This scent…?

The same scent I had just felt from Min Woo.

It was distinctly lemon.

But she wasn’t certain. Perhaps she had mistaken the lemon scent emanating from Min Woo. Despite the odd discomfort it brought, Yul Li said nothing and followed Min Woo into his office.

“Do you have to say something important today?”
Min Woo asked as he sat on the sofa.

“Not really, but I didn’t want to put it off until tomorrow.”
Continuing the conversation, Yul Li sat opposite him.

“Only after our phone call ended did I find out. Je Ho is planning to design our newlywed house.”
“…Ah, that.”
Recalling it seemed to bring discomfort, as Min Woo’s face contorted.

“If I had known sooner, I would have objected. I’m also uncomfortable. So, if you don’t feel like it, please decline the Chairman’s offer.”
“Eh?”
Taken aback by Yul Li’s suggestion to refuse, Min Woo paused. He had thought she wouldn’t care who designed the house or might even be pleased. But now that she too was uncomfortable, he suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Starting their marriage in a house designed by Je Ho was less than desirable, but going to Chairman Kwon to refuse was another story entirely. Just imagining standing in front of Chairman Kwon was intimidating.

“Yul Li,”
Min Woo leaned towards Yul Li and cautiously began to speak.

“Je Ho is a very famous architect, you know.”
Since Yul Li didn’t want it, he felt somewhat relieved. He had worried if she might be drawn to Je Ho. But hearing her express discomfort, he thought it might have been a baseless fear.

“Grandfather specifically asked him to do it for us, if we refuse, he will be upset.”
“What?”
Yul Li was taken aback by Min Woo’s sudden change in attitude. Just earlier in their phone call, he had sighed as if the world had ended.

“Let’s leave it to him. He will design our house beautifully.”
Yul Li had no further words for Min Woo who was smiling brightly at her. He had always been capricious. Now, for some reason, he had changed his mind again. Any prolonged conversation with Min Woo would have been a waste of time.

“I understand your point.”
Yul Li said dryly as she stood up.

What to do?

Yul Li boarded the elevator and was immersed in her thoughts after leaving the office.

As per Chairman Chae’s words, refusing the offer by visiting Chairman Kwon didn’t look good. But she couldn’t start her marriage in a house designed by Je Ho.

She was so shaken now… If she were to live in a house he designed, she might continue to have the same dreams. Even the thought of it was enough to frighten her.

The elevator heading for the lobby stopped midway. The door opened, and a deputy she had seen in the corridor appeared. She seemed to be on her way home.

They didn’t exchange greetings, but when the deputy saw Yul Li, she smiled and nodded. Yul Li also smiled back.

As soon as the deputy entered the elevator, a familiar scent filled the narrow space, and Yul Li inhaled lightly.

It wasn’t a mistake. She could smell the same lemon scent from the deputy standing next to her as she had from Min Woo. Her hair ends were slightly wet, just like Min Woo’s. She hadn’t noticed it earlier because she had passed by quickly.

A moment later, the elevator door opened upon reaching the lobby. The deputy gave a slight nod to Yul Li and quickly exited the elevator.

Yul Li silently watched the deputy’s receding figure.

She seemed to understand now why Min Woo hadn’t picked up the phone, why he was so surprised to see her in the office. If he was trying to hide it, she wished he would hide it completely so that she could ignore it and move on.

“Huh.”
Yul Li chuckled softly and firmly pressed the close button.

At that moment, she remembered the sweet and refreshing scent she had felt in her dream last night. The smell of musk and citrus mixed with his unique body odor… The elevator was filled with the smell of lemons, but she didn’t know why she suddenly remembered that scent.

Was it because they were in the elevator? Because of the dream? As the image of their lips naturally overlapping emerged, Yul Li gently bit her lower lip. Even though it was just a dream, her heart began to race.

As she drove home, Yul Li called Hyun Kyung. Despite the late hour, Hyun Kyung picked up the phone at the first ring.

“Hyun Kyung, it’s me.”
[Yul Li!] Hyun Kyung’s voice was escalated, as if she had been waiting for Yul Li’s call. The two had not had a chance to talk for a few days because Hyun Kyung was visiting Singapore.

[Why does your voice sound like that? Are you worried about something?] Just by hearing her voice, Hyun Kyung could tell what state Yul Li was in. Hyun Kyung was always like this. She generously poured out the comfort that Yul Li couldn’t receive from her family.

“It’s not worry, just a bit of a problem.”
Yul Li briefly explained the situation. At first, Hyun Kyung’s reaction was the same as Chae’s.

[So what? A worldclass architect is designing it, you won’t be at a loss, will you?] “Je Ho almost married me in the past.”
[That’s true. He was your first love.] Lucky if it was just first love.