Arin looked at Jae Hyuk’s face and became a little confused. Suddenly, this thought occurred to her.

‘Did oppa sincerely make this proposal to me just because of one group?’

Even if he had feelings for her as he said, this proposal wasn’t just good for him as he claimed.

‘Besides, it doesn’t seem like there’s no way to get the group at all.’

Chairman Ban adored his only son Jae Hyuk terribly. So for whatever reason, if Jae Hyuk wanted it, the chances of Chairman Ban giving in to his son weren’t low.

It felt strange.

Although he often had a sunken expression at her words, he showed no signs of being upset.

Would you still accept my proposal even like this?

It seemed like he might have had such feelings. So she drew the line even colder and more rationally.

He said he would understand whatever she said.

“And if you want to use me, go ahead and use me as much as you want.”

“……”

“I’ll let you use me as much as you want.”

It felt like being hit on the back of the head. Her mind went blank and her resolved will wavered.

Her heart stirred, and warning lights flashed in her head.

‘I can’t stay here!’

Arin abruptly stood up and said without looking at Jae Hyuk.

“Then if you have nothing more to say, I’ll go first.”

At her words, he hurriedly reached out to grab her.

“Finish your drink before you go.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“I’ll take you home.”

“I don’t need that.”

When Arin firmly refused, he stood up with her.

“It’s okay. I’ll go alone. Don’t follow me.”

However, Arin quickly left the cafe without even looking at Jae Hyuk, lest he try to grab her.

That evening.

After meeting with Jae Hyuk, Arin organized and reorganized what she needed to tell her new family.

“What are you doing? Here.”

Ji Yun, who had returned from work, patted Arin’s shoulder.

“When did you get here?”

“Just now. Yawn.”

Ji Yun walked to the refrigerator, yawning.

Arin let out a small sigh as she watched Ji Yun’s back.

She had accepted his proposal. It meant she now had to leave this house and live with him.

She was worried about how to tell Ji Yun, Lady Seo, and Yu Hyun.

“I have something to say.”

Arin hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Something to say?”

Ji Yun asked back while taking out a cold orange juice from the refrigerator.

“What is it?”

“It’s a bit long to explain, so I’d like to say it when oppa and mother are here too.”

Ji Yun examined Arin’s expression. She was concerned about her friend’s somehow downcast look.

“Is it something serious?”

Arin nodded slightly.

“Alright, then I’ll wash up and come out. Just wait a bit.”

“Okay.”

Ji Yun downed the orange juice in one go and left the kitchen. Even after Ji Yun left, Arin remained blankly in the kitchen for a long time.

A little later.

“What’s going on? Why is the atmosphere like this?”

Ji Yun sat on the sofa, shaking the water from her hair. Yu Hyun and Lady Seo, the siblings’ mother, were already seated beside Arin.

“I have something to say today, so I asked everyone to gather like this.”

“Arin, did something happen?”

Lady Seo asked worriedly, seeing Arin’s face full of concern. Yu Hyun’s expression sitting across from her wasn’t good either.

“Yes.”

Arin nodded after a short answer. Although she had practiced countless times, facing them now, her lips wouldn’t part easily.

Arin fiddled with her fingers nervously. As she remained silent, the expressions of the three people grew darker.

“Arin, what’s going on?”

Ji Yun broke the silence, unable to bear it any longer.

“Ji Yun, mother, and oppa.”

Arin, unable to delay any longer, raised her head and met the eyes of the three people.

“I’m planning to move out for a while.”

Arin’s single sentence caused a huge ripple. As if in great shock, the three people asked simultaneously in surprised voices.

“What? Why so suddenly?”

“What happened?”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

They each showed different reactions, but their hearts were the same.

Although they hadn’t thought Arin would live with them forever, they never imagined she would suddenly announce she was moving out like this.

“What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”

Ji Yun said.

‘I know too well how much you worry about me, so I’m struggling with what to say. Even if I told you everything oppa said, you’d try to dissuade me, saying what does that have to do with you.’

She couldn’t talk about the contract dating proposal, nor why she accepted it.

She didn’t want to worry them by revealing unnecessary truths. And it was awkward to divulge all the details of his situation.

It was ironic that although they were the people she trusted most in the world, she couldn’t be honest in this situation.

‘If I say it’s because of revenge towards the madam or because of family, they’ll worry about me getting hurt.’

After much deliberation, she came up with a way to briefly summarize the situation without worrying them or getting cursed at.

And that was,

‘I just need to say I couldn’t forget oppa.’

She just needed to place all the reasons on herself.

Their concern should only be directed towards her lingering feelings.

She could end it without further explanation about Jae Hyuk or the situation. Although she would be thought of as an immature woman…

“I’ve decided to get back together with elder brother Jae Hyuk.”

And her prediction was right. As soon as ‘Jae Hyuk’ was mentioned, the expressions of the three people froze coldly. The air surrounding the four people instantly became heavy.

After a moment, the first to break the silence was Lady Seo.

“Arin, I was planning to support you no matter who you date. Of course, I don’t think you made this decision lightly, as you’re a thoughtful child. But, I truly don’t understand why it has to be that person.”

“……Mother.”

“You and that person have already broken up, haven’t you? There must have been a reason you broke up. I think if you get back together with him, the conflicts will repeat themselves. He’ll hurt you again.”

As soon as Lady Seo finished speaking, Ji Yun added.

“That’s right, mom’s words are correct. Are you in your right mind? Why that man! Have you forgotten how much you suffered all this time?”

It was Ji Yun’s irritated voice, clearly revealing her emotions.

“Honestly, I really don’t understand you. Why are you trying to jump into that fire pit again? What are you lacking! Why are you going back to that man again? Does it make sense that you couldn’t forget him even after being hurt like that? Are you stupid?”

Ji Yun glared at her, fuming. Arin wasn’t upset at all by her words. Because she knew they came from a place of concern for her.

‘I’m sorry, Ji Yun.’

Her heart felt heavy. These were the people who had stood by her side when no one else was there, when she felt like she was all alone in the world. She felt like she had betrayed their hearts.

“I’m sorry.”

Her heart ached, feeling like she had hurt the people who had filled the place her family had abandoned.

Despite the short time they had lived together, they had loved and cherished her. Gratitude and guilt for not being able to be honest washed over Arin like a tide.

‘I might regret it as time passes. Later on, I might think there could have been a better choice. But it doesn’t matter, because I chose to go to elder brother Jae Hyuk’s side because I didn’t want to create things to regret. I want to prove that the path I’ve chosen isn’t entirely foolish.’

“Arin.”

Arin looked at Lady Seo at the sound of her name. Her eyes were full of parental love and affection that she had never received before.

‘Mother. And thank you. For thinking of me like your own daughter……’

She then turned to Ji Yun.

“I’m sorry, Ji Yun.”

“……”

Ji Yun had treated her like a friend and sister. She seemed to be asking ‘Do you really have to do this?’ Ji Yun was the first to avoid Arin’s gaze.

Arin’s gaze finally moved to Yu Hyun.

As their eyes met in mid-air, Yu Hyun’s pupils trembled slightly. He had a face that hadn’t recovered from the shock, as if he had received a considerable wound.

“I’m sorry, elder brother.”

“……Are you serious?”

Arin nodded in response to Yu Hyun’s question instead of answering. His face instantly contorted. He moved his lips as if wanting to say something.

‘But elder brother, I couldn’t accept your feelings even if it wasn’t for him. I’m sorry for rejecting your feelings like this.’

“As mother said, I know well that I might get hurt for the same reason. I also know that the same conclusion might be drawn if that problem isn’t resolved.”

The words about Jae Hyuk from now on were not the truth to persuade Ji Yun and her family, but a lie.

It certainly was.

But why did she suddenly feel choked up? Her throat suddenly tightened.

“……Even if you say it’s the last time, I want to be by elder brother’s side.”

At Arin’s final words, the gazes of the three people turned to her face. After that, a not-so-short silence fell. No one responded. The air in the house was heavier and more somber than ever before.

Ji Yun broke the silence.

“Does it……have to be that man in the end?”

Instead of answering, Arin nodded. Ji Yun’s heart instantly sank.

“Why him of all people……”

Ji Yun thought she knew Arin better than anyone else, having been by her side as a friend for a long time. She also knew that during the time since leaving Jae Hyuk, although Arin herself didn’t seem to realize it, there was an underlying longing for Jae Hyuk in her words.

It was natural. Arin had loved Jae Hyuk for a long time.

He was her first love and her first man. Ji Yun thought that her friend couldn’t easily forget someone she had held in her heart for so long.

However, in Ji Yun’s eyes, fortunately, even if not completely, it seemed that over the long period of time, the man’s existence was fading, even if just a little bit, inside her.

So she was relieved. Just as time solves everything, she believed that if more time passed, Arin would be able to completely erase her feelings for that man.

“Do you really have to do this?”

Ji Yun asked Arin, holding back the endless sighs.

“……We only live once, you know.”

Arin said.

Ji Yun could no longer easily dissuade her. It seemed that her mind was already firmly set, and she felt that whatever she said would be useless.

Neither Lady Seo nor Yu Hyun said anything other than looking at Arin.

“You won’t change your mind no matter what we say anyway. Fine, do as you please.”

Ji Yun said in a voice full of anger.

Following that, Lady Seo and Yu Hyun stood up silently.

Arin remained alone in the living room for a long time even after the three people had gone to their rooms.