“Ah, no, why the shirt……”

Why are you taking your clothes off…..

The words were cut off as her thoughts became jumbled, watching the beads of sweat roll down his taut, smooth frame.

The night she spent with Gu Won Hoo, those scenes came rushing back all at once, like a herd of horses trampling through her mind.

Turning to proudly display his perfectly sculpted backside, he paused on his way to the bathroom and said to Do Soon:

“I’ll call you when I’m done cleaning the bathroom. You’re still sick, so I’ll wash you.”

“W-wash…”

Wash me? Me?

Do Soon was even more speechless. Because of Gu Won Hoo, who casually threw out meaningful glances and seductive words before disappearing into the bathroom.

“Huh……”

What’s with that guy? Was there some other motive for diligently cleaning my house? Heh heh, why is he acting like this? Didn’t he say we weren’t like that? Wow, this is really funny! Wow, wow, wow…!

Do Soon was firmly resolved not to enter the bathroom even if he called. But she couldn’t help her pounding heart. Absorbed in playing the role of a patient, she suddenly jumped up from the sofa and began pacing around the living room, lingering in front of the bathroom door.

At that moment, Won Hoo’s voice called out:

“Yeo Do Soon, I’m done cleaning!”

“!”

Is this what they call a conditioned response?

Thump thump thump thump thump……

Suddenly her heart started racing wildly.

Do Soon’s legs hesitated for a moment before quickly moving away from the bathroom.

A little while later.

Won Hoo emerged from the steamy bathroom and approached Do Soon, who was standing awkwardly in front of the sofa, saying:

“I said I’d wash you, why didn’t you come in?”

Judging by his wet hair, he seemed to have showered while cleaning, but his clothes looked the same as when he entered the bathroom – shirtless with only pants on. In an instant, Do Soon’s vision was filled with the man’s sturdy chest.

“N-no. Don’t come any closer!”

“What do you mean, no?”

“W-washing…!”

“…!”

Won Hoo tripped on the slightly raised edge of the rug and fell towards Do Soon.

Unintentionally, Do Soon and Won Hoo ended up facing each other in an overlapping position. Him on top, her underneath. Thanks to Won Hoo quickly planting his hands on either side of Do Soon’s head, they maintained a proper distance so their upper bodies wouldn’t touch.

However, their long legs stretched out on the sofa inevitably became slightly entangled.

“You’re not going to wash?”

As if he had no intention of moving, or perhaps he’d forgotten, Won Hoo asked in that position. Unable to push him away for fear of touching his bare skin, Do Soon stared up at him and spoke in an accusatory tone.

“No, what does it matter to you whether I wash or not, CEO?”

“You haven’t washed for two days.”

Droplets of water from the ends of his wet hair fell onto Do Soon’s forehead. But with her face trapped between his arms, she had no choice but to take all the droplets as she retorted:

“I don’t want to. I won’t wash! You called me a pig earlier. I’ll be that.”

“I said I’d at least wash your hair for you.”

“Why would you wash my hair……”

“……”

Right. Why did I offer to wash her? Even though it was his own words, he found it puzzling. But having already said it, Won Hoo couldn’t take it back, so he just stared at Do Soon silently for a moment.

His gaze felt like it was burning her skin. On top of that, with her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, Do Soon was completely flustered. The words that came out in that situation were not nonsense, but words from her heart.

“Fine. If you grant my wish, I’ll wash.”

“Wish? What is it?”

“Go on a date with me……”

“A date with you, what……”

It seemed like he shouldn’t hear more, but why did he want to hear it? And very intensely at that. That’s why Won Hoo pressed Do Soon.

“Go on ten dates with me.”

“Ten dates?”

The moment Do Soon finished speaking, Won Hoo’s eyes shook greatly. It felt exactly like a rejection, so she reduced the number and spoke again.

“No, six times. I think I like you, CEO.”

“!”

As his eyes shook even more widely, as if shocked, Do Soon felt suddenly anxious and hurriedly said:

“D-don’t misunderstand. I just mean dating. Since I’ve never dated before, and you’re my first man, isn’t that why I’m so out of sorts? You bear some responsibility for me ending up like this. I’m saying, give me time to sort out my feelings. They say all men are the same when you date them, so won’t I get tired of you after meeting a few times?”

Though she knew it was crazy talk, blurting out everything on her mind made her feel better. Do Soon poked his chest with one finger.

Not that she was testing waters she couldn’t drink. Anyway, finally realizing he had been in a daze at that feeble force, Won Hoo raised his upper body and sat on the sofa.

As he moved off from on top, Do Soon quickly sat up as well.

That’s when it happened.

“Will six times be enough?”

With a wry smile on his lips, Won Hoo gave an affirmative answer. In that dazed moment, his heart had already leaned that way, so no other answer came to mind.

“Will you really do that?”

“Have I only been deceived all my life? Alright, let’s wash your hair.”

“No, but CEO, are you a neat freak? Why do you keep insisting on washing my hair?”

“It’s tangled.”

“…!”

Ugh, how mean!

Do Soon closed her lips tightly as if angry and blushed in embarrassment.

Afraid she might refuse to wash again, he had used shock therapy, and it worked perfectly. That sense of victory, or whatever it was. Unable to hold back a smile, Won Hoo raised the corners of his mouth and reached out his hand towards Do Soon. It was an invitation to go to the bathroom obediently.

“So, let’s wash it properly. Come on.”

“Ugh, fine, let’s do it!”

He’s worried about me, regardless of how my hair looks.

Do Soon’s eyes crinkled into half-moons as she took Won Hoo’s hand.

[This is the timeline separator]

Yoo Jung Hwa answered questions from the prosecution in writing instead of appearing in person.

The document stated that Oh Min Jung, who had been desperate to get Eom So Yeon for a long time, was the one who trapped Eom So Yeon and Yeo Do Soon during the fire.

As evidence, Yoo Jung Hwa submitted recordings of frequent phone calls with Oh Min Jung, claiming that Oh Min Jung had persistently lured her to the scene of the crime to frame her for her own staged act.

She said she had never entered the building where the fire occurred, and cited her manager, Seong Jin Ah, as her alibi.

Oh Min Jung encountered these false claims this afternoon. She learned of them while meeting privately with the prosecutor in charge of the case regarding the incident where she hit Yoo Jung Hwa.

She objected to the statement that did not match the facts at all, saying how could that be when she was also trapped, but all evening her mind was exasperated and frustrated. Though it was late, she hurriedly visited Eom So Yeon’s hospital room.

“So I strongly protested to the prosecution to detain that crazy Yoo Jung Hwa immediately, since we don’t know what other tricks she might pull. But it turns out the only person who knows well that I was also trapped in the waiting room is Director Tae. If So Yeon could strongly emphasize that when giving her statement about the incident, I think I’d feel a little less wronged.”

Worried she might be framed for the confinement incident, Min Jung spoke candidly to So Yeon, suppressing even her usual prickly personality to ask for help.

“I’ll apologize for the scene I caused in So Yeon’s waiting room. You know, right? That even if my actions seem a bit much, I can’t even kill an ant. So please forget about that incident. I’m already at risk of being falsely accused, and if that gets out, it’ll add credibility to Yoo Jung Hwa’s bogus statement and be disadvantageous to me. In exchange, I’ll keep my mouth shut too.”

“About what……”

When So Yeon, who had been listening silently, asked with a puzzled look, Min Jung spoke with an even friendlier expression, even winking as she said:

“I’m pretty quick on the uptake, huh? Eom So Yeon and Director Tae aren’t just ordinary acquaintances. I’ve known that but haven’t said a word to anyone. I’m saying if you do me this favor, I’ll keep doing that in the future too.”

“Hah……”

“Huh? What? What’s with that sigh?”

“I don’t care what Oh Min Jung says about me. But as a fellow CN Entertainment artist, I’d like to suggest you think once more about whether this is proper conduct.”

So Yeon intended to testify to the facts, nothing more, nothing less. She thought that would cause the least confusion in uncovering the truth of the incident, and since both of their waiting rooms were locked, Oh Min Jung’s innocence was effectively proven by that alone.

So Yeon already knew.

That all the truths revealed by the investigation would surely point to Yoo Jung Hwa as the culprit. But since there was no definitive evidence yet, it wasn’t something she could speak of now.

But was So Yeon’s answer not satisfactory? Min Jung raised the intensity of her words a bit more.

“Eom So Yeon, you know what? That room you were in was the first to turn to ashes. If we’d been just a little later, something really serious could have happened. If I hadn’t quickly told the director your location, probably……”

Min Jung cut off her words, shrugging her shoulders and shuddering. She had imagined a scene too horrific to even think about.

“Are you saying I should repay the favor?”

“No. It’s not that, I know I’ve been mean before. So I’m saying…… I’d like you to call it even with that.”

A sincere apology.

Though she fumbled, unfamiliar with apologizing, Min Jung had finally said what she really wanted to say. She patted So Yeon’s back once and then got up to leave.

Just as Min Jung put her hand on the doorknob, that’s when it happened.

“Oh Min Jung.”

“Huh? What?”

When So Yeon called out, Min Jung turned around with quite a pleased look.

“There’s one thing I can tell you. That Oh Min Jung has nothing to do with the fire incident.”

“Thank you, So Yeon! And sorry again.”

Was it because she heard what she most wanted to hear? With the corners of her mouth instantly rising, Min Jung made a promise to So Yeon that was completely unlike her. That from now on, she would never again bully those weaker than her. That she would take care of her juniors.

So Yeon chuckled after hearing Min Jung’s firm resolve.

Though she didn’t know how long that mindset would last, she saw Oh Min Jung in a new light for knowing how to reflect on her actions.

[This is the timeline separator]

She met Han Seung Jae.

It was 9 PM when Yoo Jung Hwa, having indulged all of Han Seung Jae’s whims, finally escaped from his officetel.

Afterwards, as she drove frantically, Jung Hwa found herself in front of a university hospital. But even she didn’t know why she had come here. Still, having come this far, she couldn’t just turn back. She already knew which room Eom So Yeon was admitted to.

Jung Hwa parked her car in the outdoor parking lot and briefly surveyed the dim, spacious lot as she turned off the engine. Then she sat still for a moment, trying to think.

Did Tae Seo Jun love Eom So Yeon that much?

Enough to risk his own life to protect her?

Love?

What is that? There’s no such thing in this world. Even the bond between parent and child, which is said to be heaven-ordained, disregards love in the face of money. So how long could love last between complete strangers? Even if you believe it’s a solid love, it will soften and fizzle out as time passes.

Even that eventually gets tossed away like a tissue – that’s the love between a man and woman. Especially Tae Seo Jun, he’s a man who’s had that kind of love before, right?

So just wait and see. Eom So Yeon will be discarded even more miserably than I was.

But what can I do about this? You’re going to lose something huge before that. I have this bad habit of not letting others have what I can’t have. Your son is in Vancouver, Canada, right?

Sorry, but I’m at my limit now too.

“Heh……”

Jung Hwa, who had now entered the hospital, snickered. Whatever was so amusing to her alone, her bright red lips that had curled up once showed no sign of coming down.

And at that moment:

“Yoo Jung Hwa.”

“!”

Jung Hwa, turning her creaking gaze to the side, couldn’t help but start.

With her body and mind in tatters because of Director Han, Tae Seo Jun was now looking down at her with his tall stature.

A clear smile layered elegantly over a sneer.

Eyes sunk coldly.

A murderous intent she had never experienced before could be felt from his entire face.

Jung Hwa felt a chill down her spine, enough to completely erase the triumphant smile she had just been wearing.

Though it was clearly the time transitioning from summer to fall, it felt as if the bitter cold of midwinter was freezing her skin.

[This is the timeline separator]

Seo Jun was walking towards the payment counter to process his discharge when he received a call from a detective in the investigation department.

The detective said that an arrest warrant for Yoo Jung Hwa had just been issued. But he explained the current situation to Seo Jun, that they couldn’t execute the arrest because they couldn’t locate her.

As Seo Jun continued the call, he caught sight of Yoo Jung Hwa who had just entered the hospital.

“Come this way.”

– Pardon?

“She’s at the hospital now. Yoo Jung Hwa.”

After ending the call, Seo Jun walked over and looked down at the startled Jung Hwa. His dry gaze seemed to peer deep into the sordid soul of a ruined human being.

A speck from the past.

No, with not even a dust mote’s worth of sympathy, Seo Jun held a cold sneer on his lips as he gestured with his chin for her to follow, then walked past Yoo Jung Hwa straight out of the hospital.

Walking with long strides, Seo Jun turned around in front of a flower bed decorating one side of the outdoor parking lot.

He stopped abruptly.

Jung Hwa’s steps also halted, following his lead.

The two people faced each other between the building and parking lot, out of sight of passersby. Long shadows fell over that area, deepening the darkness.