Today was shaping up to be a complete mess for Yunjoo. The wrong materials had arrived, and the people she was waiting on weren’t picking up. She knew from experience that when things started tangling up like this, something always went wrong, and that knowledge made her sharper than ever. She started going through the worksite like a stick poking a hornet’s nest.

Everywhere Yunjoo went, noise followed. Her sharpness soured the air in the workshop and threw everything into disarray, so Uncle Seok called her over. He knew better than anyone that things would get harder to manage if this kept up. And he was the only one who could calm Yunjoo down.

“Ms. Cha, a word.”

When Uncle Seok didn’t call her by name, Yunjoo tensed too.

“Yes.”

“You, go home for today. Nobody can work with you like this. Everyone’s too busy watching their step to get anything done.”

“Uncle!”

“Nothing’s going to fall apart just because you leave early. You’re running yourself ragged and it’s making you sharp. So go. Or I’ll be the one to leave, because I can’t stand looking at you.”

“Alright. I’m sorry, Uncle.”

His words made her take a step back and look at herself. She had been pushing too hard and picking at every little thing. It seemed like a good idea to step outside and rest for a bit, just as he said.

She gathered her bag and was heading out of the worksite when Sihyeong’s call came in, and she was glad to hear from him.

“Mr. Sihyeong.”

She hadn’t wanted to go home in this kind of mood, so of course it was a relief when he called at just the right moment. The warmth in Yunjoo’s voice spread a smile across Sihyeong’s face too. He had been a little nervous calling, after what had happened in front of her house that day.

“Ms. Yunjoo.”

“Mr. Sihyeong, how did you know I was finishing early today? Your timing is perfect.”

Neither of them had brought up what happened in front of Yunjoo’s house. They had each gone about their own business. Sihyeong was putting things on hold until Yunjoo finished her busy stretch of work, and Yunjoo, knowing nothing could come of it with Sihyeong, was choosing to look the other way.

“My instincts are all tuned to you, Ms. Yunjoo.”

“Mr. Sihyeong, I’ll pass on jokes like that.”

She said it with a laugh, but the awkwardness underneath the words came through. Even at his joke, Yunjoo shrank back just slightly. To Sihyeong, Yunjoo felt like a problem he couldn’t figure out how to solve. This wasn’t his style. He was someone who went straight for what he wanted, but with Yunjoo, he couldn’t do that.

“Let me buy you dinner.”

“That’s kind of you, but I want to go home early today. It’s been a rough one. Let’s just grab a quick cup of tea and call it a night.”

“Come to think of it, your voice sounds drained. Eat something and I’ll drive you home.”

“No, it’s fine.”

He said he was nearby and suggested she wait in her car while he came to her. She sat with her eyes closed, waiting.

Knock knock. A tap on the window made her open her eyes. He had said he was close, and he really had come fast.

“You’re here already?”

“Get out. You’re tired, come in my car. I’ll have someone bring yours.”

She knew he had a quiet stubbornness to him, so she got out rather than argue, but she didn’t feel entirely at ease. Riding alone with Sihyeong, without his manager, felt a little uncomfortable. She knew he meant well, so Yunjoo let out a short, quiet breath and steadied herself.

Walking in with Sihyeong, Yunjoo glanced around out of habit. It happened without thinking whenever she was alone with him.

“It’s a place I know, so you don’t need to do that.”

Sihyeong pushed open the door and went straight up to the second floor. It was a space that didn’t take regular guests.

“Am I that uncomfortable to be around?”

“I usually adapt pretty well, but this just isn’t clicking for me.”

Sihyeong’s expression stiffened slightly at her words. Every time Yunjoo said something like this, she felt like someone who would never come to him.

“Ha…… Ms. Yunjoo.”

“Haha, I’m just a bit old-fashioned.”

Sihyeong tilted his head slightly to one side and stared at her as she quickly covered his sigh with an embarrassed laugh.

“What, do I look like a total wreck?”

“…….”

“I’ll pass on that kind of staring too. It gets awkward when you’re that obvious about it.”

Her words were light, but her eyes weren’t. Sihyeong was starting to feel the strain. She kept saying friends, but Yunjoo knew as well as he did that they weren’t. Maybe she kept saying it precisely because she knew they could never truly be friends. She wasn’t as comfortable with him as she was with Sangyun.

He wasn’t blind to the shift in her expression. He had the feeling that if things got any more serious, Yunjoo would start avoiding him.

“I was looking at your dark circles.”

“My dark circles?”

“Yes. A little lower and they’d reach your knees.”

“I must look terrible. You’re so used to seeing beautiful people, seeing someone like me must have been quite a sight. Haha.”

‘You’re far prettier than any of them.’

He kept the words he actually wanted to say locked inside, and Sihyeong’s gaze grew distant and deep. They had a simple cup of tea at the place Sihyeong had brought her to, and Yunjoo, exhausted, got up early. As Sihyeong dropped her off in front of her house, she said:

“Thank you, Mr. Sihyeong.”

“Of course. Get some rest, Ms. Yunjoo.”

She watched his car disappear into the distance, then turned around. She wondered if wanting to keep him only as a good male friend was selfish of her. But if Sihyeong didn’t push any closer, she had no intention of pulling away either. In some ways, that felt like it would be even more awkward. She wanted to sleep. She needed to unwind her frayed nerves. She turned to go, then stopped.

“Father…….”

“What have you been doing, running around like this? I came on a hunch, and sure enough…….”

“What do you……?”

The fact that he had come all the way to her house looking for her made her tense. He had never once visited since she got married. Knowing that, finding him waiting in front of her house filled her with unease.

“Someone told me they saw you going around with some actor. I can’t believe it. Are you having an affair? Is that what this is?”

“Father, that’s absurd. It’s nothing like that.”

“You had the nerve to bring a man right to your front door! Have you lost your mind?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“End it. Now!”

He had no intention of listening to her. He had already made up his mind and believed what he wanted to believe. Even so, shouldn’t he at least hear her out? She knew it was nothing new, but it still left her with a hollow ache.

“Is that really all you think of me, Father? I told you, it’s not like that.”

“You have no shame. Do you know what kind of family you married into? How could you do something like this! What if your husband finds out?”

“You always do this, Father. You never even listen.”

“Sort yourself out before your husband hears about it. Acting so low…….”

“Low? Who? Me? I must take after you then, mustn’t I?”

“What did you say!”

“You think I don’t know, Father?”

“Why you little—”

Crack.

A flash went off behind her eyes and her head snapped to the side. It didn’t even hurt. This was always how things ended between her and her father, and it wasn’t anything new. Since getting married, she hadn’t clashed with him like this, but here they were again, back to the same old shape. His rigidity, never allowing anything, always only his own words, and the cruel authority behind it all. It suffocated her.

That was part of why she had chosen to marry without much resistance, and now it was truly wearing her down. Kangwook had been sitting in his car watching Yunjoo face her father-in-law when, just as he moved to get out, he witnessed the blow with his own eyes. Startled, Kangwook shot out of the car and stepped in front of Yunjoo.

“Father-in-law!”

“Oh, Ch, Choi…….”

“Mr. Kangwook…….”

The moment Kangwook appeared, Yunjoo’s expression visibly hardened. Her face burned hotter than the sting of the slap.

“Father-in-law. Did you just raise your hand to Yunjoo?”

“Son-in-law, does this girl talk back to you like this too? A woman should from the start…….”

“Father-in-law. She is mine. I will not allow anyone to lay a hand on her. Anyone.”

“What did you say?”