. Barely suppressing the urge to hug her, Juwon spoke with a smile on his face.

“Well, I was surprised too, but she said she’s four years younger than me.”

“Four years?”

Ina’s eyes momentarily wavered slightly.

Four years…… the four years that don’t even require checking compatibility?

Ina gulped.

But determined not to show anxiousness in front of Juwon, she crossed her arms with a deliberately amused expression.

“Gosh, really! Even so, that’s ridiculous. Calling you elder brother when you just met, that girl is really funny.”

Ina spoke as if that woman was right in front of her, putting force into her nostrils.

At that, Juwon couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

“You’re right. She’s a funny girl. When has she ever seen me to call me elder brother?”

A burst of laughter bloomed on Juwon’s face as he agreed with Ina’s words.

From the moment he heard the words “four years,” Juwon could clearly guess what Ina was thinking when he saw her unfocused eyes waver.

“Hmm, but well, four years is quite young. ……Was she pretty?”

Ina asked, trying to act cool, but Juwon saw the beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

Juwon propped his chin again and gazed at Ina with gentle eyes.

“Pretty or not, what does it matter? Right now, you’re the prettiest in my eyes.”

“……”

Ina’s mouth fell open.

Then she opened and closed her mouth like a carp.

She was so surprised that the words couldn’t escape her mouth and just swirled inside.

As Ina stammered, unable to say anything, Juwon gently took her hand.

Ina’s rounded eyes moved to Juwon’s large hand holding hers.

“I’m curious about something too.”

“Wh, what, what is it?”

Ina finally opened her mouth.

“What were you trying to say earlier?”

“Ea, earlier?”

“After you said ‘me too.'”

“Ah……”

Ina swallowed hard once and then opened her mouth.

“I…… missed you too.”

At Ina’s sincerity that finally came out of her mouth, Juwon’s eyes curved into crescents.

Juwon tightened his grip on Ina’s hand and spoke.

“Can you say it one more time?”

“……Huh?”

“What you just said, say it again.”

“Th, that I missed you?”

“Yes.”

“I, I just said it.”

Ina spoke with a reddened face.

“Still, say it again for me.”

At the repeated encore request, Ina spoke in an embarrassed, mumbling voice.

“I, I missed you too.”

After saying the words, it felt like hot steam was coming out of both ears due to her burning cheeks.

As Ina lowered her head in embarrassment, Juwon tightly grasped her small hand.

“Ina. Look at me.”

Juwon called Ina in a sweet voice like whipped cream.

At that voice, it felt like something ticklish was rising from the tips of her toes.

Just as she thought even her toes would turn red, Ina’s cell phone on the table vibrated.

Juwon and Ina’s gazes simultaneously turned to the phone. It was Siwoo.

The moment he saw the name, the sweet smile lingering on Juwon’s lips immediately disappeared.

And Ina looked at the phone with a startled face.

‘Why is Siwoo calling?’

Seeing Juwon’s expression suddenly turn cold, Ina tensed up.

Somehow, she felt like she shouldn’t answer Siwoo’s call right now.

So just as she reached for the phone to put it on silent mode, Juwon grabbed her hand.

Ina looked at Juwon in surprise, and his deep eyes were filled with intensity.

“Don’t answer it.”

It was a resolute voice.

“Kim Siwoo bothers me too.”

Juwon spoke in a low, growling voice.

“No, actually, it’s not just that he bothers me. He displeases me.”

Ina’s eyes widened in surprise.

Juwon stared at Siwoo’s name on the phone screen with a sharp gaze.

“Ever since I saw this friend on Tuesday, I’ve been feeling constantly unwell, like indigestion. It’s because of the way he looked at you, that very gaze.”

Ina’s eyes trembled as if shaken by the chilling gaze.

As much as her eyes were trembling, her heart also began to pound, and the ringtone rang a few more times before disconnecting.

“……”

In the silence that followed after the call ended, Ina’s heart was beating like crazy.

Feeling self-conscious, Ina shifted her eyes here and there, and Juwon gently readjusted his grip on her hand.

His chilling gaze also changed to a deep and earnest look.

“So……”

Juwon spoke as if whispering, gazing into Ina’s pretty dark eyes.

“Let’s do it with me.”

“……Huh?”

Ina’s eyes became as large as marbles.

“I said let’s do it. Date. With me, not that guy.”

Ina’s mouth opened like a clam.

Her heart swelled up as if it would burst at any moment.

Juwon, looking at the dazed Ina, interlocked his fingers with hers one by one.

And he spoke again in the sweetest voice in the world.

“Seo Ina. Do it with me. Date me.”

“……”

Ina felt the hot warmth from Juwon’s hand interlocked with hers.

And honey dripped from Juwon’s eyes as he gazed at Ina with a loving look.

Ina stared at those eyes as if enchanted, then slowly opened her mouth with trembling courage.

“……Okay. Let’s do it. Date.”

Juwon’s eyes widened.

“I’ll do it. Date you.”

This time, Ina tightly grasped Juwon’s interlocked hand.

Her trembling small hand conveyed her sincerity with all her strength.

Juwon silently looked at Ina for a moment, then brought their interlocked hands to his lips.

Then, with a deep gaze, he kissed the back of Ina’s hand and spoke.

“Pretty. Our Ina.”

Ina’s eyes shook as if there was an earthquake.

Just Juwon’s lips touching the back of her hand had already caused a riot inside her, but the words “our Ina” that came out of his mouth sent Ina’s soul far beyond the universe.

Our Ina, our Ina, our…… Ina.

Juwon, watching Ina with a blank face and open mouth, smiled and reached out his hand.

Then he gently caressed Ina’s bright red cheek.

“Why are you so out of it?”

Juwon asked in a playful voice as if he knew nothing, even though he was the culprit who chased away her soul.

“You, you just called me…… o, our Ina.”

Ina made a belated protest, but even that was cute to Juwon as he lifted the corners of his lips and said,

“You are our Ina. Now.”

‘Gasp.’

Even though he didn’t back down a single word, each word from Juwon was sweet, and Ina clutched her chest.

“What’s wrong?”

When Juwon asked as if puzzled, Ina frowned and answered.

“Because of you, it keeps…… tingling here.”

“Already? It shouldn’t happen already? There will be so many more tingling moments from now on.”

Juwon gazed at Ina with a suggestive look and once again lightly kissed the back of her hand.

“……”

For a moment, Juwon looked like a nine-tailed fox to Ina.

The only difference was that this nine-tailed fox was after her heart, not her liver.

Tingle tingle, tingle tingle.

At the hot gaze the nine-tailed fox threw, Ina’s heart burned hotly as if electrocuted.

Ina couldn’t remember well what she talked about with Juwon after that.

Whenever she tried to suppress her constantly floating heart, the nine-tailed fox attacked with a sweet smile, and at that smile, Ina’s heart began to pound uncontrollably again.

In the end, Ina decided to forget it and fully enjoy Juwon’s sweet smile.