Young In glanced at the passenger seat.

“Answer it.”

With his arms crossed and leaning against the seat, Sung Hyuk’s posture, expression, and voice were all crooked.

He decided to answer, thinking it might seem suspicious if he didn’t and worried that something might have happened to Jin Gyo.

“Yes, senior.”

Young In still didn’t know that Sung Hyuk frowned every time she called Jin Gyo senior.

-Where are you?

“I was just about to drop off the CEO.”

-So you’re going home now?

“Where else would I go at this hour if not home?”

-I was worried you might not go home.

Young In finally realized what Jin Gyo meant by his question.

Why are they so interested in when I get home?

Seeing the two men caring about the exact same thing as if rehearsed, she became certain that her impression of Seo Jin Gyo and Cha Sung Hyuk being similar wasn’t mistaken.

Young In naturally moved the phone she was holding in her right hand to her left, afraid Jin Gyo’s voice might be heard by Sung Hyuk. Then she vaguely brushed off the conversation.

“I’m about to leave now. Go to sleep, senior.”

-Let me know when you get home. I’ll wait.

“Alright.”

After hanging up, Young In turned to Sung Hyuk.

As expected, a chilly atmosphere was flowing around the passenger seat.

“What? Is he worried I won’t let you go home?”

“He was just telling me to get home safely.”

“Seems like he called to interrupt in case you and I went up to my place and started something?”

“It’s not like that, so hurry up and get out.”

Sung Hyuk’s sarcastic expression suddenly sank heavily.

“Promise me one thing.”

“What promise?”

“That you’ll keep things with Seo Jin Gyo as they are now.”

“……”

Young In held her tongue for a moment to accurately grasp the implications of “as they are now.”

“Don’t think about using Seo Jin Gyo to push me away.”

In fact, she wanted to do that at first.

She thought it was the quickest and easiest way to make Cha Sung Hyuk give up.

The reason she had to abandon that idea was because the two men started openly showing hostility. They exchanged sharp words whenever they met, even though she hadn’t done anything, so she couldn’t even attempt to do anything properly.

But receiving his warning now made her feel upset for no reason. Enough to say something she didn’t mean.

“I can’t make that promise. Relationships between people can change at any time. Like it did with you and me, senior.”

“Seo Jin Gyo isn’t a man to you.”

“Don’t assume your wishes are my thoughts.”

“If you don’t want to see me get played, don’t do anything with Seo Jin Gyo.”

“……”

“Even if you do everything possible with Seo Jin Gyo, I’ll never give up on you. You’ll end up coming back to me eventually. So don’t cross the line and regret it later.”

Young In, who had been biting her lips tightly, shot back coldly.

“What have I done to deserve hearing this? Do you have the right to say such things to me?”

“I do. Because I like you.”

A sneer escaped Young In’s lips.

“How can you be so brazen after going on a blind date with my elder sister?”

She had tried not to show it until the end, but she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Words rose to the tip of her tongue, wanting to tell him to act properly if he was going to say such things.

“Did you hear from Ah Rim?”

“Yes.”

“I was trying to preserve your last bit of pride, but I guess it was unnecessary consideration.”

“……”

Young In’s pupils shook slightly, sensing there was some inside story she didn’t know.

“Yesterday, my mother came to the company. She asked to have dinner together, so I agreed to meet her at 7.”

Sung Hyuk didn’t know that Young In had met his mother yesterday, let alone that she had met her three years ago. He thought Young In didn’t even know what his mother looked like.

“When I got to the restaurant, Ah Rim was there instead of my mother.”

He let out a hollow laugh and quietly explained the whole story as if spitting it out.

Young In couldn’t even breathe loudly while listening to the story because Sung Hyuk’s eyes were so cold.

“I said such harsh words that I never want to associate with her again and left in less than 5 minutes. I thought I’d be too embarrassed to tell anyone if it were me, but I guess I underestimated Chae Ah Rim.”

“……”

Betrayal, disappointment, and jealousy.

The emotions that had been tangled up inside her for a whole day disappeared in an instant. What filled the empty space was guilt.

Why didn’t she think there must have been some circumstances, when she knew better than anyone what kind of man Cha Sung Hyuk was? Why couldn’t she trust him?

She felt very sorry for misunderstanding that he might be trying to marry her elder sister.

On the other hand, she was genuinely curious whether a blind date obtained through what was essentially fraud, and a blind date where she was harshly rejected to the point of not wanting to associate anymore, were things her elder sister could be proud of.

“Did you think I was two-timing you and Ah Rim?”

“……”

When Young In didn’t deny it, Sung Hyuk’s thick eyebrows twitched.

“How much of a scumbag did you think I was? Even if you’re sisters without a drop of blood in common, I wouldn’t do such a thing. I’m not interested in any woman but you.”

“……”

“You, if no one else, should acknowledge my sincerity. For your sake, I’ve been celibate for 3 years…”

Young In, who had been looking down remorsefully, suddenly opened her eyes wide and reached out to cover his mouth.

“Please stop talking about that.”

If he meant it as a way to make her take responsibility, it was quite successful. She was starting to feel like she really should take responsibility.

Young In belatedly realized where her hand was and flinched in surprise. But she couldn’t withdraw her hand. It was because Sung Hyuk had grabbed it and wouldn’t let go.

Young In’s gaze turned to his hand covering the back of hers.

Suddenly, she remembered that she used to like his hands that were big enough to completely cover hers. She also really liked his long, dark eyelashes and his prominently protruding Adam’s apple.

She had never told him. And she never would.

“Your whites are so clean.”

“Your nostrils are so round and cute.”

“How can your teeth be so even?”

“There’s not a single flaw anywhere.”

Recalling Cha Sung Hyuk’s unique compliments that were different from others but more special because of it, she regretted not expressing herself a little more to him. She found herself belatedly regretting why she had been so stingy.

Young In, who had unknowingly been lost in thought, came to her senses when she felt the sensation of lips against her palm.

She quickly pulled her hand away and mumbled something with a flushed face.

“How would I know if it’s because of me or not……”

Sung Hyuk’s brow furrowed sharply.

“What? Am I now someone who was forced into celibacy due to some dysfunction or something and is pinning it on you?”

“No, rather than pinning it on me……”

“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check for yourself?”

Young In looked at him with startled rabbit eyes.

“What do you mean check?”

“How much I want you.”

“……S-stop saying weird things and get out.”

“I’ll get out. After I do what I need to do.”

“……What do you need to do?”

Sung Hyuk smirked as he watched Young In slowly inching her body towards the driver’s side door.

He wanted to pounce on her since he was being misunderstood anyway, but he decided to endure a little longer. He intended to be properly compensated for his time of endurance once Young In became his woman again.

“Where are you trying to escape to?”

He grabbed Young In’s wrist and pulled her towards him, then gently stroked her hair with his other hand.

“Well done.”

The “what I need to do” Sung Hyuk mentioned was praise.

“What?”

Young In just blinked her wide eyes, already so accustomed to his touch that she didn’t even think to avoid or block it.

“Jealousy.”

“Who’s jealous? I didn’t do that.”

She tried to deny it flatly, but such clumsy denial wouldn’t work on Sung Hyuk.

“You did.”

“……”

“It’s okay to be jealous, but don’t misunderstand.”

“……”

Young In was so busy repeatedly reflecting on her arbitrary misunderstanding that she didn’t realize the part of her head Sung Hyuk was stroking now was the same spot Jin Gyo’s hand had touched earlier.

“Call me when you arrive.”

“……”

“I’ll do it, okay?”

“I’ll do it, so hurry up and go inside.”

After giving praise, disinfecting, and even getting a promise, Sung Hyuk got out of the car with a satisfied face. Before closing the car door, he bent down to meet Young In’s eyes.

“Go. Drive carefully.”

Young In just nodded silently.

Because if she opened her mouth now, she felt like friendly words telling him to get plenty of rest would come out.

There were far too many things she shouldn’t say to him.

The next morning.

After finishing his shower, Sung Hyuk picked up the cell phone on the bedside table while drying his wet hair with a towel. There was a message from Young In from 5 minutes ago.