Though Ki-hoon hadn’t been there at the time, he still felt like he could’ve done something to prevent it.

In case you don’t remember what I’m talking about, it’s the scar I got after burning my back on my spa outing with Jin-Yeok, Min-Cheol and Seo-Jun.

I got burnt without realizing it until it was so bad.

"I... I think it’s interesting," I said and he nodded.

"Yeah, it’s cute now." He made a little emphasis on the ’now’ but we all know it was a nightmare for him back then.

"I....I think that’s enough." I said, hoping to shift the mood into something lighter. "Want me to scrub yours?"

He was a bit taken aback but when he saw my blushing face and shy eyes, he laughed.

"It’s fine, don’t be shy," he whispered, his hand stalling over my hip, his thumb pressing firmly against the bone. "I’m just being fair, remember? You looked at me, so now I get to look at you."

The air in the bathroom was getting thinner. I realized then that Ki-hoon was a master of technicalities. He wasn’t breaking his promise—he wasn’t ’doing’ anything—but he was pushing the boundaries until I was the one who wanted to break them.

Just as I was about to turn around and tell him to stop teasing me, a muffled buzzing sound echoed from the outer room.

My phone.

It was vibrating against the marble counter outside, indicating I received a text message.

"Ignore it," Ki-hoon muttered, his grip on my waist tightening slightly.

"It might be Jie-Yu Noona," I said, trying to find an excuse to break the spell. "Let me just take a look at the picture she sent."

Ki-hoon sighed, sounding a little disappointed. He leaned forward, kissing the wet skin of my shoulder one last time before pulling back.

"Fine,"

Ki-hoon stood up first, the water sheeting off his broad shoulders as he grabbed the shower head. He didn’t rush. He rinsed the remaining suds from his back with a focused intensity, the muscles in his torso rippling under the warm spray. I tried to look away—I really did—but the sight was a lot more captivating than any movie we could have picked.

Once he was finished, he stepped out of the tub and reached for a large, plush towel, drying himself with a few quick motions before turning his attention back to me. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"The water’s getting cold," he said, his voice returning to that soft, velvet tone. "Come here."

I reached for the edge of the tub to hoist myself out, but Ki-hoon was faster. Before my feet could even touch the bath mat, he leaned down and swept me off the tub in one smooth, effortless motion.

"Ah!" I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat.

Instinctively, I hooked my arms around his neck, gripping his damp shoulders to steady myself. The sudden proximity, combined with the heat still radiating from his skin, made my face burn with a fresh wave of embarrassment. To hide it, I dropped my chin onto his shoulder, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

He smelled like the hotel’s expensive soap and something uniquely him—a scent that made me feel dizzyingly safe and dangerously exposed all at once.

"You’re surprisingly light, Jo-Pil," he whispered. I could feel the vibration of his voice against my chest.

"I can walk, Hyung," I mumbled into his skin, though I didn’t make any move to let go.

"I know you can. I just don’t want you to."

He carried me out into the main suite, his stride steady despite the fact that we were both dripping. He set me down gently on the edge of the massive king-sized bed, but he didn’t pull away immediately. He stayed hovered over me for a second longer than necessary, his eyes searching mine.

"The phone," he reminded me, nodding toward the marble counter where the screen was still glowing with a notification.

I scrambled to reach for it, grateful for the distraction. It was indeed a message from Jie-Yu Noona, but it wasn’t a picture of her this time. Turns out, I was trending... Again.

— Look at this! The paparazzi caught a ’Lee couple’ at the zoo today. Do I need to return today? Something tells me the mansion is going to turn into a battlefield today.

Attached was a blurry, long-distance photo of two people at a balloon stall. One was aiming a dart, and the other—towering and protective—was wrapped around his back.

I knew who the two were cause I was one of them and the other was Ki-hoon.

For the love of... How?!

"What is it?" Ki-hoon asked, leaning over my shoulder to look at the screen.

I felt a cold sweat that had nothing to do with the bath.

"We... we were spotted."

Those guys... They’ve probably been tailing us as soon as they recognized Ki-hoon was the one behind the sunglasses and hat.

Even if I dressed him up to avoid them, they still found a way to spot him. Tch. They’re too good.

Ki-hoon looked at the photo, then at me. Instead of looking worried, that wolfish grin returned, slower and more satisfied than before.

"Good," he said, reaching for the fresh shirt the staff had left on the bed. He tossed it to me. From one glance, I could tell it was his own shirt, crisp and having a faint scent of his Pheromones. "They can take all the pictures they want. It’ll give the others time to get used to the idea that you’re coming home wearing my clothes tonight."

My eyes went blank in disbelief.

This guy... does he really want to start a war?

If the others find out about this, I won’t hear the end of it. And it seemed like that was his plan no matter how I looked at it.

I looked at the oversized shirt, then at the door. If we went back like this, Jie-Yu Noona was right. But I’m sure it wasn’t just going to be a war—it was going to be a massacre. And I would be right in the middle. Welp.

"Are you ready to go back?" Ki-hoon asked, already dressing himself with a calm elegance. "Or should we give them another hour to let the tension simmer?"

I was lost for words, staring at him with a slack jaw.

Please, who are you?

Bring back my innocent Ki-hoon, right now.