Briefly breaking their kiss, he looked down at her. Her red lips were slightly parted, trying to catch her breath. The warmth of her breath felt unbearably sweet.

“I’m supposed to be the one seducing you, but it seems I’m being seduced instead.”

He leaned in again, kissing her deeply. One hand cradled her cheek to prevent her from turning away, while the other wrapped around her waist, gently pulling her forward.

Yulri, enveloped in his arms, moved backward as if being swept away. Je Ho’s continuous kissing, changing angles without giving her a moment to think, left her unable to focus on anything else. She felt thoroughly enchanted, and before she knew it, they were inside the dressing room.
While he was kissing her, Je Ho’s hands were busy unbuttoning Yulri’s shirt and tugging it out of her pants. Suddenly realizing what was happening, Yulri hastily stepped back.

“Why here in the dressing room instead of the bed?”

“No matter whose house it is…”

Before she could protest, a cotton T-shirt slid down from her neck. As Yulri stood dumbfounded, Je Ho slid her arms into the T-shirt’s sleeves. He then put a baseball jacket with a team logo over the T-shirt and tied her hair up before placing something on her head.

“You look even better than I expected.”

Looking at Yulri, he smiled contentedly.

“What’s this?”

Bewildered, Yulri was led by Je Ho to a full-length mirror.

“You said we’re having a secret romance. We’re going to travel together, so we can’t be recognized, right? So, we need disguises. I can’t cross-dress, after all.”

“Me?”

Yulri looked incredulously at her reflection in the mirror. Surprisingly, in the mirror stood a young boy. The outfit, along with a curly short-cut wig, was perfect.

“This will complete the look.”

Je Ho took out a pair of silver-rimmed glasses and carefully placed them on Yulri’s face. Even she had to admit she looked ambiguously gendered.

“People might question my taste, but no one will recognize you as the daughter of Congressman Chae.”

“What exactly are we doing all this for?” Yulri wondered aloud, just as Je Ho revealed their destination.

“There’s a villa in Gangneung. Let’s spend a few days there. We’ll visit the fish market, see the sea, especially the nights as bright as day.”

“Gangneung?”

Noticing her lukewarm response, Je Ho cupped her cheeks and made her look at him.

“I thought about going abroad, but immigration records might cause problems later. Why, should I book a flight right now?”

“No, it’s not that… I just thought you might be tired, and we don’t need to go on a trip.”

At that, Je Ho playfully nipped her lips and released them.

“Ah, if you’re worried about me, I’d rather go on a trip. Staying home would mean lounging in bed all day, and that’d be more exhausting.”

Yulri blushed at the implication. Je Ho leaned in, their foreheads touching, and smiled softly.

“Do you think you can handle me all day in bed?”

“What’s there to handle?”

She caught on to his teasing and responded with a feisty look.

“Right. After all, it’s me who will be more exhausted. How about a test right now? To see who gets tired first?”

“No!”

Yulri’s voice came out urgent and loud. Her face flushed to her neck, she emphasized each word distinctly.

“I really love going to the fish market. Let’s go to Gangneung.”

Je Ho couldn’t help but smile at her adorably earnest reaction. He leaned in once more, capturing her lips in another kiss.

Wearing a black mask, with her face bare of makeup, short hair, and dressed in men’s clothing, most people mistook Yulri for a handsome young boy. Unlike the atmosphere they had experienced in Geoje, no one even cast a curious glance at them, thinking Je Ho and she were just traveling together.

As they neared Gangneung, they stopped at a rest area for a short break. While Je Ho went to buy drinks, Yulri waited at the entrance and overheard some whispering. Turning towards the sound, she saw a group of middle school girls looking at her. One of them, her face turning red, quickly looked away.

One girl, acting as their spokesperson, approached Yulri and asked, “Are you Juno from Two-Pium?”

Yulri looked around, wondering who they were addressing, but realized they were talking to her. Juno? The middle school idol who had just debuted?

Before she could respond verbally, revealing her gender, Je Ho returned with the drinks.

“What’s going on?” he inquired.

Seeing a tall man approach, the girls retreated a step, but then came forward again.

“Sir, could we take a picture with Juno?” they asked, mistaking Je Ho for a bodyguard or manager. When Je Ho refused, the girls quickly took out their phones and snapped selfies with Yulri in the background, then ran off screaming excitedly.

Yulri tried to hold back her laughter, but as soon as they were back in the car, she burst out laughing, tears of mirth in her eyes. Even after a long while, as Yulri continued to giggle, Je Ho looked at her in disbelief.

“Is this situation funny to you?”

“Isn’t it? Calling you… Sir!”

The fact that they mistook her for a middle school idol was funny enough, but their natural reaction to call Je Ho ‘Sir’ was hilarious. Yulri, feeling playful, decided to tease him.

“Sir, I want a hot dog. Could you buy me one?”

Je Ho frowned at being addressed as ‘Sir.’

“Sir?”

“Yes, Sir. I really want a hot dog right now.”

Je Ho let out a resigned sigh and chuckled in disbelief.

Seeming to entertain the idea of going to the rest area, he veered off the highway, but instead of heading to a rest stop, he drove onto a secluded road. Stopping the car in a quiet spot, he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Sensing something odd, Yulri turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and he flashed a broad, teasing smile.

“I’ve said before that I’m picky about places,” Je Ho reminded her.

Yulri remembered, nodding quickly.

“But I also said I don’t hold back at my own place.”

Suddenly, a warning light went off in Yulri’s mind.

Je Ho spoke in a dangerously low voice, “We’re in my car right now.”