Luke is innovating on the outdoor lighting setup. He noticed that the lights at the gate were turned off, that was one of the things he hated. He hates darkness, that's why he badly wants those lights always turned on. He was easily irritated because of that so he sent his personal driver home immediately.
He, too, had a long day. He slumped on the soft bed as soon as he entered the room. Even when he is tired, drowsiness does not strike him. He decided to eat some snacks after a few minutes of lying in bed.
Luke was drawn to the kitchen's turned-off light. His irritability increased, so he opened it first. He returned to his room after getting something to eat.
***
Yumi wondered why the light in the kitchen was on because before she went back to Mother Lingling's room, she made sure it was turned off.
'Maybe I forgot to press the switch' she shrugged as he turned off the light. She went back to the room and Luke on the other hand went back to the kitchen.
Luke gasped for air. Now he realizes there is someone else in his house. Mother Lingling told him to go on vacation first but the lady did not say that anyone else would let her in without her permission since he didn't allow Yumi to take part in her job. He took a knife and inspected every room.
Yumi heard loud footsteps. There must have been someone in the mansion so she became alert and took the lampshade on the side of the bed. If it was Luke, she needed to be more alert.
They slowly made their way to the kitchen and Yumi collapsed when a man broke her and aimed a knife at her. Luke was just hiding on the side of the kitchen door and she didn't notice him.
Luke stumbled when he saw the woman's face lying on the floor as if unmoved by fear. The knife was about an inch deep in Yumi's throat. He was alarmed by the action so he threw away the object that he was holding but he could not break his gaze on the woman until now, still leaving a large part in his life.
"Who are you?" Luke asked.
Yumi shook herself before standing up. She noticed near him the crystals of the broken lamp shade because of her action. She cleared her throat first.
"Apart from being narcissistic and arrogant, you also have amnesia and I didn't expect that."
"I haven't remembered that Mother Lingling will let you in here. Is there no one buying your beauty anymore?" Luke asked sarcastically and stared at Yumi again.
"I have given my throne to others. I also used my body to make money for a few years," Yumi replied boldly, even though it looked like she had been stabbed with a dagger because of Luke's words. To this day, Luke still believes that the reason that his love for Yumi faded was because she pursued a courtesan job just to go to college. That's what Nelia said to Luke just to stop their relationship back then. And during those times, Yumi couldn't even defend herself.
Luke gobbled when their eyes met once more. Yumi's effect on him was still strange. She got even better and her personality seemed to have changed as well. Perhaps, it was confirmed by time and by the work she entered. Even though he is deeply moved by what happened to his ex-girlfriend, he still does not lose his hatred and at the same time, admiration for her.
"I hate it when the lights are off. Don't turn off the light again even outside," he uttered with a slight disgust. He went back to his room and a strange feeling easily attached to him.
He did not fall asleep right away in the room. He remembered again how much love he and Yumi had before. That if he was given a chance to go back in time, he would only go back to the times when he and Yumi were just in love.
***
Meanwhile, drowsiness is still not visiting Yumi. She's just quietly sobbing in her room. She couldn't make it clear to Luke that she was just accusing everything he thought she had done, just like entering prostitution.
But the truth is, she was framed to be one of the courtesans in a club before. Dante tricked her and ordered her to attend a party that she assumed she and Luke would attend. Yumi was also hoping that Luke invited her and will eventually propose for a marriage, even though they were both only eighteen years old then, they had already promised each other that if they didn't stay together, they wouldn't marry anyone else.
"Will that promise still be fulfilled if we both hate each other?"
***
The next morning…
"Did you miss this place?"
Yumi stumbled over Luke's question. They have been face to face for more than half an hour but not one of them has volunteered to start the conversation.
"Of course, I missed this place. It's more than you think," Yumi replied formally and was restless as she stole a glance from the young man, Luke. Supposedly, amazement still prevails whenever she sees the young man despite the intense hatred. Over the years, she could say that Luke was 'same old brand new' thing for her. Even though he has changed, he still has remarkable gestures that don't change. He was still the handsome Luke whose sadness was more predominant than the gleam of the eyes that seemed to be windows in the depths of his heart.
'He's a mystery to himself.'
"Really? What did you miss about this place?" Luke asked and then sipped a glass of water.
"I missed this place a lot. Especially in the swimming pool. If you remember, we used to kiss there and we just took the opportunity to have no one in this house. What we did was that we were able to hide our relationship for a year." Yumi's laughter accompanied the words she released then Luke and her eyes met.
"And you really think you did something great?" Luke asked sarcastically.
"Yes. Luke, we are each other's first. First love, first hug, first kiss— Everything, we learned through each other, "Yumi reminded him.
"If you really want to end the connection between the two of us, remove Mother Lingling from the service. She is the only reason why I am here in this mansion. Now, if you don't feel bad anymore, can I swim in your pool?" She lifted her chin up while asking. She wanted to provoke Luke and see the fire in his eyes. Without getting an answer, Yumi left in front of the young man.
"If I fire her, you'll only feed her with the money from selling your body, which is something I don't want to happen, Mayumi."
Yumi came to a halt and felt a shiver run through her body when she was addressed by her given name. She had no choice but to turn away from him before removing her robe.
"I only sell my body, Luke," she clarified, "but I didn't kill anyone."
"But you nearly killed me when I was young," Luke raged.
Yumi smirked and flipped her hair, "Well, I wish I had succeeded by killing you."