Jj Zhi, that traitor!
When did her dear brother become Shin Keir’s delivery boy?!
So much for the overprotective sibling act. He didn’t even send her a message. Not even a "heads-up, I’m dropping off food, guess from whom?"
But thinking about it... it did make sense. If Jj brought the food and told the receptionist it was perishable, they’d deliver it directly to her room.
She sighed. At least it was food, not something over-the-top like jewelry or a car key.
"Thanks," she said quietly. Then, as if remembering something she forgot, she added, "And... thank you for protecting me last night. Truly."
Then Shin’s voice returned, softer. "I dragged you into my mess. You don’t... hate me for that?"
Was he... worried about that?
"Well," she replied honestly, "it’s not like you did it on purpose. And besides... I’m still alive, aren’t I? So no. I don’t hate or blame you."
In fact, had it been someone else, someone who couldn’t fight like him, who panicked instead of protecting her, she might’ve been abandoned.
In desperate situations, people tend to save themselves first.
There was a low chuckle on the other end. Yeri wasn’t sure if Shin was laughing at her, at himself, or at something else entirely.
Still, he sounded... happy?
She didn’t dwell on it. Maybe he just closed a billion-dollar deal while talking to her.
"I just called to ask you that," she said, ready to end the call.
"What about you?" Shin teased. "When are you going to finally compensate me with a cup of coffee?"
Yeri rolled her eyes. He’s still on about that? "When I’m free. I’m busy this week. And this weekend is my field trip."
"That’s fine," he said smoothly. "How about we meet before the weekend?"
Yeri hesitated. "I can’t promise anything. If I don’t have any school projects or club meetings, then maybe."
What she expected to be a brief call turned into... hours.
Shin just kept talking.
Random topics. Small things. Silly things.
And somehow, she couldn’t hang up.
It reminded her of that morning, when he seemed oddly reluctant to let her leave the car. Like he didn’t want to part ways so soon.
Even now, when she said she needed to eat or go to the bathroom, he just replied with, "I’ll wait."
Why is Shin Keir acting ?
Could it be... he was the one suffering from trauma?
Was he developing some kind of post-battle clinginess? Separation anxiety?
She poked at the soft, juicy shrimp with her chopsticks while Shin Keir’s voice came through her phone speaker.
He was still talking. Still not tired.
’This guy... might be more messed up than I thought.’
Shin Keir had been in a strangely good mood lately.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the company. The sudden announcement of a company-wide employee re-evaluation had everyone on edge.
"Yo! I was only gone for a few days and now the company’s in chaos," Tristan said as he entered Shin’s office, tossing a folder onto the desk. "What’s with this sudden restructure?"
Shin didn’t bother looking up. His eyes stayed on the documents in front of him. "Nothing new. Just the usual employee evaluation."
Tristan sighed. Of course. Once Shin decided on something, it was already set in stone. No point arguing.
Still, he knew the evaluation was technically for the company’s benefit, just like regularly cleaning a house to keep cobwebs, termites, and rot from festering unseen.
Even so, he couldn’t help but squint suspiciously at Shin.
Before Shin could respond, the office door swung open with a loud bang.
"Good, you’re both here!" Saeki stormed in, voice full of complaints. "Why haven’t you answered any of my messages or calls?!"
He froze mid-rant when he saw Tristan’s face.
"What the hell happened to you?" Saeki exclaimed. "You look like you just got gang-harassed by a hoard of ex-girlfriends."
Tristan lifted a brow. "Thanks. That’s exactly what I needed to hear today."
"Bro, were you trying to fit too many in your schedule again? If it starts feeling like an obligation, the fun’s gone," Saeki said dramatically, throwing himself onto the nearby couch.
Tristan sighed but went along with the nonsense. "Yeah, pity the human body has limits. It’s tragic, really."
Shin finally looked up, annoyed. His gaze landed on Tristan, then narrowed. "Go see a doctor. Take the rest of the day off."
Tristan’s mouth twitched, ’Not you too.’
He wasn’t sick. He didn’t have a scandal. He wasn’t recovering from a wild night.
If anything, he looked because he’d used too much of his ability suppressing Shin’s last episode... and healing that high priest wasn’t exactly a breeze either.
Before he could explain, Saeki cut in with his real purpose.
"By the way, my company’s hosting a gala tomorrow night. I want both of you to come."
Tristan gave him a side-eye. "Just tomorrow night? I thought it was a weekly thing. The entertainment industry sure know how to party."
Saeki scoffed. "It’s called networking, thank you very much. Building connections. Enhancing reputation."
Then he turned toward Shin, clapping his hands together in mock sincerity.
"Dear Great Older Brother," he said in his most innocent tone, "you’ll come, right? I promise you won’t regret it."
Shin gave him a hard look. "Why?"
Saeki avoided his gaze and quickly launched into his real agenda. "Since you’ve finally opened your eyes to the allure of women, I figured it’s time to show you what the real market looks like. Trust me, there’s a whole world out there...women who are more beautiful than Yeri Zhi, more intelligent, with better family backgrounds, and far better personalities."
Again, this idiot clearly had no self-preservation instincts.
"Don’t get me wrong, Yeri is definitely memorable. That enchanting beauty is hard to forget," Saeki rambled on, oblivious to Shin’s darkening expression, "but a pretty face is just a pretty face, is it?"
"You’re not even in the same social circle. Everyone would agree with me. You’re too good for her. You need someone who matches your status. Someone elegant, refined, from a first-tier family... someone who can handle the pressure of being with someone like you."
Tristan coughed, already knowing where this was going.
"And I mean, just as an example," Saeki said, dragging out the words as if they were casual, "there’s my cousin from the Jie clan. Or Zahn’s cousin. Or, you know... Calin Ricci."
Tristan’s mouth twitched.
So much blabbering, and the idiot was just trying to push Calin Ricci back into Shin’s orbit.
Only a few days ago, he had been calling Yeri "sister-in-law" and praising her nonstop at her debut party.
Now he was singing a completely different tune. No consistency, no filter, and definitely no sense of timing.
Shin’s expression was unreadable, but Tristan could feel the temperature in the room dropping.
And Saeki? Still blissfully unaware.
"Get to the point." Shin’s voice dropped, cold and cutting as his glare locked onto Saeki like a predator eyeing a twitchy rabbit.
But Saeki, ever oblivious, kept pacing across the office like a second-rate relationship coach trying to salvage someone’s doomed marriage.
"See, oftentimes when people fall in love, their vision gets clouded with these emotional filters," Saeki explained, gesturing dramatically. "They can’t see the other person’s true colors. But dear older brother, Yeri Zhi is not only too young for you, she’s also a liability. Sure, she’s good for casual dating, but not long-term..."
Shin’s expression darkened.
"I mean, think about it. Family-wise, she won’t help you expand your network. She knows nothing about business. And let’s be honest, isn’t it a little too convenient she’s always around? You know how many women have staged those ’accidental’ encounters just to get close to you? Maybe she investigated you for a long time. She might even have hidden—"
Saeki screamed like a dying pig as Shin’s foot delivered a swift, brutal kick to his side, launching him toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
Thankfully, the glass was reinforced, otherwise Saeki might have ended up flying without wings and splattered on the sidewalk below.
Tristan remained seated on the couch, calm as ever, casually flipping through a file.
He didn’t even blink.
Honestly, this wasn’t the first time Saeki had gotten himself beat up .
You’d think his brain would start logging these events and learn to shut up. But no. It was like his memory auto-deleted pain the moment it faded.
Right on cue, Secretary Yun walked in carrying a stack of paperwork. He paused, blinked at the sight of Saeki’s corpse sprawled on the carpet like roadkill, and quietly placed the papers on Shin’s desk before wordlessly backing out.
"D-dear older brother..."
Saeki wheezed, clutching Shin’s ankle like he was passing on his final will. "You have to listen. Yeri Zhi, she’s bad news! She’s scheming! She’ll just use you—"
Shin stomped on him like he was testing the durability of his shoes.
Tristan glanced over. "You’re going to break your floor at this rate."
But even getting trampled couldn’t shut Saeki up.
"I’m telling the truth!" he groaned. "I tried to sign her to my agency and handed her my business card! Cough! do you know how many people would kill for that card?! I know she said she wasn’t interested, but to just give it away to someone else, that’s disrespectful!"
Now that he thought about it, Saeki had given Yeri his business card at the debut party. He had done it dramatically, in front of everyone, as if offering her a sacred relic.
"She gave it to her cousin, Venice," Saeki continued, now fully on the floor like a disgruntled pancake. "Venice said Yeri told her to contact me directly. That’s nepotism and taking advantage of others!"
Shin’s foot pressed down again. "How are you so sure it was Yeri who gave it to her?"
"I-I can’t talk with your shoe on my face..." Saeki gagged.
Shin lifted his foot slightly, reluctantly.
Saeki coughed, clutching his ribs. "Venice said so! She told me she got the card from Yeri, said Yeri promised I could help her get started!"