Throughout the drive, Sung Hyuk had been fighting the urge to stop the car anywhere and embrace Young In. As soon as they entered the house, he urgently pressed her against the wall.

Even in the midst of pure instinct, he didn’t forget to support the back of her head to prevent her from hitting the wall.

Whether he was in his right mind or not, the thought that he shouldn’t hurt his woman was ingrained in his entire body.

“Senior… Wait a moment. Let me wash up first…”

No matter how much she tried to push him away with her delicate hands, the excited man didn’t budge.

“Later.”

Sung Hyuk carried Young In to the bedroom when her legs began to weaken and tears started to form in her eyes.

Young In, who had been panting in his arms, finally came to her senses when she was laid on the soft bed.

As she looked up, she saw eyes filled with lust gazing at her.

“It’s not your first time, why are you trembling so much?”

Young In blushed and turned her gaze away, caught in her trembling mixture of tension and anticipation.

Sung Hyuk playfully twirled the ends of her glossy hair elegantly spread out on the sheets.

His hand moved from her flushed face, lingered briefly on her round shoulder, then slowly went lower.

He let out a small gasp at the smooth sensation that filled his palm. The pleasure of finally having what he had desperately longed for was incomparably thrilling.

“Relax.”

He gently caressed her trembling body.

As carefully and delicately as if creating an intricate work of art.

Desperately, over and over, as if to say, ‘Please understand how precious you are to me, how much I cherish you.’

He loved the woman who was making sweet moans with a flushed face. He loved the woman who clung to him even while catching her breath, to the point his chest felt tight.

Why was even her frowning expression so beautiful?

The contradictory feeling of wanting to make her cry more while feeling sorry for her tearful eyes was the same as before.

“Don’t bite your lip. Bite me instead.”

Young In wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. Then she gently bit his shoulder.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Young In pressed her lips against his with a coy expression. Their heated breaths intertwined stickily.

Sung Hyuk felt dizzy from her supple body and fragrant scent. Even her sob-like breathing was sensual and erotic. Enough to make him want to act like a beast driven by pure instinct.

But he waited patiently. Until her sensitized body was soaked in aching pleasure.

Before long, the room was filled with heat so intense it was suffocating.

At the moment her mind went blank, Young In, trembling from the overwhelming stimulation, lost consciousness as if a fuse had blown.

[This is the timeline separator]

Sung Hyuk, propping his head up with one arm, lay on his side and quietly gazed at Young In’s sleeping face.

The intense and special night they had shared didn’t feel entirely real yet.

Only when he lowered his gaze to see the red marks on her white neck and shoulders did it finally sink in.

How much time had passed?

Her hands, neatly folded as if in prayer, twitched, and then her long, lush eyelashes slowly lifted.

Her eyelids fluttered, alternately hiding and revealing her sleepy eyes.

“Did you sleep well?”

Young In slowly nodded her head.

“Do you remember last night?”

“I do.”

“You’re not denying it?”

“…”

Young In stared intently at Sung Hyuk as he stroked her head as if praising her.

Since it wasn’t something done while drunk, she had no regrets. Just a bit of embarrassment.

“Do you believe me now?”

“About what?”

“That there’s nothing wrong with my body.”

“…”

Just before falling into a deep sleep, Young In vaguely heard what Sung Hyuk was saying.

That her stamina was still weak.

She remembered falling asleep regretting that she couldn’t retort that it wasn’t her being weak, but him being strong.

“It’s true that I was celibate because of you.”

“So… are you saying I should take responsibility…?”

The moment Sung Hyuk’s lips curved into a smile, Young In realized she had said something unnecessary.

“Yeah, that’s right. Take responsibility.”

“…”

“Now that you’ve confirmed how much I want you, you should take responsibility.”

“I should get up now.”

Sung Hyuk pressed down on her shoulder, making her lie back down as she tried to hurriedly get up.

“There’s still time. You can stay in bed a bit longer.”

“…”

Young In had to endure an awkward eye contact with him for over 10 minutes.

[This is the timeline separator]

Young In, having barely managed to leave the bed, obediently sat at the dining table as Sung Hyuk instructed. Then she quietly watched his back as he stood in front of the coffee machine.

Just as she was feeling as if they had returned to the past, a message notification sound came from the mobile phone on the table.

She was curious about who would send a message at 7 in the morning, but without showing it, she called out to the phone’s owner.

“Senior, you’ve got a message.”

Sung Hyuk didn’t even turn around.

“Who is it from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you check for me?”

Young In hesitated for a moment before pulling his phone towards her.

“The real estate agent is asking you to call back as soon as you check the message.”

“Ah, they called last evening too, but I forgot.”

A few days after expressing his intention to sell the villa, the real estate agent who called admitted that it might take some time to find a buyer due to the frozen real estate market and the large size of the property.

Yesterday was the first time they had called since then.

Sung Hyuk, who had brought two cups of coffee, placed a mug in front of Young In and sat across from her as he called the real estate agent.

“This is Cha Sung Hyuk.”

−I’m sorry for contacting you so early in the morning.

“It’s fine. What’s the matter?”

−There’s someone interested in the villa. They said they’re only available this morning, so I contacted you urgently. Would it be alright if they came to see the house today?

“I no longer want to sell.”

−…Pardon?

“Thank you for your efforts. I’ll contact you again in the future.”

After hanging up, Sung Hyuk explained the situation to Young In, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

“I had put the house up for sale.”

“Why don’t you want to sell it anymore?”

“Because there’s no need to sell it anymore.”

He took a sip of coffee and continued.

“I wanted to sell it because there were too many traces of you in this house. I wanted to stop thinking about you.”

“…”

“I put the house up for sale before I saw you again, and things are different now. I no longer need to try not to think about you, so I don’t want to sell it.”

Young In silently looked down at the mug she was holding with both hands, then raised her gaze.

“Senior, don’t misunderstand. We just spent one night together, we haven’t gone back to our previous relationship.”

Sung Hyuk’s eyes darkened.

“So you just did a favor for a horny dog?”

“Don’t say it like that. You know that’s not true.”

“I know your body and heart both want me.”

“Even if we start again, we’ll break up for the same reason.”

“What reason did we break up for? What was the reason you gave for breaking up?”

“…”

Young In bit her lip tightly.

“Because I was burdensome?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not like you didn’t know who I was when we met.”

“Even though I knew, it was burdensome. It became more and more burdensome.”

Young In looked at him with a desperate gaze as he furrowed his brow.

“Can’t we just stay like this?”

“Like what? Doing everything but not dating? Not being able to tell anyone that you’re my woman?”

“…”

Young In shook her head dejectedly.

“I don’t like that. I want to make it clear that Chae Young In is mine. Whether as a girlfriend or a wife.”

A deep sigh escaped Young In’s lips.

“Until you get bored?”

“That’s right.”

“When do you think that will be?”

“Maybe in about 50 years?”

“Do you know how you look in my eyes?”

“How do I look?”

“You look like someone who can have everything but can’t accept the fact that there’s just one thing you can’t have, so you’re being stubborn.”

“You’re wrong.”

Sung Hyuk’s expression and tone became more resolute.

“If I’ve had it once and still want it again, it means I want it desperately. Like I can’t live without it.”

“…”

“That’s you.”

His unwavering gaze firmly ensnared her wavering eyes.

Young In had to admit that she no longer had the strength to resist.

[This is the timeline separator]

Young In preemptively said she would take a taxi, but Sung Hyuk insisted on driving her home.

Sung Hyuk was the winner.

“Go inside.”

Young In nodded silently, got out of the car, and walked away from his car with small steps.

The distance of just about 20 meters felt incredibly long, probably because of the man who would be watching her with his chin resting on the steering wheel. Today, she felt especially shy.

Just as Young In, who had hurried her steps, reached the front of her house and was about to push open the gate, it suddenly swung open.

Young In’s shoulders flinched in surprise.

“Ah, sister…”

Ah Rim looked Young In up and down with a displeased expression.

“What have you been doing to look so haggard? Did you do some construction work?”

The fact that Ah Rim was only picking a fight at her usual level was thanks to Young In contacting her last night to say she might not be able to come home as she was going to Sung Hyuk’s house.

“Are you leaving for work now?”

“Move aside.”

Ah Rim pushed past Young In, who was blocking her way, and came out of the gate.

It was then that a black SUV passed by in front of them.

‘It’s the same car as Sung Hyuk oppa’s.’

In fact, it was Sung Hyuk’s car, which had just started after confirming that Young In had safely entered her house.

‘It’s not like there’s only one or two of the same car model.’

Ah Rim chided herself for having unnecessary thoughts as she pressed the garage door remote. However, the inexplicable uneasy feeling didn’t easily subside.