“I have come to find my beloved wife.”

At Kyle’s softly flowing voice, Se Hee dropped the glass she was holding.

“Se Hee, are you okay? Are you drunk already?”

When Se Hee dropped her glass, a nearby team member startled and cleaned up the spilled alcohol around her.

At the commotion, Kyle’s gaze turned to Se Hee.

But Se Hee, her mind gone blank, did not notice his gaze.

Wife?

He said beloved wife?

He did that to me while having a wife?

She had been completely deceived.

Se Hee gritted her teeth at the surging emotion.

That bastard…

To humiliate her so thoroughly.

Filled with anger, Se Hee roughly refilled her glass.

There was no way she could sit here sober.

“Oh my. You’re married? We all thought you were single. When did you get married? Do you have children too?”

Sun Ah asked Kyle with an expression full of curiosity, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Last June 4th.”

“What? So recently? Goodness. Last month, you say?”

Sun Ah reacted dramatically to Kyle’s answer.

June 4th.

Se Hee’s heart dropped.

At the same time, the glass she was holding rolled onto the floor.

“No. Se Hee! What’s wrong with you? If you’re drunk, stop drinking.”

The employee next to Se Hee, who had been hit by the alcohol splash twice now, said irritably.

Se Hee didn’t even hear her colleague’s words.

Last June 4th.

On that day, Se Hee was with Kyle.

The happiest, most joyful day of her life was the day of their wedding.

And the night they spent together, a night she could never forget.

For a moment, she was overwhelmed by dizziness.

Could it be.

The wife Kyle was talking about… was me?

Even though she heard him say it directly, she couldn’t believe it.

Her mind became complicated.

Se Hee slowly turned her head towards Kyle.

At the same time, Kyle’s waiting gaze locked directly with Se Hee’s.

Se Hee’s pupils trembled finely.

Her stopped heart began to beat rapidly.

“But sir. The way you said it, it sounds like your wife ran away. The nuance of ‘came to find’ is strange?”

A tipsy team member said playfully.

“That’s right. Due to my mistake, there was a misunderstanding, and because of that, she left.”

Kyle did not deny it.

The team members looked at Kyle as if surprised.

But Kyle’s gaze was still directed at Se Hee.

“So I’m sorry… I want to apologize. I came like this to ask her to please come back.”

Se Hee’s pupils wavered greatly at Kyle’s gaze focused solely on her.

“…I want to clear up the misunderstanding, but my wife won’t give me the chance.”

Kyle’s eyelids loosened slightly, as if intoxication was rising.

“Oh my. She must be really angry. I don’t know what happened, but. Well, since you say you were at fault, you have no choice but to beg on your hands and feet. What else can you do?”

A team member clicked his tongue and nodded.

“Is that so? Will that work?”

Kyle was asking Se Hee.

Soon, Se Hee, overcome with emotion, turned her head away.

Se Hee couldn’t face those deep blue eyes.

Her heart was beating wildly.

He’s sorry?

It was a misunderstanding?

A sharp emotion like pain pierced her heart.

Se Hee recalled what he had said to her at the port of Venice.

“Even if you can’t hear anything I say now, I want you to know just one thing.”

But Se Hee had cut him off, so she didn’t hear what came after.

His actions towards her on the Dekona Ho came to mind again.

Could he have been sincere?

For a moment, she wavered with a dizzying emotion.

Until she heard what the female crew members said that day, Se Hee hadn’t had any doubts about him.

Se Hee became confused.

But soon she calmed her emotions.

A bitter smile spread faintly across Se Hee’s face.

No, there’s no way he was sincere.

Of course not.

His intention in suddenly bringing up his wife in a place like this was also suspicious.

Se Hee could no longer fully trust Kyle.

But even so, with his one word, the negative emotions that had been piled up were already melting away.

Perhaps this reaction was because from the beginning, there were stronger emotions than negative ones.

Like a fool.

Sorrowful tears flowed from Se Hee’s eyes.

At the same time, a dejected laugh came out.

Se Hee bit her lip.

With trembling hands, she grabbed her glass.

“Se Hee, stop drinking. Huh? Are you crying? What’s going on? Really. Se Hee. You have a drinking problem, huh?”

The team member next to Se Hee, who quickly grabbed her glass thinking a third alcohol splash was not allowed, was flustered seeing Se Hee’s flowing tears.

Tears?

The silver droplets flowing down Se Hee’s cheeks made Kyle’s heart ache.

He couldn’t let his little bird cry alone.

Kyle stood up and moved to Se Hee’s side.

The strong scent emanating from Kyle as he naturally sat down in the seat next to her made Se Hee dizzy.

He naturally reached out with a handkerchief from his pocket towards Se Hee’s face.

Startled, Se Hee quickly grabbed just the handkerchief.

When Se Hee’s hand brushed his for a moment, Kyle’s surprise was palpable.

“Se Hee…”

When Kyle called her name in a languid voice, Se Hee became extremely sensitive.

“What kind of apology would make Lee Se Hee’s firmly closed heart open?”

His pleasant voice stimulated Se Hee once again.

“I am very curious about Lee Se Hee’s answer.”

Se Hee could feel Kyle’s voice trembling.

As if every word was sincere.

Don’t become weak.

Se Hee gathered her thoughts once more and slowly looked up at Kyle.

Even in the dim lights of the restaurant, Kyle’s figure creating a brilliant light all on his own came into view.

Kyle’s appearance looking ethereal in the blurring light.

Se Hee felt a strong urge to reach out and touch him.

Crazy.

Se Hee quickly averted her gaze.

Get a hold of yourself, Lee Se Hee.

Don’t crumble.

She needed to clear away this strange atmosphere first.

The peculiar gazes of the team members had been prickling for a while now.

“…My thoughts are.”

As Se Hee calmly began to speak, Kyle’s eyebrows raised.

His tense gaze focused entirely on Se Hee.

“I want to say that sincerity will always get through. If you’re still not forgiven, it seems that sincerity wasn’t conveyed. Or it wasn’t sincere.”

Se Hee emptied her glass as she spoke coldly.

Kyle’s tense expression crumbled dejectedly.

He had quickly forgotten.

That his little bird often acted in unpredictable ways like this.

Sincerity gets through?

But without even trying to properly see that sincerity.

Kyle felt dejected and even sulky.

Kyle, who had been staring intently at Se Hee, smoothly moved his body.

“Because I didn’t take care of my glass.”

He reached out his long arm towards a new glass, deliberately brushing Se Hee’s arm and shoulder as if leaning in.

Kyle looked at Se Hee’s startled reaction with an amused glint in his eyes.

“My wife says she gets pleasantly drunk after about six glasses of vodka.”

Kyle filled his glass.

“But after just two glasses, she falls into a deep sleep. Does Lee Se Hee also like vodka?”

Kyle raised his glass to Se Hee with a mischievous expression.

Se Hee’s brow furrowed.

What?

So that day she just fell asleep?

And for that, you…

Se Hee looked up at Kyle with a displeased expression.

Kyle’s subtle gaze met Se Hee’s.

That gaze stimulated Se Hee in a strange direction.

Suddenly, Se Hee’s expression completely changed.

“Is this enough for a welcome party?”

Se Hee poured soju into Kyle’s glass, which was about 1/3 full of beer, filling it to overflowing.

The watching team members were all focused on the two with surprised expressions.

“If I get drunk… will Lee Se Hee take responsibility? I seem to be quite drunk already.”

Kyle made a seductive expression with one corner of his mouth slightly raised.

“The responsibility will be taken by the CEO’s secretarial office. They know very well…”

But Se Hee’s response, speaking to Kyle with a confident gaze, was sharp.

Kyle barely held back a laugh that was about to burst out as he raised his glass.

He had missed that sulky look in his little bird’s eyes.

Kyle maintained an intense gaze on Se Hee as he slowly emptied his glass.

Sitting right next to him, even the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed was clearly visible to Se Hee.

At that sensual sight, Se Hee unconsciously held her breath and tensed up.

Kyle took in every bit of Se Hee’s expression and stored it in his heart.

Kyle suddenly staggered as if dizzy after putting down his empty glass.

As he did so, he subtly put his arm around Se Hee’s shoulders once.

A dizzying sweet scent wafted from Se Hee.

Due to the rising intoxication, Kyle’s rational self-control was starting to reach its limit.

Kyle looked down at Se Hee with a gaze that clearly revealed his regret that they weren’t alone in this place.

When Kyle’s touch reached her body, Se Hee trembled as if electrocuted, to the point of having to bite her lip from the shock.

Moreover, Se Hee saw his secretive gaze.

“S-sir. Are you alright?”

Manager Hong stood up from his seat at Kyle’s swaying appearance.

“I’m fine.”

Kyle slowly raised his body as if he had swayed for a moment due to intoxication, naturally distancing himself from Se Hee.

Seeing his subtly raised lips, Se Hee was certain that the skinship just now was intentional.

Her heart had dropped in surprise.

This kind of prank in front of the whole team?

This man really.

And Se Hee’s counterattack began.

“You don’t seem fine.”

At Se Hee’s prickly voice towards the CEO, even the team members were surprised and all eyes focused on the two.

“I think we need to contact the secretarial office. You drank too much from the start. To the point of swaying like this. Manager Hong. Quickly.”

Se Hee urged Manager Hong as if telling him to contact them right away.

Flustered, Manager Hong just blinked his eyes.

“And when the first round is appropriately wrapped up, the CEO is supposed to excuse himself on his own – that’s the proper Korean company dinner culture. If you keep staying… have you heard of the term ‘kkondae’?”

Se Hee coolly delivered a blow.

“K-kkondae?”

Kyle asked back as if it was an unfamiliar word.

“Ah… you might not know Korean company dinner culture well. Usually, it’s the beautiful virtue of a superior to just leave their card and depart so the team members can enjoy comfortably.”

Se Hee spread her palm in front of Kyle as if telling him to hand it over.

All the team members present were shocked at Se Hee’s bold attitude.

Kyle, who had been looking at Se Hee as if dumbfounded, gave a faint smile, then took out his wallet from his pocket.

And as Se Hee demanded, he placed his black card on her palm.

“Is this enough?”

Kyle asked with one corner of his mouth slightly raised.

“No? Now you should say goodbye. Has the head of the secretarial office arrived?”

Se Hee asked Manager Hong.

“Huh? Oh. Me? I’m supposed to call? Me?”

Manager Hong, his nerves chilled, fumbled for his phone in confusion.

Sun Ah covered her face with both hands as if she could no longer watch Se Hee’s outrageous behavior.

Vowing to bury Se Hee in a sunny spot herself for not being able to stop her.

“This card will fulfill its original role of paying for the team members’ second and third round dinner expenses and next morning’s hangover coffee, and then be safely returned to you, sir.”

Se Hee nodded towards Kyle as if telling him to leave.

A subtle smile spread across Kyle’s lips.

It had been a long time since Se Hee looked at him straight on without avoiding his gaze.

Has it opened a little?

Is she now ready to accept my sincerity?

If so, I shouldn’t rush and should withdraw like this for now.

If even a small gap has appeared in the firmly closed door, that is enough.

Kyle stood up from his seat.

“Lee Se Hee will bring the card herself.”