While walking towards the parked car, Yuri suddenly turned and fell into Jeho’s arms. Before Jeho could realize what was happening, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips against his.

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

As Jeho opened his eyes wide in surprise, Yuri pulled away from the kiss and smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry. This is a CCTV blind spot.”

After the surprise kiss, Yuri turned and walked towards Jeho’s car. Unlike her, Jeho remained rooted to the spot.

Yuri looked back with a puzzled expression. Jeho couldn’t help but smile at her innocent look, as if asking why he wasn’t moving.

Was it just his imagination? Every single action she was taking now seemed similar to what he had done to her before. It felt like she was mimicking his actions exactly.

Now that Minwoo was no longer in Korea, was she acting this way out of a sense of freedom? Or…

Jeho’s expression darkened instantly as he considered other possibilities.

Had she realized he had approached her intentionally?

Yuri’s attitude had certainly changed since the Jeju Island business trip. She had become surprisingly aggressive, then suddenly turned cold as if dealing with a stranger.

She was like a butterfly fluttering around. Flying close enough to almost be caught, but flitting away when he reached out to grab her.

If he wanted, he could quickly reach out and catch her. But he had to be careful not to damage her wings. Whatever the reason, he needed to avoid hurting her. He had already left an irreversible, cruel wound.

Having collected his thoughts, Jeho started walking again. Approaching the car, he opened the door for Yuri and got into the driver’s seat after she got in.

“Shall we go home?”

As Jeho asked while activating the navigation, Yuri tilted her head.

“Home? Which home are you talking about?”

Her tone was somewhat sarcastic, but Jeho didn’t take it seriously and brushed it off lightly.

Honestly, she had three places she could call home. Representative Chae’s house, her independent officetel, and Jeho’s house. Which of these did she consider home?

“Shall we go to your family home? Since you’re staying there now.”

Jeho asked again as he started the engine, but Yuri silently stared out the window. When she didn’t answer, Jeho took it to mean she wanted to go to the family home and started driving.

“Just go straight.”

As he was about to change lanes to turn left onto the main road, she quickly stopped him.

“I’ll go to the officetel.”

“The officetel?”

“Yes. I’m planning to stay there from today.”

“You’re going to stay alone?”

Jeho frowned, looking displeased.

“…Why? Are you worried?”

“What do you mean? Of course I’m worried.”

At those words, Yuri chuckled and shook her head.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because I’m happy. I’m so happy that you said you’re worried about me.”

“Yuri.”

Jeho, who had stopped the car at a red light, turned to face Yuri. As Jeho frowned, looking displeased, Yuri wiped the smile from her face and gazed at him silently.

“I just want to stay alone for a while. I told you before, didn’t I? When I’m not feeling well, it’s more comfortable to be alone.”

It wasn’t a lie; being alone was more comfortable right now. Besides, she wasn’t mentally prepared to stay with him yet.

Since she hadn’t completely sorted out her personal feelings, it was dangerous to be with him for long periods. She could provoke him nonchalantly at work because there was always space to escape his gaze.

His house was different. Sharing the same space with him was like hugging gasoline and jumping into fire. She couldn’t become a moth flying into the flame, unaware that her whole body would burn.

“Alright. But let’s have dinner before you go in.”

Jeho seemed worried that if she went back to the officetel alone, she wouldn’t eat properly. To be honest, she had planned to go straight to bed. Just pretending to be fine had already drained her energy.

“Okay, then.”

Yuri didn’t object and obediently followed Jeho’s words. They had eaten lunch together, so having dinner didn’t seem like a big deal. Just a little more acting and it would be over. As long as she could sleep separately, it didn’t matter.

From now on, the two of them would never share a bed. Before meeting Secretary Kim, there had been a faint glimmer of hope, however slim.

She had thought that maybe someone had cleverly edited the video that was sent. It might have been orchestrated by Minwoo.

But it was all in vain. Kwon Jeho and Shin Dahee really knew each other and were working together.

She didn’t know why Shin Dahee had sent her the video, but one thing was certain: everything Jeho had said to Shin Dahee was true.

―Yes. I approached her intentionally.

―There’s nothing to be afraid of.

That wasn’t all. He had a lover he truly loved.

―Of course I love you, rain or shine.

Yet he had held her in his arms. Of course, for him it was probably nothing more than a game.

If that was the case, there was no reason she couldn’t do the same. After all, you don’t necessarily have to love someone to sleep with them.

But that was only possible when you had feelings for the other person. She couldn’t sleep with him nonchalantly knowing he had approached her with intentions.

She might be able to act like before in other situations, but not in bed. Just imagining it gave her goosebumps.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

Lost in thought, she hadn’t heard the question. As Yuri asked again, Jeho smiled gently and caressed her cheek with his large hand.

“You said you wanted warm soup for lunch earlier. What do you want for dinner?”

“…Oh.”

It was just a touch on her cheek, but Yuri couldn’t help but look dazed.

No matter how much she tried to separate her body and heart, Yuri was disappointed in herself for reacting so strongly to such a small touch. And she hated him for making her like this.

So out of spite, she decided on the menu.

“I want to eat something spicy to relieve stress. Let’s go eat fire rice cakes or tteokbokki.”

Yuri smiled brightly at Jeho as she spoke.

“Mmm.”

Despite trying to hold it in, groans of pain kept escaping, and Yuri bit her lip and clenched her hands. But she couldn’t hide her pale complexion.

“Are you okay?”

Jeho turned off the engine after parking in the officetel parking lot and looked at Yuri with worried eyes. Yuri smiled as if nothing was wrong, but the corners of her lips were trembling.

“Yuri.”

“…Hmm. I’ll be fine soon. I think my stomach was shocked from suddenly eating spicy food after not eating much.”

It was childish, but she had planned to choose spicy food that Jeho couldn’t eat to tease him a bit.

However, the plan backfired on her instead of him. Due to not eating properly and only having light meals like rice porridge, the spicy and stimulating food immediately burdened her stomach.

As acid reflux rose up her throat, Yuri quickly covered her mouth and opened the car door.

“Thanks for dropping me off.”

Yuri got out of the car and ran straight to the elevator. Cold sweat was running down her forehead and back.

All she could think about was lying down in bed as soon as possible. Just as the elevator doors opened and she was about to enter, someone wrapped their arm around her waist.

When she turned her head, Jeho was standing next to her with a dark expression, having followed her at some point.

“Jeho.”

“You expect me to just leave after seeing you like this?”

“I’m really fine.”

“Let’s go up first.”

Jeho held her as they entered the elevator. Yuri, who was about to refuse, had to keep quiet when she saw her reflection in the wall mirror.

Even to her, she looked pale enough to collapse at any moment. Having already found her suffering alone with a high fever before, Jeho wouldn’t back down easily.

I shouldn’t have eaten spicy food…

But it was too late for regrets.

As they entered the officetel, a chill hung in the air, probably because it had been empty for a while. Yuri unconsciously shrank back and grimaced.

Jeho sat the weakened Yuri on the sofa and headed to the kitchen. He took honey from the cupboard and brought Yuri a cup of warm water mixed with honey and lemon juice.

“Here, drink this.”

“No. I don’t drink honey water. It tastes weird.”

Yuri strongly refused, shaking her head. But Jeho didn’t back down and brought the cup to her lips.

“Drink it even if you don’t like it. It’ll settle your stomach. I added lemon juice, so it’s okay.”

Thinking he probably wouldn’t leave unless she drank it, Yuri reluctantly accepted. As Jeho said, the lemon juice made it drinkable. Moreover, her upset stomach felt a bit better.

“I drank it, so that’s enough, right? You can go now.”

Yuri leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes after emptying the cup. She waved her hand as if telling him to leave now. But Jeho’s response was unexpected.

“Go to bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“It’s uncomfortable, so just go. I’m really fine.”

Yuri frowned, seemingly annoyed at his words.

“I know you’re fine. But I’m not. I won’t make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable, but you’ll be uncomfortable.”

“Don’t worry about me and go rest.”

After a moment of consideration, Yuri concluded there was no need to push him away harshly. He could sleep on the sofa or not; she could just close the door and be done with it. It was partly her fault for rashly suggesting spicy food.

“Okay. Then sleep here. I’ll bring you a blanket.”

“Thank you.”

In the past, she might have said, “No need to thank me. I’m more grateful.” But not now. Yuri took out a spare blanket and handed it to Jeho. Then she briefly said goodnight and went into the bedroom, closing the door.

She had no energy left to keep acting. After a quick shower, Yuri roughly dried her hair and got into bed. Knowing Jeho was outside the door made her feel uneasy, but on the other hand, it was reassuring.

Although disappointed in herself for still wanting to rely on him, she tried to excuse it as weakness from being sick.

Unable to fall asleep, she tossed and turned for a long time before finally dozing off. But she didn’t seem to fall into a deep sleep.

The sound of the doorknob turning woke her up. But she didn’t open her eyes. She sensed the door opening and Jeho entering the bedroom.

Yuri bit her lip tightly, keeping her eyes closed. If he tried to get into bed, she was prepared to scream loudly. She might even pour out all the resentment she had been holding back.

But she didn’t feel any movement. As she was about to slightly open her eyes, his hand touched her forehead. For a moment she couldn’t breathe, but Yuri pretended to be asleep as best she could.

He gently stroked her forehead and cheek with the back of his hand. He seemed to be checking if she had a fever or if anything was uncomfortable.

After confirming again that she was okay, he pulled up the blanket that had slipped down to her shoulders and gently kissed her forehead.

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel Jeho’s gaze on her.

A heavy silence fell for a moment…

Then the sound of the doorknob turning again was heard as he left the bedroom, followed by the careful closing of the door.

Only long after Jeho had left could Yuri slowly open her eyes.

She regretted not locking the door, thinking it might seem strange if she did. Fortunately, Jeho didn’t touch her and only checked on her condition before leaving.

But why? What was the point?

Why should he care if she was sick or not? Was there still some use for her?

Or was he genuinely worried?

“Haa.”

A long sigh escaped Yuri’s lips.

She couldn’t tell how much of his behavior was a lie and how much was sincere.

What if he had genuinely started to like her?

Yuri’s eyes, which had been wavering in confusion for a moment, soon turned cold.

Even if that were true, nothing would change. A misguided beginning only leads to a twisted end.

If he had truly come to like her, she intended to shake that feeling and inflict an indelible wound.

The only thing that made her anxious was the fear that in trying to hurt him, she might end up hurting herself more deeply.

Just like today’s incident…

A dark shadow gradually settled on Yuri’s face as she stared at the firmly closed door.