“You’ll soon become my woman.”

A faint smile appeared on Jeho’s lips as he murmured softly.

“…Of course, it won’t be easy.”

Though it wasn’t directed at her, Yuri tensed and took a short breath.

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

After checking the caller, Jeho picked up the phone and stood up. As he went outside to take the call, Minwoo asked Yuri as if he had been waiting.

“But why are you with my elder brother?”

“I ran into him by chance while leaving work.”

“Met by chance, you say?”

Minwoo made a face like he found it hard to believe.

Come to think of it, it is strange. Did he really become ‘Bauhaus’s’ investment partner by chance, and appear at the office when she was leaving work by chance? And hadn’t eaten dinner until late by chance?

“Still, there was no need to have a meal alone together.”

“Hyunkyung was here too. She left first because something urgent came up.”

She omitted mentioning that Hyunkyung had excused herself to let them spend time alone as first loves. Only Hyunkyung knew that Jeho had been her first love.

“He got hurt trying to help me, so I should at least treat him to dinner. Should I just do nothing?”

“You should have told me first. I could have arranged a separate gathering…”

“That’s why I said yesterday I had something to tell you. You were the one who postponed it to next time because you were busy.”

That was true, so Minwoo couldn’t say anything more. Fearing a fight might break out if he continued the conversation, Minwoo bit his tongue.

He always acted like a gentle lamb in front of Yuri, but it would be a big problem if his mask were to slip off. Minwoo poured the last of the alcohol into his glass, trying to calm his boiling insides.

“No.”

But before he could even take a sip, Yuri snatched the glass away.

“You have to drive, don’t drink.”

If it had been someone else, he would have gotten angry and asked what they were doing, but this was Yuri. Instead of yelling, Minwoo quietly put down the glass.

But this is as far as he’ll let it go. Everything will change once they’re married. Yuri might dream of a show window couple, but he guarantees that will never happen.

Hah, there will be plenty of opportunities once we live together.

Pretending to drink water, Minwoo stole glances at Yuri from the corner of his eye. Though she usually didn’t show signs of intoxication in public due to people’s gazes, for some reason today she looked a bit disheveled.

It wouldn’t matter if she got even more drunk. No, he hoped for it.

As Yuri’s cheeks grew redder, the corners of Minwoo’s mouth slowly turned upward.

[This is the timeline separator] [He said he’d be back within an hour, but he’s not coming…]

Woo Gyeol’s voice came through the phone.

“I’m sorry. It suddenly turned out like this.”

Jeho replied while looking at the restaurant building. He could see Yuri and Minwoo sitting by the window amidst the noisy interior. Jeho frowned as he watched Yuri snatch the glass away from Minwoo.

The two seemed close yet not close, their relationship difficult to gauge, but it was clear they were comfortable with each other. Ten years spent together was certainly not a short period.

[Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.]

Jeho snapped out of his thoughts at Woo Gyeol’s words.

“Don’t. I can take a taxi.”

After ending the call, Jeho leaned against a streetlight and looked up.

Was it because of the brilliant lights? Not a single star in the night sky was visible. Like truth hidden behind flashy lies… The night sky in Malawi would be different, wouldn’t it?

—I still remember the night sky we saw then. Wow, the starlight in the pitch-black sky sparkled like diamonds…

“Hah.”

Jeho laughed bitterly, recalling what Minwoo had said earlier. If they’ve known each other for over 10 years, they must have even more memories than that…

Yuri was good bait to shake Minwoo. If he could steal her heart, he could easily get what he wanted.

But he didn’t know why his mood was sinking so heavily. His mind was complicated. Yuri’s face, staring at him intently, kept flickering before his eyes. Was it because of her eyes that seemed to hold a story? He just couldn’t shake it off.

“Sigh, I don’t like this.”

Jeho muttered with a dry face as he turned his steps back towards the restaurant.

[This is the timeline separator]

By the time they finished dinner, it was already past 10 o’clock. Yuri was surprised when the manager told her that Jeho had already paid when she tried to settle the bill. He must have done it earlier when he stepped out briefly to take a call.

“Why did you pay first? I was going to pay.”

“It’s fine. You barely touched your food anyway.”

“But…”

As she was about to say something, Minwoo cut in between them.

“Right, the one who ate more should pay. Take care, elder brother.”

Minwoo turned Yuri away from Jeho, wrapping one arm around her shoulder. Though it could have seemed rude, Jeho didn’t seem to mind particularly.

“Let’s go, I’ll see you home.”

Minwoo said, deliberately tightening his arm around Yuri.

“Ah!”

Yuri stopped walking with a grimace of sharp pain. It was where Minwoo had gripped her earlier.

As Minwoo looked at her with a puzzled expression, his phone started ringing. Checking the caller, Minwoo quickly pressed the call button with a flustered face, letting go of Yuri.

“Yes, grandfather.”

[What kind of fellow are you!]

As soon as he answered, Chairman Kwon’s angry voice came through.

[A superior leaving work first and leaving everything to his subordinates?]

It seemed the chairman had come to check in person after hearing reports of overnight work today following yesterday for accident management. But the person in charge, Minwoo, was absent…

“I didn’t leave work, I just stepped out briefly for dinner.”

Minwoo hastily made up an excuse. However, Chairman Kwon’s anger did not subside easily.

[Come back to the company right now!]

“Grandfather, Jeho elder brother is here with me now. You know, he saved Yuri from nearly getting hurt at the mall yesterday. So I just came out briefly to have a meal together.”

Minwoo lied smoothly without changing his expression. Would the chairman’s anger subside a bit if he brought up Jeho? Hoping…

[Jeho is there too?]

Fortunately, as expected, the chairman’s voice softened a little.

“Yes, grandfather. I’ll just see Yuri home and then go straight back to the company.”

[Tell Jeho to see Yuri home and you come back to the company right away.]

Having said his piece, Chairman Kwon hung up abruptly.

“Does the old man not sleep at night?”

Minwoo grumbled to himself, regretting mentioning that he was with Jeho. Hadn’t he made things worse by trying to make them better?

Just then, Jeho’s voice came from behind.

“I gave you 30 minutes, but the chairman probably won’t give you more than 10 minutes?”

Damn! It was infuriating but true.

“Yuri, I’m going first.”

After a hasty goodbye, Minwoo ran straight to the parking lot. As Minwoo disappeared from sight, Yuri turned to Jeho.

“You don’t need to see me home. I can call a designated driver.”

“If you’re going to call a designated driver, I might as well drive.”

“No, you don’t need to.”

“We’re going in the same direction anyway.”

Since Chairman Kwon had clearly told Jeho to see her home, there was no particular reason to refuse. Honestly, she had been hoping to be alone with him for a moment. There were things she wanted to ask…

But because of the argument during dinner, she found it hard to open her mouth. She was starting to regret why she had gotten so worked up earlier over such trivial words.

“I didn’t realize it at the time because of the commotion, but…”

Finally, as they were almost home, Yuri was able to speak up.

“When the accident happened, you weren’t wearing your jacket, were you?”

The wound was bad enough to need stitches, but there were only bloodstains on the jacket, no tears. That meant he must have put on the jacket after getting hurt. She hadn’t noticed at the time due to the shock, but thinking back, he was definitely just holding the jacket in his hand at first. The dark color of the jacket wouldn’t have shown blood stains as obviously as the white shirt.

“Did you put on the jacket to hide that you were hurt?”

Without looking at Yuri, Jeho nodded.

“Why?”

If she had known he was hurt, she wouldn’t have just stood there in a daze… She would have at least tried not to be a burden, pulling herself together.

“…I didn’t want to make you cry.”

Jeho slowly opened his mouth after a moment of silence.

Didn’t want to make her cry?

At those words, Yuri’s heart began to race uncontrollably. As her cheeks, already red from alcohol, threatened to grow even redder, Yuri pressed the back of her hand against them.

Get a grip, Chae Yuri! Showing weakness over just a few glasses of wine…

Ten years ago, she had burst into tears at the sight of Jeho injured, so he must have thought she might cry this time too.

It probably doesn’t mean anything special. It really would have been awkward if she had started crying in that situation.

Yuri took a deep breath to calm her trembling heart.

Eventually, as they arrived in front of her house, Jeho stopped the car and turned off the engine.

“Rest well, then.”

“Wait a moment.”

As Jeho was about to open the car door, Yuri quickly stopped him.

“Keep the car and bring it back tomorrow when you come to meet the director.”

He looked at Yuri as if wondering if she was serious, then quietly nodded.

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

“Thank you for seeing me home. Get home safely.”

Yuri said goodbye and grabbed the door handle. As she was about to open the car door, this time Jeho stopped her.

“If you’re grateful, would you grant me one request?”

“A request?”

“Take off your jacket for a moment.”

“Pardon?”

“Just for a moment.”

As Yuri began to slowly take off her jacket with a puzzled expression, Jeho’s face gradually contorted.

“That bastard Minwoo, I knew it.”

Yuri thoughtlessly looked down to where Jeho’s gaze had fallen. Below her short sleeve, her arm was visibly red and swollen. It was where Minwoo had gripped her tightly earlier.

“This is because Minwoo didn’t know. My skin is quite sensitive, so I bruise easily.”

Yuri quickly made excuses, but Jeho didn’t relax his hardened expression.

“You’ve known each other for over 10 years, and he doesn’t know you bruise easily? Does that make sense?”

His speech shortened as if agitated, and veins stood out on the back of his hand gripping the steering wheel.

Yuri was about to say ‘There’s no need to get angry about it,’ but changed her mind and kept quiet. Thinking that someone was worried about her, it didn’t feel entirely bad.

“I thought you’d cry from the pain…”

After a while, Jeho said in a low voice, seemingly having regained his composure.

“But you didn’t cry even after that happened. Should I praise you?”

“That’s not true.”

Having suddenly become a crybaby, Yuri’s voice unconsciously grew louder.

“I don’t cry easily anymore these days.”

“Is that so?”

It was a dry voice without inflection. As if it sounded like he didn’t believe her, Yuri hurriedly added:

“Yes. I’m different from 10 years ago. I was young then, didn’t know anything.”

Because I didn’t know anything, I was moved by trivial things, my heart raced, I attached meaning to everything.

But after learning about her stepmother and father’s hidden relationship, that Yuri was her half-sister, everything changed. All of that happened less than a month after Jeho left for America.

He can’t even imagine how deeply the betrayal from her family wounded her. The tears that flowed endlessly eventually dried up, and her soft emotions hardened as well.

Compared to the pain in her heart, physical pain was nothing.

Her eyes trembled uneasily as she recalled the memories of that painful day.

It was then. Jeho raised his hand and cupped her cheek.

Yuri flinched and hurriedly backed away. But the space inside the car was too narrow to avoid his touch. She felt the cold glass of the window against her back.

“Oh my, you said you wouldn’t cry…”

Jeho whispered softly, looking into her eyes.

“…!”

Only then did Yuri realize that tears had welled up in her eyes. As if by magic, a tear rolled down her cheek.

Jeho furrowed his brow as he watched Yuri bite her lip with a flustered face.

“Ten years ago, or now…”

He muttered as if to himself in a low voice.

“Nothing has changed.”

For some reason, her tears bothered him greatly, both in the past and now.

Jeho caressed her tear-stained cheek with his thumb and leaned his head closer to Yuri.