She felt uncomfortable in this situation.

“That’s just modesty, isn’t it? Even I, as a woman, can see that Sa Rang is truly lovely, just like her name.”

Na Young had mentored Sa Rang for a year and often thought how nice it would be to have such a sister.

She was a junior with no faults, diligent in everything she did.

If there are people who are disliked no matter what they do, there are also those who are loved regardless.

Sa Rang belonged to the latter.

“It’s not modesty, it’s the truth. I’ve only ever been rejected by guys.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I was harshly turned down when I confessed to someone I liked, and I was rejected within 30 minutes on a blind date.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Sa Rang didn’t even glance in Do Han’s direction.

He was the one who had bluntly rejected her confession.

It was not a lie, but speaking it in front of the person involved made her heart race unnecessarily.

“The guys at that school didn’t know how to appreciate someone like Sa Rang.”

Na Young said sympathetically, but Do Han, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“I don’t think it was only rejections.”

Sa Rang then looked at him, her eyes filled with resentment.

“It seems like you would have received confessions too.”

Do Han remembered the moment he had told her he liked her.

It was his first time saying those words to someone, and he had been so nervous that he confessed in a messy outfit and slippers, only to be rejected.

He seemed hurt that she only mentioned the harsh rejections and not the confessions she received.

Sa Rang found Do Han’s reaction absurd.
If that slight upset bothered him, she wanted to ask how he thought she felt when she was unilaterally informed of their breakup, when she saw him sharing a couple ring with another woman.

But this was the workplace.

To Ji Do Han, she was not his ex-girlfriend but merely a team member who had just started working today.

He had to remain strictly a colleague.

“Right. Being rejected is being rejected, and there must have been guys who confessed to you.”

As Na Young agreed with his opinion, Sa Rang forced a smile and nodded.

“Yes, there were.”

“See. Were they classmates? Seniors? Or juniors?”

Na Young was excited, as Sa Rang usually didn’t talk much about personal matters.

Sa Rang responded to Na Young but looked at Do Han.

“A friend.”

At that moment, his eyebrows slightly contorted.

“He was from the Department of Physical Education. We met in a liberal arts class.”

“Wow, an athlete? He must have been cool.”

“He was, kind of. He had good physical conditions. He was a swimmer until middle school.”

“My ideal type is an athlete. Lucky you, Sa Rang, getting a confession from a sports student.”

Sa Rang turned her attention away from Do Han again.

She didn’t want to know how he was looking at her.

She just wanted to act nonchalantly as if she had erased all memories of him from her mind.

“So, did you two date?”

Sa Rang hesitated.

Lying about dating Yun Jae felt wrong, especially as she was actually dating Ji Woo.

Unable to answer, the vibrating bell rang just in time.

“The coffee must be ready.”

Quickly grabbing the vibrating bell, Sa Rang stood up.

Na Young, forgetting her previous question, stood up and followed Sa Rang.

Reluctantly, Do Han followed them.

He was curious. Whether Sa Rang and Yun Jae really dated after he dropped out.

On the other hand, he felt it might be better not to know.

They seemed like a perfect match; if they had dated, it must have been a beautiful relationship.

Feeling a pang of jealousy, though he had no right to, he followed.

“Thirteen Americanos are ready.”

The staff member was sealing the lids on the paper cups filled with hot coffee, placing them in carriers with four slots.

With thirteen cups in total, they were divided into three carriers, leaving one extra.

Sa Rang, who arrived first, passed two of the carriers to Do Han.

Meanwhile, Na Young took one, leaving Sa Rang with the last cup.

But as she received the cup, the lid accidentally opened due to the staff’s mistake, and hot coffee spilled over her hand.

“Ouch!”

Sa Rang’s face contorted with pain, her hand felt burning hot.

Holding on to the cup to avoid spilling on Na Young, she trembled but didn’t let go.

“Oh my, what happened!”

While Na Young exclaimed in shock, Do Han quickly placed the carriers on the table and snatched the cup from Sa Rang’s hand.

“Are you okay?”

Caught off guard by his sudden informal tone, Sa Rang momentarily forgot the pain in her hand.

His casual tone and him holding her hand left her mind blank.

“I’m so sorry, really sorry.”

The staff member kept apologizing, not knowing what to do.

When Do Han suggested washing her hand with cold water, the staff hurriedly led them to a sink.

Do Han turned on the water and took Sa Rang’s hand to the running water.

“Let go. I can do it myself.”
Sa Rang tried to pull her hand away with an awkward expression, but it was futile.

“I said I’ll do it.”

“Just stay still.”

Do Han firmly held Sa Rang’s constantly moving hand, speaking sternly.

Seeing her hand turn red and sore, Do Han felt like grabbing the staff member by the collar.

“Mr. Ji.”

Sa Rang softly called him to stop, but he seemed not to hear her.

He was solely focused on her hand.

“Mr. Ji Do Han!”

Only after Sa Rang raised her voice did Do Han come to his senses.

Seeing her face twisted in embarrassment, he finally realized where they were.

When he belatedly turned around, Na Young was staring at them with her mouth open in shock.

Sa Rang used this opportunity to pull her hand free.

Then, the café manager, having heard the commotion, hurried over.

“I’m terribly sorry for our staff’s big mistake.”

The manager bowed in apology, next to a staff member who looked like a recent high school graduate, sobbing.

“Come to the hospital with me.”

“No, it’s not that serious.”

Sa Rang felt overwhelmed by the attention and sympathized with the crying staff member.

She wasn’t seriously hurt and just wanted to return to the office quickly. But Do Han intervened.

“If you leave a burn untreated, it becomes harder to heal later. Let’s go now.”

Na Young, coming to her senses, chimed in.

“Yes, it’s better to go to the hospital. I’ll call the team leader.”

Before Sa Rang could respond, Na Young called Dong Sik.

After briefly explaining the situation, she ended the call.

“The team leader said to go quickly and return. You and Mr. Ji should go together.”

“Me? With Mr. Ji?”

Sa Rang, drying her hand, was startled.

Na Young, not Do Han.

She couldn’t understand why she had to go to the hospital with him, especially on his first day.

“The team leader said to go in Mr. Ji’s car. I didn’t bring mine today. Mr. Ji, please take care of Sa Rang.”

“Okay, we’ll go now.”

Do Han hesitantly took Sa Rang and left the café with the manager.

Left alone, Na Young stared blankly at the thirteen paper cups filled with coffee.

So much had happened so quickly that her mind was in a whirl.

But what perplexed her most was Do Han’s reflexive reaction when Sa Rang got hurt.

They couldn’t possibly be strangers.

“There’s no way an athlete would join our team…”

The athlete who confessed to Sa Rang couldn’t be Do Han.

Then perhaps the man from the blind date who rejected her in 30 minutes?

But Na Young shook her head, thinking another possibility was more likely.

“The man who was harshly rejected after confessing, is that him?”

Na Young squinted her eyes, looking towards the café door where the three had disappeared.

She was worried about Sa Rang’s hand but also curious about Do Han’s true identity.