“When I see you, I’ll rush at you again like this, and then I’ll be more disappointed and disgusted with myself than with you. So that I don’t disgust myself. Please, avoid me.”

Sadly, it was all sincere.

She was sincerely appealing to him.

Jeho couldn’t argue with Yuri, who seemed about to collapse at any moment. She must be overloaded just with Minwoo’s situation right now.

“It’s very late.”

Jeho changed the subject in a numb voice.

“I’ll drive you to Chae Advisor’s house tomorrow morning, so stay here tonight.”

It was too dangerous to let her go back alone. Yuri seemed to think so too, as she nodded instead of declining.

“I’ll use the guest room.”

She got up from the sofa and headed to the guest room. She had never locked the door before, but this time she locked it as soon as she went inside.

Click, the sound of the door locking seemed like the sound of locking her heart. Jeho stared at the firmly closed door for a while, then finally turned around and headed to his bedroom.

The lights automatically turned off, and only a lonely darkness filled the living room.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next morning, as promised, Jeho drove Yuri’s car to Advisor Chae’s house.

Perhaps because of Yuri’s request yesterday, he only had necessary conversations and refrained from unnecessary ones. While driving, he only looked ahead without glancing at her.

“Welcome.”

Advisor Chae, who had already been briefed by Jeho, greeted Yuri with a stern face. Mrs. An had left for New Zealand to meet Yuri a few days ago, so Advisor Chae was alone in the house.

“I’ll take care of things from now on, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, I leave it to you.”

Jeho, who had respectfully greeted Advisor Chae, turned to Yuri.

He just looked at her for a moment without saying anything, then left the entrance.

“Breakfast?”

Advisor Chae asked after Jeho had left.

“Not yet.”

“Then let’s eat together. I just need to heat up the soup.”

A little later, father and daughter sat facing each other with breakfast in front of them.

“I heard you met Assemblyman Park Chang-sun’s youngest son yesterday. His name was ‘Hyunjo’, wasn’t it?”

Advisor Chae, who had been silently sipping his soup, asked casually.

“Yes. We had dinner together.”

“You don’t need to force yourself to meet him for Park Assemblyman’s sake if you don’t like it. Don’t feel pressured.”

“It wasn’t forced.”

“Then that’s good.”

Was it consideration for his daughter? Advisor Chae didn’t mention Minwoo’s matter. It would only ruin her appetite.

“I’ve asked them to send a female bodyguard so you won’t be uncomfortable, so stay with her for a while. When you go out, take two or three more bodyguards with you.”

Only after the meal was finished did Advisor Chae speak about future plans.

“Yes.”

Yuri was about to decline, saying there was no need for that, but she changed her mind. It probably wasn’t a decision just for her. That’s how the people around her could feel at ease. Although it would be troublesome, she decided to accept the protection for a while.

Only after the bodyguard arrived did Advisor Chae head to the office with Assistant Kim. Yuri was already familiar with the bodyguard from election campaigns and party convention events.

“Please don’t mind me and go about your business as usual. Just let me know in advance when you go out. We need to supplement the security personnel.”

As calling more bodyguards would be a burden, Yuri tried to refrain from going out as much as possible. Although it felt a bit stuffy, like being confined at home, it was bearable.

[Is something wrong? You’re not being held captive, are you?]

A few days later, Hyunkyung asked in a serious voice during a phone call.

She seemed worried because in the past, Yuri had often been forbidden from going out by Advisor Chae. It was strange that she suddenly moved from the officetel to her family home, and now she was saying she would stay home on the weekend.

“No, what do you mean captive? If you’re free, why don’t you come over to our house? Father is coming home late today.”

[Of course I’m free! I’ll come right now.]

After hanging up, Hyunkyung rushed over and when the bodyguard opened the door instead of Yuri, she looked around the house with a puzzled expression.

“What’s this? Advisor hasn’t even become a presidential candidate yet, but you’re already under close protection?”

Hyunkyung didn’t seem to think it was because of Yuri at all.

“Ah, well…”

Yuri led Hyunkyung into her room with a troubled face, hesitating to answer.

How much should she reveal?

She had only said she broke up with Jeho, but couldn’t properly explain why they broke up.

Fortunately, Hyunkyung was too busy comforting Yuri to pay much attention to the reason. Still, Yuri felt burdened as if she was constantly hiding something from Hyunkyung.

Finally, Yuri decided to confide in Hyunkyung about Minwoo’s matter, just a little.

“What, that crazy bastard!”

When the explanation was over, Hyunkyung’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

“I knew it. That guy wasn’t normal since kindergarten. Wow, isn’t this completely insane?”

“Shh, only you know. No one else knows yet.”

Recently, the only witness who had been in a coma woke up.

However, there are still many communication problems, so he can’t testify with certainty yet. But it’s only a matter of time. Soon, news of the unfortunate murder case will flood the mass media.

“Did Jeho tell you?”

“Yes.”

When Yuri answered with a hardened expression, Hyunkyung shook her head.

“Jeho must be having a hard time too. No matter what, his cousin is raging like a mad dog…”

“But Hyunkyung.”

“Yes?”

“Why aren’t you asking me why Jeho and I broke up?”

“Huh?”

For a moment, Hyunkyung opened her mouth as if taken aback. After rolling her eyes, pondering how to answer, she carefully opened her mouth after a while.

“…Well, honestly, it’s hard for you and Jeho to be together. Because of Minwoo too… I had a feeling you would break up someday.”

“If you knew that, why didn’t you stop me? You tried so hard to stop me when I was going to marry Minwoo.”

“That’s different. Minwoo was a political marriage. With Jeho, you were attracted as a romantic partner. How could I stop you when you two were burning up just being together?”

Was it that obvious even to Hyunkyung?

“And it’s better to regret after doing something than to regret not doing it. Otherwise, you’ll go crazy with curiosity later. That’s how I am. I have to taste it to know if it’s soybean paste or peanut butter.”

It was a painful experience, but Hyunkyung was right.

“Our Hyunkyung is really cool.”

“Right? This elder sister is pretty cool, isn’t she? Sorry that I’m your elder sister, not your elder brother. If I were your elder brother, I would have snatched you away before other guys made you cry.”

Hyunkyung threw a joke as if trying to change the heavy atmosphere. Yuri chuckled and walked to her desk.

“By the way, Yuri. You said you met Assemblyman Park Chang-sun’s youngest son, right?”

“Yes.”

Yuri answered while opening her desk drawer.

“How was he? Isn’t he super cute? I heard he’s really popular.”

“Is that so?”

Come to think of it, there had been no contact from Hyunjo since that day. He said he wanted to meet often before returning to America… It was a bit strange, but she thought it didn’t matter since they wouldn’t meet again anyway.

Yuri took out a wooden box from the drawer and handed it to Hyunkyung.

“I have one favor to ask. Can you take this to Jeho?”

Recognizing the box, Hyunkyung frowned.

“Isn’t this a gift from Jeho to you?”

“Yes. He asked me to keep just this when we broke up, so I brought it… But it’s too burdensome. I won’t be able to wear it anyway.”

“Why can’t you wear it?”

Hyunkyung took the watch out of the box with a look that said ‘what are you talking about’ and put it on Yuri’s wrist.

“If it’s because of others’ eyes, wear it at home. If you return even this now, what will Jeho become? He’s already having a headache because of Minwoo.”

Ah, she hadn’t thought that far.

As Yuri hesitated, Hyunkyung took her hand and persuaded her once more.

“Do you know how much trouble Jeho went through to choose this? And he even asked you to keep it. So keep it for a while.”

Since Hyunkyung’s words made sense, Yuri changed her mind to return it after Minwoo’s matter was settled.

Hyunkyung stayed until dinner and left, and that night, Advisor Chae, who came home late, called Yuri to his study.

“You know your aunt is coming back tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, I got a call from Aunt.”

“I’ll send someone to the airport, so don’t go to meet her. If you want to see her, tell her to come here. If you want, I’ll leave the place to you.”

“Okay.”

Aunt Miyeon might not want to come here, but Yuri couldn’t go out accompanied by bodyguards.

As she was about to leave the study after finishing the business, Advisor Chae stopped Yuri.

“By the way, about Assemblyman Park’s youngest son.”

When Yuri turned around, Advisor Chae took off his glasses and pressed his brow as if tired.

“I heard he’s in the hospital now. Someone deliberately pushed him down the stairs, but unfortunately, the hotel CCTV camera was broken at that time…”

“Is he badly hurt?”

Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise. Although they had only met once, she couldn’t help but worry.

“It seems his shoulder and leg bones are fractured. Fortunately, his athletic ability is excellent, so he managed to twist his body to avoid falling head first… But still, it’s a serious injury.”

Is that why he hasn’t contacted her until now?

“There’s no need to visit him in the hospital after just having a meal together once, but send him a text message later.”

“Okay.”

Yuri briefly replied and left the study.

[This is the timeline separator] [I finally found him. He entered through Incheon Port with a Chinese passport.]

Woo Gyeol’s excited voice flowed from the speaker connected to the phone.

“Are you sure?”

Jeho asked, stopping the car at a red light.

[Yes. I confirmed it with my own eyes, caught on CCTV cameras. It’s Minwoo.]

“Where is he staying now?”

[That’s not yet known. But we should be able to find out soon. They say we can get the witness testimony in a few days, then we can officially track him down with police help.]

When that happens, the mass media will universally cover the murder case. It was beyond the level that Chairman Kwon could cover up.

Executive Director Kwon, besides being dismissed, was in a position where he had to cover the company’s losses with his own money, so he couldn’t do anything at all. He was in such a bad situation that he had to dispose of his KG Group shares to raise funds.

It was clear that someone other than Executive Director Kwon was helping Minwoo. But Jeho wasn’t very interested in who was behind Minwoo. He only hoped to find Minwoo as soon as possible so that Yuri could feel at ease.

[You’re on your way to Arcadia Mall now, right?]

“Yes. I’ll call you again when I arrive.”

As soon as he hung up the phone, the traffic light turned green, and Jeho stepped hard on the accelerator and started the car.

[This is the timeline separator]

“I really didn’t want to come here again…”

As she entered the house, Aunt Miyeon shook her head with an expression of disgust. But when she saw her niece after a long time, her gloomy face instantly brightened.

“Yuri, wow, it’s been so long!”

Miyeon hugged Yuri tightly, spreading her arms wide.

“By the way, why have you gotten so thin since I last saw you? Have you been sick?”

It seems she looked gaunt even to her aunt who hadn’t seen her in a long time.

At that moment, the study door opened and Advisor Chae walked out with Assistant Kim. Instantly, the smile disappeared from Miyeon’s face. She glared at the man who was once her brother-in-law, not hiding her contempt.

“It’s been a long time, Assemblyman Chae Hyungsik.”

“Yes, it’s been a while. I’ll be going out now, so feel free to catch up with Yuri.”

As Advisor Chae hurriedly headed towards the entrance, Miyeon sneered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Why are you running away in such a hurry?”

“I’m leaving so you can spend time comfortably with Yuri.”

“I’m not uncomfortable at all with you here, Assemblyman, so let’s talk about important matters first.”

“What matters?”

“First, send away the people around. It’s an extremely private matter.”

Miyeon seemed to want to talk about Yuri’s birth.

“Then we’ll wait outside.”

Assistant Kim, sensing the situation, went out of the house with the bodyguards.

Only then did Miyeon sit on the living room sofa with a satisfied smile.

“I heard you’re going to fight back. By breaking the scandal of our older sister’s affair with Assemblyman Jung Taehyuk to cover up the scandal of Yuri’s birth secret.”

At Miyeon’s shocking words, Yuri’s eyes shook greatly.

Are they trying to bring up the matter again that they had agreed to cover up even by forcing her to marry Minwoo?

Yuri quickly turned her head towards Advisor Chae.

“Father, is what Aunt is saying true?”