Due to the person outside pounding on the door as if to break it, not only Ye Rin inside the house but also I Hyun’s brows gently furrowed.

Ye Rin pushed aside I Hyun standing in front of her and stood up.

“Is there someone scheduled to visit at this hour?”

It was late enough for I Hyun to speak like that.

Ye Rin hesitated to answer while gently biting her lip.

There was no one scheduled to visit, but there was exactly one person who might come so forcefully at this hour.

“Director, I’ll just go out for a moment.”

“You can’t.”

I Hyun shook his head while blocking Ye Rin’s path with his thick body.

“I’ll go out.”

“No!”

Ye Rin quickly grabbed I Hyun’s arm as he was about to open the door and go out immediately.

She could feel his firm muscles, but that wasn’t important right now.

“I need to go out.”

“It seems you know who it is.”

“I think my father has come.”

“Ah.”

At the mention of Ye Rin’s father coming, I Hyun gave a short reply and stepped aside.

“Director, even if you hear loud noises outside, please don’t come out.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If my father sees you and me together at this hour, I think he might misunderstand.”

Misunderstand.

Those two syllables caused wrinkles to form between I Hyun’s brows.

“I’ll send my father away quickly and come back, so if you just stay here quietly…”

Meanwhile.

There was still commotion outside.

“Han Ye Rin! I know you’re in there, so come out quickly!”

Just as Ye Rin was about to turn the doorknob to open it.

I Hyun’s low voice was heard from behind.

“Come back quickly.”

“…”

“Because I’ll miss you.”

As he said that, I Hyun made a mischievous face.

It was an expression that couldn’t be distinguished between sincerity and jest.

I Hyun smiled slightly, finding Ye Rin’s flustered and frozen state cute.

“It’s the first time I’ve been alone in someone else’s house, that’s why I said that.”

“Ah, yes.”

Belatedly realizing the true meaning of I Hyun’s words, Ye Rin bit her rolled lip.

She felt foolish for getting excited over a meaningless remark.

However, there was no time to continue talking with I Hyun here.

Ye Rin’s father Pyeong Hun outside was kicking the doorknob so hard it seemed he might break down the door at any moment.

Ding-a-ling-

As the door lock release sound was heard and Ye Rin appeared, Pyeong Hun, who had been raging, pointed his finger at Ye Rin with even more bulging veins.

“You’re always so slow!!”

Worried that I Hyun might hear this, Ye Rin quickly went outside and slammed the door shut.

She gripped the doorknob tightly as if it were her salvation and leaned against the door.

“Open the door! What are you doing?”

“Dad, let’s go talk over there.”

She wanted to have the conversation as far away from the door as possible.

Pyeong Hun’s voice was so loud that he continued shouting even as he followed behind Ye Rin.

“Your father came in person, and you won’t even offer me a drink?”

“You know how small my place is.”

“This is why raising a daughter is useless. Tsk.”

Ye Rin led Pyeong Hun to a corner of the rooftop.

It was a cramped space, so their conversation would likely still be audible to I Hyun, but there weren’t any other options.

“What brings you here so late at night?”

“Does a father need a reason to visit his daughter? Hah. This is why they say raising daughters is pointless.”

Pyeong Hun kept gesticulating with his hoarse voice.

The smell of alcohol permeated the air every time Pyeong Hun opened his mouth, as if he had already had a drink before coming.

“Dad, if you drink, who will take care of Mom…”

“Am I supposed to be taking care of a woman who’s practically dying now?”

“Dad!”

Thinking of her mother alone in the hospital room again today, Ye Rin’s eyes welled up with tears.

So she shouted and called out to Pyeong Hun, but immediately regretted it.

“What. It’s not my fault your mother is sick, so why should I be stuck in that hospital reeking of medicine?”

“Haa.”

Ye Rin pressed a hand to her forehead as her head began to throb.

“Did you come because you need pocket money?”

At the mention of pocket money, Pyeong Hun, who had been raging, grew quiet.

Then he squinted his eyes and opened his mouth wide.

“Heh heh. Well, it’s not like that was the only reason.”

Ye Rin let out a short sigh.

“Did you already spend all the living expenses I gave you last time?”

“Of course. How am I supposed to get by on that measly amount? I used to be quite successful in business, you know.”

Pyeong Hun was always like this.

Unable to escape his glorious past, he always lived in that swamp of memories.

Not knowing how it sickened the hearts of the family members beside him.

“This time I really have a great business idea.”

“…”

“If this works out, it’ll be nothing to move your mother back to a VIP room and have her called ‘madam’ again.”

As always, it was just talk of chasing unrealistic pipe dreams.

All the money she earned working at Jiseok Electronics went to Pyeong Hun’s pocket money and her mother’s hospital bills.

“Dad, when I get my next paycheck…”

“Am I supposed to starve to death until then?”

Before Ye Rin could finish speaking, Pyeong Hun raised his voice again and berated her.

“Don’t tell me you’re looking down on your father because the business failed?”

“No. How could I do that?”

Ye Rin felt wronged.

Before Pyeong Hun’s business failed, they had lived in a grand, spacious house without wanting for anything, but that wasn’t necessary.

She just thought that as long as her parents were happy, she would be fine too, so despite her salary not being much, she sent living expenses to Pyeong Hun every month.

“Do you know how much money it cost to raise you? Not knowing the grace of being raised, this is too much.”

Yes, the reason Pyeong Hun came to see Ye Rin today was for pocket money again.

“You think such a small amount is enough for your mother’s hospital bills and maintaining my dignity?”

“Dad, I really gave you the maximum I could.”

“A man, huh? When doing business, you need to meet people here and there, spend money freely. How many times do I have to tell you to think of this as an investment?”

Ye Rin was thinking of going inside to get her wallet.

At that moment.

A familiar warmth was felt from behind, and a low voice resonated across the rooftop.

“Ye Rin, it’s still cold outside. Why are you out here so long?”

Pyeong Hun was startled to see the man who suddenly appeared.

“Who are you?”

Ye Rin was also surprised by I Hyun looking down at her affectionately.

Seeing I Hyun standing tall in front of her, Pyeong Hun was completely intimidated by the overwhelming aura he gave off.

And for good reason – his height was nearly 190cm with shoulders as broad as the Pacific Ocean.

Even to Pyeong Hun, who was interested in clothes, the suit I Hyun was wearing was clearly luxury brand.

Not only his outward appearance, but everything else about him was extraordinary.

Pyeong Hun was completely flustered by his confident demeanor, speaking his mind without blinking an eye even in this chaotic situation.

Seeing I Hyun’s self-assured expression, as if it was only natural for him to be at the top of the food chain, Pyeong Hun took a step back.

“Who are you to be with our daughter at this late hour?”

I Hyun simply stared at Pyeong Hun silently with emotionless eyes.

His gaze was so cold that Pyeong Hun felt his whole body freeze as if he had entered a refrigerated truck.

“Ahem.”

Pyeong Hun cleared his throat.

“I am our Ye Rin’s father.”

“Yes, I heard your conversation well.”

Normally when one person introduces themselves, the other would also reveal who they are, but I Hyun stood there without blinking an eye.

Pyeong Hun narrowed his eyes and looked back and forth between I Hyun and Ye Rin.

Being together at home until this late hour meant they were close.

Pyeong Hun was very surprised, wondering if Ye Rin was dating such an impressive man.

However, trying to hide his surprise, he pretended not to know and asked.

“I asked who you are to be with our daughter.”

This was already the third time he had asked.

Pyeong Hun waited for the answer in a very tense state, worried about what if I Hyun ignored his question again.

“I am.”

I Hyun glanced at the frozen Ye Rin and then spoke without hesitation.

“Our Ye Rin’s boyfriend.”

“Boy… boyfriend?”

When the thought he had been dreading became reality, Pyeong Hun stuttered in surprise.

“Yes. Ye Rin’s boyfriend.”

Ye Rin was so shocked that she quickly tugged on I Hyun’s suit sleeve.

It was a signal to stop, but it seems to have been misdelivered to I Hyun.

I Hyun interlaced his fingers between Ye Rin’s as if encouraged.

“Um…”

The flustered Ye Rin tried her hardest to pull her hand away from I Hyun’s grasp, but it didn’t budge at all.

Pyeong Hun kept making strange exclamations as he looked at their clasped hands.

“Huh. Are you really saying you’re our Ye Rin’s boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

It was a short but powerful answer.

“Heh heh heh.”

Pyeong Hun had so many things he wanted to say right now.

He wanted to ask where on earth she had caught such an impressive guy, but that seemed like something he should ask Ye Rin when they were alone.

Although this man seemed to be from a well-off family, he didn’t want to be a father who gave permission so easily.

So he put on a stern expression and spoke in a harsh voice.

“Even so, were you two alone inside the house at this ungodly hour?”

“That’s right.”

“You should know well that visiting at this hour is inconsiderate.”

“Of course. Since someone who should know better is doing so, I came out here myself because I was displeased.”

“…”

Pyeong Hun tried to argue back but closed his mouth again.

I Hyun had clearly called him ‘President Han’.

It was a word he hadn’t heard since his business failed.

For some reason, the corners of his mouth kept twitching upwards.

He had long forgotten that I Hyun had mocked him.

“Heh heh heh. I just came because I was worried if our Ye Rin was doing well…”

“As you can see, she was doing very well with me.”

“Ahem. I see.”

“If you’ve confirmed everything, please go down carefully.”

I Hyun’s way of conversing was always like this.

He seemed to listen to the other person’s words, but the conclusion was always reached as he wanted.

If this was considered an ability, it was truly an outstanding one.

Before he knew it, I Hyun had already reached his own conclusion in the conversation with Pyeong Hun as well.

I Hyun squeezed Ye Rin’s hand and pulled as he spoke.

“Then we’ll be going to finish what we were doing.”

Ye Rin’s pupils trembled.