Even after pulling her hand away, Ga Eul couldn’t leave the spot. Woo Jin was still kneeling on the ground, begging forgiveness.

The argument continued, with Ga Eul saying she couldn’t go back and Woo Jin asking her to return. Finally, tired of repeating the same words, Ga Eul rose abruptly from her seat.

No matter how harsh words she poured out, Woo Jin remained unmoved. At times like this, even Woo Jin’s sincerity was irritating. Why be so sincere about a past relationship?

“Woo Jin, you’re really frustrating. You doing this is tormenting me. I have no feelings for you anymore. So go back. If you’re going to be like this, don’t ever appear before me again.”

In the end, Ga Eul spat out her final words and ran down the walking path. She heard Woo Jin calling desperately from behind, but didn’t look back.

Even after coming down from the path, Ga Eul kept running. At first, she ran as if being chased. As if Woo Jin might be following her. Later, she ran because of the pain of hurting Woo Jin and the pain of their relationship ending so unbeautifully.

Eventually, she ran without knowing why she was running.

Only when her vision blurred and she felt like vomiting did Ga Eul stop running and return to the lodging.

Her head was dizzy and her legs were shaking. Ga Eul collapsed as she entered the front door.

“Grandmother, I think I got heatstroke. I feel like I’m dying.”

Ga Eul muttered while lying collapsed.

“What on earth have you been doing!”

The person who came running with a shout was not grandmother but Dae Un. Before Ga Eul could resist, Dae Un lifted her up in his arms. Realizing it was Dae Un who had picked her up, Ga Eul tried to compose herself.

“Put me down. I’m fine. I was just exaggerating a bit.”

By then, Dae Un had already reached the sofa and laid Ga Eul down on it.

“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”

“I’m fine. It’s not serious enough for the hospital. I just got overheated.”

This isn’t right. Today was supposed to be the day for confessing, but to show this state. To have the boss carry her slippery, sweaty body. What about the heat and sweat smell emanating from her body?

“Sister! Are you sick somewhere?”

Gyeo Ul came out of his room dressed to go out.

“No, I just got a bit overheated.”

“Ga Eul is sick? Where?”

Grandmother, also dressed to go out, came out of her room.

“It’s nothing. Where are you going?”

“The boss said we should go on a cruise. Take a cruise and then eat sashimi.”

What’s this? The boss taking care of her family while she was away?

“Oh, excluding only me, you’re all going on a cruise and eating sashimi?”

As if she had never been a heatstroke patient, Ga Eul jumped up, only to collapse again.

“We should go to the hospital. I’ll bring the car…”

Ga Eul firmly grabbed Dae Un’s arm as he tried to get up.

“I’m really fine. I just need to rest a bit.”

She couldn’t let grandmother give up the cruise and sashimi because of her.

“Try drinking some water.”

Gyeo Ul took out bottled water from the refrigerator and held it out. Ga Eul took it and gulped it down straight from the bottle. Image management was already hopeless. Let’s leave the confession to fate and take care of health first.

In short, it was a feeling of letting things be. She had made up her mind to confess, but the circumstances weren’t cooperating.

On the day she decided to confess, what’s with her ex-boyfriend Woo Jin appearing, and what’s with women swarming around the boss she was going to confess to? Decisively, what’s with the boss seeing the scene of Woo Jin kneeling and clinging to her?

After showing herself covered in mud, now she showed herself drenched in sweat to the boss. There seemed to be no hope for her confession. First of all, it was unclear if she could even confess. They couldn’t be alone.

Still, if she was going to confess, it had to be today. Tomorrow is the day to return to Seoul. Once back in Seoul, school would start soon, so she’d have to quit the office, and if she quit the office, it would be hard to see the boss’s face.

It’s also funny to open the door and confess love at an office you’ve quit. It’s not that she can’t do it because it’s funny, but it won’t be as good as confessing under the romantic moonlight by the seaside.

After drinking water, the nausea and dizziness disappeared.

“I’ll be fine after washing up. Let’s go on the cruise after I wash up.”

After Ga Eul disappeared into her room, an awkward silence remained in the living room. The remaining three knew without saying. Why Ga Eul had appeared in that state.

Gyeo Ul had been watching Dae Un’s reactions from earlier. Grandmother was doing the same.

Ga Eul had gone to meet Woo Jin, but Dae Un suddenly appeared and said to go on a cruise. When Gyeo Ul asked what to do since his sister wasn’t there, he said to call and invite her.

Dae Un’s intention seemed obvious. To call Ga Eul back. To stop her meeting with Woo Jin.

Gyeo Ul immediately called his sister. But no matter how many times he called, she didn’t answer. Dae Un’s face grew increasingly stiff, and from then on, grandmother and he started watching his reactions.

Dae Un said to get ready to leave as soon as Ga Eul arrived. So grandmother and Gyeo Ul went to their rooms to prepare for going out.

Gyeo Ul didn’t have the courage to sit face to face with Dae Un, so he changed clothes as slowly as possible. He even washed his face when he didn’t need to. Grandmother was probably the same. Judging by how she came out of her room later than him.

While this was happening, Ga Eul appeared in that state. After running so much that she said with her own mouth that she might have heatstroke.

It was clear she came like this because of breaking up with Woo Jin, but how could grandmother and he raise their heads in front of Dae Un? The feeling of sorry was their share.

Feeling that he, young as he was, should break this awkward atmosphere, Gyeo Ul struggled to open his mouth.

“Woo Jin hyung and sister were friends since elementary school. Since Woo Jin hyung’s family moved to our neighborhood.”

Realizing he had misspoken, Gyeo Ul quickly closed his mouth. Although he emphasized ‘friends’, he only ended up stressing that Woo Jin hyung and sister’s relationship was very long-standing.

So what, so the boss should understand why sister is struggling so much? Gyeo Ul knew that’s how his words sounded. No matter how you heard it, that’s what it was.

In fact, Gyeo Ul wanted to properly explain to sister’s boss why she was struggling. It’s hard because it’s long-standing, not because she likes him. But he couldn’t find a way to say it so it would be interpreted that way.

“Call me hyung from now on.”

Dae Un suddenly said something that might seem out of place in that atmosphere.

“Yes, hyung.”

Gyeo Ul quickly answered. Then he sighed in relief. Grandmother seemed to feel the same. The heaviness in the room rapidly disappeared.

“Isn’t it nice to have a hyung?”

Grandmother also regained the composure to smile.

Grandmother and Gyeo Ul interpreted Dae Un’s words as meaning he wouldn’t distance himself from Ga Eul. Because while telling Gyeo Ul to call him hyung, he wouldn’t distance himself from Ga Eul.

Ga Eul, who came out after washing up, compromised with Dae Un to go to the resort infirmary instead of the hospital. That way, she created a short opportunity to be alone with him.

After Dae Un went out the front door first, grandmother grabbed Ga Eul as she was about to follow. Grandmother slapped Ga Eul’s back hard. Then she turned and went back inside.

Ga Eul believed many words were contained in grandmother’s back smack. But she didn’t bother to ask about it.

Gyeo Ul also shook his head and went back inside.

It seemed she had done a lot wrong. Even though she was the one having a hard time.

Ga Eul went outside and faced Dae Un.

“Boss, could you spare some time after dinner? I have something to tell you.”

Ga Eul asked Dae Un, unable to make a once-in-a-lifetime confession in the short time going to and from the infirmary. Seeing that Dae Un’s expression didn’t look very good, Ga Eul’s tone became cautious.

It was right to be cautious. Ice flew from Dae Un’s mouth.

“Why, are you going to ask to date again? That’s what you have to tell me, right?”

Ga Eul took a sharp breath. Things are getting twisted, twisted, she thought, and now, they were truly twisted.

“Whenever you meet or talk with Woo Jin’s mother, you always asked me to date. I thought you’d bring up dating again since Seon Woo Jin himself appeared this time.”

This time’s ‘let’s date’ is different from the previous ones. I even told Woo Jin to his face that our relationship is over, so this is really ‘let’s date’.

“It’s not like that, I really…”

“Right, you really like me. I wondered why you didn’t add that.”

“That’s not it…”

Ga Eul’s voice became small. Even though the boss hadn’t scolded her, it became like that.

“I told Woo Jin clearly. That I don’t like him. I even said there’s someone I like.”

“Woo Jin didn’t accept it, right?”

“Huh, how did you know that?”

Ga Eul suspected that the boss might have secretly eavesdropped on her conversation with Woo Jin.

“He came all the way here. If he would change his mind after hearing a few words like that, he wouldn’t have come this far.”

So that’s what it was. Woo Jin was trying to show his determination. She had been so eager to tell the news of Woo Jin becoming a university professor that she couldn’t distinguish front from back.

But that wasn’t important right now.

Was this how the boy who cried wolf felt? When the fake is repeated, even the real is treated as fake.

“Boss, you don’t believe that I don’t like Woo Jin?”

This really needed to be addressed.

“I believe you.”

Dae Un answered quickly. Ga Eul frowned, thinking Dae Un’s answer seemed too light. To Dae Un, it wasn’t a light answer. He thought maybe he should have answered ‘I want to believe’ instead of ‘I believe’.

He had heard Ga Eul monologuing that she really ended things with Woo Jin while pretending to be asleep next to her. But Ga Eul had a sad face while saying that. And today, after saying she broke up with Woo Jin, Ga Eul came back after running to the point of getting heatstroke.

“Then, what about me liking you, boss? Do you believe that too?”

Ga Eul threw away her intention to properly confess after dinner like an old shoe. Judging by the boss’s attitude, there was no such thing as after dinner. He wasn’t in the mood to listen.

“Yes, I believe it.”

This time too, Dae Un answered lightly.

“I knew when you paid for my accommodation. To spend money you like so much for me. I was quite touched.”

But Dae Un quickly added.

“Han Ga Eul! That’s what your ‘I like you’ means. So don’t tell me you like me now. Tell me you like me when your ‘I like you’ becomes heavy enough. So not tonight.”

Ga Eul reflected on her way of living, recalling grandmother’s words. I shouldn’t have lived frivolously! It wasn’t okay to act recklessly thinking it was fine because it wasn’t sincere.

“Let’s just go on the cruise.”

Ga Eul turned her body.