“What? What do you want to do?”

Ha Yeon opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

Min Je thought he might have been too hasty after just one date, but he had no intention of taking back his words.

“Well, people might point fingers, saying you’re dating a child’s father.”

So instead of pressing Ha Yeon for an immediate answer, he approached it differently.

The best way to know her true feelings was to throw all sorts of realistic scenarios at her and see how she reacted.

“I don’t care about that.”

As he expected, Ha Yeon didn’t seem to mind what others thought much.

“You might not know, but a man with a child isn’t very attractive.”

Min Je deliberately said unpleasant things while observing Ha Yeon’s expression.

“That’s not true…”

Ha Yeon frowned and shook her head. Seeing this, Min Je’s eyes softened involuntarily.

“You don’t think it’s that bad, do you?”

At Min Je’s question with a slight smile, Ha Yeon gasped deeply as if her true feelings had been exposed.

If he hadn’t seen her earlier not changing her expression at all in front of Cha I Tae while turning his insides out, he would have thought Ha Yeon was always this self-conscious and nervous around others.

But thanks to that damned Cha I Tae, he gained one thing. That Ha Yeon was uniquely nervous only in front of him.

It seemed to mean that she also had feelings for him.

“Ah, that’s… yes.”

Ha Yeon hesitated before slowly nodding. At this point, hiding her feelings seemed meaningless.

“Really? I seem okay to you?”

When Ha Yeon agreed so easily, Min Je’s eyes shook unusually.

More than just okay. He was her ideal type, a perfect combination of her desires.

Ha Yeon laughed softly seeing the sculpted man unable to believe his own charm.

“Don’t say that elsewhere. People will curse at you.”

Min Je hurriedly stopped Ha Yeon’s words as she chuckled.

“I don’t care about looking good to others.”

Ha Yeon’s smiling face suddenly stiffened.

“I only want to look good to you.”

Min Je said, looking straight into Ha Yeon’s eyes. The sincerity and passion clearly visible in his eyes rose like a heat haze, overwhelmingly breathtaking.

Ha Yeon frowned, unable to contain the bursting emotions.

“I’m… not a woman worth much.”

She had lost her parents and lived a difficult life, but she still had high self-esteem. She was hopeful about everything and tried hard to think positively.

But at this moment, she couldn’t say such things. Because her feelings for him were sincere, she didn’t want to be a stumbling block in his path even in the slightest.

Living a difficult life, she learned that not everyone in the world viewed her favorably. She came to know through several experiences that a young woman who had to make a living without parents was too easy a target.

So she forcibly confined her feelings toward Min Je, prevented herself from crossing the line, and ultimately ran away with all her might.

She hoped he wouldn’t shake her like this. Because she knew well that no matter how hard she tried to run away, she was still circling around him.

“I’m the man who’s not worth much.”

Min Je slowly caressed Ha Yeon’s cheek, which seemed to be suppressing emotions about to burst.

At that warm touch, Ha Yeon forcibly held back tears that were about to spill over.

Rather than explaining in detail why she wasn’t a woman of little worth, Min Je chose to belittle himself. The moment he said that, somehow all the thousands of thoughts deprecating herself seemed to disappear.

“Why… do you say that?”

“I want to tell you how amazing a woman you are, but I’m not good with words.”

Ah, really can’t handle this man. Ha Yeon smiled faintly with an expression like she was about to cry. Min Je stroked her cheek again as he spoke.

“You’re the only one who passed Kang Ji Hoo’s test, and the only one who stole Kang Min Je’s heart. How could you not be an amazing woman?”

The flimsy fence she had put up to not completely give her heart to him came crumbling down.

There’s no turning back now. I won’t turn away from my love. Ha Yeon met Min Je’s eyes with a determined expression.

All that remained in their locked gazes was aching longing. They pressed their lips together, neither one taking the lead.

A tingling sensation shook through their entire bodies. The feeling of soft lips meeting was maddeningly stimulating.

The hot thing thoroughly exploring the thin mucous membrane made her dizzy. Ha Yeon forcibly tensed her body that was going limp and exhaled her held breath.

Min Je sucked on her lips as if to devour even her breath. Each time their wet lips met and parted, a squelching sound echoed in the space.

The pleasure coursing through their bodies and their yearning for each other drove them on like a whip. Their hearts pounded, fireworks exploded in their heads. It felt like their blood was heating up, racing quickly through their veins.

There was no way to describe this sensation, but it was definitely strange.

I seem to get strange when I touch you. Ha Yeon shivered, feeling as if engulfed in flames.

Since she was barely breathing, Min Je gradually reduced the intensity before separating their lips.

“Haa.”

Only then did Ha Yeon let out the long breath she had been holding. Min Je chuckled and slowly traced her lips with his thumb.

“It’s troublesome if you hold your breath.”

Ha Yeon, getting goosebumps from his touch, sighed slightly with a flushed face.

Stimulated by her relaxed expression, Min Je’s shoulders twitched. Her lips were so sweet, it was dangerous. He felt he could kiss her all night if allowed.

But it was late. What was meant to be a brief conversation in front of the house had already stretched to 40 minutes.

“They’ll be waiting, so we should go in for now.”

“Yes.”

Ha Yeon nodded, then suddenly grabbed Min Je as he was about to get out of the car.

“Director, wait a moment!”

What is it? As Min Je looked at Ha Yeon with a dubious expression, she wiped his lips with her fingertips, looking embarrassed.

“There’s lipstick on your lips…”

As she said this, Ha Yeon’s face turned bright red, causing Min Je to burst out laughing.

“Thank you.”

Min Je said, trying hard to calm his heart that almost made him kiss her again. It seems it won’t be easy to control myself from now on. He was already starting to worry.

When they entered the house, an enormous amount of origami was displayed neatly arranged on the living room table.

“What’s this?”

As Min Je made an astonished expression, Jun Won crossed his arms with a blank face and said,

“What else? Evidence of sacred childcare.”

“We folded everything in the origami book with uncle.”

Ji Hoo explained beside him with eyes full of sleepiness. Ha Yeon, who had planned to return before Ji Hoo’s bedtime, quickly took care of the child out of guilt.

“It’s amazing you folded all of that. Ji Hoo, will you go to your room and tell me what you folded?”

As Ha Yeon took Ji Hoo upstairs, Jun Won glared at Min Je with a face full of things to say.

“What? If you have something to say, say it.”

Min Je said, seeing Jun Won’s ominous gaze.

“You…!”

Jun Won, who seemed about to pour out a barrage of words, swallowed the rest of his sentence, causing Min Je to tilt his head in confusion.

“What’s wrong with you?”

I wish I knew why I’m like this. Unable to say that, Jun Won let out a deep sigh.

The cause of his heart’s turmoil began when he saw Min Je’s car caught on CCTV. Because Min Je and Ha Yeon only came in 40 minutes after the car arrived. Isn’t it natural for thoughts to flow in a strange direction!

‘What were they doing there!’

Jun Won cut off his own thoughts, feeling he might say harsh words if he thought any further.

“Do well.”

Then he muttered something hard to understand and went to the guest room.

“What is he saying?”

Min Je frowned and tilted his head crookedly.

Summer vacation started at the kindergarten Ji Hoo attends. Since it was graduation day, there were many things to check in Ji Hoo’s bag.

“Let’s see. Did Ji Hoo do all of this?”

Ha Yeon raised her voice while looking at a file compiling Ji Hoo’s hard work and activities over the semester.

“Yes, I did it all.”

Pride could be heard in Ji Hoo’s voice as he answered. Crooked handwriting and drawings, photos taken with friends, and such were well organized in the file.

Time flew by as they talked while flipping through the file together with Ji Hoo. Only after finishing the file did Ha Yeon open the enclosed parent newsletter.

“Huh? There’s summer homework too?”

Ha Yeon’s eyes widened. So they give summer homework in kindergarten these days. Looking at the content, it wasn’t difficult tasks.

「Cooking: Make watermelon punch, Travel: Have various experiences with family, Exercise: Exercise 20 minutes every day, Reading: Read books and share impressions, Observation: Observe plants or animals.」

Ha Yeon, who was thinking deeply while looking at the homework list, asked Ji Hoo,

“Have you ever cooked before?”

“No.”

I thought so. Ji Hoo probably hadn’t had many chances to experience such activities.

“Then, as they say strike while the iron is hot, shall we call dad and ask him to buy watermelon?”

“Yes!”

Ji Hoo nodded with a wide smile. Oh, this cutie. Ha Yeon stroked Ji Hoo’s soft cheek before taking out her phone.

She felt nervous somehow because she had never had a separate phone call with Min Je. Moreover, remembering the kiss they shared in the car last night made the back of her neck feel hot.

Ahem, Ha Yeon unknowingly cleared her throat while the call was connecting. Her hands felt sweaty, so she switched the hand holding the phone.

― Huh? Is this call for real?

Min Je answered the phone in a dazed voice. Hearing his voice made Ha Yeon’s lips relax, feeling somewhat ticklish.

“Of course it’s real. How could the phone call itself?”

― I missed you.

Gasp, Ha Yeon inhaled sharply. Her mind went blank at his unexpected words.

Just hearing his voice made her heart flutter, but a sudden expression of affection? What should she do with this?

“I, I missed you too.”

She gave a dutiful answer first. On the other end of the line, Min Je let out a low chuckle. The laughter lingering in her ear left a great resonance echoing in her heart.

To think a day like this would come to me! Ha Yeon pressed her heated cheek with one hand, feeling unnecessarily moved.

― I’m on my way home after work now.

“Ah, already? You’re coming early today.”

― Yeah. I couldn’t focus on work because of you.

Gasp, Ha Yeon inhaled sharply again. This man kept making her dizzy by casually saying things that put a strain on her heart.

― I’ll be there soon.

“Okay, come safely then.”

After hanging up, Ha Yeon fanned herself because of the heat rushing to her face. She tried hard to suppress the corners of her mouth that kept trying to curl up.

Ji Hoo, who had been waiting quietly with his chin propped up beside her while she was on the phone, said one thing to Ha Yeon, who seemed somehow unnatural.

“But sister, haven’t you forgotten something?”