The blackout curtains didn’t meet properly, allowing a small gap through which light filtered in.

In the gradually brightening bedroom, Seoyoon, buried under the white blanket, opened her eyes.

Observing the empty space on the spacious bed for a moment, Seoyoon got up.

In the early morning, Kanghyun, sitting alone on the living room sofa, leaned his neck against the backrest with his eyes closed.

The deeply sunken eye area was dark, and his pale skin looked unusually rough.

It was due to the continuing sleep disturbances since discontinuing medication.

Long-term use and excessive consumption of sleeping pills. Since Seoyoon occasionally used tranquilizers and anti-anxiety medications even after Seoyoon’s funeral, it wasn’t easy to reverse the nerves conditioned by the drugs.

Seoyoon placed her hand on Kanghyun’s cold cheek.

The hand that had been spread out on the sofa rose, covering Seoyoon’s back of the hand.

“Oppa, if you can’t sleep, wake me up.”

Instead of answering, Kanghyun pulled Seoyoon’s arm and embraced her.

Seoyoon didn’t resist Kanghyun, who tightly squeezed her waist, even though it made her chest feel tight.

She couldn’t interfere with the time he needed to catch his breath.

“You should sleep comfortably.”

Once through the accident, once through the return of Seoyoon’s memories.

Kanghyun, who had experienced the horrific farewell twice, made great efforts to avoid a third separation.

Even in the midst of sleep deprivation, he quietly came out to the living room to wait for the morning, not wanting to harm Seoyoon.

Seoyoon, who released Kanghyun’s gently stroked hair, patted his shoulder with the arm wrapped around her waist and said, “Let’s go to the bedroom; I’ll put you to sleep.”

Kanghyun obediently got up from his seat and followed Seoyoon.

“Come in, Vice President Taekanghyun.”

Seoyoon went up to the bed first and tapped her thigh.

“I’m not a vice president anymore.”

Lying down, Kanghyun smiled faintly.

“I’m on vacation. Are you planning to play and eat in Jeju Island for the rest of your life? Then let’s open a cafe.”

“It’s difficult for me until I get better. It’s still challenging.”

“Come on, take a break and go back home. You’ll return to work at the company.”

With her eyes closed, Seoyoon gently stroked Kanghyun’s face, whose only moving part was his mouth.

“Do you wish I’d return?”

“It’s your company. Even though I became Sejian and entered your office for the first time, seeing you work was really cool.”

“I didn’t bring you because I didn’t want others to notice you. I couldn’t tolerate others looking at you, talking about you. I admit that I treated you like my possession, Yuna.”

Under the warm touch, Kanghyun, raising his sleepy eyelids, looked at Seoyoon.

His eyes, which had sometimes been frighteningly empty, were now earnestly wavering with nothing to hold onto.
“What you mentioned before isn’t true at all. I never treated you lightly, not for a single moment.”

“I know.”

“I was wrong. So, even if you want to break up, please don’t say you won’t show your face.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“It’s not the same for me.”

Seoyoon, who had laughed without substance, quickly narrowed her eyes.

He, weakened to an extent incomparable to the past, was pitiful.

I made him like this.

Seoyoon covered Kanghyun’s eyes with her palm.

Pouring out confusion about her identity and resentment from the past, which came back with her memory, was ultimately an outburst.

Unable to properly separate the past and present, she dumped everything she had gathered onto Kanghyun.

It was no different from using the emotional trash can, and as time passed, regret grew.

Looking at herself, who had lived for five years like a dead person and had been living under another person’s name, he might have laughed and soon would fall into despair again.

If the difficult times were weighed and shaped into a form, it might not have tilted towards Kanghyun.

“Lie down for an hour, and let’s have breakfast. Or should I bring a glass of milk now?”

“No, Oppa needs to sleep. If you sleep deeply and wake up, I’ll make breakfast.”

“If I hold you, you might sleep better.”

“If I hold you, Oppa might not sleep well. I can’t go outside because of you. Turtlenecks and scarves are uncomfortable, and it doesn’t cover with makeup. Will my neck always be like this?”

Seoyoon playfully teased Kanghyun.

He had consistently reflected on crossing the line to the extent of causing harm to others, but he left what he could handle to Kanghyun’s discretion.

If he made a mistake similar to the past, he could smile and overlook it, finding Kanghyun intentionally leaving traces in visible places cute.

Within an hour of dozing off, Kanghyun, who opened his eyes, consoled the worried Seoyoon and left the bedroom.

Seoyoon, holding the remote control, turned on the channel broadcasting the news at exactly 11 o’clock and began preparing breakfast.

“Yuna, do you need help?”

“It would be nice if you could sit still.”