At that moment when the two women were looking at each other with surprised eyes, the elevator doors began to close silently.

Han quickly pressed the open button and got out of the elevator. Meanwhile, she heard over the phone that the person involved in yesterday’s dating rumor with actor Seo Jin Gyo.

“Alright. I’ll call you back later.”

After hanging up, Han stared intently at Young In’s face, which clearly showed signs of tension.

“It’s been a while.”

Her face, which had been pretty, seemed to have gone somewhere, but she was much more beautiful than 3 years ago. She was like a flower about to bloom, fresh and delicate.

“Hello.”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“There’s a cafe on the first floor. If you don’t mind, I’ll escort you there.”

“Alright.”

The two went down to the first floor cafe and sat facing each other.

Han spoke first.

“I just heard something strange. Team leader of the management team?”

“Yes.”

Young In’s answer was quite calm. Perhaps thanks to being mentally prepared, she was less flustered today than the day she had fled to the bathroom.

“I thought you were a young lady who could understand, but I’m disappointed.”

“……”

“Are you playing both sides between our Sung Hyuk and actor Seo Jin Gyo?”

Young In raised her slightly lowered gaze.

“That’s a false report.”

Han changed the subject with a displeased expression.

“It seems Sung Hyuk came to the entertainment company because of you, but if you were a thoughtful person, you should have stopped him. Did you want to try an office romance?”

“No. I met Sung Hyuk after he was appointed as CEO of SL Entertainment.”

“Whether you wanted it or not, Sung Hyuk missed an incredibly precious opportunity because of you.”

“…I know.”

“If you know, think carefully about what’s best for Sung Hyuk.”

“……”

“Don’t block my son’s path. I’m asking you.”

“……”

Young In stared blankly at Han as she left the cafe.

It felt like every word had become a dagger piercing her heart. Perhaps it hurt more because not a single word was wrong.

Maybe it hurt more because it was the day she had decided to accept Sung Hyuk’s feelings.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next afternoon.

Having made up her mind to carry out the plan she had pondered all night, Jung Hye called Sung Hyuk.

“Young master, it’s me.”

−Yes, sister-in-law.

“There’s something you should know, but I’ve been debating whether I should tell you or pretend not to know.”

−If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell me.

Jung Hye frowned sharply.

It was a bit unfair that she had to spill everything as if pleading in front of someone who was saying, I have nothing to lose, so tell me if you want or don’t if you don’t want to. But the one in need had no choice but to lower her head and give in.

“You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”

−Yes.

“It seems your mother ordered an investigation to find out what kind of woman she is.”

−……”

“Just like three years ago……”

−Three years ago?

“I know that you even met her three years ago. I don’t know for sure, but she probably told you to break up, right?”

Jung Hye was skilled at spying on her in-laws, and eavesdropping was her hobby. It was not uncommon for her to secretly peek at her mother-in-law’s mobile phone when she was showering or doing other things.

The reason was only one: afraid that her second son would be made the successor instead of her husband, the eldest son.

It was difficult to approach her father-in-law, so she targeted her mother-in-law as a compromise.

“Don’t tell your mother that you heard it from me. She doesn’t know that I know about both the incident three years ago and this time.”

There was an ulterior motive in telling Sung Hyuk.

For her brother-in-law and parents-in-law to be in conflict. To reach a catastrophe because of that.

−I don’t think I can promise that.

“…Pardon?”

−I’m hanging up.

“……”

Jung Hye stared at the hung-up phone with a dumbfounded expression.

[This is the timeline separator]

As soon as Sung Hyuk finished talking with Jung Hye, he called the security team leader and asked who the employee was who saw his mother yesterday.

−It was me, sir. I escorted her to the elevator.

“Did you by any chance see her leaving as well?”

−I saw her come down and go to the cafe on the first floor.

“Cafe?”

−She went into the cafe with Team Leader Chae Young In.

He had been wondering why his mother didn’t come all the way to the CEO’s office yesterday and turned back midway, but now the question was finally resolved.

“I see. Thank you.”

Hanging up the phone with a hardened expression, Sung Hyuk immediately left home and went to his parents’ house.

Han greeted him.

“Your father went golfing.”

“I came to see you, Mother.”

He got straight to the point.

“Did you meet Young In yesterday and tell her to break up with me? Three years ago too?”

Han, who had been suppressing her boiling disappointment towards Sung Hyuk, furrowed her brow.

“That child, she’s become loose-lipped so quickly.”

She had liked at least one thing about her, that she was tight-lipped, but even that sole merit had disappeared.

“I didn’t hear it from Young In. Would someone who didn’t even open her mouth three years ago have said anything this time?”

“Then who told you about the conversation I had alone with her?”

“They say night words are heard by mice and day words by birds, don’t they?”

“What mice, what birds?”

Sung Hyuk glanced at his sister-in-law fidgeting from afar and turned his eyes back to his mother.

“Now I understand why you suddenly told me not to hang out with Beom Jun three years ago, why you said you didn’t like getting involved with that family without being able to tell me the reason.”

“……”

“Even if Young In says to break up like back then, I absolutely won’t this time. So don’t waste your effort.”

“I will never allow my son to date such a girl.”

“Then consider yourself without a son.”

His eyes sank coldly as he spoke decisively.

“I thought you were someone who greatly valued dignity and refinement, things like that.”

“Why, do I seem to lack dignity and refinement?”

“Yes.”

“There are no parents who can always be rational about their child’s affairs. What parents in the world could elegantly and gracefully stop their child from going down a ridiculous path?”

“Your standards aren’t right, Mother. Don’t insist that your greed is parental love.”

“Cha Sung Hyuk!”

“I’m leaving.”

Turning around indifferently as he left his parents’ house, he called Young In while getting into his car.

“Are you home? See me now.”

−I’m not in Seoul.

“Where are you then.”

−Sokcho.

“Sokcho? Why did you go there?”

−Just to get some fresh air.

“Alone?”

−Yes.

“I’m leaving for Sokcho now. When I hang up, text me which hotel and room number.”

−Okay.

He thought she would tell him not to come, but her answer was quite compliant.

Sensing that this wasn’t a good sign, Sung Hyuk’s expression darkened further.

Is she going to say coldly that we should stop seeing each other, just like that day three years ago?

No, there was no need to say such words today. She hadn’t even accepted his feelings yet.

He had a feeling she was going to say she would quit the company and that they should never meet again.

[This is the timeline separator]

Young In, who opened the door for Sung Hyuk, walked ahead and stopped in front of the window.

“It’s a place I often come to when my mind is cluttered. The ocean view is really nice.”

The wide-open sea was visible at a glance beyond the floor-to-ceiling window. However, he was in no mood to appreciate the natural scenery right now.

“Did you sort out your cluttered mind?”

“To some extent.”

Had she reached enlightenment? Young In’s expression was quite serene. That made him even more uneasy.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About my mother.”

“Ah……”

Sung Hyuk took a step closer to Young In, who was nodding with a faint smile.

“Did you say you wanted to break up so decisively because my mother told you to?”

“Your mother didn’t tell me to break up with you.”

“Then she didn’t tell you to break up directly, but said things that would make you have no choice but to leave on your own. Elegantly striking where it hurts.”

He could more than imagine how his mother would have treated Young In.

He felt incredibly pathetic for only realizing after 3 years why Young In had suddenly said she wanted to break up.

“To you, I’m always just that much of an existence. I threw away my pride for Chae Young In, but you can’t? You absolutely can’t throw it away?”

Young In, who had been looking at him with calm eyes as he became increasingly agitated, opened her lips.

“Senior.”

Her quiet voice settled in the room.

“That day 3 years ago, I didn’t tell you to stop seeing each other because my pride was hurt.”

“Then?”

“I didn’t want to become your only flaw.”

“……”

Your only flaw.

Sung Hyuk seemed to understand what his mother had said to Young In, why Young In had no choice but to leave.

If he had heard such words in her place, he wasn’t sure he could have endured and held on without minding.

“And today, I didn’t come here to sort out my feelings for you.”

“Then?”

“I needed time to look back on myself. Time to reflect on how foolishly I acted, and time to gather courage……”

“……”

Sung Hyuk’s eyes wavered, unable to grasp the unexpected words he heard.

“Your only flaw, I’ll be that.”

A bright smile spread across Young In’s face.

“It’s not easy to become Cha Sung Hyuk’s only flaw. That’s something that requires your permission, isn’t it?”

“It’s not.”

“The only person permitted by you, I want to be that. Let me be that.”

“……”

With something hot welling up, Sung Hyuk wordlessly embraced Young In, cradling the back of her head. The small hand patting his lower back made the tip of his nose tingle.

“I want to say thank you for waiting and sorry for making you wait, but you told me not to say thank you or sorry.”

Who should really be saying thank you, who should really be saying sorry.

“Yeah, don’t.”

Two slender arms wrapped around his waist, pressing close.

“I missed you even though it hasn’t been a day since we last met.”

“Me too.”

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

“……”

Sung Hyuk felt a strange sensation from the out-of-context words.

“Let’s eat and have fun.”

Now he was certain.

*”Let’s have fun, let’s eat, I miss you, I have so much to say.”*

They were the words he had said to Young In.

What should he do with this lovely woman?

“What shall we do for fun?”

“Hmm, something like this?”

Sung Hyuk looked down at the woman who slipped out of his arms and kissed his lips with a smacking sound.

“Let’s have fun first and then go eat. I won’t be too rough.”

“Liar.”

Though she gave him a gentle glare, Young In’s arms were already wrapped around his neck. Sung Hyuk’s right hand was already sliding inside her clothes.

Their lips locked together without any gap.