“Is this really a dress? Or some kind of torture device?”
After all the hooks were undone, the corset fell down, leaving Yul Li in only her slip. Flustered, she quickly covered herself with her arms. She hadn’t thought this far ahead while focused on undressing. And she realized she had no clothes to change into.

Unlike her, Je Ho casually wrapped his arms around Yul Li’s waist and led her to the powder room.

“The dress is off. Now let’s fix your hair.”

“No, I should put on clothes first…”

However, Je Ho ignored her protest and began removing the tiny pearl decorations pinned in her hair. After removing over a hundred hairpins, her perfectly styled bridal hair cascaded down her shoulders.

The slightly sheer slip and her disheveled hair gave her an ethereal yet alluring look. Yul Li froze, wondering how she must look in his eyes.

“It’s all done now. Relax.”

As Je Ho gently massaged her neck and shoulders, Yul Li tensed up even more. His mere presence was the reason for her tension.

“This won’t do. Have a warm shower first.”

His suggestion was a relief, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

“Yes, I think I should.”

Yul Li dashed into the bathroom, hoping Je Ho hadn’t noticed her blushing up to her neck.

After the shower, she found a large men’s shirt laid out for her. Like last time, it was long enough to be a dress. Fortunately, it wasn’t a light color, so she didn’t worry about it being see-through.

As Je Ho entered the room, he said, “Come out and eat something.”

Just then, her stomach growled. She had hardly eaten since the previous evening, and today had been hectic since dawn. She had only managed some yogurt.

Seeing the clam chowder in front of her, her appetite returned. As she reached for the spoon, Je Ho took it from her hand.

“Let me feed you.”

“No, I can eat…”

Before she could finish, Je Ho held her chin with one hand and brought the spoon to her lips.

“This is me repaying a debt.”

A debt?

“Do you remember when you helped me with side dishes when I couldn’t use chopsticks because of my injured shoulder?”

Urging her to open her mouth, he lightly tapped her lips with the spoon. Reluctantly, she opened her mouth, and the warm soup entered. It was creamy and savory.

“If you don’t like this method, there’s another way.”

As he spoke, he brought the spoon to his own mouth, hinting at an indirect kiss. Realizing his implication, Yul Li quickly opened her mouth wide.

“Ah.”

“Good girl. Ah.”

As Yul Li obediently accepted the food, Je Ho then picked up a square cracker from the side. Crunchy and savory, the cracker filled her mouth with a delicious taste. She smiled contentedly, and he too smiled softly at her reaction.
“After moving to the U.S., I immediately entered the university dorm. Back then, I was insanely focused on studying.”

Je Ho, wanting to share past memories with her, continued as he picked up a cracker.

“Even studying wasn’t easy, and I had to adapt to life in the U.S. When I had no time, I’d warm up canned soup and eat it with crackers. Sometimes, even spending time to eat crackers separately seemed too much.”

He crumbled crackers into the thick soup and scooped up a spoonful of both, bringing it to Yul Li’s mouth.

“I used to eat like this.”

Yul Li silently accepted his offering, enjoying the crunchy and smooth textures, when he asked, “It’s already been 10 years. What about you? What have you been doing?”

Yul Li’s eyes flickered momentarily, almost revealing her truth. She often cried thinking of him during tough times. But she couldn’t confess that and simply muttered, “Nothing special. Went to school, graduated, got a job.”

Special? Je Ho remembered what Hyun Kyung had said about her.

“Shortly after I moved to the U.S., Yul Li started to leave home and was caught and beaten every time.”

He didn’t expect her to open up to him, but still felt slighted. He felt sorry for her struggles, enduring alone.

Je Ho silently scooped up more soup.

“Here, have another bite.”

Yul Li obediently ate the soup he spooned. Unaware of how provocative she was, she licked the sticky white soup from her lips.

Yul Li was unknowingly testing his patience. As she tried to lick soup from her lips again, Je Ho quickly wiped it with his thumb and sucked it off. Not satisfied, he cleaned her lips with his own.

At that, Yul Li burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Why? I’m openly trying to seduce you.”

Flustered, Yul Li’s face turned red. Je Ho’s remaining patience vanished. It was all because of the clam chowder.

The white clam chowder on her red lips was too provocative, so Je Ho couldn’t hold back.

He swiftly lifted Yul Li, placing her on his thighs. Her arms naturally wrapped around his neck, and their lips met without a word.

Holding her, Je Ho stood up and walked towards the bedroom, a silent understanding between them.