When next morning came, Jinli could barely look Daehyun in the eye. She rolled out of bed as quickly as she could and took a long shower. Anything to avoid seeing him. She made sure she brought her clothes in with her so she wouldn’t have to suffer any potential awkwardness of having him walk in on her changing.

            When she thought she had taken up a decent amount of time, Jinli stepped out of the bathroom only to find Daehyun shirtless and standing in front of her. She let out a frightened squeak and he squinted at her. His hair was tousled and he pushed past her, not making a comment.

            She clenched her jaw and continued moving, determined to make the most of this horrible marriage. She headed downstairs and started to make breakfast. She didn’t really know what he liked, but quite honestly, she couldn’t care less. She didn’t plan on purely catering to him if he wouldn’t even slightly respect her.

            Daehyun came in whistling. He was humming something and she turned to him. So the surly man could be happy. But when he lifted his head, she quickly looked back at her plate of eggs. “Morning,” she greeted him. There was no need to be downright rude. That would put her at his level.

            “Smells good,” he commented and sat down to eat. She watched him shovel the eggs down and nod in appreciation. A smile tugged on her lips. Maybe the way to a man’s heart was truly through his stomach. She got up and placed a croissant stuffed with cheese and sausage in front of him.

            For the first time in the period they’ve known each other, Daehyun smiled at her, a wide genuine smile that made her realize once more how attractive he was when he wanted to be. “Hey, there was no need. We’re at a resort. I’m sure we can get them to cook for us anytime. This is a lot of effort.”

            She gave a half shrug. “I’ve always liked cooking.” This made him happy and he bit into the sandwich, closing his eyes and letting out a light moan. He held it out.

            “Take a bite?” It was the couple moment that she had been yearning for and her heart skipped a few beats. She leaned in and took a small bite, trying not to blush when her lips came in contact with his fingers. Damn him, she cursed in her head. She didn’t want to appear so weak. He ate slowly, savoring the taste and then looked at her.

            “Pretty good. So ready to go scuba diving?”

            He hadn’t exactly told her that this was the plan until last night so she was a bit hesitant. “I’m not a very strong swimmer.”

            Daehyun smiled a little. “I am. I grew up in Busan; it’s a necessity. I guess you can always hold on to me.” His offer didn’t seem wholeheartedly given so she didn’t respond. If he said anything along the lines of putting up a show as a couple, she would take away the food and throw it in the trash. “I got you.”

            The sentence made her glow a little and she nodded. “I suppose. I don’t want to drag you down with me though.”

            He winked at her, and Jinli understood why women found him attractive. He had a nice face and could ooze charm when he wished to. “If anything, I’d keep you afloat.” She rolled her eyes, letting him know that she didn’t appreciate his grease and he shrugged. “Go get ready.”

            She couldn’t find anything in her closet that didn’t resemble anything less than girly and flirty. Jinli let out a sigh and pulled a sundress over her head. Maybe Daehyun wouldn’t get the wrong message and just understand that this was all she had. When she walked down, he barely spared her a second glance. He opened the door for her and they were greeted by attendants who were most definitely sent to assist them.

            The walk to the beach was quick and she took in all the sights she could. It was a beautiful view and she couldn’t help but appreciate it. They reached the dock ad Daehyun climbed aboard the ship. He glanced back at her and held out his hand to help her up. He didn’t bother steadying her when she wobbled slightly with the boat’s rocky movements.

            Their instructor was polite but a bit flirty with Jinli. She tried to keep her smile as platonic as possible to fend off any possible advances, but Daehyun didn’t notice. When he helped them put on their suit, his hand lingered a little too long at her waist and she coughed.

            “I think I can finish getting this on.”

            He bowed. “Of course, miss.” But he was still closer to her when they jumped off the ship. Daehyun had a powerful and she barely held onto the rope that tethered the two of them together. He dove under and they swam across the reefs and past schools of fish. Sometimes he would twist impatiently, wanting to move on when she wanted to stay.

            It was the instructor who, when they surfaced, offered to have Jinli tethered to him instead. “I think Ms. Jinli is upset about holding you up, Mr. Jung. I can take her around and you can have your own tour.”

            Daehyun took off his helmet, gave Jinli a disinterested look and shrugged. He replaced the helmet. “Do what you like.” Then he was back under the sea, without even letting her have a say. The young man turned to her and smiled.

            “If you may?” Jinli withheld her disappointment and clipped herself to the instructor, deciding that she wouldn’t let Daehyun’s surliness take away from the experience. When they gathered on the ship once more, Jinli didn’t care that his flirting had upped another level. If Daehyun wouldn’t bother taking care of her, he shouldn’t complain. Out of spite, she even let the young man hug her a little longer than necessary when they were departing.

When they were walking to a nearby bungalow for dinner, Daehyun looked at her. For the sake of putting on a show, they were holding hands. He had an amused smirk on his face. “So did you find our scuba diving instructor attractive?”

            “What?” she snapped her head away from the shells littered on the sand to stare at him.

            “You liked his attention, didn’t you?” Jinli still couldn’t respond and Daehyun shrugged. “Whatever. Get it from whoever you can.” He dropped her hand under the pretense of scratching his arm and started walking away a little faster. “It’s not like I’ll stop you.”

omg Reply 1997 is the most addicting drama ever.

Seo In Guk ♥