What’s with this natural greeting as if they were close friends?

Seo Hee felt like she had returned to a home she was living in with Kang Mo.

“Ah, the conversation went on a bit longer. But what brings you here at this hour? You didn’t mention coming over during our call earlier.”

Faced with Seo Hee’s cold reaction, Kang Mo erased the lingering smile on his lips and slightly bowed his waist, placing one hand in his pants pocket. Kang Mo tilted his head to meet Seo Hee’s eye level.

It would be understandable for him to feel hurt every time Seo Hee took a step closer only to return to square one, but now he found even that lovable. He wondered if he had truly gone crazy.

“I’m disappointed. Instead of being happy to see me, you start interrogating me right away?”

“No, I’m not interrogating. It’s just so sudden, that’s all.”

“It’s not that you don’t like me showing up unannounced?”

“Rather than disliking it… I’m just a bit surprised. It would be nice if you let me know beforehand when you’re coming over.”

A crease formed between Kang Mo’s brows as he straightened his back.

“If I say I’m coming over, would you even tell me to come?”

“Well… anyway, this is your apartment.”

Kang Mo shook his head, dissatisfied with Seo Hee’s response.

“No, starting from today, this isn’t my apartment but a space where my lover stays. I just came here because I missed my lover, that’s all.”

“…”

“I came here solely because I missed my lover.”

Kang Mo purposely emphasized the word ‘lover’ to firmly imprint his existence in Seo Hee’s mind, as he still sensed hesitation from her. Her eyes wavered at just a single word.

Baek Seo Hee, we’re only at the beginning. What will you do if you’re already this flustered? You’re too naive for your own good.

Just wait and see. Watch closely with your own two eyes how I will permeate into you, how I will captivate you.

While Kang Mo quietly strengthened his resolve, Seo Hee, who had been blankly looking up at Kang Mo referring to her as his lover without any reserve, lowered her head in embarrassment as heat spread across her face.

Perhaps it was due to his tall height and physique, coupled with her own sense of indebtedness towards him and their ambiguous relationship, but Seo Hee’s shoulders always seemed to shrink whenever she stood in front of Kang Mo.

“Aren’t you feeling awkward? I’m Kang Mo… It still feels a bit awkward for me. For over a decade, I only saw you as a younger brother. Changing positions overnight? It’s difficult. But why is it so… easy for you?”

“Does it seem easy?”

Kang Mo’s voice suddenly dropped to a low tone, and his index finger touched Seo Hee’s chin. He effortlessly lifted her face and stared intently into her eyes.

“Seo Hee, if it were easy, you would have already given birth to my child by now.”

Seo Hee’s startled eyes widened as much as they could.

“What nonsense are you…”

“From the beginning, having you, a woman, by my side but not being able to express myself even once and just circling around like a fool for over a decade. I won’t do that anymore. No, I can’t. Because I saw you waver. Because I realized that to you, I can also be a man. I’m done beating around the bush now.”

“…”

Seo Hee couldn’t utter a word in response to Kang Mo’s resolute words that sounded like a vow.

“If you’re still confused, just stay as you are. I’ll go to you. The sandcastle you diligently build between us, I’ll tear it down and go to you. My position is now perfect.”

The person who will stay by your side for a lifetime.

“From now on, with the perfect qualifications as Baek Seo Hee’s lover, I’ll make sure you’re no longer confused.”

Kang Mo’s eyes, cool and clear like the night air of early autumn, pierced into Seo Hee’s lips.

Seo Hee, who had been swallowing hard with just his gaze that made her fingertips tingle, blinked her large eyes, not knowing what to do as Kang Mo slowly closed the distance between them. Only when his breath touched the tip of her nose did she come to her senses.

In an instant, it was unclear whether her hand covered her lips first or Kang Mo’s lips touched the back of her hand first, but between their lips that couldn’t meet, Seo Hee’s hand was resolutely spread out.

“Lee Kang Mo, don’t you think this is too fast, no matter what?”

A sigh of disappointment escaped from Kang Mo.

“Yeah, Baek Seo Hee’s hand is indeed fast.”

With her mouth covered by her hand, she shot Kang Mo a rather fierce glare, but Kang Mo simply let out a soft chuckle and pointed out the reality.

“We’ve already kissed at least three times, haven’t we? You haven’t forgotten again, have you?”

Seo Hee, whose ear tips had turned bright red, avoided Kang Mo’s eyes and mumbled.

“That was all… too sudden…”

The first kiss they shared the day before she left him was indeed sudden.

However, regarding the second kiss in Guam, although she had been caught off guard by Kang Mo’s deliberate provocation, it seemed inappropriate to say it was sudden, so her words trailed off.

“Anyway, Kang Mo, you’re moving too fast. Too quickly. I need some time to… adapt.”

Kang Mo couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of Seo Hee rambling with a flushed face. He removed his index finger from her chin and cupped her small face with both hands. Gazing into her startled eyes that had been wandering around and returned, he pressed his lips against her round forehead.

“I understand what you mean. You want me to take skinship slowly, step by step, right?”

“Ha…”

“Well, I have missed out on a lot. Alright. I’ll take your opinion into consideration. Let’s start over from the beginning. Holding hands first, then hugging, kissing, sleeping together, and staying up all night. Let’s do it all in order, together.”

“What, what?”

Seo Hee’s eyes, sparkling like scattered stars, trembled finely, and her long eyelashes, densely packed in her distinct double eyelids, fluttered continuously.

“If you look at me with those eyes, I want to start from the end, regardless of my resolution. Would that be okay?”

Startled, Seo Hee pulled her head back and pushed Kang Mo away before scurrying off. In the spot where Seo Hee had disappeared, her scent lingered faintly, tickling Kang Mo’s heart.

Kang Mo counted numbers in his mind. Waiting for her flustered voice to be heard soon, one, two, three.

“Lee Kang Mo. Where did my carry-on bag go!”

Pft. Kang Mo burst into laughter and headed towards the guest room with leisurely steps. Baek Seo Hee, no matter where you run to, you’re still in the palm of my hand. Why are you running away like that? It only makes me want to catch you more.

Kang Mo felt like the living room floor he stepped on with each step was like a flower path.

Ah, Baek Seo Hee had a knack for making even a mundane space look like a flower garden.

The smile that loosened Kang Mo’s lips didn’t seem to fade.

The argument with Kang Mo, who had moved her luggage without a word, ended as usual with Seo Hee backing down.

She couldn’t think of a proper rebuttal to Kang Mo, who argued point by point that there was no reason to use the small room when there was a large unoccupied room in the house.

Moreover, she couldn’t honestly say to the owner of that room that it felt a bit strange with his traces remaining.

Seo Hee surrendered, unable to handle the fox-like Kang Mo. In the end, in Kang Mo’s room, inhaling his scent deeply, she showered and changed clothes, following the path he used to take.

Kang Mo was probably waiting for her quietly in the living room, but she felt a strange sensation as if they were in the same space, making the fine hair on her body tingle. She roughly tied up her half-dried hair and carefully applied skincare products with diligent hand movements before cautiously heading to the living room.

Kang Mo, who had placed plates on the island table in the kitchen, gestured for her to come quickly. As she approached, she noticed various dishes prepared on the wooden table.

There were plates with neatly arranged cheeses of different shapes, a salad with baby greens, ricotta cheese, and ripe red figs, and a lovely tart topped with an array of fruits.

Exclamations of varying tones continuously poured out of Seo Hee’s mouth, which had opened in surprise without even thinking of closing it.

Seo Hee, fresh out of the shower and full of moisture, smiled brightly and swallowed her saliva, unaware of how Kang Mo was looking at her.

“It looks delicious. Where did all of this come from? Look at those well-ripened figs. The tart is too pretty to eat. How can it be so beautiful? I ate more than usual for dinner, ah, I might gain weight at this rate.”

“…”

After chattering to herself for a while about the table setting, Seo Hee closed her mouth and finally lifted her face.

Kang Mo, holding a glass of red wine in one hand and a Bordeaux wine glass in the other, was silently staring at her.

More precisely, he was blatantly gazing at her lips.

As Seo Hee bit her lip, a low sigh escaped from Kang Mo.

“Ha… Sit over there. Let’s have a glass of wine to celebrate your move-in.”

Kang Mo, who had loudly placed the wine and glasses on the table, walked around the table and sat on the stool right next to Seo Hee. Seo Hee asked Kang Mo, who was sitting close enough for their arms to touch if they brushed against each other.

“Sit there?”

“Yeah. Why, do you want to sit face to face?”

“No. Kang Mo, sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

Seo Hee pulled the stylish wooden stool to slightly increase the distance from Kang Mo and was about to sit down when she heard a soft scoff from him.

“Do you think that little distance will work?”

“…Huh?”

“Baek Seo Hee, don’t bother trying. If I put my mind to it, I can easily close that measly distance. When you keep doing that, it makes me want to get closer to you, to touch you more. Just be comfortable. Otherwise, I might start from the end, regardless of the order we decided earlier. Got it?”

Seo Hee, who had sat down, glared at Kang Mo with a rather fierce gaze.

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a request. That’s how males are. When you move away, I approach you, and when you run away, I desperately want to catch you even more. So stop provoking me. Then I’ll do my best to match your slow pace. I’m telling you that I won’t do anything recklessly until you want it. Is this enough for you to trust me?”

Seo Hee unconsciously nodded while watching Kang Mo speak with his eyes lowered and his voice dropping to a low tone. In the meantime, Kang Mo opened the wine, poured it into glasses, and offered it to her.

Seo Hee quietly observed him slowly swirling the wine with his long fingers and carefully opened her mouth.

“These days, you seem a bit… different. It feels like you’re not the Kang Mo I used to know, so it’s a little unfamiliar.”

“That’s music to my ears. I’m not that little brat you used to know. I’m no longer the brat who used to tiptoe around, trying to hide my feelings in any way possible out of fear of losing you.”

I have no intention of hiding my feelings anymore. I’ve already lost you once, haven’t I? So I won’t hide or conceal anything now. I’ll just charge forward.