Yuri smiled awkwardly.

“Honestly, this is the first time I’ve fallen in love with someone, and every moment feels bewildering. The fact that I can’t control my feelings—love is truly a bothersome emotion.”

Although Yuri seemed embarrassed, I was secretly happy that he had gone to such lengths for me.

Seeing him flustered and anxious felt like a sincere declaration of his love.

‘Adorable.’

Before I realized it, I leaned down and kissed the corner of his eye. His eyes, previously cast down gloomily, widened as he looked up at me.

I gently caressed his cheek and whispered, “Don’t worry.”

Because I truly love you too.

Yuri’s blue eyes softened. Then, his large hand grasped my wrist and pulled me toward him.

We ended up pressed against each other with no space in between. Yuri wrapped his long arms around my waist, and I naturally embraced his head with both hands. Yuri buried his head in my embrace and stayed still for a moment, as if catching his breath.

I gently stroked his soft pink hair. The sensation of the fine strands slipping through my fingers without tangling was ticklish.

Without lifting his head, he slowly began to reveal the source of his recent anxiety.

“When I saw Titi and Yujin, I felt like their meeting was destined.”

His statement caught me by surprise.

Yuri gave a bitter smile.

“Unlike others, a mage’s intuition often doesn’t end as just a feeling. So when Yujin appeared at the villa, I was on edge again.”

“I see.”

I couldn’t grasp what kind of premonition Yuri had or how intense it was. It didn’t feel real, and hearing this didn’t change my feelings toward Yujin now.

But seeing him so shaken meant it wasn’t baseless.

Me and Yujin…

“It could be destiny. There’s an old saying that people who are meant to meet will meet no matter what.”

At my words, Yuri lifted his head abruptly, looking as if he had been betrayed.

I smiled softly and finally said what I really wanted to convey.

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean between a man and a woman, does it?”

“What?”

“Even if Yujin is my destiny, the special person to me is you.”

While Yujin was an important and appreciated person, if I had to choose the most special person in my life right now, it was undoubtedly Yuri.

Hearing my firm answer, Yuri’s blue eyes trembled greatly.

“Titi…”

It was a mysterious sight, as if a layer of glass had been added over them.

But I couldn’t just stand there and stare in awe. Yuri suddenly hugged me tightly. He pulled me close to his chest and then rested his head on my shoulder.

His breath scattered heavily over my skin, as if he was swallowing deep emotions down his throat.

After taking a few deep breaths, Yuri spoke in a voice full of suppressed emotion.

“Titi, you probably don’t know how I feel.”

A flood of emotions washed over me at his grumbling.

‘Is there anyone else in this world who can shake him like I do?’

And for such trivial reasons.

A strange mix of fulfillment, excitement, and responsibility filled my heart. My voice trembled slightly, reflecting the unfamiliar emotions I was experiencing.

“Are you really afraid of destiny, great mage, who can even control the weather?”

Yuri, seemingly unaware of my trembling, pouted and replied.

“When you say destiny, it sounds light, but to be precise, what I’m worried about is the world’s coercive force…”

“Exactly.”

I cupped Yuri’s face with both hands. Locking eyes with him, I spoke clearly and deliberately.

“If destiny truly exists, shouldn’t it refer to you and me, who have met after crossing time twice?”

Before Yuri could counter my words with his perspective as a mage, I quickly leaned down and pressed my lips to his. As soon as our lips touched, the hands that embraced me tightened.

The way he roughly pulled me closer and gripped my back conveyed a determination to never let me go. Yet, the gentle way he parted his lips to share his breath was incredibly tender.

At some point, I had bent my knees and settled onto his thigh. With the hands that had been cupping his face, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

As the distance between us closed, Yuri’s scent tickled my nose. It was a fresh citrus fragrance, reminiscent of oranges.

‘A delicious smell.’

My lips felt inexplicably dry. As I opened my mouth to moisten them, Yuri seized the moment and adjusted his angle to press his lips against mine.

I wasn’t sure how long we kissed. When I finally lifted my head, panting for breath, the blue sky had already spread out above us.

Blushing slightly, I leaned my weight against Yuri.

“Still, it might be best to lift the spell soon. Your emotions are showing too plainly.”

Yuri responded by lightly kissing my cheek instead of answering.

***

After the storm subsided, the three of us headed out to sea to board the boat.

Since Yuri was using magic to control not only the weather but also the current, no one was actually steering the boat.

The sky was blue, and the sunlight was bright. Thanks to the cool breeze, it wasn’t hot at all.

Standing on the deck, Yujin twisted his lips as he looked at the perfectly clear sky, devoid of any clouds.

“The weather is surprisingly clear. Quite capricious.”

Yuri handed him a bottled drink with a chuckle.

“It’s because I’m in a good mood.”

Accepting the drink without hesitation, Yujin frowned.

“Was the bad weather earlier because I arrived?”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

Instead of replying, Yujin opened the drink. Yuri, who had been watching him silently, spoke again.

“This is your third life, right?”

“What?”

“This is your third life, isn’t it? Do you remember everything?”

Yujin’s complexion turned pale.

“How do you know…”

He had guessed it from observing how Yujin didn’t even flinch while casting such large-scale magic, and it turned out to be correct.

Yuri stood beside Yujin, gazing out at the distant blue sea. Unlike the clear sky above them, dark clouds were swirling at the horizon, much like how Yujin seemed to hide his turmoil beneath a calm exterior.

“Titi told me. She said that when she was despondent after ruining her life, someone called Master used magic to turn back time twice. The Master Titi mentioned is you, right?”

“She…”

Yujin trailed off, lowering his head as if contemplating for a moment before slowly speaking.

“Does she know too?”

Yuri squinted at his response. Every time he sensed a connection between Yujin and Titiana that he couldn’t understand, it turned his stomach.

But recalling Titiana’s words from earlier helped him regain his composure quickly.

“Would you like her to know?”

Yujin gazed at Yuri with an inscrutable look, then turned his head away as if disinterested, muttering under his breath.

“Well, you wouldn’t have told her.”

Though his words irritated him again, Yuri held back. There was something he wanted to hear from Yujin.

“I only have one question. Why did you allow me to use time-reversing magic on you? I’m not someone who would act out of altruism.”

“You know exactly why, so don’t find it strange. It wasn’t out of altruism. It was compensation for the damage.”

“Compensation for damage? From me to you?”

“Have you heard anything about the Master?”

Yuri frowned. Titiana rarely talked about herself, so he had to piece together information from various memories.

“I heard there’s a large burn scar on your face. That’s how you first met, right?”

“That burn scar was because of you.”

“Say that again. It was because of me?”

Yujin nodded briefly. Yuri was at a loss for words, startled by this new revelation.

After taking a moment to compose himself, he asked in a trembling voice.

“Couldn’t it be treated?”

“It was a scar that couldn’t be removed, even with magic.”

Is there really such a thing? Yujin candidly recounted the past to Yuri, who found it hard to believe.

“There’s a mage at the Magic Tower named Autumn Handridge, right? He hated you so much that he created a flame that couldn’t be extinguished by any magic. It’s a deadly weapon that looks like ordinary water unless a specific incantation is spoken.”

“Autumn?”

Though the person had been jealous enough to want Yuri dead, Yuri’s memories of him were vague, not even recalling his name or face clearly.

In life, the importance of others is not distributed equally.

Yuri replied indifferently.

“He wouldn’t have the ability to create such a potent substance.”

His confidence stemmed from the belief that he would know if there was such talent at the Magic Tower.

Yujin gave a wry smile.

“The obsession to hate and harm someone can make the impossible possible.”

“……”

Yuri opened his mouth to argue but then closed it again.

Whether he believed it or not, the person who had experienced it firsthand was standing right in front of him.

“In my first life, he mistook me for you and gave me the wrong potion. Can you imagine how painful that was?”

Yuri didn’t respond.

After taking a sip from his drink, Yujin continued.

“In my second life, Sabina commissioned that potion to kill you. I tried to stop her and ended up covered in it, getting burned.”