AM 01:15.

Dark pupils well-suited to dawn stared intently at the woman.

The brown eyes facing him were occasionally hidden by eyelids before reappearing.

Da Hae pondered. Her slight frown betrayed her deep contemplation.

To contemplate meant it was tempting. But wouldn’t it be strange to eagerly agree? It might seem a bit frivolous.

“I can’t stay overnight.”

So she chose to refuse.

“It’s not really staying overnight.”

Strictly speaking, that was true. This was soon to be their newlywed home after all. On the defensive, Da Hae brushed off his words.

“Mrs. Bae will contact us soon. We’ll see then.”

As Da Hae started to walk away, Jae Kyung followed close behind.

He even hung the handbag he had thoughtfully prepared on her shoulder. The sharp man didn’t press the issue a second time.

“See you again.”

He simply smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling.

After leaving with his send-off, Da Hae had to ring the doorbell again not long after.

Ding dong! The intense decibels shattered the quiet space.

The woman’s round eyes narrowed as she held out her open palm as soon as the door opened.

“Hand it over.”

His “see you again” wasn’t just empty words. She should have been suspicious when he kindly packed her bag.

She realized her car keys were missing from her few belongings when the elevator was halfway down.

No matter how much she rummaged through her bag, the desired item couldn’t be found.

Even after shaking out the bag on the elevator floor, it was nowhere to be seen. Its location was obvious.

“What?”

The man feigned complete ignorance.

He tilted his head innocently, showing his empty palms. Da Hae sighed instead of clicking her tongue.

“That’s theft, you know.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I have ingredients to make pasta.”

“At this hour—”

Grumble…

“…”

As if to correct its owner’s lie, her flat stomach rumbled vigorously.

“Who else is here.”

Jae Kyung’s lips twitched upward as he nodded his head towards the wide open doorway.

Though she knew he’d hand over the keys if she refused, Da Hae used the hostage transportation as an excuse to enter first, pretending to give in.

If it was going to be like this, she should have just agreed from the start. It always ends up this way.

“Well then, cream sauce please.”

AM 01:55.

The strawberry jam was quite good, and Kang Jae Kyung’s hands, which seemed far from culinary, skillfully produced results.

The process of preparing garlic and mushrooms and making the cream sauce by hand flowed naturally.

Knowing the exact time to cook the pasta without looking at a recipe was even a bit impressive.

Da Hae, who was at odds with cooking, mostly relied on store-bought food. She at least knew how to make seaweed soup.

She always made seaweed soup with her own hands for Bae Jung Soon’s birthday.

Before long, Kang Jae Kyung approached with plates in both hands.

Da Hae, who had been leaning back on the living room sofa, suddenly straightened her slouched back.

The man pulled the table close for easy eating and set down what he was carrying.

Steam rose from the creamy pasta piled high on pristine white oval plates.

“Wow…”

She couldn’t help but exclaim at the appetizing sight.

As she picked up her cutlery, Jae Kyung sat down beside her holding a wide-bowled Bordeaux glass.

The red wine with its mild acidity made a clear sound as it was poured shallowly.

“Eat up.”

There was no time to warn her it was hot.

Jae Kyung smiled helplessly as he watched a thick tangle of pasta wrapped around the fork get sucked into her small mouth.

It was a warm smile reminiscent of the full spring, as if the subfreezing temperatures had never existed.

Slurp,

“Mmm… mm…”

Da Hae couldn’t hide her smile either. Her cheeks rose and her eyes crinkled. The rich flavor of cheese and milk was exquisite.

It tasted better than that truffle something-or-other from the 3-Michelin-star restaurant. It was perfectly satisfying.

She was amazed that such deliciousness was possible from a quickly made fast food.

At the end of her scattered thoughts, her chewing slowed slightly.

Suddenly feeling awkward about the current situation, she glanced to the side, and Jae Kyung asked if she needed anything, offering tissues and water.

Seeing the man act so kindly while speaking casually, Da Hae could only scratch the back of her neck.

The unfamiliar feeling that washed over her was quite strange.

She was just starting to feel like she was really staying overnight.

Whether she couldn’t drive because she drank wine, or she drank wine intending not to drive. The latter seemed more likely, but she insisted it was the former.

Then she vowed. That she wouldn’t sleep until morning dawned. In other words, it was a rationalization for impulsive behavior.

Telling herself if she didn’t sleep, it wouldn’t be staying “overnight”.

AM 03:00.

The couple sat side by side with the cleanly emptied plates still in front of them, forgetting sleep.

The two had been discussing all sorts of topics from politics to economics to society when their conversation reached an inflection point.

While discussing the social phenomenon of divorce, Da Hae talked about the ending of a show-window couple, saying how the aftermath of a chaebol couple’s breakup somehow resembled them.

“What’s wrong with being a show-window couple when it’s a marriage formed for business? Expecting true love is greedy, really.”

Jae Kyung, tracing the rim of his wine glass with his fingertip, casually countered. The vocabulary bothered him quite a bit.

“Isn’t that a hasty generalization fallacy?”

“There are plenty of examples to support it. Just looking at a few of Kang Jae Kyung’s acquaintances would prove it, right?”

“I don’t think so.”

Da Hae dismissed this with an “Oh come on, that can’t be true”, saying it was like failing to find a tteokbokki shop in Daehangno, as she tilted her empty glass at an angle.

Jae Kyung silently refilled her glass and began to speak.

“We’re not a show-window…”

“Well, I guess we’re a bit different in terms of duration.”

…Let me finish speaking. The man whose words were cut off just shook his head.

“Kang Jae Kyung and I are a one-act play. Show-window couples consistently maintain appearances as a premise, right?”

“Yes, actress. Be sure to win the Best Actress award?”

The topic soon changed. To the prospects of the metaverse and real estate.

Da Hae threw out all sorts of topics. It was a desperate effort not to fall asleep.

Knowing it was making him a potential scoundrel, Jae Kyung still let Da Hae do as she pleased.

He quite liked these moments of pointless chatter.

AM 06:15.

Kye Da Hae. Fell asleep while sitting.

The gently breaking morning sunlight was thoroughly blocked by the system blinds.

A vague atmosphere somewhere between light and darkness cozily enveloped the space between them.

As he retrieved the stem precariously held by white fingertips, Jae Kyung set down his phone.

His still-lit screen displayed the search engine he had just used.

Search term: Characteristics of show-window couples.

1. Sleep in separate rooms.

2. Don’t talk to each other.

3. Eat meals separately.

4. Don’t call each other.

5. Have high social status.

.

.

.

10. No marital relations.

What idle person came up with this kind of definition?

Gazing quietly at her peacefully sleeping face, Jae Kyung continued the words he had been cut off from three hours ago.

“We’re not a show-window couple.”

She’s sleeping so soundly after insisting she wouldn’t.

The urge to touch her dense eyelashes resting on her transparent skin arose out of curiosity.

The hand that approached to brush back the hair spilled across her forehead couldn’t quite reach her face and grasped at empty air.

Was this how the woman who couldn’t ring the doorbell felt? He could only guess.

Jae Kyung’s gaze was fixed on her pale face, losing track of time as his thoughts multiplied.

It would be nice if she could just sleep deeply now that she’s fallen asleep. But if she opened her eyes while being moved to the bed, she’d surely insist on going home.

Jae Kyung’s hand hesitated, approaching her curled-up shoulder, then hovering around her waist and knees, before returning to its original position several times, but ultimately made no progress.

Straightening his bent back, Jae Kyung placed both hands on her slim, toned waist.

A deep sigh escaped from his tilted head.

It was somehow meaningful that he was struggling with such a thing.

As he pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers at a steady pace, he quickly supported Da Hae’s body as it began to tilt in her sleep, successfully laying her down flat.

After comfortably raising her curled-up legs, the woman tossed once and found a comfortable position on her own.

Only after placing a low cushion under her neck did the man step back, nodding in satisfaction at the result.