“Aren’t you afraid of how Chae Yuri will react when she finds out?”

After a brief silence, Jeho’s cold voice flowed out.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“…Nothing to be afraid of?”

Stunned, Yuri muttered quietly to herself. Even if he felt no guilt, shouldn’t he at least be afraid? She was curious about what he would say next, but the video ended there.

Yuri leaned back weakly on the sofa, hugging herself with both arms. Her unfocused eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

I shouldn’t be losing my mind like this… I need to think of something…

“…Hah.”

A bitter laugh escaped her for a moment.

The very act of thinking is laughable. It’s not like thinking here and now will change reality, so what’s the point of thinking?

Her eyes burned as if on fire, but no tears came. If she could at least cry her heart out, it might hurt less, but even that wasn’t possible.

I wish I could just disappear into the ground.

Yuri closed her eyes slowly, embracing her miserable feelings.

Darkness enveloped her surroundings.

[This is the timeline separator]

By the time the seminar welcome event and dinner finished, it was already 8 PM. Jeho, who had gone straight to the seminar venue, belatedly checked into the hotel and sent Yuri a message.

Originally, he had planned to contact her as soon as he got off the plane. But he postponed it, worried it might disturb her during work. He intended to do it around quitting time, but the conversations with the seminar organizers dragged on, and he missed the opportunity.

Even after a long while since sending the message, Yuri hadn’t checked it. He tried calling, but it was the same. The phone rang a few times before going straight to voicemail. Jeho, who was about to leave a message, changed his mind and hung up.

She’ll reply when she checks the message I sent.

But even after an hour, the message remained unchecked, and the call still wouldn’t connect. He started to worry unnecessarily.

“No. She just said her mother asked her to come over after work to pick up some side dishes.”

Jeho recalled what Yuri had said during lunch earlier.

Could something have happened at her parents’ home?

Though Assemblyman Chae probably wouldn’t resort to violence anymore, Jeho couldn’t help but worry. Finally, before it got too late, he called the Chae residence.

[Hello?]

After a few rings, Yuri’s voice came through the phone speaker.

“This is Kwon Jeho. Is Yuri there by any chance?”

[My sister? She left a while ago after having dinner.]

“Could you tell me around what time?”

[It would have been a little before 8. But is something wrong?]

“It’s nothing serious. I just can’t reach her at all.”

As he said it, he realized it really wasn’t anything serious. Still, he couldn’t help but worry about Yuri. Being apart made him even more anxious.

[When I saw her earlier, she looked a bit tired. She probably went to bed early.]

“That could be it. I’ll try contacting her again tomorrow morning.”

The call ended without much result, but one thing was certain – nothing had happened at her parents’ home. He tried to quell his anxiety, thinking that as Yuri said, she might have gone to bed early due to fatigue. If something bad had happened, her sister Yuri would surely know.

After finishing his shower and leaving the bathroom, it was almost 11 PM.

Jeho fiddled with his phone, hesitating for a moment. Should he try calling one last time?

Just then, the room phone on the bedside table started ringing. As he picked up the receiver, the hotel staff’s pleasant voice flowed through.

[Sir, there’s a visitor for you in the hotel lobby. How would you like us to proceed?]

“A visitor?”

Who could it be at this late hour? Someone he met at the seminar?

Jeho unconsciously furrowed his brow.

[This is the timeline separator]

“…Hmm.”

Yuri let out a low groan, covering her face with both hands. Was the shock too great? Not a single tear would come out. She just felt like she was suffocating and going crazy.

Curled up on the sofa, making only groaning sounds, Yuri finally got up. She couldn’t bear it alone anymore.

She wanted to hear Hyunkyung’s voice, but she was traveling in Europe. If Hyunkyung found out what had happened to Yuri, she would drop everything and rush over. Yuri couldn’t let that happen.

As if sleepwalking, Yuri moved about unconsciously. When she came to her senses, she found herself wandering the night streets. She had only her bag and phone in hand, without even an outer garment. The night wind was cold, but perhaps due to her heart being as cold as ice, she didn’t feel the chill.

Just then, a text notification sounded from the phone in her hand.

Since only the beginning of the message was visible, there was no need to check the entire text.

“Hah.”

Yuri laughed coldly and put the phone in her bag. He probably doesn’t know anything yet. He must still think he’s fooling her like an idiot.

She had known for a while that there was a strange tension between Jeho and Minwoo. And that they were looking for each other’s weaknesses like enemies.

But still. What were they thinking, dragging her into their disgusting fight?

She couldn’t contain her anger. She had to ask Jeho face to face if it was true that he had approached her intentionally.

Yuri immediately took a taxi to the airport. Fortunately, there were seats left on the last night flight to Jeju Island. By the time she arrived at the Jeju Island hotel where Jeho was staying, it was already close to 11 PM. Yuri entered the lobby and took out her phone from her bag. But unfortunately, it was turned off. The battery had been low, and she hadn’t had a chance to charge it.

Yuri approached the front desk and asked for help.

“I need to contact a guest, but my battery is dead. Could you charge it for me?”

“What’s the guest’s name? We’ll contact them for you.”

“Kwon…”

As she was about to say the name, Yuri bit her lower lip. The moment she was about to say Kwon Jeho, reality hit her, and she suddenly felt scared.

What if everything turns out to be true when I ask him?

Just imagining it made her dizzy. He might look at her with cold eyes, as if despising her, just like in the video.

“Oh my, did you really not know? That I approached you intentionally?”

She could almost hear his mocking voice right beside her.

“No, never mind. I just realized it’s too late.”

Yuri smiled awkwardly and quickly turned around. It was ridiculous that she only came to her senses after coming all the way to Jeju Island, but she couldn’t help it. Meeting him without organizing her thoughts and without a plan was dangerous. She might end up getting entangled with him again instead of finding out the truth. After all, he was a cold-blooded person who would do anything for his own benefit.

As she hurriedly crossed the lobby, she noticed the back of a man sitting in a lounge chair. For some reason, the familiar figure made Yuri unconsciously stop and turn her head.

It was Jeho. He was talking to an unfamiliar woman with his back turned to Yuri. The woman kept brushing her hair back, looking at him shyly.

Yuri stood still, silently watching the two. Was it because she realized she meant nothing to Jeho? Unlike when she saw him with Claire, she felt nothing now.

She only thought about leaving this place quickly before running into him. Yuri started walking again. Just as she was about to step into the revolving door, someone grabbed her shoulder from behind.

When she turned around, Jeho was looking at her with a surprised expression. His face seemed to ask how she could be here. Glancing to the side, she saw the woman who had been talking to Jeho glaring at her with a hostile look.

“I seem to be interrupting. I just…”

“What are you talking about? Interrupting? Let’s go up first.”

Jeho said, wrapping his arm around her waist. Conscious of the stares around them, Yuri tried to break free by twisting her body, but she couldn’t easily shake him off. She was led to the elevator by his hand.

Looking back, the woman was already gone and out of sight.

“Who was that?”

As they got into the elevator and the doors closed, Yuri spoke first. She didn’t really want to know, but she pretended to be curious to divert her attention elsewhere, even a little.

“I don’t know either. Someone I just met at the seminar today…”

At first, he was going to send her back right away. But the woman said she suddenly had to return to London early tomorrow morning and asked for just 10 minutes of his time. She said it was a very important matter, so he reluctantly went down. When he did, the woman smiled coquettishly with flirtatious eyes and offered her contact information. Since this wasn’t the first time a woman had approached him aggressively, Jeho coldly refused.

That’s when he caught sight of Yuri crossing the lobby.

“I must excuse myself. My fiancée is here.”

Jeho immediately stood up and rushed to Yuri. Was her lack of contact earlier because she was on her way to Jeju Island? Yuri’s sudden appearance felt like an unexpected gift he hadn’t even thought of.

“You were with someone you barely know until this hour?”

She asked with a slightly upset expression. But to Jeho’s eyes, even her angry look seemed unbearably beautiful.

“Are you jealous right now?”

When Jeho asked with a smile, Yuri looked up at him without saying a word.

I wish it were jealousy. What if he had been a womanizer instead? What if the video had shown him cheating with another woman… Well, it probably would have been less shocking than now. At least then, he might have been trying to hide it from her out of some affection for her.

But reality was more miserable. He said he approached her solely to get what he wanted.

Yet, even knowing it was an act, Jeho’s affectionate gaze made Yuri’s heart flutter.

Get a grip, Chae Yuri.

Yuri bit her lip and turned her head, avoiding his gaze.

“Don’t misunderstand. She asked for just 10 minutes, so we were briefly talking.”

Despite the detailed explanation, Yuri remained silent, so Jeho gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Are you angry?”

At Jeho’s question, Yuri turned her head again to look up at him. After a moment of silence, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Yes, I’m angry. Very angry.”

Jeho frowned slightly, seeming a bit taken aback. Just then, the elevator doors opened. The two remained silent until they reached the room.

As soon as they entered the room and closed the door, Jeho pulled Yuri into a tight embrace. Cupping her face with his large hands, he gently kissed the bridge of her nose, which was cold from the night air.

“I’m sorry. You came all this way, and you had to see that.”

“Is that all you’re sorry for?”

At those words, Jeho laughed softly with an amused expression. Not knowing the state of mind in which Yuri had come, he probably thought she was just throwing a tantrum.

“What can I do to make you feel better?”

“What can you do?”

“Anything.”

He answered quickly.

“Anything you want.”

No, there’s nothing you can do.

Yuri stared at Jeho, hiding her cold heart.

She still hadn’t decided what to do. Her mind was blank, unable to think of anything.

What if she just died here, suffocating in his arms? Would that be less miserable?

“Will you hold me? Hold me so tight I can barely breathe.”

At those words, Jeho spread his arms and embraced Yuri tightly, as if crushing her.

“I missed you so much, I couldn’t stand it.”

Yuri murmured softly, burying her face in Jeho’s chest. It wasn’t a lie. She really had to see him. Otherwise, she felt like she would go crazy.

“I love you.”

Just then, a soft voice flowed into her ear.

“I love you, Yuri.”

It was a voice as sweet and soft as candy.