“Ji-an!”

She was on her way to her part-time job at the restaurant when a voice suddenly called her name. Startled, Ji-an looked around.

It was Yeong-gwang, who had just stepped out of his parked car and was now waving at her with urgency.

“Oh, sunbae!”

Ji-an gave him a polite smile. Yeong-gwang hurried over to her.
“What happened? I heard you suddenly took a leave of absence. Is it true?”

“Well… yeah. That’s how it turned out.”

“You just disappeared without a word. How could you leave like that?”

Son Yeong-gwang was an older student in the same department as her. When they took classes together, he often shared old exam papers with her and bought her meals. They grew close during that time. Upon hearing the news, he had apparently come all the way here to find her.

“It was a last-minute decision. I didn’t really have time to tell anyone.”

She had only just managed to scrape together the tuition fees to return this semester. Had she known it would end like this, she might have just focused on work instead. Having already quit all her daytime part-time jobs to accommodate her classes, finding new work was not going to be easy.

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Um… I’ve got about twenty minutes to spare.”

Ji-an always arrived early, so there was still time before her shift started.

“Great, then hop in for a bit. I thought you might have skipped dinner, so I brought some food. Come on.”

Pulled along by Yeong-gwang’s hand, Ji-an had no choice but to follow.

***

Meanwhile, Se-hyeon had left the office and headed not to ‘Not’, but to a certain restaurant. More specifically, the place where Yoo Ji-an was scheduled to work next.

And just a short while ago, he had seen her arrive.

Not at the restaurant—but getting into a car with another man.

That man’s car was now parked right beside the restaurant, while Se-hyeon’s own car was idling across the street, temporarily pulled over.

With a blank expression, Se-hyeon stared at the windshield of the other vehicle.

The man sat in the driver’s seat, while Yoo Ji-an was in the passenger seat beside him. She was quietly eating a sandwich, and the man gazed at her with an affectionate look in his eyes.

“……”

Se-hyeon hadn’t intended to appear before her again—hadn’t planned to run into her at all. He’d simply wanted to confirm from afar whether she was really the same woman from back then.

So why did this feel so damn awful?

An unfamiliar emotion, one he couldn’t quite name, began to stir in his chest.

Leaning an arm against the door, Se-hyeon rested his head on his hand and stared silently at the car Ji-an was in. Meanwhile, Tae-hoon, who sat in the driver’s seat of Se-hyeon’s car, kept stealing glances at him through the rearview mirror.

It was nearly 7 PM.

Bzzz. Bzzzz.

Just then, the phone inside Se-hyeon’s jacket began to vibrate relentlessly. It would ring, stop, and then ring again—over and over.

A moment later, Tae-hoon’s phone rang loudly inside the car. Startled, he checked the caller ID, then turned awkwardly in his seat to face the back.

“Executive Director… it’s Chief Secretary Seo on the line. What should I do?”

Chief Seo had worked under Woo Seung-beom for over thirty years. Despite Tae-hoon’s question, Se-hyeon remained silent, his lips pressed into a firm line.

Right then, Ji-an turned her head toward the man beside her. And with a gentle gesture, the man reached out to wipe something from the corner of her lips.

Ji-an’s face flushed red as she quickly checked her mouth in embarrassment.

“…Find out who that guy is.”

“…Sorry? Sir?”

“That bastard sitting next to Yoo Ji-an. Find out who the hell he is.”
“Ah—yes, sir. Understood. But, uh… Executive Director, about Chief Secretary Seo’s call…”

Se-hyeon reached out his hand toward Tae-hoon, signaling for the phone. Tae-hoon, after briefly glancing at Se-hyeon’s outstretched hand, hurriedly handed over his own device.

—”Executive Director Woo, where are you right now?!”

The voice that burst through as soon as the call connected was sharp enough to pierce an eardrum.
Se-hyeon pulled the phone away from his ear with a grimace, then slowly brought it back.

“It’s me, Secretary Seo.”

—”W-what? Executive Director Woo?!”

“I believe I already said I wasn’t going. Please relay this to my father: I’ll choose my wife myself. That’s all.”

—”Wait, Executive Director—!”

Se-hyeon hung up without hesitation and handed the phone back to Tae-hoon. Still staring out the window, his brow arched slightly with disdain.

Ji-an, now finished with her food, had stepped out of the car and was waving goodbye to the man.

‘So she can smile like that too, huh.’

The faint curve of her lips as she smiled at the man scratched at something raw inside him.

Once the car pulled away and Ji-an headed into the restaurant, Se-hyeon pulled out his own phone and made a call.
The other line picked up almost immediately.

—”Yes, Executive Director. What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to meet with you briefly tomorrow morning.”

—”Is something the matter?”

“There’s a contract I’d like you to review. I’ll see you at 9 a.m.”

***

Two days later.

After canceling all of his morning appointments, Se-hyeon climbed into the car. For the entire drive, his eyes remained fixed on the contract in his hands.

“He’s an upperclassman from her department. Name: Son Yeong-gwang. Age: twenty-five. Recently discharged from the military. Apparently, he used to look out for Yoo Ji-an quite a bit.”

That was the report Tae-hoon had given him yesterday.

‘Used to look out for her.’
In other words—he had feelings for her.

There was no other reason a man would go out of his way to find her and even bring food.

The way he looked at her, full of helpless concern—just that one look had said everything. You could always tell a man’s intentions best… by the way he looked at a woman.

“She works at the shopping mall starting at 10 a.m., but she said she could spare a bit of time.”

Tae-hoon said from the driver’s seat, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.

“How much time?”

Se-hyeon asked quietly, still staring down at the contract in thought.

“Around 20 minutes… that’s what she said.”

“Barely enough time to say hello. What am I supposed to do in just twenty minutes?”

Tch. He clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow in irritation. Sliding the contract back into the envelope, he shifted his gaze to the window.

It had all been impulsive.

It was as if he had been possessed.

He had even summoned the company’s legal team to draw up the contract. Now, he was on his way to see Yoo Ji-an, contract in hand.

He hadn’t meant for any of this to happen.

This wasn’t his style.

He was someone who always worked through things carefully, with a clear plan in mind, thoroughly reviewing every detail before acting.

But this? This was something else entirely.

‘Let’s see how you react when you hear my offer.’

Even in the middle of that thought, he felt certain—
That she would take his hand.

That Yoo Ji-an would have no choice but to accept his proposal.

Not just because what he was offering was too good to turn down—
But because her current situation was absolutely desperate.

After a long moment of silence, Se-hyeon finally spoke.

“Make it an hour.”

“…Pardon?”

“When Yoo Ji-an comes out, go talk to her and change it to an hour. Twenty minutes won’t cut it.”
“Understood.”

Not long after, the car carrying Se-hyeon arrived at the meeting spot.

Tae-hoon stepped out from the driver’s seat and opened the door for him. Without a word, Se-hyeon exited the vehicle and immediately began walking.

The meeting place was a small, privately-owned café near the shopping mall. It sat slightly apart from the busy downtown area, its entrance so modest it was easy to miss.

This must be the place that Tae-hoon chose based on Se-hyeon’s instructions to find somewhere quiet. However, the moment Se-hyeon laid eyes on the dilapidated space, he frowned with obvious displeasure.

Tae-hoon held the door open and Se-hyeon stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the tiny café, his gaze fell upon Ji-an, who was sitting at a table in the corner.

She looked anxious and fidgeted in her seat.

With his hands still in his pockets, Se-hyeon stood just past the doorway, quietly watching her.

“……”

In that instant, all sound seemed to vanish. As if time itself had stopped, and the two of them were the only ones in that small space.

Her long hair fell past her chest. Her face was no bigger than a fist, with delicate features arranged in soft, symmetrical beauty.

He had thought her pale complexion was just a result of the shock she had experienced that day. But now, seeing her under the soft light, he realised that she had always been this fair.

Yes, it had been the same the first time they met.

Her porcelain skin had drawn his gaze then, too.

Sunlight streamed through a small window, lighting up her pale face.

She was wearing a faded pink knitted top, and a folded apron lay on the table beside her.

He was still staring silently when Ji-an finally looked up.

In that suspended moment, their eyes met — two glances entangling in mid-air.

“……”

“……”

Ji-an blinked slowly at him, as though trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
Once reality settled in, she slowly rose to her feet and gave a small bow in greeting.

Se-hyeon, still gazing at her, stepped forward.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

Ji-an lifted her gaze to the man who had just spoken to her.

“Woo Se-hyeon.”

There was a flicker of something strange in his eyes as he pulled the corners of his lips into a polite smile.