Sighing, Yeri replied briefly, thanking them and saying she was fine.
[Zoren:] Sister-in-law, you're really mature and strong for your age. If it were any other woman, she'd already be traumatized and clinging to Shin, demanding he never leave her side.
[Daniel:] Like your clingy girlfriend always on the verge of tears, acting like she's suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
[Saeki:] @yeri Indeed. She doesn't look it, but she's strong. I don't think I've ever seen her act coquettish with big bro.
[Zoren:] She's not my girlfriend, nor my ex! Yes, I was initially interested, but I'm not a fool. I saw through her immediately and avoided her. Who knew Daniel would be so eager? I don't understand why I always run into this type of woman, while Tristan manages his women without any trouble.
Tristan replied instantly.
[Tristan:] It's all about skill. Want to learn? Ten million a month.
Everyone: "…"
Yeri unconsciously shook her head, about to ignore the chat, when another message appeared.
[Shin:] @yeri Why are you still awake? Go rest. Don't bother with these people. They're no good.
For a moment, the chat went dead silent.
Then Saeki broke it, sounding deeply aggrieved.
[Saeki:] Big bro, what do you mean by "no good"? You're not lumping me in with them too, right? I'm your dear little brother.
[Daniel:] I agree with Shin. You should be ashamed, Zoren.
[Allen:] Shame on you, Zoren.
[Tristan:] Wanting to learn how to manage women? Indeed, shame on you, Zoren.
[Zoren:] …
Yeri chuckled softly and didn't look at the group chat again.
Only when she lay down did the silence make her realize something else.
The treatment at Neri Hospital was indeed top-notch. The overwhelming pain she'd felt just a day ago had subsided rapidly, her wounds healing far faster than expected.
Even the driver who had been in a coma yesterday was reportedly doing well now.
---
Around dawn, Shin arrived at the hospital.
Normally, non-patients weren't allowed into the wards especially this early, long before visiting hours.
When the security staff recognized him, they hesitated, uncertain whether to stop him.
Shin ignored them entirely and went straight to Yeri's ward.
She was already fast asleep when he entered. Her face was slightly swollen, faint bruises and injuries still visible, her brows tightly furrowed even in sleep.
Shin used his ability again and slowly, the tension between her brows eased.
By his calculation, she would return to normal by the day of their engagement.
Even so, the thought of this incident left him deeply unsettled. No matter how minor it seemed, if he let his guard down for even a moment, he might lose her again.
He had believed that an empire of wealth, that a formidable organization like Hexion, would be her greatest shield.
Now he realized how arrogant that thinking had been.
In the end, the only one who could truly protect her was himself, keeping her within his sight, ensuring she was safe every minute, every second.
No human means were ever truly reliable.
Shin sat in the chair beside her bed, unmoving, his gaze fixed on Yeri for a long time. His expression was unreadable, so cold and intent that, to an outsider, it might have seemed as though he harbored no good intentions at all.
When Yeri finally woke, the first thing she saw was Shin Keir.
His eyes were closed, his back perfectly straight despite the awkward position. His suit was immaculate, not a single crease out of place, as if he had stepped straight out of a boardroom rather than spending the night seated by a hospital bed.
Even asleep, his handsome features carried an indescribable pressure, an elegance that felt sharp, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.
Yeri was still lost in thought when Shin opened his eyes, immediately meeting her gaze.
She swallowed, slightly flustered at being caught staring.
"How did you get here?" she asked, sitting up slowly. "It's not visiting hours yet."
Shin glanced at his watch. It was just past six in the morning.
"It's early," he said calmly. "Are you hungry?"
Yeri shook her head. For some reason, her mood felt inexplicably light. Her eyes drifted toward the window, where the first rays of sunlight were spilling into the room.
Sure enough, waking up to a handsome face really could make the morning brighter.
Truly a sight to behold.
Shin stood casually and reached out, pressing his palm against her forehead to check her temperature.
At the same moment, Yeri felt the heaviness in her body dissipate, as if something invisible had been lifted away. This wasn't the first time. She remembered feeling the same way during her previous hospitalization... lighter, unburdened after even the briefest contact with him.
Was it psychological? Some kind of placebo effect? No matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense.
That unsettling feeling that she had forgotten something, surfaced once again.
Before Shin could pull away, Yeri suddenly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Shin "…"
"What's wrong?" he asked, though the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
With her face buried against his chest, Yeri hesitated, then looked up at him. She couldn't exactly say that he was the best pain reliever she'd ever known, so she settled for something safer.
"Thank you," she said softly. "If you'd arrived even a little later… I might've already been disfigured."
"So you only get cozy with me after I do a good deed?" Shin smirked.
Yeri blinked, staring at him.
"Can you not ruin the mood?" she said seriously. "I'm being sincere."
Shin smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning in until his face was barely an inch from hers.
"And your sincerity is just a hug?"
Yeri fell silent. Why was he being such a pervert this early in the morning? She hadn't even brushed her teeth yet.
"I- I need to go to the bathroom," she muttered, trying to pull away.
But Shin suddenly reached out, gripping the back of her head, and pressed his lips to hers.
Caught completely off guard, Yeri almost collided with him, a sharp sting blooming across her tongue.
She pushed lightly against his chest and was dumbfounded.
His lower lip was bleeding, she must have bitten him by accident.
"You're bleeding," she muttered, stunned.
Shin only grinned and casually licked it away, looking every bit like a hooligan, an infuriatingly handsome, devastating hooligan.
If he weren't the one bleeding, she would have thought he'd done it on purpose.
Yeri rolled her eyes, grabbed a tissue from the bedside table, and handed it to him.
"Maybe you should wash it first and put something on it. It'd be weird if people saw that."
"Weird?" Shin raised a brow slightly. "Everyone knows I have a fiancée."
So he wanted people to think she was someone aggressive?
Yeri shot him another look and decided she couldn't be bothered arguing with him anymore.
She turned and went into the bathroom only to pause in surprise when she caught her reflection in the mirror.
The swelling on her face had gone down noticeably. Even the bruises looked lighter.
Her mood lifted instantly, with a faint smile, she stepped back out humming a tune, only to freeze.
Shin was standing there holding a fruit knife, his finger bleeding.
Before she could say anything, he lifted his injured hand calmly.
"I wanted to cut you an apple," he said. "I was clumsy."
"Who said I want an apple?" Yeri nearly shouted, irritation flaring instantly.
Was he the patient, or was she? How could he be so careless?
"Lick it for me?" Shin extended his bleeding finger toward her, his expression almost… expectant.
Yeri "…"
This wasn't a tiny scratch or a pinprick. The cut was deep enough that blood was already dripping.
Lick it?
Did he think she was a vampire?
For a moment, Yeri genuinely didn't know whether she should be angry or worried about the depths of his perversion.
She opened her mouth to scold him, but before she could get a single word out, Shin suddenly pressed his injured finger into her mouth.
Her face twisted in horror as she choked, instinctively pulling back.
It was only for a moment, but she surely had a helping of his blood.
Damn it. If she didn't scold him today, she might as well be a worm.
Her face burning red, Yeri pointed at him, trembling with indignation.
"Are you five years old?! We're in a hospital! Instead of getting it treated properly, you want me to lick it? If you weren't standing right in front of me, I'd seriously think your blood was poisoned and you were trying to kill me! Or what? Are you annoyed that you had to watch over me and didn't get enough rest? If you're going to act crazy, why don't you go sleep somewhere else!"
Shin wasn't angry. He wasn't offended either.
Calmly, he wrapped his finger with the tissue, then lifted his hand and gestured toward the corner of her lips.
"You've got blood here."
That was it. Yeri was so furious she nearly stomped her feet.
At that moment, she honestly wouldn't have minded being labeled violent, she really wanted to beat him up.
Of course, provided he was willing to let her.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he'd done it on purpose.
Why was he being so strange?
Thankfully, it was just the two of them. Otherwise, the expression on her face when he shoved his finger into her mouth would have been utterly humiliating.
Why was it that every time she finally convinced herself that marrying him was the best choice, he would immediately do something outrageous enough to make her anxious all over again?