“I’m not as regular as you are, so I can’t give you a schedule. If it’s not something that comes up in the morning, there’s no way to know how things will go, and calling the secretary’s office every time would be ridiculous too.”

“Who said anything about calling the secretary’s office!”

“Then where am I supposed to call?”

“Call me directly.”

“Your number? I don’t have it.”

At Yunjoo’s words, Kangwook froze. Three years of living together, and she didn’t have his number. Come to think of it, every message from Yunjoo had come through the secretary’s office. And Yunjoo had always reported her own schedule through the secretary’s office too. She had never once called him directly. Then what was the number saved under Yunjoo’s name in his phone? 

He realized now that he had no memory of entering it himself. His secretary must have saved it for him. Kangwook looked at Yunjoo, who sat there with an expression that said nothing was unusual about any of this, and hesitated over what to say.

“Then when you were working before, at your parents’ house?”

“I never got to do it as my own project. It was always collaborative work, and I always felt bad about that. Now I want to do my own work. You said I could work, so let’s go on living the way we have been, pretending not to notice each other. Stop waiting up and looking at me strangely. We were never that kind of couple. If you’ve said everything you wanted to say, I need to go upstairs and change and head out.”

Kangwook watched helplessly as Yunjoo went straight up to the second floor. Everything she said was right, and he was the one who had made it that way, so he had nothing to say. He watched her with pained eyes, but Yunjoo couldn’t read any of it.

‘Cha. Yun. Joo.’

He had put off everything he had that morning and waited, and now Yunjoo was walking right past him in fresh clothes without a care. She hadn’t spared a glance at him sitting on the sofa waiting. He didn’t exist to her.

“I’m heading out too, I’ll give you a ride.”

“No, don’t go to the trouble. I can take the subway. You’re a busy person, you don’t need to worry about things like that.”

The small distance that had closed between them stretched far away again.

“Why don’t you take a car?”

“This is easier.”

“Take one.”

“It’s not mine.”

They left the house together and walked in the direction of the car. Yunjoo said goodbye and turned away, and Kangwook let out a breath, then reached out and caught her arm and turned her back around. He didn’t know what face to make watching a woman say so calmly that something wasn’t hers.

“Cha Yunjoo, honestly!”

“Mr. Choi Kangwook, honestly, why are you being like this?”

Kangwook said nothing more and pulled Yunjoo toward the car. Yunjoo shook off his arm and held her ground.

“How is it that you never just do what you’re told, not even once?”

“Let go of me. I’m not the one being strange here. You are, Choi Kangwook.”

“Be quiet and get in.”

“That hurts. Fine. I’ll get in, so let go first.”

There was nothing to be gained from a long standoff in front of the driver holding the door open. Kangwook let go of her arm when she said it hurt and stood guarding the car, so she had no choice but to get in. His face was heavy as he watched her finally climb in.

“You could have just listened the first time. It was always going to end with you getting in.”

“Ha……”

She had gotten in against her will, and her heart wasn’t at ease.

“Cha Yunjoo, were you always this difficult?”

“The women around you are always the type who scramble to get into Choi Kangwook’s car, so you assumed I was the same?”

“Why does your mind jump there?”

“I’m saying I’m not the kind of woman who waits in line behind Choi Kangwook hoping he’ll call her name.”

“I know by now that Cha Yunjoo isn’t that kind of woman.”

“How gracious of you.”

“But I didn’t realize Cha Yunjoo was so interested in me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying you even know about the women lined up behind me.”

“Look, President Choi Kangwook. That’s just common knowledge you pick up naturally after living together for three years. You’re quite the famous man, after all.”

Kangwook watched Yunjoo getting worked up and smiled with just his lips. He found it far more pleasing that she was firing back without conceding a single word than if she had said nothing at all. That was exactly why he kept needling her.

When Yunjoo looked at his face and turned to stare out the window, he opened his laptop. Yunjoo caught his unreadable smile and thought she had gotten drawn in again. Choi Kangwook was a formidable man who had held his position at a young age through his own ability. Yunjoo had known from the very first day they met that he was someone whose face gave nothing away.

His eyes were cold, his expression was blank, and his words were smooth. But it wasn’t the kind of smoothness she was used to. It was a smoothness that carried no feeling. He was a sharp businessman who never showed his true intentions to anyone and never let anyone see his real face. And here she was, picking a fight with a man like that, thinking she could win.

‘I’m losing my mind. Truly!’

Yunjoo glanced sideways at Kangwook working and thought. She had lived with this man for three years, and between them there was nothing to talk about. More often than not, she had learned about him through rumors and scandals. She was lost in thought when she heard Kangwook call her name.

“Cha Yunjoo.”

“…….”

“Your phone.”

“My phone, what?”

Yunjoo blinked and looked at Kangwook as he held out his hand and asked for her phone. She had no idea why he wanted it.

“Hand it over.”

“Why do you want my phone? Tell me first.”

“We’re almost at the theater company. Do you want to stay in my car longer?”

The theater company had come into view. She needed to get out before they pulled up too close, in case someone saw. And to do that, she had no choice but to hand over the phone like Kangwook wanted.

“Oh, honestly.”

Yunjoo grumbled and placed her phone in Kangwook’s hand. He took it, saved his number, and handed it back to her.

“From now on, call me directly instead of going through the secretary’s office.”

Yunjoo took the phone back and couldn’t hide the bewildered look on her face as she stared at him. She didn’t understand why he was suddenly giving her a number she had gone three years without knowing and telling her to call him directly. Kangwook looked at her and smiled faintly. What was this? The fact that this man was smiling on top of everything else was a little unsettling.

“We’re here. Aren’t you getting out?”

At Kangwook’s words, Yunjoo scrambled out of the car and watched it disappear, then looked down at the phone in her hand.

‘What just happened? What is Choi Kangwook doing?’

Even as she walked into the theater company office, Kangwook’s behavior stayed on her mind, but the busy pace of work quickly pushed it aside, and once she got started, it vanished from her head entirely.

“Mr. Sangyun, success.”

“Mr. Seok agreed to do it?”

“Yes. Impressive, right?”

“Yes, truly. Bringing him back out of retirement, that’s remarkable, Ms. Yunjoo.”

“Ha, honestly it’s just that we have a bit of a personal connection.”

“Still, no one else could have pulled that off.”

“He is a bit difficult, I’ll give you that. But he’s a good person.”

“So when does he start?”

“He’ll come to the set construction site tomorrow. I’ll be reporting there too.”

“So for a while, if I want to see you, I’ll have to come to the site?”

“You know you have to bring lots of food when you come, right?”

While Yunjoo and Sangyun were talking, Sihyeong walked into the theater company and into Sangyun’s office to find Yunjoo smiling brightly, deep in conversation with Sangyun. Sihyeong paused for a moment looking at Yunjoo, then walked over to where the two of them were.

“What are you two so happy about?”

A director and a stage designer were bound to be close. Yunjoo was glad to see Sihyeong after so long.

“Oh, Mr. Sihyeong!”

“Ms. Yunjoo, it’s been a while.”

“Mr. Sihyeong, it really has.”

“We said we’d be friends, but not a single call?”