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“Miss Yul Li, Je Ho asked me to give you this.”
Approaching Yul Li’s seat, Director Kim handed her car keys. It seemed Je Ho, who had come to meet Director Kim, hadn’t come up to the office, but had met and parted outside.

“Ah, yes.”
What kind of face should she make when she sees Je Ho? Yul Li, who had been anxious, was abruptly relieved.

Just a moment ago, she was trying to figure out how to avoid Je Ho, but now that he was gone, she even felt a bit sad.

Yul Li, who was dumbfounded, quickly shoved the car key into her drawer.

She looked silly, showing her tears so absurdly… She would be grateful if he could overlook her common drunken behavior, but she wasn’t exactly at ease either.

If possible, it seemed best to avoid encountering him. Every time she met him, her mood swings worsened. It’s best to identify any risks in advance and avoid them.

So how should she return the jacket?

After a moment of thought, Yul Li decided to return it through Min Woo. The two men seemed to have some sort of competitive consciousness, but they were cousins, not enemies, so there shouldn’t be any big problem.

Near the end of the workday, she got a text from the wedding planner.

Upon seeing the text, Yul Li remembered today’s schedule. If the wedding planner hadn’t reminded her, she might have forgotten and gone straight home.

She was that uninterested in marrying Min Woo. All she wanted was to escape from her twisted family and take a deep breath for once. But it’s a wedding after all.

“Sigh.”
For some reason, she was feeling bitter, and Yul Li let out a soft sigh.

It’s strange. She had never questioned this marriage of convenience before, but now she was constantly feeling uneasy.

As Yul Li was trying to cheer herself up, she got a call from Min Woo.

[Isn’t today the day for fitting the wedding suit?] “Yep. I just got a reminder text.”
[I can’t make it today. How about you? You know I got an earful from grandfather because I went home first yesterday. I can’t leave work until 10, even if the sky falls.] “I got it. I’ll go alone today.”
After hanging up, Yul Li finished up her work, stood from her seat, and left a little earlier than usual for the underground parking lot. The car Je Ho had driven this morning was parked in her designated spot.

As she got into the driver’s seat, she could faintly smell a citrus scent. The heavy yet refreshing scent was definitely the perfume Je Ho had used yesterday.

Why was she noticing the scent today, when he was not around, which she hadn’t noticed yesterday?

Yul Li took a deep breath, tightly held the steering wheel with both hands, and started the car quickly before she could have any second thoughts.

((()))((()))((()))

“Is this the dress?”
“Yes.”
Wedding dress designer Nancy Song answered, observing Yul Li’s complexion. In front of them lay an antiquated, shabby dress. Na Do Hee of KG Group, considering it a family tradition, had suggested mending her grandmotherinlaw’s wedding dress for the ceremony.

Any normal bride would sigh at the sight of the wornout dress, but Yul Li accepted it indifferently.

“If it’s a tradition, we should follow it.”
Nancy Song swallowed her surprise and prepared the dress for the wedding shoot. Even if the dress for the main ceremony was like this, the dress for the shoot had to be glamorous.

“Should I do your hair up?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then please go inside, an assistant will be there to help you.”
Most bridestobe would try on the wedding dress with bridal hair done, but Yul Li went into the dressing room just as she was.

In defiance of the conventionality of her wedding gown, the dress for the photo shoot revealed her shoulders and plunged quite deeply at the neckline.

Concerned it was too revealing, Yul Li decided to try it on before the staff arrived. The exposed sternum was a bit of a concern, but she figured it would be fine if she had it altered or wore a bolero. Unable to zip it up alone, she came out of the dressing room seeking help.

“Could you help me zip this up?”
Instead of Nancy Song, who was supposed to be there, Je Ho was standing in her place. Taken aback, Yul Li froze momentarily on the spot.

Perhaps Je Ho hadn’t expected to see her there either, as he frowned momentarily. Then, quickly regaining his composure, he asked,

“So, you’re asking me to zip you up?”
At his words, Yul Li snapped back to reality. This was no time to be absentminded. She was wearing a dress that exposed her sternum so much it was provocative. Quick to cover her chest with her hands, Yul Li changed her mind and turned her back towards Je Ho.

“Yes, please help me.”
She didn’t want to reveal her embarrassment by frantically trying to cover her chest. If she turned her back naturally while asking him to zip her up, she wouldn’t need to make an effort to cover her chest.

“If you want……”
Je Ho responded, approaching with a leisurely stride.

“But, what are you doing here?”
Having blundered with her temper the night before, Yul Li asked very calmly.

“I came to get fitted for my suit, at the Chairman’s direction.”
With an equally calm voice, Je Ho responded, moving Yul Li’s hair to one side of her neck. His fingertips grazed her exposed neck, sending an unexpected tingling sensation throughout her body.

Why hadn’t she considered that there would be physical contact in having him zip her up? Regrettably, it was too late to regret her careless choice.

The barelythere touch of his hand moving up the zipper, along with the faint citrus scent, sent her nerves on edge. Yul Li’s face turned crimson.

Thankfully, he couldn’t see her flustered state since she was turned away.

But then……

As Yul Li turned her head thoughtlessly, she realized her reflection was clearly visible in the fulllength mirror placed beside her.

She wasn’t the only one looking at the mirror. A deeply intense gaze was directed entirely at her.

But his gaze wasn’t fixated on her exposed sternum, but on her upper arm. When Je Ho lifted the loose lace, a bruised area was revealed. The area that was red until yesterday.

“Does it hurt?”
As he carefully touched the bruised area with his thumb, Yul Li involuntarily shuddered.

“……No, no. It just looks that way.”
He slowly lifted his head from looking at the bruise with a troubled gaze.

“Let me ask again.”
Bringing his lips close to Yul Li’s ear, he asked in a whisper.

“Do you really need to get married?”
In the mirror, their gazes met fiercely.