As he was about to lean in again, Yulri flinched and stepped back, reminded of yesterday’s incident on the kitchen island. Unlike yesterday, the kitchen was now a mess with various food ingredients.

“Hurry up, change your clothes and wash your hands.”

When Yulri pushed him with her hand, Je Ho laughed and obediently walked to the bedroom. It had been a long time since he had come home to someone cooking and waiting for him. The feeling was peculiar.

Entering the dressing room, he noticed another suitcase of Yulri’s in the corner. She must have stopped by her place today. Her clothes were neatly hung in one corner.

The mere fact that Yulri’s clothes were hanging there made his heart flutter. It felt like the thrill of newlyweds.

He changed into comfortable clothes, washed his hands, and returned to find the kitchen tidied up, except for the dishes.

Sitting down, Yulri served him grilled soy sauce mackerel she took out of the oven. There were also shrimp tempura, seafood pancakes, and jellyfish salad.

“How does it taste?”

Waiting for him to taste, Yulri asked cautiously.

“It’s good.”

“You don’t have to say it’s good if it’s not.”

“It really is good.”

“You can’t eat spicy food, right?”

Surprise showed on Je Ho’s face.

The food he had prepared so far – abalone porridge, chicken noodle soup, cream-based pasta, clam chowder – were all non-spicy.

In Geoje, they had gone to eat grilled mackerel on a stone plate for her, but he hardly touched the mackerel. He only tasted it once and mostly ate the side dishes that came with it.

Now, the small details he hadn’t thought much of before became clear. Little things about him.

Silently watching Je Ho enjoy the food she made, Yulri felt a slight pain around her heart. Strangely, what used to make her heart flutter was now painfully piercing.

She was falling for him more than she could compare with her first love.

Yulri smiled back at him, but she couldn’t do so comfortably. Her mind and heart were entangled with emotions not easily settled.

The meal ended perfectly with dessert – vanilla ice cream decorated with blueberries and mint leaves.

“I’ll do the dishes.”

After the meal, Je Ho stood up to take the dishes, but Yulri quickly took them from his hands.

“No, let me finish it today.”
Until reaching this conclusion, it was clear how much she had struggled alone. It must have been a difficult decision for her. Should he be grateful that she had come up with a way, even though it wasn’t to his liking?

Je Ho gazed quietly into her eyes.

“You must have worried a lot in that short time.”

Whether it was consolation or sarcasm was unclear, but Yulri inwardly sighed with relief that he had accepted her proposal.

“There’s one more thing.”

“Tell me.”

Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be more shocking than what she had already said, so Je Ho nodded lightly.

“We should be thorough with contraception.”

“So, since we have no future together, we shouldn’t do anything that would require responsibility?”

“Yes.”

As Yulri answered firmly, Je Ho smiled gently.

“It’s a reasonable request. Most often, women suffer more in the case of unintended pregnancy, and everyone has the right to protect their body.”

While speaking, his hands began to unbutton her blouse.

“But what about the heart? Are you going to protect it too?”

He gently tapped where her heart was.

“I plan to tempt not just the body but also the heart. You can protect the body with a latex barrier, but how will you protect the heart?”

He placed his lips precisely where the heart was. The warm breath and moist lips teasingly touched her skin.

If the heart had been there, it would have been engulfed in an instant. Despite his persistent advances, Yulri remained silent, her lips sealed.

After a while, he lifted his head, his eyes deepened with heat.

“…My heart is…”

Yulri looked at him for a moment and then gently placed her hand on his cheek.

“You don’t have to worry too much about that. I’m quite resilient in that area.”

Instead of saying, ‘Thanks to the scars from my family, my heart has toughened up,’ Yulri lightly kissed his lips and pulled away, a calm smile on her lips.

“Alright. But…”

Je Ho gave up trying to read her inner thoughts. To understand why she was acting this way, he needed to get closer to her. For now, he needed a reason to hold onto her without letting go.

“If after returning to the U.S., our feelings for each other still remain. If after 2 years, 5 years, they are still the same. Then, shall we officially date? No matter how difficult it is to be together, regardless of family opposition, forget all that and just be together.”

His sweet proposal made Yulri’s eyes waver. Her feelings for him hadn’t changed even after 10 years, so what would 2 or 5 years change?

“I’d like that.”

Je Ho looked into her eyes, seeking confirmation. His gaze seemed sincere, but Yulri didn’t want to rely on fleeting hope and end up hurt. If there were no big expectations from the start, there wouldn’t be much pain in the end.