Wasn't this supposed to be the sweet send-off for a graduation trip?
Secretary Yun resisted the urge to glance at the rearview mirror.
After all, when two people were in the middle of a lovers' quarrel, the safest survival strategy for an innocent bystander was simple.
Hear nothing.
See nothing.
Know nothing.
Otherwise, even the fish in the pond could end up suffering because of a fire on the city walls.
Yeri chose to ignore Shin and turned her gaze toward the scenery outside.
Even so, her mind was in turmoil. Did he really think she didn't understand the concept of boundaries?
If she thought back to the first time they met... it had been the wrong place at the wrong time because she'd been dead drunk in a bar.
So she could admit it wasn't exactly an ideal first impression, and perhaps that explained why he still held some prejudice against her in this matter.
However, she'd never strung along another man since they had confirmed their relationship. She wasn't that kind of person.
"I'm not insulting or trying to undermine you, so don't misunderstand," Shin continued. "You have to realize that just because you don't see other people that way doesn't mean they see you the same. They could be trapped in their own delusions, and your continued closeness might only fuel their twisted thoughts."
"You have a point, but isn't it also wrong to jump to conclusions and judge someone's character as flawed based on assumptions?" Yeri said, annoyance creeping into her voice. "Are you so certain Xian Song is that kind of person?"
"I never said that. But I do know he isn't innocent. That hobby of his... do you really think it's normal to use it to harm other people?"
Yeri blinked in surprise that he knew about it, but considering his resources, it wasn't unexpected that he'd uncovered the truth.
Seeing her expression, Shin immediately understood that she was already aware.
"So you know what he's been busy with?" he asked. "Do you intend to turn a blind eye to it? Or is it because he's doing it for you that you're choosing to stay silent?"
"What do you mean?" Yeri's voice rose. "I only found out about it recently, and I was shocked too. But without evidence, are you expecting me to impulsively report him to the authorities?"
Letting out a deep sigh, Shin said, "Do you know he was also behind your cousin's family car accident?"
Yeri was stunned.
She remembered that the perpetrator had never been caught, and the vehicle used had been abandoned in a random location.
She had actually thought it was one of Hadi's women, so it turned out...
"Just because he hasn't killed anyone yet doesn't mean he doesn't have the intention," Shin said grimly.
Yeri pressed her lips together. Of course Xian's actions were wrong, but why should she be the one to bear responsibility for them? It wasn't as if she'd incited him to do any of it.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked. "So I'd have a reason to despise him? To stay away from him?"
"Otherwise?" Shin replied sternly. "Someone like him is unpredictable and dangerous. It's for your own sake."
Yeri let out a cold sneer.
When it came to being dangerous, wasn't he one himself?
Besides, earlier he hadn't said it was for her sake.
"Young Master Keir, when you climbed into my school dorm back then, or when you showed up at my debut party and later in my hotel room like a thief, did you think that was normal, or was it just your hobby? When you chased me all over the city until Brother Jj and I nearly got into an accident, did you ever think that was dangerous? And when you killed those mercenaries who came after us, was I wrong to keep silent? Should I have reported you for killing people instead?"
Shin's expression darkened.
Why was she steering the conversation in this direction?
"When you convinced my parents that I should move into the penthouse, was it for my sake... or yours? So you could come and go whenever you pleased?"
Shin couldn't help but feel indignant. Why was she so worked up? Was it because she truly didn't want to distance herself from Xian Song?
"Is Xian Song really that important to you?" he asked, his voice turning colder. "Are you actually angry at me because of him?"
Yeri glared at him.
"Why is it that you can do whatever you want and say whatever you want, while I'm always the clueless one, the helpless one, or the one who's wrong? My reasons are selfish, but yours are logical? You get to plan everything ahead, and it doesn't matter whether I'm skeptical or disagree. If you hadn't seen how exhausted I was, you would've pushed for that wedding immediately after graduation."
"Yeri Zhi, that's enough." Shin grabbed her wrist.
"Ahem."
Secretary Yun suddenly coughed, nervously interrupting the two. "We're entering the airport now. Miss Zhi, where exactly is the drop-off point where you're meeting your classmates?"
The two of them fell silent and looked ahead.
Yeri abruptly yanked her hand free.
"Stop the car," she shouted. "I'm getting off here."
"No. Your flight isn't for another two hours. Let's find a café and talk." Shin said firmly as he grabbed her wrist again.
However, Yeri didn't want to continue arguing with him anymore. She didn't want this to ruin her mood before the trip and explained.
"When Xian Song asked me not to marry you, I was indignant too. I made it clear that I'd only ever seen him as a brother. When he thought you weren't doing enough to protect me, I defended you. And when he asked if one day I'd regret choosing you, I told him that if I ever made the wrong choice, then that would be my burden to bear, not his."
Hearing that, Shin's expression only darkened even further.
Xian Song...
He really hadn't given up on driving a wedge between him and Yeri.
"He told you all that, and you still think he doesn't have bad intentions?"
Yeri "...."
She had only wanted him to understand that she wasn't angry because Xian was important to her or because she was defending him. She had defended him in front of Xian, speaking her mind just like at this moment.
Seeing that the argument wouldn't end anytime soon, Secretary Yun quietly pulled the car over to the roadside and pressed the button that raised the partition between the front and back seats.
"Do you think I'm angry for no reason?" Yeri asked. "I'm angry because you expect me to despise someone who was there for me when I was sick. I'm angry because you think I don't understand boundaries just because I didn't tell you he lives next door and occasionally visits my house. I'm angry because you make me feel like I, Yeri Zhi, don't have a mind of my own. As if I can't tell right from wrong, and everything I say is nothing more than an excuse."
"Have I really made you feel that way all this time?" Shin sighed as he inched closer. "Besides, whatever I do, I always have you in mind. Is it really that hard for you to realize that I'm jealous of you being close to other men? Especially someone who likes you?"
Yeri didn't want to listen to him anymore so she shoved him away and reached for the car door, wanting to get out, but she couldn't break free from his grip.
A capitalist like him probably wouldn't admit he was wrong.
Jealous?
Was she supposed to blush and become flustered like the heroines in those romance dramas?
"If I told you to stay away from Brother Tristan, someone who's been by your side since childhood, just because I don't like him and think the two of you are acting ambiguously, would you do it?" she asked through gritted teeth.
Shin looked at her as though she had just said something absurd. After all, Tristan was a relative, and more importantly, they shared the same sexual orientation.
Still, seeing how genuinely upset she was, he answered seriously.
"Hmm... I can arrange for him to go back."
Yeri ???
Go back? Go back where? His mother's womb?
She suddenly felt drained. The entire argument had become utterly ridiculous.
Knocking on the partition, Yeri told Secretary Yun the exact drop-off location.
But just because she had decided to ignore Shin didn't mean he intended to do the same. He continued muttering one thing after another into her ear.
"You..." Yeri glared at him before turning toward the front. "Secretary Yun, may I ask your opinion? Would you completely cut off contact with a friend just because your girlfriend disliked her? Or because she was jealous?"
Secretary Yun, who had just been handed an invisible knife, fell silent.
He could already feel his boss's dagger-like stare drilling into the back of his head.
Naturally, he should support Shin Keir. But if his answer upset Yeri Zhi, wouldn't his boss blame him afterward? Yet if he sided with her, his workdays for the foreseeable future would probably become a living nightmare.
"Miss Zhi," he replied politely, "I'm unfortunately still single, so I'm afraid I can't offer much advice on this matter."
"Secretary Yun has been single for as long as I can remember," Shin commented.
Realizing she'd unintentionally put him in such an awkward position, Yeri said sheepishly, "Secretary Yun, I'm sorry."
Secretary Yun "..."
He chose the safest answer, yet he still ended up getting stabbed by both of them.
When they arrived at one of the airport's private VIP lounges, Yeri ignored Shin, who insisted on wheeling her luggage for her.
Many of her classmates had already arrived, and the moment they saw Shin Keir walking beside her, the lively chatter in the lounge abruptly fell silent.
Everyone turned to look in their direction, their faces filled with awe and astonishment, especially at Shin Keir, a man they had only ever seen on television, the covers of finance magazines, and their phone screens.
Yeri wore an oversized pink cardigan paired with white cotton pants, while Shin Keir was dressed in a tailored gray suit.
Seeing a man as imposing and impeccably dressed as him dragging a pink suitcase was simply...