“I think you have a more caring side than I thought.”

Hee Won covered his mouth with the back of his hand, almost spitting the coffee he was drinking onto the innocent classroom floor.

Regardless, Na Eun drank her share of coffee with a bright smile, completely unaware of the impact of what she had just said.

20 minutes before the lecture was supposed to start, the classroom was quiet due to a sudden cancellation because of the professor’s personal matters.

Na Eun, who had come early to secure a seat, and Hee Won, who had timed his arrival to see her, found themselves sitting in an empty classroom with no class to attend.

Since the junior female student who always sat with Hee Won didn’t come, Na Eun just drank one of the two coffees she had bought herself.

Hee Won inwardly thought he had done well to tell the junior female student in advance that the class was canceled, so she wouldn’t bother coming to the classroom.

Thanks to that, he now had an excuse to sit together and have something to drink.

Although he had only recently realized that there really were people whose mere presence could improve one’s mood, it still hurts even for someone with a high pain threshold when their feelings are so carelessly scraped raw.

Hee Won wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, barely managing to feign composure.

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that in my life.”

It was something he had never heard from any of his previous lovers.

He had often been called cruel, cold-hearted, and heartless, but caring?

Hee Won was certain that if Kwon Seung Joo or Lee Sun Jin had heard this, they would have grabbed the back of their necks and foamed at the mouth.

Regardless, Na Eun shook her head while holding her coffee.

“At first, I thought you were someone with a messy personal life, flawed character, and a sense of morality thrown in the trash, beyond recycling.”

“Can I cry?”

He felt depressed at the harsh judgment. Normally, he would have listened with one ear and scoffed, but coming from the woman he liked, the impact was significant.

Na Eun laughed at Hee Won, who asked half-seriously and half-jokingly.

“No, no. It’s in the past tense. Anyway, I thought you were such a bad guy, but after seeing you for a while, I noticed you have a caring side.”

She cupped the coffee with both hands and narrowed her eyes.

“Thank you for always meeting me at eye level.”

“…”

Hee Won’s expression visibly stiffened.

“I realized it recently. You always deliberately keep your distance, stand lower, and make sure I don’t have to look up at you.”

“…”

“Among all the people I’ve met so far, you’re one of the tallest, but I’ve never felt scared talking to you. All this time.”

Na Eun smiled softly.

“Thank you. I mean it.”

“… Do you have to say thank you every time you’re grateful?”

Hee Won finally moved his stiffened lips to speak.

Whether he had done it unconsciously or deliberately, he felt uncomfortable with her expressing such gratitude for his actions.

And beyond finding it curious, he was a little scared of Na Eun always revealing her emotions as they were without hiding them.

Grateful. Dislike. Like. Happy. Sad. Hurt.

All the emotions humans feel are things that could become weaknesses, but this person in front of him had never hidden them.

At first, he thought it was foolish, then it became interesting, and after that…

As Hee Won sat lost in thought, Na Eun, finding his question amusing, shook her shoulders slightly and said,

“Then what should I say when I’m grateful?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of what?”

“…”

Hee Won looked up at her standing in front of him from his seated position, then opened his mouth.

“If you reveal yourself, it becomes a weakness.”

It’s like saying, here’s where I’m weak, please take note. Na Eun laughed incredulously at Hee Won’s low warning.

“How is that a weakness? It’s just my honest feelings.”

“…”

“If someone uses that as a weapon to attack me, that’s their problem, not because I was honest. I did nothing wrong.”

Hee Won knew who she was thinking of when she said that, but he kept his mouth shut without showing that he had noticed.

As he averted his gaze, Na Eun added while drinking her coffee,

“So don’t wield it too much when others show their true feelings.”

“…”

“I don’t want to say much because it’s your personal life, but honestly, I felt really sorry for that woman back then.”

She was referring to the woman they had encountered in front of the convenience store that night.

Hee Won recalled the back of Na Eun’s head as she crouched behind the woman who was screaming, carefully picking up the cosmetics she had dropped.

He could no longer remember the face of the woman who had been pouring out her anger, but the image of Na Eun returning the pouch to a stranger whose name she didn’t even know was vividly etched in his mind.

Unaware that he was recalling that moment, Na Eun hesitated a bit before adding,

“So, be a little less cruel to people who say they like you.”

“…”

“I’m sorry if that was out of line.”

Na Eun quickly apologized, thinking she might have overstepped her bounds with advice to someone who wasn’t that close and was technically much younger.

Hee Won sat still for a moment, his gaze distant, before looking at her and speaking.

Can I say something equally presumptuous?

“From now on, no matter what kind of man you meet, if you’re not sure about him, show him to me. I’ll check if he’s a decent guy.”

‘Are you an idiot, bro?’

The voice of his younger brother, who had never rebelled in his life, echoed in his ear, sounding dumbfounded.

But Hee Won had no intention of taking back what he said. No regrets.

“In my opinion, you should really meet a genuinely good man.”

And that’s not me.

Hiding the last part, Hee Won pretended to have a nonchalant expression.

Now, and in the future, he had decided not to reveal his feelings to Yoon Na Eun.

It was no longer because he didn’t want to lose, or because he didn’t want to expose his weakness.

It was a decision born purely out of concern for the other person, knowing that his feelings would be of no help whatsoever to her.

He would never tell her. It was just a matter of suffering alone until it ended.

The feelings he would never convey would simply wither away inside him, waiting to fade.

For the first time in his life, Hee Won, who found someone more important than himself, made up his mind to protect the person in front of him for the rest of his life.

Hoping she would meet an ordinary, kind man, even if he was naive and a bit slow.

Hoping she would never again face unbearable misfortune in her life as she had before.

Hoping she could continue to smile with small, everyday happinesses.

If there was a guarantee that would happen, he felt he could continue to balance his duties and personal protection for the rest of his life, even if it meant sleeping only a few hours a day, all with a smile.

It was a resolution so unlike him that his past self would have laughed and asked if he had finally gone mad, but it was sincere.

“Don’t worry. Half the world is men, you think I can’t find one good person myself?”

Interpreting Hee Won’s words as concern for her, Na Eun smiled and brushed off his words lightly.

Hee Won also threw in a half-joke to keep the atmosphere light.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Half the world may be men, but those men are one of two things.”

He pointed seriously at the coffee he was holding and the one Na Eun was holding, as if making a comparison.

“Nice trash, or bad trash.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“All men are trash.”

Na Eun snorted.

“Then what are you?”

“… Bad trash trying to be nice.”

Finding it funny that Hee Won would say such a thing while shamelessly averting his gaze, Na Eun finally bent over and burst out laughing.

On a weekday afternoon with no classes, Na Eun arrived at her mother’s company, excited about the prospect of having lunch with her mom after a long time.

However, seeing Soo Hyun looking obviously busy, she had been quietly waiting on a chair in the back of the office for an hour.

After her father passed away, Soo Hyun had started a company to support the family, and was working with fewer than ten employees, hardly taking any days off in a month to run the business.

Knowing her mother’s hard work, Na Eun was quietly studying so as not to disturb the busy office staff and Soo Hyun, when she suddenly heard her mother calling her name and lifted her head from the book.

“What is it, Mom?”

“I’m sorry, but I think I left my phone at the client’s office. I don’t have time to go back, could you bring it for me?”

Her mother sighed as she asked her daughter for help.

All the other employees in the office looked busy, and it wasn’t a difficult task for Na Eun, who had been spending her time just studying there.

Na Eun nodded obediently and stood up from her seat.

Soo Hyun wrote down the address of the company to visit, and just in case, the name and number of the person in charge on Na Eun’s phone.

As she left the office and headed to the parking lot, Na Eun naturally entered the address into her navigation system as she got into the car.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too far from her mother’s company, and she could arrive in about 10 minutes by car.

Wow, our mom is working really hard.

Na Eun inwardly admired as she arrived at what her mother had called the client’s office, after leaving the small office.

The seemingly large building gave an indication of the company’s scale.

She didn’t know much, but she had heard once that in the early stages, her mother’s new business wasn’t getting much help and was being hindered here and there, but it seemed her mother was as capable as her father.

Already making deals with such a big company. Our mom is really amazing.

Feeling unnecessarily proud, Na Eun entered the building with a pleased expression.