Episode 28
“A Refreshing Morning!”
It was the day after they had noisily welcomed two guests.
Perhaps it was because of the banquet party that went on late into the night, but the Yoonok villa was unusually quiet that morning.
Despite the stillness, Autumn went out for her usual morning walk.
— Thud
“Shh, be quiet for a moment.”
At that moment, someone’s firm wrist landed on Autumn’s shoulder.
“Wh-why are you sneaking up on me like that?!”
She had barely taken a few steps when she flinched in surprise and stumbled backward.
Then, she saw Randel leaning casually against the wall, as if he’d been waiting there for quite some time.
“If I startled you, I apologize.”
“You think everything’s okay if you just say sorry?”
Autumn’s brows furrowed involuntarily.
“I wanted to introduce someone to you.”
Because he had suddenly appeared without making a sound and touched her, Autumn’s heart was still pounding rapidly.
“Didn’t want anyone following me…”
He nodded his head slightly in a direction, likely indicating Caitlyn.
He must’ve had breakfast early too—his collar was still faintly scented with rich coffee.
— Step, step
‘Who could it be?’
They followed a familiar path, heading this time toward the backyard.
The sky was overcast, and a mist clung to the chilly morning air.
Autumn walked behind Randel, who said he wanted to introduce her to someone, and they quietly circled around the villa for a while.
Woof woof!
Suddenly, a black and white Border Collie burst out from somewhere and charged toward Autumn.
“Ahhh!”
Startled, Autumn quickly leaned back and tried to flee.
But she hadn’t accounted for one important thing.
“Huh?!”
She stumbled on the grass and fell.
“Ahhhh!”
Her delicate body was wrapped in a light purple dress, which trailed across the slightly damp and dusty ground.
And behind her—was a man standing firmly in place.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Flustered, Autumn quickly lifted her head.
Her long, waterfall-like hair tumbled down in the breeze, flowing over Randel’s face, who was now underneath her.
The floral scent of her perfume mixed with his deeper, heavier cologne.
But since he had braced himself so strongly, Autumn couldn’t even move from within his arms.
‘What a sight… In my rush to run, I ended up falling and landing on someone like this… how ridiculous.’
To make matters worse, their entangled position on the ground was beyond awkward.
The culprit, the dog, sniffed around them wildly as if teasing the two.
Randel, his eyes still fixed calmly on Autumn’s bright maple-colored eyes, finally opened his mouth.
“Oslow, sit.”
— Whine…
Oslow immediately obeyed his master’s command and sat down obediently, waiting for the next order.
“Um… you can let go of me now.”
But something seemed off about the man underneath her.
“Uhm… Sir? Master Randel?”
His unblinking eyes seemed dazed. And that wasn’t just her imagination.
‘What is this… so soft and warm… and such a pleasant scent…’
As she moved her body, her mild fragrance, now mixed with the smell of grass, reached him more intensely.
Just moments ago, all Randel could think of was stopping his dog from rushing toward her.
He had planned to introduce Oslow, but hadn’t expected the dog to get that excited.
So even after stopping Oslow, he hadn’t quite realized that someone was now in his arms.
Still, he instinctively felt that this small presence in his arms was nothing like his dog—completely unfamiliar and entirely human.
‘A scent I remember from somewhere… like grass dried in the sun. If Oslow had jumped on me, it would’ve been rough and heavy—but this…’
And today, the scent from her wasn’t the strong, luxurious perfume she usually wore.
It was a gentle, youthful spring flower fragrance—so pleasant he couldn’t even breathe properly.
‘Wait… why am I lying down?’
Just then, Autumn’s voice snapped him out of it.
“Master Randel?”
“I… I’m sorry.”
Coming back to his senses, Randel slowly let go of the arms that had been holding Autumn.
“Oh wow, he’s adorable!”
Autumn quickly stood up and diverted the attention toward Oslow.
Finally, Randel’s gaze met the slightly cloudy sky above.
He remained lying there, motionless for a while.
But eventually, as Autumn continued to speak softly nearby, he began to return to reality.
He jumped up and brushed the grass off his clothes.
“…Ah. That’s quite a bit.”
“He stood up!”
Autumn sensed his movement but, too embarrassed, didn’t turn around.
A warm flush still remained on both their faces from the incident a moment ago.
It had all happened so quickly—they were both convinced the other hadn’t seen their surprised expressions. So they each tried to pretend nothing had happened.
