“Good work. Starting next week, we’ll go straight into testing, and next month we must implement the beta version without fail.”

The installation of HiTech’s computer system continued until late at night.

“You’ll stop by the company dinner for a moment, right?”

Jang Woo asked as they were leaving the company.

“The dinner isn’t over yet?”

Si Heon raised his wrist to look at his watch. It’s already past 9 o’clock and they’re still having dinner. A faint look of perplexity clouded his expression.

“Yes, I just got a call asking when you’d be coming. It seems everyone is waiting to see your face before leaving, sir.”

Waiting, huh. Si Heon scratched his forehead with the tip of his thumb.

“I’ll stop by briefly. It’s not like you have anywhere else to go anyway.”

Unaware of his feelings, Jang Woo took the lead. The reason why the IT team members had been watching the entire installation process became clear.

He had avoided work thinking he should keep his distance for a while, but to think the dinner wasn’t over yet.

Surely Jin So Yi would have been drinking too, and he couldn’t just leave his girlfriend who had been drinking. If he went to the dinner, he’d have to take So Yi home, so he had postponed attending.

He had already handed over his card to the team leader, but Jang Woo was persistent.

“Work ran a bit late, so I’m late in attending.”

As if they had really been waiting just for Si Heon’s arrival, all the employees’ gazes converged on him at once. Si Heon gave a brief greeting, told them to continue enjoying the dinner, and turned to leave.

“Then take care on your way home, sir.”

The team leader followed, saying he would see Si Heon off.

“By the way… where is Jin So Yi?”

“She drank quite a bit, so she left a little while ago saying she was going home first.”

Si Heon’s expression twisted at the team leader’s report. He glanced around the restaurant briefly, but no matter how he looked, So Yi was nowhere to be seen.

“I see.”

He was more concerned about the mention of her drinking a lot than about her leaving first. Si Heon left the restaurant and immediately called So Yi.

After several rings, So Yi answered the phone.

– Yes, sir.

A clear, bright voice.

– I drank a bit too much, so I left early.

His heart trembled at her gentle yet distinct pronunciation.

“Wait.”

Si Heon’s voice, deliberately composed to sound calm, came through the receiver.

“I’ll take you home.”

After ending the brief call, Si Heon headed straight for So Yi. His resolve to keep his distance for a while had already been thrown aside somewhere.

“Do you usually drink this much?”

Si Heon, driving slowly, opened his mouth in a low, subdued voice.

“No.”

So Yi answered, fidgeting with her hands folded on her lap. If this was how it would be, why on earth did he offer to take her home?

“Even when you do drink, I wish you’d check your own limit while drinking.”

His voice remained dry, no different from yesterday.

“I didn’t drink because I wanted to. I had no choice.”

Perhaps because she was drunk, her answer came out immediately.

“And yes, I’m a bit tipsy, but not to the point where I’m blacking out.”

Unlike usual, there was no hesitation. In fact, she felt a bit wronged.

It’s not like I drank because I wanted to. She wanted to refuse several times, but Jung Hoon was persistent. Calling her the future madam, half-teasingly, he kept filling So Yi’s glass.

Si Heon’s eyebrow twitched slightly at her words about having no choice, but So Yi didn’t notice.

“But sir, there’s something I want to ask you.”

So Yi spoke up again as a suffocating silence continued.

“Are you still upset about me meeting my friend?”

Ever since she met Do Hun, Si Heon had been cold throughout. She felt she couldn’t go on like this.

“Or are you trying to keep your distance in case I fall for you and cling to you?”

She asked without hesitation, as if she had made up her mind.

“…What?”

“If that’s the case, you really don’t need to worry. As I told you before, my ideal type is someone like actor Choi Ji Wook.”

She clearly brought this up wanting to improve Si Heon’s mood, but for some reason, his expression hardened instead.

“I’ll be more careful and cautious from now on.”

So Yi turned her head and cast her gaze out the window. Her heart ached, but she felt relieved. Seeing how smoothly the words came out, I must be drunk after all, she thought.

Si Heon still gave no response. So Yi leaned her head back and let out a deep sigh.

Her head felt like it was spinning. She thought if she had drunk just a bit more, she might have blacked out. Still, she felt a bit proud of herself for desperately trying not to get drunk.

Whether it was because the tension was finally easing, or because of the heat from the car’s heater, the effects of alcohol she had been barely holding back started to surge. The scent of him filling the car kept making her mind waver.

This is why she had quickly left her seat before Si Heon arrived. Afraid that night would come to mind again.

That night.

The impulsive night in Venice. That hot, sweet, and thrilling night that remains in place no matter how much she tries to cut it out and empty it.

It becomes even clearer when she smells his scent up close like this. His warm embrace that held her, his gentle touch. His soft voice resonating. The electrifying breath.

The thudding heartbeat fills her ears at its own will. A corner of her heart ached. Her first unrequited love hurt more than she expected.

Why doesn’t he just leave me alone? Why did he offer to take me home? She swallowed what might have been a resentful murmur.

A quiet stillness continued without a single small noise. So Yi’s eyes slowly closed. Soon after, her head lost strength and drooped slightly to the side with a soft thud.

A fresh citrus scent wafted to Si Heon’s nose. So Yi’s breathing, as she slept with her head against the headrest, rasped softly into his ears.

Si Heon hurriedly wiped his mouth and tried to concentrate on driving.

He was clearly displeased. The fact that she had drunk beyond her limit. These days, there’s no way she would have been forced to drink at a company dinner, so she must have chosen to drink this much herself.

But So Yi’s answer made Si Heon’s head throb. She had no choice, she said. It felt like his thoughts came to a momentary halt.

Before he could even think about who might have forced her to drink, So Yi had continued speaking.

If that’s the case, you really don’t need to worry. As I told you before, my ideal type is someone like actor Choi Ji Wook.

His brow furrowed even though this was a fact he already knew. He should feel relieved and reassured, but why did his mood twist like this?

Emotions he couldn’t understand at all tangled up on their own. Meanwhile, So Yi, who had been chattering away, had already drifted off to sleep. Not knowing others’ feelings.

Without realizing how they got there, they arrived in front of So Yi’s house. He quietly gazed at So Yi, who was still sleeping soundly.

She must be quite drunk, as So Yi remained motionless with her dark eyes tightly shut.

Thinking about waking her, he reached his hand back. Considering letting her sleep a bit longer since tomorrow was Saturday anyway, he tried to grab a blanket.

With one hand on the steering wheel, as he was about to turn his body backwards, So Yi’s face, fair without makeup, came close to Si Heon’s nose.

Her breath is sweet. So Yi’s soft breathing sweetly brushed the tip of his nose. All his attention was captured by the gentle sound of her breathing.

His gaze was drawn to her delicate eyelashes, fluttering with each breath like petals laid gently. Then his eyes traced along her straight nose bridge to her small, plump lips.

Thick eyelashes and a clear, pure complexion. Lips that were neither too red nor too pale, but vividly plump like a ripe peach.

No matter how he looked, it was more elegant than provocative, yet strangely made his blood boil.

Especially those lips. Those small, soft-looking lips drive one crazy.

When she chewed on delicious food, when she exclaimed in admiration at the night view.

Thinking back now, his gaze had been completely stolen by those lips.

Whenever his eyes landed on those lips, even for a moment, his heart kept throbbing and he felt feverish.

Si Heon bit his own lip, suppressing the mad urge to reach out and touch them.

“Mmm…”

So Yi stirred and turned her head even more towards Si Heon.

With just one faint breath that sounded like a moan, his heart resonated as if ringing and his mind buzzed.

He simply couldn’t raise his body.

No, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

What on earth is it that captures one’s mind like this, to the point of driving him crazy?

Have I been very tired lately?

Or.

Could it be that I can’t forget that night?

The naturally connected train of thought tied itself into an absurd conclusion on its own.

Si Heon straightened his posture and let out an incredulous chuckle.

If he hadn’t had his own goals, she would have been just a one-night encounter. He had simply been more worked up than usual.

But just at the sight of her sleeping, breathing softly, the nape of his neck flushed hot. His head throbbed with emotions he had never experienced before.

As he barely regained his senses and reached out his hand again, So Yi opened her eyes.

“Mmm… huh? When did we arrive?”

She painfully pushed open her eyelids heavy with fatigue, then quickly straightened her posture.

“Thank you for giving me a ride.”

She even gave a polite greeting while tidying her disheveled hair.

“Go inside.”

With Si Heon’s brief farewell, So Yi got out of the car. Only a faint scent remained in her place.