Her frame was so slender that one arm could easily embrace her with room to spare.

She looked delicate to the eye, but the sensation to the fingertips was even more fragile and delicate than appearances suggested.

A slim waist that seemed it would break if given the slightest pressure.

Hong Woo Geon stood frozen like a stone, holding her pulled close by that waist.

He felt unable to breathe, as if trapped in a transparent vacuum box.

It seemed as if everything before his eyes had come to a complete stop.

Even the flower petals falling from the sky and the wind brushing his forehead seemed to pause, watching the two of them.

He couldn’t do anything.

Instinctively, he grasped Kwon Jwa Woo as she swayed unsteadily.

But what should he do next?

His mind went blank, unable to think of anything.

The hand and arm holding Jwa Woo’s waist were stiff as if struck by lightning.

He was even afraid that if he moved a muscle, she would crumble away.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

Jwa Woo’s face right in front of him.

Just eyes, nose, and lips.

Features that everyone else had too.

Yet Hong Woo Geon couldn’t take his eyes off Jwa Woo’s face.

Had her blinking eyelashes always been this long?

Had the curve of that small, cute nose always been so graceful?

Had her lips always been that red?

As if encountering a whole new world, every aspect of Jwa Woo seemed unfamiliar and novel.

At the same time, he wanted to take in every unfamiliar detail with his eyes and imprint it in his mind.

Moreover, a desire arose.

He wanted to be the only one to know about her.

That she twitched her left eyebrow when blinking.

Hong Woo Geon wanted to be the only one to know that she wrinkled her nose bridge when something was uncomfortable, and had a habit of gently biting her lower lip in difficult situations.

This was a different thrill from what he felt in the library.

Back then it felt like embracing the Milky Way, but now it was like holding lightning in his grasp.

What should he do about this?

As Hong Woo Geon pondered, Jwa Woo’s voice reached his ears.

“What are you doing right now?”

Her gaze was fixed on Hong Woo Geon’s arm embracing her waist.

Lowering his own gaze, Hong Woo Geon replied.

“As you can see, I’m supporting you.”

He tried to sound nonchalant, but his voice was half-choked.

Ahem, he cleared his throat unnecessarily, trying to feign naturalness, but the attempt only made him seem more unnatural.

Imagining how he must look, Hong Woo Geon decided to stop this foolishness.

Pretending wasn’t important right now.

What mattered was solving the immediate problem at hand.

Especially…

“Don’t you think this is a bit excessive for mere support?”

Every time Jwa Woo spoke, the sweet scent of chrysanthemum wine along with the clear fragrance of pear blossoms tickled Hong Woo Geon’s nose.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Jwa Woo’s breath was languid.

Each time that languid breath touched him, a corner of Hong Woo Geon’s heart melted like spring snow.

As if afflicted with an inborn chronic condition, his heartbeat kept accelerating. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly to calm his rapid pulse.

How many times did he do this?

Finally, his mouth opened.

“I’m the type who puts his all into whatever he starts.”

He thought making a joke might release some of the tension from this situation.

“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll decline. I don’t want to be treated like someone who can’t even stand properly at this age.”

With these assertive words, Jwa Woo pushed away Hong Woo Geon’s arm encircling her waist.

It happened so quickly and suddenly.

Hong Woo Geon was momentarily bewildered.

This could have ended with such a simple action. Yet he had agonized so much. He couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

But he couldn’t let that laughter escape his lips.

Just as Hong Woo Geon was about to burst out laughing.

“I can walk on my own.”

Contrary to her firm words, Jwa Woo’s steps faltered.

In the end, she couldn’t walk more than a few steps before collapsing into a sitting position.

“Get up now.”

Jwa Woo remained seated, making no attempt to stand.

Growing impatient, Hong Woo Geon urged her.

Her response was unexpected.

“My legs seem to be numb.”

“They were fine just a moment ago.”

“They could have gone numb just now, couldn’t they?”

“Stop talking nonsense and get up quickly.”

At Hong Woo Geon’s words, Jwa Woo tried to stand, pressing her feet against the ground.

For an instant.

“Nngh.”

A pained sound involuntarily escaped her lips.

“It’s not numbness, it seems to be a cramp.”

“Shall I help?”

“How?”

“If I massage the cramped leg like this…”

Hong Woo Geon reached out to touch Jwa Woo’s leg.

In that moment, Jwa Woo raised both hands to wave him off.

“It’s fine. It will go away if I sit for a while.”

“It doesn’t look like it will pass easily to me.”

“Then what should we do?”

Jwa Woo lifted her head to look up at Hong Woo Geon.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, her eyelids seemed unusually heavy.

She looked as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

Watching from beside her, Hong Woo Geon let out a long sigh.

“You’re quite high-maintenance, aren’t you?”

Hong Woo Geon sat down with his back to Jwa Woo.

It was an invitation for her to climb on his back.

“Oh no, that’s out of the question. How could a woman ride on the back of an unfamiliar man?”

“Am I still unfamiliar to you?”

“Not exactly, but still…”

“I’m not just a man, I’m your comrade.”

“Comrade?”

“Yes, comrade.”

These words were meant to persuade Jwa Woo, but they were also Hong Woo Geon’s words to himself.

Surely, these feelings for this woman must have arisen because they were comrades.

Yes, this was more like ‘camaraderie’ than ‘love’.

There was no other way to understand these feelings.

“Well, if we’re comrades… I’ll be rude for a moment.”

It seemed the word ‘comrade’ had worked on Jwa Woo as it had on himself.

She moved closer behind his back, as if to climb on.

She was always upright.

Since her parents passed away, Jwa Woo had always been neat and upright.

Fearing that even a small mistake might bring shame to her departed parents, she had lived without a single moment of laxity.

Even while playing the role of the “Myeongnyebang Hwasobja”, her principles remained unchanged. She never walked a path that was not righteous, nor did she act in any way that was not just.

Thus, she was always tense.

She never stopped checking and disciplining herself, afraid of making even the slightest mistake unconsciously. As a result, she always served as a model for noble young ladies.

Women of poor conduct were told countless times to learn from Kwon Jwa Woo, the daughter of the late Minister Kwon.

Jwa Woo didn’t relax even when sleeping. Whether eating or drinking, she never let out even a single careless breath.

But she was changing.

Ever since meeting this man, Hong Woo Geon.

He appeared out of nowhere and urged Jwa Woo to engage in what could only be called deviations.

Making her take the state examination, which she had never even dared to imagine before. Forcing her to play the role of a secret royal inspector’s wife, something completely foreign to her fate.

In just a few days, she had committed more deviations than in her entire lifetime.

Yet strangely, her heart felt increasingly at ease. She felt more relieved than when she had lived as a woman, practicing womanly virtues. It was as if she had been freed from invisible shackles.

Was that why she had eagerly accepted the wine cup offered by Hong Woo Geon?

Somehow, it felt like it would be okay to let her guard down a little in front of this man.

No, the fact that she had already shown him sides of herself that shouldn’t have been seen played a big part too.

In any case, it seemed that in front of this man, it didn’t matter if she acted as herself rather than as Kwon Jwa Woo, the exemplary woman praised by all.

It was comfortable.

Even if she showed a slightly broken side of herself, it felt like Hong Woo Geon would gladly accept it with a smile.

So she drank the wine she couldn’t normally handle. With just one sweet cup, her mind tingled and waves seemed to surge inside her head. This unfamiliar sensation wasn’t unpleasant.

So she drank one more cup. Her tingling body warmed up, and the surging waves in her head now felt as refreshing as flying over a vast plain.

So this is what wine is like. It makes one’s mood soar endlessly and the whole body languid. So she asked for more wine.

One more cup, one more cup, one more cup…

Around the fifth cup, it felt as if all strength was draining from her body. With each blink of her eyes, the scene before her became increasingly blurry.

Thinking it was time to go in and rest, she stood up from her seat. At that moment, the world spun like a top. Suddenly everything went dark and she couldn’t maintain her balance.

When she regained her senses, she saw Hong Woo Geon’s hand wrapped around her waist.

Men and women should not sit together after the age of seven.

This was the first phrase that came to mind. But she was too drunk to act on it. Her body wouldn’t move according to Jwa Woo’s will.

Moreover, her heart…

Strangely, she wanted to lean her whole body against Hong Woo Geon’s supporting arm. She wanted to act spoiled with him in a way she had never done even with her father.

The moment she saw Hong Woo Geon’s face right in front of her.

Her mouth watered.

Hong Woo Geon’s cool breath felt like summer green grapes. A sweet and chilling sensation filled her mouth, like biting into a green grape and bursting its juice with a crunch.

Her heart pounded.

Why am I like this? Why is my heart racing at the sight of this man who pushes me into such predicaments?

Jwa Woo was flustered by these inexplicable emotions. Not wanting to reveal her bewildered feelings, she pushed Hong Woo Geon away. And tried to go to her lodgings on her own feet.

But these damn legs wouldn’t listen. After taking just a few steps, she collapsed right back down. As she tried to stand again, a tingling sensation shot from her calves to her thighs. She had been so tense while facing Hong Woo Geon that her legs had cramped up.

She firmly refused Hong Woo Geon’s offer to help. Just his touch alone had affected her this much, if he were to properly touch her skin to relieve the cramp…

The mere thought made her head spin.

If I just rest like this for a bit, it’ll be fine.

Just a little bit… No, in truth, she was thinking it would be nice if someone could take her to her lodgings.

And then suddenly, Hong Woo Geon’s broad back appeared before her eyes.