Sung Hyuk and Young In, having spent a passionate time together, went up to the hotel restaurant. Night was already falling over the sea.

“Eat a lot.”

Sung Hyuk watched contentedly as Young In enjoyed the pine mushroom rice. Perhaps this is what it means to feel full just by watching someone eat, he thought, finding even her chewing mouth cute.

“The deodeok is delicious. Try some.”

As Young In placed some grilled deodeok on his rice, a playful smile appeared on his face.

“I heard deodeok is good for stamina. Are you giving it to me knowingly?”

“I’m giving it to you because it’s tasty, you know?”

Young In pretended to be serious, wrinkling her nose, and focused back on her own food. Sung Hyuk also started eating.

It was a peaceful time where there was no need to hide their affection or suppress their smiles. It was all the more precious for being so long-awaited.

After finishing their meal, the two walked slowly along the beach, now fully shrouded in darkness.

Sung Hyuk with his right arm around Young In’s shoulders, and Young In with her left arm around his waist, they both naturally fell into reminiscence.

“I finally learned after 3 years why you suddenly said we should break up.”

His expression and tone were tinged with self-mockery.

“Meeting your mother was indeed the decisive factor, but there were other reasons too.”

Sung Hyuk turned to her with questioning eyes.

“Other reasons?”

Young In answered softly, looking straight ahead as she walked.

“I didn’t want to be dumped by you.”

“…”

“I didn’t want to be abandoned.”

Being abandoned once was enough. She couldn’t choose being abandoned by her parents, but 3 years ago, she could choose.

“I was afraid that one day you’d suddenly come to your senses and wonder, ‘Why did I like someone like her?’ So I made the first move.”

Young In turned her head to look up at him.

“Silly, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, as silly as me.”

“…?”

Sung Hyuk asked her, who was puzzled by what he meant.

“Do you know why I immediately agreed when you said we should break up?”

“Why did you?”

“Because I was too embarrassed to beg.”

Though he regretted wasting 3 years over such a trivial reason, he decided to console himself that it was a time to confirm what Chae Young In meant to him.

“I was crazy about you, but my pride was hurt thinking you didn’t like me.”

“…”

Young In’s eyes widened. She had guessed to some extent that he had accepted it out of hurt feelings, but hearing the honest emotion from his own lips made her heart sink.

He stopped Young In, gently caressed her cheek, and smiled.

“Were you disappointed that I agreed right away?”

“No.”

Young In quickly shook her head. It was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

“You were disappointed, weren’t you?”

“I said I wasn’t.”

“Okay. Let’s say you weren’t.”

“It’s not that we’re pretending I wasn’t, I really wasn’t.”

“Alright, you weren’t.”

Young In had no memory of the drunken confession she had made while being piggy-backed by Sung Hyuk. Unaware that he was now graciously pretending not to know, she hastily tried to change the subject.

“But how did you find out about your mother? Did she tell you?”

Sung Hyuk told Young In about how it started with a phone call from his sister-in-law. Then he sincerely apologized.

“I’m sorry. For making you go through it alone.”

“But you didn’t know.”

“Not knowing was also my fault.”

It was his mistake for not anticipating that his mother was capable of even conducting a background check.

His heart ached at the thought of leaving this fragile woman alone and exposed in the wilderness.

“I’ll think of it as the price of dating an excessively excellent man.”

“That’s a very admirable attitude.”

Young In linked her arm with his and resumed their halted steps.

“Elder brother.”

“Yes?”

“Your mother will never allow me to be with you.”

She had never tried to impress anyone or sought to be loved. But she wanted to make a good impression on his parents. She wanted to be loved by them.

How nice it would be if it were something that could be achieved through effort.

She felt bitter anew at her circumstances that couldn’t be overcome by effort alone.

“We don’t need permission. I told her that even if you say we should break up again, I absolutely won’t.”

Young In deliberately responded playfully to lighten the mood.

“What if she disowns her disobedient son?”

“I already told her to consider herself as having no son.”

The two burst into laughter as their eyes met.

Let’s only talk about happy things today. Let’s only show happy faces.

The same thoughts and feelings passed between them along their meeting gazes.

“Let’s go back to the hotel now.”

Sung Hyuk unwrapped Young In’s arm from his right arm, turned around, and held out his left arm. Young In linked her arm with his left arm again.

The reason he didn’t give Young In the seaside position was because of the people playing in the water. He was on full guard in case any water might splash on Young In.

“Shall we stay here until tomorrow and leave for Seoul early Monday morning?”

“The room reservation is only until today.”

“We can extend it or ask for another room.”

“It’s hard to manage with just one set of clothes for three days. I came straight here after work on Friday, so I couldn’t bring anything.”

“Ah, I thought your clothes looked uncomfortable.”

Sung Hyuk looked over Young In, who was wearing dress pants and a shirt. Her outfit was quite different from others’.

“Yesterday when I was alone, I just slept naked, and until you came, I was wearing a shower robe. I only put these on around the time you were supposed to arrive.”

“You didn’t need to bother dressing up. It was tough taking them off.”

“I didn’t know I’d be undressing.”

“Well, let’s hurry back and undress.”

“…”

Young In had to quicken her pace due to his sudden rush.

[This is the timeline separator]

Young In came out of the bathroom wearing a shower robe. Sung Hyuk, who had showered first and was lying on the bed, pulled back the covers.

“Come in.”

Young In approached the bed hesitantly and looked down at him with an awkward expression.

“Close your eyes for a moment.”

“How many times have I seen Chae Young In’s naked body?”

“Hurry.”

“Alright.”

Young In hesitated for a moment, then quickly took off her shower robe. At that instant, Sung Hyuk’s eyes flew open.

Startled, Young In hid her body under the covers while grumbling.

“Always lying.”

“Call it an irresistible force. What can I do if my body won’t listen even when I try to keep my promise?”

Sung Hyuk wrapped her body tightly with the blanket and held her close.

The feeling of the blanket against her bare skin and the pleasant pressure made Young In smile. She wriggled and burrowed deeper into his embrace.

“You know you’re getting more and more shameless, right?”

“I found out you’re weak against shameless people.”

“I’m not weak against shameless people, I’m weak against you.”

Sung Hyuk paused at her unexpected words. Soon, his lips curved into a smile.

“There’s always a thought I have when I see you.”

“What thought?”

“I want to make you unable to live without me.”

Young In pressed her cheek against his chest and chuckled.

“I’ve never wanted anything that desperately in my life. Don’t expect that.”

Though she said that, Cha Sung Hyuk was the first man she had ever truly desired in her life.

The only person she had ever let into the space of her heart that no one else had entered.

Nothing had ever been more desperate than him. Now she felt she couldn’t live without him.

“Don’t dampen my enthusiasm. I absolutely hate defeatism.”

“Alright. Fighting!”

“For now, I’ll fight for something else first.”

Before Young In could understand his meaning, she was laid flat on her back. The man who climbed on top of her already had clear desire written on his face.

His face drew closer and closer.

She liked his eyes, newly clouded because of her. She liked the look in his eyes that said he was going crazy because of her.

She loved Cha Sung Hyuk like crazy.

Just as she closed her eyes, an urgent breath rushed in.

[This is the timeline separator]

Young In couldn’t break Sung Hyuk’s stubbornness and extended their stay by one more night. But on Sunday evening, he made a suggestion.

“Let’s call a designated driver.”

“What designated driver?”

“Does it make sense for us to go back to Seoul separately?”

“Yes, it does.”

“If I’d known this would happen, I would have taken a taxi here…”

Young In was so firm that all Sung Hyuk could do was grumble.

“You didn’t know this would happen.”

“But you knew. You could have given me a hint.”

Young In didn’t even feel like scolding him because he looked so disappointed.

“Alright. It’s all my fault.”

Sung Hyuk, like a predator waiting for an opportunity, immediately threw out another suggestion.

“Then let’s have dinner together after work tomorrow.”

For him, having dinner with Young In was more difficult than anything else. The success rate was extremely low.

“I was thinking of suggesting that if you didn’t have dinner plans.”

“I don’t.”

“Really?”

“I don’t think so?”

“…”

“Even if I do, I don’t.”

Young In looked at Sung Hyuk, who was smiling and showing his even teeth, with an incredulous expression before eventually smiling along.

It felt like a gentle breeze was blowing in her heart.

[This is the timeline separator]

Monday evening.

As promised yesterday, Young In had dinner with Sung Hyuk and returned home. But the moment she opened the front door, she saw her elder sister’s face, who had called about 10 minutes ago asking where she was and when she’d be home.

Young In lowered the phone she had been holding to her ear and asked.

“What are you doing here?”

One step, two steps, three steps.

Just as Young In’s legs stopped moving.

With a slap sound, her vision flashed.

“Gasp!”

The slap was so hard that Young In bumped into the shoe rack and fell to the floor. The phone she was holding fell and its screen shattered.

“Didn’t I tell you I’d kill you if you flirted with elder brother Sung Hyuk!”

Realizing the situation, Young In steadied herself and opened her lips.

“I never flirted.”

“You should be begging for forgiveness, and yet you dare to-!”

Losing her temper at Young In’s calmness even in this moment, Ah Rim grabbed Young In’s hair as she tried to get up.

“Hey, you come here.”

Young In was dragged like a dog, unable even to take off her shoes.

3 minutes 21 seconds, 22 seconds, 23 seconds.

On the phone screen left in the entrance, the call duration kept increasing.