Dasom's expression immediately hardened the moment she saw Bo.
"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly.
She quickly stood and placed distance between them.
Bo looked hurt by her reaction but stepped forward anyway.
"I had to see you so I could explain…" His eyes flickered briefly toward Yixing Wang standing behind her before returning to Dasom. "…about what happened last time. The misunderstanding."
"Don't, Bo." Dasom clenched her jaw tightly. "I know you lied to me."
Yixing stayed silent.
Everything had happened so quickly that he originally intended to intervene, but once he realized this was her ex-boyfriend, he knew it wasn't his place.
So he simply watched quietly from the side.
"Just hear me out, please," Bo pleaded desperately.
Dasom lowered her voice immediately.
"I don't want Gyu hearing this."
"Hearing what, Bunny?" came a familiar voice.
Dasom spun around.
Mingyu Lee stood at the end of the hallway with an annoyed expression.
"And by the way," he added matter-of-factly, "you never texted me that you left the banquet."
"Nothing interesting," Dasom answered quickly. "Just a discussion. When did you get here?"
"Just now." Mingyu folded his arms. "And what exactly does my best friend have to discuss with my baby sister?"
From the side, Yixing quietly observed the situation.
Mingyu has absolutely no idea, he realized.
"None of your business," Dasom snapped before immediately grabbing Yixing by the arm. "Speaking of, we should go handle ours now."
Without waiting for a response, she dragged him straight out of the room.
About a minute later, Dasom finally stopped walking.
Then froze.
Slowly, she turned around.
Instead of dragging Bo out with her—
She had dragged Yixing.
"Oh my God." She stared at him in horror. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
Yixing burst into laughter instantly.
And somehow, despite everything, Dasom started laughing too.
"You're too—" he laughed breathlessly. "You're seriously too cute."
"I am not cute," she protested, mortified. "I'm too hot to be cute."
"There it is again," Yixing teased with a grin.
Dasom shoved his shoulder lightly while trying not to laugh harder.
"Oh my God, stop looking at me!"
"Stop what?"
"Existing!"
That only made them laugh more.
By the time they returned to the hallway, both Mingyu and Bo were staring at them in disbelief.
Neither of them had seen Yixing behave this playfully in years.
The two men exchanged looks before speaking at the exact same time.
"It's not that funny."
Which somehow made Yixing and Dasom laugh even harder.
Later That Night
Dasom eventually led Bo into the dining hall so they could talk privately.
The atmosphere between them was much calmer now.
A servant quietly brought them food before disappearing, leaving the two alone.
Bo watched her carefully as she tied her hair into a messy bun.
"What was that back there?" he asked finally. "I haven't seen Yixing act like that in a long time."
Dasom ignored the question completely.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Bo sighed softly.
"…I'm sorry you found out the way you did."
Dasom paused.
Then laughed bitterly.
"It was so cliché," she muttered. "Your secretary? Seriously? How original."
Bo winced but listened quietly.
"And I know I said things I shouldn't have said, but…"
She finally looked at him.
"We need to stop lying to ourselves."
Her voice softened.
"I'm sorry I was never ready for intima—"
"Don't apologize for that," Bo interrupted immediately.
His voice was firm enough to shock her.
"I never want you apologizing for not being ready for sex." He shook his head. "I knew from the beginning you were waiting for marriage. Commitment scares me, Bunny… I mean, look at my parents."
He sighed heavily.
"That's not an excuse for cheating. But the truth is… we were both trying too hard to become what the other person wanted instead of just being ourselves."
Dasom's eyes began watering.
Bo continued quietly.
"That wasn't your fault. Most of it was mine."
He laughed bitterly at himself.
"But what we had was good. No — it was great." His eyes lowered. "And I ruined it."
Tears finally slipped down Dasom's cheeks.
Despite everything, Bo had always respected her boundaries. He never pressured her whenever she became uncomfortable.
"I love you, Bunny," he admitted quietly. "But you deserve someone who's ready for you. Someone who makes you laugh instead of cry."
His voice cracked slightly.
"The guy who gets to marry you someday will be the luckiest man alive."
Dasom bit down on her trembling lip.
"My heart's going to need time to get over you…" she whispered tearfully.
Guilt flooded Bo's face.
He reached over gently, wiping away her tears with a napkin before cupping her cheek softly.
"Do you think we can still be friends?" he asked sincerely.
To Dasom's surprise, hearing that lifted a weight off her chest.
She knew they would inevitably see each other again because of their families and social circles.
"Of course," she answered softly. "I could never treat you like a stranger."
That part, at least, was true.
Bo stood first and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you for staying by my side when nobody else did," he whispered.
Dasom hugged him back tightly.
"And thank you for respecting me the way you did."
Only then did she realize—
She was still wearing Yixing's jacket.
Outside the Estate
Bo leaned casually against his car while Dasom stood close beside him.
They kept talking quietly beneath the cold night sky, getting lost in old memories and familiar comfort.
Then somehow—
Without either of them meaning to—
They kissed.
It happened naturally.
Almost instinctively.
But the longer the kiss lasted, the sadder Dasom became.
Her chest tightened painfully until tears began slipping down her cheeks again.
Bo immediately pulled away.
"Bunny?" he asked softly, slightly breathless. "Are you okay?"
Dasom simply nodded silently.
"You want to stop?"
She shook her head.
Then pulled him back toward her again.
Just as the kiss began deepening—
Dasom was suddenly yanked backward violently.
Both of them startled in shock.
Still dazed, Dasom looked up—
Only to realize Yixing had pulled her away.
His arm wrapped protectively around her as she regained her balance.
"You shouldn't be kissing your brother's best friend in the middle of the driveway," he whispered sharply.
Before either of them could respond, Yixing calmly pulled out his phone and called Mingyu.
"Gyu, I found them." He glanced briefly at the pair. "She was just saying goodbye to him. Yeah, he's leaving now. Alright."
He hung up.
Then looked directly at Bo.
"I'm guessing Mingyu has no idea the two of you were dating."
"…Correct," Dasom admitted awkwardly. "We're not together anymore, we just…"
She trailed off helplessly.
"For old times' sake," Bo finished quietly.
Yixing's expression remained unreadable.
But inwardly, he was furious.
Idiots.
More specifically—
Bo's an idiot.
Who kisses someone openly in front of the Lee estate knowing how protective Mingyu is?
"Before Gyu gets here," Yixing said coldly to Bo, "I suggest you either remove the lipstick from your face or leave."
Bo immediately understood the warning.
Since the lipstick clearly wasn't coming off anytime soon, he chose to leave before Mingyu arrived.
A few minutes later, Mingyu walked over.
"Where's Bo?"
"He left," Dasom answered quickly. "Said he was tired."
Her lipstick was smudged and there were visible streaks from crying, so she discreetly zipped Yixing's jacket all the way up to hide herself.
"I should head home too," Yixing said calmly.
Mingyu nodded before asking, "That meeting tomorrow morning — what time works for you?"
"Eight opened up," Yixing replied smoothly while texting his assistant to rearrange his schedule.
"Always working," Mingyu muttered before glancing at his sister. "And thanks for keeping my baby sister warm."
Only then did Yixing and Dasom realize they were practically cuddling.
Yixing stood directly behind her with his arms loosely around her waist.
And somehow—
Both of them had felt completely comfortable like that.
They separated immediately.
"Uh… no problem," Yixing replied calmly, though he could tell Mingyu was already suspicious.
Then Yixing looked directly at Dasom.
"I'll see you soon, Bunny."
And for some reason—
The way he said it made her heart race.