Se Hee, who had hurriedly wiped away the stream of water flowing down her face in a daze, raised her head.

It was that man again.

The man who had left a strong impression on Se Hee last night while enlightening her about international issues regarding Mediterranean environmental protection.

The moist droplets flowing from the wet man’s thick black hair slid smoothly down his pale cheeks.

Up close, the man’s eyes emitted a strangely alluring aura.

Se Hee felt as if she was being deeply drawn into those dangerous-looking eyes.

Having jumped into the water hastily after only removing his suit jacket, the white dress shirt he wore on his upper body was completely soaked.

The man’s chest muscles were clearly visible through the shirt that clung tightly to his body from the water.

In that moment, the tense Se Hee inadvertently swallowed hard.

The man’s expression immediately contorted at the explicit sound of the small amount of liquid in her mouth sliding down her throat.

“……The sign in front of the pool isn’t there for decoration.”

And the man’s subsequent biting warning instantly awakened Se Hee’s anger instinct, which had been momentarily forgotten while entranced by his appearance.

The man’s unpleasant words immediately after saving her also flashed back like lightning.

‘Do you think life jackets are just for show?’

Of course, if you can’t swim, you should be careful whether the water is 1 meter or 3 meters deep.

She admitted it was her mistake to have been precariously perched in front of that pool which was deeper than her height.

But is that what you say to someone who just nearly died, and moreover someone you personally saved?

Isn’t it common sense to first ask if they’re alright after saving them?

There’s not a single wrong word in old sayings.

One word can repay a debt of a thousand nyang, but conversely, it can also incur a debt of a thousand nyang.

Hey, you handsome-faced man.

You’ve just earned a million punches to the face.

As anger swallowed up gratitude, Se Hee’s expression turned fierce.

“……Hey. That warning sign! I read it well.”

Se Hee said in a defiant tone, glaring at the man.

Though she was looking up at the man with quite a sharp gaze, the man’s expression didn’t change at all in response to Se Hee’s glare.

Rather, the man’s downward gaze seemed even more threatening.

But Se Hee wasn’t one to be intimidated by that.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood something. I didn’t jump into the pool on purpose, I was pushed in and fell.”

Se Hee raised her head even higher, strongly expressing how very upset she was.

“First of all! Thank you verrry much for saving me. So I’ll generously forgive your meddlesome nagging with my abundant magnanimity. Now, would you please let me go?”

After saying all she had to say with all kinds of expressions, Se Hee finished with a haughty look.

For a moment, a scoffing laugh was heard from the man as if he found it absurd, but pretending not to hear it, Se Hee proceeded with her next move.

Fortunately, the stairs to exit the pool were within reach if she just stretched out her hand.

Having finished calculating the distance, Se Hee pushed the man away with a disgruntled expression and quickly grabbed the stairs.

Or rather, she tried to.

But then something shocking happened.

As Se Hee twisted her body to forcibly break away from him, the string of her bikini top got caught on a button of the man’s shirt.

Due to how roughly she had turned her body, the bikini string came completely undone.

It was a development she truly never could have imagined even in her dreams.

“Kyaaak!”

The startled Se Hee let out a scream.

That decorative string which she had firmly believed was only meant to be tied prettily to make the bikini look more appealing – she never imagined it would betray her so spectacularly like this.

“Ha, you really are something else.”

The man who pulled Se Hee, who was hurriedly hiding her body underwater, back into his arms muttered lowly as if thoroughly exasperated.

Unlike before, Se Hee’s face quickly flushed hot as she found herself completely pressed against the man’s chest.

The thin shirt wet with water failed to serve its function, and rather made the sensation of the areas touching even more sensual.

Se Hee was in such an awkward situation that she felt she needed to pray to the heavens to send down a rope to save her.

But at that moment, the heavens sent down a soft towel instead.

The man snatched up the towel faster than Se Hee, immediately wrapped Se Hee in it, and then hurriedly dropped her.

His attitude was as if he was removing a bug that had clung to his body.

Then the man lifted Se Hee up and sent her out of the pool. Roughly, as if throwing her out.

In the blink of an eye, Se Hee found herself out of the water, and the waiting safety personnel and the blonde woman who seemed to have caused this incident rushed over to her.

By the time Se Hee broke away from the woman who kept apologizing profusely and the safety personnel checking her condition, that arrogant man had already disappeared.

* * *

After the situation was resolved and Se Hee safely returned to her room, she couldn’t get that mysterious man out of her head.

Thanks to that man, she had her life saved twice.

But that man possessed an unnecessarily excellent ability.

Namely, the sky-high arrogance that could instantly erase any feelings of gratitude.

Thanks to the disaster-inducing way with words of that man with only perfect looks, once again she wasn’t able to properly express her thanks.

Come to think of it, not just his appearance, but a nice scent seemed to have emanated from him as well.

The fresh, subtle fragrance that had wafted from him came back to Se Hee’s nose.

What kind of cologne was that?

The curiosity-inducing memory was gradually bringing back the sensual physical sensations as well.

His firm chest muscles that had felt so vivid through the wet shirt clinging to him.

And her own naked body…

Suddenly her face flushed hot.

You’ve gone crazy, Lee Se Hee.

Get a hold of yourself.

Se Hee rushed to the bathroom and turned on the shower, dousing her heated face with cold water.

* * *

“Ha.”

A sound that had never been heard before echoed in the silence of Kyle’s office.

Dave’s ears perked up instantly.

Sensing a different energy than usual, Dave carefully shifted his gaze to Kyle’s seat.

Doubting his own ears as he observed Kyle, Dave soon averted his eyes from Kyle’s figure coldly staring at the screen.

As expected.

That must not have been a laugh, but rather a sneer that erupted from something displeasing.

Dave focused intently on his work, on high alert.

How much time had passed?

The same sound came from Kyle once more.

Clearly something problematic must have occurred. Dave, thinking it serious, rose from his seat.

“Um… Sir?”

Dave sensed Kyle’s concentration falter with ghostly intuition.

“Is there some kind of problem…”

“Problem? What problem?”

Kyle questioned back at the inquiring Dave.

“Ah, no. I apologize.”

The quick-witted Dave immediately bowed his head.

The situation at the pool had been jumbling Kyle’s mind for a while now.

More precisely, it was the face of that woman who had recklessly provoked him.

Rather than feeling angry, he found it absurd.

So when her face came to mind, a scoffing laugh escaped him without realizing.

Kyle had seen her lingering around the pool area while he was on his way to the event hall.

He had never paid any mind to superstitions like the ‘Curse of the Jeina’ in the first place, and the maiden voyage date had already passed.

So he could have just ignored her and walked past.

But as she hesitated for a long time in front of the life jackets, her awkwardly positioned figure at the edge of the deep pool area bothered him.

She was irritating Kyle’s eyes in quite a few ways.

In the end, Kyle headed to the pool, thinking he should mention to the staff in charge once again about having outdoor pool users wear life jackets.

But just as Kyle approached, she fell into the water right in front of him.

Despite there being a safety guard right nearby, Kyle dove into the water himself.

Why had he done that?

No matter how much he tried to justify his actions with rational reasons, he simply couldn’t find any.

The moment she fell in the water, he had no thoughts other than that he had to save her.

As if he had jumped in instinctively.

If he had to find a reason, was it because she was Korean?

But even that wasn’t a valid reason.

He had met countless Koreans before, after all.

He couldn’t comprehend his own actions.

Wanting to sort out his complicated thoughts, Kyle headed for the coffee machine.

As he pressed the operation button, a rich coffee extract flowed from the machine.

‘British-made?’

But this time, her voice echoed as if he was hearing things.

“Ha… This is driving me crazy.”

At last, a rough exclamation escaped Kyle’s lips.

“S-Sir. I apologize. I’ll have the coffee machine replaced right away.”

At Dave’s words, Kyle let out a deep sigh and pressed his fingers to his brow.

* * *

“A cocktail party, huh.”

Se Hee, who had been resting comfortably in her room until late evening, even ordering room service in the afternoon due to the incident earlier in the day, checked today’s event party schedule.

Today’s party was a ‘Cocktail Party’, one that even Se Hee, who had low alcohol tolerance, could enjoy without burden.

Se Hee planned to participate in all these event parties to properly enjoy the cruise.

Of course, the fact that she was alone without a partner was a bit of a concern, but,

Who knows?

She might make a special connection in an unfamiliar place.

Suddenly, that arrogant man popped into her mind unbidden.

As if trying to erase that phantom image, Se Hee waved her hand and then checked the dress code before opening her wardrobe door.

She had prepared for this day.

An off-shoulder long dress in mint color.

Se Hee carefully took out the dress and put it on.

After styling her hair in a half-updo that matched well with the dress, she opened her accessory box.

A pearl necklace set was preciously stored inside.

It was Se Hee’s number one treasure, the first thing she had bought for herself.

She had made sure to bring it, wanting to wear it on a special day like today.

The pearl necklace settled along Se Hee’s slender, long neckline.

Small, cute earrings were also beautifully fastened.

With a sparkling clutch in one hand to complete her perfect look, Se Hee headed to the party venue with elegant steps.

The feeling of the silk dress brushing against her legs with each step seemed to improve her mood even more.

Upon arriving at the event party venue, a sweet melody could be heard.

Se Hee naturally blended in among the people already enjoying the party.

As soon as Se Hee took her seat, a waiter brought over a menu.

Se Hee chose the cocktail Grand Blue, which paired well with the Mediterranean.

Shortly after, a glass of cocktail containing the blue Mediterranean was placed on Se Hee’s table.

As she took a cool sip of the cocktail, a sweet and fragrant taste lingered on the tip of her tongue.

As unlimited free cocktails were being provided to all passengers attending the cocktail event in the event hall, there were already many passengers who were quite drunk.

It was a moment that reminded her of what Manager Kim, her former workplace senior, had said – that if you take cocktails lightly, you might get knocked out in one go.

At that time, a foreign man who had been closely watching the lone Se Hee slowly walked over.

“Alone?”

Placing the glass he was holding on the seat in front of Se Hee, the man looked her up and down with a sticky gaze.

“I’m waiting for someone.”

Se Hee frowned, her mood soured by the man’s creepy gaze, and stood up from her seat.

But the man also abruptly stood up.

Wanting to get away from the man, Se Hee walked quickly towards the exit of the event hall.

The man who immediately followed stretched out his arm roughly towards Se Hee.

As Se Hee tried to avoid the man’s arm, his hand sharply grazed her, causing a strong pain in her earlobe.

Startled, Se Hee clutched her painful ear and stepped backwards.

“Oh my, oh my. I didn’t mean to startle you, just wanted to have a cocktail together.”

The man looked at Se Hee with drowsy eyes and slowly approached.

Feeling threatened by his action, Se Hee stepped back in shock, continuing to retreat.

Seeing Se Hee’s expression turning pale, the man approached even faster as if finding it amusing.

The man reached out his arm towards Se Hee.

At that moment, the man’s arm was stopped in mid-air by someone else’s strong force.

At the same time, an intimidating voice flew at the man.

“Cocktails should be drunk in the event hall.”