Yoo Jin embodied the protagonist of a crime drama, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of an interrogation room.

She meticulously questioned how they met Ki Yeon and what exactly happened that led them to start dating, and while listening to the not-so-short story, she showed a consistently hostile attitude, displaying her displeasure.

“Met at a club… Ha. So, what happened?”

Still, at first, she took a position of giving up. Though it didn’t last long.

“The Chinese restaurant I went to with you? You ran into him there too? What kind of crappy coincidence… You said you had a stomachache that day. Was that a lie too? Seriously!”

She snorted in disbelief, building up her anger gauge, but then.

“That bracelet… I thought so. I figured it wasn’t just a cheap trinket. But wait, is that guy unexpectedly normal in dating?”

She made a remark that could be either praise or criticism, exclaiming mischievously. But then, as if unable to hide her true feelings, she quickly returned to being cynical and badmouthed him.

“No matter what, it shouldn’t be Do Ki Yeon, right? Have you been listening to me badmouth Director Do all this time? I really don’t understand. Do you really like that selfish bastard?”

“He’s not a bastard. And yes, I do like him.”

At the firm, curt answer that left no room for argument, Yoo Jin wore a twisted smirk that seemed to be somewhere between disgust and discomfort.

Shaking her head helplessly like someone facing a problem with no solution, she spewed out caustic words.

“You’ve really lost your mind. That person is an executive at elder sister’s company, aren’t you uncomfortable with that? You might not care now since you’re in the honeymoon phase. But what if you break up later? The parties involved might not care, but what about me stuck in the middle? Have you thought about it from my perspective?”

Yoo In maintained a rough silence.

From her elder sister’s standpoint, it could be awkward and troublesome. Yoo In was aware of that aspect too. Considering it rationally, she understood all the concerns.

She had never taken this relationship lightly or casually. As Ki Yeon had once advised, you can’t know the outcome without trying, and you can’t know the result until you reach it – she was experiencing this advice firsthand.

Simply put, while she had endlessly considered the end before starting, she hadn’t thought about it since beginning their relationship.

“And among the things I haven’t properly told you about, there are many truly sordid rumors. With quite diverse topics too. Not only that, but at such a young age, he’s secured a core leadership position in Il Lang. Do you know what that means?”

“…”

“Even in this harsh society, you know what the entertainment industry is like. Someone who’s climbed to the top by clearing out everything in his way and getting rid of all obstacles. Do you think you can handle that cruel and vicious temperament?”

“…”

“I don’t know how well that terrible person treats you, and I don’t want to know either.”

Yoo Jin paused her breath for a moment and frowned as if she had bitten into a bitter candy. Her eyelashes fluttered unsteadily, hesitating over something.

Then, with a heavy sigh, she muttered softly but firmly.

“Think carefully. This is advice for your own good.”

At Yoo Jin’s low and serious tone, which could only be heard from someone close, Yoo In’s stiff defenses seemed to waver, casting a faint shadow over her expression.

However, her eyes remained straight and clear, and Yoo Jin met her younger sister’s gaze with mixed feelings.

The principle of not easily changing one’s mind once it’s made up was a habit shared by both sisters.

However, there are exceptions everywhere. Especially in relationships with people. What you like today, you might hate tomorrow, and love can turn to hatred in an instant. Moreover, the other party is someone who has people who’ve been through thick and thin under his feet.

“…Think carefully, Yoo In.”

Would the delicate and gentle younger sister, who had hidden herself away not wanting to be hurt by people anymore, be able to withstand that sudden and shocking change that couldn’t be avoided no matter how much she tried?

The two just silently gazed at each other’s similar faces, no longer bringing up any stories that could persuade the other.

****

“I never dreamed that Director Do would be interested in an innocent junior 8 years younger.”

A high-pitched voice tinged with chilling coldness precariously crawled along the rigid office walls. In the room where the air flow had turned desolately cold, only Yoo Jin and Ki Yeon were present.

Ki Yeon’s calmly composed dark eyes briefly observed Yoo Jin, who was sternly frozen, then he snorted and said.

“I didn’t know either, so how could you know?”

“And to my! Younger sister, of all people.”

“Right. I would have preferred if my girlfriend wasn’t Nam Yoo Jin’s sister too.”

The man’s figure, tilting his head arrogantly and smiling smugly, was entirely unsavory.

Though his tone seemed regretful, his posture that wasn’t matched it was a behavior Yoo Jin had always seen, but as the subject of the conversation was a sensitive matter, her nerves were on edge.

“This isn’t something to joke about. You don’t seem bored these days, so why are you dating?”

“What business is that of Nam Yoo Jin’s? Stay out of my love life.”

“How is it none of my business? You made it impossible not to be concerned from the moment you chose your dating partner. Director Do Ki Yeon. Are there really no other women around? That’s not true. The problem is there are too many, right?”

Ki Yeon silently wore a faint smile.

Resting his chin on his hand, Ki Yeon began tapping the sofa armrest and nodded slightly as if telling her to continue.

At this, Yoo Jin quickly started speaking like someone who had thoroughly prepared for this confrontation.

“I guess you’re bored and uninterested because you have too many options, but this time your choice is completely wrong. Far from being interesting, it’s totally bland and won’t have any of the excitement you want.”

“…”

“Stop this unnecessary challenge now and let it go. Like should meet like, right? You should meet someone suitable within your own boundaries, as you’ve been doing.”

While listening to Yoo Jin’s words, Ki Yeon showed no particular change. Sitting with his long legs crossed haughtily, chin resting on his hand, and a seemingly nonchalant expression was his trademark.

Sitting like that, pretending to be indifferent, then catching the other off guard with well-fermented sarcasm and gnawing away at their mental state with sharply honed ridicule was Director Do Ki Yeon’s specialty and forte.

He was a man who acted so ruthlessly and unhesitatingly that there was hardly anyone with a decent position in the actor management team who hadn’t experienced it, but he was quite popular within the company due to his excellent insight, leadership, and smart management style.

The same was true for Yoo Jin. Apart from complaining about him to her sister, she inwardly held the opinion that Ki Yeon was remarkable. It was a fact that things had gone even better since Ki Yeon’s support was attached.

However, no matter how remarkable Ki Yeon was, giving up her innocent sister was a different matter.

“You’re someone who likes and is good at keeping boundaries, aren’t you?”

“And so?”

“What do you mean ‘and so’?”

“Are you done?”

He seemed to be asking out of genuine curiosity. But that couldn’t be the case.

Yoo Jin tried to scrutinize the man’s increasingly suspicious intentions, but she couldn’t read anything from the man who seemed to have put up shields all over his body, not showing any emotion even in the slightest glance.

When she nodded vaguely, the man spoke with a thoroughly bored expression.

“Nam Yoo Jin. You’ve grown a lot. Even giving me orders. Well, it was amusing, but if I’d listened any longer, I might have gotten angry.”

“It’s not ordering. Don’t you think it’s a bit strange if you consider it yourself?”

“What’s strange about it?”

“You and Nam Yoo In. The combination is terrible. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

“Your job and work might be about how you appear to others, but that’s not the case for me at all. I don’t want to show Yoo In to others either.”

Yoo Jin suddenly made an expression as if she had just downed a sour drink, but Ki Yeon continued speaking insensitively.

“The point of your words is that both Nam Yoo In and I should meet people who are right for us. I don’t know on what basis you made such a judgment. First of all, it would be good for actress Nam Yoo Jin to grasp the situation a bit. Don’t interfere with the perfectly fine relationship between Yoo In and me.”

“I think being Nam Yoo In’s elder sister is sufficient qualification.”

“You tell me to keep boundaries, but your own boundaries are a mess. Nam Yoo In isn’t a child, so why are you interfering with her dating life?”

“Do you have no conscience? I’m doing this because she’s meeting someone like you. From what I can see, you’ve hidden your true self from her, haven’t you? And you’re saying there’s no problem? Wow. It seems you should be the one acting, not me.”

“Then why don’t you quit acting and become Nam Yoo In’s nanny? Ah. Don’t worry about the penalty fee.”

Wow, this psycho, really. While inwardly cursing with every swear word she knew, Yoo Jin’s momentum grew even more vicious, but Ki Yeon wore a smile full of composure.

“Your movie is about to start filming, so don’t make unnecessary trouble for yourself. No matter what you do, Yoo In and I won’t break up.”

“She might look simple, but her inner self is definitely not like that! There’s a reason why she doesn’t easily date people!”

“That’s enough of your presumptuous meddling. It’s a matter for Nam Yoo In and me to work out, so we’ll handle it ourselves. Have you seen me interfering in who you meet? Don’t make me regret blocking your scandal articles, which I can’t even remember how many there were.”

Suddenly, as if an unexpected spark had caught fire, Yoo Jin’s face filled with irritation and frowned.

“Why are you bringing that up here? How petty.”

“I won’t tolerate any more disrespectful words either, Actress Nam Yoo Jin.”

The man who spat out a warning in a stern voice looked at his silver metal wristwatch emitting a soft light, then said indifferently.

“Now get out. I have another client to see.”

“Client?”

At the disgruntled question, Ki Yeon waved his hand as if annoyed. People really do that without words.

Standing up with an unsettled and uncomfortable feeling, Yoo Jin quietly looked down at the arrogant man who she guessed would never have considered others’ sorrows.

Although she hadn’t achieved what she wanted, feeling that she must say this, she opened her mouth.

“I won’t ask you not to change your mind. At least… I hope you’re sincere with Yoo In.”

At this, the man’s pitch-black, dark eyes, which had been checking his mobile phone, slowly dragged upwards.

In the same colored irises as always, a sudden intense emotion that hadn’t been detected before began to shine distinctively.

The man, perhaps recalling his sweet lover, smiled gently, closing his long eye corners.

“I’ve never been insincere since I met her.”

Surprisingly, at these words that felt more sincere than ever before, Yoo Jin stood still with her mouth open in shock, and the man added one more sentence with an annoyed sigh.

“Aren’t you leaving?”