Seo Jun hadn’t displayed any threatening behavior.

He just sat leisurely on the sofa, his posture relaxed. The atmosphere emanating from his graceful and robust physique was completely at ease.

However, the gaze he fixed on So Yeon was as piercing and intense as it could freeze and swallow everything.

It wasn’t even the middle of winter, and they were indoors, no less. It was clear then. The chill creeping up her senses was because of this man.

Like a young animal trapped and about to be devoured, So Yeon felt paralyzed under his overwhelming stare, struggling to breathe properly.

But even in the midst of war, love blooms, and flowers blossom in the mud. That’s exactly how So Yeon felt. Her heart pounded as if it would tear apart, fueled by an intense excitement.

Pull yourself together, Eom So Yeon!

After a moment of confusion, So Yeon suddenly stood up and straightened her legs.

“I’ll think about it. I’m leaving now.”

Barely holding onto her rationality, she quickly headed toward the guest room’s entrance.

She needed to escape this place as soon as possible.

Away from Seo Jun, far, far away. The temptation from him was dangerous, but more perilous was her own susceptibility to it.

Focused solely on this thought, So Yeon hurried, her heart racing faster than her moving legs. Then, suddenly, it happened.

Thud!

“Ah!”

Barely a few steps away, So Yeon tumbled to the ground. The long dress, which had seemed too lengthy, had entangled her feet, causing the mishap at this critical moment.

“Oh no!”

Seo Jun, surprised by this unexpected turn of events, approached her with concern.

“Huh, really crazy!”

Unable to rise immediately, So Yeon couldn’t even lift her head.

Though she wasn’t hurt thanks to the carpet, the fall had torn the back of her dress. One of her shoes had flown off towards the sofa. The embarrassment of making such a scene was indescribable.

Seo Jun, having picked up the fallen shoe, looked at her back.

“Be careful. Who’s going to eat you?”

Lifted effortlessly by Seo Jun’s hand, So Yeon swirled around.

“Give it to me, quickly!”

Clutching the front of her dress with one hand, she reached for the shoe in his hand with the other.

But Seo Jun, raising his long arm, was quicker. This was like demanding the caught fish’s loot from its savior.

With a crooked smile and a slight tilt of his head, Seo Jun whispered into her ear.

“Try to take it if you can. Don’t just throw a tantrum like a child.”

“…”

This is no time for jokes!

Her slender hand, gripping her dress to prevent it from falling, trembled with frustration.

“Give it to me! Now!”

Despite her desperate attempts, the significant height difference was an obstacle. Like their physical positions, he was high and she was low. In her frantic attempts to jump and grab the shoe, her balance suddenly shifted forward.

“……!”

At that instant, Seo Jun’s arm swiftly encircled her slender waist, pulling her close with force.

“I didn’t expect this, but it’s not bad.”

The situation had escalated beyond her control. Her heart raced, caught off guard by his unexpected confession and actions. Now she was filled with both fear and a forbidden thrill.
It was nothing more than a reflex when Seo Jun instinctively caught her as she was about to fall again. There was no impure intent. But the touch of his hand on her fragile body was incredibly warm.

It was a man’s instinct that the body knew without the need for thought.

A surge in his body temperature was due to the desire to hold her closer, deeper.

So Yeon, feeling the heat emanating from his large palm into her waist, was inexplicably scared. That bottomless fear echoed in her voice, tinged with resentment.

“Why are you doing this? Do you hate me that much?”

“I told you. I like you.”

“Am I supposed to believe that? You say you like me but then torment me like this? What did I do so wrong to deserve this…?”

Why wouldn’t I have done anything wrong?

So Yeon suddenly fell silent.

She was hiding the fact that she had Seo Jun’s child. She even lied that the child’s father was dead to everyone, including her parents. In truth, she was a huge liar.

But there was a justification. It was all done for a greater good. The white lies she had to tell, though tearfully, were buried in the past, free of guilt.

“Even if I did something wrong a long time ago that made you angry, what could possibly remain after all these years? It was just one night! A night that happened years ago! There’s nothing between you and me!”

“……”

While So Yeon poured out her frustrations, Seo Jun, kneeling on one knee on the floor, put the shoe on her tiny foot.

“……!”

Taken aback by Seo Jun’s unexpected gesture, So Yeon stiffened for a moment.

“……”

Was there really nothing between us? Am I doing all this for no reason?

‘How can you walk with such feet.’

‘I walk fine, you know. Hehe, stop it!’

Your clear, laughing voice… That night, we were certainly lovers. The moment we laughed together.

As Seo Jun recalled that time, he gently caressed So Yeon’s ankle.

“Ah, why…”