“No, I just… I don’t think I’ll sleep. I slept a lot during the day…”

While So Yeon hesitantly trailed off, Seo Jun’s heart briefly fluttered. He, too, wanted to spend more time with her.

“So, you want me to keep you company?”

“Oh, come on, am I a child? It’s just that…”

His master room was at the end of the hallway. Glancing in that direction, Seo Jun suggested.

“If you’re not sleepy, come to my room.”

“Now?”
“You said you’d come to my room tomorrow. Starting to build rapport now shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Thinking about it, you’re right. Let’s consider this a preliminary visit!”

“Before that, can you stop calling me ‘Director’?”

“That’s not hard, Tae Seo Jun. Your room is at the end, right?”

With a slight smile, So Yeon walked past Seo Jun, leading the way with quick steps.

“…”

Is this woman determined to torment me until the end?

Chuckling helplessly, Seo Jun followed So Yeon. She was infuriatingly irresistible yet the only woman he couldn’t hate.

“Samgeori in Myeongsudong is the most accident-prone area here. Last year alone, 14 accidents resulted in 36 deaths and injuries. But it’s the first time a car invaded the sidewalk.”

Having rushed to the hospital after the police call, Yu Jeong Hwa spent the night in her critically injured father’s room. As the detective explained the accident’s details, Jeong Hwa listened with a haggard face.

“But why hasn’t the person who caused the accident appeared? If they had any conscience, they’d come to apologize.”

“Regrettably, the truck that hit the stall had no license plate, and the driver fled immediately. We’re trying to identify the driver based on witness statements.”

“Is there a reliable witness?”

“The stall owner saw it up close, but his account doesn’t differ much from others…”

“You’re suggesting it’s unlikely to find the hit-and-run driver.”

“We can’t conclude that yet. It hasn’t even been a day since the accident.”

“Please contact me immediately if you find any information. I need to see the person who did this to my father.”

“I understand how distressing this is for you. We’ll do our best.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

As the detective was about to leave, he turned back to ask Jeong Hwa.

“Do you know why your father went to Samgeori yesterday?”

“He lived in that neighborhood for 20 years. There might not have been a specific reason.”

“The stall owner said he had never seen your father before. Why there, of all places?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait until my father wakes up.”

Realizing she didn’t know either, Jeong Hwa quickly excused herself to meet the doctor.

“I need to go. I have to see the doctor.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ll wait for your call, detective.”
Feeling sympathy for Yu Jeong Hwa, who might soon lose her father, or was it the reality of meeting the famous actress in person that struck him? The detective looked at her retreating back with a thoughtful gaze as she hurriedly left the rest area.

“Sigh, even in this confusion, why didn’t she ask about it… who he was with. Yu Jeong Hwa might not know that Yu Byung Hwan was there alone.”

Rubbing his chin with his thumb, the detective murmured to himself, his eyes shining with sharp insight.

Seo Jun and So Yeon sat side by side on the master room’s sofa, drinking beer.

Four years had passed since that night. The difference was that they were in Spain, not in Korea, in a grand mansion instead of a hotel. Their relationship had become both unfamiliar and familiar over that time.

was about to be filmed as a spectacular story involving the undying Demon King Ki Cheon Yul and his tragic love, So Ye Hwa, crossing a thousand years in time, blending romance, suspense, and thriller.

As they talked, Seo Jun, mentioning the ghost makeup for the drama would be quite realistic and scary, slyly added that this mansion was said to be haunted.

“Ugh… you’re kidding, right?”

It was almost midnight, and they had only a small light on. Aware of the eerie night atmosphere, So Yeon narrowed her eyes at Seo Jun.

“I know you’re trying to scare me.”

“Should I? The last time I saw that ghost was around…”

“When was that?”

As Seo Jun deliberately prolonged his words, So Yeon, intrigued by his serious expression, urged him to continue quickly.

“You know, Spanish ghosts like to gather when they’re talked about.”

“Yikes! Stop that, just tell me when you saw it.”

“I would tell you, but you’d be scared…”

Seo Jun just glanced over So Yeon’s shoulder, pretending ‘it’s right behind you now’.

“Aaah!!!”

Apparently, the joke was too much. So Yeon, startled, rolled over Seo Jun’s lap and clung to his neck, shivering and almost crying.

“You’re so faint-hearted.”

“Sob, don’t do this! How am I supposed to sleep tonight…”

It might have been a revenge for not going further than a kiss earlier. Amused by her overreaction, Seo Jun suddenly turned serious again.

“But really…”

“Stop it already!”

Annoyed more than scared now, So Yeon glared sharply at Seo Jun, stood up abruptly, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

After she returned to her room, Seo Jun stepped out onto the balcony, letting the cool night air soothe the heat that had been tormenting his body since early evening. Familiar with restraint, but still struggling with discomfort.

Was it all in vain?

Seo Jun then headed to the bathroom for a very long shower.