“What are you two doing here?”

Turning around, they saw Sehee looking at them with questioning eyes.

“I came out for some fresh air and ran into Team Leader Seo.”

“Is that so?”

Sehee’s eyes narrowed like threads.

“And what brings you outside, Managing Director Hong?”

“I felt a bit drunk, so I came out to go home.”

Sehee withdrew her suspicious gaze.

She smiled brightly at Seonjae as she answered, then approached Yeonsu.

“Yeonsu, you don’t seem to have been drinking. Could you give me a ride?”

When had she seen it, surrounded by all those people?

She seemed certain that Yeonsu hadn’t been drinking.

Yeonsu nodded reluctantly. She was planning to leave anyway.

“Sure. Ready to go now?”

“Yes.”

Yeonsu glanced sideways at Seonjae.

She thought it was just as well. It was an awkward time to be talking with him anyway.

“When are you leaving, CEO? I didn’t see Secretary Shin today either.”

Yeonsu stopped as she approached her parked car.

“He’s on leave today.”

“Ah, and you’ve been drinking. Taxis are hard to catch out here in Gyeonggi-do. Would you like to come with us?”

‘But I’m the one driving?’

Yeonsu turned around in surprise, but Sehee had already finished speaking to Seonjae.

“Hannam-dong is right next to my newlywed home. That’s okay, right, Yeonsu?”

Despite Oksu and Hannam being relatively close, Yeonsu bit her lip, not thrilled with the idea.

Her eyes met his.

Seonjae gazed at Yeonsu intently, then pulled up the corner of his mouth.

“I’d be happy to.”

And just like that, without her refusal making any difference, it was decided they would go together.

※※※

The car was quiet.

“Is it okay for you to leave so early?”

“Employees are more comfortable when the higher-ups leave.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Except for the conversation between Sehee in the passenger seat and Seonjae in the back seat.

Yeonsu occasionally glanced at Seonjae through the rearview mirror while driving and looking ahead.

She never expected he would actually agree to ride in her car.

Wasn’t he someone who only rode in luxury sedans?

Having that man sitting in her humble car made Yeonsu extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover, the silence that followed after their conversation ended was also painful to endure.

She should have just drunk alcohol if it was going to be like this. Then she wouldn’t have had to play chauffeur.

Her regret was short-lived.

“By the way, Brother-in-law, I heard you met the eldest daughter of SD Finance. Gijun was saying so.”

At Sehee’s question, Yeonsu unconsciously tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

SD Finance was a major financial corporation.

Yeonsu recalled him talking about matchmaking in an interview.

He said he went on arranged dates every week, and now it was SD Finance?

“I met her once at an event and she was very proper and pretty. I think she would suit you well, CEO.”

Yeonsu’s car gradually slowed down and stopped at a red light.

“How about going on a follow-up date?”

At the mention of a “follow-up,” Yeonsu unconsciously looked through the rearview mirror.

The moment her gaze met those black pupils, her heart sank.

Without her knowing when, he had been staring at her.

“I was actually planning to.”

Even with their eyes locked, he didn’t look away first.

“A follow-up date.”

Moreover, he was clearly speaking toward Yeonsu. Saying he would request a follow-up date.

Yeonsu had become stiff as a board.

“Really?”

Surprised, Sehee turned her body to look at Seonjae in the back seat.

“You’re really going on a follow-up? I heard you’ve never done that before.”

The car behind honked.

Yeonsu seemed to have been so focused on their conversation that she hadn’t noticed the light had changed.

The car moved again.

Naturally, she turned her gaze from the rearview mirror to look ahead.

“That’s right. But someone told me that you never know until you meet someone.”

“……”

“It made sense. So I’m thinking of going on a follow-up date.”

Yeonsu’s lips trembled slightly.

Even though she had withdrawn her gaze from him, all her nerves seemed to be directed behind her.

“What do you think, Team Leader Seo Yeonsu?”

His words came back to her directly.

Sehee straightened her body from looking at Seonjae and stared at Yeonsu.

Silence flowed as if everyone was waiting for her answer.

“That’s… your choice, CEO. Is my opinion important?”

Yeonsu answered in a small voice.

But the car had been so quiet that it seemed to reach everyone.

“That family has been politicians for generations, so they’re well-established. She suits you well, CEO. Honestly, you should be looking for a marriage partner now.”

Yeonsu just looked ahead as she listened to Sehee’s incessant chatter.

The sound of their conversation continued, but nothing was registering in her ears.

Only his words about going on a follow-up date kept circling in her mind.

Just moments ago at the studio parking lot, he had told her he was interested in her.

She knew this talk about a follow-up date was a provocation aimed at her.

But Yeonsu hated this situation. It made her feel like this was exactly her position with that man.

Yeonsu tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

She wanted to tell them to get out of the car. If only they weren’t on an elevated road.

As Yeonsu continued driving in silence, looking down, she noticed Sehee’s phone blinking.

“I think your phone is ringing.”

“Oh my, it was on silent.”

Sehee picked up her phone in surprise.

Yeonsu also wanted to change the subject, not wanting to hear any more about Seonjae’s arranged date.

“It’s Mom and Gijun. Hello?”

She seemed to be checking missed calls before pressing the call button.

Soon, Sukgyeong’s voice echoed through the quiet car.

—Why aren’t you answering your phone? Siwoo has been taken to the emergency room.

“Suddenly? He was fine this morning. Gijun was home today.”

—Your husband is already at the emergency room. He’s been frantic, wondering why he can’t reach you.

“Which emergency room? I’ll come right away.”

Hearing the word “emergency room” clearly through the speaker, Yeonsu asked Sehee:

“What’s wrong?”

Her voice must have reached Sukgyeong as well, as her question came through:

—Are you with Yeonsu?

“Yes, she’s right beside me. I visited the filming set today. We’ll come together.”

—No need! I’ll go to the emergency room, so don’t come.

With those words, Sukgyeong seemed to have hung up, as silence fell.

“What’s wrong? We should go to the hospital, right?”

Yeonsu carefully asked the frozen Sehee.

Sukgyeong’s reaction over the speaker had been unusual.

“Yes. Brother-in-law, would it be okay if we stop by the hospital first?”

“Let’s all go together.”

The destination of the car, which had just exited the elevated road, changed.

Sehee’s face looked troubled as she stared out the window again.

※※※

The emergency room was bustling with moving medical staff and patients.

When the three arrived, they saw Siwoo asleep beyond the curtain.

And Gijun, who seemed angry.

“Where has the child’s mother been all this time…!”

He was about to say something to Sehee but stopped when he saw Yeonsu and Seonjae following behind.

“What? Hyung, how did you get here?”

“The three of us were together. We were at the filming location.”

As Yeonsu approached, Sukgyeong sitting beside Siwoo came into view.

Her expression had noticeably hardened after the three appeared together.

“Siwoo, what suddenly hurt him?”

“Shellfish allergy. Apparently he ate croquettes with minced shrimp at Seongsu-dong yesterday. I think a new employee gave it to him without knowing.”

Sukgyeong’s explanation continued without even looking in their direction.

Sehee’s expression showed understanding only after Sukgyeong’s explanation.

“Did you know Siwoo had allergies?”

“Of course I knew.”

To Gijun’s accusatory question, Sehee trailed off.

“Why didn’t you tell…… Ha, let’s talk about it later.”

Gijun swallowed his words while looking at Sehee with displeasure.

Yeonsu’s gaze, which had been directed at the couple, reached Siwoo.

The image of Siwoo eating alone at the Seongsu-dong restaurant that day came to mind.

He was the child who had cleaned his plate completely, saying the croquettes were delicious.

If she had known he had such an allergy, she would have stopped him.

‘It must hurt. You must have severe allergies too.’

Seeing the child breathing laboriously, her heart felt heavy.

Of course it wasn’t Yeonsu’s fault. But more than anyone, she felt compassion because she knew how agonizing that allergy was.

“Yeonsu, you…… were you at the restaurant with Siwoo?”

When Yeonsu raised her head, her eyes met Sukgyeong’s.

She was looking at Yeonsu with an even sharper gaze than usual.

“Yes.”

“Why? I told you to rest in the guest room.”

A crack appeared between Yeonsu’s brows.

At first, she thought Sukgyeong was misunderstanding that Yeonsu had failed to stop him from eating the croquettes despite knowing about the allergy.

But listening to it, it didn’t feel like that’s what she was saying.

It was a question focused on why she had been with Siwoo.