Do Joon satisfied his selfish desire by offering to stop Tae Yeon’s hiccups.

He was intoxicated by the taste of her sweet lips, which he had been longing for to the point of exhaustion.

‘How can even her breath be as sweet as cotton candy?’

There wasn’t a single unattractive aspect about her.

Not only her outward appearance, but even the parts he hadn’t known before seemed perfect.

Do Joon continued kissing her while barely suppressing his ever-growing desire.

As he embraced Tae Yeon, the first aid kit that was placed on the edge of the bed fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

“Um…”

When Tae Yeon reacted to the sound, Do Joon gently stroked her hair.

“We can pick it up later.”

It didn’t matter where or how the first aid kit had fallen; that wasn’t important right now.

Feeling Do Joon’s gentle touch, Tae Yeon focused once again on their kiss.

Her toes kept curling at the unfamiliar sensation she had never experienced before.

As Tae Yeon kept moving her body, Do Joon reluctantly pulled away from her lips.

“Jin Tae Yeon.”

She felt like she could be swallowed up by the intense gaze looking down at her.

“If you keep stimulating me like that, something serious might happen.”

“What?”

Do Joon exhaled deeply.

It seemed they should stop here for today.

She was already always nervous when he approached her, and if he couldn’t control his desire, who knows how much more surprised she’d be.

Do Joon sat up with a regretful expression.

Seeing this, Tae Yeon also straightened her disheveled hair and leaned against the headboard.

Her body, which had been pressed against Do Joon’s, was still hot.

The dress that had been neat until she returned home was now completely crumpled, and her skirt had risen up, revealing her thighs.

Do Joon quickly turned his head away as he watched Tae Yeon try to pull down her skirt.

It was maddening.

Faced with her fair skin, the beast within him was in a frenzy, wanting to break free.

Do Joon hurriedly picked up the shirt he had thrown on the floor and moved to leave.

“Do Joon!”

He turned around at Tae Yeon’s call.

“The wound on your back looks deep. Can I take a look?”

Do Joon chuckled softly.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“What?”

Do Joon slowly ran his tongue over his lower lip as he approached Tae Yeon again.

The distance between them narrowed instantly as he bent down.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re intentionally trying to provoke me.”

“Oh, did I accidentally touch your back earlier?”

Do Joon raised the corner of his mouth amusedly at her innocent question.

It was both frustrating and pleasing that he kept reacting this way to her unintended seduction.

“I’ll take a shower and come out. Can you apply the ointment then?”

“Of course.”

After all, there would be no point in applying the ointment now if he was going to shower.

As Tae Yeon smiled brightly, Do Joon slowly stood up, as if reluctant to leave.

It seemed he was thoroughly addicted.

To that bright smile directed at him.

“Go shower quickly.”

Tae Yeon tucked her hair behind her ear and spoke in a graceful voice.

It seemed he was in big trouble.

Those pretty lips that always said exactly what he wanted to hear were so tempting.

Do Joon left the master bedroom, desperately suppressing his instincts with reason.

Even though he turned on ice-cold water that chilled his entire body, the heat coursing through him refused to subside.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep at all tonight.”

It was only after singing the national anthem several times that he was able to leave the bathroom in a calm state.

[This is the timeline separator]

While Do Joon was showering, Tae Yeon also quickly finished her shower.

Then she refilled the first aid kit that had fallen off the bed earlier.

“Should I wait here?”

Looking at the bed, she was reminded of what she had done with Do Joon earlier. Tae Yeon tightly shut her eyes.

“That was just treatment earlier.”

She tried to brainwash herself, even though she knew it wasn’t true.

Hoping that these strange, impossible feelings would disappear.

But it was no use.

Lately, her heart fluttered just from seeing Do Joon’s face.

And on days when he came close like earlier, her heart reacted so violently she thought it might burst.

“Why am I like this?”

It was a feeling she had never experienced, even as a teenage girl.

Moreover, it was even more confusing because it was an emotion she shouldn’t harbor towards Do Joon, who had married her for political reasons.

Yet, on the other hand, she was secretly hopeful.

She wondered if Do Joon also felt this nervous when he was with her.

“Why isn’t he coming out?”

She waited for Do Joon in the living room for a long time, but he didn’t appear.

She wanted to apply the ointment quickly, but Do Joon’s shower was taking much longer than usual.

Just then.

Tae Yeon’s phone, which she had left on the living room table, rang.

The caller was President Jin.

“Ah…”

She had completely forgotten about Hye Sook’s visit earlier while she was with Do Joon.

“How strange.”

Hye Sook and President Jin had always been very significant figures in Tae Yeon’s life.

They were parents she hated but couldn’t distance herself from.

So on days when she received harsh words from them, she would be in a bad mood all day.

She had been scolded countless times by Hye Sook, who had a habit of using her hands, under the guise of discipline.

She had expected today to be the same and stayed still.

She really didn’t expect Do Joon to suddenly appear.

When she faced him, her anxious feelings disappeared in an instant.

Normally, she would have remained depressed even after coming home.

But not today.

Even her persistently ringing phone had fallen silent again.

It felt like a dream.

In the past, she would have quickly answered President Jin’s call.

She had been a good daughter who tried not to upset them.

But not lately. Not answering President Jin’s call today was her own small act of rebellion.

This was all thanks to Do Joon.

She felt calm, like someone with a strong backing.

“I must thank him when he comes out.”

Determined to return as much as she had received from Do Joon, Tae Yeon leaned back on the sofa, clutching the ointment tightly in her hand.

Her body was very tired after being tense all day and then showering.

“I need to… apply the medicine…”

With that, Tae Yeon fell asleep.

[This is the timeline separator]

After showering, Do Joon found Tae Yeon asleep, clutching the ointment in her hands as if it were a precious object.

A smile spread across his face as soon as he saw her.

“Jin Tae Yeon, why are you sleeping so uncomfortably here instead of waiting in bed?”

Even when Do Joon approached and spoke to her, Tae Yeon didn’t move.

“Let go of this.”

When Do Joon tried to take the ointment, Tae Yeon clutched it tightly and pulled it towards herself.

“Ha.”

Do Joon bit his lip, finding her behavior incredibly cute.

Lately, his heart kept fluttering whenever he looked at Tae Yeon.

Do Joon sat down next to her. And he stared intently at her clear face as she slept.

“There’s one thing I regret.”

“…”

“I shouldn’t have gone to America.”

He wanted to say it even though he knew there was no one listening.

If he could go back in time and choose again, he would never go to America after getting married.

No, if he had to go, he thought he should have taken Tae Yeon with him.

“What’s the use of regret? It’s not like I’ll be given another chance.”

He found himself quite ridiculous for thinking this way.

Above all, what surprised him most about himself was that at some point, Tae Yeon had become a priority over work.

KK Group had always been the top priority in Do Joon’s life.

His life’s goal was to ensure that KK Group maintained its position at the top.

The priorities of his life, which he thought would never change, had been overturned in an instant.

All because of this woman sleeping peacefully before him.

“Even now, I’ll do my best for you.”

As Do Joon watched Tae Yeon’s face, he recalled the conversation he had heard at the company today.

“Even after raising them so well, they don’t even know how to be grateful.”

“Who was it that brought the insignificant Cha Shin Dairy to where it is now? How can they judge such a person like that?”

There was something odd about what Hye Sook had said.

Especially her mention of Cha Shin Dairy had piqued Do Joon’s interest.

Do Joon took out his phone, worried about waking Tae Yeon, and sent a message to Secretary Choi.

[Secretary Choi, investigate Cha Shin Dairy thoroughly from its founding and report back.]

There were countless missed calls from President Jin as well, but Do Joon didn’t bother with them.

Do Joon slowly lifted Tae Yeon with both arms.

And as he headed to the bedroom, he murmured.

“If you had been hit by that bag…”

He didn’t want to imagine it.

How could anyone inflict such indiscriminate violence on this fragile woman who fit so perfectly in his arms?

Do Joon laid Tae Yeon on the bed and turned off the lights.

As darkness fell in the bedroom, Tae Yeon, who had been pretending to sleep, slowly opened her eyes.

‘What exactly did I hear?’

Do Joon regretted going straight to America on business.

‘Could it be because of me?’

It might not be, but Tae Yeon’s heart was racing again of its own accord.

[This is the timeline separator]

Due to the significantly increased temperature, the KK Foods office was running the air conditioning at full blast.

Unfortunately, the air conditioning was blowing strongest right above Tae Yeon’s desk, so she put on a cardigan.

She felt chilly and thought she might be coming down with a cold.

Tae Yeon stood up from her seat to get some warm water.

At that moment, Si Rak approached her and reached out his hand.

“Jin, you’re done, right?”

“Pardon?”

“The report I instructed you to do yesterday.”

Si Rak was asking for it as if he had entrusted it to her.

Tae Yeon straightened her back and spoke in a graceful voice.

“Manager Cha.”

“Yes, Jin. I need to report to the director now. So hurry up and give it to me.”

“Why are you coming to me to look for your report?”

“What did you say?”

Si Rak’s face suddenly crumpled.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t do it?”

“I believe I told you clearly yesterday. I’m already overloaded with work because of the new konjac rice product project.”

“Ha. Hey!”

Si Rak stomped his foot on the floor in front of Tae Yeon, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Unable to contain his anger, he raised his voice and pointed his finger at Tae Yeon.

“You’re already working overtime, what’s wrong with working one more hour!”

Si Rak was scolding Tae Yeon as if she had neglected a task she was supposed to do.

“You think you can treat people like this because I’ve been lenient? I need to take this to the director right now, what are you going to do?”

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous in this intimidating atmosphere.

Just as Si Rak was shouting at Tae Yeon.

The sound of footsteps was heard, then stopped behind Tae Yeon.

A very familiar scent tickled Tae Yeon’s nose. Strangely, smelling that scent made her feel at ease.

“Manager Cha Si Rak.”

Do Joon’s voice, which had always been kind to her, was now ice-cold.

“I think I just heard something outrageous.”