After the party ended, Se Eun experienced an unusual symptom for the first time in her life.

Her eyes moved uncontrollably, regardless of her will.

The target of that gaze was naturally Ki Sun Woo’s lips.

Se Eun could hardly take her eyes off his red lips that moved every time he spoke.

She kept remembering what happened on the balcony last night, with the gentle spring breeze blowing.

First flutter, first kiss.

That sensation she felt for the first time in her life was truly shocking.

The mingling scent of champagne, and the more intense mingling of moist breaths…

“…!”

Startled by her own thoughts, Se Eun jumped up in surprise.

She was astonished at herself for what she had done last night.

Even if she was drunk on champagne she had never tasted before, she shouldn’t have lost her senses to that extent.

To have her first kiss with Ki Sun Woo, and so intensely at that.

“What’s wrong?”

Sun Woo cast a suspicious glance at Se Eun, who was restlessly pacing around the kitchen.

He was leisurely preparing Sunday lunch as usual.

“Ah, it’s nothing…”

“Hmm. You must have been tired yesterday? Fortunately it’s the weekend. Let’s rest at home. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Um… not really.”

“No? Then I’ll just make some simple toast for lunch.”

“…Okay. Th-that’s fine.”

“…?”

Noticing a strange tension in her usually articulate tone, Sun Woo paused as he was about to open the refrigerator and stared at her again.

When their eyes met, Se Eun felt her face burning.

Even though he wasn’t very close, her back stiffened with tension.

“Yeon Se Eun, are you feeling sick?”

“…!”

Suddenly closing the safe distance between them, Sun Woo naturally placed his hand on her forehead.

Se Eun’s face was now helplessly turning red like paint.

“N-no! I’m not sick! There’s nothing wrong!”

Se Eun jumped up and hurriedly brought her own hand to her forehead to remove his.

But that action backfired.

His hand on her forehead, and then her hand on top of his, were now sandwiched together.

The contours of his long fingers felt on her palm made Se Eun even more flustered.

“Hmm. You seem a bit off? Are you sure you’re okay? Your face is red, are you running a fever?”

“…I said I’m fine.”

Se Eun was nervous about what would happen if he pressed further.

Ki Sun Woo was originally a sharp man, so there was a concern he might figure out what she was thinking inside.

If he found out that she was replaying their first kiss from last night dozens of times in her mind…

“T-toast, please make it quickly! I’m so hungry. I feel like I’m going to faint from hunger.”

“You’re that hungry? Alright. I’ll make it right away. Sit down and wait.”

Fortunately, Sun Woo seemed to believe her hastily made-up excuse.

To calm herself, Se Eun sat down in the living room far away as he instructed.

They had always been in the same space until now, but it felt like she was under a spell.

Ki Sun Woo’s gait, tone of voice, hand gestures, gaze…

Everything bothered her to the point of being unbearable.

To the extent that she wondered if she might be developing hypersensitivity.

“Here, the toast is ready. You want warm milk, right?”

“Yes… thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I know your tastes perfectly by now, Yeon Se Eun.”

He smiled, closing his eyes slightly.

As if by magic, her heart skipped a beat.

Se Eun became more and more puzzled about what exactly had happened last night.

*

After a simple breakfast-cum-lunch, Se Eun deployed her secret weapon to calm her mind.

Due to her sudden employment, she hadn’t picked up a brush for almost a week.

There had never been a time when she needed peace of mind more desperately than now.

“Are you going to do calligraphy?”

“Ah… yes.”

Sun Woo casually asked as he watched Se Eun neatly spread rice paper on the long wooden table.

It would have been nice if he took a weekend nap for peace of mind, but his amber eyes were frustratingly clear and alert.

“That’s good. I have nothing to do, so I’ll grind the ink for you.”

“What? No, it’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. Your wrists are too thin, it’ll be hard if you grind the ink too. Leave this much to your husband.”

Husband… This was trouble.

Feeling like her cheeks might catch fire again, Se Eun just nodded for now.

With her approval, Sun Woo promptly came over and sat down next to her.

Then he started slowly grinding the ink stick on the inkstone.

Trying not to focus on those long, straight fingers, Se Eun concentrated.

If her hand holding the brush trembled even slightly, he would surely find it strange.

“So, what are you going to write today?”

“Huh?”

“Haven’t you written enough dog breeds by now?”

“Ah…”

At Sun Woo’s words, Se Eun stopped her brush in mid-air.

She hadn’t really thought about what to write when she started, but now that she was about to write a series of dogs, she felt like he might laugh.

It might not matter at other times, but at a moment like this, sitting side by side so close together, facing his laughter was dangerous.

As she hesitated, he pushed the inkstone under her brush.

“Come to think of it, when did you start doing calligraphy? Your writing is quite neat.”

“…I’m not sure. Just, since I was very young.”

“Hmm. You don’t draw pictures?”

“Pictures?”

“Yeah. Young girls often draw pictures too. Pretty dresses or… you know, jewelry and such.”

At those words, Se Eun inadvertently recalled a painful memory.

In fact, this calligraphy was a kind of substitute.

She had a vague memory in her heart of imitating her mother as a child, drawing various pretty and shiny things.

But after her mother passed away, she could no longer draw.

Because those jewels no longer looked beautiful to Se Eun’s eyes.

“…I prefer calligraphy. It calms my mind and clears away stray thoughts.”

Sun Woo rested his chin on one hand and looked down at the rice paper askew.

Then he asked another question.

“Then, what else do you like?”

“What I like?”

“Yes. You said you write what you like.”

She had indeed said that. It was just something she had said because there was no reason to write things she disliked.

Suddenly, a scene similar to this one flashed through Se Eun’s mind.

She remembered that when she had asked him to try writing last time, his expression had seemed completely empty, if only for a moment.

“Ki Sun Woo…”

“Yes?”

“What do you like, Ki Sun Woo?”

“…”

This time she asked out of genuine curiosity.

But again, he couldn’t answer readily.

Does he not like anything? Even someone like her had things she liked, so it was puzzling.

His deep amber eyes seemed somewhat lonely, making Se Eun feel sorry.

She felt like she had touched on a dark corner of the man called Ki Sun Woo, though she wasn’t sure why.

Se Eun parted her lips, trying to change the subject quickly.

That’s when a low voice flowed from Sun Woo’s lips.

“…Rabbits.”

“Rabbits?”

“Yes. You like dogs, Yeon Se Eun. I like rabbits.”

It was an unexpected answer, but Se Eun was somehow glad.

Just finding one common point of liking animals made him feel more familiar.

So Se Eun exclaimed in an unusually energetic voice.

“Then after I finish the calligraphy, I’ll carve you another apple rabbit!”

*

“Haah…”

As soon as he lay down on the bed, a long sigh escaped from Sun Woo’s lips.

Why did he keep thinking about Yeon Se Eun?

No matter how many times he told himself it was just a strategy to find the Queen’s Tear, he couldn’t stop his interest from naturally going towards her.

At first, it was because she looked so fragile and pitiful.

Then, because she was so defenseless and innocent.

And then… and then.

He found himself making excuses for his heart that kept turning towards Yeon Se Eun.

“I’m going crazy, really.”

As if trying to chase away the vision floating before his eyes, Sun Woo placed his arm over his eyelids.

Nevertheless, Se Eun’s image penetrated the physical barrier and entered his pupils.

Using the ink he had ground for her, she showed off her seemingly limitless knowledge of dog breeds.

And as promised, after finishing the calligraphy, she diligently carved an apple for him.

Her skills were rapidly improving, and the rabbits were getting prettier and prettier.

Though the rabbit Sun Woo focused on was a different one.

Yeon Se Eun, munching contentedly on the apple she had carved, looked like an adorable white rabbit again today.

Even though it was March, Se Eun didn’t know how to take off her fluffy fur coat.

Rather, she stepped up her defenses, saying she needed to be well-prepared for the lingering cold spells of early spring.

Her appearance in white clothes, with an equally white and clear face eating an apple, was truly lethal.

Especially her lips. Perhaps it was because her lower lip was particularly red and plump.

Every time she chewed on something, those lips became so tempting that he couldn’t take his eyes off them.

Her large, clear eyes and crescent-moon eyebrows were pretty too, but her lips were even prettier.

“…”

Sun Woo absently stroked his own lips with his finger.

The soft sensation of enveloping those lips with his own still remained within him.

As if Yeon Se Eun’s existence had been imprinted through that kiss.

If it hadn’t been in a crowded party venue, he might have savored her indefinitely.

He turned to his side with a roll.

The bed, too large for one person, felt particularly empty today.

Come to think of it, Yeon Se Eun was especially cute today.

It was difficult pretending not to notice her obvious tension and shyness.

Well, even he couldn’t shake off the lingering effects of that kiss.

Sun Woo reached out and slowly stroked under the blanket where Se Eun’s place should have been.

It seemed like it would be perfect to sleep hugging a fluffy white rabbit in this empty spot.

After all, there were several mountains to climb to achieve his goal.

Sun Woo decided to establish intermediate tasks for the ultimate goal of the ‘Queen’s Tear’.

The first of these was to share a bed with Yeon Se Eun.