Chapter 185:

A sigh rose to Lee-yeon’s mouth. It was supposed to be a month that she wanted to live and work quietly, but she encountered unexpected trouble.

As she bit her lip and glared at him, Gyu-baek, who had been watching the whole situation, suddenly pushed Kwon Chae-woo’s lower abdomen and separated the two. Then he quickly turned around and tightly grabbed Lee-yeon’s hand.

“Director, you shouldn’t get angry.”

“…Oh, Gyu-baek, I’m sorry. That-”

She was belatedly flustered by the fact that she showed such behavior in front of the child. “The principal breathes as diligently as a frog.”

“Uh, yeah, yeah.”

In response to the man’s cold scrutiny, she unknowingly released the tension that had stiffened her body. Her heart was beating so fast that it was terrifying.

Even though she had already emptied Kwon Chae-woo from her mind, he still managed to manipulate people without fail.

It could have escalated to the end if Gyu-baek hadn’t put on the brakes.

As she regained her composure, she noticed that Kwon Chae-woo was in a complete mess. His face was covered in sweat, his hands were bloody, his pants were covered in dirt, and there were bloodstains on his elbows and knees. It seemed like he had rolled around while blocking the car, but Kwon Chae-woo didn’t seem concerned for his own body.

“….”

“….”

The gazes of the two collided silently once again. While Lee-yeon quickly regained her composure, Kwon Chae-woo remained frozen in place. Within his unsettled gaze, there was an incomprehensible obsession.

Naturally, Lee-yeon spoke up. “Those emotions belong to you, not to me.”

“….”

“So, don’t pass it onto me and figure it out on your own. Last time, you said you entrusted me because you lost your memory and weren’t in the right state of mind. We should avoid making the same mistake again.”

She drew a clear line in the sand.

Upon hearing her words, the man who had remained composed even when hit by a car suddenly contorted one side of his face.

Lee-yeon turned her back, leaving Kwon Chae-woo, silently swallowing something, behind. Surprisingly, her footsteps were hesitant. But even if an angry wave crashed against the firm Lee-yeon, it wasn’t she who would break and turn white.

“After mating, male spiders get eaten by females. Therefore, dead males don’t speak.”

At that moment, Gyu-baek turned to Kwon Chae-woo and playfully said something. His brows naturally furrowed at the child’s words.

Despite the confusion, none of the adults noticed the fact that Gyu-baek had gently blown warm breaths onto Lee-yeon’s stomach, making a “hoo-hoo” sound.

Kwon Chae-woo remained frozen, unable to grab hold of Lee-yeon, who continued to walk away with that expression. It was a terrible sight to watch her gradually getting farther away.

He felt suffocated by his inability tto bring her back easilyo easily bring her back. Ironically, her firm words began to twist and accumulate in his throat, obstructing his airway.

“My Lord.”

Jang Beom-hee, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, called out to him.

“My Lord.”

“….”

After a while of no response or movement, Kwon Chae-woo suddenly took a step. In the place where Lee-yeon, who was now gone, had momentarily stayed, he overlapped his footsteps.

Even though he wanted to continue tormenting her like on the last day in Hwai-do, his forehead, which had turned red and swollen, bothered him, and felt like it would drive him crazy.

This dualistic, sticky pool of emotions wouldn’t release its hold on him. However, Lee-yeon, with determination, broke it apart and rebuilt it all by herself.

In that case, for a stray dog with nowhere to go but back to the starting point and a puppy clearly abandoned by its owner, it was uncertain which direction its joints should take. “Is it raining now?”

“What?”

Kwon Chae-woo blurted out nonsense.

Jang Beom-hee tried to discern his intentions, but a sharp voice interrupted this time. The damp, suffocating atmosphere that had been squeezing their ankles seemed like a mere illusion.

“Since when?”

Although it was a lackluster remark, Jang Beom-hee immediately understood and lowered her head.

“When you returned home, Gyu-baek was accidentally brought along in the trunk.”

A brief burst of hollow laughter made his lower lip tremble.

“Beom-hee, even though you know this, you still…?”

“Please, my Lord. You need to rest.”

“Don’t engage in unnecessary actions.”

Kwon Chae-woo clenched his incisors tightly and took a threatening step forward. Jang Beom-hee, momentarily faltering at the growling voice, quickly clenched her cold hand and raised her gaze.

“…Are you afraid, by any chance?”

“What?”

“In case So Lee-yeon might actually wake you up-”

“…!”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll realize your body is still bound to So Lee-yeon?”

His deeply sunken pupils shook uncontrollably.