The next day.

Yuri, who woke up an hour earlier than usual, headed straight to the bathroom.

Normally, she would have taken out bottled water from the refrigerator to drink first, but today she skipped that. To go to the kitchen, she would have to pass by the sofa, and she didn’t want to start her day by seeing him.

Only after finishing her shower and getting ready for work did Yuri leave the bedroom.

“…Ah.”

However, contrary to her expectation, she saw an empty sofa. Judging by the cold leather feeling on her palm, he must have left around dawn. Somehow, she felt a bit disappointed.

Did he just leave? If he was going to leave, he could have at least said something.

Just then, there was a beep and the sound of the door lock opening, and the front door opened. As she turned around, Jeho was coming in with a paper bag in one hand. For a moment, she almost approached him with a bright smile, happy to see him.

Chae Yuri, what are you doing right now?

Quickly regaining her senses, Yuri bit her lip and inwardly warned herself.

You’re supposed to be acting. Not treating him sincerely.

She might smile at him outwardly, but inwardly she shouldn’t be glad to see him.

“What happened?”

Yuri asked in a flat voice, trying hard to suppress her surging emotions.

“I went home to shower and change clothes. Can’t go to work in the same clothes. You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Your stomach must be upset, have some porridge before you go.”

It seems he stopped by a porridge shop on the way, as the paper bag he was holding had a porridge shop logo on it. Jeho put down the container of porridge on the table and led Yuri to the chair, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

After pulling out the chair for Yuri to sit, he opened the refrigerator door and took out a bottle of water. Yuri stared blankly at Jeho as he poured water into a cup for her.

Is he really doing this because he’s worried about me? Or is it an act?

Honestly, she wasn’t sure. Her mind was complicated because of his behavior last night.

“Why aren’t you eating? You like abalone porridge, don’t you?”

When she didn’t pick up her spoon, Jeho asked with a puzzled look. Yuri stared at him intently, delaying her answer. As she met his eyes that seemed genuinely concerned, she suddenly felt irritated.

This whole situation, him who made it this way, and most of all, she was angriest at herself for still being indecisive and wavering.

“I don’t have the strength to lift the spoon.”

Of course, it was a lie. Though her stomach was still a bit upset, she wasn’t lacking in energy. Even knowing this full well, she wanted to test how he would react.

Jeho chuckled and moved his seat next to her, scooping up some porridge with the spoon.

Yuri silently ate the porridge he fed her. Thinking she was being childish, he wiped the porridge from her lips with his fingertip and gave her a light kiss.

Instead of pushing him away, Yuri lightly bit his lower lip to provoke him. But before the kiss could deepen, she quickly pulled back.

“It must have been uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa. Don’t do that tonight. I’m fine.”

“I thought you didn’t have the strength to lift a spoon?”

“Only when Jeho is next to me. It makes me want to keep relying on you.”

“Then rely on me.”

When Jeho patted his shoulder, Yuri chuckled and shook her head.

Once, she wanted to lean on those broad shoulders. She wanted to be held in those warm arms. But now she couldn’t. Yuri took the spoon from his hand and scooped up the porridge herself.

“I still want to sleep alone. That way I can sleep better.”

“Then I’ll prepare the guest room for you to stay in by the end of this week. Let’s go to my house.”

Since he wasn’t saying to go right away tonight and it would take a few days to prepare, she thought there was no need to refuse as long as they weren’t sleeping in the same bed. In fact, she needed to stay by his side to find out anything.

She could postpone sleeping together for a while, saying she hadn’t fully recovered her health yet. The attending physician had strongly advised against overexertion for a while anyway.

“Alright. Then I’ll stay at Jeho’s house from this weekend. Okay?”

Jeho nodded quietly and then firmly grasped her hand holding the spoon.

“Your hand is cold.”

Yuri smiled gently, suppressing the urge to pull her hand away.

What should I do? My heart is colder than my hands…

As if trying to warm her cold hands, Jeho enveloped Yuri’s hand with both of his, caressing it.

“I have one request. From now on, never be sick alone. If you feel even a little bit unwell, tell me right away.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure to do that from now on.”

If it were the old her, she would have reassured him not to worry, saying she was fine, but not anymore. It wouldn’t be bad to pretend to rely on him, playing along with his tune.

The tears welling up were because her stomach still hurt. That’s why.

Yuri looked at Jeho and put a spoonful of porridge in her mouth.

[This is the timeline separator] [“My son, are you doing well? Should Mother come there?”]

At Lady Na’s heartfelt voice, Minwoo frowned and downed his whiskey.

“Where would you come? Just get me reassigned back to Korea from there.”

[“Yes, Minwoo. Just hang in there a little longer. This mother will… sob… somehow… bring you back.”]

As Lady Na couldn’t continue speaking properly due to sobbing, Minwoo threw the whiskey glass at the wall with an annoyed face.

He was already feeling pent-up frustration, and Lady Na calling nearly every day to burst into tears was driving him crazy.

Still, he couldn’t show his dislike. Right now, Lady Na was the only person he could trust. Her intense love for her child would make the impossible possible.

“But…”

Waiting for Lady Na’s sobbing to subside, Minwoo asked the question he had wanted to ask.

“How is Yuri doing?”

[“Yuri? How can you even say that name now?”]

Lady Na’s voice suddenly turned vicious, as if she had never been crying.

[“Do you know who caused you to end up like this…”]

“Is Yuri doing well?”

Minwoo was concerned about the fact that Hyunkyung had suddenly returned to Korea.

If I had known this would happen, I should have placed a watchman near Yuri even if Lady Na was against it… I shouldn’t have listened to Lady Na saying I should lay low for a while.

[“How can she be doing well after doing this to you? I heard she collapsed and was hospitalized recently. She’s been discharged now though.”]

Minwoo’s face contorted at the news of Yuri collapsing.

“Why? What was wrong with her?”

[“How would I know? Don’t worry, they say she’s fine now.”]

“How can I not worry when she was even hospitalized?”

[“Wasn’t I hospitalized too? I was also hospitalized because I was so stressed about you. If you have time to worry about her, worry about your mother instead!”]

Lady Na snapped back unpleasantly and then hung up the phone unilaterally.

“Damn it…”

As he glared at the ended call screen and cursed, the shoulder of the woman lying with her back turned twitched.

Minwoo only then realized her presence and turned his head to the side. A white, delicate shoulder came into view.

Last night, an Asian French woman he met at a bar. The only Korean words she knew were ‘hello’ and ‘I love you’, but she had an aura oddly similar to Yuri’s.

Of course, she couldn’t hold a candle to Yuri’s beauty. She wasn’t even a substitute, but she wasn’t bad for satisfying his urges. However, there were too many things holding him back from doing as he pleased.

Minwoo frowned as he stared at the woman’s flawless, smooth back. Suddenly, he felt an urge to mar it.

But this wasn’t Korea, it was France. Without Lady Na to clean up after him, it was clear that causing trouble would only lead to headaches.

He needed to return to Korea soon to properly release his pent-up desires…

“…Mmm.”

Just then, as if waking up, the woman turned towards him. As she opened her drowsy eyes, Yuri’s image began to hazily overlap with the woman’s face.

Was it because his emotions were running high? Unlike last night, to Minwoo’s eyes, the woman looked not just similar in atmosphere but like Yuri herself.

“Yuri.”

Minwoo reached out to the woman and roughly pulled her into his arms, making an anguished confession as if she really were Yuri.

“I love you. I love you madly!”

The startled woman twisted her body trying to escape, but Minwoo held her even tighter and crushed his lips against hers as if to devour her.

You’re mine even in death.

Swallowing her soft moan, Minwoo climbed on top of the woman’s body.

Chae Yuri, just wait a little longer.

When I return, I’ll make sure you can’t come to your senses.

[This is the timeline separator]

On the way to the company, Jeho kept one hand on the steering wheel and firmly held Yuri’s hand with the other, not letting go. Whenever the car stopped at a red light, he would occasionally turn his head to give her a light kiss.

Yuri, who had been pulling back conscious of the gazes around them, eventually seemed to give up and obediently offered her lips. She felt a rebellious spirit rising because it seemed like he was deliberately approaching her after noticing her avoidance.

Even if she avoided sleeping together, she could endure kisses. No, it wasn’t about enduring, she thought she could enjoy that much. Otherwise, skinship would be torture for her.

Arriving at the underground parking lot, Jeho turned off the car’s engine and unbuckled his seatbelt. Then he unbuckled Yuri’s seatbelt for her.

As Yuri reached for the door handle to open it, her body suddenly turned towards Jeho. As she looked at him with a puzzled expression, he leaned in and whispered.

“I thought I was going crazy trying to hold back.”

Although he had given light kisses whenever they stopped at red lights, it seems that wasn’t enough to satisfy him. He pushed Yuri deep into the seat and passionately kissed her lips.

Before she knew it, the passenger seat had reclined and his hot hands had pushed aside her jacket and reached inside her blouse. It was a dangerous and thrilling act to attempt in the company parking lot.

What if someone sees us?

But Yuri didn’t push Jeho away. Just like before, she felt defiant. If she said she didn’t like it because she was embarrassed, he would obediently back off and fix her clothes. And then he would say something like this:

‘I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.’

He would look at her with eyes that said he was helpless because she was so lovable, and stroke her disheveled hair. It was obvious because that’s how he had always been until now.

She thought he was being considerate of her, but it was just a technique to seduce the other person. If that was the case, she could do the same.

Surely he wouldn’t cross the line in the car on the way to work.

“Don’t hold back.”

Yuri whispered seductively as she gently parted her lips from his. A look of doubt flashed in Jeho’s eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“I feel like I’m going crazy too, just like Jeho.”

Yuri caressed Jeho’s back with her palm, putting on a languid smile.

As her soft touch slid downwards, she could feel his muscles tensing up rigidly under her palm. But instead of getting up, he looked at her with inscrutable eyes.

He seemed flustered by her reaction, but also seemed to be enjoying the situation.

“That’s a relief. We’re on the same page.”

Jeho chuckled and then opened the glove compartment and took something out. Seeing the rectangular package in his hand, Yuri inhaled sharply in disbelief.

You’re crazy!

Realizing it was a very urgent situation, regardless of acting or not, Yuri pushed Jeho away with all her might using both hands. At the same time, she pressed the button to raise the reclined seat.

“We’ll be late at this rate.”

She tried to act nonchalant, but her voice trembled so much that Yuri couldn’t finish her sentence in one go.

“I… I need to fix my makeup, so I’ll go ahead.”

Yuri hurriedly got out of the car and ran towards the building entrance, clutching her bag tightly. She had no time to look back. She just ran quickly, looking only ahead.

As Yuri entered the building and the automatic doors closed, a bitter smile appeared on Jeho’s face, who had been watching until then.

“Hah.”

Letting out a short sigh, he ran a hand over his face and leaned his head back weakly against the seat backrest.

I was hoping it wasn’t true…

As Jeho blinked slowly, tilting his head, a dark shadow settled on his face.

So she’s found out everything after all?