Led by Jae Ha, I got into the car, and by the time I came to my senses, we had already entered his house.

“Stay seated. I’ll get you something to drink.”

I sat on the sofa, watching him disappear into the kitchen.

His house, unlike my honeymoon house with its shattered phone screen and messy living room, was well organized.

The belated realization that Ji Han could no longer come here brought a wave of relief.

From the dining room, I could see Jae Ha taking out a bottle of water and gulping it down.

Despite being seated in the living room, I could hear Jae Ha’s deep sighs from the distant kitchen.

Jae Ha, too, must have been shocked, his poor finger throbbing.

There was nothing I could say, even if he blamed me.

From the beginning, Jae Ha had warned me to be careful.

“Drink this.”

Quite some time had passed when Jae Ha approached.

He set down a cup in front of me, warm steam rising from it.

“It’s warm milk. I didn’t prepare anything else you could drink.”

“That’s okay. Milk is enough.”

Picking up the warm cup of milk, the warmth touching my fingertips seemed to calm my heart.

Despite plenty of empty space around, Jae Ha was standing at a distance from me.

“There’s plenty of room here, why stand so far away? Please sit.”

I asked, thinking that he would stand uncomfortably and watch me until I finished my drink.

After a moment’s hesitation at my question, he dragged a chair from the side and sat down next to me.

“Thank you. I have a lot to thank you for, Jae Ha…”

As I continued, the suddenly threatening image of Ji Han came to mind, and my voice choked off.

Usually, I would have endured it, but today, my anger surged against Ji Han’s overstepping behavior.

As soon as I faced Director Kim, I realized I was in an unfavorable situation.

Moreover, I was alone with Ji Han in that huge house.

Although Ji Han’s provocation was there, the fact that I couldn’t deal with it rationally distressed me, and I covered my face.

Strangely, I felt increasingly impatient about revenge.

‘Why am I like this… I can’t control myself.’

Knowing that revenge wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight, I still couldn’t handle it calmly.

I should have anticipated that something like today could happen, but I didn’t.

‘It doesn’t feel like me…’

I was unfamiliar even to myself, I wondered how I would appear to Jae Ha, like a woman crazed with revenge.

I sighed softly.

“Today, I am especially grateful. Ah… If I think about it without Jae Ha, it’s horrifying.”

“……”

“I was really creeped out by the violence of that stranger.”

Thinking about what could have happened to me if he was even a little late made me dizzy.

I violently shook my head to escape the horrifying imaginations flooding my mind.

“Let’s stop talking about that.”

He hurriedly stopped me.

“……?”

“It’s not your fault. The more you think about it… No, let’s stop talking about this today.”

Despite saying it wasn’t my fault, Jae Ha wore a complicated expression.

His cold gaze, unlike his usual one, made my heart sink.

Today, Jae Ha felt strange and unfamiliar.

“Jae Ha… I…”

As I called him, our eyes met for a moment, but he quickly avoided my gaze.

“When you finish that, go wash up. You know where the bathroom is, right?”

“……”

“It’s because I can’t talk to you right now.”

He wiped his face as if it was uncomfortable to sit facing me, then rose from his seat.

“Rest.”

Jae Ha, who left those words, disappeared into his room.

As I shook my wet hair and came out, I saw an empty living room.

While I finished my shower, I organized the thoughts that continuously flooded my mind.

‘Was today’s incident bothersome? Or was it because I sent the knight off on my own?’

Whatever it was, it was clear that Jae Ha had changed because of me.

I wondered if he needed time, like he said, but I felt stifled.

If I didn’t talk, I felt as if my nerves would be focused on Jae Ha all night long.

I couldn’t spend the night feeling so uncomfortable, so I took a step.

Knock knock.

I approached his firmly closed room and knocked lightly.

Jae Ha must have heard the knock, but there was no response.

“I’m coming in.”

After hesitating at the door, I gently opened Jae Ha’s room.

As I stepped into the room, I saw the pitchblack night sky spread out beyond the large glass window directly in front.

And on the large bed in front of the window, Jae Ha was lying down, covering his eyes with his arm.

A considerable number of his shirt buttons were undone, as if he had tried to change clothes.

I approached quietly so as not to wake him up.

“Are you asleep?”

Despite my question of whether he was sleeping, only his faint breathing could be heard.

I considered leaving seeing him asleep, but instead, I sat down next to the bed.

His tangled black hair on his forehead was visible, and I reached out unknowingly.

‘You must have been tired.’

As I swept his disheveled hair, his neat forehead was revealed.

It was the moment when I thought I should talk to him tomorrow and was about to get up from my place.

‘Ah!’