When So Yeon asked, Seo Jun’s deep eyes narrowed.

It meant to keep doing just that.

Up close, Tae Seo Jun’s skin was smoother than a woman’s. His clear lips below his high, straight nose were very red without seeming to have anything applied to them.

This man even had pretty eyes. His long, thick eyelashes must contribute, but his uniquely deep pupils seemed filled with melancholy, shimmering with a mysterious light.

Her gaze, which had been exploring the man’s face with not a single imperfection, soon turned towards the entrance of the hall. So Yeon carefully spied on her, still standing motionless like a statue in that spot.

“Let’s go.”

“Wh-where…”

Seo Jun suddenly stood up and grabbed So Yeon’s wrist.

“My room.”

“I still haven’t…”

The remaining cocktail was a shame, but she hadn’t even touched the gambas yet. As she hesitated, feeling somewhat regretful, Seo Jun pulled on So Yeon’s arm and urged her.

“If you need more alcohol, we can drink together upstairs.”

Seo Jun, who had casually passed by that woman with So Yeon in tow, left the bar and stood in front of the elevator. While waiting for the elevator doors to open, the man’s arm wrapped around So Yeon’s waist. Feeling a sudden chill on the back of her head, So Yeon reflexively turned to look at the doors that had just opened.

It was at that moment that her eyes met precisely with those of that unknown woman.

“Oh!”

Seo Jun, still holding So Yeon’s waist, entered the elevator and pushed her back against the hard wall. What happened next was instantaneous.

“Don’t be surprised.”

Seo Jun gave a brief warning as he lowered his head deeply.

“!”

Their lips overlapped without any gap. So Yeon’s eyes widened in shock.

Though their posture was convincingly like that of lovers, the two pressed lips only grazed the surface. However, So Yeon could neither do nor think anything at this moment. It was because the electrifying sensation had bound her body and mind completely.

As the elevator doors closed, Seo Jun separated his body and took a step back.

“…!”

As he moved away, So Yeon’s legs wobbled as if she would collapse at any moment. Just as she seemed about to lose her balance, a strong arm quickly reached out and grabbed So Yeon’s waist, pulling her in.

Holding So Yeon tightly with one arm and bracing against the wall with the other, Seo Jun asked:

“Are you alright?”

“Not alright…”

My heart nearly burst, how could I be alright!

His resonant voice was impeccably polite. If it made me feel strangely aroused, does that make me abnormal?

“Ah, no, I’m fine.”

As So Yeon cut off her words, Seo Jun, with a beautiful smile on his lips, gently wiped her moist lips with his thumb and stepped back.

The spot where his fingertip had brushed burned. So Yeon unconsciously bit her lower lip hard.

The elevator doors opened smoothly on either side as it stopped at the VIP floor.

They had stayed in this enclosed space for less than a minute. But to So Yeon, that time felt as distant as if it had passed through eons.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

As Seo Jun, who had exited the elevator first, turned to look back, So Yeon bowed her head as if to say ‘goodbye’.

He had kissed her to show that woman, and that plan had succeeded. Therefore, there was no reason to stay with him any longer.

Through the closing elevator doors, she saw his handsome brow furrow sharply. A brief encounter like a 30-second commercial. Feeling as if this was the ending between her and Tae Seo Jun, So Yeon stared blankly at the doors as they nearly closed.

“Wait!”

Seo Jun’s long arm suddenly reached through the reopening doors.

[This is the timeline separator]

Perhaps Seo Jun’s words that he still had something to say had gotten through. Pushed by his inescapable persuasion, So Yeon entered the room in an instant.

“If you’re doing this because of the help I gave you, I’m really okay.”

So Yeon spoke while awkwardly standing near the entrance as Seo Jun closed the door and turned around.

“I’m not okay with it.”

Having exerted effort to bring So Yeon here despite her intention to leave, the man’s chest heaved as he took a deep breath.

“I can’t just let you go. Give and take. Let’s do as we first discussed.”

“Even if I say I won’t accept it?”

“There’s nothing as unsettling as being unable to give when you should. Moreover, didn’t you kiss my cheek first?”

“That was to help you, wasn’t it!”

You didn’t say anything then, but now you’re criticizing my kiss? Feeling somewhat unjustly treated, So Yeon slightly raised her voice.

“I’m not criticizing that. Wasn’t your kiss agreeing to the deal I proposed? I’m saying we should settle accounts properly.”

“…”

So Yeon’s heart wavered.

She wanted to stay with Tae Seo Jun a bit longer, but she had an uneasy premonition that if she did, her life might be completely turned upside down.

Perhaps because that fear was clearly reflected in her greatly wavering eyes. Seo Jun, observing So Yeon’s expression, led her to the sofa placed in the spacious room.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood something, but I’m not that kind of person.”

Seeing him speak like this, it appeared his feelings were quite hurt.

“It’s not because of that…”

Sigh, whatever.

Giving up on resisting, So Yeon exhaled a long sigh and plopped down on the sofa. Whatever the reason for her fear, it now felt like an unavoidable fate.

But no matter how plush the sofa was, it was clearly a bed of thorns for So Yeon. Just being in the same space as Tae Seo Jun was confusion itself.

“This really doesn’t seem right. At most it was brief skinship, and calculating that materially seems even stranger. It’s too sudden, and I can’t think of anything.”

“Then take your time to think now that you’re seated. If you ponder carefully, there should be at least one thing that comes to mind.”

“Well, what could there be?”

“I’m curious about that too. What you’ll end up wanting.”

She tried thinking as he said. But no matter how much she racked her brain, nothing particular came to mind. Only the scene of kissing Tae Seo Jun kept replaying endlessly.

“Honestly, what did I even do? I don’t think you need to feel burdened.”

So Yeon stood up from her seat, thinking it was urgent to leave this place quickly, if only for the sake of her unsettled heart.

“I really am fine, so I think it’s best if I go now…”

“If you leave right now, it might put me in a bit of a difficult situation.”

Seo Jun, gesturing politely for So Yeon to sit back down on the sofa, persuaded her in a calmer tone.

“Ah… I hadn’t thought of that.”

Hastily leaving the hotel could mean being spotted by that woman from earlier. Now realizing the deeper intentions behind him bringing her here, So Yeon acknowledged her short-sightedness with a slight nod and soft voice.

“Then, do you want me to stay in this room a bit longer?”

“If possible, I’d like that help as well.”

“Since I’ve already offered to help, I’ll stay a little longer. I do have that much loyalty, you know.”

Seo Jun asked flexibly without being forceful, and So Yeon accepted his second request.

“You must have been flustered today, so thank you. I’ll definitely repay you. Would you like a drink for now?”

“Sure, why not?”

The interior of the suite, with its spacious living room and two bedrooms, was quite large. As So Yeon leisurely surveyed the luxurious interior, Seo Jun asked.

“Your name is.”

“Eom So Yeon.”

They finally exchanged basic introductions. After kissing and pecking. Though it was an abrupt request and reckless help, there was a sense of commonality that had unknowingly formed in the process.

Seo Jun and So Yeon exchanged glances and chuckled at the same time.

It was a smile tinged with excitement.

Seo Jun, who had taken out wine from the mini-bar in the dining area, slightly narrowed his eyes as he watched So Yeon approaching him after taking off her coat.

“Take that off too.”

So Yeon, about to sit at the table with some simple snacks, froze with a pale face. His words sounded too blatant.

“What… what should I…”

His eyebrows and lips twisted crookedly. It was a chuckle as if to say, “As if that would happen.”

“I meant your tall boots. They must be quite uncomfortable if worn for long periods.”

“Ah…”

What was I thinking.

So Yeon’s expression, which had been startled, now crossed between embarrassment and relief as she took off her boots and changed into the slippers Seo Jun handed her.

Facing Seo Jun across the table, So Yeon felt the current situation was surreal.

But the lingering sensation of their first kiss on her lips was not. The fact that she had kissed Tae Seo Jun, a man who seemed possible only in a fantasy that would never exist in reality, was still being proven by her lips that hadn’t cooled down and her pounding heart.

Feeling quite embarrassed by this fact, So Yeon took a sip of wine. However, her mind couldn’t shake off the feeling of his lips.

But why had his lips trembled? And what about that damp gaze, as if steeped in melancholy? Was it because of the pain of lost love? Had he broken up with that woman, but his heart didn’t want to? Was he pretending to be fine, but actually suffering unbearably?

In that moment when their lips touched, So Yeon had strangely felt such things, and wanted to comfort his sadness even a little.

Even if it would only be for an hour or two, gladly.

The low illumination of the chandelier and indirect lighting enhanced the winter night’s atmosphere. Moreover, this was a hotel room that couldn’t help but be stimulating. For a man and woman to be alone in such an environment was the best condition to invoke desires that didn’t even exist.

Although the indoor air was somewhat cool, as time passed while tipping wine glasses, Seo Jun, who had become warmer, unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt and rolled up his sleeves after removing the cuff links.

Realizing she had been staring too intently at even his small wrist movements that seemed like a scene from a movie, So Yeon absentmindedly fiddled with her nape and turned her gaze elsewhere.

The large frame hanging on the wall was a masterpiece among masterpieces, erotic yet with a golden hue that held mystique.

So Yeon carefully parted her closed lips.

“Is that work real?”

“Would you expect to find something from an Austrian palace here?”

“Ah…”

I asked the obvious. Like a fool.

Feeling awkward, So Yeon puffed out her cheeks slightly in a sulky expression. Seo Jun glanced at that face and chuckled. At that moment, So Yeon’s phone, placed on the table, vibrated briefly.

[So Yeon, I’m curious about the movie audition results but can’t bring myself to ask. Still, I’m asking. You’re not wandering around this late at night because you got rejected at the audition, are you?]

After briefly checking the message that automatically appeared on the screen, So Yeon hesitated for a long time, unsure how to reply. Meanwhile, the phone started ringing.

“Answer it.”

“It’s a friend. I can call back later.”

So Yeon, who had turned off her phone completely, had a reason for avoiding Do Soon’s contact.

Yeo Do Soon was a devoted fan of Tae Seo Jun.

Because of that friend, even So Yeon knew the entire history of Tae Seo Jun from his debut until now. So if Yeo Do Soon knew that she and he were together right now…

Even if she told her, she wouldn’t believe it, but no matter how close they were, today’s events had to be kept secret.

“It’s quite late, doesn’t Eom So Yeon need to contact her parents or family?”

Seo Jun spoke slowly, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“My parents are abroad. My older sister is a workaholic with no plans to return from New York, and my younger sister married early and settled in Jeju Island. So I live alone. It means I take care of everything myself.”

“Then you could stay overnight? I’m saying this because there happens to be another bedroom.”

“…!”

So Yeon’s eyes wavered.

He was probably saying this out of consideration since they had been drinking wine and it was quite late, but So Yeon couldn’t help but feel her heart drop. It was the first time she had felt so excited. So Yeon answered unconsciously.

“Then can I have more wine? Actually, I’m in the mood to drink a bit.”

After briefly staring at the empty bottle, Seo Jun brought a new wine and filled So Yeon’s empty glass.

“It seems you have something upsetting you, so drink just a little more and then rest.”

He was a perceptive man. What words were needed? So Yeon gulped down the contents of her glass. But as the effects of alcohol accumulated, So Yeon’s mood became gloomy as she kept recalling the events of the day she had been trying to forget.

Her large eyes were rimmed with red.

It seemed tears would fall at any moment, but she appeared to be stubbornly holding them back. He could tell she was on the verge of crying due to something upsetting, but he couldn’t understand why his own heart felt constricted.

No, actually Seo Jun did know.

Despite meeting her for the first time today, he felt not at all unfamiliar, and strangely wanted to be something for her.

A warm impression that could melt even a frozen heart, and beautiful on top of that. What man could just stand by and watch such a woman cry right in front of him? This woman doesn’t seem to know that unintended seduction is harder to resist.

Seo Jun’s right arm twitched.

He quickly clenched his fist, which was trying to reach out to her against its owner’s will.

It was true that he needed help at the bar, but there was no need to bring her all the way to the room. Not knowing this, she had followed him here, and now he was making a comforting gesture towards her.

He had to restrain himself.

At least for today.