Soo Min was answering a phone call from Yeon Soo.

[Soo Min, did you get the message I just sent?]

“Yes, I received it. I was actually looking at the calendar just now.”

The message Yeon Soo had sent contained the flight number and time of the London-bound flight Ji Ho had booked.

[It would have been better if he had booked earlier, but he said he was busy with exams.]

“Can’t be helped. I’ll try to match that date. Not much time left, so I need to check quickly. I wonder if there are any seats left on the same flight.”

[Alright. If not, look into the days before or after. You don’t have to come with Ji Ho. I just thought it would be easier for me to pick you up at the airport if you came together.]

“Okay. Ji Ho doesn’t know we’re going, right?”

[Yes. He said to keep it a secret. I haven’t told him yet, but are you really not going to say anything until the departure day?]

“Yeah. Yoo Mi wants to surprise Ji Ho at the airport.”

[Oh my, Yoo Mi is still such a child. Playing such pranks. Hahaha.]

“I know, right? She’s all grown up physically, but still…”

Soo Min didn’t know the exact reason why Yoo Mi was doing this.

She wanted to surprise him, but Soo Min thought Ji Ho might be more flustered than surprised if he knew.

Soo Min was actually worried if it was okay to go without telling him in advance.

[Ah, I see! Then I’ll have to pretend I don’t know until the end. Ji Ho’s expression at the airport will be quite a sight to see.]

“I’m looking forward to it too. How Ji Ho will react…”

Soo Min said with a laugh, but inwardly she swallowed a sigh.

She felt that Ji Ho wouldn’t be particularly happy about Yoo Mi coming along.

It was obvious that watching this unfold wouldn’t be comfortable for her either.

“Ah! Yeon Soo…”

[Yes? What is it?]

“…Did Ji Ho say anything?”

Soo Min asked, subtly probing to see if Ji Ho had mentioned anything about Yi Soo.

[No. Why? Did something happen to Ji Ho?]

“No, just asking.”

[Hey, hang up now and quickly check for flight tickets first.]

“Right. I should do that. I’ll contact you again after I check. Go on in.”

Soo Min hung up and immediately turned on her computer.

“I wonder if there are any tickets available during peak season.”

Soo Min accessed the flight ticket booking site with a worried expression.

“Mom, is Ji Ho’s travel date confirmed now?”

Yoo Mi asked excitedly, having eavesdropped on Soo Min’s conversation with Yeon Soo.

“Yes. Ji Ho has already booked his ticket.”

“Then let’s go on the same flight.”

“Okay. But I’m not sure if there are any tickets left since the date is so close.”

Soo Min entered the destination and date on the screen and clicked the search button for flight tickets.

“There should be at least two seats available, right?”

Yoo Mi also sat close to Soo Min, staring at the loading screen.

“Mom, by the way, how long did they say Ji Ho will be staying in London?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t ask about that. Even in the message Yeon Soo sent earlier, there was only the departure date, not the return date.”

“Ah, then how long are we going to stay?”

“We’re planning to go for about a week.”

“Can’t we stay longer? It would be nice if we could come back with Ji Ho too.”

Meanwhile, the flight ticket search results appeared on the computer screen.

The direct flight to London on the date Soo Min entered showed all seats on standby.

“Oh no. What should we do?”

Yoo Mi’s face, which had been staring intently at the screen, became severely crumpled.

“As expected. Ji Ho booked the day before yesterday, so there must have been seats available then.”

Soo Min’s face also became serious.

“Isn’t there anything else? If there’s no direct flight, let’s take a connecting one.”

Yoo Mi’s face was almost on the verge of tears.

She had been looking forward to this so much, and not being able to go because of unavailable flight tickets seemed unacceptable.

“Yoo Mi.”

Soo Min turned to Yoo Mi with a serious expression.

“What?”

“Do you really have to go?”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

Yoo Mi’s eyes widened.

“I mean, if it’s because of Ji Ho, do you really need to go all the way there? You saw it that day too. Ji Ho and Yi Soo.”

“Mom! Why are you bringing that up? It’s annoying!”

Yoo Mi shouted loudly.

“From what I saw that day, it seemed like Ji Ho liked Yi Soo more… If you do this, you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

Soo Min felt her heart ache for Yoo Mi.

It was so upsetting that her beautiful daughter, who lacked nothing, was suffering because of Ji Ho.

She also felt resentful towards Ji Ho for not understanding Yoo Mi’s feelings.

“So what? It’s not like Ji Ho married Yi Soo. They could break up while dating…”

Yoo Mi suddenly frowned, as if her mood had soured.

“That’s why I have to go. While we’re in London, Yi Soo will be away from Ji Ho. And I’ll be staying in the same house, seeing his face every day. What better opportunity is there than this?”

Yoo Mi’s eyes were filled with certainty.

Even if she couldn’t end up with Ji Ho, she didn’t want to see him end up with Yi Soo.

“This time when I go, I’m going to get close to Ji Ho again, like before. We’ve been a bit awkward since he went to college, but we used to be close when we were young.”

“But Mom thinks, if Ji Ho realizes you like him, he might feel burdened. Moreover, now that he knows you’re Yi Soo’s sister, I’m not sure how Ji Ho will react.”

Soo Min sighed, shaking her head as if feeling frustrated.

“They’ve only been dating for about two months. If they figure out each other’s personalities and find they’re not compatible, they might break up soon. You said so too, Mom. That they might break up like this.”

“What, are you really going to wait until Ji Ho breaks up with Yi Soo?”

Soo Min was flabbergasted.

She had said they might break up to comfort the sobbing Yoo Mi, not to tell her to actually wait.

“Yes.”

“My goodness, is Ji Ho the only man in the world? Why are you being so sentimental about this?”

“It’s not something I can control. What can I do if I can’t give up!”

Soo Min closed her mouth, feeling it was pointless to say more.

The fact that Ji Ho’s girlfriend happened to be Yi Soo also bothered Soo Min.

She wasn’t sure how long they would date, but she wondered what would happen if they suddenly announced they were getting married.

If Yeon Soo knew about this, she would have already asked Soo Min about Yi Soo and more. From her silence, it seemed she didn’t know yet.

Ji Ho must have felt uncomfortable talking about this complicated relationship too.

“Well, let’s try to get on the waiting list for now. There might be a chance that direct flight tickets become available. If not, we’ll take a connecting flight.”

Soo Min clicked on the reservation waiting list while looking at the stubborn Yoo Mi.

“It would be nice to be on the same flight as Ji Ho, but I’m okay even if we’re not. We can meet him when we get there. We’re staying at Aunt Yeon Soo’s house while we’re in London, right?”

“That’s what she said, but I’m not sure if we should book a hotel. It’s not just a day or two, but a whole week. I feel like we might be imposing too much.”

“If Aunt said we should, let’s do that. Staying at a hotel wouldn’t be any different from being here. We can stay in the same house with Ji Ho for a week. Come on, Mom, please!”

Yoo Mi clung to one of Soo Min’s arms and pleaded.

“Yoo Mi, men run away more when women cling like this. If you really like Ji Ho, try not to show it so much.”

Soo Min said one last thing, feeling frustrated by Yoo Mi’s helpless love for Ji Ho.

“I know. I’m doing that. I’ll really do well this time when I go.”

Yoo Mi stuck out her lower lip and nodded as if making a promise.

She would sleep in the same house as Ji Ho every day and have meals with the family.

Maybe they would even go sightseeing together for Yoo Mi and Soo Min, who were visiting London for the first time.

Just thinking about it made her heart flutter and race.

They say there’s always a way out even if the sky falls.

To Yoo Mi, this London trip felt like a gift from heaven.

**

“Yi Soo, I’m about to book the train to Paris now, how long are you planning to stay in London?”

Ji Ho called Yi Soo with the Eurostar booking screen open on his monitor.

Ji Ho, who had been to Paris several times, was in charge of planning this trip’s itinerary.

[Ah, well. About a week?]

“A week…”

Ji Ho trailed off with a somewhat disappointed feeling.

If they stayed in London for a week out of the total two-week schedule, it meant they only had a week left for actual traveling.

‘If I ask her to reduce the time spent with her mom, will Yi Soo feel hurt? She just visited last winter, so it hasn’t even been a year. Is there a need to stay in London for a whole week?’

Knowing from the start that this trip wasn’t what Yi Soo had wanted, Ji Ho found it difficult to suggest extending the travel period.

The flight was already booked so it couldn’t be changed, but deciding the date to move to Paris was proving to be a challenge.

“Can’t you shorten it? I’d like to travel for about ten days.”

[That long? Weren’t we only going to Paris?]

Even package tours to Europe cover the whole continent in two weeks, but ten days just in Paris?

It seemed too long.

Honestly, the thought of spending 24 hours a day with Ji Ho for ten days was also burdensome.

Although she had agreed to the trip caught up in the moment, she hadn’t told Won Jin yet, and she hadn’t even thought about what to say to Hye Jin.

Should she lie and say she’s going on a solo trip?

Or could she honestly say she’s going with her boyfriend?

“There’s a lot to see in Paris. There are many places to visit in the suburbs too.”

The itinerary was flexible, but Ji Ho, wanting to make it as long as possible, pushed his luck.

If he had his way, he would have preferred to stay in London for just a few days and then go straight to Paris, but he didn’t even mention it, knowing it would be out of the question for Yi Soo.

[Hmm…]

Yi Soo’s hesitation grew longer as the original purpose of going to London seemed to be fading.

“Yi Soo, then can’t we push back the return date even now?”

If they had to stay in London longer, they could just delay the return date.

Ji Ho actually preferred it that way.

He could still see Yi Soo every day while in London.

[No. That’s not possible… Sigh. Okay. Let’s go for ten days then.]

After hesitating for a while, Yi Soo finally gave in to Ji Ho’s suggestion.

She had initially planned to visit Paris on the way to see Hye Jin in London, but somehow the priorities had completely reversed.

As soon as he heard Yi Soo’s answer, Ji Ho immediately entered the dates and clicked the mouse.

He deliberately chose an early morning departure time for the train.

Considering it takes about two and a half hours from London to Paris, they could have lunch in Paris on that day.

A satisfied smile spread across Ji Ho’s face as he completed the payment.

“Booking complete.”

[Thank you.]

It had been a really long time since Yi Soo’s last trip.

Her last vacation was to Jeju Island just before Hye Jin left for London when they were in middle school.

After that, when she moved into Won Jin’s house, she hadn’t gone on any trips other than school field trips.

At that time, Won Jin was extremely busy expanding the hospital significantly and even venturing into the beauty business.

Yi Soo couldn’t join the vacations where Won Jin would say he was too busy to go and tell them to go as a trio.

While Yoo Mi and Soo Min went on trips to resorts, Yi Soo stayed at home with Won Jin.

The only holiday for Yi Soo was visiting London for a few days during each school break.

“Alright. I’ll take care of everything else.”

Ji Ho swiftly completed the Eurostar booking and started searching for accommodations in Paris.

A smile spread across Ji Ho’s face as he browsed through Paris hotels on the monitor.

[Ah… Okay. Let me know when you’re done.]

Since deciding to go on the trip, the biggest worry for Yi Soo had been the accommodation issue, but Ji Ho, who said he would take care of everything, didn’t consult her at all about the lodging.

‘Does he just assume we’ll stay together now?’