The bright sunlight seeping through the window tickled Lee Se Hee’s sleeping face.

As the shimmering light moved, Se Hee slowly awoke to a pleasantly refreshing scent wafting into her nostrils.

That familiar fragrance.

Though still drowsy, Se Hee’s lips curled up unconsciously even with her eyes still closed.

Then once on her forehead, twice on her closed eyes.

Finally, moist and hot lips continued a deep, intense kiss on Se Hee’s lips, their true destination.

The refreshing scent intertwined sweetly.

Se Hee’s eyes flew open in surprise.

Mysterious eyes like a deep blue sea were gazing intently at Se Hee.

Kyle.

At that moment, the dizzying memories of last night unfolded like a panorama in her mind.

She vividly recalled even Kyle’s intensely passionate gaze as he looked down at her, backlit by the dim lighting diffused throughout the room.

Se Hee’s cheeks flushed bright red at the still-vivid sensations.

The sound of her pounding heart was clearly transmitted to Kyle’s ears as well.

A strange smile played on Kyle’s lips as he watched Se Hee’s changes from the beginning.

“What could she be thinking?”

Murmuring in a languid voice, Kyle pulled Se Hee tightly into his arms with his strong arms.

Kyle’s secretive mischief intensified at Se Hee’s startled reaction.

The dreamy look in her relaxed eyes excited Kyle.

Unable to hold back, Kyle gently pressed Se Hee down, completely imprisoning her in his embrace.

Se Hee’s suggestive upward gaze stimulated Kyle even more strongly.

As their sticky gazes intertwined, Kyle began to indulge in Se Hee without hesitation.

As if that were the signal.

Se Hee felt a dizzying thrill each time his breath and touch landed on her.

The reignited passion between the two was more intense than the sun rising into the midday sky.

* * *

The Naples port of call meeting time had already long passed.

For the capable secretary Dave, making an appropriate excuse to the other side’s delegation and postponing the meeting time was nothing.

However, the reason Dave was so serious now was for a different reason.

To be late.

It was something that shouldn’t happen, and couldn’t happen.

For the Kyle that Dave knew.

From the moment Kyle founded the Evans Group, Dave had stuck by his side like a shadow.

Kyle, who was like a biting winter wind, was a man with a cold heart.

But last night.

Dave was terrified by the sight of an angry Kyle he had never seen before.

What on earth could have caused him to emit such murderous intent?

Unable to sleep due to inexplicable anxiety, Dave spent time reminiscent of hell, fidgeting restlessly, unable to even enter Kyle’s office due to his order to leave.

Heavy sighs kept escaping Dave’s lips.

Just then, Kyle walked out of the VVIP room.

For a moment, Dave couldn’t believe his eyes.

Though he had witnessed him turning into a devil with his own eyes, the Kyle before him now wore a smile he had never seen before.

“S-Sir?”

Dave stopped in his tracks, extremely tense.

“We’re quite late. What’s the rescheduled meeting time?”

“I’ve rescheduled it for the afternoon. Here’s the report.”

Dave’s expression was as if he had seen a ghost as he handed over the documents to Kyle with trembling hands.

“Good work. Then let’s depart right away.”

G-good work?

Moreover, Kyle’s voice was even gentle.

Dave doubted his own ears.

Could he have gone mad?

Had he finally gone insane from all the evil?

Last night, Kyle had been emitting such an evil aura, no, murderous intent, that it would have been believable if someone said he was the devil incarnate.

But now Kyle seemed to have turned into the archangel Michael.

What in the world was going on?

What on earth had happened last night?

Dave, standing there blankly, couldn’t come to his senses.

“Dave?”

Kyle’s voice calling out to him for not following right away was not like the biting winter wind, but warm like a gentle spring breeze.

Dave felt like he was having a waking dream.

The current situation was hard to adapt to.

* * *

“If you wait a little, I’ll be back soon. Exactly two hours later.”

Kyle, dressed in a dark gray suit, looked back at Se Hee with eyes full of strong regret.

Se Hee insisted that she must return to her own cabin to prepare for the port excursion, despite Kyle urging her to rest here.

Se Hee smiled brightly as if to say not to worry.

Kyle shook his head, seemingly quite displeased, but once again willingly respected Se Hee’s opinion.

After giving her a deep kiss as if he had no choice, Kyle left the room with slow steps.

Se Hee was actually surprised by Kyle’s reaction.

She thought that if she insisted, he would respond with an arrogant expression and cold answer, but although he looked reluctant, Kyle didn’t strongly stop Se Hee like before.

Or rather, it seemed more accurate to say he couldn’t stop her.

His attitude, which had seemed so unshakable overnight, had crumbled so easily.

As if he had been disarmed.

Se Hee felt the thrill of victory, like winning the initial power struggle of newlyweds.

To think that he, who had felt like a frozen man, could seem so affectionate.

Se Hee let out a small laugh.

Has he fallen into my hands now?

The great Kyle Graham?

She felt like laughing out loud boisterously.

After spending a night together, it felt like her relationship with Kyle had become much closer.

A clearly different feeling from before.

A happy smile spread across Se Hee’s face.

Left alone, Se Hee slowly explored his space.

Elegant furniture and sophisticated cabin interior design.

It was clearly a VVIP cabin prepared by Evans Cruise Line, but the modern atmosphere felt tailor-made for Kyle.

As if he had designed it himself.

After spending time exploring and resting, Se Hee checked the time.

Though she wanted to stay longer in his space, she now had to leave to prepare for the port excursion.

As if imprinting it in her heart, Se Hee looked around Kyle’s bedroom one more time with her eyes.

And with inexplicable regret, she slowly left Kyle’s room.

* * *

The afternoon on the Decona, with passengers departing for port excursions to Naples, one of the world’s three great beautiful harbors, was quiet.

As it was a late hour, Se Hee hardly encountered anyone on her way back to her cabin.

Naples, viewed from the docked cruise ship, was showing off its beautiful appearance unfiltered.

Moreover, the crystal clear blue sky and deep blue sea greatly elevated Se Hee’s mood.

The dazzling sunlight gently caressed Se Hee’s face, and the refreshing sea breeze naturally stroked her fluttering hair.

Today’s mood was so special.

Even the ever-present air felt lovely.

To think a person’s mood could change this much.

It was so different from yesterday.

A fullness filling her chest.

It was a happiness she had never felt before.

She was truly happy.

They say people cry even when too happy, and Se Hee wiped away the tears flowing without her knowing, smiling.

Kyle.

The heart-fluttering emotion he created.

Se Hee wanted to dare call this emotion by the name ‘love’.

She wanted to engrave that word in Kyle’s heart too.

As she carefully repeated it in her mind, her face immediately turned red.

After taking a deep, willing breath, Se Hee headed to her cabin, savoring the fresh energy.

After arriving at her cabin, she immediately entered the bathroom to prepare for the trip.

The moment she faced the bathroom mirror.

Se Hee was shocked.

Kyle’s marks clearly left all over her body.

As she examined each of those marks one by one.

Soon, a strange energy flowed throughout her body.

The areas that had been aching faintly were all heating up simultaneously.

Oh my goodness.

Now her body reacts first when she thinks of him?

Seeing her face turning red in an instant in the mirror, Se Hee couldn’t hide her surprise.

As expected.

Was I really a lecherous witch after all?

Just that there hadn’t been time to awaken that instinct until now?

No.

It can’t be.

Se Hee shook her head vigorously.

I’m a Con-Confucian girl.

This is all because of Kyle.

Last night… it’s all because of you, who was too, too dazzling.

Blaming all responsibility on Kyle for awakening her secret instincts, Se Hee had to take a cold shower.

Se Hee, who had to spend all her time suppressing her belatedly realized instincts, was finally able to head to Naples with Kyle only after he returned from finishing his meeting.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the Naples port of call, Kyle found the most delicious wood-fired pizza place in Naples with Se Hee.

This was because eating Naples wood-fired pizza was what Se Hee had emphasized over and over as something that must be done during the short remaining port visit.

Se Hee praised pizza so much, saying Naples means wood-fired pizza, that Kyle couldn’t stop laughing at her seriously grave expression.

“Stop laughing.”

Se Hee looked at Kyle primly with a sulky expression.

“I’ll try to hold back as much as possible.”

But Se Hee’s ears were already sensitively reacting to the chuckling sound.

“Not as much as possible, but absolutely, unconditionally, you must hold back!”

At Se Hee’s deep voice that seemed to be spitting fire, Kyle’s laughter that he had managed to hold back burst out again.

“How did you hold it in all this time? I never knew you were someone who laughs so well.”

Even Se Hee’s appearance glaring with fire in her eyes looked good to Kyle.

Kyle came to know through Se Hee that a person could become this likable.

Even the fact that emotions he thought had all disappeared were still hiding inside him.

Se Hee’s expression, which had been fiercely glaring at Kyle with her arms crossed in anger, melted away with the appearance of the wood-fired pizza.

A strong smell that delightfully stimulated the sense of smell wafted from the freshly baked hot pizza.

Kyle first placed a slice of pizza cut into easy-to-eat pieces onto Se Hee’s plate.

“This won’t make me forgive you.”

“It seems like you’ve already forgiven me though?”

Kyle smoothly countered Se Hee’s prim words.

Se Hee, who took a bite of pizza while licking her lips, opened her eyes wide.

An exclamation naturally flowed out at the crispy and savory taste spreading in her mouth.

Kyle stared at that sight in a daze.

The noble forehead, the high straight nose, and the captivating lips.

A strange look flashed across Kyle’s face for a moment as he was taking in Se Hee one by one with loving eyes.

He saw the meaningful mark clearly left on Se Hee’s white and delicate neck.

It must surely be the mark he left last night.

But soon Kyle was very pleased with that mark remaining like a brand marking her as his own.

A satisfied smile settled on Kyle’s face.

Kyle’s gaze fixed on Se Hee was full of passionate energy.

Suddenly Se Hee looked up at Kyle.

“The last one is mine!”

Se Hee seemed to have misinterpreted Kyle’s heated gaze as a challenging meaning towards the pizza.

She didn’t forget to subtly pull the remaining wood-fired pizza plate in front of herself.

Kyle burst into laughter again at the sight of Se Hee being so serious about Naples wood-fired pizza.

How on earth could she think like that?

Kyle couldn’t stop laughing because of Se Hee, who always defied his expectations.

“To test me over a mere slice of wood-fired pizza.”

Kyle looked at Se Hee playfully.

“You should already know. The fact that I can buy you this pizza place if you want.”

At Kyle’s serious words, Se Hee, who had been contemplating for a moment, casually pushed the wood-fired pizza plate she had pulled in front of herself back towards Kyle, pretending not to notice.