‘Manager Gye, that son of a bi*ch……. He tells me to go and report quickly. To go and dig around. It’s not even been a week since the funeral, is he even human?’

I clearly heard the name Manager Gye in the complaints Eun Soo drunkenly poured out to me before. In addition, I once overheard by chance Eun Soo talking on the phone with Sol Hee.

‘Ah sh*t, I met Manager Gye. Oh why, you know when I quit the magazine company before, at the company dinner, he confessed to me. I said I could put up with anything else but I couldn’t stand that so I turned him down.’

A confession attack, I almost interjected to ask her to explain in detail what kind of humiliation she suffered. But I rationally and quietly backed off. Eun Soo wouldn’t even know that I overheard her in passing.

“You must have been out on assignment.”

Manager Gye spoke while looking towards Eun Soo. But Joo Han immediately answered.

“No. We’re off today so it’s not work hours.”

“Then……?”

“As you can see, we’re on a date.”

“What?”

Manager Gye’s expression noticeably distorted. Joo Han’s eyebrows twitched, but he quickly put on a gentle smile.

“If you have time, why don’t you join us for a cup of coffee before you go.”

“Ah, no it’s okay. It’s fine. If there’s a chance next time, I’ll see you then.”

“Yes, sure.”

Manager Gye turned around, and Joo Han and Eun Soo sat back down. Joo Han naturally reached out and held Eun Soo’s hand on the table.

“Why are you doing this?”

“There are eyes watching. Trying to meet expectations.”

As Joo Han said, Manager Gye was stealing glances this way while exchanging greetings or conversing with the owner at the counter. Eun Soo slowly lowered her shoulders that had flinched.

“That team manager from your previous company, is he the one who was really hung up on you when you quit?”

“Uh…… yeah.”

Eun Soo sheepishly avoided Joo Han’s eyes.

After joining , when the topic of why she quit the magazine company came up, she had bluffed, saying ‘I decided to change jobs because I wanted to build a more diverse career, but the team manager clung to me saying he couldn’t lose such talent.’

She had just told a white lie to appeal that she wasn’t some unemployed freeloader but a high-class talent, but she never expected something like this to happen.

“Is he still regretting losing you? Looks like he’s not leaving and keeps staring.”

“It’s just your imagination. Don’t mind it.”

“No. There’s lingering attachment in his gaze. Should I go invite him over again? To tell him to stay a bit longer and catch up with a cherished subordinate.”

“Lingering attachment my *ss, if you do that he won’t stay put……! No. Nothing. He’s an extremely busy person so let him quickly get lo…… go.”

“Okay.”

Since the conversation content couldn’t be heard, from Manager Gye’s perspective, he could only see things like their gazes meeting, smiles, and hands holding each other.

Seeing Joo Han’s thumb habitually caressing the back of Eun Soo’s hand, and the smile he made while affectionately tucking her hair behind her ear with his other hand, Manager Gye hurriedly left the cafe.

“I hope he spreads some rumors.”

“About what?”

“There might have been a guy interested in you at the magazine company you worked at before. He may have confessed at a company dinner and got brutally rejected. I hope he finds out that you’re dating and doing well with the CEO of the company you moved to.”

“…….”

“Ah, he’ll find out anyway once the broadcast airs, right? Still, it would have been better for him to see it directly with his own eyes.”

Eun Soo stared at Joo Han in front of her. The moment she saw him smiling strangely with the corners of his eyes crinkled, Eun Soo threw off the hand holding hers and clenched her fist tightly.

“You knew, didn’t you? Knowing that, what lingering gaze? What about sitting together? Argh!”

Joo Han, who got punched in the shoulder a couple times by a fairly strong fist, collapsed onto the table and let out a stifled laugh. Looking at Joo Han’s bouncing back, Eun Soo huffed.

“Ah sh*t, how did you know…….”

Eun Soo tossed the remaining ice from her drink cup into her mouth. Just then, the owner approached with two pretty pink-colored drinks.

“It’s your first time at our cafe, right?”

“Ah, yes. The cafe is so pretty, owner.”

As if she had never frowned and hit someone, Eun Soo’s face blossomed with a professional smile.

“This is a new thing we developed, please try it.”

“Oh my, even this…… Thank you.”

“That magazine company team manager, are you acquainted with him?”

“Rather than acquaintances…… We also work in furniture and interior design. Someone told us this place is so pretty so we came to check it out, and the team manager already knew and came to report on it.”

“Oh, thank you so much for the compliment.”

Eun Soo naturally offered the owner a seat. She politely handed over a business card she had ready at some point and continued the conversation.

“Where do you get all these precious and pretty props?”

“I can’t go out much these days, but up until a few years ago, I used to travel around this country and that with just a bag. Whenever I had the chance, I would stop by flea markets and things like a treasure hunt…….”

The chatter between the cafe owner and Eun Soo flowed like water. Joo Han marveled anew at Eun Soo’s uniquely gentle affinity. This side of Eun Soo was often a big help when dealing with customers and business partners.

Going further back, Joo Han was also drawn to this aspect of Eun Soo. The first impression was definitely cold, but at some point when he looked back, she was smiling brightly. As if gathering the surrounding light, as if holding an abundance of sunshine alone, shining like that.

“……you see. What do you think, CEO?”

Lost in thought, Joo Han didn’t realize the cafe owner’s question was directed at him. Eun Soo lightly hit Joo Han’s arm. Joo Han, who had unknowingly gone to the past and abruptly returned, blinked rapidly.

“I’m sorry. I had to urgently think about something for a moment……. What did you say?”

“How about having the wedding here?”

“Ah…….”

Joo Han glanced at the garden outside the window and answered.

“I think it would be great. It’s spacious yet cozy, and private.”

“Oh my, look at this. The CEO was already thinking about it!”

The cafe owner burst into laughter, and Eun Soo hit Joo Han with an embarrassed face.

“Why do you take it so seriously again.”

Joo Han wanted to retort with ‘take what?’, but he held back and read the situation. The cafe owner added.

“If you two really get married here, I’ll let you have it for free. While we’re on the topic, can I recommend a honeymoon destination too? I’ve really traveled around a lot, and there’s a place I said I must revisit…….”

Only then did Joo Han grasp the situation. He thought it was just about renting the venue, not about him and Eun Soo getting married. Joo Han’s ears belatedly turned bright red.

After chatting a bit more, Eun Soo and Joo Han got up from their seats.

“It was so much fun. The coffee, drinks, and even the cake were so delicious.”

“The pleasure was all mine, having a great time with wonderful customers. Next time, I’ll definitely visit .”

“Please contact us anytime.”

The two, seeing off the owner’s send-off, got in the car. Joo Han said while putting on his seat belt.

“How did a conversation that started politely with exchanging business cards end up with honeymoon destination recommendations?”

“If you follow the flow of consciousness, that can happen.”

“If we stayed a bit longer, it seems like we would have gone to an English kindergarten.”

“What’s a forest kindergarten…….”

Joo Han, feeling exasperated and at a loss for words for a moment, felt an indescribable sense of unfairness rising within him.

“You said you have no thoughts of marriage. But why did you have such a long conversation about that?”

“In front of an owner we just met who firmly believes we’re a couple, there’s no need to go as far as saying ‘actually, I’m thinking of staying single’. And is there a law saying people who don’t want to get married can’t even bring up the topic?”

Eun Soo waved her hand as if it was no big deal.

“Let’s go to the Han River and eat. We haven’t had a proper meal all day.”

Anyone else might have asked what the cotton candy, churros, and cake they ate earlier were, and received a look from Eun Soo saying ‘we’re not compatible’, but Joo Han, who knew Eun Soo well and that no matter how many snacks she ate she wouldn’t count it as a meal, grabbed the steering wheel without objecting.

What should we eat there, we need to change clothes again to pretend it’s another date, while thinking such thoughts and sitting, Eun Soo turned on her cell phone.

She was scrolling through the photos taken at the amusement park and cafe to delete the ones to get rid of, but gradually started feeling strange.

She definitely didn’t think much when taking them. She just snapped away thinking at least one shot would turn out okay, and even if not, there was always Photoshop. But the results were better than expected, making her flustered instead.

‘Why do we look so excited? It shouldn’t look like a real fun date…… No, it should look like that though.’

It must look that way because of the flashy amusement park background, school uniforms, and even the headbands. Eun Soo muttered to herself and flipped through the photos, then paused on one.

A photo taken a bit ago at the cafe, side by side with a cake with candles in the middle.

It definitely wasn’t intentional, she had clearly forgotten, but come to think of it, she had taken a similar photo before. It was a Polaroid taken on her birthday, and it was stuck on her room’s desk for quite a while.

‘Sol Hee saw this photo and said our smiles are similar? That we look like siblings.’

‘Why is she saying such a creepy thing?’

‘Hey, is it creepy to the point of being similar to me? I know your strength and specialty is your face, but…….’

‘That’s not it.’

Joo Han had approached close enough for their breaths to mingle, smiling the same smile as in that photo.

‘Because the things I want to do with you are things siblings shouldn’t do.’

Eun Soo rubbed her heated ears a couple times, pretending to tuck her hair. She felt strangely embarrassed even though there was no way Joo Han could have seen what flashed through her mind.

After flipping through the other photos, Eun Soo looked up and furrowed her brows.

“Did we come this way earlier? Is this the right road?”

“Yeah, it’s right.”

It wasn’t a road he originally knew so he couldn’t say for certain, but it felt unfamiliar. Thinking it should be right since the navigation was on, Eun Soo shook off her suspicion.

“The weather is so nice. On a day like this, we should go to Mojito and have a Maldives.”

“Something’s off. Shouldn’t it be go to the Maldives and have a mojito?”

“Enough, enough. You haven’t seen the movie this line is from, have you?”

“I don’t know. But mojitos are Cuban…….”

“I said enough. If we’re not going to Cuba right now to down mojitos, let’s not nitpick.”

Joo Han obediently shut his mouth. Eun Soo let out a deep sigh.

“Mojitos or whatever, I should just stay home on my days off, but trying to enjoy a life of luxury, meeting my boss from the crack of dawn…….”

“Sleep.”

Joo Han extended an arm to cover Eun Soo’s mouth and pushed her back. Eun Soo, who hit the back of her head on the chair with an ‘eep’, glared, but Joo Han’s hand that came in quick succession covered her eyes too.

“You must be tired from running around with your boss since the crack of dawn, so sleep a bit.”

“Tsk. What makes you think you can recharge me? Think you can handle it?”

“I’ll try to handle it to a reasonable extent, so sleep.”

Eun Soo pouted. It felt rude to sleep while he was driving next to her so she had been holding out, but she was actually a bit sleepy.

I was just going to rest my eyes but you’re the one who told me to sleep. Eun Soo mumbled the words in her mouth, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

When Eun Soo, who had fallen into a doze, opened her eyes, the surroundings had completely changed. In a half-awake state, she grasped that they were crossing a bridge and fumbled to determine if it was a Han River bridge, and if so, which bridge, when she abruptly sat up.

“Crazy, it’s not the Han River!”