Editing Item Description for layer file changes relative path to absolute

I think this is a bug. Try this:
1. Set ArcMap to use relative paths. Layers saved from ArcMap will also now use relative paths.
2. Save a map layer to a layer file in the same folder as the data that it references.
3. View the item description for the layer file in the Catalog window. (I'm using the ISO 19139 metadata style.)
4. Edit the metadata, adding "Hi" to the description field.
5. Save and close the Item Description.
6. Move the layer file to another folder.
7. Add the layer file to ArcMap.

If the layer shows up, then absolute paths are being used. If it was using relative paths, then you should see the red exclamation mark indicating data source not found, since the layer file is no longer in the same folder as its underlying data.

This is bad, because it means if I want to save a layer file with metadata and ship it to a customer using relative paths, then I have to save the layer file, create the metadata (title, tags, summary description, credits, use limitation, etc.), and then SAVE THE LAYER FILE AGAIN to ensure relative paths are used.

Is this a bug or am I doing something incorrectly? If anyone knows how I can edit metadata without converting relative paths to absolute, please share!