“Ye Rin, you’re late.”

The man smiling brightly at her was her ex-boyfriend Hee Jun.

The man who fell for her while knowing she was his friend Seo Yun.

She thought she would never see him again, so why was he waiting in front of the villa where she lived?

As he was someone she didn’t want to talk to again, Ye Rin bit her lip and took a step back.

However, as much as Ye Rin distanced herself, Hee Jun closed the gap by striding forward.

“Why that face? Weren’t you waiting for me?”

“What?”

Ye Rin slightly frowned at Hee Jun’s absurd words.

But as if he didn’t care, Hee Jun laughed boisterously.

“Well. You’re not the type to show that you missed me anyway.”

She couldn’t understand what he was saying at all.

When he had ended things with just a text message, why had he come looking for her now? Just as she was wondering about the reason.

A surprising name flowed from his lips.

“I heard from Seo Yun.”

“Kwak Seo Yun?”

“Yeah.”

As Seo Yun’s name came from Hee Jun, an ominous feeling began to arise.

“What did she say?”

“That you missed me a lot.”

“……”

“That you’re struggling, drinking every night.”

She was so dumbfounded that she was at a loss for words.

“Ah, so that time, was that on purpose to see me?”

Hee Jun snapped his fingers and grinned, pulling up the corners of his mouth.

“When we met at the restaurant before. You acted like you were very close with Director Cha I Hyun.”

“That was……”

Without giving Ye Rin a chance to speak, Hee Jun poured out his words.

“You did that to make me jealous, right?”

“Elder brother, I think you’re seriously misunderstanding, it’s not like that.”

Feeling that this ridiculous misunderstanding would continue if she didn’t speak firmly, Ye Rin hurriedly spat out her words.

“Missing you while thinking of you.”

Even as she said it herself, she was so dumbfounded that a sigh escaped at the same time.

“We’re already over.”

“We can start again if you want.”

She didn’t know what made him act so brazenly, but Ye Rin now refused to have any more conversation with Hee Jun.

“I don’t want to.”

“What?”

Seeing Ye Rin clearly express her refusal, Hee Jun furrowed his brow.

“You and Seo Yun get along quite well. In many ways.”

When sending the breakup text, Hee Jun had said such unnecessary things.

Hee Jun waved his hand and started making excuses.

“I thought so then, but it wasn’t true. She turned out to be nothing special? The one I want to meet again is you, Ye Rin.”

She understood that Seo Yun had said unnecessary things in between, and Hee Jun had come looking for her after hearing that, but there was something she didn’t understand.

Clearly, Hee Jun had acted as if he would never date her again and disappeared.

So it meant he wasn’t the type to come looking for her and ask to start over just because he heard she still had lingering feelings.

As if knowing that Ye Rin was curious about this, Hee Jun gently grabbed her forearm and spoke.

“Since the last time, after meeting you at the restaurant, your image keeps appearing in my dreams.”

“What?”

“I think I missed you a lot in my heart. So please give me another chance……”

Before Hee Jun’s words could even finish.

Suddenly a black shadow covered Ye Rin and Hee Jun.

Then Hee Jun let out a short scream and jumped up and down.

“Ah, ah, it hurts!! Who are you!”

The man who suddenly appeared had sharply twisted Hee Jun’s wrist that was holding Ye Rin’s forearm.

Seeing the broad back like the Pacific Ocean, Ye Rin softly called his name.

“Mr. I Hyun.”

Then I Hyun’s coldly frozen expression melted like snow.

Catching that change, Hee Jun blurted out another word.

“Hey, let’s talk after you let go of this.”

Since Ye Rin was also looking at him desperately, I Hyun loosened his grip on Hee Jun’s arm, though he didn’t like it.

He just let go, but Hee Jun staggered for a moment, his legs weak from tension.

“Ye Rin, are you okay?”

I Hyun approached Ye Rin and worriedly gazed at the area of her arm that Hee Jun had grabbed earlier.

“Yes, I’m fine. But you came early?”

She had asked him to end the meeting quickly and come because she wanted to have dinner together.

But that was half serious, half joking, so Ye Rin widened her eyes in surprise, not expecting I Hyun to come to her so quickly.

“I wanted to see you.”

Hearing I Hyun’s affectionate words, not only Ye Rin but also Hee Jun standing blankly beside her had surprised expressions on their faces.

I Hyun’s words had become shorter.

Come to think of it, I Hyun always spoke casually to appear close whenever there were strangers around.

She didn’t dislike it.

No, rather she liked it.

It made her feel as if she had gotten closer to him, as much as his words had shortened.

And those short words he uttered were enough to create ripples in Ye Rin’s calm heart.

Soon, Ye Rin smiled brightly at I Hyun.

“Aw. I could have just waited for you at home.”

I Hyun tenderly whispered as he interlocked his fingers with Ye Rin’s.

Then he held out the plastic bag he was holding in one hand to her.

“Do you want to go up first with the lunchbox?”

“What about you?”

Then I Hyun’s cold gaze fell on the uninvited guest, Hee Jun.

“I’ll come up after sending this man away.”

Those words were so firm that there was nothing she could say.

Yes, it might be better for I Hyun to give Hee Jun a firm talking to.

Then she wouldn’t have to face such an awkward encounter if he came looking for her again in the future.

As Ye Rin slowly nodded, a desolate expression settled on Hee Jun’s face.

Before he could stop her, Ye Rin was already treating him like an invisible person.

“Mr. I Hyun, I’ll set up the lunchbox and wait.”

“Okay. I’ll be right there. Let’s have a delicious dinner together.”

From the outside, they looked quite like a couple.

Ye Rin looked at I Hyun’s handsome face for a long moment before turning her back.

The gazes of the two men clung persistently to Ye Rin’s back as she entered the villa.

Realizing that Hee Jun was staring intently at Ye Rin, I Hyun moved his body using his long legs.

Soon Hee Jun, whose view was blocked by the broad shoulders, looked up sharply to glare at I Hyun.

And not long after, he tensed up again at the cold gaze that seemed like it could freeze the person in front.

It was a chilly atmosphere completely different from when he was with Ye Rin.

“What were you doing in front of my girlfriend’s house?”

Due to meeting a stronger male than himself, the warning lights telling Hee Jun to stop and leave were going off inside him.

But he didn’t want to run away here, feeling like he would completely lose the chance to start over with Ye Rin if he did.

Hee Jun opened his eyes straight with stubbornness.

“I want to start over with Ye Rin.”

Hearing those bold words, I Hyun let out a chuckle.

“Interesting.”

“Pardon?”

“Listen carefully. I really hate repeating myself twice.”

Hee Jun’s mouth dried up as I Hyun stared at him with his dark eyes.

It was the first time someone made him so nervous just by staring at him.

“Han Ye Rin is dating me now.”

Hee Jun barely overcame the overwhelming tension in his body before opening his mouth.

“Aren’t you two in a casual relationship?”

At that foolish question, one corner of I Hyun’s lips curved up.

“If you’re just playing around with our Ye Rin while dating briefly, you should just break up now……”

As I Hyun took a step closer, the distance between the two men narrowed considerably.

Hee Jun swallowed hard and unknowingly took a step back in surprise.

“There’s too much that needs correcting.”

I Hyun let out a short sigh.

“A casual relationship? Who says so.”

“……”

“I’m very serious and sincere about Han Ye Rin.”

Hee Jun’s mouth fell open at those extremely serious words.

Before coming to find Ye Rin, he had already finished investigating I Hyun.

There was a lot of talk that although he was competing with his half-brother for succession of the Jiseok Group, I Hyun was much more capable in terms of work ability, so he was being mentioned as the next successor.

He judged that the reason such a man was dating the unremarkable Ye Rin was nothing other than casual fun.

But that wasn’t the case.

I Hyun frowned as he recalled the ridiculous words Hee Jun had said earlier.

“And you should know better than anyone that you have no right to call Ye Rin ‘ours’ with that word.”

“……”

“I think you understand by now.”

I Hyun tried to end the conversation, but Hee Jun clung to him pathetically.

“Director Cha I Hyun, you’re being deceived by the naive Han Ye Rin right now.”

“Is that so.”

An interested expression appeared on I Hyun’s face again at the mention of Ye Rin.

Seeing I Hyun’s reaction, Hee Jun gathered courage and added one more thing.

“Ye Rin, she still has a lot of lingering feelings for me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m saying she might be sticking with you because of your background or money. So……”

He was about to add that they should break up, but I Hyun suddenly burst out laughing heartily.

‘Why is he like that? I said it to offend him.’

What was there to laugh about like that?

I Hyun soon stared directly at Hee Jun.

“That’s fortunate. If my background and money can be good conditions to keep our Ye Rin.”

He was a crazy bastard who was happy rather than getting angry or upset.

“No, didn’t you hear what I said?”

“I heard you clearly. But I’m also curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“How are you so sure that our Ye Rin still has lingering feelings for you?”

Hee Jun pressed his lips together at the sharp point.

“Ye Rin isn’t the type to say such things directly.”

“……”

“Then it sounds like you heard some half-baked story somewhere and came to cause trouble.”

I Hyun sent an even colder gaze as if trying to read Hee Jun’s inner thoughts.

“Th-that’s not it. Just intuition. Yes, something like intuition.”

I Hyun let out an empty sigh as he watched Hee Jun ramble.

“Talking nonsense about intuition.”

Hee Jun’s breath caught at the coldly sunken gaze that seemed to know everything.