Chapter 8.4

His lips landed on the nape of her neck. His lips, hovering over her neck, were cautious. Unlike usual, there was no sense of urgency, no hint of him sinking his teeth in.  

As his lips traveled up to her chin, she caught a faint scent of cigarettes.  

‘When did he even smoke?’  

She was sure they had been together before he went to bed, and she didn’t recall seeing him smoke.  

“Jeong-hyeok, by any chance… How long have you been awake?”

She gathered her breath and asked cautiously. She wanted to see his expression in the mirror, but he buried his face into the nape of her neck.  

‘There’s no way he didn’t hear my question.’  

He wasn’t the type of man who always answered when asked, so it was unclear whether he was simply too lazy to respond or deliberately avoiding her question.  

“Jeong-hyeok, did you not hear what I just said?”  

“Sol-ah, let’s play.”  

Eun-sol furrowed her brows slightly. His response was completely unrelated.  

‘No, not only is it nonsensical, but “let’s play”? Seriously?’  

Today, he really was like a child. He seemed defenseless, like a kid who would follow if you lured him with candy.  

Whether he had been awake earlier or not wasn’t all that important. She was a bit curious, but only that much.  

What intrigued her more was how much more defenseless this man could become today, and how much longer she could see this side of him.  

“Didn’t you say you were busy?”  

“What do you want to do for fun?”  

Eun-sol let out a small laugh. Still, he was the same as ever, saying only what he wanted to say.  

“Do you know this is the first time you’ve asked me what I want to do?”  

“That can’t be true.”  

Lifting his head, he raised one eyebrow slightly.  

Whether he genuinely didn’t know or was pretending not to, she still couldn’t figure him out. But, well, that didn’t matter either.  

“It’s the first time. Even when you asked things like what I wanted to eat or do, I always had to choose from the options you’d already decided on.”  

“Did I? Then from now on, you decide. I’ll do exactly what you want.”  

“Really?”  

Eun-sol looked at him skeptically through the mirror. He, once again, was busy brushing kisses along the nape of her neck, his lips moving lightly and unhurriedly.  

“I want to watch a late-night movie. And I’d like to have a beer at a bar with a great night view.”  

“Okay.”  

“Oh, and I want to eat ramen by the Han River. You know, the kind cooked in those aluminum bowls by vending machines. Oh, and I want to go for a night drive too.”  

“Sure, sounds good.”  

“And also… Wait, are you even listening to me?”  

“Yeah.”  

Jeong-hyeok answered casually. It didn’t matter what she said since he intended to do everything she wanted anyway.  

His car sliced through the deep night. The city lights passing by felt soft and dreamy.  

The city at night was breathtaking.  

‘Wait, is it really breathtaking?’

Eun-sol wasn’t entirely sure. The view outside the car window was blurry, as if a filter had been placed over her eyes.  

He slowly reached out and wrapped his hand around hers, which had been resting on her lap. His warmth seeped in, and the already hazy scenery outside the window turned completely white, fading into a soft glow.  

Everything felt perfect. The New Age music he had chosen, the way he held the steering wheel—it all seemed like a painting, especially with the urban night lights reflecting off him as he drove.  

His driving was calm and unhurried.  

“…This is my first time going on a drive with you, Jeong-hyeok.”  

She gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. The outline of his hand, firm and large beneath her fingers, made her breath feel warmer.  

“It’s not your first time. You just don’t remember.”  

Come to think of it, that might be true. Even before she lost her memory, there must have been at least one occasion like this. A strange feeling crept over her.  

“Did you hold my hand back then too?”  

“No.”  

His answer satisfied her, and she nodded quietly. Then, a small laugh escaped her lips.  

‘Am I jealous of my past self right now?’  

Since she couldn’t remember her past self, that version of her felt somewhat like a stranger.  

And yet again, she found herself asking,  

“Then why didn’t you hold my hand back then?”  

She questioned him suddenly. Even if she couldn’t remember, her past self was still her, after all.  

He turned his head slightly toward the window. Though she couldn’t see his face because of the angle, his reflection in the window looked as though he was smiling.  

Her heart fluttered. It was the first time she’d seen him smile so purely.  

‘Did I ever see this kind of smile from him before I lost my memory?’  

She suddenly found herself curious about that as well.  

Soon, the car arrived somewhere.  

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”  

To her surprise, the place where Eun-sol got out was Songdo Central City Park. Boats of various colors floated on the night lake, while the towering skyscrapers scattered their lights, shimmering on the water’s surface.  

“Let’s ride a boat.”  

Eun-sol nodded enthusiastically.  

There were many people waiting at the boat station. They joined the line, blending in with the crowd. The line was longer than expected, and she started to feel a bit impatient. Waiting like this was probably unfamiliar to him.  

He might grow bored or even try to offer money to the person in front to buy their spot in line.  

But he waited patiently without a word. When they finally reached the ticket booth, he genuinely looked delighted.  

The ticket booth staff greeted them kindly.  

“Which boat would you like? We have the Family Boat, Moon Boat, Star Boat, Cloud Boat, and Carriage Boat.”

He looked slightly confused, as if he had hit a wall trying to decide what to choose. This was the same man who had skillfully led that challenging meeting just this morning…  

‘Did he always have such a human side to him?’  

Her already tilted heart leaned even further.  

“Let’s go with the Family Boat. I want to ride the round one.”  

She wanted to watch that rare expression of his a little longer, but she held back since there were people waiting behind them.  

“The usage time is 30 minutes. Please adhere to the time limit.”  

Following the staff’s instructions, they put on life jackets. Even the life jackets felt like matching couple outfits, which made her laugh.  

“Wow, this feels so strange.”  

The boat floated gently on the night lake.  

The beautiful lights coming from the boat danced on the water’s surface. The moon and stars were nowhere to be seen. The night lake was so dazzling, it looked like a flipped-over night sky—a celestial wonderland.  

She had completely forgotten about the bizarre conversation she’d had with Chu Seo-jin in the mansion’s backyard just a couple of hours ago.  

The boat could be steered with a joystick, but neither of them touched it.  

Wherever the boat drifted, its direction didn’t matter. Its speed didn’t matter either. They simply let the waves and the wind guide them.  

As long as they could lean into each other’s arms, nothing else mattered.  

* * *

A 24-hour café overlooking the lake at night.  

Their nighttime date hadn’t ended, but his work hadn’t ended either.  

‘Who would’ve thought he’d end up working overtime here?’  

Eun-sol sipped her Americano through a straw and stuck out her tongue in disbelief.  

“When did you even pack your laptop?”  

She grumbled playfully, her tone slightly sulky. Of course, he couldn’t hide his workaholic tendencies.  

“I told you today was an especially busy day.”  

It amazed her how he could focus on work even with such a stunning night view in front of him.  

“Honestly, I’m not sure if I married a chaebol or a worker ant.”  

She muttered softly. These days, even new employees prioritize work-life balance, so what kind of third-generation chaebol works during a date?  

“You married a worker ant who happens to be a third-generation chaebol.”  

He answered casually, his eyes fixed on the endless rows of numbers in the report on his laptop.  

“In dramas, third-generation chaebols don’t even go to work. They’re always late, and they just eat and play all day.”  

“That’s because it’s a drama.”

Even though he seemed completely absorbed in his work, it was amazing how he still answered her every question. That made her want to keep talking to him.  

“In dramas, chaebols rent out entire restaurants for dates. Is that just because it’s a drama? Honestly, this feels like our first proper date, but don’t you think this is a bit too cheap?”  

It was a baseless complaint. She didn’t want anything special. She didn’t want to stand out. She just wanted a normal date like everyone else—walking, laughing, and sharing drinks.  

In that sense, everything was perfect. Except for the laptop that appeared at the end, which was a glaring error.  

Still, she was grateful that he made time for her, even on such a busy and important day.  

“Cheap? Do you even know how much this date is costing me?”  

“The boat rental was 40,000 won, and the two coffees and two slices of cake were 30,000 won. That’s a total of 70,000 won.”  

“Wrong. It’s 721.9 billion won.”