“I’m sorry.”

“I told you it’s fine. You came in the end, didn’t you?”

“Still…”

“Though I guess getting stood up right from the start does sting a bit, huh?”

There was no displeasure on Juhyung’s face as he wrinkled his nose and smiled. 

She could immediately tell that while he was honestly a bit hurt inside, he was deliberately acting more playful to ease her burden.

“I’m truly sorry about everything today.”

“Hyunseo.”

“Yes?”

“If you apologize one more time, I’m just going to go for it regardless, okay?”

At his mischievous threat, Hyunseo quickly shut her mouth. Watching her refuse to say it was okay even as an empty courtesy, Juhyung swallowed a disappointed sigh. 

However, he couldn’t be clingy. He didn’t want to ruin his image that way.

“Please eat. I’ll cry if you leave any.”

Juhyung said it was a difficult place to get reservations. At his earnest plea that he’d gladly paid extra and waited, so he hoped she’d at least enjoy the food, Hyunseo stopped refusing and obediently picked up her fork.

It was a taste she’d never experienced in her life. Rare dishes she’d never once tried were served to the table one after another. She tried her hardest not to leave anything, if only out of guilt.

‘If lunch doesn’t work, let’s make it an early dinner.’

‘Deputy Manager Han…’

‘If that doesn’t work either, even tea is fine. Would that be difficult for you?’

After parting with Gyeom, who’d driven her home, Hyunseo had no choice but to show up for her appointment with Juhyung.

It wasn’t right to not only be late without contact but also refuse over the phone to someone who’d kept waiting. It was already the worst situation, but unable to be even ruder, she’d hurriedly changed clothes and left the house.

‘You don’t have to answer right now.’

‘I feel bad. I don’t want to do that.’

‘Well, that’s a relief at least. Thank you for meeting me anyway, for telling me face to face.’

It was incredibly difficult to reveal her true feelings to Juhyung, who’d greeted her with a smile. 

Thinking it would be worse to give him false hope, she’d struggled to get the words out, and Juhyung wasn’t hurt.

It was a meeting he’d begged and pleaded to arrange in the first place, and he seemed to know Hyunseo’s position—that she’d come out reluctantly because of Assistant Manager Hwang’s request, her superior. 

Then he said, let’s just consider today not a blind date but a chance to build a personal connection.

She was grateful for his generous consideration. So Hyunseo could lighten her burden a little.

That didn’t mean she could be completely at ease. Something kept bothering her from earlier. 

Because of a certain someone flickering before her eyes. Because of certain memories that became more vivid the more she tried not to think about them.

“Did your trip to the countryside go well?”

She’d just been reaching for her water glass. No, she’d been reaching for it when she accidentally knocked it over—Hyunseo looked at the spilled water with a flustered expression. 

Juhyung reassured her it was fine and called an employee to clean it up.

“The glasses here are unusual, right? I’ve dropped them a few times before too. I’m thinking of filing a complaint to have them changed.”

Following Juhyung’s lead as he gently covered for her mistake with a smile, Hyunseo quietly smiled back.

Like Assistant Manager Hwang’s introduction suggested, Juhyung was a really decent person. Even when she occasionally ran into him at the office, she’d thought he seemed nice. 

Actually, ‘nice’ was an understatement. Though he couldn’t compare to Gyeom, he was quite popular in his own right.

Hyunseo hurriedly swept away Gyeom’s image that suddenly appeared again. 

Changing her mind from just moistening her throat, she emptied the water glass completely and let out a soundless sigh. 

Her lower back throbbed.

“Hyunseo.”

“Yes?”

“You must be tired—should we just order dessert now?”

At his incredibly thoughtful consideration, Hyunseo nodded. She wasn’t in any condition to sit longer.

As Juhyung requested, the remaining food was quickly cleared and dessert came out all at once. Hyunseo, who’d been quietly tasting it, carefully raised her head.

When their eyes met, Juhyung smiled with the corners of his mouth raised and pushed extra napkins toward her, saying to use them later. He seemed like someone with ingrained manners.

“Maybe someone else should have come instead.”

“Someone else?”

“For the blind date. If you’d done it with someone other than me, it definitely would have worked out.”

“No way, I wouldn’t do it with anyone else. I asked for the introduction because it was you, Hyunseo.”

An unexpected answer came back to her casual remark. Juhyung asked her, who looked surprised.

“Didn’t Assistant Manager Hwang tell you?”

“Not at all.”

“I kept talking about you, Hyunseo. That it had to be you, absolutely.”

“Ah…”

“I wonder why. Maybe he didn’t say anything because he thought you’d feel pressured. Though if he had, you might not have come out at all.”

It was true. If Assistant Manager Hwang had conveyed everything in detail, Hyunseo wouldn’t have even made the appointment.

Coming out to meet knowing the other person’s feelings meant there was some room to accept them. Even Hyunseo, who was clueless about romance, knew that much. So.

“I feel even more sorry now.”

“I told you, if you keep apologizing, I’ll go for it whether I was rejected or not.”

“…I…”

“If you’re sorry, let’s be friendly from now on. Smile and greet each other when we meet. That’s okay, right?”

Juhyung added that he hoped she wouldn’t avoid him at the office because she felt uncomfortable. 

Driving the point home that if he’d compromised this much, she had to do at least that, he wasn’t pushy at all.

Hyunseo silently nodded.

She blocked the apology that tried to pop out by habit by repeatedly shoving sherbet into her mouth. The meal that had unintentionally become an early dinner ended like that.

“Deputy Manager Han Juhyung?”

It was just as they were leaving the restaurant. Hyunseo had said she’d pay at least half the meal cost, but Juhyung didn’t even pretend to listen and led her toward the elevators. Someone walking ahead greeted them.

“Fancy meeting you here?”

“Right? Are you here for a meal?”

“Yeah, it’s my parents’ anniversary today so I brought them. But.”

The person sending the elderly middle-aged couple ahead with the staff who’d come to guide them was Deputy Manager Jeong.

“Hyunseo?”

“Ah… Hello.”

“What, how are you two together?”

Flustered, Hyunseo hurriedly bowed her head. Deputy Manager Jeong quickly scanned the two with a meaningful expression. 

Noticing the flow of air that had become uncomfortable beyond awkwardness, Juhyung quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

“There was a reason.”

“What reason? This place is really expensive. Don’t tell me you were on a date?”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Wow, really? Deputy Manager Han and Hyunseo?”

Even though Juhyung clearly answered that it wasn’t like that, Deputy Manager Jeong jumped to conclusions on her own and gaped. 

Just as the stare that seemed to find it unbelievable was about to lengthen, the elevator happened to arrive.

“Please don’t spread rumors.”

“Okay, got it.”

“It’s one-sided on my part. You can’t make things difficult for Hyunseo.”

“Wow, so unrequited love? That’s amazing, Deputy Manager Han.”

“We’ll go ahead. Let’s get on, Hyunseo.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. Then…”

“Bye, Hyunseo. See you at the office tomorrow.”

Deputy Manager Jeong’s figure waving warmly disappeared beyond the closing elevator doors. Juhyung, who’d quickly pressed the first floor, carefully gauged Hyunseo’s reaction.

“You were surprised, weren’t you?”

“A little.”

“It’ll be fine. If any talk comes up, I’ll handle it well.”

Juhyung’s mood as he spoke trying to seem calm wasn’t entirely comfortable either. 

‘Of all people, why did we have to run into Deputy Manager Jeong, who’s known as the company’s social butterfly?’

He was already upset enough that the blind date had become not a blind date, but now he had to worry in advance about rumors that might spread—Juhyung’s outlook was bleak. 

What worried him more was that Hyunseo might end up distancing herself from him because she felt uncomfortable.

Toward Juhyung, who repeatedly emphasized he absolutely wouldn’t make things difficult for her, Hyunseo tried to curl up the corners of her mouth, saying it was okay.

Running into Deputy Manager Jeong by chance was unavoidable. 

‘The rumors can just be corrected.’ Even thinking that way, she kept feeling uncomfortable. Because she thought of Gyeom.

Of course, trivial rumors about individual employees wouldn’t reach his ears one by one.

‘I know. I know, but I wished he wouldn’t find out.’ Because in the end, it wasn’t a blind date or anything. So.

“Thank you for driving me home.”

“Not at all. Hurry inside and get some good rest.”

Juhyung drove Hyunseo all the way home in the end. She’d declined several times saying she could take a taxi, but Juhyung was firm. 

There was no justification to refuse the reasonable suggestion that it was on his way anyway.

Juhyung smiled at her as she bowed in greeting, then turned the car around and left. She was turning toward her studio apartment building when she spotted something and froze. 

A luxury sedan. One that didn’t belong in this narrow alley.

‘…No way.’

Flustered by the familiar car body, she quickly checked the license plate. The moment she confirmed it was definitely Gyeom’s sedan, the car door opened and Gyeom appeared. 

He approached without hesitation and stopped right in front of her.

“Did the blind date go well?”

“…Pardon?”

“Surprising. I thought you wouldn’t go.”

His expression as he said that was ordinary. His tone was also indifferent, just like usual.

He didn’t particularly seem angry, but his unchangingly apathetic appearance made Hyunseo flustered instead. Either way, for her who’d hoped he wouldn’t know, there was a need to clearly explain.

“I didn’t. I’m on my way back after telling him I wouldn’t do the blind date.”

“……”

“My department’s assistant manager asked me to, so I had to go out at least once, but I felt bad for completely forgetting about today’s appointment. But telling him I couldn’t over the phone seemed too rude…”

“Why are you making excuses?”

Hyunseo closed her mouth. Gyeom’s brow, muttering barely audibly, was very slightly furrowed.

She could clearly read his annoyed feelings. 

‘It seemed like he was saying he didn’t care whether she went on some blind date or not.’

A realization bigger than the fact that the explanation she’d tried her best to give had been pointless rang through her mind.

He was right. Whether she went on a blind date or not, they weren’t in a relationship to care about each other. She and he.

‘Because all we did was sleep together for one night. Impulsively.’

‘Because it’s not like we have any clear relationship. Because it’s even questionable whether the possibility of that exists.’

“Take it.”

Gyeom, who’d been looking down at Hyunseo standing blankly for a moment, brought something from the car trunk. Not understanding the meaning of the well-wrapped shopping bag, Hyunseo asked with her eyes what it meant.

“You said you lost them. I feel somewhat responsible too.”

She guessed. 

‘It’s probably underwear.’ 

Even so, Hyunseo couldn’t easily accept it.

He waited for her for a moment, then forcibly placed the shopping bag in her hands.

The warmth of his touching hand was surprisingly hot, but she had no time to be conscious of it. He got in the car just like that and soon disappeared.

Hyunseo lowered her head. 

‘What if he’d gotten angry instead?’ 

If he’d yelled at her, asking what she meant by meeting another man when she’d done that with him just yesterday, her heart wouldn’t feel this empty now.

Suddenly last night felt like a dream. The throbbing between her legs told her it wasn’t.

She stood like that for a long while. Harboring the futile hope that Gyeom might come back.