Chapter 10.6

“Mm.”

“These days, you’re busier than I am.”

“No way, with so few customers. You’re much busier, Oppa.”

“Even when I’m busy, I think about you a lot. But you, Seo-hwa, don’t think about me at all.”

He was feeling a bit dissatisfied, watching Seo-hwa work hard every day—getting up early to research recipes, keeping the shop open even when there were almost no customers. He didn’t like how she seemed so devoted to the cafe.

It was also a job to quietly chase away shady guys who tried to approach her, all without Seo-hwa noticing. And there were more than just a few.

With a look of disappointment, Yooheon gently bit Seo-hwa’s ear. Feeling a bit wronged, Seo-hwa raised her voice.

“I think about you too! You’re not the only one who thinks about me…”

“I even grabbed myself before a meeting. I got hard thinking about you.”

“……”

He shamelessly boasted about his affection, mentioning how he had to deal with himself in the bathroom before an important meeting because he suddenly got aroused thinking of her.

“What about you?”

“……”

“Have you ever touched yourself thinking of me?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

“Try a little harder.”

Yooheon smirked and pressed his lower body against her again. The presence was even more pronounced than before, poking insistently at the curve of her hips.

Seo-hwa tried to push away Yooheon, who was breathing warmly against her, making an effort to stay calm. She knew that even the slightest slip would let Yooheon in.

“Are you done with all your busy work?”

“Yeah. Now all that’s left is getting married.”

“……”

“Honey, should we do it today? The marriage registration.”

With a determined resolve to cast off its entrenched image, Daeam Hotel attempted a transformation by opening a luxury lounge bar. Starting from that, a series of reports praising Daeam Hotel’s unique, newly revamped services have been appearing one after another recently.

Alongside Daeam Hotel, the media’s focus has shifted to CEO Seo Yooheon, and as a result, the fact that the woman he is dating with marriage in mind is an ordinary person has also been highlighted. Unlike other conglomerates, Daeam Group’s avoidance of inter-chaebol marriages has unintentionally contributed to improving the company’s image.

These days, Chairman Seo’s lips have been curling up higher every day. The more favorable his attitude toward Yooheon became, the more fiercely Yoon Young-ok tried to push for Yooheon and Seo-hwa’s marriage. Her unwavering determination to somehow protect Seo Young-hoon’s position was evident.

Just as she wished, Chairman Seo Mun-hyeop eventually eased his previously sulky mood and reached out to Yooheon. At the regular dinner to which they were invited again, he subtly asked Seo-hwa and Yooheon when they planned to get married, revealing his change of heart. 

-Since you gave your permission as long as our hearts are in agreement, we’ll try to live happily together. 

Even though she had said such embarrassing words at the dinner table, when the issue of marriage actually came up, Seo-hwa’s mind grew complicated. Unlike her, Yooheon seemed ready to dash to the district office and register their marriage at any moment.

“First…… How about we date a bit longer before getting married?”

At her cautious suggestion, a chill instantly fell over the atmosphere.

“Why should we?”

Since it hadn’t been long since they started a proper relationship, Seo-hwa carefully suggested that maybe they should date a little longer before getting married. Yooheon responded with a blunt question, his gaze clearly trying to gauge whether Seo-hwa was thinking of running away again.

“Just in case.”

Seo-hwa chewed her lips nervously before finally speaking.

“……Because you might change your mind.”

He tilted his head, as if to say, ‘What are you talking about at this point?’

“If, for example, that scent you say comes from me disappears……. Would I still be someone special to you then?”

That question had often surged up inside her before.

Whenever she asked why he liked her, Yooheon always answered it was because of Seo-hwa’s scent. While she believed that his love wasn’t solely because of his olfactory disorder, she still felt a bit uneasy.

If, just if, her unique scent vanished from him, would Yooheon’s feelings change too?

“Are you worried?”

“…….”

“That I might come to my senses?”

She couldn’t deny it.

She felt sorry for Yooheon, whose whole world was filled with foul smells, and wished his condition would improve, but at the same time, anxiety welled up inside her. If his disorder disappeared, she might no longer be the object of his blind devotion.

He might realize that what he thought was love was actually just an escape.

If that happened. If he no longer considered her special. Would she have to let Seo Yooheon go then?

Even though she tried to break her old habit of worrying about things that hadn’t even happened, it was still difficult to shake off the worries that crept in unconsciously.

“If my illness gets better.”

With an anxious look, Yooheon lifted Seo-hwa’s chin as she gazed downward. He met her eyes, trying to read her meaning.

“Would you really let me go so easily?”

“…….”

“Because I don’t want to let you go.”

“…….”

“If you sign the papers, I have no intention of letting you go, Oppa…….”

“…….”

“So, you’d better think carefully.”

Her voice grew fainter toward the end. At Seo-hwa’s hesitant but serious answer, Yooheon burst out laughing.

“How exactly are you not going to let me go?”

“I’ll just kidnap you and lock you up. Every time you refuse to eat, I’ll pull down your pants, and make you repeat ‘I love you’ every day…….”

Listing the things Yooheon had done to her, Seo-hwa pouted her lips. She was teasing, hoping he’d reflect on his own actions, but as Yooheon listened quietly, his gaze gradually deepened.

“What, that sounds like a reward.”

“…….”

“Honey, should I run away today so you can come catch me? Then lock me up and do everything you just said. Please?”

“……There’s really nothing you won’t say.”

Afraid of imagining what kind of scene was unfolding in Yooheon’s mind, Seo-hwa quickly waved her hands to break his focus.

“Anyway, I’m being serious.”

“Why are you worrying about such cute things?”

With a playful tone, his palm landed on the crown of her head. He gently stroked her round head a couple of times, then asked affectionately,

“Seo-hwa, should we go on a trip? There’s somewhere I want to go with you.”

“So suddenly? When?”

“Now.”

“Huh? Now? I mean, even if I look like this, I’m still working, you know?”

“Take the day off.”

At his firm answer, Seo-hwa closed her lips.

“I really shouldn’t be doing things like this…….”

“Just for today. Please?”

As she hesitated, Yooheon cupped her cheeks and began showering kisses all over her face. He even dragged out the end of his words, acting cute.

“Really, just for today.”

“Okay.”

Running the shop in this state was impossible anyway. Seo-hwa gave in and started to close up.

After a while, Yooheon took Seo-hwa outside. Having hurriedly grabbed only a few belongings, Seo-hwa got into the car with a dazed expression.

“Where are we suddenly going like this?”

“A place I’ve always wondered what it would be like to visit with you.”

Yooheon replied with a faint smile as he took the wheel.

After driving for some time, they arrived at a seaside village.

* * *

They finally came to the sea they had promised to visit long ago. Since they were going to the ocean, Seo-hwa thought they’d head to a famous tourist beach, but unexpectedly, Yooheon’s car was heading to a region she had never visited before.

It was a remote seaside village whose name she had never even heard.

Seo-hwa rolled down the window and looked around outside. Beyond the narrow, winding roads surrounding the shore, she could occasionally see old houses nestled among the trees. The car quickly passed by buildings that looked like they could collapse at any moment, finally stopping at a spot overlooking the beach.

Unlike the village, which seemed abandoned for a long time, with trash left unattended and overgrown with weeds without a trace of people, the sunset-colored beach was dazzlingly calm and beautiful.

“Here is…….”

She wondered why he had suddenly brought her to a place like this, but for now, she followed Yooheon’s steps without asking anything.