Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong―.

“Meow, meow, meow.”

The cat’s meowing joined the persistent doorbell sound.

“Alright, I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Woo Gyeol, who had just finished showering hurriedly, headed to the entrance. Jasmine, the snow-white cat who had been meowing along with the doorbell, followed behind with her tail swishing.

“Aah!”

Woo Gyeol, who opened the front door without thinking, let out a short scream. Jeho was standing in front of the door, pressing his blood-soaked shoulder with his hand.

Jeho smiled slightly at Woo Gyeol, who was staring with wide eyes.

“Have you been well?”

“Hey, Kwon Jeho! What kind of state are you in right now?”

“It’s a long story to explain. I’ve applied pressure to stop the bleeding, so just help me disinfect the wound.”

“You crazy bastard!”

Despite saying that, Woo Gyeol quickly returned with a medical emergency kit and settled in the living room.

“This won’t do. I’ll have to stitch it up.”

Woo Gyeol said, looking seriously at the wound on the shoulder.

“I don’t have anesthesia, so bear with the stinging.”

Woo Gyeol took out the medical tools and began to skillfully suture the open wound. As the suture needle pierced the flesh, Jeho bit his lower lip and furrowed his brow.

“As always, you’re stubborn to the core.”

Woo Gyeol grumbled, glancing at Jeho as if talking to himself.

“Getting stitched without anesthesia and not making a single sound of pain.”

Somehow, his tone sounded like he wanted a groan to escape from Jeho’s mouth. Jeho closed his eyes and exhaled slowly to endure the pain.

After a moment, a low, hoarse voice flowed out.

“…A doctor without even one anesthetic at home.”

“Hey, I’m only a doctor at the hospital, not at home. At home, I’m just a cat butler. Right, Jasmine?”

Woo Gyeol turned his head to the cat that was sticking close to his side, as if seeking agreement. Jasmine’s large green eyes met Woo Gyeol’s.

“Meow.”

But far from agreeing, Jasmine scratched Woo Gyeol’s arm as if telling him not to get distracted.

“Ouch, Jasmine, you!”

Woo Gyeol glared at Jasmine with hurt eyes. Usually, she would hide somewhere when a stranger came, but for some reason today, as soon as she saw Jeho, she rubbed against his legs affectionately.

Did they feel a sense of camaraderie because they’re both white? Even now, she was watching Jeho, who was biting his lower lip in pain, with sympathetic eyes.

“Tch, Kwon Jeho. Now you’re even charming cats?”

Woo Gyeol frowned as if displeased, but still, his hands tied each stitch very carefully, one by one. After all, he was a renowned plastic surgeon. He couldn’t leave any scars on a wound that had passed through his hands.

Moreover, Kwon Jeho’s skin was no ordinary skin! Leaving a mark on that flawless white skin without a single blemish! As a plastic surgeon, it was absolutely unacceptable.

“You should have gone to the hospital first instead of coming here covered in blood.”

“Why bother going to the hospital for a wound that only needs a couple of stitches.”

“Hey, it’s the doctor who makes the diagnosis, not the patient. And if you roughly stitch this with just a couple of stitches, it’ll leave a scar later.”

As the pain gradually subsided to a bearable level, Jeho opened his closed eyes and looked at Woo Gyeol. Feeling the gaze on him, Woo Gyeol paused his stitching and turned his head towards Jeho. As their eyes met, a slight smile appeared on Jeho’s lips.

“That’s why I didn’t go to just anyone, but came to the master.”

“Oh my, you sure know how to talk.”

Even while grumbling, Woo Gyeol’s lips curled up slightly, apparently pleased with being called a ‘master’.

“By the way, what’s the rush? Did you go straight to Arcadia right after getting off the plane? What were your impressions after seeing it in person?”

It wasn’t Executive Director Kwon Woosik who planned the Arcadia complex shopping mall project, but Vice Chairman Kwon Jewoong. If he hadn’t stepped down from his position too early, the Arcadia mall would have been his creation.

For this reason, Jeho had been watching the site selection for the Arcadia mall very carefully from the beginning. The place where the complex shopping mall was built had been an area with traffic congestion problems before, but since the mall opened, the traffic congestion had become several times worse. However, no one in the mass media raised this issue as a problem.

From the city that smoothly granted the construction permit to the mass media that unanimously kept their mouths shut, it was clear that someone was exerting influence behind the scenes. And he had a vague idea of who that might be.

“The exterior is flashy, but the interior… well, it seemed like it was struggling to appear strong. Still, it seems to have matured compared to before.”

At the word ‘matured’, Woo Gyeol’s eye corners twitched. Why would the word ‘matured’ come up when talking about a building?

“What do you mean? Are we talking about the same thing here?”

Jeho neither affirmed nor denied, but gently twisted his lips.

As Woo Gyeol had said, he had headed straight to the shopping mall from the airport to see the Arcadia mall as soon as possible. But when he arrived at the mall, somehow Minwoo had received word and appeared with his entourage to block the way. Meeting his cousin after a long time, Minwoo showed a guarded attitude with a business-like smile.

It was an expected reaction, so there was no need to be surprised. But even Jeho momentarily doubted his eyes when he saw an opponent he hadn’t anticipated at all.

…Yuri?

Yuri, who had burst into tears in front of him saying it was her mother’s only keepsake, now stood before his eyes as a fully grown woman after 10 years had passed.

Jeho had heard about Yuri and Minwoo’s marriage news not long ago. Originally, there had been talks of marriage with the eldest daughter of the Taemin Group for a smooth group merger. But Minwoo had insisted that it had to be Chae Yuri or no one.

Minwoo, who only bowed his head in front of Chairman Kwon, apparently couldn’t compromise on marriage. Jeho had been receiving reports through his informants that Minwoo was hovering around Yuri. At a glance, they seemed like ordinary friends, but if you watched a little more closely, you could see that Minwoo was completely smitten with Yuri.

Minwoo aside, Jeho wondered about Yuri’s decision. She was the one who would have vehemently opposed a political marriage. Why? Did she like Minwoo?

The curiosity was resolved the moment he reunited with Yuri, who had an indifferent face.

The girl who used to climb over walls in a skirt to meet him, who used to display numerous emotions on her small face all at once, was no longer there.

Whatever had happened in the meantime, Yuri now had a dry face with all emotions washed away. With a resigned expression that seemed uninterested in anything, whether it be a political marriage or whatever…

Was that why? After seeing Yuri, the structure of the shopping mall didn’t register in his eyes. Even in the chaos when the fire alarm went off, his gaze was focused solely on one place.

But what does it all matter?

“Hah.”

A bitter laugh escaped Jeho’s lips.

She’s about to marry Minwoo soon…

She, who has boarded the same ship as Kwon Minwoo, is now just an enemy to him.

An enemy that must be sunk without fail.

Jeho’s eyes gradually sank into deep darkness as he recalled the events of the day.

“…By the way.”

Woo Gyeol asked as he finished suturing the wound and applied medical tape.

“Are you really going to push through with the plan?”

“There are no changes.”

When a quick answer came back as if there was no need to reconsider, Woo Gyeol nodded as if he had expected it.

“Since you’ve made a firm decision, you must have put aside everything else to come here. Anyway, try not to use your right arm. It’ll be a bit sore until tomorrow. Want some painkillers?”

“No need.”

Jeho shook his head as he put his arm through his shirt. If it’s pain he can endure, he welcomes it as much as possible. It always serves as the driving force that keeps him awake.

As he buttoned up his shirt and approached the window, the busy afternoon scenery unfolding outside caught his eye.

As always, Seoul looked unchanged yet changed. Like looking at family that seems close but isn’t, it was unfamiliar yet not unfamiliar at all.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ring-ring―. Ring-ring―.

When Yuri didn’t check her messages, Minwoo, unable to wait any longer, called her. Should I answer? Or not? While contemplating, Yuri pressed the answer button as she entered the front door.

“Hello?”

[Yuri!]

Minwoo’s highly excited voice came through.

[Where are you now? At the company? Or home?]

“I’m home.”

Originally, she had planned to go to the company after meeting with the wedding planner. But she couldn’t possibly go looking like this, so she changed her half-day leave to a full day off. Fortunately, the house was empty thanks to all family members being out.

[Are you still angry?]

To be honest, there wasn’t any anger to be resolved or not. She was disappointed by his action of disappearing alone, leaving her behind, but…

“What happened earlier?”

[Ah, that’s, well…]

After hesitating for a moment, Minwoo quickly began to explain.

[I received a call on the plane that there was a problem at the shopping mall. So as soon as we landed at Jeju Airport, I took another plane back. While inspecting the shopping mall, there was an incident due to a fire alarm malfunction.]

“…”

Despite the detailed explanation, Yuri remained silent. Minwoo’s biggest mistake wasn’t the Jeju business trip, but leaving her behind in the chaos and disappearing, which he still didn’t seem to realize.

After a long while, Minwoo added in a dejected voice.

[Yuri, I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of you first. You see… I had to turn off the sprinklers first. They can only be turned off manually, and I had to give the instructions myself…]

As the excuses were about to get longer, Yuri cut off Minwoo’s words midway.

“Okay, that’s enough.”

In fact, since she hadn’t expected anything from Minwoo from the start, there wasn’t much to be disappointed about when you think about it. Since he’s the top manager of the shopping mall business, maybe that was the best decision.

“Aren’t you busy dealing with the accident?”

[I’m busy, but I have time to eat. I’ll send a car, so be ready. Let’s have dinner together.]

As Yuri’s stiff voice softened, Minwoo raised his voice as if excited.

Yuri burst into laughter as she hung up the phone. Sometimes he acts like a thoughtless child, but maybe that’s why he’s easy to deal with. To Yuri, who wanted independence, Minwoo promised a free life, and it was a marriage agreed upon because their desires matched. So there’s no need to worry much about how Minwoo behaves.

When she arrived at the meeting place in the car sent after she finished preparing, Minwoo, who had arrived first, was waiting for her in the lobby.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Minwoo approached with a bright smile. But Yuri’s gaze was directed not at Minwoo, but behind him. Her pupils trembled slightly.

Why…?

The man who had worried her all day was standing behind Minwoo. She was a bit flustered as she hadn’t expected to see Jeho here at all.

He was wearing a black sweater with a deep neckline, his right hand thrust into his pants pocket, leaning against the wall at an angle. In his left hand was a glass filled with an amber liquid.

Even at Yuri’s appearance, he slowly brought the glass to his mouth with an expression of little interest. There was no emotion in his gaze as he looked at her.

His dry eyes slowly closed and opened repeatedly over his eyelids.

Yet Yuri couldn’t take her eyes off Jeho as if frozen in place.

He slowly took a sip while facing Yuri. As the drink went down along his neckline, his Adam’s apple moved up and down. When he removed the glass from his mouth, his moistened lips glittered in the golden light. It was a dangerously alluring sight. Just looking at it made her throat burn as if she had drunk the whiskey herself.

Jeho kept his indifferent gaze fixed on Yuri and gently parted his lips to exhale a long breath.

“Haa.”

The low sound penetrated Yuri’s ears as if he was right next to her. Even though there was distance and his breath couldn’t possibly be heard…

Yuri bit her trembling lips hard.

Her heart began to pound, and a strange excitement started to spread from deep within.