Despite the late hour, the call was answered right away.

“Yes, Senior Manager. Please go ahead.”

Seo Hee glanced at Kang Mo who had stopped mid-conversation to take the call, her head tilting in puzzlement. Her eyes widened as she heard the voice coming through the speakerphone, and she looked at the clock on the living room wall with a sharp intake of breath. It was nearly midnight. Oh my goodness…

Heedless of Seo Hee’s concern, Kang Mo continued the call.

“The villa I’m supposed to move into, how long did you say it would take to resolve the issues?”

“At the earliest, we expect it to take 2 weeks. At the latest, 3 weeks. As for the compensation, we will address it soon along with the other residents…”

“That’s fine. You take care of it.”

“Yes. Once the negotiations are concluded, I will report back to you. But Senior Manager, where exactly have you gone?”

“Sorry for the late call. Get some rest now.”

Having said his piece, Kang Mo ended the call. He spoke in a quiet voice, his head inclined slightly.

“You heard that. I was actually scheduled to move into the villa next week. But there was an issue with the electrical module so the move-in date got delayed a bit. And as it happens, the replacement part is from Germany so it will take some time to get here. That’s why I needed a place to stay temporarily. I didn’t feel like staying at a hotel, so I came here.”

Seo Hee nodded her head, resigned.

“Right. I figured you must have had some circumstances that brought you here.”

“No, but didn’t you look at me as if I was some brazen rogue who barged in here with impure motives?”

At Kang Mo’s words, Seo Hee shook her head, stunned.

“No, I really didn’t think that. It’s just…”

Kang Mo raised an eyebrow questioningly, urging her on. Seo Hee let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s just, I feel like I can’t face my mother. I’ve suddenly been made out to be a liar.”

“How have you done anything wrong?”

“That’s what I mean.”

Seo Hee laughed weakly, the bag slung over her shoulder drooping down. Then a thought struck her and her head tilted in puzzlement.

“But you know, you said you were planning to move next week. Then can’t you just stay at your current apartment until then? People usually time things so the move-out and move-in dates line up.”

“Baek Seo Hee, you must really hate the idea of living with me, huh?”

“That’s not it.”

At her vehement denial, Kang Mo let out a hollow laugh.

“It doesn’t matter to me since I’m moving into a newly built villa. But there are probably little things that need fixing up at the old place. I have to vacate so they can renovate or make repairs.”

She nodded, an ‘ah’ of understanding, no suspicion in her eyes. Her naivete was so adorable, he couldn’t help smiling.

“Then I’ll be imposing on you for a few days. You’re okay with that, right?”

“Lee Kang Mo, this is your house. Who’s imposing on who here?”

“No. From the moment you moved in, I’ve never thought of this as my house. This is unequivocally your space. So of course I need to get your permission. Well? Is it alright?”

Looking into Kang Mo’s worried eyes, Seo Hee nodded her head as if conceding defeat.

“Yeah, well, I guess it can’t be helped. But you…”

Kang Mo anticipated her warning look and preempted her.

“I absolutely won’t try anything beyond kissing until you give me the green light. I promise.”

Her suspicions allayed, Seo Hee smiled wryly as if to say he was incorrigible.

Only then did Kang Mo relax, asking casually:

“By the way, did your mother say anything?”

“Who, my mom? About what?”

“After I talked to her earlier. Didn’t she ask who I was? Does she remember my name?”

Seo Hee shook her head in sudden understanding.

“I changed the saved name. To the initials GM in English.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Kang Mo’s face.

“She probably remembers you as Joo Yeon’s younger brother. If she had seen your name, she might have worried first thing. It’s a good thing I changed it, I don’t think she connected GM to Kang Mo.”

Even though Seo Hee’s words made sense logically, Kang Mo couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

“So a call came from some man and she didn’t say anything? I would have thought she’d ask.”

“Well, she did…”

“What did you say? No, what did you say about who I was?”

Kang Mo desperately hoped she hadn’t just said ‘some guy’. He suppressed his urge to interrogate her and waited for her to speak.

“Just…”

“Just what? Don’t tell me you just said I was someone you know?”

Seo Hee couldn’t meet his eyes. What on earth had she said to make her so hesitant? Every time Kang Mo was reminded of how vastly different the space they occupied in each other’s hearts was, he felt the strength draining from his body. Her words mingled with his soft sigh.

“I said we’re still in the getting-to-know-each-other stage. That we’re seeing each other… with good feelings between us.”

Kang Mo’s eyes gleamed. He didn’t need to hear more.

Having no other way to express the inexplicable swelling of emotion in his chest, Kang Mo pulled Seo Hee into a fierce embrace.

“Thank you. Thank you, really.”

To Seo Hee, he was no longer just anyone now. No longer her friend’s younger brother, no longer just an acquaintance, but a man she was seeing with good feelings between them. He felt a deep sense of relief flooding his heart, as if a space for him was finally being carved out little by little in hers.

[Timeline separator]

Seo Hee hurried into her room, her face flushed, and plopped down weakly on the bed. Could she really stay alone together with Kang Mo like this? She covered her burning face with both hands, a moan escaping her lips unbidden.

Oh my goodness. What do I do?

Still sitting, she fell back onto the bed, her face scrunching up in distress as she recalled the dizzying situation from moments ago.

Kang Mo had held her so tightly, she couldn’t budge an inch in his arms. Was introducing him to her mother as someone she had good feelings for really something to get that emotional over? Watching him express sincere gratitude, overjoyed by that one statement, a sharp pain lanced through her heart.

What am I to Kang Mo that he pours out his entire heart to me like this? When I haven’t done anything especially nice for him, when I’m always rushing to hide my feelings, always pushing him away with a passive attitude, why…

Seo Hee found Kang Mo’s boundless affection for her hard to believe. On one hand she felt sorry that she couldn’t readily accept his heart.

Hesitantly, gingerly, she lifted her arms and gently wrapped them around his back.

Just then, as the sound of his heartbeat accelerating reached her ears, Kang Mo’s hold loosened. His lips trailed down over her cheek.

Could pudding be this soft and sweet if you put it in your mouth and rolled it around? Seo Hee’s eyes fluttered closed at his unprecedentedly cautious and tingly kisses, a different texture from usual, a soft moan slipping from her lips.

Kang Mo suddenly broke off the kiss that had continued for some time. Tenderly caressing her face, he spoke in a husky voice.

“It’s late. Go on to your room now.”

Between Kang Mo’s unprecedentedly deep gaze and his hands gently stroking her cheeks and back as if handling fragile crystal, Seo Hee lost her mind. Like someone bewitched, she could only stare blankly at Kang Mo with unfocused eyes, unable to think.

“Haa… Baek Seo Hee, you really…”

With Kang Mo’s groan-like voice, his firm lips captured Seo Hee’s once more, and she melted helplessly in his arms.

When the seemingly endless kiss ended and their lips parted again, Kang Mo called Seo Hee’s name in a low, subdued voice.

“Baek Seo Hee, I might not be able to hold back anymore. While I still have a shred of sanity left, hurry and go to your room. Okay?”

After being entranced and intoxicated by Kang Mo for so long, Seo Hee was startled back to her senses by the sudden fierce embrace. Pressed flush against him without a sliver of space between their bodies, she could clearly feel not only the heat emanating from his excited form, but the stark changes in his physique.

In an instant, Seo Hee’s entire body seemed to ignite like a huge ball of fire, trembling. At a loss amidst the shock, Kang Mo’s rough voice flowed into her ear.

“Last warning. Go, hurry. Go in and lock the door.”

Seo Hee extricated herself from his hold that had loosened at some point. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Kang Mo’s face. She felt like he would see how shaken she was.

Like he would plainly see how excited she was just like him, how flushed with heat. Keeping her head down, she quickly turned her back on him.

The vivid memories made Seo Hee bolt upright from where she had been lying on the bed, only to flop back down, her face in her hands.

Kang Mo might have taken her if he had a mind to. She had already been captivated by him as if under a spell, so if he had given in to his urges and pushed forward, they might be in bed together by now.

She had been that intoxicated by a Kang Mo so different from usual. Kang Mo had likely sensed it too. No, someone as sharp and perceptive as Kang Mo had undoubtedly already noticed.

Yet Kang Mo had exercised restraint and patience. Despite being fully capable of taking advantage of the situation, he had suppressed his desires and protected her. This dependable side of him filled her with renewed gratitude and relief, but that reprieve was short-lived.

Haa… how can I face Kang Mo tomorrow? I’m going crazy, really. How could I lose my mind like that in front of someone?

Cringing at her embarrassing behavior, Seo Hee squirmed atop the bed.

[Timeline separator]

A groan slipped out from under the blanket as the piercing alarm blared in Kang Mo’s ears. Not long after, Kang Mo threw off the covers and fumbled on the low nightstand next to the bed, snatching up the noisy phone.

With a sigh, he turned off the alarm and this time sought out the electric curtain remote, firmly pressing the open button.

The sharp-edged two-tone blackout curtains made of gray linen smoothly parted, and the dimly brightening sky gently enfolded the room.

Sitting up against the headboard, Kang Mo was checking his daily schedule on his phone when he paused and opened the message window from Seo Hee last night.

[Kang Mo, let’s switch rooms. That one is your room.]

Last night, Kang Mo had stood under the shower spray for a long time, dousing his blazing body with cold water and shuddering. He had just managed to quell his explosive desire and was lying weakly on the bed when his phone chimed, incongruously cheerful compared to his sinking heart.

Who could be messaging at this hour? His furrowed brow smoothed in surprise as he checked the sender, only to crease again upon reading the content.

Why switch rooms? Does she think I could possibly put her in this room and sleep well in there myself? Baek Seo Hee, this frustrating girl.

[It’s a hassle. Just use it. I’m more comfortable here.] [Still, it doesn’t seem right for the guest to take over the master bedroom and kick out the owner.]

Kang Mo felt pathetic enough to die, his body heating up over this trivial text exchange. Hadn’t he taken a cold shower long enough for the fever to go down by now? A sigh slipped out unbidden.