“It seems you met a friend.”

Si Heon, who had been staring at his phone for a while, finally spoke.

“Yes. A high school classmate.”

“I thought I told you to be careful about scandals.”

“Oh, it’s not that kind of relationship. We’re just friends.”

Shadows played across Si Heon’s face following the light from the phone screen. Perhaps due to the darkness, he looked very displeased.

“Should we be more cautious? Especially in places where many people are watching.”

“What? I just met a friend… And earlier…”

“I’m not asking who you met, I’m telling you to be careful, right now.”

So Yi wanted to say that she had come with Hye Na, but Si Heon cut her off.

Si Heon slowly turned his head, his gaze sharp. Though he seemed to be smiling, his eyes were cold.

That gentle gaze from yesterday when they kissed in front of her house was nowhere to be found.

“Elder brother, did you wait long? On days like this, it’s hard to get a ride… Oh? So Yi is here too!”

Just then, Jang Woo got into the car, speaking in a cheerful voice. Thanks to him, the atmosphere lightened a bit, but So Yi’s chest still felt tight.

Si Heon’s car glided smoothly on the road without the slightest noise. Whether it was the alcohol kicking in or the stuffy air inside the car, So Yi was enduring a suffocating silence that made it hard to breathe.

She felt burdened by Jang Woo’s glances in the rearview mirror at her and Si Heon in the back seat, and Si Heon’s silence as he stared at his phone with a stiff expression also bothered her.

Was he very angry about her being with Baek Do Hun earlier? Even if he was male, he was really just a close friend with no feelings involved.

As she sighed softly, her phone vibrated. It was a call from Do Hun. So Yi quickly hit the reject button and sent a message.

[I’m almost home.] [Okay, call me later.] [Alright, I’ll call when I get home.]

After sending the message to Do Hun, So Yi adjusted her posture and met Si Heon’s eyes. His straight gaze was somehow embarrassing.

It seemed like he was looking at her eyes, or maybe her lips. His dry gaze without a hint of a smile was uncomfortable, so So Yi spoke up.

“What, what is it?”

So Yi’s eyes widened at Si Heon’s response.

“Because you’re pretty.”

Jang Woo in the driver’s seat swallowed a cough.

So Yi’s cheeks flushed red as she hurriedly turned to look out the window. Her heart was pounding wildly. Even though she knew it was a meaningless comment, her pulse was racing out of control.

Don’t fall for him more, don’t waver. Don’t let your heart run wild on its own.

She had repeated this to herself countless times whenever she saw Si Heon. But with that one word calling her pretty, her heart crumbled helplessly.

‘Because you’re pretty.’

With that one whispered phrase in a low voice.

‘You’re pretty too.’

The memory of that night she had tried so hard to suppress came flooding back. Was it because of the soju she’d had after so long? She felt flushed and feverish.

As she frantically fanned herself to cool down, they had already arrived in front of her house.

When they reached So Yi’s house, Si Heon sent Jang Woo on an errand. He told him to go to the convenience store and buy hangover drinks.

As soon as Jang Woo got out of the car, Si Heon spoke.

“Don’t meet for a month.”

“What? You mean Baek Do Hun?”

“Or are you saying not to meet me?”

“No… he’s just a friend…”

“Didn’t you check and sign the contract?”

His voice was calm, but the end of his words was sharp.

“I did check. It said not to create scandals. But Do Hun and I are in a relationship where scandals could never happen.”

So Yi laughed awkwardly, saying they’d known each other for 10 years and if anything was going to happen, it would have happened already.

“That’s your opinion. I’m talking about how people see things.”

But Si Heon was adamant.

“Then is it okay if we meet in groups?”

“No.”

“Why not!?”

“Scandals can happen even in group gatherings.”

Not being able to meet in groups means she can’t attend gatherings with friends for a whole month.

She wanted to argue more, but Si Heon’s coldly settled expression just made her shoulders droop helplessly.

Si Heon’s forehead wrinkled at the sound of So Yi’s big sigh of disappointment.

If she couldn’t understand even this small clause, what was she thinking when she signed the contract?

Si Heon slightly furrowed his brow, as if annoyed by the sound of So Yi’s sigh.

“So Yi.”

“Yes…?”

“I need rumors that I’m dating you right now. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if rumors spread that I’m seeing a woman who shows an easy side to just any man?”

A woman who shows an easy side to just any man. So Yi felt her heart drop to the floor.

Si Heon’s lips were curved upwards, but it didn’t look like he was smiling. He was coldly pointing out the contract terms right now.

Even so, to call her a woman who shows an easy side. Thinking the words were a bit harsh, So Yi’s hands gripping her bag tightened.

“Meet lots of men after the contract ends. Right now, you’re dating me, aren’t you?”

Unlike his gentle voice, the meaning behind his words was unsparing.

She felt a bit upset, but couldn’t argue back. What he said wasn’t wrong.

After all, a contract is a contract.

From his perspective, I had essentially drunk with another man while dating him, so he had reason to be displeased.

So Yi swallowed dryly as she grasped and sorted out the situation, then sat up straight again.

There was nothing between her and Do Hun, but she slowly opened her mouth to say that she wouldn’t meet him for a month as agreed in the contract.

“CEO. First of all… We’re not the kind of relationship you think. If you misunderstood…”

“So Yi. Is what I’m saying difficult? I’m not interested in what kind of relationship you have with Baek Do Hun. I’m just asking you to follow the terms of the contract you signed with your own hand, right now.”

Si Heon’s voice carried even more force. His furrowed brow held annoyance. So Yi blinked her large eyes, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Be a little more careful.”

A hint of irritation was also mixed in his gaze that had turned cold. Her mind snapped to attention. It felt like she had made a terribly big mistake. Cold sweat ran down her back.

So Yi’s pupils trembled endlessly at his appearance, coldly pointing out the positions of employer and employee.

Si Heon, who had let out a short sigh tinged with irritation, picked up an elegant shopping bag placed beside him.

“And this is a gift, so…”

“Ah… it’s okay. You don’t have to give me things like this.”

Si Heon tried to take something out and hand it over, but So Yi hastily cut him off.

She couldn’t accept a gift in this situation. Since this wasn’t a relationship where she had expected anything from him in the first place, she didn’t want to receive gifts.

As she was about to unfasten her seatbelt to get out of the car, Si Heon’s heavy voice coldly struck her ear.

“I bought it for you to wear when you go to the alumni gathering tomorrow.”

In that moment, So Yi’s neck up to the top of her head flushed red. No thoughts came to mind. Her head was filled only with the instinct to run away.

So Yi quickly snatched the shopping bag and hurriedly got out of the car. Her reddened face felt like it was about to burst. Without even opening her umbrella, she quickly headed home, roughly shielding her head with her hand.

“Huh? You’re not taking this…”

Jang Woo muttered as he watched So Yi, who had only bowed her head in greeting, head home without looking back.

Meanwhile, he could see that the back of So Yi’s neck up to her earlobes were flushed red.

“What’s this. What did you two do in the car to make her face so flushed like that?”

Jang Woo, who had been blankly staring at So Yi’s back, grinned as he opened the driver’s side door.

“Elder brother, here’s the hangover drink.”

“Forget it. When have you ever seen me drink that stuff?”

“Then why did you tell me to buy it…”

“I was going to give it to my girlfriend. But now I don’t need a girlfriend anymore.”

Click. Jang Woo, who was about to fasten his seatbelt and start the car, looked in the rearview mirror with an expression that said “What do you mean by that?”

Si Heon, who was looking at his phone with an indifferent expression, muttered softly.

“Because I sobered her up completely.”

Though he spoke with a dry expression without a hint of a smile, Jang Woo let out another fake cough.

Jang Woo, who was looking at Si Heon with a pleased expression, started the car while suppressing a smile at the corners of his mouth.

[This is the timeline separator]

So Yi returned home and threw the shopping bag onto the bed with a huff. Her face felt like it was about to burst.

She felt incredibly embarrassed about unintentionally violating the contract and trying to make clumsy excuses.

“Even so… that was too harsh.”

The hurt feelings were entirely her own. After all, it was true that violating the contract could have disrupted the CEO’s plans.

That’s right… Why did I rashly agree to this kind of contract in the first place?

“Ah… I’m really such a fool.”

It wasn’t difficult to face reality. Her face just kept flushing from the waves of embarrassment washing over her.

So Yi buried her face in her hands and collapsed face-down onto the bed.

The image of herself boldly refusing the gift just moments ago flashed through her mind again. She felt like she would go crazy from the embarrassment.

Why did I assume without a doubt that it was a gift bought for me?

His voice saying it was bought for her to wear to tomorrow’s gathering echoed in her ears again.

“I really need to get my act together. I guess I was subconsciously thinking I’d be in a somewhat close relationship with the CEO.”

As she muttered to herself with a dazed expression, her phone vibrated.