Chapter 8
What the heck—why am I suddenly thinking of that guy?
Seoha came to a sudden stop, her eyes visibly shaken.
Jinwoo, who had been waiting in the parking lot, spotted her and approached.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
This wasn’t about being unwell—it was something weirder.
Come to think of it, Jinwoo might know something about that guy.
Maybe not, unless he was also a wolf beastkin—but you never know.
…But why am I even curious about him in the first place? There’s absolutely no reason to be.
“The weather’s really cold. Let’s get in the car.”
Jinwoo took Seoha’s arm, gently pulling her from her daze.
Seoha got into the car through the door Jinwoo opened for her.
On the way to the restaurant, she kept trying to figure out why she was curious about Ethan, but no answer came.
If anything, the questions only multiplied. Before long, Seoha’s mind was filled entirely with thoughts of Ethan Miller.
***
Two days—she figured that was normal.
She thought he was just playing it cool, that he didn’t want to seem too eager. But that wasn’t it.
For an entire week, Seoha didn’t even send a simple text.
Ethan wondered if maybe her phone was broken and checked—but it was working perfectly.
Too perfectly, in fact. Dozens of calls and messages from Noa, other Limes, and the elders came in every day.
But nothing from Seoha.
Only her.
That fact grated on Ethan’s already twisted nerves. He stared at his silent phone, annoyed.
[Waiting for someone’s message?]
A melodic voice chimed in from across the table.
When he looked up, he saw a beautiful woman in a neat dress sitting politely.
Ah, right. He was on a blind date.
He’d completely forgotten—too caught up thinking about Seoha. Not that he had any interest in this meeting anyway.
He was only here because of Noa.
Noa had begged him to go, practically clinging to Ethan’s leg, promising to return the favor later if Ethan just went and didn’t cause a scene.
It had seemed like a decent deal, so Ethan agreed—but it was still a pain.
He didn’t like the way the woman across from him was oozing pheromones.
Even worse were the remnants of someone else’s scent on her body. Frankly, it was disgusting.
His body reacted slightly to her pheromones, heating up bit by bit, but his mind didn’t follow.
On the contrary, his mind was ice cold. He didn’t want to touch this woman at all.
The more his body reacted, the more intensely he thought of Seoha.
She’d probably be off work by now. Should he go see her?
Or call and ask her to come out?
He hadn’t gotten her number directly, but Noa had given it to him.
[Mr. Ethan Miller.]
While he was mulling it over, the woman called his full name.
When he looked again, she was glaring at him now—her large eyes (probably from circle lenses) fixed on him like she was about to devour him.
[To be zoning out like that in front of someone… That’s not very polite, especially for someone from a prestigious beastkin family.]
[You do realize I’m not submissive, right?]
Ethan raised his glass, a crooked smirk on his lips.
[I didn’t exactly grow up with etiquette training. Spent over ten years scraping by on the streets, so I never learned proper manners. Hope you’ll excuse me.]
Strangely enough, he still came off as extremely well-mannered. His gestures were crisp and precise.
Anyone watching would know he was mocking her, but the woman couldn’t say anything—because he was telling the truth.
Still, unless someone pointed it out, Ethan was so perfect now that you’d never guess his past.
He was nearly 190cm tall, lean and fit, with top-tier looks that ranked in the top 1% of beastkin.
Not a single flaw in sight.
And because of that, the woman wanted him.
[Shall we go somewhere else now that we’ve finished eating?]
She leaned in, her pheromones thick in the air.
Ethan tilted his head slightly, smirking.
[Ms. So Yerin.]
He called her name for the first—and last—time.
[Do me a favor and pull back those pheromones. They’re so disgusting, I feel like I’m going to vomit everything I just ate.]
***
She’d expected something simple nearby, but Jinwoo ended up taking her to a hotel restaurant.
Famous as a place for blind dates and proposals, this restaurant typically had a one-hour wait if you didn’t book a month in advance.
“You made a reservation?”
She asked just in case, and Jinwoo nodded. Seoha narrowed her eyes.
“You said we were just stopping by after visiting your uncle.”
“Obviously that was an excuse. I just wanted to have dinner with you.”
Jinwoo grinned smoothly.
“If I told you right away that I booked this place, you would’ve turned me down because of the pressure.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“So cut me some slack this once, okay?”
He put his hands together and gave her a playful smile.
“I won’t do it again. Promise?”
“Phew, fine.”
How could she stay mad when he asked like that?
She wasn’t angry to begin with—just a little thrown off by the unexpected situation.
Besides, these kinds of gestures from Jinwoo made her uncomfortable.
Because the more he did this, the more people misunderstood their relationship.
Back in her early 20s, Seoha used to let people think what they wanted.
It helped keep away the moths who’d throw themselves into the fire without thinking.
But that didn’t work anymore. Even if she didn’t care, Jinwoo needed to find a partner and have a successor for his family.
Who would want to date a man surrounded by rumors like this?
“Don’t do stuff like this again.”
It was time to draw a line.
“Okay. So shall we go in?”
Jinwoo smiled and took her hand.
Before she could pull away, he led her into the restaurant.
It was a bit past peak dinner time, but the place was still packed.
The staff, after confirming the reservation, guided them to a table by the window—a prime spot with a stunning night view.
Seoha set down her coat and bag but didn’t sit.
“I’ll be right back from the restroom. Go ahead and order.”
Jinwoo knew her preferences well, so she trusted him with the food and headed off.
After finishing up, she turned to return—only to find someone blocking her path.
“Hey.”
It was Ethan. Seoha’s eyes widened in shock.
Ethan licked his lips when he saw her reaction.
“That look suits you.”
“What are you doing here?”
Finally regaining her composure, she asked coldly. Ethan gave a lazy grin.
“You make it sound like I followed you here.”
She didn’t respond, but inwardly she agreed.
“Well, I did come after seeing you were here.”
He stepped in closer. Seoha flinched and stepped back, but the wall behind her left nowhere to go.
“But I was here first.”
She had no way of knowing if that was true. And frankly, she didn’t care.
“Okay then. Enjoy your dinner.”
She tried to walk past him, but he blocked her again, leaning on the wall to keep her from escaping.
Seoha glared.
“Move.”
“Who’s that guy?”
He meant Jinwoo, obviously.
“You two looked very close. Is he your boyfriend?”
She wanted to say no, but that would just give Ethan control over the conversation.
“I said move.”
“So you slept with me while having a boyfriend? Impressive. Does he know?”
“Why do you care?”
She had been trying to resist his provocations, but that last comment pushed her over.
Seoha crossed her arms, staring him down.
“Why are you so interested in my private life? Should I ask you who you came with? Would you like that?”
“Oh.”
Ethan blinked and fell silent.
So he wouldn’t like it. Of course not. Even if it were family, that kind of prying would be irritating.
“So just le—”
“Ask me.”
“…What?”
“Ask.”
His gray eyes sparkled strangely as he stared at her.
“Ask me why I’m here, and who I came with.”
“You…”
“Ah, I guess you kind of already did. All that’s left is for me to answer.”
Taking the liberty to wrap up the conversation himself, Ethan began telling her things she didn’t want to know.
“I came to save my poor cousin. Noa begged me to go on a blind date for her.”
Seoha unwillingly learned that Ethan’s cousin was named Noa.
And he went on a blind date?
“Then shouldn’t you be back with her instead of here?”
“Don’t worry. I already broke it off.”
Judging by the frown on his face, it wasn’t a pleasant meeting.
“Now it’s your turn. Is that guy your boyfriend?”
“I never said I’d answer you.”
“Still playing hard to get, huh.”
How could he interpret everything like that? It was almost impressive.
She didn’t even have the energy to laugh.
“Well, if you won’t tell me, I’ll just go ask him.”
Ethan actually made to walk off, and Seoha quickly grabbed his arm.
She didn’t want Jinwoo to find out she’d slept with Ethan.
“He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends.”
“Friends who hold hands?”
“We’ve known each other since we were little.”
Why the hell am I explaining this to him?
Seoha clicked her tongue in frustration and looked away.
“Are you done now? Move.”
“Why didn’t you contact me?”
Oh great, not done yet.
“Why would I contact you?”
“You took my business card.”
“I threw it away.”
At her blunt answer, Ethan’s expression twisted.
“Why?”
“Because I had no reason to contact you.”
“Why.”
It felt like talking to a five-year-old. Whatever she said, he’d just latch onto it.
‘I really need to go now.’
She’d wasted too much time. If Jinwoo showed up now, it would be a disaster.
“I think we’re done. Can you move now?”
“I’m not done yet.”
Ethan closed the gap between them completely. Seoha, startled by the sudden proximity, pressed herself back against the wall.
“Come with me.”
