It was the same ringtone she had heard at the villa. Without hesitation, Je Ho answered the call and turned his back to her.

“Yes. …I can talk now. …Yes.”

As he spoke on the phone, Yu Li’s mind swirled with questions and emotions, left to decipher the complexities of their relationship and the unsaid words between them.
Je Ho walked away, his back retreating quickly from Yu Li. She stood still until he was completely out of sight, not once did he turn back to look at her. An inexplicable sense of distance was felt.

Returning to the dinner venue, everyone was just about to move to the second location.

“Who’s coming for the second round? We can use this for payment.”

Seon Young cheerfully waved the corporate card Je Ho had left behind.

“Where are we going?”

“Now that we’ve filled our stomachs with food, it’s time to fill them with drinks.”

“Let’s go to the new bar nearby. For the third round, we’ll head to a wine bar.”

Yu Li was about to say she would leave first when Seon Young came over, linking arms with her.

“You’re coming too, right?”

“…Ah, well…”

“Let’s go together. Tomorrow is the weekend anyway.”

Yu Li fiddled with her phone, undecided. Should she ask Je Ho where he is? Was he planning to meet her separately today? Since he said he just came from the airport, perhaps he only planned to have dinner and go home.

Lost in her thoughts, Yu Li decided it was best to spend the evening separately unless Je Ho contacted her first.

“Sure, Seon Young.”

Yu Li gave Seon Young a gentle smile.

“Please contact me immediately if something comes up. Yes, Mother.”

After ending the call, Je Ho sighed in relief. His mother, Mrs. Yoon Ji Sun, wouldn’t call unless it was urgent, so he was tense when he heard the ringtone, fearing his father’s condition had worsened.

Having received confirmation from the doctor that his father’s condition was stable, Je Ho finally boarded a flight to Seoul.

Absorbed in the call, he had walked quite far from where he met Yu Li. She probably returned to the dinner venue. Je Ho contemplated while looking at his phone.

Since he left the corporate card with Seon Young, there was no need for him to return to the dinner venue. His presence might make everyone uncomfortable…

Yet, he couldn’t just part ways with Yu Li, not after missing her so much in the past two weeks.

Yu Li was quick-witted. She didn’t show any signs, just like him. She could’ve approached him, asked what was going on, but she didn’t.

He just observed, not approaching first. Maybe, as Chairman Chae suggested, he should be the one to reach out to her.

If he decides to stop pursuing her now, their relationship would naturally come to an end.

Deciding to keep his distance at least for today, Je Ho drove home, planning to drink some whiskey and go straight to bed.

After arriving home, he spent a long time under the cold shower to cool down the raging heat. Coming out of the bathroom drying his wet hair, his phone alerted him of the card usage.

Before long, he received another message indicating that the card had been used at a wine bar, which was close to his home. They had apparently moved from the second to the third round of the evening.
“Won’t you keep seeing Yu Li even in this situation?”

“Stay away from Yu Li for a while, at least until we figure out exactly who’s behind this. Okay?”

Woo Kyul’s advice still echoed vividly in Je Ho’s ears. Logically, Woo Kyul was right. It wasn’t too late even now. Of course, Yu Li would be hurt, but compared to the pain that might come later, it was nothing.

But emotions had long swallowed up the reason to make sound judgments.

“Ah, I’m crazy.”

When he came to his senses, he was already heading towards the wine bar. He drove there without even knowing if Yu Li was still there.

If she was there, he would just look at her from a distance. The wine bar was on the 10th floor of a high-rise building. Je Ho couldn’t enter right away and lingered outside the building for a while.

Finally, with the thought of ‘just seeing her face,’ he entered the building. The elevator stopped on the 10th floor, and just as he was about to get out, he ran into Yu Li, who was standing in front of the door. Caught off guard by this unexpected encounter, his expression turned rigid.

After a brief exchange of looks, as the elevator doors began to close, Je Ho quickly stepped out, and Yu Li stepped in.

“Are you going home?”

“Yes, it’s just me leaving. Everyone else is still inside.”

Yu Li answered shortly and pressed the close button. The doors slid shut, and the elevator light began descending.

Seeing her was enough; he thought he would just enter the wine bar, exchange a few words with the staff, and leave. But his body, out of control of reason, started moving on its own. Like iron drawn to a magnet, he rushed down the stairs to the lower floor.

Stepping outside, he saw Yu Li walking in the distance. Initially, he just intended to watch from afar. But her shoulders were trembling as if she was crying.

No, she was actually crying.

Hugging herself, trying to hold back tears, reminded him of the scene in Geoje. Her constant brushing of hair, tilting her head to look at the sky to stop crying, all were too familiar.

When he saw her wiping her cheeks with her palms, he couldn’t stay still anymore.

Before he knew it, he was running towards her.

“Haa.”

Yu Li crossed her arms, trying to steady her trembling body.

She initiated the talk about a futureless relationship, so she couldn’t complain. He might have changed his mind after returning to the U.S. and meeting his old lover, or just changed his heart without any reason.

But recalling Je Ho’s expression turning stern at the sight of her, tears welled up in her eyes. It was embarrassing even to herself, but she couldn’t stop crying.

There was no need for him to look so coldly. Who’s clinging onto whom?

That’s when it happened.

“Damn.”

Suddenly, from behind, a short curse and a strong hand spun her around, pulling her back. Then, she was engulfed in his broad embrace.
The sweet and refreshing citrus scent she had been longing for suddenly enveloped her.

“Ah, this is madness.”

A hoarse voice accompanied by heavy breathing was heard.

Moments later, hot lips covered hers as if swallowing them whole.