“This time I’ll go all the way.”

He gently whispered in her ear, as if blowing a breath.

All the way?

Thump, as her heart sank, the events of last night flashed before her eyes like a panorama.

She thought she didn’t get too drunk… Oh no, she must have been really drunk. The kissing was quite intense, but she thought the skinship was on the lighter side.

However, the moment Kwon Jeho said he would go all the way, her hazy memories became vivid. Begging to be held, pleading to be touched, clinging on for kisses, all the unbelievable things she had done came back to her, along with the thrilling sensations she felt every time his hands touched her.

She thought it was a dream, but it was real!

“…Ah.”

Chae Yuri’s lips parted in shock. Kwon Jeho took a step back and quietly observed Yuri’s rapidly changing expressions. His lips curved into a loose smile, as if enjoying an interesting sight.

Not wanting to be caught off guard, Yuri summoned all her strength to curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

“But you won’t force it, right? You said you’re not the type to take responsibility after just one kiss.”

“Heh.”

Kwon Jeho softly chuckled as he shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned towards Yuri. He whispered quietly in her ear, as if sharing a secret.

“We don’t seem like we’ve only kissed once…”

He spoke again in a teasing manner, taking a superior stance. Her bewilderment was bewildering, and she felt offended. Why was she always the one who was flustered while he remained perfectly calm? It was so unfair. In the end, Yuri snapped.

“You’re right. I guess we did go a little further than that.”

Yuri raised her chin haughtily at Kwon Jeho. But unfortunately, she couldn’t perfectly hide the tremor in her voice.

“That’s a very bad habit of yours…”

Kwon Jeho tapped the tip of Yuri’s nose with his finger and muttered in a low, warning tone.

“If you keep acting tough like that, I might just pull you inside.”

Yuri’s eyes widened in fright. Tsk, if you’re going to back down so easily… Kwon Jeho swallowed a laugh and turned his back on her.

“Wait here for a moment.”

As he entered the house, a woman rose from the living room sofa. Kwon Jeho walked past the woman into the bedroom, retrieved his jacket and car keys, and came back out. Without sparing the woman a glance, he spoke quickly.

“Let’s stop here for today. I think I should get going. Leave 10 minutes after I’m gone.”

“Then when’s the next time?”

“I’ll call you. See you next time, Shin Dahee.”

Kwon Jeho gave a quick nod and hurried towards the garage. Once the door connecting the garage closed, Dahee picked up a teacup and walked to the intercom installed on the wall. When she pressed the button, an image of Yuri standing in front of the main gate appeared on the screen. Unaware that Dahee was watching, Yuri raised her head to look at the mansion.

“The sisters are all stupid.”

Dahee took a slow sip of her tea, her lips curling into a bitter smile as she glared at the screen. The bitter tea filled her mouth and slowly trickled down her throat.

Even while ordering drinks, Yuri kept glancing around anxiously. She still seemed concerned about having her picture taken at the Geoje Resort.

Kwon Jeho silently observed her.

That was probably why she wanted to go inside earlier. At least she would be safe from prying eyes. But Shin Dahee was in the living room. He didn’t want to deliberately make the two clash and cause any misunderstandings. It wasn’t the right time to explain things to Yuri yet.

He had crossed paths with Shin Daeri by chance while collecting evidence of Kwon Minwoo’s misdeeds.

“I’m not the type to just take it lying down. I want to pay them back more than what they did to me.”

Shin Daeri’s blade of revenge was aimed at Kwon Minwoo and Chae Yuri. But from the way things were unfolding, it seemed Yuri, who had nothing to do with them, was becoming the sacrificial lamb. Shin Daeri looked at Kwon Jeho as if asking what the problem was.

“Someone has to suffer as much as I did. Whether it’s Chae Yuri or Chae Yuri. They’re sisters after all.”

In the end, Kwon Jeho agreed to help Shin Daeri on the condition that she wouldn’t touch Yuri. Shin Daeri also needed Kwon Jeho’s help as she wasn’t powerful enough on her own.

Even so, Kwon Jeho didn’t fully trust Shin Daeri. She was a woman who wouldn’t hesitate to stab an ally in the back for the sake of revenge.

Heh, how ironic.

Kwon Jeho let out a bitter smile without realizing it. He himself wasn’t much different from Shin Daeri. He had deliberately approached Yuri to unsettle Minwoo, without any consideration for the pain she would suffer. He had no qualms about cornering her, labeling her as the same kind as Minwoo.

I’m such a jerk, a complete trash.

Muttering to himself, Kwon Jeho unconsciously grabbed Yuri’s arm beside him.

“Ack!”

A cry of pain escaped Yuri’s lips.

“Ah, sorry!”

Kwon Jeho quickly let go of Yuri’s arm. She must have been in a lot of pain as tears welled up in her eyes. He hadn’t grabbed her that hard, but she was reacting as if he had touched an injury.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“…no, no. I’m, I’m fine.”

She said she was fine, but her voice was trembling with fragility. However, there were too many eyes watching them to inquire further.

“Let’s go.”

Kwon Jeho picked up the drinks and hurried out of the cafe. Getting in the car, he put the drinks in the cup holder and immediately started the engine.

“Where are we going?”

“You seem conscious of people’s gazes. Let’s go to that place from before. The spot overlooking the Han River.”

“The place you said was private property? Your senior’s villa…”

“Yes.”

Kwon Jeho nodded briefly, focusing on driving. Yuri didn’t say anything, but she began to feel uneasy.

Whether it was his senior’s villa or the client’s house where he was staying, both were equally dangerous. He had clearly warned her that if they were alone, he would go all the way.

Her inner thoughts must have shown on her face, as he burst out laughing.

“I won’t cross the line at a place my senior lent me just to enjoy the view. Believe it or not, I’m quite picky about where I take action.”

“Ah, yes. I see.”

Feeling like he was teasing her again, Yuri responded petulantly without realizing it.

“I didn’t know, but now I see you have quite an upright character.”

“What? Do you like bad boys? Is that why you’re marrying Minwoo? But what to do? That guy’s not a bad boy… More than a bad boy, he’s a coward. Sometimes he acts immaturely like a child.”

“Then are you a bas*ard? Oops!”

She quickly shut her mouth, but the words had already slipped out. She ended up repeating exactly what Minwoo had said about matching Kwon Jeho.

“Sorry! I’m really sorry. It just slipped out.”

She was so embarrassed that even her neck turned red. But far from getting angry, Kwon Jeho looked at the flustered Yuri with adoring eyes.

“Bas*ard, that’s what Minwoo always calls me… Did you meet Minwoo today by any chance?”

“Yes, we had something to discuss about the wedding… We met and had a meal together…”

Yuri lowered her head, trailing off.

Kwon Jeho stared straight ahead, his expression hardening as if he was upset. He wouldn’t make such a displeased face just because she met Minwoo… Officially, Minwoo was still his fiancé.

It was definitely more likely that he was offended by her calling him a “bas*ard”. Yuri bit her lower lip, reproaching herself for her loose tongue.

When they arrived at the villa, Kwon Jeho hurriedly went inside carrying the drinks in both hands. He usually matched his pace with hers, but today he walked ahead with his back to her. He must have been really angry.

What should I do?

Yuri fidgeted and followed Kwon Jeho into the villa. After placing the drinks on the kitchen island, Kwon Jeho strode over to Yuri.

“Take it off.”

“What?”

Yuri blinked blankly, not believing what she just heard. As she stood still, Kwon Jeho reached out and took off her jacket.

“Take it off. I need to check your body.”

She hadn’t misheard. After saying he wasn’t the type of shameless person to embrace a woman at someone else’s villa, what was this!

Yuri covered her chest with both arms and shook her head vigorously. But Kwon Jeho easily brushed her hands aside and began hastily unbuttoning her blouse.

“Kwon Jeho, what are you doing?”

“I think you’re hurt, so I need to take a look.”

“It’s fine. I’m not hurt or anything.”

“You winced in pain and even teared up when I barely touched you.”

The buttons wouldn’t come undone easily, so Kwon Jeho furrowed his brows and applied more force. He looked ready to rip it off like last time.

“Okay, I’ll take it off myself.”

Left with no choice, Yuri unbuttoned her blouse herself. She was wearing a tank top underneath, so taking off the blouse wouldn’t be a big problem. As soon as she finished unbuttoning, Kwon Jeho grabbed the front of the blouse and swiftly pulled it apart.

“That crazy bast*rd!”

As soon as her arms were exposed, a curse flew out of Kwon Jeho’s mouth.

“Oh!”

Yuri was also startled. Near her shoulders, her upper arms had bruises that had turned blue-black. Kwon Minwoo had gripped her more forcefully than usual. It hurt enough to throb, but she thought it would just leave red handprints…

“Minwoo did this, didn’t he? That bast*rd, I’m going to kill him!”

Kwon Jeho’s face contorted with rage.

“It’s not like that.”

Yuri hastily grabbed Kwon Jeho’s arm as he tried to head out. No, she didn’t know why the cousins were at each other’s throats today of all days.

“What do you mean it’s not like that? Look at you right now.”

“My skin is sensitive, that’s why. You know that. It was like that last time too.”

“Really?”

Kwon Jeho’s eyes blazed as they raked over Yuri’s body. Then he led her to a place with a full-length mirror.

“Look. Except for the bruises on both arms, your skin is perfectly clean.”

At first, Yuri didn’t understand what Kwon Jeho meant.

“Do you know how I touched you last night?”

He whispered softly, tracing the places he had kissed with his fingertips.

The words “last night” and the warm heat transmitted through his fingers vividly brought back all the sensations she had felt the night before. The hot breath on her bare skin, the lips that gently bit as if branding her, and so on.

“If your skin was really sensitive, it would have turned red all over.”

Even in the midst of the surging heat, he had considerately held back for her sake. Realizing how much restraint that must have taken, Yuri quietly inhaled. Their gazes intensely intertwined through the mirror.

“…But Minwoo had his reasons today.”

“You’re taking his side even after ending up like this?”

Kwon Jeho seemed genuinely angry when Yuri kept defending Minwoo. He didn’t raise his voice, but she could tell from his eyes alone. Unable to contain his anger, he kept running his fingers through his bangs, his hands trembling.

“I’m not taking his side, but he really had his reasons today. I can’t go through with the wedding…”

As the truth threatened to spill out unintentionally, Yuri quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

She had promised not to tell anyone until Chairman Kwon found out, so she couldn’t confide even in Kwon Jeho. But Kwon Jeho furrowed his brows as if he had noticed something. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, turning her to face him directly.

“What are you talking about? Did you say something about canceling the wedding?”

“…Well.”

She had to deny it, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie. Mesmerized by his piercing gaze, she couldn’t even shake her head.

“Da*n it.”

As Yuri just shut her mouth and trembled, Kwon Jeho muttered a curse under his breath and took off his jacket to wrap it around her.

“Whew, sorry for getting worked up.”

He let her rest her face against his chest and let out a long sigh.

“I couldn’t control myself after seeing the bruises turning blue-black.”

Yuri silently wrapped her arms around his waist without saying a word.

“I’m really sorry for lashing out.”

Even though he hadn’t raised his voice once, Kwon Jeho apologized again for his behavior. Yuri, who was about to say “it’s okay,” made a lighthearted joke to liven up the mood.

“Are you only going to apologize with words?”

But it seemed she had made a big mistake. A dangerous-looking smile appeared on his lips.

“…No.”

Kwon Jeho replied, tightly encircling her waist with one arm.

“I’ll apologize to you sincerely.”