“I’m sorry. It looks like I’ll be about an hour late getting off work, can we meet around 7:30?”

The animal clinic was crowded with people today. Due to several backed-up tasks, Eun Woo suggested meeting around 7:30.

“Should I help?”

“No, go home and rest. Oh, let’s have dinner together, if that’s okay.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Then let’s do that.”

Seol Hee left Eun Woo with a smile and went home after her shift. That was fine, but once she had an hour to spare, she felt at a loss. As soon as she got home, she fed Gomgom and cleaned the bathroom, then sat down on the bed with a sigh.

What now?

Four days ago, she had agreed to date him. Since then, the clinic had been so busy that they had been missing each other’s commuting times and hadn’t done anything together.

Today, Seol Hee and Dr. Ok agreed to meet at the station at 7:30. And that was…

‘Privately.’

Does that mean it’s a date?

Seol Hee pondered for a while, then looked straight ahead, catching her reflection in the mirror.

Her face looked tired due to the unusually busy day at the clinic. Her eyes were sunken, and her lips pale.

She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, as she usually changed into clinic attire anyway.

She had gone on dates before, but only because of the pretend relationship. And after becoming a couple…

“Is it really okay to go out like this for the first time?”

Thinking of the usual Eun Woo, she felt annoyed that he looked good in anything he wore. Even a simple t-shirt and cardigan looked great on him, whether it was due to his solid physique or his handsome face.

Seol Hee’s face in the mirror turned bright red.

She jumped up and opened the wardrobe.

“I can’t go out in jeans, no matter what.”

She fluttered around, changing her clothes, as Gomgom, the adorable Pug, tilted his short, chubby neck, his black eyes twinkling.

‘Just came in, and now sister is changing again? She’s busy… What’s she up to?’

7:30 on the dot.

As Seol Hee stepped out to the station where they had agreed to meet, she saw Eun Woo in the distance.

“Haah. Good thing I dressed up.”

A sweet sigh escaped her lips.

She hadn’t dressed up too much, but she had made an effort not to look like she had just come out of the house.

Her hair, usually let down carelessly, was tied up, and she wore a fitted dress that fluttered with the summer breeze.

She had been reluctant to change again, but the man in front of her made all the laziness vanish.

White shirt and cotton pants. That’s all, yet…

Is the face really the key to fashion?

The cotton pants outlined his solid, thick thighs, and the casually worn shirt looked stylish whenever the direction of the air shifted.

Even his black bangs, surely disheveled from work, looked as if they had been intentionally styled at a salon.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Eun Woo, who had been looking at a paper in his hand, quickly folded it and put it in his pocket at Seol Hee’s question.

“No, I just got here.”
“I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“It’s you who came on time, Seol Hee. I’m the one to apologize for delaying.”

It’s quite fascinating.

Dr. Ok at the clinic never says ‘sorry.’ But outside, he’s so gentle.

Seol Hee was surprised by his Jekyll and Hyde-like transformation and looked at him, prompting Eun Woo to frown.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Reacting to her response, Eun Woo whispered.

“Did you change your clothes?”

“Ah, yes.”

Did it show? She lowered her head to check her outfit.

“Does it look weird?”

“No.”

Eun Woo lifted the corners of his mouth elegantly.

“I was just thinking that you look good in that outfit.”

“…”

“I was looking because you’re pretty.”

…It seems like a different person from Dr. Ok Eun Woo, who was irritable and cranky all day due to a slightly risky surgery earlier.

Was he fed something wrong? He was oozing sweetness. Seol Hee’s mouth felt all sweet.

“How is it? Here.”

“It’s delicious. I haven’t had sushi in a while.”

A sushi restaurant with counter seating.

When Dr. Ok asked if she liked sushi and she forgot her pretense of “I can’t afford it,” he took her to a nearby Japanese restaurant.

Small but seemingly expensive in atmosphere.

“Do you want anything specific?”

“What’s good? I eat anything.”

“Shall we order omakase then?”

“Omakase?”

“Whatever the chef serves. Think of it like a course.”

“Okay!”

The meal began.

It was her first time at a high-end sushi restaurant, but Seol Hee enjoyed the food, making her earlier nervousness seem unwarranted. From the white fish at the start, to sea urchin, salmon roe, and finally tuna.

“It’s so good.”

“Eat a lot. Here.”

Eun Woo placed a piece of tuna belly sushi, which was his portion, onto Seol Hee’s plate.

“This is yours, though.”

“It’s okay. I come here often, I know the taste.”

“But still…”

Hesitant, Seol Hee tilted her head.

“Why are you feeding me so well today? It’s scary.”

“I’ve always tried to feed you well.”

He grinned and then tapped his red lips with a tissue.

“But, you’re right. I had something to say today.”