Jeho seemed to have misunderstood again that she had been subjected to violence by Representative Chae.

“No, it’s not like that.”

Yuri raised her hand and quickly shook her head. However, she couldn’t admit that the wound that had been hit and burst hadn’t healed yet. It meant that the violence was that severe.

As she hesitated without being able to explain, Jeho’s expression hardened as if he could guess. Instead of urging for an answer, he covered the cheek that had been hit by Representative Chae with his hand. Then he gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

“I’ll make sure no one can ever lay a hand on you again. I promise.”

“…Even just your words are appreciated.”

“It’s not just words.”

He said with sincere eyes. However, Yuri only smiled faintly and said nothing. Silence flowed between the two for a while. The first to open her mouth was Yuri.

“You really don’t have to worry. I don’t just get pushed around so easily. This time, I just endured it.”

At those words, Jeho burst into laughter.

“Is that so? Did I underestimate the great Chae Yuri too much? A woman who can handle the mad dog Kwon Minwoo like a puppy…”

At the words ‘mad dog’, Yuri let out a laugh. She knew Minwoo had a strange temper, but Jeho was the first to openly call him a mad dog.

“Why do you dislike Minwoo so much? He’s still your cousin.”

“I don’t dislike him. I’m just speaking the truth.”

Jeho said as he returned to the seat across from her.

“Do you think I’m seducing you because I’m Minwoo’s fiancée right now?”

At the word seduction, Yuri’s expression changed subtly. If he openly said he was seducing her, she couldn’t grasp how to react. As Yuri didn’t answer, Jeho spoke again.

“It wasn’t that I followed my father to the US back then. I should have stayed here and married you…”

If he had, he probably would have fallen in love with Yuri. He would have become a solid shield and protected her in any rough storm. So that no one would dare lay a hand on her. Even if it was her biological father.

“What happened between you and the representative in the meantime?”

“…Well, nothing really special…”

Yuri avoided Jeho’s gaze and dismissed her words. Her family’s shame was her shame as well. She couldn’t tell him what she was too embarrassed to tell even Hyunkyung.

What if she had married him? Would he have comforted her saying ‘It’s okay’ when she cried her eyes out? Would she have been less miserable then? Less lonely?

But that was just an unfolded past. Yuri shook off her thoughts and continued in a calm tone.

“This time, it was partly my fault too. It was the day of the election campaign, and I didn’t think there would be anyone among the residents who would recognize me.”

“But does that justify using violence?”

“…No. Of course not.”

As Yuri readily agreed, not wanting to make the atmosphere awkward with a serious story anymore, Jeho turned his gaze to the necklace placed on the table.

“The connecting part of the clasp has loosened.”

Holding the necklace and examining it closely, Jeho pressed the loosened clasp with his fingertips. Easily fixing it with just the strength of his fingers, Jeho took the necklace and stood up.

“If there’s a chance, I’ll replace it with a thicker chain without a clasp. Then it will never slip off your neck again.”

Putting the necklace around Yuri’s neck, Jeho picked up the bowl of soup in front of him.

“I’ll put ice in it and blend it in the mixer to cool it down for you. The texture will be smooth so it’ll go down well.”

Looking at Jeho’s back as he put the soup in the blender, Yuri fiddled with the necklace he had just put on her.

-I should have stayed here and married you…

The words he had said a little while ago lingered in her ears. Was it sincere? Honestly, it didn’t matter even if it was a lie. She was just happy that he said that, even if it was just empty words.

She wasn’t sure exactly what her feelings were yet. Whether she was being swayed by old memories buried at the bottom, or if she was genuinely attracted to him as a man. She didn’t deny that there was no physical attraction at all between them.

One thing was certain: she couldn’t push him away. Hadn’t she thrown herself at him as if possessed just a moment ago? If he hadn’t stopped first…

Just imagining it made her breathless, her face turning red. Yuri abruptly stood up from her seat.

“I’ll go check if the clothes are dry.”

She couldn’t face Jeho anymore. She was displeased with herself for not knowing what to do, but there was no other way than to avoid him. Having said that, Yuri ran to the laundry room as if escaping before Jeho could say anything.

[This is the timeline separator]

After finishing the meal and waiting for the clothes to dry completely, it was already past midnight. Jeho said it was quite late and drove her to Hyunkyung’s house. Thanking him and opening the car door, Yuri suddenly stopped and turned her body towards the driver’s seat.

“About today…”

“I know. It’s something we shouldn’t make a big deal out of.”

Before Yuri could finish her sentence, Jeho smiled kindly, his eyes curving.

“I’m not the type of man to cling on and demand responsibility after a single kiss.”

She was going to say something similar, but having it taken first made her feel strange. But not wanting to reveal her emotions, Yuri smiled softly following his lead.

“It’s nice to have an open mind. Thank you for thinking that way.”

“Of course. I don’t think you’d fall for me with just one kiss. But if it keeps repeating, that would be different.”

She tried to retort, ‘That will never happen again!’, but her mouth wouldn’t open. She should have said it was because she was excited to find her mother’s keepsake, that it was just a mistake… However, Yuri couldn’t say anything.

Because that would be a lie. Her heart was already pounding again.

“You don’t change the goalkeeper just because a goal was scored. But if goals keep going in, you’ll change them eventually.”

He seemed to see right through her heart. He spoke leisurely and caressed the back of Yuri’s head with his large hand. Looking into her eyes, he continued.

“So from now on, I’m going to seriously try to seduce you.”

The smile hanging on the end of his smooth lips felt very dangerous. Yet Yuri couldn’t shake off his touch or avoid his gaze.

A moment later, when Jeho withdrew his hand, Yuri hurriedly got out of the car and went into the apartment without looking back. The back of her head where he had stroked felt hot.

[This is the timeline separator]

Even though he said he would seriously seduce her, the next day and the day after that, Jeho went to work at a site that had problems two days in a row. Even though he knew Yuri’s phone number, he didn’t call or send a single text.

Yuri stared at the silent phone, then turned her head to the computer monitor.

Was saying he would seduce her just empty words?

Even if he was physically attracted to her, he would know well that there was a line they absolutely shouldn’t cross. In the past, they may have been engaged, but now she was clearly his cousin’s fiancée. The wedding was less than a month away.

He wouldn’t be satisfied with just one kiss to fulfill his desire, but since he had dealt a big blow to Minwoo, he might be content with that and back off. If that was the case, it was fortunate, but…

Yuri checked the time on her wrist watch, biting her lips. It was already 10 minutes past quitting time. Seeing that he hadn’t come until now, it seemed Jeho would leave work from the site again today.

Just then, the cell phone next to her rang. Yuri quickly checked the caller and soon showed a disappointed expression. She felt pathetic for hoping it would be Jeho even for a moment.

[It’s me, Nancy Song.]

As she pressed the call button, a cheerful voice flowed out.

[The preparations for the wedding dress are all finished. Would you like to come see it today? Or do you want to visit tomorrow with Manager Kwon?]

“I’ll go today.”

[Okay, I’ll be waiting then.]

Yuri hung up the phone, turned off the computer, and left the office. She still didn’t have the confidence to face Minwoo. Because after getting angry about the photo, she had done something similar herself. Kissing and sleeping together may differ in severity, but it was the same in that it wasn’t courtesy to one’s marriage partner.

Since that day, all she had with Minwoo was a brief phone call yesterday morning. They had a short conversation about the rehearsal dinner menu and made a plan to have dinner at Chairman Kwon’s house next week. As the wedding approached, there were more and more things to discuss with the family elders.

Yuri took a taxi and headed to the wedding dress shop.

“Welcome.”

As she entered, Nancy Song approached her with a wide smile.

“You’ll be surprised when you see it. It’s the latest from Qinell and only one dress was brought to Korea.”

As Nancy Song said, the dress was so beautiful that it was dazzling to the eyes. It was a nearly perfect work of art that no one could complain about.

“This dress doesn’t suit just anyone. You need to have the right figure… Oh my, how does it fit your body so perfectly? It’s like it was custom made.”

Although Nancy Song spoke exaggeratedly, no words entered Yuri’s ears.

The bride reflected in the mirror was not her, but someone else. A pale face with no hint of color, trembling eyes that had lost their way, and quivering lips. It was like looking at a ghost bride.

Soon she would enter the wedding hall wearing this dress…

The person who would hold her hand there was not a man she loved. It was a fact she already knew, that marriage was just a formality for freedom, but she didn’t know why doubts suddenly surged.

Not knowing Yuri’s inner thoughts, Nancy Song exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, they say clothes are wings! You’re an angel, period.”

Wings?

The moment she heard those words, Yuri’s eyes welled up with tears. To her, the wedding dress felt not like wings, but like a heavy chain with shackles.

“Oh my, bride!”

As Yuri’s eyes glistened with tears, Nancy Song misunderstood that it was because she had suffered so much with the ragged dress until now.

“That dress really wasn’t it. How fortunate that it was torn beyond repair.”

Patting Yuri’s back, Nancy Song checked the reservation time on her tablet PC as if she remembered something.

“That customer from that time. The one who tore the dress for you, he has a reservation today. He’ll be here soon. Shall I guide him to this room? He’ll be really pleased to see this dress.”

Nancy Song had immediately noticed that Jeho had deliberately torn the dress that day. So she would be very pleased to see Yuri in a new dress. But upon hearing those words, Yuri hurriedly gathered the hem of the dress.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go change now.”

After changing clothes in the fitting room, Yuri quickly left the wedding dress shop. She didn’t want to show Jeho her appearance in a wedding dress, even if it was a different look. It had been possible before because she didn’t know how she felt, but not anymore.

If she faced Jeho wearing a wedding dress, she wouldn’t be able to hide her true feelings anymore. She might burst into tears, sobbing. No! She couldn’t do that.

In her rush to leave, she didn’t have time to call a taxi using an app. But she couldn’t wait for a taxi in front of the wedding dress shop, not knowing when Jeho would arrive. Yuri just walked towards the nearest subway station. Just then, Hyunkyung called.

[Yuri, are you ready?]

“Huh? Ready for what?”

[Hey, we planned to go to our club today! I confirmed it with you several times in the morning too.]

Ah, that’s right. She must have listened with one ear and let it flow out the other because her mind was too complicated. Hyunkyung, who happened to be nearby, immediately drove to Yuri. It took a mere 30 minutes or so. Hyunkyung, who had Yuri in the car, looked her up and down with a serious expression.

“You can’t enter the club with that look right now. I brought clothes, knowing this would happen. I booked a room at the hotel, so change there.”

At first, Yuri tried to refuse, saying she was tired, but soon changed her mind. If she had to spend time alone at home in this mood, it would be too lonely. She thought that just people-watching at a bustling club might help change her mood a little.

However, upon arriving at the hotel and seeing the clothes Hyunkyung took out, she changed her mind again. Furrowing her brows with a perplexed look, Yuri unknowingly shouted loudly.

“No way!”

Wearing these clothes! There was no way she could do that.