“Breathe,” Jaeho told her, turning her around to face him. He stroked her hair lazily and smiled.

“Did you sleep well?”

…Did I sleep well? How could he ask that?

Dajeong glared at him silently.

The man last night wasn’t very kind.

Sure, it started gently, but his patience wasn’t long. He quickly drove Dajeong to her limits, bringing her somewhere between heaven and hell. He even muttered incomprehensible swear words.

‘Going crazy,’ ‘losing my mind,’ and finally, ‘I’m going to die because of Yoon Dajeong.’ Dajeong was too melted to retort, though she found it ridiculous inside. It was her who was about to die, really.

“I slept well,” he shamelessly said.

“Really, you’re terrible.”

Hearing Dajeong’s pouting, he laughed heartily. Dajeong hit his solid chest, but it only hurt her hand more. Eventually, he caught her wrist. Now, he didn’t even ask permission before rushing in for a kiss.

Gently devouring Dajeong’s pout, he whispered in her ear.

“How was it yesterday, Dajeong? Did you like it?”

His brazen confidence was evident in his expression. Dajeong didn’t want to affirm it because of his smugness.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Then he recounted the embarrassing and explicit cries she had uttered last night, right into her ear.

“!”

Dajeong instantly blushed.

“What did you mean by that?”

Really, this man…

It had been harder and more intense than expected, but at some point, her mind blanked out, leaving her alone in the world with Jaeho.

In the end, just as Jaeho said, he was the only thing in her universe. Dajeong bit her lower lip and confessed.

“…It was good.”

Playing with her hair, winding it around his finger, he finally smiled satisfactorily.

“That’s not enough for me.”

“…”

“I’m sorry in advance.”

“For what?”

“I think I’ll end up holding you more greedily, more often.”

And before she could argue back, he quickly got up, fixed her dress properly, and then straightened the blanket, saying,

“I want to hold you even now, but let’s start with breakfast. I’ve prepared it.”

Then he added one more thing.
“I guess I tortured you too much yesterday. You need to recover your strength.”

“When did you prepare breakfast…”

Surprised that she hadn’t sensed any movement, Dajeong felt a bit startled. She would have surely woken up if there had been any noisy bustle, but she had slept soundly like she had fainted.

“It seemed you wouldn’t wake up even if I was noisy.”

Entering the living room, Dajeong found a table set with Doenjang stew and a few simple side dishes. While she was still in a daze, Jaeho handed her a spoon.

“The Doenjang and side dishes were prepared by the pension owner. I just fried the eggs.”

“Ah. Thank you. Then let’s eat quickly and go find the car.”

Remembering why they had ended up staying at the pension, Dajeong became anxious. Although it was unlikely that the expensive luxury car would have disappeared, they had left it in the middle of the road.

“No need to rush. Eat slowly.”

“?”

“Actually, my manager is staying nearby. I called him this morning using the pension owner’s phone and sorted everything out.”

“Ah.”

“The car was towed by the insurance company, and they brought another car I had as a spare. They also found my phone. I couldn’t get into your lodging since it was locked.”

“Okay.”

Dajeong nodded and continued eating her stew when suddenly a strange thought struck her.

“Ah. But then, last night…”

“Hm?”

“You could have asked the pension owner to contact your manager then, right?”

Silence fell.

Jaeho put down his spoon and looked at Dajeong leisurely. Slightly frowning, he then slowly curled up one side of his lips.

“Really.”

“?”

“Why would I do that?”

The silence deepened.

The fragrance of the passionate embrace from last night wafted up like a mirage.

“Ah.”

Dajeong clinked her spoon, a bit lost. It felt silly to be angry. She had already admitted that she enjoyed it. And indeed, it had been an overwhelmingly blissful time.

Not wanting to show her flushed face, Dajeong buried her head in her bowl. Jaeho chuckled softly. After eating a few spoonfuls of rice, a thought suddenly crossed Dajeong’s mind. This question had to be asked. She lifted her head.

“Jaeho. But surely, surely you didn’t… right?”

“What?”

“…You didn’t deliberately puncture the car tire, did you? Right?”

Jaeho burst into laughter as if he had heard a very funny joke. Dajeong looked at him desperately, and he softened his eyes, as if looking at a beloved cat.

“I can’t say anything to that suspicion.”

Upon returning to her lodging and opening her phone, the first thing Dajeong saw was the Jaeho fan group chat. The chat was exploding with real-time gossip. It was usually quiet, but every now and then, when the timing was right, they’d chat all day.

The most talkative member was .

[The rumor that Jaeho is the heir of Taemyeong Group is circulating in the stock market again.] [ㅋㅋ You’re talking about that again.] [Isn’t Jaeho just too perfect? ㅋ]

It was the recurring rumor about Jaeho being a chaebol. A topic that often resurfaced among fans.

Dajeong was well aware of it. With his impressive educational background and stunning visuals, these kinds of rumors circulated frequently.