Only her head peeked out from the rolled-up blanket as Yeoreum spoke.

Taeseok poured iced Americano into a tumbler, took a sip, and accepted the coffee at an awkward angle since he was lying down.

His fair skin shimmered. Yeoreum, lying half-naked on his bed, was so beautiful that Taeseok momentarily lost his words.

Now, this kind of daily life was never taken for granted. Every minute and second was so precious that he wanted to remember it all without leaving anything behind. It was regrettable that human memory had its limits.
“Oppa?”

“Yeah. Sorry. What did I say?”

Yeoreum reached under the bed and put on the first piece of clothing she could grab, which happened to be Taeseok’s shirt.

At this point, it seemed like she might be intentionally testing his patience. Taeseok looked at Yeoreum as if he would willingly lose in that test.

Avoiding eye contact, Yeoreum spoke again, “I mean, about your plan, oppa. I should know too.”

Taeseok firmly nodded.

After Yeoreum approached Taeseok again and revealed her thoughts about the video, her task was done. She had no intention of hearing or telling practical details about handling the aftermath.

On the day she confessed about the video.

He remembered the trembling lips and eyes throughout her speech. The confusing words she uttered, stumbling several times as she couldn’t organize her thoughts.

After hearing everything, Taeseok simply said, “I see.” That was the end of it.

Even after finding out about the video’s identity through K, he didn’t disclose it. That the video was actually a stuntman’s, and the sweater was a gift from himself.

It would never be mentioned again. If possible, he wanted to pluck that memory out of Yeoreum’s mind and erase it. He didn’t want to hurt her again.

“You don’t need to know.”

Taeseok pulled Yeoreum closer, speaking affectionately. It was a tone filled with worry and concern, but it wasn’t the answer Yeoreum desired.

Pushing away his touch, she bluntly said, “Oppa, lately, you’ve been meeting reporters and lawyers. I’m worried.”

“You don’t need to worry.”

Taeseok embraced Yeoreum again.

For two years, he had endured a threat that he couldn’t tell anyone about, and the mental suffering was unimaginable. Now, he intended to use everything he had to protect her—body and mind, completely safe and sound.

She only needed to see and hear beautiful and good things. Unhappiness had no place by her side.

With his firm answer, Yeoreum sighed.

Taeseok had been lenient in almost every aspect towards Yeoreum, but what he declared as “not allowed” was difficult to overturn. His tone now was solid without any gaps.

Yet, she was still worried. Worried that he might seek unnecessary revenge or engage in reckless actions. Worried that he might get hurt in the process.

She wanted to know what he intended to do.

“I should know too.”

“After it’s all over.”

His voice remained resolute. Today, it seemed futile to say more, so Yeoreum backed down for now. However, she didn’t give up. She would find out and say it, no matter what.

“I’m hungry.”

“Pasta. Kimchi stew. What do you want to eat?”

The dinner menu turned out to be sushi, not pasta or kimchi stew. Yeoreum had been searching for good restaurants all day, and she discovered a nearby famous sushi place that also offered delivery.

While waiting for the delivery, Taeseok chatted like a chatterbox, sharing various stories.
I wanted to tell you everything that happened on the set and also had the intention of preventing Yeoreum from asking more about what she was talking about earlier.

I have to give up. I have no intention of revealing my revenge plans.

“A company dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“Korean beef?”

As Yeoreum’s voice grew louder, Taeseok chuckled softly.

“It’s not better than me, right?”

“Of course, Korean beef is better! Oppa can’t eat it.”

She misspoke.

“It probably isn’t.”

If the conversation flows like this, Yeoreum becomes a red radish again. Her helpless reaction to dirty jokes is cute enough to cause anemia, but there are many other things to say, so we decided to move on for now.

“If we set a date soon, I’ll contact you. Excited, our rabbit.”

Whether it’s the Korean beef or the company dinner that excited her, Yeoreum laughed openly without hiding her expression. She, who could laugh so well, had acted like an expressionless doll for so long.

Thinking about the past, one part of her heart tightened. She knew it was a wound that would never heal even with time. She was willing to live, willingly recalling the wounds for her sake.

“One month left, shooting.”

“Yeah.”

“A contract relationship. Since it’s a contract, let’s write a contract. Like last time, with detailed requirements.”

Taeseok joked.

Although the boundaries had already become vague, the idea of parting again and starting over was still valid. Taeseok now felt a bit relaxed and thought it would be quite fun.

“Let’s write. There are so many things I want to write.”

“What’s there?”

“How many times to kiss in a day. If you break it, double the penalty the next day…”

“Oppa!”

Is this really a dream? It was still hard to believe that such an absurdly peaceful everyday life became possible.

Suddenly, Taeseok reached out and touched Yeoreum. Feeling the softness of her skin quite firmly, it was undoubtedly the body of a living person.

Since that day, Taeseok hadn’t mentioned Ji Hyeonjeong’s ‘J’. Most of what he talked about was cheerful things, such as stories about NGs on the set, how the heart swells after a sweet kiss, and jokes about how scary verbal contracts are.

That’s how he was protecting Yeoreum.