“Seriously? Covering up now?”

Hwi-gang teased, his eyes twinkling with playful amusement.

Seol-ah let out a small laugh, realizing how silly it was to be shy after everything they’d shared. She lowered the blanket and stopped pretending.

“What’s that in your hand?”

She asked, curious about the tray he had brought.

“Bringing breakfast, I see?” she added with a smile.

“Yep, thought I’d serve you breakfast in bed. Isn’t that something women dream about?” he replied, setting the tray down.

“It definitely is,” Seol-ah agreed. “Waking up to breakfast in bed from your husband—that’s one of those romantic things every woman dreams of.”

“I see. So, what are the other dreams? I don’t know much about these things.”

“If I tell you, will you do all of them?” Seol-ah teased.

“Well, I’ll try my best, within reason,” Hwi-gang answered with a smirk.

“Hmm, maybe I’ll write them down like a bucket list and stick it on the wall over there.”

“Don’t make it too intense now,” he laughed.

Seol-ah laughed, nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, I guess that could be a bit much.”

“So, what’s the one thing you want most?”

Hwi-gang asked, curious.

“Hmm, I’ve never really thought about it seriously… but I do know one thing for sure.”

“And what’s that?”

Hwi-gang’s eyes lit up as he looked at Seol-ah.

“Wearing a beautiful wedding dress on our special day and taking breathtaking photos with the love of my life—ones we’ll never get tired of looking at,” Seol-ah said with a soft smile.

“Well, that’s a given,” Hwi-gang responded, “Tell me something else.”

“Oh, right. A grand proposal—like in the dramas,” she added with a little laugh.

“A proposal, like the ones on TV?”

Hwi-gang tilted his head, thinking.

“Yes.”

Hwi-gang pondered for a moment before saying.

“What would make it a grand proposal… I’ll have to think about that.”

“Really? Can I actually look forward to it?”

Seol-ah asked, excitement creeping into her voice.

“Of course! I’ll do my best, so you can definitely expect something special.”

Hwi-gang replied with confidence.

“Wow, you’re really confident.”

Seol-ah teased, giving him a playful, slightly skeptical look as she picked up a piece of bread.

Just as she was about to take a bite, Hwi-gang leaned in and took a bite himself, grinning as he said, “When I set my mind to something, I never do it halfway.”

He gave her a playful wink, causing Seol-ah to loosen her grip, and the bread fell softly onto the tray. Hwi-gang picked it up again and gently placed it back in her mouth, leaving her flustered.

In a daze, she watched him casually walk over to the sofa with his coffee, pick up his tablet, and check something on the screen. He took a sip of coffee, and Seol-ah couldn’t help but feel captivated all over again by his effortless charm.

“Wow… a real-life perfect husband exists,” Seol-ah muttered under her breath, feeling like she was witnessing someone straight out of a drama.

“What did you say?”

Hwi-gang asked, glancing over at her.

“Uh, nothing! I was just saying the bread is really good. Did you go out to get it this morning? It’s so fresh and soft like it was just baked,” she quickly covered up.

“Yeah, there’s a famous bakery nearby. That particular bread sells out before 8 AM, and you have to stand in line for about 30 minutes to get it.”

“Wait, really?”

She couldn’t picture the composed, charismatic man standing in line for bread. The thought of him patiently waiting like everyone else seemed so out of character, leaving her momentarily speechless.

“Why do you have that look on your face?”

Hwi-gang asked, noticing her expression.

“Did you really wait in line for 30 minutes just to buy this?”

“Hard to believe, huh? Even I can’t believe I did it.”

Hwi-gang said, shaking his head with a slight smile. Normally such a comment would come across as arrogant, but it suited him so well that Seol-ah couldn’t argue with it.

“Did you really go to all this effort just to feed me?”

“Don’t give me those emotional eyes, or I’ll end up wanting to do this for you every day,” Hwi-gang replied with a playful smile.

Seol-ah laughs softly.

“I don’t want you to do this every day either. I’m happy with just today.”

“How can you give up so easily?”

“Huh?”

Seol-ah blinked, confused.

“Usually, when a guy says something like that, the girl gets disappointed, maybe even pouts or tries some cute charm,” Hwi-gang explained, still teasing her.

Seol-ah’s eyes widened as she realized he was playfully jabbing at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh at how easily he read her reactions.

“Are you seriously suggesting I should start pouting and acting cute to get what I want?”

“I am,” Hwi-gang replied nonchalantly. “I usually don’t like when girls use that kind of cutesy, baby-talk, but if you did it, I might find myself giving you anything you asked for.”

Though his tone was casual and detached, almost like he was reading lines from a book, the sentiment behind his words was undeniably sweet. Seol-ah felt a warm wave of happiness rising inside her, but she kept her expression neutral to match Hwi-gang’s.

“I’ll pass. I’d rather not eat than go that far.”

Hwi-gang’s eyes briefly flickered with disappointment at her unexpected response, but it didn’t bother him—in fact, he liked this side of her. Seol-ah wasn’t the type to give in easily, and that only made her more intriguing to him.

“Fair enough. To be honest, I was wondering how I’d manage to line up at that bakery every morning.”

Seol-ah pouted playfully for a moment, debating whether to indulge in some cute behavior for fun, but quickly shook her head and decided against it. She spread some cream cheese on her bread and was about to take a bite when she glanced over at Hwi-gang, who was now engrossed in his tablet.

With a playful smile, Seol-ah took the opportunity to quietly admire him.

“Are you working?” she asked, watching Hwi-gang curiously.

“No, just doing some personal research.”

“Personal research? What does that mean?” she asked, stepping down from the bed.

Before she could get closer, Hwi-gang waved her off with a dismissive hand.

“It’s nothing important. Don’t worry about it, just finish your breakfast.”

But Seol-ah had a pretty good idea of what he was looking up, and a wide smile spread across her face as she imagined it.

‘Just how elaborate of a proposal is he planning?’

***

“Jung-jae.”

Seol-ah called out, her voice carrying a sharp edge that immediately drew the attention of the entire TF team. Despite this, Jung-jae continued with his work, acting as if he hadn’t heard her.

“Jung-jae, did you not hear Team Leader Jin Seol-ah calling you?”

As Chief Choi raised his voice, Jung-jae reluctantly approached Seol-ah.

“Did you call for me?”