It felt as if my breath would stop.

His deep blue eyes, seemingly bottomless as the ocean, held Se Hee captive with a strong magnetic pull.

Se Hee froze like a statue, her gaze completely stolen.

Kyle’s eyebrows twitched as he watched Se Hee remain motionless.

At his movement, Se Hee’s entranced mind slowly began to clear.

What had she been doing just now?

Se Hee felt her whole body flush with embarrassment.

The reddening of Se Hee’s cheeks was clearly visible to Kyle as well.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Kyle stood up from his seat.

“N-no. D-don’t come closer.”

Se Hee reflexively raised her hands to stop him.

Kyle’s face clearly showed his displeasure at that reaction.

“That attitude… I don’t like it.”

His voice dropped coldly.

“It seems an hour won’t be enough after all. I’ll actively look into ways to take responsibility with sufficient time.”

The flustered Se Hee spoke in a stiff tone as if reporting to a superior, and abruptly stood up.

“Ha. You look like you’re about to make a PowerPoint presentation.”

Kyle’s brow furrowed.

“Ah… no, that’s not it. I just think I’ll need a lot of time to think. And I feel like I’m constantly interrupting your work. I’ll go first. Thank you so much for the meal today. You’re always helping me.”

Se Hee’s words came faster and faster.

With just a few meetings, Kyle had already figured out Se Hee’s habits.

When they were trapped in the hatch together, Se Hee had also chattered on endlessly about nonsensical things, trying to hide her fearful feelings.

“It seems you’re hiding something.”

Kyle sharply caught on to Se Hee’s identical state from back then.

“Pardon?”

Se Hee’s expression suddenly turned serious.

She involuntarily swallowed hard.

Did he notice something?

Did he realize because I was staring so absentmindedly?

Is he telling me to confess that I was momentarily bewitched by lustful thoughts about him?

“I-I’m not hiding anything. I wasn’t thinking anything at all.”

Se Hee fled from the private room as if escaping, afraid of being caught.

Kyle was bewildered, left alone after Se Hee’s sudden departure.

“What on earth…?”

Kyle let out an incredulous laugh as he looked at the laptop and stack of documents in front of him.

* * *

Se Hee returned to her cabin in a rush and fell into thought.

No matter how hard she wracked her brain, she couldn’t remember anything about last night.

Could a person really forget so completely?

However, the fortunate thing was that she had asked for more time, and Kyle’s reaction hadn’t been negative.

No, it might be thanks to her leaving without hearing his answer.

Se Hee felt frustrated by that sensitive man’s extremely ambiguous attitude.

Would some memories come back if she slept well tonight?

If she could remember, she’d be able to come up with some way to take responsibility.

Se Hee decided to go to bed early to try to recall her memories, and lay down.

She closed her eyes thinking that things might naturally come back to her as time passed, but all that came out were sighs.

While Se Hee spent the whole night tossing and turning in bed, the Decona Ho, which had been sailing non-stop, arrived at the Greek island of Crete that dawn.

The bright Mediterranean sunlight unfailingly found its way into Se Hee’s bedroom.

Awakened by that bright sunlight, Se Hee sluggishly crawled out of bed.

Having barely fallen asleep near dawn, she was still tired from accumulated fatigue.

Today’s port of call, Crete, was one of the places she really wanted to visit.

Since tomorrow would be another full day at sea, she was determined to tour the port of call today.

She struggled to get dressed and tried to cover her haggard face with makeup.

But no matter how thickly she applied it, it was no use.

“Sigh… I can’t even out my skin tone.”

Se Hee pulled on a baseball cap, partly to block out the intense sunlight.

Planning to head straight to the port after finishing her meal, Se Hee packed her camera, phone, and bag before leaving her cabin.

“Se Hee.”

Seong Jae approached, having been waiting outside the door for who knows how long.

“Seong Jae?”

“Were you… okay yesterday?”

Seong Jae carefully asked with a worried expression.

“Yes. I was fine.”

“You should have contacted me though. I kept waiting yesterday.”

Seong Jae said with a meaningful look, seeming regretful.

“…Nothing happened.”

Se Hee said awkwardly.

“I’m glad nothing happened. Jung Yeon is at the buffet. Let’s go together.”

Saying that, Seong Jae naturally took Se Hee’s bag.

“It’s okay. It’s not that heavy.”

Se Hee tried to stop Seong Jae, feeling burdened.

“I know. I just want to carry it for you.”

Seong Jae smiled gently and took the lead.

“We couldn’t see Athens, yesterday’s port of call, so we have to make sure to tour Crete, right? I’ve made a perfect plan. You just need to follow me.”

Seong Jae, who had been walking ahead, slowly reduced his speed to walk shoulder to shoulder with Se Hee.

“I appreciate the offer, but I was planning to tour the port of call alone.”

“Alone? That’s too dangerous. It might be okay if you didn’t have companions, but now that you do. Why go alone? No way.”

Seong Jae said firmly.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he sighed.

“Ah… is this the dad mode again? I don’t want to be a dad.”

Se Hee, walking alongside him, let out a small laugh.

After meeting Jung Yeon at the buffet and having a quick meal, Se Hee headed to the port of Crete with the two of them.

The place where Zeus, king of the gods, was hidden; the labyrinth palace of the half-man, half-bull Minotaur.

Crete, filled with Greek mythological stories, was a popular holiday destination even within Greece.

Seong Jae, who had insisted that Se Hee absolutely could not travel alone, only let her go after extracting a promise to attend the evening’s event party together.

Se Hee first headed to the Palace of Knossos.

Se Hee eagerly captured on camera the Palace of Knossos, famous for the story of the half-man, half-bull Minotaur and the Athenian prince Theseus who defeated him.

In that myth, Se Hee had been captivated not by the protagonist Theseus, but by Princess Ariadne who had helped him.

Theseus, prince of Athens, angered by the sacrifice of Athenian youths as food for the Minotaur, volunteered himself as an offering and headed to the Labyrinth palace where the Minotaur was imprisoned.

After slaying the Minotaur, Theseus was able to safely escape the labyrinth palace thanks to the ball of thread prepared by Princess Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete.

Princess Ariadne had wanted marriage to Theseus as a condition for her help.

However, after successfully escaping, Theseus not only didn’t marry Ariadne, but abandoned her and left.

There were various accounts of what happened to Ariadne afterwards.

But Se Hee liked best the ending where Princess Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus, found a new love.

A new love.

Could such a thing happen to me too?

For a moment, someone clearly came to Se Hee’s mind.

That man with mysterious blue eyes and exceptionally pale skin.

And sexily prominent veins?

W-what am I thinking.

As if trying to shake off the lewd thoughts invading her mind, Se Hee shook her head.

Then she quickly moved on to her next destination.

* * *

Se Hee arrived back on board just in time after finishing her port tour.

There had been more to see than expected, so it took quite a long time.

She had walked around so much that even her legs ached.

But she was happy.

She had been able to fully enjoy her leisure time and spend it freely.

How many times in her life had she been able to do this?

Returning to her cabin, Se Hee took a shower, feeling a pleasant languor.

There was a little time left before the event party she had promised Seong Jae.

Se Hee picked up the itinerary that the cabin attendant had neatly folded after cleaning.

She had hastily agreed without even checking what today’s event party was.

“So today’s schedule is…?”

Good gracious.

Today’s event party was a pool party.

A pool party, of all things.

The location was the shallow outdoor pool at the stern, and the dress code was, of course, swimwear.

Should she be thankful it was swimwear rather than having to worry about not having a suitable dress?

Se Hee let out a deep sigh as she looked at the swimsuits she had ambitiously prepared.

It seems her ambition had been too much.

While she might have been able to wear them boldly in front of strangers, the designs were a bit too much to wear in front of Seong Jae and Jung Yeon, whom she was already acquainted with.

But she had resolved to keep attending the event parties, the highlight of the cruise, from now on, and she also had to keep her promise to Seong Jae.

Se Hee chose the swimsuit design that looked the least revealing.

After checking herself in the mirror one more time, she put on a beach robe and left her cabin.

As she approached the pool located at the stern, the event venue, she could hear people’s voices mixed with flashy music.

The sound of water cannons bursting added to the cacophony breaking the calm night sea.

Upon reaching the entrance, she could feel the heated atmosphere.

The water spraying from the water cannons was falling even on Se Hee’s beachwear.

An employee approached Se Hee standing at the entrance.

“Ma’am, from here on, only swimwear is allowed. If you tell us your room number, we can store the rest of your clothing for you.”

“Ah… okay.”

As Se Hee awkwardly took off her beach robe, another crew member guarding the main entrance kindly took it away.

Finally, Se Hee stepped into the wild frenzy.

The floor was already soaking wet.

In this chaotic mess, would she even be able to find Seong Jae and Jung Yeon?

But it was an unnecessary worry.

Seong Jae’s tall stature, broad shoulders, and healthily tanned skin caught her eye immediately.

She hadn’t noticed when he was with Kyle, but Seong Jae’s physique and looks were by no means inferior.

In fact, his build was far superior compared to most foreign men.

Seong Jae recognized Se Hee right away too.

He immediately approached Se Hee, cutting through the water.

As he emerged from the water, the gazes of those around were drawn to Seong Jae’s fully displayed healthy physique.

Se Hee could even hear the exclamations of women lounging on sun beds admiring Seong Jae’s well-developed abs.

“You look really great today.”

But Seong Jae, not sparing a glance for anyone else, was only looking at Se Hee.

“Thank you. It’s not really my usual style, but on vacation…”

“It suits you well though.”

Seong Jae put his hand on Se Hee’s shoulder, pulling her closer to his side.

At that moment when Se Hee was startled by Seong Jae’s natural action.

“Water cannon!”

With someone’s shout, Seong Jae quickly embraced Se Hee.

There wasn’t even time to let out a scream.

A crisp sound of water hitting Seong Jae’s back as he hugged Se Hee.

The water pressure was so strong that even Seong Jae’s large frame was pushed slightly.

After a few seconds, the direction of the water cannon suddenly changed.

Screams and laughter erupted from another direction where the water cannon was now spraying.

“Are you okay?”

Finally releasing his arms, Seong Jae wiped away the water streaming down Se Hee’s cheeks.

Feeling burdened by Seong Jae’s touch, Se Hee took a step back.

“Ah… yes… I’m fine. Thank you.”

“You’re supposed to get hit by the water cannon, but I thought you might not be ready for it yet. I went into dad mode again without realizing. I’m sorry.”

Noticing Se Hee’s discomfort, Seong Jae emphasized that his actions were to protect her.

“Jung Yeon is over there. Let’s go together.”

Se Hee started walking in the direction Seong Jae pointed.

Seong Jae, following behind, stopped and looked towards the entrance.

The intense gaze that had been uncomfortably following him even before getting hit by the water cannon.

The owner of that gaze, Kyle, was standing outside the entrance in a black suit, glaring coldly at Seong Jae.

“Why don’t you come in if you’re so confident?”

Seong Jae muttered quietly towards him, making an arrogant gesture before turning away.

Seong Jae’s provocation was childish.

However, Kyle’s fist unconsciously clenched as he stared piercingly at the backs of the two people walking away.

“S-sorry sir, but you need to follow the dress code to enter the event hall. O-only swimwear is allowed for entry.”

The event hall staff member, who had been flustered watching Kyle stand motionless, finally managed to speak up.

It was none other than Kyle who had set that rule.

Only after the two figures disappeared from view did Kyle turn around.

“Dave.”

Kyle’s low voice calling his name made Dave extremely uneasy.