Remembering that obvious fact, his eyes became warm. His breath quickened, and his vision blurred.

The subtle fragrance of flowers that touched his nose became more intense. It was Arin.

Jaehyuk embraced Arin. In her scent, Jaehyuk’s body, like a lie, began to find peace.

‘How… how should I handle you? I… how should I let you go?’

Jaehyuk despaired at the fact that his love for Arin had become unimaginably overwhelming.

Of course, he knew that his love for her was abnormal.

Even for a short while without seeing Arin, although it was just a brief moment, Jaehyuk’s life crumbled.

He couldn’t let her go.

The person who made him live and die was none other than Arin.
Because of his love for her, he found himself unable to live without her, even if he were to lose everything, including his lifelong goal, the ‘VAN Group.’

Even the love I had for Arin, which I had made my life’s goal, had lost its face and gone mad a long time ago.

When Arin’s long fingers gently touched my eyes, warmth returned to my frozen body.

“Mr. Ban Jaehyuk, what’s wrong?”

The reason she started calling me ‘Mr. Jaehyuk’ was because of me. Even though Jaehyuk knew that she called me that because of what I said, he felt unfamiliar with that title.

“Arin.”

Don’t abandon me… Please.

Swallowing the words that couldn’t be uttered outside the throat, Jaehyuk reached out his hand.

Arin flinched at the touch of his hand covering her finger.

Crying and laughing, feeling down and then feeling better.

At the center of all these emotions was Arin.

‘If you say this is okay, am I really crazy?’

You can pity me.

You can stay by my side out of sympathy.

For any reason, if you stay by my side.

‘I don’t mind.’

As long as I can be by your side.

Jaehyuk stroked his face with Arin’s small hand.

“Arin, will you listen to what I couldn’t say back then?”

Arin was puzzled by Jaehyuk’s behavior, which she saw for the first time.

‘I don’t think people should see this face.’

Everything about Jaehyuk drew people’s attention. Moreover, to strangers, the current situation could be misunderstood.

“Let’s go outside first. We can talk more outside.”

Arin also had many questions to ask Jaehyuk.

“Let’s go.”

Arin grabbed Jaehyuk’s arm and pulled him. Jaehyuk came along weakly.

When they went outside the hotel, a sharp-eyed team leader was already waiting.

After getting in the car, Jaehyuk’s gaze was fixed only on Arin.

Arin’s heart tickled at Jaehyuk’s gaze.

She had to keenly feel what it was like to have her face worn away by his gaze in a short time.

Arin asked a team leader to go to the Han River Dunchi.

“Shall we go out?”

In the narrow space, it seemed like it only existed for him.

It wasn’t that she disliked it, but Arin felt burdened by Jaehyuk’s gaze and didn’t know what to do.

“Is it because of me?”

Darkness fell on the Han River.

Arin stood side by side with Jaehyuk, gazing blankly at the Han River.

Without answering the question, Jaehyuk licked his lips instead. Throughout the way, receiving Jaehyuk’s warm gaze, Arin desperately tried to comprehend her thoughts.

‘Could something like this happen in such a short time?’

At first, Arin couldn’t find an answer no matter how much she thought about why Jaehyuk suddenly acted like this.

If it was about business, it seemed less likely for Jaehyuk to lose his composure.

Under the assumption of ‘maybe,’ Arin reached a conclusion.

“You…”

In response to Arin’s question, his voice, which seemed to have cracked, spoke.

“Yeah, that’s right.”
Arin’s gaze, which had been focused on the Han River, turned to Jaehyuk.

“I thought you had left.”

It was fine when heard verbally, with no apparent issues.

As long as there’s no one around, it’s possible to find.

The problem was Jaehyuk, the person who had been searching.

‘Why does Oppa look at me with such an expression?’

To Arin, Jaehyuk’s appearance felt like that of a puppy trembling as if about to be abandoned.

A subtle wave surged in her heart.

“Why were you looking for me?”

“…….”

“If I was gone, you could’ve just come… and waited.”

To Arin’s blunt words, he nodded slightly.

“Or were you afraid that the company wouldn’t be passed on if I was gone?”

“…No.”

Jaehyuk said with a slightly resentful tone.

The more Arin talked to him, the more she felt like she was wandering through a maze.

‘Why does he have such a sinking expression when he says those things? Why does he make such a wounded expression?’

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Jaehyuk nodded with a face full of stories.

‘Don’t make a face that has lost a country because of me. Why.’

Arin looked up at Jaehyuk. Jaehyuk gave a blurry smile.

“It seems like the sin I committed against you is so big.”

“…….”

“Someone else might have been able to say, ‘Sure, I’ll come,’ and wait. But I couldn’t do that. Just the fact that you’re not there…”

Jaehyuk’s words trailed off.

Even without him saying it, Arin felt like she knew.

No, rather, she was relieved that he didn’t say it to the end.

The realization that the shaking presence shaking him was herself made her unsure of what to say.

Because of her?

Just because of that, did Jaehyuk lose his composure like this?

As his silence prolonged, Arin’s silence also grew.

‘Should I like this, or should I say I hate it?’

Or should I say it’s refreshing, or should I apologize…

Feelings of disbelief about the situation unfolding before her eyes.

Emotions swirled in her heart, unable to conclusively determine whether his words and emotions were one.

‘How can a person be like this? I haven’t done anything, but why has Oppa changed so much?’

In the days when she loved him to the point of sacrificing her life, she hated him for acting indifferent.

Even though she tried not to expect, her expectations rose when she saw his actions, and in the end, she felt sorry for herself who was hurt.

But still…