A strong anchovy aroma wafted from the broth where various clams and a whole squid had been dropped in. After the waiter gruffly instructed to keep the heat high and let it boil, returning to the kitchen, Da Jung and Jae Ho were left alone at the table.

Da Jung idly picked up the ladle and stirred the pot once.

“We’re supposed to wait.”

Jae Ho gently chided.

“If you have nothing better to do, just look at me.”

“That’s embarrassing.”

“Why? I’m the man who said he’d give you his entire fortune.”

The man casually tossed out words that made her heart pound. While Da Jung still felt half in a dream sitting across from Lee Jae Ho in this old seafood noodle shop, he seemed to have already fully adjusted to the situation.

With his arms crossed, glaring at the pot, he looked far too informal, yet the slight smile tugging at one corner of his mouth was unbelievably deadly. Da Jung caught her breath for a moment.

The bubbling sound of boiling and distant news drifted to her ears.

The waiter approached again, added noodles and vegetables, instructed to eat in 5 minutes, and disappeared. However, even to the middle-aged lady, Jae Ho’s face seemed oddly familiar, and she kept glancing back curiously. Da Jung felt uneasy.

“Are you okay? She seems to recognize you.”

“Who knows.”

“She kept looking at you.”

“Because I’m handsome.”

Skillfully stirring the kalguksu, Jae Ho said it was ready and served a bowl to Da Jung. Da Jung likewise served him a bowl. Then she looked down at her plate. Kalguksu cooked by Lee Jae Ho. Ah. Should she take a commemorative photo?

Quickly dismissing thoughts that kept wandering, she asked Jae Ho:

“But what if she recognized you? It’s a bit scary. Should we just get it to go and eat at the lodging?”

“Scary? What do you mean? Like a scandal?”

“Yes.”

Jae Ho chuckled softly.

“It’s already cooked, what’s the point of take-out.”

The guards hired by Manager Jung would be around. It was their job to quietly handle any suspicious photos. The reason actor Lee Jae Ho’s private life remained completely hidden was due to Taemyung Group’s thorough management.

Taemyung Group’s strategy department had a dedicated team just for Lee Jae Ho. They meticulously reviewed every interview to manage the heir’s image.

Jae Ho originally didn’t have any messy private life to speak of, but thanks to the group’s management, he lived with an even more perfect image. So there was no need to worry about scandals in a countryside noodle shop.

And the level of interest from the middle-aged waitress just now could hardly be considered real interest. She had already forgotten Jae Ho’s presence and was changing the TV channel. There were no other customers in the shop who might take photos.

“It won’t happen. Trust me.”

“Still…”

“I’ll wear a hat and mask when we go to the market later. It’s fine now. Hurry and eat.”

Even her eyes trembling with anxiety were lovely. Jae Ho already missed Da Jung’s palm that he had held in the car. So small and soft, and warm despite its size.

After parking earlier, he had imagined pulling her shoulder and pressing his lips to hers. If just her palm made his blood boil, how sweet would her lips be? That brief thought alone made his lower abdomen feel heavy.

“It’s hard to keep up with Yoon Da Jung’s pace.”

His inner thoughts slipped out.

“Ah. I’m sorry. I tend to eat slowly.”

Jae Ho smiled faintly.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Take your time. You’ll get indigestion.”

After finishing the meal, they returned to the car. Jae Ho adjusted his hat several times until Da Jung was satisfied. He didn’t want to wear sunglasses, but unable to resist her insistence, he finally chose the darkest pair and put on a mask as well. Only after Jae Ho’s world had been made completely black did Da Jung finally smile.

In the world that had suddenly turned black and white, when Da Jung smiled, for a moment Yoon Woo Jung’s smile seemed to overlap with her face. Jae Ho’s heart ached.

He boldly pulled Da Jung’s shoulder into his embrace with one arm. A startled gasp tickled his ear.

“Su-suddenly, why…!”

“Let’s pick up the pace a bit.”

“!”

“Tell me if you don’t like it. I can let go.”

Even while taking surprised breaths, Da Jung didn’t push him away and stayed quietly in his arms. Heat rose from her neck.

Woo Jung.

If you had lived and become an adult, would you have had a face like this?

**

He became a high school student. Jae Ho resolved to be the quietest kid in class.

Son of an unwed mother. Difficult family circumstances. Small stature. Those things naturally made Jae Ho an introverted student. Jae Ho was a late bloomer who only shot up in height in the latter half of his second year, so in his first year he was only about as tall as a middle schooler. His looks were also just average. So he was confident he could keep his head down and go unnoticed.

There was one guy in the class who particularly stood out.

He exuded confidence from his self-introduction. His name was Yoon Woo Jung. Hobbies: basketball. Reading. Has one younger sister.

Ooh.

When the boys asked if his sister was pretty, his face looked quite refined as he smiled and said yes. Even to Jae Ho, who usually had little interest in appearances, Yoon Woo Jung was quite a handsome guy.

“Oh. My sister is super pretty.”

He seemed to have no intention of stopping his praise of his real sister, even after being told it was weird. That guy somehow ended up as his desk partner.

“Let’s get along well. Nice to meet you. You heard earlier, right? I’m Yoon Woo Jung.”

A friendly voice. Clear eyes, a sharp nose bridge, and a defined jawline. Up close, he was even more handsome. Right. If his sister resembled this face, saying she was pretty wasn’t a total lie, Jae Ho thought briefly.

“Yeah. Nice to meet you too. Let’s get along.”

Jae Ho returned the greeting adequately and buried his head again.

“By the way, what’s your name? Sorry. I heard it earlier but forgot.”

The guy kept trying to talk to him.

Jae Ho found the attention this guy was giving him burdensome. His goal was to keep a low profile and quietly graduate.

In middle school, after falling out with one of the groups he used to hang out with, that guy spread rumors about him being the son of an unwed mother, leading to something like bullying and quite a difficult school life. He didn’t want to repeat that mistake.

Friends or whatever, he could do without them. He didn’t want to receive pity or mockery about his difficult circumstances. He didn’t want to hear insults about his mother either.

Friends generally want to share even the deepest secrets. Jae Ho now found all of that unwelcome.

When there was no answer, Yoon Woo Jung playfully picked up the textbook open in front of Jae Ho and called out the name written on the cover.

“Hmm. Kim Sung Hyun. Nice name.”

Jae Ho didn’t reply.

“Sung Hyun. Let’s eat lunch together from today.”

The guy came even closer, heedless of the cold wind.

Within a week, Yoon Woo Jung had not only become friends with everyone in the class, but also became famous enough to be known as a heartthrob at the neighboring girls’ high school. And eventually he became Jae Ho’s best friend too.

There was nothing Yoon Woo Jung couldn’t do. Studies, sports, even his personality was good and friendly.

“Hey, Yoon Woo Jung. Isn’t it cheating that you’re good at studying too?”

Jae Ho, who had been confident he wouldn’t lose in studies at least, had to be on high alert.

The two became rivals who competed fiercely during exam periods, then spent all day at the PC room when exams were over. Ah, Yoon Woo Jung was good at games too. At this point, he really was an unfair guy.

“Hyun. Want to come to my house?”

Woo Jung asked one day at the PC room. After becoming close, Woo Jung always called him by just the last syllable of his name, dropping the surname and first syllable. When the guy called him “Hyun”, even his common name sounded quite nice, making him feel good.

“Why your house?”

“Tired of ramen. Let’s eat my mom’s food and hang out. I’ll introduce you to our Da Jung too.”

Here we go again with our Da Jung. Our Da Jung.

There probably wasn’t a guy in our class who didn’t know Yoon Woo Jung’s sister’s name was Da Jung. He bragged about his sister so much that it was a name heard dozens of times a day. Rather, it would feel empty now if Woo Jung didn’t mention her.

That Da Jung who he said was so pretty she should be an idol instead.

Jae Ho smiled and retorted:

“Okay. Let’s go. Let me see if your Da Jung really exists.”

It was with light steps. But that night, Jae Ho regretted visiting Woo Jung’s house.

Yoon Da Jung. A bob-haired girl whose eyelashes fluttered delicately. White, pale wrists and a shy smile. A voice like musical notes.

He couldn’t sleep.

He wanted to visit the guy’s house every day, with any excuse. Despite not even making proper eye contact, he fell into a terrible one-sided love, becoming consumed by her like a poisonous mushroom.

**

Jae Ho kept grabbing her hand and putting it in his pocket, while Da Jung worked hard to pull it out as they walked. Even if this was the countryside with only elderly people around, it was surprising that a top star like Lee Jae Ho could be so careless.

She had thought he would be a thorough and perfect man, but this was more like a puppy with a screw loose…

The man who had reminded her of a wild black panther turned out to be just a big retriever. The severe gap made Da Jung feel a bit dazed.

“Why do you keep pulling your hand away?”

There was an inexplicable cuteness mixed into every word. The tone somewhere between sulking and teasing hit her earlobes, making her heart beat too fast. Could her heart be malfunctioning? Lee Jae Ho seemed to have appeared to completely wreck her life.

“We need to be careful.”

“You said it was warm and nice.”

“Still, this is too…”

As Da Jung stepped back, Jae Ho pulled her close again. Pretending to misjudge his strength, he deliberately pulled harder so she fell against him like an embrace. Da Jung’s face pressed against his chest.

“Oops. My mistake.”

For an actor praised for his top-notch acting skills to give such an obvious performance… Dumbfounded by his blatant excuse, Da Jung raised her head to retort, but he just strode into the market, hands in pockets.

“What should I make for dinner?”

At a loss for words, Da Jung could only smile and follow him.

Really, what a strange man.

“I’m not sure.”

“Fern bracken? Wow, the fern bracken here looks good. How about fern bracken pasta?”

“Sounds good.”

“Excuse me, how much is the fern bracken?”

The man briefly let go of Da Jung’s hand, approached the stand, and crouched down to examine the fern bracken, asking questions about whether it was domestic or Chinese.

“My, what a meticulous young man.”

His shoulders are so broad. While idly thinking such thoughts and looking down at his back, Da Jung’s phone rang.

It was Kyung Jun.