Hee Won looked at Tae Hyung’s face. His eyes were trembling, having lost their way.

“It’s just a cup of coffee.”

His voice was also quivering slightly.

Even though he wasn’t like this just a moment ago,

Hee Won was always flustered whenever Tae Hyung, who had been pretending to be calm, acted like this.

“I’m not doing this to you expecting anything. I’m not saying we should do anything either.”

“Senior.”

“I said I’d stop when you told me to stop. But……”

Tae Hyung bit his lower lip hard.

“I heard about your marriage belatedly. How much I……”

His eyes had turned bright red before she knew it.

Hee Won had no intention of being swayed by Tae Hyung. She removed his hand that was twisting her wrist and spoke in a firm voice.

“Senior, we’re not close enough to inform each other about marriage news.”

“……”

“Just do as you did at first. Say it’s not much of a big deal like you did then. Say you don’t know why I’m making such a fuss.”

At Hee Won’s sharp words, the composure disappeared from Tae Hyung’s face.

“Back then…!”

Tae Hyung tried to add words quickly, but Hee Won cut him off first.

“You don’t need to make excuses. I only believe what I’ve heard and seen. And I’d prefer if we didn’t meet alone like this in the future.”

“……Hee Won.”

“Honestly, I’m uncomfortable with you, senior.”

“……”

“I told you. Even if you want something from me, I can’t give it to you. And.”

Tae Hyung’s face contorted as if in pain at Hee Won’s words.

“I’m married. Besides, there are many people watching me. I don’t want to cause harm to that person over something meaningless to me.”

“……Hey.”

Tae Hyung understood Hee Won’s words as they passed by.

“Am I something meaningless to you?”

At his words, she spoke in a firm voice.

“There’s no reason for you to be meaningful.”

“……”

“Senior, are we close?”

Tae Hyung pressed his lips tightly.

“If it weren’t for Cha Hyuk, I wouldn’t have even greeted you.”

“Hee Won.”

“I think it’ll be uncomfortable for both of us if you act like this to a married woman. So please don’t do this from now on. Pretend you don’t know me when you see me. Don’t approach me so affectionately.”

“Ha……”

Tae Hyung let out a deep sigh at Hee Won’s words.

“You’re only resolute with me.”

“……”

“You’ve been like that since before. Even before you got married.”

Tae Hyung ruffled his hair and looked down at Hee Won crookedly.

“I don’t understand. Why you’re like this to me.”

“Reason…… I don’t think I need to explain. If you’re going to say such things, I think I shouldn’t be here even more.”

Tae Hyung grabbed Hee Won as she turned around and made her face him.

“I’m not done talking.”

“Don’t do this. Even if there’s no one in the cafe, rumors spread quickly.”

“I don’t care.”

“I care.”

Hee Won tried to push him away, but Tae Hyung wouldn’t let go. He seemed to have lost his senses somehow.

Tae Hyung had always been uncomfortable.

Was it because she heard him talking behind her back with his friends? But she had felt uneasy about him from the start.

When he confessed to her, she found it a bit absurd.

His front and back seemed so different.

So she became uncharacteristically resolute in front of Tae Hyung, and rejected him flatly without leaving any room.

“Just one cup of coffee.”

“I said I don’t want……”

That’s when it happened.

“Let go of that hand.”

The moment she was freed from the pressure on her wrist, a familiar voice reached Hee Won’s ears.

She turned her head reflexively.

“Kang Woo?”

He was standing there.

Hee Won looked up at him in surprise, but Kang Woo’s gaze was focused solely on Tae Hyung’s hand that was holding Hee Won’s wrist.

Kang Woo’s eyes turned fierce. He removed Tae Hyung’s hand from Hee Won’s wrist and pulled her towards him by her shoulder.

“It doesn’t look good to be holding a married woman’s hand in broad daylight.”

At Kang Woo’s words, Tae Hyung’s face distorted in an instant.

“Who are you?”

Tae Hyung’s voice was full of wariness.

He looked like a hyena growling to keep its prey.

But,

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“……”

Kang Woo continued speaking while firmly gripping Hee Won’s shoulder.

“You don’t seem to have a face that doesn’t know who I am.”

Unlike Tae Hyung, there was not a hint of emotion on Kang Woo’s face.

He was glaring at Tae Hyung with an expressionless face.

He looked like a lion with its prey in sight.

Outwardly calm, but ready to kill its prey at any moment.

But, Hee Won knew.

Even though he looked like that on the outside, he was quite angry right now.

She was flustered.

‘What on earth is going on? How did Kang Woo come here? I heard he had a schedule, was it canceled?’

Hee Won’s mind went blank.

She never imagined Kang Woo would appear.

Neither Secretary Ha nor he had given any indication.

No. That’s not what’s important right now.

The problem was that she was seen with Tae Hyung of all people.

[I was supposed to meet Joo Ah in Buam-dong.] [You mean your closest friend?] [Yes. Our school was nearby so we often went to Buam-dong.] [Ah, I see.] [We were planning to go to a cafe we used to frequent and there’s a really delicious restaurant there too, so we were going to eat and come back.] [Okay. Have fun.]

Hee Won wanted to tear her hair out if no one was watching.

She said she was meeting Joo Ah, but to be seen alone with a man, she thought he might misunderstand.

‘Think about it, wouldn’t you feel bad if you saw Kang Woo holding hands with another woman?’

Hee Won wrapped her arms around Kang Woo’s waist. Startled, he finally turned to look at her.

She had just now confirmed her feelings.

She didn’t want to create misunderstandings between her and Kang Woo over something like this.

“Kang Woo. This is……”

This situation is…

She called out to him desperately, wanting to clear up his misunderstanding.

But her words to explain to him,

“You don’t need to explain.”

“What?”

“I’m not misunderstanding.”

Kang Woo cut her off.

As Hee Won blinked her eyes in confusion, Kang Woo smiled and gently stroked her hair.

“So there’s no need to explain the situation. I trust you.”

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

Is this… a good situation?

Her anxious heart should have been instantly reassured, but…

Strangely, her heart felt uneasy.

“Wait a moment.”

Hee Won nodded instead of answering.

Kang Woo’s face, which had turned away from Hee Won, became cold as if it had never been otherwise.

His eyes, looking down at Tae Hyung, became fierce and wild.

“Who exactly are you? Even if you’re her husband, can you interfere so recklessly?”

Hee Won thought Tae Hyung was a quick-witted person, but he was only spewing words that made the situation worse.

Hee Won wanted to escape this situation.

Tae Hyung was a person of no value in her life.

She didn’t want Kang Woo to waste his emotions on such a person.

Hee Won grabbed Kang Woo’s hand. When he turned to look, she said,

“Let’s go home.”

“……Yes, let’s go.”

Kang Woo said, holding Hee Won’s hand.

Hee Won didn’t even want to greet Tae Hyung.

It was true that she had negative feelings, but she had never thought of him as unpleasant or someone she didn’t want to associate with.

Tae Hyung’s attitude today was unpleasant.

She thought that treating a married woman who could be recognized by people like this in a public place where people could see, showed no consideration for her at all.

“Yes.”

Just as Hee Won and Kang Woo were about to turn around,

“We’re not done talking.”

Tae Hyung grabbed Hee Won.

“What are you doing?”

Hee Won glared at Tae Hyung with resentful eyes.

“Don’t touch my wife.”

Before Hee Won could remove Tae Hyung’s hand, Kang Woo swatted his hand away and spoke.

“I hope this never happens again.”

“……”

“If you don’t want the internet to be flooded with articles about adultery.”

Tae Hyung just glared at him without saying anything in response to Kang Woo’s words.

“Let’s go to the parking lot.”

Hee Won, holding Kang Woo’s hand, headed to the parking lot with him.

The entire walk from the cafe, she kept glancing at him.

He said he trusted her, but she was still concerned.

If she imagined Stacy in a situation like this, it felt like her blood would boil.

Kang Woo didn’t say anything. They soon arrived where the car was.

He opened the passenger door and said,

“Get in.”

“……What about the director?”

“I’ll drive.”

“You will?”

“Yes.”

“I……”

“You don’t need to be cautious.”

Kang Woo told her once again that it was okay, but was it an inferiority complex?

Even though Kang Woo wasn’t blaming her, and she hadn’t done anything wrong, somehow Hee Won felt like she had made a mistake.

She wanted to explain.

“I……”

“Yes, Hee Won.”

“You said you’re not misunderstanding, but I want to explain. Is that okay?”

“Get in the car and talk. It’s cold.”

Hee Won, who wanted to speak as soon as possible, shook her head.

“I want to talk here, right now.”

“Hee Won, do as you like.”

“Okay.”

Hee Won decided to be honest.

She might not be able to share and confide everything with him throughout her life, but at the very least, she didn’t want to grow apart or break up with him due to misunderstandings.

“I was supposed to meet Joo Ah. Then I met Joo Ah’s boyfriend. He said he came for a group project, and that senior from earlier was in the same group as Joo Ah’s boyfriend, so we met there by chance.”