Jasmine crossed her arms. "Why would I ever date you? Do you think I forgot how much trouble I went through because of you?"
He leaned lightly against her desk and looked at her with calm eyes. "I already told you. I never mocked you. I never told anyone to bully you."
"That doesn’t change the fact that you stood there and did nothing," Jasmine shot back. "You could have stopped it. You could have said something. But you didn’t. You just let me take all of it."
Gu Jihu’s eyes softened for a moment. "At that time... I thought it was better to stay out of it. I didn’t know it would hurt you that much."
Jasmine let out a small, cold laugh. "You didn’t know? Everyone knew. It was obvious."
He stayed quiet for a few seconds before saying, "That’s why I’m here now. I want to make up for it."
"By dating me?" she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief.
"Yes," he said simply.
Jasmine shook her head. "You are unbelievable. First you ignore me for years. Then, when I finally stop liking you, you suddenly want to ’make up for it’ by dating me. Do you think I’m some backup option?"
His lips curved into a small smile. "Not a backup. More like... the only option I actually want now."
Her jaw tightened. "You’re full of yourself."
"Maybe," he admitted, "but I know what I want."
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "And I know what I don’t want. Which is you."
Instead of looking upset, he chuckled. "You used to say I was your ’Prince Charming’."
"That was before I knew better," she replied quickly.
He tilted his head. "Then get to know me again. Without the rumors. Without the old memories."
Jasmine turned away from him, walking toward her bed. "This conversation is over. You can leave now."
But Gu Jihu didn’t move. "What if I don’t want to?"
She whipped around and glared at him. "Then I’ll yell and wake the whole house. And trust me, your family won’t be happy about you sneaking into my room."
His smile widened slightly. "We’re not sneaking. We’re just talking."
"Talking? You barged into my room in the middle of the night and told me to date you. That’s not talking. That’s weird."
He laughed softly. "Maybe it is weird. But I didn’t want to wait until morning."
Jasmine let out a frustrated sigh. "You’re impossible."
He stepped closer, but not too close. "Tell me one thing. If I prove that I’m not the person you think I am, will you give me a chance?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "No. Because I’m not looking for anything like that. I’m happy with my life right now."
"You were happy chasing me once," he said quietly.
Her eyes narrowed. "And I was miserable at the same time. Don’t forget that part."
There was a short silence. Then he asked, "Are you afraid of liking me again?"
Jasmine’s voice was steady. "No. I’m afraid of wasting my time."
That answer seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked, then chuckled. "You’ve changed."
"Good," she said flatly. "Now please leave."
Gu Jihu smiled slowly, his eyes glinting.
"If that’s the case," he said, "then I guess I’ll have to make sure Long Yifan doesn’t get too close to Gu Jin."
Jasmine turned to glare at Gu Jihu, her voice full of hostility.
"What do you mean by that?"
Gu Jihu lifted his hands a little and gave a light smile.
"Relax. I don’t mean anything bad."
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed. "Then explain."
"I just think," Gu Jihu said calmly, "that since you are afraid of wasting time with a guy who never actually hurt you, and yet you blame him... then by your logic, someone like Long Yifan, who actually did wrong to my own sister, shouldn’t get a chance either."
Jasmine stared at him in disbelief. "Are you threatening me?"
He chuckled. "Not at all. I’m just following your way of thinking. I like your logic. If it works for you, it can work for me too."
Jasmine gritted her teeth. "If you dare to threaten me again, I will tell the Gu family everything."
Instead of backing down, Gu Jihu’s smile deepened. "The Gu family will know tomorrow anyway. They’re losing a son-in-law."
Her eyes widened slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I will dissolve the engagement of Long Yifan and Gu Jin tomorrow." Gu Jihu smiled gently.
Jasmine wasn’t a fool; she understood the implications and was filled with helplessness. "What do you want?"
"I want you to date me for three months. If after that you still think I’m not right for you, I’ll never come near you again."
Jasmine frowned. "Three months?"
"Yes," he replied, his tone certain. "Three months is all I ask."
She stood there, thinking. Her mind wandered to her brother. He had never said it out loud, but she knew how much he had sacrificed for her.
She remembered him getting scolded by relatives, mocked for their mother’s death, taking care of her when she lost her memory, and enduring all the unfair treatment without complaint.
If she could make a small sacrifice to help him be happy, it was nothing compared to what he had done for her.
She took a deep breath and looked directly at Gu Jihu. "Fine. I agree."
A bright smile spread across his face. "Good. Then we..."
Before he could finish, she stepped back. "But there’s a condition."
His eyebrows lifted slightly. "What condition?"
"You cannot touch me or be physically intimate with me during the three months," she said firmly. "You can do anything else, but no touching."
Inside, Jasmine was feeling a little proud. She thought this was a smart move. Without physical contact, it would be much harder for any emotional weakness to grow.
And as for feelings, she could never love someone who had once let her be mocked and bullied.
Gu Jihu’s eyes lit up. "Alright. I agree."
She raised an eyebrow. "You agree so easily?"
He smiled. "Three months is nothing if it means I get a chance to be with you."
She crossed her arms but didn’t argue further. "Fine. Then it’s settled."
Looking at the clock, Jasmine said, "It’s late. Time for you to go."
Without hesitation, she pushed him toward the door.
This time, Gu Jihu didn’t resist. He stepped outside and turned back with a grin. "Good night, girlfriend."
Her eyes widened. "We are not together yet. You can’t call me that."
He whistled. "Too late. In my mind, you already are."
Then, still whistling, he walked down the hall.
Jasmine clenched her fists and muttered, "That man’s face hides an evil soul."
Once back in her room, she rolled her eyes and crawled into bed. The whole ordeal felt like too much trouble to think about, so she let herself drift to sleep.
But Gu Jihu didn’t forget.
When he entered his room, he closed the door and leaned against it, a faint smile still on his lips. Lying on his bed, he shut his eyes, his thoughts running wild.
No one would ever know the excitement he had felt when he first saw Jasmine and realized she existed in this world, too.
In his previous life, things had been so different. He hadn’t been Gu Jihu back then... he had been Gu Jin’s half-brother. At that time, his life had been fueled by revenge. He had entered the mafia world, consumed by anger and darkness.
Yet even then, there had been two people he had truly loved: Gu Jin and Abby.
Abby... that was Jasmine’s name in that life.
She had been his girlfriend, loyal and warm, always telling him she would wait for him no matter what path he chose. But he had been blinded by revenge. He never gave her the attention she deserved. He even broke up with her before disappearing into the mafia, telling her they weren’t compatible.
And yet, she never gave up on him. She kept chasing him, kept standing by him through everything. She stayed warm even when he was cold.
But now, everything was different.
In this life, Jasmine was no longer Abby. She had a new name, a new face, and a new story. She had chased him... to be exact, his half soul, which was residing in this body.
That half-soul had ignored her completely, even allowed other people to hurt her.
When Gu Jihu had finally taken over, he realized how much damage had been done. He also realized that Jasmine had stopped chasing him. That, more than anything, made him want to get her back.
In this life, he had no revenge to seek. He had a good family. He had everything he needed. Except her.
In his heart, she was still the girl who had once said she would wait for him forever. And now, he had the chance to finally give her the time and love he hadn’t in the past.