Eun Seo’s eyes, which had been blinking once, twice in succession, drooped in the opposite direction of her mouth corners.

Then.

“Where shall I touch you? Here?”

Eun Seo poked Tae Ha’s side with her finger and suddenly stood up. Then she ran away quickly towards the guest house, laughing brightly.

“Sir, I’ll go in first!”

Waving her hand so innocently.

Yes, she just wants to play around with me.

There are places that can be touched on the face, and somewhere below the waist. But all she touched was the side.

Tae Ha got up, brushing off his seat. He didn’t erase his smile either. There was no reason to.

“What about your luggage? You’ll have to come with me to take it.”

Tae Ha leisurely called out to Eun Seo from the shade of the cabana. But Eun Seo just smiled and didn’t budge.

“What if I lock the door? No clothes, no books. It would be quite inconvenient, wouldn’t it?”

Still, Eun Seo didn’t move.

“What’s in the carrier? Passport? Wallet? Or ah, underwear. Tell me what you need. I’ll bring it to you myself.”

“Mr. Kwon Tae Ha, I know you’re nice.”

As if she was getting anxious, Eun Seo tried to persuade him as if dealing with a child.

‘Nice Tae Ha.’ This isn’t something to say to a grown man.

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding. You buy me shoes, clothes, give me a room, food, money.”

“I was only nice to Song Eun Seo. But I’m not sure what to do with a Song Eun Seo who goes against my wishes.”

“……”

“I’m curious, shall we test it out?”

“What are you going to do?”

Anxiety and subtle anger could be felt simultaneously in Eun Seo’s voice.

“To treat you even better. If you like it so much you can’t think straight, you won’t run away. Like now.”

Tae Ha’s voice, which came out slowly after suppressing the surging emotions, was gentle.

However, it wasn’t so for Eun Seo.

Come closer because he’ll treat her well. If she comes closer, he’ll catch her. Once caught, she won’t be able to go anywhere because she’ll get used to his embrace.

That was his intention – to break the mermaid’s tail so she would come closer.

Not knowing what would happen to the place where the tail was cut off.

Not knowing that a mermaid who can’t swim doesn’t just return to her original place, but dies.

Even now, she’s crossing the line so precariously without thinking straight.

She must retreat as much as he approaches.

Eun Seo, who had momentarily lost herself in the foreign scenery and opened her heart, came to her senses.

Tae Ha’s house was a space allowed only until she saved up funds for independence, and the secretary job would end when Manager Yeon returned. Tae Ha’s feelings would disappear when he married Ha Eun.

She could get a house and job again, but not Tae Ha.

Eun Seo bit her lip and came straight towards Tae Ha.

“Mr. Kwon Tae Ha, you’re mean.”

For not being able to wait even that short moment and making her face reality again.

But even if things went as he wanted, he was the one who felt bitter.

Come closer as much as he treats her well. If she comes closer, he’ll catch her and not let go. He’ll give her shining wings to live in a place closer to the sky. Eun Seo rejected that heart.

With a terribly bitter look in his eyes, Tae Ha entered the main house with Eun Seo.

In the vast room, there was a dining area behind the long sofa, and beyond that was a large bed.

The living room and bedroom had a view of the outside through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. And the entrance was connected directly to the pool, so you could dip your feet in just by opening the door.

There was a shower facility outdoors, and a very large bathroom inside the house.

And in the bathtub.

“Ah.”

Red petals were floating on the water. Along with a cozy diffuser emitting a subtle aroma scent.

Tae Ha hadn’t seen it either, so he stood in front of the bathtub lost in thought, then skimmed the water with his hand and asked.

“Do you want to wash up?”

“Pardon?”

“Just you, not me. It would be a waste.”

“It’s okay. It’s common in the countryside. In spring and summer, flower petals and leaves float down the stream.”

That countryside talk started again. Nothing works on this woman.

Tae Ha opened the closet door and took out Eun Seo’s carrier that he had placed on one side.

“I’ll bring it to you.”

“I’ll take it myself. You have a schedule today, don’t you?”

Looking at the clock, it was almost time for the appointment with the CEO of the travel company and the general manager.

“Are you sure I don’t need to accompany you?”

“Honestly, it’s not that you’re accompanying me, but that I might have to take care of you.”

Eun Seo rubbed her nape in embarrassment.

“I’m joking. This meeting is a mix of public and private matters, so you don’t have to go.”

“Friends but also a business relationship?”

“There are also relationships where people are colleagues and spouses.”

At the accusing look in his eyes, Eun Seo avoided his gaze completely.

“The restaurant is far, so I’ll order dinner for you before I go. What do you want to eat?”

“I’m not sure what’s available.”

“Pizza, hamburger, steak, anything you normally eat is fine. If you’re curious, look at the menu.”

“Then a hamburger, please.”

“Alright, then.”

Tae Ha disappeared, withdrawing his long shadow under the dim light. An employee who got off the buggy car looked for him, and when he left, the villa became completely quiet.

Eun Seo was worried if she really didn’t need to follow him, so she called Team Leader Choi, but the answer was the same as Tae Ha’s.

− Just enjoy yourself. Why follow when the boss said not to come? It’s not like he’s been shot. I wouldn’t go either if I were you.

Only then did Eun Seo unpack her carrier and neatly organize her things. After that, she went out with her notebook, memo pad, phone, and pencil case.

* * *

The meeting ended at 9 o’clock.

Tae Ha opened the main gate and walked through the driveway lit by soft lights to enter.

A 7-hour flight followed immediately by dinner and drinks. Though his pupils were stiff with fatigue, he turned his feet, which were heading towards the main house, towards the sea.

A shadow caught his eye.

Whether she liked the outdoors or the guest house was too small, Eun Seo was sleeping on the cabana bed.

Tae Ha took careful steps. The reason he couldn’t go quickly was to avoid waking her from her deep sleep.

She was sleeping curled up on her side, using one cushion as a pillow.

Was it because she was cold, or just a habit?

Should he wake her up? Or carry her inside in his arms?

The wind blew, gently scattering the woman’s fine hair. Tae Ha lowered his fingers and carefully brushed the hair covering her forehead behind her ear.

Stirring up someone else’s heart to make such a mess, yet she herself is so nonchalant.

“Either don’t call me husband.”

After those soft words, he ended the conflict by taking off his jacket and covering Eun Seo’s body with it.

More than half of the hamburger was left on the table. The hamburger, boasting a tall height, looked uncomfortable to eat.

Tae Ha carefully picked up the plate and sat in a chair. Then he cut it into several pieces with a knife to make it easy to eat in one bite. When Eun Seo’s shoulder twitched at the sound of the metal scraping, he stopped his movement.

He had no desire to wake her.

He had no intention of disturbing either Eun Seo’s sleep or the ambiance she might have wanted to enjoy.

Tae Ha only left his seat after covering the plate with a lid.

The lights in the main house went out after an hour, and it was long after the lights went out that Eun Seo opened her eyes.

Whether she was just tired from her first flight, she had fallen into a deep sleep in an instant. Just as Eun Seo was raising her upper body to get up, something slipped down with a rustle.

A light material jacket. It was Tae Ha’s.

No wonder there was a nice smell. It’s unsettling.

Eun Seo strokes the jacket covering her legs with her hand. Everywhere it rubs, it feels as if his bare skin is touching.

Even on that day when she had nightmares as a child, she fell asleep buried in his warmth.

Is it true?

The jacket covering her body, the scent he left behind, the hamburger cut into pieces – it was all him. It was traces of him.

* * *

Splash, splash.

Tae Ha woke up to the sound tormenting his ears. He tries to go back to sleep, but the sound keeps grating on his nerves.

Frowning and rubbing his dry face, Tae Ha got up. The door was not closed, so all the sounds from outside were leaking in.

The splashing sound and the rustling sound. To the endless sound covering his ears, Tae Ha put on the robe he had placed beside the bed, intending to close the door. Then, tying the waist strap, he approached the window.

However, as he got closer to the window, his fingers tying the robe’s knot gradually slowed.

A woman was floating on the blue-green water surface.

The thin T-shirt was already soaked, and her damp forehead glistened softly in the moonlight.

Her hair dyed the blue water surface with black ink. According to her movements, her cheeks would sometimes sink and sometimes emerge.

Eun Seo was swimming with her eyes closed. In this night, very quietly. With one uninvited guest in front of her.

Tae Ha leans one shoulder against the window and watches that moonlit figure.

It was like a mirage.

The quiet movement, the even breath, the two arms placed neatly.

As if she might turn into water and evaporate just like this.

“Is it your hobby to exercise at dawn?”

Eun Seo turned her eyes at the sound that broke the solitary silence. Her eyes seemed to have widened, but she didn’t seem very surprised.

“Sometimes. When I was young, if I got scolded by my grandmother or something, I would come out to the river like this, float my body, and organize my thoughts.”

“Seems like you have something you want to organize.”

“Yes.”

“Is it… me?”

There were no more words.

Watching her eyes disappear again, Tae Ha took off his robe and jumped into the water just like that. Then he swam at once, cutting through the water to where Eun Seo was.

Water dripped all over his body as it emerged above the water surface.

“I asked if it was because of me.”

At Tae Ha’s words asking while pushing his hair back, Eun Seo only slightly furrowed her brows.

She had been thinking all along. From the day she met him.

He gave her food, gave her gifts, hugged her when she cried, provided her a place to live, and now he says he’s giving her his heart.

Eun Seo parted the water with her hands, stood firmly on her toes on the bottom, and supported her body. Then she opened her hand to stop him from approaching.

“Stay there.”

“Why?”

“…Because I’m scared.”

“Of me?”

The man’s neat lips asked.

“Why on earth?”

“Because you keep coming closer.”

“You pulled me in.”

Eun Seo just closed her trembling eyelids with wariness.

“Don’t blame me. I told you not to come. Don’t come. My whole life has been my fault. It’s my fault when the wind blows, it’s my fault when the TV breaks and I can’t watch dramas. It’s my fault for not fixing it in advance when the table leg breaks and spills ramen.”

“……”

“But you know, if something goes wrong because I like you, that’s really my fault. At some point, you got stuck somewhere around my solar plexus and won’t go down. I really want to spit it out because it’s so painful, but I’m the one trying my best to hide it, I’m the one trying not to get caught, why is it so easy for you?”

“For me?”

“You’re someone who can like anyone without any thought, but I’m someone who can’t speak even if I like someone. Even this is difficult for me and I’m agonizing like this, but someone finds it so easy.”

“That’s me too.”

“I’m a person who hurts myself in the name of giving up because I don’t want to get hurt. Liking someone but not being able to say a word and giving up, that all remains as scars. You don’t know. Because you’ve never lived like me.”

The words that came out with difficulty through red lips poured out as sharp resentment. But if you list out all the tangled words, there’s something to see.

“I’ve already arrived. While you were standing there.”

Tae Ha lowered his gaze as he wiped Eun Seo’s eyelids, which had already turned red from crying at some point, with his thumb.

“It seems there’s only one thing I need to hear. Not as long as now, but short.”