Chapter:0.93 Embers Beneath the Surface

Jin sat beneath the tree, moonlight tracing the angles of his jaw like the artist's final flourish on a marble sculpture. His crimson eyes shimmered mischievously, his smile curled at the edge with that same unshakable arrogance that seemed sewn into the very fabric of his being.

Rena stood a few feet away, her fists clenched, breath short, face flushed with a war of embarrassment and fury.

> "So," Jin said smoothly, his voice laced with mock innocence, "you never answered my question, dear wife. Is it red lace? Black? Or… maybe nothing at all?"

Her golden eyes widened in disbelief. "You're *impossible!*" she hissed.

He chuckled under his breath, as if her outrage was a melody he never tired of hearing.

> "No need to be shy," he continued. "I'm your husband. It's not a crime to want to see what's already mine, is it?"

Rena's jaw dropped, words failing her for a split second. Her cheeks flared redder than the setting sun, her hands trembling not from fear—but from the sheer nerve of him.

> "Jin Rotschy, you've officially lost your mind!"

He leaned back comfortably, one leg propped up as if this were a casual conversation about the weather.

> "Mmm, not yet. But close," he said, eyes gleaming. "Though I am curious. What color is your skin… beneath the lace? Pale peach? Or… maybe a sweet, blushing pink?"

Her hands burst into flame.

Literally.

With a sharp cry of frustration, Rina channeled a fireball into existence and hurled it straight at his smug, perfect face.

Jin dodged easily, leaning slightly to the side as the fireball scorched the bark behind him.

> "Feisty," he mused. "That's why I like you."

> "You're vile!" she shouted. "You're disgusting! You always push too far!"

He raised one hand in mock surrender, his smirk deepening.

> "I'll stop. I swear. But only if you answer one last thing."

She glared at him, fire still crackling at her fingertips.

> "What *now?*"

> "Cup size."

"*Jin!!*"

> "Just trying to help," he added innocently. "I might need that information one day. Emergency situations, you know?"

She stormed up to him and jabbed a finger against his chest. Her entire body was trembling—her fists, her lips, her voice.

> "I hate you! You're the worst! The most insufferable, shameless man I've ever met! Why do you always ruin everything?! Why can't you just—just *act like a normal person* for once in your cursed, twisted life?!"

He didn't move, didn't flinch.

Instead, he looked up at her with a gaze so calm, so maddeningly composed, that it only enraged her more.

> "Because," he said, "I'm not normal. And neither are you, Rena."

Her breath hitched.

> "You're a lioness with fire in her veins and fury in her heart. You think I'd treat you like glass? No, Rina. I provoke you because I know you can burn brighter than anyone else."

For a second, silence stretched between them like a live wire. Rina blinked, stunned by the sudden seriousness in his voice. But then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished—replaced once more by his smirk.

> "...Still not telling me, though?"

She growled, actually *growled*, and began lightly pounding her fists against his chest.

> "You're an idiot! A complete idiot! You ruin everything with your big mouth! Stupid, arrogant, gorgeous—wait, *no*! Not gorgeous! Shut up!"

Jin only laughed. He caught her wrists gently, his touch infuriatingly soft.

> "You said *gorgeous*."

> "Shut. Up."

> "You love me."

> "Shut. *Up.*"

> "You're obsessed with me."

> "I swear to the moon, Jin, I will throw you into a volcano—"

He tilted his head, his voice dropping lower.

> "You're thinking about kissing me again, aren't you?"

Her silence was deafening.

Jin's smile widened, not with mockery this time—but with something far more dangerous: certainty.

*"hahaha"*

"That's what I thought."