He stared intently at Debbie’s hands, wanting to hold them. However, Debbie ignored his gaze and instead hid her hands.

He then turned his head away and no longer looked in Debbie’s direction.

They reached the scene where beautiful melodies flowed and lead actress Vivian monopolized the spotlight, singing sadly alone.

He seemed uncomfortable with his position too, changing postures and crossing his legs the other way.

Perhaps because it was a connected couple’s seat, every time he adjusted his position, subtle vibrations resonated through the seat, making Debbie even more conscious of his presence.

Debbie found this situation extremely awkward and quietly spoke to him.

“Don’t mind me and feel free to sit comfortably.”

After she said that, Blake froze like ice and didn’t move a muscle.

Debbie found that even more burdensome and uncomfortable.

They had come to see a musical, not compete in an endurance contest of maintaining one position. Unless she relaxed her posture first, he would obviously continue sitting in that same position.

Sigh.

When Debbie sank back into her seat and relaxed her body’s tension, her arm touched his again. Though slightly startled, she didn’t pull her arm away.

As time passed with their arms touching, Blake’s posture also began to relax, and soon their thighs were touching as well.

Just the contact alone felt hot. Strange heat spread through her, and all her nerves focused entirely on that spot.

Debbie started to flinch and pull away, then stayed still, worried he might stiffen into an uncomfortable position again.

‘I can’t breathe.’

Throughout the performance, Debbie kept glancing at Blake beside her. She should have been paying attention to the musical, but she was too conscious of him beside her to focus on anything else.

She suddenly realized that now felt more awkward and distant than before watching the musical.

Though Debbie hadn’t wanted this date from the beginning, he had spent money and time trying to change her mind about thinking he was a pervert, yet she was growing more distant from him instead.

After all, wasn’t he the president of the publishing house where Debbie worked?

Unlike her initial reluctance to go to work, now that she had developed a desire to work there longer, she worried that her boss might use this date as grounds for dismissal or create difficulties at work.

He crossed his legs the other way again, his discomfort evident. She couldn’t tell how many times he had fidgeted.

Then their hands brushed again. She could feel him intentionally avoiding contact. The uncomfortable atmosphere continued along with the uncomfortable postures.

Somehow her shoulders grew stiff and her neck felt tense, so Debbie decided she needed to break this atmosphere.

Rather than being conscious every time their hands brushed, let’s just hold hands.

‘If I take his hand first, he’ll think I have favorable feelings too. Holding hands isn’t such a difficult thing anyway.’

While waiting for the right moment to hold hands, Debbie realized Blake was trembling slightly. So she glanced at his face.

He was staring at the stage with an expressionless face. However, his subtly twitching eyebrows revealed that he was extremely nervous.

Maybe he was feeling thrills from watching the musical.

“Is something wrong?”

When she whispered with a worried expression, he turned his head toward Debbie. Then he smiled.

“Just… I’m not used to places like this. I hate darkness.”

Taking his words as an opportunity, her cautiously extended hand bravely caught his. His heartbeat transmitted directly to Debbie’s palm through his blood vessels.

His strong pulse was getting faster and faster.

Is he really trembling?

To think that someone who seemed to lack nothing and appeared so strong could also feel fear.

Their eyes met again.

This time Blake looked serious.

“What are you touching, Lady?”

Debbie startled and pulled her hand away.

“Your intentions seem impure.”

He whispered.

“Han… hands are wholesome, you said so!”

Though Debbie made excuses, she wanted to disappear into thin air at this moment.

“Pfft!”

He forcibly suppressed his laughter while taking Debbie’s hand. This time Debbie also actively held his hand.

Muttering to herself that it was for the peace of her work life. What touched was bare skin without gloves.

His large hand wrapped around Debbie’s warmly. Then he interlaced his fingers between hers, holding them firmly together.

Soon his fingers playfully touched the palm of Debbie’s clasped hand.

Tickle tickle.

Had she worried for nothing?

Unlike his trembling hands, he smiled brightly. Like he was genuinely happy about this moment of holding hands with Debbie.

Seeing that, she felt he wasn’t just a rigid person, contrary to what she had thought.

Debbie had only held hands, yet the new sensation she felt seemed amazing.

Is this the power of physical contact?

Debbie’s heart also pounded along with his. The fact that someone who had felt so distant before was now this close struck her as remarkable.

She didn’t want to be caught having her unpleasant feelings toward him melt away like snow just from holding hands, so she pretended to focus only on the performance.

The contact between body temperatures stirred strange feelings.

Debbie recalled the first moment she had touched his bare skin. Back then she had felt so unpleasant that she didn’t want to pay much attention to the feeling of touching him.

However, in this dark, enclosed space, when his warm, firm palm could be felt directly, his existence approached her in a new way.

But Blake, who had been smiling whenever their eyes met, frowned as soon as he turned his head away. He felt like vomiting right now but was holding it in.

‘This place is not a dark basement.’

He muttered to himself several times like self-hypnosis. Still, this enclosed space with so many people was bearable.

Blake truly hated narrow, dark, enclosed places. He especially avoided places so cramped that bodies would get squeezed.

Because they brought back childhood trauma.

When the lighting was a bit brighter before the musical started, it was bearable, but once the curtain rose in earnest and the audience lighting went out, fear began creeping in, and throughout the performance he barely restrained himself from wanting to run outside.

‘I’m no longer powerless. If I don’t like it, I can quit anytime and go outside.’

To think he had paid money and come to such a dark place on his own feet just to clear up one misunderstanding. It was truly insane.

But what could he do? She had said it was a performance she really wanted to see.

What made it bearable was feeling her body temperature.

The certainty that he wasn’t alone in this darkness. This vivid sensation of touching someone was maintaining his sanity.

He couldn’t quite focus on the performance. So Blake focused on Debbie instead.

The boy had grown and become an adult.

The girl who had become an adult was laughing.

They say there are many types of laughter, and just by looking at her expressions, he felt he could tell what mood the play was in.

Laughter that seemed proud, laughter from being dumbfounded, refreshing laughter, belly-clutching giggles.

Just watching her wasn’t boring at all.

Perhaps because he stared too intently, Debbie kept glancing back at him, so each time he pretended to watch the performance while waiting for her to become absorbed in the musical again.

Whenever his trembling hands seemed to concern her, she would hold his hand even more tightly.

‘Damn. I want to cut off these trembling hands.’

Was he receiving pity?

He hated pity. But he didn’t want to let go of her hand. If he let go now, who knows when she would hold it again.

Still, he had endured well so far. He tried to divert his thoughts. And once again he looked at Debbie.

How could such varied expressions bloom and fade in an instant?

The person who had been laughing breathlessly just moments before suddenly shed tears. At that sight, Blake couldn’t help but chuckle.

He hadn’t come to see the musical anyway. He had come to appreciate Debbie watching the musical.

Blake propped his chin with his other arm and endured his fear of darkness by watching Debbie.

Though his heart kept racing and his breathing grew short, it was bearable.

Strength entered their clasped hands. Debbie seemed to have been watching for changes in him.

The music signaling the end of the performance played, and without letting go of Blake’s hand, Debbie expressed her gratitude.

“Thank you. It was really a wonderful performance.”

Though no one asked, Debbie began chattering about her impressions. If you listened carefully, her words were rambling stories, but Blake listened without showing it.

She seemed to be doing this to hide her awkwardness from feeling his intense gaze throughout the performance.

The lights came on in the audience, and Blake could finally be freed from the dark, narrow space.

His expression brightened as though he wondered when he had broken out in cold sweat. Once it brightened, he no longer trembled.

Even though his trembling had stopped, Debbie still held his hand.

Debbie looked at him and smiled brightly.

“Let’s go.”

Blake’s eyes widened at her sudden smile, then a smile appeared on his lips.

“Hah, hah! I barely caught up!”

Just then, Vivian, who hadn’t even removed her stage makeup, squeezed between the two.

“I knew you’d just leave without saying goodbye, so I ran like crazy to catch you. Hah!”

After panting and catching her breath, Vivian raised her head. Her eyes saw Blake and Debbie with their arms linked.

Seeing this, Vivian raised one corner of her mouth and said, “What’s this? You used to hate even being touched back in my day.”

Debbie saw the mischievous smile that appeared on Vivian’s lips.

“This one must be real.”

Vivian swept her disheveled hair back and crossed her arms, speaking sarcastically.

“Though I hate to admit it, I hope you two will be happy. I’m only saying this as lip service so you’ll come as audience members at least. Thanks for helping me when things were tough. It’s unfortunate that all I can repay you with is making a name through excellent acting, but live well.”

At Vivian’s stream of words, Debbie felt puzzled.

Wasn’t she the actress who had been embroiled in scandals with Blake?

Yet the way she looked at Blake seemed like she was looking at a benefactor. Debbie looked up at Blake with confusion.

When Blake’s eyes met Debbie’s, he wore a smugly arrogant smile.

Tsk.

Debbie turned her head primly away.

“As a final farewell, can I have just one kiss to completely let go of my lingering feelings?”

At Vivian’s words, completely ignoring Debbie beside her, Blake’s complexion hardened as he said curtly, “No.”

“If I don’t do it just because you stop me, would I still be Vivian?”

Suddenly Vivian rushed forward.

Smooch!

And a red kiss mark was left on Debbie’s cheek.

Debbie’s eyes widened at the unexpected kiss, but Vivian quickly shouted and ran away.

“If you kiss this cheek, it’s like kissing my lips too! I won!”

Blake ran a hand down his face and sighed.

“That’s why scandals never end around her. Good grief.”

“Exactly.”

The voice agreeing wasn’t Debbie’s. When Debbie turned around, a delicate actress with pink hair was standing there.

In Debbie’s memory, she was another actress who had been rumored with Blake.

“I came to see Vivian’s performance and happened to run into you.”

She smiled sweetly as she greeted them.

“Rose? Oh, were you and Vivian friends?”

At Blake’s words, she smiled sweetly.

“You remember me. Thank you. I won’t forget the help I received back then.”

Debbie’s brow furrowed. This was the second time. Someone who had been the subject of scandals was thanking Blake.