“Will you hold me?”

Her voice, filled with moisture, trembled faintly.

Instead of asking what was wrong, Jeho tightly embraced Yuri. As the warm body temperature enveloped her, the confused emotions seemed to calm down a bit. Even so, the pain inflicted by the sharp reality didn’t disappear without a trace.

The conversation she had with her father still echoed in her ears.

―What if it was Yuri?

―If it was Yuri… It would probably have been different.

Assemblyman Chae was strict with Yuri, but infinitely kind to Yuri. He had favored Yuri exceptionally since childhood.

At first, she understood it was because Yuri was the youngest. She also thought Yuri, who lost her mother at an even younger age than Yuri, was pitiful. But since learning that Yuri’s birth mother was not the deceased mother, but a new stepmother from remarriage, she couldn’t think that way anymore.

Feeling betrayed, Yuri had to avoid Yuri for a while. It took a long time before she could accept Yuri as a sister again, but even now, there are times when she feels a sense of distance. Like right now.

―She’s not as clever as you. She’s just an immature child.

Assemblyman Chae described Yuri as still an immature child. It means he pays so much attention to her, wanting to take care of her meticulously. But what about Yuri? Did she ever have a time when she was immature?

After her mother passed away, at the young age of a middle school student, when she was mobilized for election campaigns, Assemblyman Chae demanded adult-like thoughts and actions from her. At the time when Yuri was eating tteokbokki and chatting with friends, she had to sit in the election office, reading speeches handed to her by the assistant.

Back then, she thought it was just the way things had to be. She even thought it was fortunate to be able to be with her dad like that, rather than being alone in a house without a mother. At least until she found out about the affair between Assemblyman Chae and Assistant An.

“Hoo.”

Yuri buried her face in Jeho’s chest, exhaling a long breath.

She didn’t even hope to be loved. Couldn’t she lean on her father even for a moment when things were tough? Just a little comfort would be enough. Are you okay? Weren’t you surprised? I’m glad you weren’t hurt. Couldn’t he just speak like a normal father?

As Yuri remained silent, Jeho sat beside her and stroked her back. He seemed to think she was still in shock from what had just happened. He gently kissed her cheek and massaged her nape as if giving her a massage.

“Relax. It’s all over now.”

“…Yeah, I know.”

Yuri murmured softly and wrapped her arms around Jeho’s waist.

Let’s not feel hurt. At least now, at this moment, he’s by her side. Her heart swelled at the fact that someone was worried about her and protecting her. And at the fact that she loved that someone…

“Whew.”

A long sigh of relief escaped.

She began to think that falling in love with someone might not be such a bad thing. Although she was afraid of getting hurt someday, she realized that even if she got hurt, she could also receive warm comfort.

It didn’t matter whether he loved her or not. What mattered was that she loved him.

Maybe there’s no need to avoid the emotion of love altogether?

A sprout of hope… began to stir and sprout in her heart.

Yuri moved back and stared at Jeho intently. As she just kept looking without saying anything, Jeho’s lips softened gently. Instead of asking “why?”, he stroked her hair with a gentle hand.

“Thank you.”

She spoke with sincerity in her eyes. She didn’t have the courage to tell him she loved him yet. But she could say thank you.

“For being by my side, thank you so much.”

I’ll try to be brave.

The courage to love you.

Yuri smiled at him, whispering inwardly the words she couldn’t say out loud.

Upon arriving home, Jeho headed straight to the kitchen, saying they should have coffee. Yuri leaned against the island counter, watching Jeho operate the espresso machine.

“Father said he handled Minwoo’s matter without any complications… But I didn’t ask exactly how he handled it.”

“He’ll probably send him to an overseas branch to spend a few years abroad.”

“Not sending him to jail as a caught-in-the-act criminal?”

“Since everything ended as an attempt, even if he’s put in jail as a caught-in-the-act criminal, there’s a high chance it’ll end with a suspended sentence. Rather than that, it’s more effective to send him abroad and deal with the mess he’s made while removing his close associates within the group one by one.”

As expected, Chairman Kwon had already finished the work of sending Minwoo abroad. He seemed to know not only what Jeho had found out, but also about other corruptions, embezzlements, and assaults. Of course, including Director Kwon’s corruptions and mistakes.

Chairman Kwon pretended not to know in front, but behind the scenes, he knew everything. The question here is why he never put on the brakes even though he knew everything. After Jeho’s father, Vice Chairman Kwon, stepped down from his position, Director Kwon Woosik officially started his corrupt practices.

Chairman Kwon knew all of this but never raised an issue until now. He had been observing from a step back. And only today, at Jeho’s single word, he immediately enacted the overseas assignment.

That means…

A dark shadow fell over Jeho’s thoughtful face.

As each puzzle piece found its place, he was getting closer to an unwanted conclusion. When the truth he had hoped wasn’t true revealed itself, what should he do?

At that moment, he felt a soft touch on his back. Yuri hugged him from behind. In an instant, the pressure weighing him down disappeared like smoke. Just because she hugged him.

Jeho slowly turned around, and her clear eyes came into view.

“…Looks like I’m imposing on you here again.”

Jeho barely held back the laughter that was about to burst out at her words about imposing. He was restraining himself from wanting to bring her here and keep her by his side, yet she talks about imposing. But Jeho hid his true feelings and spoke in a dry tone.

“I’ll collect payment for letting you stay, so you can’t say you’re imposing.”

“How will you collect it?”

Yuri’s eyes sparkled curiously.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know? Or are you pretending not to know while knowing?”

At his words, Yuri’s eyes curved into half-moons.

“Then shall we order same-day delivery from the seafood market app? I’ll make you fried shrimp and seafood pancake like last time.”

“Ha.”

Finally, the laughter Jeho had been holding back burst out. She was so cute and lovable, pretending not to know while knowing, that he couldn’t stay still. Holding back the urge to go straight to the bedroom, he picked her up and placed her on the island counter.

“Today, please just stay still and don’t do anything. I’ll do everything.”

Jeho wrapped both hands around Yuri’s hands, which she had deliberately injured to provoke Minwoo. The edges of the bandage were stained red. He keeps hurting her like this every time, even though he says he’ll never let her get hurt again. Jeho’s heart ached, feeling like all of this was his fault.

“What cooking can you do with hands like these.”

“I’m fine now…”

“I’m not fine. Understand? Stay right here without moving.”

When the notification sound indicating the coffee was ready was heard, Jeho gently patted Yuri’s head and turned his back to get the coffee.

Yuri watched Jeho pouring coffee into cups. His broad shoulders seemed even wider today. With each movement, smooth muscles revealed their shape under the tightly stretched shirt. Just looking at him brought back the sensation of leaning her face against his back.

Was it because she had decided to move forward courageously without avoiding it? The emotion that used to be calm before now stirred from deep within. Yuri hopped off the island counter and walked back to Jeho.

“Jeho.”

Whispering softly, she made his hand put down the coffee cup again. Then, spreading her arms, she hugged his waist and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. Jeho’s puzzled gaze fell on her face.

“Let’s go to bed.”

At her words, Jeho narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t tell if she meant she was tired and wanted to lie down, or if she wanted to make love. It was rare for her to take the initiative… When he didn’t respond immediately, Yuri stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around his neck.

“Earlier, we had to stop midway because an uninvited guest came in. Now there’s no one to interrupt us.”

Even though she pointed it out specifically, Jeho just kept looking at her silently. He didn’t even hug her back, keeping his arms down. Eventually, Yuri had to say everything that was inside her.

“What I said earlier, I didn’t just say it. I missed you so much in just one day, as if I hadn’t seen you for a year. Didn’t you miss me, Jeho oppa?”

When she called him ‘Jeho oppa’, his jaw tensed for a moment. Yuri gently curved her eyes into half-moons and cupped Jeho’s cheeks with both hands. Then she softly pressed her lips against his.

Until now, she had avoided love, but now she wanted to accept everything fully. She wanted to face it with courage. Both body and heart, all of it.

“Damn it.”

As she shyly locked lips and came in deep, a short curse escaped Jeho’s mouth. As if he could no longer hold back, he raised his arms and hugged her tightly.

“It’s all your fault. I was clearly trying to restrain myself just for today.”

Jeho put his hands under her waist and knees and lifted Yuri up. Then he strode towards the bedroom. There was no leisure in his movement towards the bedroom. It was the same on the bed. The moment he put her down on the bed, he roughly overlapped their lips. His suppressed feelings were exploding uncontrollably.

“I think you don’t need to come anymore. Your condition has improved a lot.”

At the doctor’s words, Shin Dahee put her sunglasses back on her face. Although blurry, there were still bruises around her eyes that needed to be covered.

“You were really lucky. If it had gone a little more to the side, you could have lost your sight.”

“Well, if I were really lucky, I wouldn’t have fallen down the stairs in the first place.”

At her retort, the kind-looking doctor showed a bewildered expression. Shin Dahee stood up and bowed politely to the doctor.

“Thank you for everything until now.”

A bitter smile appeared on her lips as she left the examination room.

Lucky, he says. It’s more like being terribly unlucky…

If she had been lucky, she wouldn’t have lost her long-time boyfriend to Chae Yuri, and she wouldn’t have gotten involved with trash like Kwon Minwoo.

Dahee bit her lower lip, recalling the day Minwoo came to her. Maybe because he was drunk, Minwoo seemed to think she was Yuri. He hugged her and called Yuri’s name all night long.

―Yuri, I love you. Please don’t leave. Yuri, damn it! I said don’t go!

“Trash bastard.”

Dahee couldn’t help but spit out a curse.

Crazy bastard! You can’t even make a peep in front of Chae Yuri, but you swing your fists at me. You poured all the frustration you couldn’t vent on Chae Yuri onto me.

Although covered by sunglasses, there were still clear bruises on her face. And not just her face, traces of that day’s assault remained all over her body. In a way, her heart was more painful than her body.

Being the same woman, yet one is thoroughly protected while the other is exposed to danger without any defense… It was absolutely unfair.

Whether it’s Chae Yuri or Chae Yuri, she was angry feeling like the two sisters had conspired to throw her into the gutter.

One of them should experience the pain she suffered exactly as it was. Now, she hated Chae Yuri, who had made Minwoo beat her up thoroughly, more than Chae Yuri who had stolen her boyfriend.

With these feelings, it seemed impossible to start a new life anywhere on earth.

One of them has to shed tears, that’s how the world becomes fair.

Shin Dahee, who had left the hospital, stopped for a moment and glared at the sky. Like her inner feelings filled with resentment, a red sunset was burning the blue sky fiercely.

Jeho, who had been looking down at the soundly sleeping Yuri, carefully slipped out of the bedroom. The outside world visible through the living room window was already turning red with the sunset.

Ring ring―

At that moment, the mobile phone in his hand started ringing.

“Yes, it’s me.”

Jeho pressed the call button and answered the phone in a subdued voice. There was no need to check who the caller was. An ominous feeling was beckoning.