As Yuri opened the door and entered the office, everyone’s gaze turned towards the door at once.

“Ms. Yuri, are you feeling better now?”

“Oh, you should have rested more.”

Everyone asked about Yuri’s well-being with worried faces. They all seemed surprised by the news that she had collapsed with a high fever and was even hospitalized. She had never taken a sick day since joining the company…..

The other day, the news of Min Woo’s overseas branch assignment was reported. It was as good as an official announcement that the wedding was not just postponed, but canceled altogether. That’s why her coworkers seemed to assume that Yuri had collapsed from the shock of the broken engagement.

“Thank you for your concern.”

Yuri smiled awkwardly and walked past her colleagues to her desk.

While her coworkers were worried, Jeho, sitting next to her, just silently watched as she sat down in her chair. Yuri nodded lightly towards Jeho and immediately turned on her computer.

As she opened programs and loaded the files she was working on, the door to the manager’s office opened and Manager Kim came out. Upon spotting Yuri, he rolled his eyes as if dumbfounded.

“Such stubbornness….. I told you to rest thoroughly, but you didn’t listen and came in anyway.”

“I rested for a whole week. I’m really fine now.”

“Take it easy. We’ve adjusted the schedule so there’s no problem with the work even without you, Yuri. If you feel even a little tired, go home right away, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Still not feeling at ease, Manager Kim asked Jeho, sitting next to her, to look after Yuri.

“If you see that she’s not doing well, send her home immediately.”

After finishing his words, the manager hurriedly left the office with Seonyoung, saying he was late for an appointment. Watching Manager Kim’s retreating back, Yuri quietly looked around.

After confirming that no one was looking, she turned to Jeho. When their eyes met, she winked, closing and opening one eye.

Jeho frowned in surprise, as Yuri had been careful not to show signs of dating in the office.

Was she trying to say she was fine, so not to worry? But before he could figure out her intentions, Yuri quickly turned her head back to the computer screen.

Her serious expression as she stared intently at the monitor while working was no different from before. Except that her cheeks had become hollow from being severely ill…..

She had lost weight due to emotional distress, and then collapsed again with a high fever, noticeably losing more weight. Wouldn’t she end up just skin and bones at this rate? Jeho was genuinely worried about Yuri’s health.

He wondered if she had properly taken care of herself while staying at her family home. Whether she had eaten regularly all this time….. Why did she look paler than when he last saw her at the hospital….. There was so much he wanted to ask, but couldn’t due to the eyes around them.

Yuri occasionally brushed back her fallen hair and massaged her shoulders as if tired, but never took her eyes off the monitor. Finally, Jeho gave up sneaking glances at Yuri and walked over to where the printer was installed.

As he was carefully examining the printed floor plans, someone tapped his shoulder lightly with their fingertip.

When he turned his head, Yuri was standing behind him. She pointed at the clock on the wall towards Jeho, who wore a puzzled expression. The clock hands were just approaching noon.

“With the manager out, what are you doing for lunch today? Do you have separate lunch plans?”

“No.”

“Then have lunch with me.”

Have lunch together?

The corners of Jeho’s eyes lifted slightly.

It was unexpected. Yuri usually ate lunch with Seonyoung.

But today, Seonyoung had gone out on fieldwork with Manager Kim, leaving her alone. Even then, she would usually mingle with other colleagues at such times. It was the first time she had approached him to eat together, unless it was a meal with all the employees.

Jeho delayed answering and looked around the office. Employees who had risen from their seats were leaving the office one by one. Somehow, everyone seemed to be in a hurry.

“A sandwich specialty shop just opened in front of us. They say appetizers and drinks are free as an opening event, so everyone’s going there for lunch today.”

“Then why…?”

Before he could ask why she wasn’t going with them, her quick answer flew in.

“I want warm soup dishes today, not sandwiches.”

During their conversation, all the employees had left the office, leaving just the two of them.

“Alright then. Let me just organize this.”

Jeho turned his back to Yuri and gathered the scattered floor plans.

After watching him for a moment, Yuri gently leaned against Jeho’s back. Then she wrapped her arms around him from behind. When Jeho flinched in surprise, she whispered in a voice tinged with laughter.

“Shh, it’s okay. There’s no one here right now.”

When he put down the floor plans he was holding and turned around, Yuri looked up at him without releasing her arms. There was a strange smile on her lips.

“What’s this? This unfamiliar atmosphere.”

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“Huh.”

Instead of answering, Jeho twisted his lips. He didn’t dislike her approaching him aggressively. But it felt strange and awkward when she suddenly rushed in just as he thought he felt some distance.

“Earlier, I wanted to do this as soon as I saw you. It was so hard to hold back.”

Her voice was full of longing.

“Then why didn’t you check any of the messages I sent?”

“Because if I saw the messages, I wouldn’t be able to resist wanting to see you.”

Yuri stared at Jeho intently, tightening her arms around him slightly in response to his question.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. Yuri was the first to move. She raised her heels and lightly kissed Jeho’s lips.

“Jeho, do you know how much I like you?”

Was it because it wasn’t sincere? Words that she could never have said before flowed out easily. Because even if she was rejected, she wouldn’t be hurt.

That’s probably why he could casually throw them out like jokes too.

I see. So this is how it felt.

This morning, as Yuri left home, she decided to imitate exactly what Jeho had done to her. She hoped that by doing so, she might be able to understand a little of how he had felt towards her.

Although the words weren’t sincere, the other person didn’t seem to notice. Jeho’s eyes deepened at the sudden confession.

It wasn’t even “I love you,” just “I like you,” yet he had such a moved expression.

Yuri held back the laughter that was about to burst out and uttered words that weren’t sincere once again.

“Hold me, Jeho.”

No sooner had the words ended than he hugged her tightly as if to crush her. He held her so tightly that it was hard to breathe, but Yuri didn’t push him away and just closed her eyes.

Because she hadn’t completely sorted out her feelings yet, her body slowly began to respond to his.

Was it not a lie, but did she really want to be held by him the moment she saw him?

Although all circumstances had changed 180 degrees, his embrace was still warm, and the citrus scent lingering at the tip of her nose was unbearably sweet.

“……Yuri.”

Even the low voice flowing into her ear made her heart flutter.

Get a grip.

If only she could, she wanted to curse at herself for not being firm enough.

It wasn’t an easy fight. Perhaps it was a fight with herself rather than with him.

To avoid being swept away by him at will, she needs to erase any futile emotions completely. But when exactly will she be able to be free?

Don’t forget, Chae Yuri. Everything depends only on you.

Yuri whispered to herself as if warning herself and bit her lower lip hard.

“Do you know what everyone is talking about?”

Without even knocking, Mrs. Na burst open the office door and came inside. Executive Kwon shook his head as if getting a headache as he looked at his wife with a flushed face.

“Are you just going to sit here doing nothing?”

“Weren’t you satisfied after nagging all morning? Is that why you’ve come to the company now?”

At the word ‘nagging’, Mrs. Na’s face twisted unpleasantly. Mrs. Na, who was about to sit on the sofa, walked straight to the desk and snatched the documents from her husband’s hand.

“Nagging? Does what I’m saying now sound like nagging to your ears?”

As Mrs. Na threw the seized documents into the air, Executive Kwon, unable to stand it anymore, jumped up from his seat.

“That’s why I said from the beginning. I said we should have Min Woo get counseling, didn’t I! Honestly, that boy isn’t normal, even if he is my own child.”

The veins on Executive Kwon’s neck bulged as he shouted loudly. It’s true. Even though it was his own child, there were times when he was scared. Especially when he saw those eyes rolling in madness, it gave him goosebumps all over his body.

Even now, he felt nauseous remembering the cruel animal abuse scenes Min Woo had committed in elementary school. After Jeho took away the dog he had been tormenting, he started bringing in stray dogs or cats with no owners.

He tortured them in all sorts of harsh ways and killed them cruelly when he got bored. When Executive Kwon witnessed his young son smiling brightly at the bloody animal corpses, he thought the child had gone seriously wrong.

But Mrs. Na’s opinion was different. She said he needed to properly vent his anger, even if it was on animals, so he wouldn’t explode later. She defended her son, saying what’s the problem with stray animals that have no owners.

Later, when Min Woo became an adult and harmed women he was dating, Mrs. Na’s reaction was the same. She said there wouldn’t be any big problems since he only chose girls who would keep quiet if given a bit of money.

Even now, Mrs. Na hadn’t changed. She trembled at the words that Min Woo wasn’t normal.

“Are you saying our son isn’t normal now?”

“Haah.”

There was no point in arguing. Executive Kwon took a deep breath, put his hand on his forehead, and sat down on the sofa.

“So why did he have to mess with Assemblyman Chae’s daughter, of all people!”

“Who says he messed with her? Is wiretapping such a big crime!”

“That’s stalking.”

“So what? Did our Min Woo even touch a hair on Yuri’s head? He didn’t. And he and Yuri were going to get married anyway. They were about to become a married couple, so what’s the big deal.”

“Oh my, Mrs. Na, you’re going to cause big trouble. Do you think this is the 1960s? Even between married couples, rape charges can be established now.”

“What did you say?”

At the mention of rape charges, Mrs. Na’s expression turned vicious. She walked over as if about to grab his collar, bent down, and met Executive Kwon’s eyes.

“Fine. If you’re going to sit here doing nothing, I’ll step up.”

“No. You stay quiet.”

Executive Kwon furrowed his brow, worried that Mrs. Na might do something.

“This time Assemblyman Chae is involved, so we need time.”

“Hmph.”

Mrs. Na snorted at those words and sat down opposite him, crossing her arms.

“We can just get rid of it, can’t we?”

“What?”

“Look into Assemblyman Chae’s surroundings. There’s no one without dirt if you dig deep enough.”

In fact, Assemblyman Chae Hyungsik had been a thorn in Executive Kwon’s side. The assemblyman, who had a long-standing friendship with Vice Chairman Kwon Jewoong, seemed to subtly look down on him, the younger brother. It felt like he was treating him condescendingly.

Yes, it wouldn’t be bad to teach him a lesson this time.

“Alright. I’ll take care of it, so you just stay put.”

Executive Kwon got up from the sofa, walked to the desk, and opened the bottom drawer.

Then he took out an untraceable phone and started making a call somewhere. A pleased smile appeared on Mrs. Na’s lips as she watched Executive Kwon.

“Did you bring your car?”

Jeho approached Yuri, who was finishing her preparations to leave work and turning off her computer.

“No, my father gave me a ride on his way to work. I’m still not up for driving yet…”

“Then I’ll give you a ride. The manager just called and insisted that I take care of you.”

To avoid looking strange that Jeho, the cousin of Yuri’s ex-fiancé, was taking care of her, Jeho emphasized ‘manager’ as if for other employees to hear. No one would say anything if Manager Kim had asked.

“Then I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Yuri nodded lightly and picked up her bag as she stood up from her seat. The two didn’t say anything until they took the elevator down to the parking lot. But the atmosphere changed when they got off on the basement floor.

On the way to the parked car, Yuri suddenly turned around and fell into Jeho’s arms. And before Jeho could realize what was happening, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his.

Along with the fresh sensation, a sweet breath flowed into his mouth.