Yuri unknowingly pressed her palm against her chest.

Her heart stung as if pierced by an awl.

But she quickly regained her composure. She couldn’t show even the slightest sign of distress in front of Minwoo.

“I see.”

Yuri said in the most nonchalant tone possible as she touched the screen with her finger.

“Your girlfriend is pretty. She suits Jeho well.”

It wasn’t a lie. The woman in the photo sparkled like a jewel. She had a beautiful smile that anyone would find lovable. Together with Jeho beside her, they made an image that would catch people’s attention.

“Her name is Claire. She’s been Jeho’s girlfriend for quite a while. I thought they had broken up, but I guess they’ve been keeping in touch.”

“Ah, I see.”

Yuri looked down at the photo expressionlessly. In the multiple photos, Claire was consistently by Jeho’s side. Wasn’t it supposed to be an urgent matter? Did he go to attend a charity party?

It seemed to be quite a large-scale charity party hosted by world-renowned companies in Silicon Valley. After scanning through all the photos, Yuri handed the phone back to Minwoo with one hand while picking up her coffee cup with the other.

“If you’re done, could you leave now?”

Minwoo stared intently at Yuri’s face. It seemed he was trying to see if she was shaken. Yuri blinked her dry eyes slowly as she sipped her coffee. There was no trace of confusion to be found in her expression.

“Alright.”

Minwoo stood up, putting his phone in his jacket. If nothing else, he felt a bit better knowing that she wasn’t in a deep relationship with Jeho yet. There was a report that it wasn’t Yuri but an unidentified man who accompanied Jeho to the villa in Gangneung.

“I’ll go for today. But this isn’t over.”

Minwoo left, promising a next time. Not long after he departed, Yuri walked out to the terrace with a worried look on her face.

“Elder sister, are you okay?”

“Yes. Of course I am.”

Yuri smiled faintly with an unbothered expression.

“…Um.”

Yuri hesitated, standing in place as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she went back inside without saying anything. Yuri silently gazed at the garden, mechanically bringing the coffee cup to her lips.

―Her name is Claire. She’s been Jeho’s girlfriend for quite a while. I thought they had broken up, but I guess they’ve been keeping in touch.

Minwoo’s words kept echoing in her ears. The composure she had been desperately holding onto was slowly crumbling. Yuri bit her lower lip and closed her eyes.

From the beginning, it was she who proposed to keep things casual. Whatever he did and whoever he met after leaving Korea was none of her business.

So even if he had cut off contact and was now reuniting with an old lover, she had no right to complain. Still, she couldn’t help the bitterness in her heart.

“Huh.”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

This isn’t funny at all.

The moment she saw Jeho’s photo, rather than jealousy, she first felt relief that he was safe. She laughed at herself for feeling at ease over such a trivial matter.

―Let’s not think about the future and just keep things casual. In reality, we’re in a relationship that’s unlikely to work out.

Right, those were definitely my own words. I have to take responsibility for what I said.

And yet, like a fool, tears welled up. Yuri rubbed her tear-stained cheeks with her palms. It’s just tears coming out. My heart doesn’t hurt.

Just from seeing a photo, she desperately wanted to see him.

Even though there was no future for them, even though it would end when he returned to America, how could she be shaken like this after just a brief separation?

Yuri brought the coffee cup to her lips as she checked the text messages she had sent him on her phone. They still showed as “unread.” The bitter taste of cold coffee filled her mouth. After silently staring at her phone, Yuri stood up and went inside the house.

The trembling of her body must be due to the cold air outside on the terrace. That’s all it is.

[This is the timeline separator] [Really? Are you sure?]

After Jeho finished explaining everything, Woo Gyeol raised his voice in disbelief.

“Yes. I have the recording in my hands.”

[Ha, this is ridiculous.]

Jeho leaned against the glass railing of the balcony, looking down at the brilliant lights spread out before him. The party was already winding down to its end.

[But thinking about it again, it seems too big in scale to be Minwoo’s scheme alone. That coward.]

Jeho listened to Woo Gyeol’s words as he brought the wine glass to his lips. But he put it back down without drinking. It was because of what Woo Gyeol said next.

[Are you still going to keep seeing Yuri even in this situation?]

The question he himself had not dared to ask was now coming out of Woo Gyeol’s mouth.

[What if Assemblyman Chae really is the person behind all this?]

After reviewing the recording his father had hidden, it became clear that there was someone stronger behind Minwoo. As Woo Gyeol said, it was beyond Minwoo’s capabilities to orchestrate something this big on his own. Though the extent was unclear, Assemblyman Chae was also involved.

―I’ve already warned you.

―You’re going to get hurt badly. I’ve clearly warned you.

Assemblyman Chae had warned both Jeho and Vice Chairman Kwon separately. Rather than a threat, his tone was more like asking how they planned to deal with the aftermath.

“Yuri has nothing to do with this.”

[That may be so, but how do you think Yuri will react when she finds out everything later?]

Jeho pressed his forehead with his hand and stood up from the glass railing.

How will she react? She’ll curse me. She’ll damn me as trash.

A bitter smile appeared on Jeho’s lips.

Even though he could clearly see how it would end, he still couldn’t let her go yet. No, he might never be able to let her go.

[Jeho, are you listening to me? Stay away from Yuri for a while. At least until we figure out exactly who’s behind this. Okay?]

Jeho remained silent, gripping his phone tightly.

That was the problem. Though he hadn’t told Woo Gyeol, he seemed to know who was behind it. If the person he suspected turned out to be the mastermind, he had no idea how to deal with it.

The ridiculous thing was that even in the midst of all this, Yuri’s face kept coming to mind.

Crazy bastard. You’ve lost your mind.

Cursing at himself, Jeho turned towards the hall. It was time to wrap up the party.

[This is the timeline separator]

How dare she show her face?

Yuri looked at the intercom screen in disbelief. Shin Dahee was waving her hand at the camera brazenly.

Her face is really thick.

She didn’t know why Shin had come to her house, but right now, Yuri wasn’t in the mood to meet her. It had only been half a day since Minwoo had visited…

As she was about to refuse, she saw someone’s face behind Shin.

“Yuri?”

Yuri quickly opened the door and ran to the main gate. As if drunk, Yuri was barely able to keep her balance.

Of all days, Lady An and Assemblyman Chae had gone down to the countryside, leaving the house empty, and all the employees had gone home. With no choice, Yuri accepted Shin’s help and took Yuri to her room to lie down.

“Ah, you didn’t know. I’m Yuri’s senior from university.”

Shin explained as they came out to the living room. Adding that there was a university alumni gathering today, she sat on the living room sofa and crossed her legs.

“Could I have a warm cup of tea? The weather has been so chilly lately.”

Although Yuri didn’t like Shin, she couldn’t turn her away after she had brought her drunk sister home.

“What kind of tea would you like?”

“Anything is fine as long as it’s not bitter.”

Yuri went to the kitchen and made citron tea, then returned to the living room. Shin received the teacup with both hands and smiled brightly.

“Thank you.”

She sipped the tea very slowly. Yuri wished she would drink quickly and leave soon, but Shin didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. When the cup was about half empty, Shin spoke up.

“Ask Yuri about me sometime. She’ll tell you I’m a very kind senior. Kind enough to stay quiet even when my beloved junior stole my longtime boyfriend.”

Yuri couldn’t understand the sudden words coming from Shin’s mouth. A kind senior who stays quiet even when her boyfriend is stolen? Did Shin think that Yuri was completely unaware of her relationship with Minwoo?

“Ah, right. There was something I really wanted to tell you at the wedding venue.”

Shin leaned her upper body towards Yuri and whispered softly, almost mumbling.

“But your friend stopped me from entering in front of the bride’s waiting room. I guess there was someone important inside at that time?”

When Yuri frowned, Shin met her gaze and smiled brightly.

“I wanted to tell you not to be too nervous because the marriage would fall apart anyway… Jeho went too far. He should have given me a heads up.”

After finishing her words, Shin put down the teacup with a loud thud.

“By the way, isn’t the tea at Jeho’s house too bitter?”

“What?”

“I think it was called Soktae tea? Probably that.”

Seeing Yuri’s widened eyes, Shin slowly got up from the sofa.

“I enjoyed the tea.”

After saying that, she nodded her head and went straight to the entrance. Yuri remained seated on the sofa, clenching her trembling hands.

Shin’s behavior just now was a provocation towards Yuri. And surprisingly, the person used for this provocation was not Kwon Minwoo, but Kwon Jeho.

Why, why did that woman mention Jeho’s name?

Yuri belatedly turned her head towards the entrance where Shin had walked out. She wanted to follow Shin and ask what she meant, but she didn’t.

Because she couldn’t show any signs of being shaken. Suppressing the seed of distrust that was trying to sprout, Yuri got up from the sofa and headed to Yuri’s bedroom. Taking care of her sister was the priority.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Good morning.”

As Yuri entered the office, everyone greeted her with smiling faces. Yuri walked to her desk and put down her bag. As usual, the empty seat next to her caught her eye.

It had been over two weeks, but there was no contact from Jeho. Perhaps there would be no news until he returned.

It was she who had insisted on keeping things casual until he went back to America. He was in America now, and he had no obligation to contact her. Maybe their relationship was only valid while he was in Korea.

Even so, she couldn’t completely erase her feelings of disappointment. Moreover, Shin’s words continued to follow and torment her. She wanted to ask how Shin knew Jeho. What kind of relationship did they have that she even invited her into the house and served her tea?

If she hadn’t been to Jeho’s house, she wouldn’t know about the existence of Soktae tea. It didn’t seem like she heard it from Minwoo. Minwoo had visited Jeho’s house but hadn’t drunk tea.

Ring― Ring―

Just then, the phone on her desk rang. Checking the caller ID, it was an unknown number. Yuri was about to press the answer button but changed her mind and let it ring.

Judging by the domestic number, it was probably Minwoo.

Since blocking Minwoo’s phone, he had been calling her using different numbers. At first, she blocked each number one by one, but eventually gave up as he would just use another number anyway.

It seems he’s starting again after lying low for a few days. As the ringing that had been continuing finally stopped, Yuri put her phone in her bag and stood up from her seat.

“I’m going out for a moment.”

She had received a call from Assemblyman Chae’s aide saying they had secured a few officetel units. She was told to choose one of them, but she couldn’t decide based on photos alone, so she decided to go see them in person.

After getting permission from the company, Yuri visited the officetel and decided on the one with the best security system.

After finishing the contract and returning to the company, it was almost time to leave work. For some reason, there was a noisy atmosphere from the corridor.

Could it be?

With a hunch, Yuri quickened her steps almost to a run. She became out of breath after just a few hurried steps.

Rushing to open the door and enter the office, all the employees were gathered in one place, murmuring. Yuri approached slowly, trying to calm her trembling heart.

The back view of a man with broad shoulders standing in the center of the crowd caught her eye. Along with him, a sweet yet refreshing scent wafted gently. The man slowly turned around to face Yuri.

“Ah.”

Yuri stopped in her tracks and unknowingly covered her mouth with one hand.

He had returned.

Kwon Jeho, her man, was standing before her eyes, looking a bit thinner.