Chapter 10.8

Watching Yooheon’s stiffened face, Seo-hwa calmly continued.

“I know very well because I saw it a lot when I was little. I know exactly what kind of expression my mother makes when she lies.”

She hadn’t noticed it on the day she went to see her mother, as she was too distracted, but later, thinking it over, she realized.

The subtle expressions her mother made whenever she lied. The twitching eyebrows, the awkwardly raised corners of her mouth.

She could see those things all too clearly.

“And I know what matters more to my mother than me.”

Why did her mother lie like that? That question was soon answered. Yooheon probably didn’t know. Once her mother caught the scent of money, there was nothing she wouldn’t do.

Not long ago, a call came from an unknown number.

–Who is this?

[Seo-hwa, it’s Mom.]

–……Mom? How did you get my cell phone number?

[That’s not important right now. Seo-hwa, listen carefully. I have a proposal for you.]

The affectionate voice she had longed to hear came through, now meaningless, wrapped around words as sharp as a knife beneath a soft shell.

[The man you’re seeing now is the CEO of Daeam Hotel, right? What’s going on? I was shocked when I saw the news.]

Her mother’s voice was extremely excited. Unlike the cold tone she used when pushing Seo-hwa away, she now confessed, almost tattling, about what Yooheon had done.

[Actually, before you came looking for me, that man sent me money, you know? He even had me sign a contract to cut ties with you… That’s why I had to speak so coldly last time.]

–…….

[It’s true your father kept coming to bother me, but the story about me remarrying was all a lie. I was actually just living there and working. And I really did want to see you, Seo-hwa.]

–So?

[My daughter, you must take after me, since you’re so good at catching a money source. How about we pull off one more big score and run away together?]

–…….

[If you play it right, I think you could squeeze more money out of that man.]

Listening to her, Seo-hwa couldn’t help but laugh.

Even hearing the words she’d once longed for—‘I missed you’—her heart didn’t race anymore. Instead, regret washed over her for not letting go of what she should have released long ago.

–Mom.

[Yes, Seo-hwa.]

–……Did you ever really love me?

She’d always wanted to ask. She wanted to hear the answer, even if it was just empty words.

[……Huh? Of course, I love you so much. I acted too cold last time, didn’t I? I was just desperate for money, Seo-hwa.]

Young Woo Seo-hwa would have believed those words without question. To protect herself from getting hurt.

But now, she had enough strength to protect herself without clinging to love dressed up as a weapon. She had gained the courage to choose the kind of love that suited her.

–I loved you a lot, too.

[Yes, Seo-hwa. I know, I know you love me mom a lot. So……]

–So, live well, Mother. I’m hanging up.

[What? Seo-hwa, what are you…]

–You said you signed a contract not to see me anymore, with him. And you received all the money.

[Huh?]

–Then you shouldn’t ever contact me again.

Even as she severed the affection she’d longed for so much, it didn’t hurt. Instead, her heart felt strangely lighter.

In the past, she would have been chilled by the way Seo Yooheon acted behind her back, but now she could see it clearly. She could understand what kind of feelings drove Yooheon to do such things. Where those feelings came from.

She no longer hated him for his abnormal behavior. At the end of all his actions, there was always a desperate fear of losing love.

Hadn’t she already decided to accept the brokenness? Even if the shape was strange, being together made her feel at ease. It was warmer than any comfort she’d ever known.

“I’ll keep staying by your side, Oppa, even if you don’t do things like that.”

“…….”

“So don’t be anxious anymore.”

“…….”

“I told you I’d live happily together with you. I meant it.”

After Seo-hwa finished speaking, Yooheon stared blankly for a long time.

He had always watched over Seo-hwa from behind, so he felt confident there was nothing about her he didn’t know, yet she always surprised him with her unpredictable actions.

“You don’t hate me?”

His heart, which had been lifeless and dragging along the ground, began to beat fiercely again. Yooheon carefully opened his mouth.

“I don’t hate you.”

“Why? I did bad things behind your back.”

“They say people in love start to resemble each other. Maybe I’ve turned strange, just like you, Oppa.”

When Seo-hwa pouted playfully, Yooheon finally burst into a bright smile. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up, and showered her with kisses.

“Hey, you startled me, put me down!”

“What am I going to do with you, my Seo-hwa?”

Yooheon, eyes crinkling with laughter, bent down and pressed his lips to her protruding lips. He pulled away lightly, then pecked her lips again. Peck, peck, peck. The short sounds of kisses echoed like sound effects.

“Only say pretty things. You’re making my heart race.”

“Until now, I’ve only said mean things…….”

“…….”

“That doesn’t mean what you did was right, Oppa.”

“…….”

“From now on, don’t do things behind my back. Be honest with me. No more secrets.”

Seo-hwa, gently pushing away Yooheon who was kissing her excitedly, firmly warned him. This time, he grabbed both her cheeks.

“Can I really be honest?”

“Is there something else you’re hiding?”

“I put a tracker in your shoes.”

“…….”

A cold gaze swept across Seo-hwa’s face, as if measuring how much she could tolerate. Seo-hwa, her expression briefly stiffening, swallowed a sigh and answered.

“……I know.”

“…….”

“How else could you have found me when I fell down the hill? I guessed it from then on.”

Yooheon, staring at Seo-hwa with a thoughtful look, soon let out a dry laugh. His eyes sparkled with joy.

“Honey, I have another confession.”

“……Another?”

It had taken quite a bit of mental training just to accept things this far, so Seo-hwa bit her lip in surprise at the idea that there was yet another confession.

Worried that she might hear another earth-shattering truth, Seo-hwa took a deep breath.

“Go ahead, tell me.”

Pressing her chest as if bracing herself, Seo-hwa tried her best to prepare for the shock. Yooheon, holding her face, tilted his head behind her neck.

“It’s up.”

Yooheon pressed his lips to the rim of Seo-hwa’s ear and whispered softly. The tension that had been building up started to shift in a different direction. Seo-hwa’s face turned red as she grimaced and lightly tapped Yooheon’s shoulder.

“Didn’t you say to be honest?”

“Pervert… We were having such a serious conversation for once.”

“What did I tell you would happen if you blushed in front of a pervert?”

“Not here. Really, not here.”

As she narrowed her eyes and shrank her shoulders, surprisingly, he obediently put some distance between them.

“I’ll hold back. I still have more to say. And something to give you.”

“To give me?”

Seo-hwa tilted her head, and he stood up, telling her to wait a moment before walking away. His steps headed toward the parked car.

While waiting for Yooheon, Seo-hwa cast her gaze toward the sea, which looked like a painting. The beach was quiet and peaceful, with not a single person in sight. Gentle waves rolled in, crashed against the rocks, and disappeared like foam.

Thinking that this was the place where her mother had ended her own life, and where Yooheon’s olfactory hallucination disorder had started, the deep color of the sea that resembled him seemed, for a moment, sad.

She was still overlaying Yooheon onto the sea when it happened.

A new scent mixed with the refreshing smell of the ocean. Her nose twitched. Hearing a rustling sound behind her, Seo-hwa turned her head.

The moment she blinked, a shower of floral fragrance spilled over her face. Seo-hwa’s eyes widened. A single red petal from the mass of flowers fluttered on the breeze and landed softly on her cheek.

“What is this…?”

The bouquet she found herself holding was bigger than her face. If she hugged it, her face would be completely buried among the flowers.

The deep scent of the flowers tickled her nose.

Staring blankly, alternating between the bouquet in her arms and Yooheon, she watched as he naturally slid a ring onto her finger. The ring was simple yet luxurious, with a diamond set in the center. Yooheon wore an identical ring on his own hand.

“To be honest, I still can’t handle it.”

“…….”

“I want to be with you all day long, buried in you.”

Yooheon confessed quietly, meeting Seo-hwa’s gaze.

“I want to keep you by my side forever, to hide you away so no one else can see you. I wish your eyes would only reflect me, and I hate it when any other scent mixes with yours.”

“…….”

“If there’s anything that bothers you, I want to clear it away immediately.”

He didn’t care about the means. Anything that came between him and Seo-hwa, he wanted to get rid of it all. Even if it wasn’t what Seo-hwa wanted.