First, they are friends. And workplace colleagues.

Privately, they are exes who used to date.

Publicly, they are a couple dating within the company.

They were friends who became lovers, lovers who became strangers, and unexpectedly became workplace colleagues before returning to being comfortable friends again.

Every time the temperature of their relationship changed, waves inevitably surged in their hearts.

Some waves were thrilling like riding a blizzard rail, some waves shattered everything and sank the wrecked pieces into endless depths, and some just rolled gently before calming down.

And now, again.

Something was changing. Though unwilling to admit it, they could feel new waves stirring bit by bit.

It was just overwhelming, not knowing if it was a small ripple that would barely wet their ankles before receding, or a tsunami that would completely overturn them.

‘Was it from when I was debating whether or not to appear on this program? No, it wasn’t then. Then when I definitely decided to do it? That’s still vague. Then…’

A certain day flashed through Eun Soo’s mind. A day mixed with school uniforms, headbands, the sea and sunset.

‘Right, that day was the problem.’

As soon as she found her answer, something like an argument welled up inside.

‘But wait, those were situations where I couldn’t help it. Wouldn’t I have been this concerned even if it wasn’t Kim Joo Han? No, if it was a new guy, I probably would have been excited without hesitation.’

Eun Soo nodded, convinced by her own thoughts. Joo Han kept reminding her of the past, but with a completely unfamiliar man, she could fully enjoy her current feelings.

“Um, Ms. Eun Soo.”

“…”

“Ms. Eun Soo…?”

Eun Soo snapped back to reality. PD Park pointed at the tablet Eun Soo was holding with a somewhat perplexed expression.

“What kind of setup is this…?”

To PD Park’s eyes and the camera, it looked like Eun Soo had been staring seriously at a blank screen and nodding for a while. Realizing this belatedly, Eun Soo quickly straightened her posture.

“It’s not a setup, I just zoned out for a moment… I’ll need some amazing editing, please.”

[This is the timeline separator]

At that time, So Min, who had lost at rock-paper-scissors, was on her way to buy lunch for the staff at a nearby sandwich shop.

“Please remove the cucumber from two of them.”

“Looks like there are people who don’t eat cucumber.”

The assistant director who followed with a small camera spoke up. He was so glad to hear her voice, as he had trouble adjusting to So Min’s taciturn nature, that his reaction was close to blurting out.

“Yes. The CEO and Manager Sun.”

Just when he thought she would only answer the question and end it there, So Min suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”

“What, what is it?”

“This was when I first joined not long ago.”

So Min began speaking seriously.

“Manager Sun and I came here, and she said ‘Please remove the cucumber from one,’ and then naturally gave that to the CEO. That’s how I realized then, ‘Ah, the CEO doesn’t like cucumber.'”

“Really?”

“Yes. Then when I came alone to buy next time, I asked for cucumber to be removed from one and gave it to the CEO, but he glanced at it and quietly swapped it with Manager Sun’s. So I thought, ‘Ah, Manager Sun doesn’t like it either.’ When I first came with Manager Sun, she didn’t buy her own saying she was full, so I didn’t know.”

“Ah…”

She barely speaks ten words all day, but suddenly becomes talkative because of cucumbers?

So Min gazed steadily at the confused assistant director.

“It’s love, isn’t it?”

“Pardon?”

“Someone who dislikes cucumber giving up the one without cucumber. If this isn’t love, what is?”

“Y-you’re right…”

“Ah damn, knowing this, why did I bet on them not dating? Even after seeing the kiss…”

“Bet? What do you mean bet? And did you say kiss?”

“It’s nothing.”

The assistant director stared at So Min, who had clamped her mouth shut again, with bewildered eyes and gritted his molars.

She talks so much about cucumbers that no one asked about, but won’t say anything about the kiss!

“You, people…!”

Just as the assistant director was about to argue that one way to annoy people is to start speaking and then stop,

Crack.

The sound of So Min habitually cracking her neck from side to side silenced him. He also recalled the sight of her carrying furniture that looked too heavy for one person to lift alone.

“What about people?”

So Min asked indifferently. The assistant director smiled brightly.

“It’s nothing.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“It’s done.”

Joo Han took his hands off the workbench and stood up. He looked to the side while unzipping his jumpsuit-style work clothes with one hand.

“I’ll head in first today.”

“Alright, get home safely.”

Joo Han came out to the backyard, roughly dusted off his work clothes, and pulled his arms out of the sleeves. As he loosely tied the empty sleeves around his waist and started walking, he received a text from Eun Soo.

[Are you really going there? Isn’t it too much, do we have to?]

Joo Han replied immediately. Since they wore microphones all day, they exchanged messages for conversations that couldn’t be broadcasted.

[There’s an image that comes with the titles of CEO and Manager. There’s also ‘s image.] [What if people say you’re showing off luxury brands or being pretentious?] [It’s better than being called cheap for skimping on couple rings.]

This afternoon, Joo Han and Eun Soo were planning to leave work together. It was to go buy couple rings, a mission that came up unexpectedly.

He couldn’t move around covered in sawdust, so he was going home to shower and come back down. But he ran into Eun Soo at the stairway entrance.

Seeing Joo Han wearing the jumpsuit bottoms and a slightly sweat-stained t-shirt, Eun Soo narrowed her eyes.

“Are you dressed or undressed?”

“Half undressed.”

Joo Han gestured with his chin towards the top of the stairs.

“I’m going home to finish undressing, want to come along?”

“You crazy…”

She barely held back from saying “bastard,” but PD Park standing behind seemed to have heard it all judging by his expression.

“Do I look free enough to watch you undress, CEO?”

“I didn’t know you only watched when you were free.”

“Never mind that, you still haven’t checked the email I sent three hours ago, please confirm that.”

“Okay, I’ll look at it as soon as I go up.”

Eun Soo discreetly held up her phone. It seemed she wanted to continue their text conversation. Joo Han nodded almost imperceptibly and headed for the stairs, then called out to Eun Soo.

“Manager Sun Eun Soo.”

Eun Soo turned around. Joo Han raised an eyebrow.

“You really won’t watch?”

“…”

Eun Soo took a deep breath and gestured to PD Park to turn off the camera while trying to remove her microphone. Joo Han bounded up the stairs, taking three steps at a time with his long legs.

Eun Soo, who had been fuming, turned to PD Park. Thinking it unfair that she had to clean up after Joo Han’s mischief, she reluctantly said one thing.

“…But he’s a good kid.”

[This is the timeline separator]

A while later, Joo Han and Eun Soo were driving towards a department store. Though they had quite a fierce silent argument via text, they ultimately couldn’t overcome Joo Han’s stubbornness.

Among the row of jewelry stores, they entered , which caught their eye first.

“We’re looking for couple rings. We’d like something simple and light. Could you recommend some options?”

The staff member with a kind smile took out a few rings and placed them on a velvet tray.

“This is our bestselling ‘Muse’ series. It’s often chosen for wedding bands, but I also recommend it for couple rings. The ‘More’ series has a similar feel but with more intricate details, which is also popular. The ‘Dear Phase’ from last season has been well-received too.”

Eun Soo listened to the explanation feeling slightly dazed. When the staff held out their hand, she reflexively extended hers, and a ring smoothly slipped onto her left ring finger.

“Each customer has different skin tones and hand shapes, so it’s best to try them on directly.”

Though her heart instinctively fluttered at the dazzling jewel’s allure, she immediately calmed down upon hearing the price.

Noticing Eun Soo’s oddly lukewarm reaction as she tried on three or four rings, Joo Han asked the staff,

“Could we see some other options as well?”

“Of course.”

Though they were all pretty, they felt unfamiliar and awkward on her. Still, they had to buy something regardless, and as Eun Soo looked around the showcase with mixed feelings, she tapped Joo Han.

“The ring’s name is ‘Vintage Love’.”

The staff explained that it was inspired by the engagement ring of a Hollywood actress who was a 1950s fashion icon, featuring an emerald-cut diamond setting that gives a slightly retro feel.

“I’ll take this one out for you too.”

The uncommon square diamond shone even brighter when it met Eun Soo’s hand than when just looking at it.

“That’s nice. It’s pretty.”

Joo Han immediately admired it. The staff also added, with an expression that showed it wasn’t just a service line but genuine:

“Among those who’ve tried on this ring at our store, it suits you the best.”

Then, turning to Joo Han, she said:

“Would the groom like to try on his ring as well?”

Joo Han hesitated for a moment before smiling.

“I’m not the groom.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. We’ve had quite a few consultations with engaged couples lately, so it must have slipped out.”

The embarrassed staff member laughed awkwardly, checked the size, and brought the men’s ring.

“It suits both of you so well.”

Joo Han looked at Eun Soo after taking in the sight of their hands with matching rings laid side by side on the showcase.

“Shall we go with these?”

Eun Soo hesitated to answer promptly. She loved the rings, but for some reason, she wasn’t sure if she should eagerly agree.

As if understanding her feelings, Joo Han said,

“We’ll take these.”

A while later, the two walked out of the department store with rings on their left ring fingers. Fortunately, both their sizes were in stock, so they didn’t have to order and wait, as the staff had immediately provided them.

When they were almost at the parking lot, Joo Han turned to PD Park.

“I’m sorry, but could we turn off our microphones in the car for a moment? We have something to discuss.”

“Sure. Then we’ll see you at the next location.”

After the staff got into another car, Joo Han and Eun Soo also got in their car. Fixing her gaze on the small shopping bag containing the ring box on her lap, Eun Soo said,

“Thank you. After the show ends, later…”

“You don’t have to return the ring later.”

Joo Han gently cut off Eun Soo’s words. Then he even preempted her:

“Don’t send me half the ring’s cost either. Please.”

Having all her words taken away, Eun Soo looked at Joo Han with bewildered eyes and shook her head.

“That makes me too uncomfortable. What if my request is to either return the ring or pay for it?”

“I won’t accept it.”

“What?”

“My request came first, didn’t it?”

Having blocked Eun Soo’s words with childish but powerful logic, Joo Han added:

“Anyway, appearing on this program might benefit , but it’s a loss for you. You have to publicly reveal your romance and breakup to countless strangers.”

That was true. For a very long time, they would appear as each other’s related search terms and be mentioned together.

“But that’s the same for you, so why are you trying to compensate for it?”

” doing well is the best thing for me as the CEO, and conversely, even if we suffer the same damage, I’m relatively less affected.”

That was essentially true. Even when equally famous celebrities have scandals, isn’t it the female celebrity who ends up with the label for longer?

“Yes, in the end, I’m doing this because I want to feel better too, but it’s closer to an expression of gratitude than compensation… Like giving gold to the best employee or long-serving employee… Though of course it’s quite different from that.”

After staring at Joo Han, who was desperately choosing his words, Eun Soo nodded.

“Alright.”

Huh? He thought he’d have to persuade her for much longer.

The words Joo Han had carefully prepared in his mind became tangled for a while.

And the moment he heard Eun Soo’s next words, everything went blank.