“Are we going all the way tonight?”

Even though Yul Li had spoken the words herself, she had to mentally replay them to believe it. She bit her tongue too late; the words were already out. Her face turned bright red, but she did not avert her gaze from Je Ho.

There was a brief, awkward silence before Je Ho spoke.

“I was planning to take it slow. Without hurting you, gently.”

That resonated with Yul Li more than anything else. ‘Slowly’ made her want to rush, and ‘without getting hurt’ made her think, ‘It’s okay even if I get hurt.’ After all, pain and ecstasy are just a hair’s breadth apart.

“It’s okay. I’m ready now.”

Je Ho, who had been looking at Yul Li seriously, smiled.

“Unexpected. You even know how to seduce openly.”

She surprised herself with this boldness, but once determined, she didn’t want to back down. Yul Li smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around Je Ho’s waist.

“So, did you fall for my seduction?”

“Uh.”

When he hesitated to answer, Yul Li narrowed her eyes, slightly offended.

“Of course, you should fall for it. Yes, tonight.”

Simultaneously, Je Ho carefully detached her arms from his waist.

“Tonight is tonight, but first, we need to deal with this.”

He rolled up his sleeves and approached the box containing the prawns. As the box opened, there was a rustling noise. Yul Li backed away again, looking scared.

“First time seeing live prawns?”

“Not really, but I’ve never seen them this lively before.”

“Probably because the ones delivered to Seoul lose their energy during transport.”

Je Ho skillfully began transferring the prawns from the box to a strainer and took them to the kitchen sink. Yul Li watched from about two meters away.

“Most of them die while being rinsed in tap water. Just soak them in ice water for 5-10 minutes.”

“My mom used to do that too. I don’t remember exactly, it was a long time ago.”

Je Ho looked puzzled, and Yul Li moved closer to the sink. As he said, the sounds of the prawns clashing subsided when they were submerged in tap water.

“My dad only eats freshly fried prawns. So, when my mom was alive, she always ordered live prawns and cooked them.”

Lady An had tried frying live prawns twice, then gave up. After that, Assemblyman Chae never ate shrimp tempura at home.

“Your late mother must have really loved Assemblyman Chae.”

Je Ho said, soaking the prawns in ice water.

“Why do you think so?”

“Do you think it’s easy to clean and fry each live prawn? It’s not just once or twice, but always. That can’t be done without love.”

“……Ah.”

Though Yul Li didn’t understand how shrimp tempura related to love, Je Ho’s comment wasn’t entirely right. Her mother had said she never loved her father. Yet, she still bought live prawns to cook for her husband, whom she didn’t love.

Why was that?
Yul Li silently gazed at the prawns submerged in ice water.

After an agonizing wait, Min Woo’s phone finally rang. Nam Secretary turned to Min Woo from the driver’s seat after ending the call.

“I’m not sure if they’re together, but I’ve found out where Kwon Je Ho is.”

“Where?”

“He’s in the Gangneung area. We’re currently pinpointing the exact address.”

“Head there right away.”

“But sir, I think Chairman Kwon might already know about your return. Shouldn’t you meet him first?”

Min Woo hesitated for a moment. If his grandfather knew about his return, the right thing would be to see him first. But he didn’t have time for that. For Min Woo, Yul Li was the top priority.

“I’ll see him tomorrow. Just go.”

“Understood.”

Nam Secretary turned forward and started the car. Min Woo’s expression darkened as he looked out the window. He couldn’t forgive Yul Li for going on a trip with Je Ho, especially right after he failed to show up at their wedding.

He decided he needed to make Yul Li his woman first, regardless of the wedding. But he had to be cunning about it. He couldn’t afford to make Assemblyman Chae an enemy.

About 30 minutes after entering the highway, another call came through.

“They say it’s a villa in Gangneung.”

After ending the call, Nam Secretary set the navigation to the villa’s address. As they approached the destination, Min Woo’s body trembled with anger and he cursed under his breath.

He couldn’t think straight with all the excitement. He had to plan before reaching the villa. First, he needed to safely retrieve Yul Li and then ambush Je Ho when he was alone.

There was no need to involve the gangsters. Hiring a few thugs to make it look like a brawl and beating Je Ho to near death would do. Maybe he should even smash his head to ensure he couldn’t get out of bed ever again.

Even if Chairman Kwon found out, if Je Ho was already broken, there was nothing he could do. Min Woo would then become the only grandson of Chairman Kwon, who always valued bloodline over anything else. He might decide to pass on the group’s control to a flawed blood relative over an outsider. It’s not bad to eliminate a thorn before it grows bigger.

Just imagine Je Ho falling.

The thought alone was bliss for Min Woo.

A sinister smile crept onto his lips.