She spun around, bristling at the nickname.
"I am not that little girl from Damyang-gun anymore. I've grown up. Why can't you see that?"
Her hands lifted to her shoulders, her voice tight with frustration, her eyes blazing with defiance.
And just like that—something shifted.
It was as if a veil had been ripped from Kai's eyes. For the first time, he truly saw her. Not the pouty child from his memories, but the woman standing before him—the subtle curve of her body wrapped in his oversized pajamas, the swell of her chest pressing against the fabric, the trim of her waist, the gentle flare of her hips.
His gaze dragged upward, locking on her face: wide, innocent eyes, cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and lips that carried the faint sweetness of strawberries. A thought pierced through him, sharp and dangerous—what would they taste like?
He had spent days forcing these details into the shadows. But now… there was no looking away.
Hana caught the weight of his stare, and her breath faltered. He wasn't looking at her like a brother anymore. He was looking at her like a man. The realization made her heart race, heat flooding her cheeks.
Kai stepped closer—slowly, deliberately—each movement taut with restraint. He leaned down, his breath warm against the shell of her ear as his voice dropped to a husky whisper.
"Do you have any idea," he murmured, "how hard it is to resist a grown woman?".