Eun Soo, who had been blinking her eyes, quietly hid the dress behind her back. The madness in Joo Han’s eyes was unsettling.

“No. Never mind. Suddenly I’m not curious about anything anymore.”

“If you really want to hear it……”

“Ah, I said never mind! I’m not buying a black knight!”

Eun Soo pushed Joo Han’s shoulder and turned him around.

“I’ll change first, so stand there and look away.”

Joo Han crossed his arms with a displeased expression. While he was grumbling to himself that broadcasting was much more troublesome than expected, a small sound from behind pricked his ears.

Rustle, swish, thud.

As soon as he realized those were the sounds of Eun Soo changing clothes, Joo Han’s face flushed red.

Though it was no longer a world he belonged to, for a moment he vividly pictured that once intimately familiar scene. He swore he didn’t intentionally try to imagine it – it was more like a conditioned reflex.

Like knowing what color appears when you peel a banana, or what smell comes when you open a jar of strawberry jam, inside Eun Soo’s clothes……

“……You crazy bastard.”

Caught in some guilt and confusion, a curse directed at himself slipped from Joo Han’s lips. Fortunately, Eun Soo was too busy wrestling with the clothes to hear.

“Ugh, how does this even go on…… But I won’t be able to eat today.”

Eun Soo sighed as she looked down at the tightly-fitting dress. She thought about changing to a size larger, but realizing that would make the chest area loose, she instinctively tensed her lower abdomen.

“Why is it so short too. Wait, Mi Rae is taller than me – can she even wear this? It’ll probably just be like a slightly long t-shirt on her…… Hey, Kim Joo Han.”

Eun Soo tapped Joo Han on the back. Joo Han turned around and unconsciously clenched his fists.

From the delicate shoulder straps that looked like they’d snap if pulled even slightly, to the quite deeply cut neckline, tight-fitting silhouette and short skirt length – everything was precariously revealing.

“Sorry, but could you zip me up in the back?”

Eun Soo turned around. Seeing her completely exposed back, Joo Han quickly unfocused his eyes to look somewhere high above before managing to find and grasp the zipper.

Zip.

As Joo Han pulled the zipper up in one motion, something caught his eye.

Below the slender white neck, right on the bone that protrudes when bending the head, was a small mole that looked like it had been deliberately placed there.

Joo Han’s body leaned forward as if pulled by gravity. It was an unconscious habit. If he saw it, he would habitually kiss it first, which would make her shoulders reflexively scrunch up, and a faint giggle would……

“Are you done?”

Eun Soo’s question came across indifferently, without a hint of laughter. Joo Han quietly straightened up and let go of the zipper he had been holding.

“…Yeah.”

“Thanks.”

As Eun Soo let go of the hair she had been holding up and started to turn around, Joo Han’s hand lightly grasped her shoulder.

“You go out first then.”

Before she could reply, Joo Han pushed Eun Soo out past the curtain. In the moment of surprise, Eun Soo found herself outside the changing room, with everyone’s eyes turning towards her.

“Wow, Eun Soo! It suits you so well.”

“This is it! Unni, you look so pretty, really. But why isn’t Joo Han oppa coming out?”

Listening to the excited voices outside, Joo Han took off his top. Trying not to think about anything, he pulled out the clothes hanging on the rack.

The top was a short-sleeved shirt with a somewhat dizzying pattern. It had a looser fit than his usual shirts and was quite low-cut in the front.

The black jeans had so many rips that it was hard to get his foot through in one go. After somehow managing to put everything on, he was about to put on the rider jacket too but ended up just carrying it in his hand as he came out.

“……”

While there had been an explosive reaction when Eun Soo came out earlier, this time the crowd suddenly fell silent.

Of course, even at first glance and during conversation they had noticed how handsome he was, unconsciously drawn to look at him, but with the change in style his aura became even more intense.

Even Eun Soo was dazed. Despite having seen him in various outfits – from the relatively neat school uniform, mainly achromatic casual wear, crisp shirts with slacks, rugged work clothes and even funeral attire – this was the first time she had seen Joo Han looking so, well, ‘hip’.

When her eyes met his firm thighs visible through the fitted, ripped jeans, Eun Soo felt heat rising again to the nape of her neck where she had felt Joo Han’s gaze earlier for some reason.

Mi Rae, who had been kneeling in front of Eun Soo trying on different shoes, suddenly stood up. Like a designer who had just completed a fashion show with a satisfactory model, she even clapped before speaking to Joo Han.

“Why don’t you put on the jacket too?”

Joo Han nodded agreeably.

“Alright.”

Then he casually draped the black rider jacket he had been holding over Eun Soo’s shoulders. Her previously exposed shoulders were now fully covered. A sound of admiration, or something like it, rose from among the cast members.

“What’s this? Are you policing Eun Soo unni’s exposure?”

“It’s not like drunk driving, what am I policing? Just thought Eun Soo might be cold.”

“It’s summer right now……”

“I’m hot.”

“Ah, I see.”

After everyone had changed clothes, Mi Rae and Hyun busily moved about, switching out shoes and deftly adding accessories. As the styling became more natural, the expressions of the cast members also relaxed. There was even a somewhat excited atmosphere for a while.

“Alright, now all that’s left is to have fun. Shall we move to another space?”

Mi Rae and Hyun guided them to a different area right next to where they had been. It was a bit larger than the previous space, and somehow it had been decorated to create a real party atmosphere. On the large table were champagne, wine, drinks, as well as various foods.

“Actually, we really love parties. Today is a party to wish for the huge success of , so let’s all raise a toast together!”

Everyone raised their glasses filled with their choice of drink. At some point, someone had started playing suitably upbeat music.

Eun Soo grabbed a few visible food items and filled her stomach first. She thought she wouldn’t be able to drink even a sip of water to maintain the dress fit like actresses at award ceremonies, but Joo Han’s oversized jacket that was practically falling off gave her some cover, allowing her to feel somewhat more at ease.

In a good mood, Eun Soo picked up a taco in front of her and held it out to Joo Han.

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

Joo Han was puzzled for about 0.5 seconds before quickly bending down and opening his mouth. After popping the taco into Joo Han’s mouth, Eun Soo noticed some sauce on her hand and unconsciously brought it towards her mouth, but Joo Han grabbed her wrist and pulled it towards him.

Then he put the tip of Eun Soo’s finger in his mouth and lightly licked it.

Click.

Startled by the sound right next to her, Eun Soo jerked her head around. Hyun, holding a camera, smiled and raised one hand as if to say not to mind him, then turned away.

Hyun was busy taking photos while trying not to disturb those enjoying the party. He had asked everyone for permission before the party started – to take some natural candid shots in addition to the posed photos showing off the clothes.

“Tasty.”

Joo Han let go of Eun Soo’s hand as if nothing had happened and rubbed the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“…I’ll eat.”

Eun Soo picked up a champagne glass and drained half of it. Even though the alcohol content seemed low, her insides felt flushed.

Beside them, Min Jae, who she had heard was a barista, was taking photos of his girlfriend Mi Soo with his phone camera. It was natural to want to capture such a different look.

Although she had said she didn’t like having her picture taken, Eun Soo thought maybe she and Joo Han should take at least one photo too, and turned to look beside her, but Joo Han had already moved some distance away. It seemed the veterinarian Yeon Seop was asking Joo Han something and he was answering.

“We don’t make furniture ourselves. I just do a bit of woodworking as a hobby. As for refurbishing… depending on the item, if it’s not too complicated, it might be possible.”

Hey, what are you doing over there by yourself!

As Eun Soo was debating whether to sidle over to Joo Han, Mi Rae suddenly appeared beside her and spoke up.

“I heard you and oppa met when you were young too. High school classmates, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

After learning that Mi Rae was 27 and Hyun was 26, the youngest among them, naturally they started using “unni” and “oppa” as terms of address.

With her tanned skin, heavy makeup, and healthy physique, her appearance didn’t match the image of the youngest, but her speech and behavior were like that of a cheeky youngest sibling, which was intriguing.

“Hyun and I saw each other in school uniforms too. Well, strictly speaking, only Hyun wore a uniform. I was 20 and Hyun was 19 when we first met.”

“Wow. Can I ask how you met?”

“I was working part-time at an academy while in college, and Hyun was attending there. From the first time I saw him, I could tell Hyun was coming on to me, but how dare this kid… Ah, sorry. Edit that out. A minor and a high school senior was absolutely out of the question, so I completely shut it down. But when he graduated and turned 20, I had no more excuses to push him away.”

Mi Rae laughed. Eun Soo laughed along.

“But, unni and oppa, didn’t you ever get bored seeing each other for so long?”

Could those things really just be called boredom?

Eun Soo hesitated, not knowing how to answer. Then, feeling a bit of kinship, she asked in return.

“What about you, Mi Rae?”

“Us? We don’t have anything like that. Hyun-ah!”

Mi Rae cheerfully called out to Hyun who was passing by and spread her arms wide. Hyun smirked, strode over to embrace Mi Rae, gave her a loud kiss on the lips, and then continued on his way.

What just happened? As Eun Soo’s eyes lost focus, unaware that her expression had gone blank, Mi Rae continued chattering.

“We’ve been together this long and there’s not even a hint of getting tired of each other, so I actually feel anxious, you know unni? I almost wish we could experience that so-called boredom, just very lightly and briefly, and overcome it – then I’d feel more at ease. Can we really keep feeling this good? Of course we fight sometimes too, but I can’t imagine breaking up or living without seeing each other.”

What kinship – the distance feels like a million light years.

Eun Soo just smiled. Things you couldn’t even imagine sometimes became reality, but saying that would make her seem pathetic and strange in many ways, so she firmly curled up the corners of her mouth.

“Oh right, unni. I know a little bit about tarot cards. Want me to do a reading for you?”

“Really?”

More than the tarot itself, Eun Soo was glad for the change in topic and quickly nodded.

“Bring Joo Han oppa over too. I need to do a reading for both of you together.”

Mi Rae headed excitedly towards the small table near the entrance. Eun Soo craned her neck. As soon as she made eye contact with Joo Han, who was looking this way, she gestured to him.

“Okay, you two sit here please.”

Joo Han and Eun Soo, who had approached somewhat reluctantly, sat across from Mi Rae. Seeing the tarot cards spread out on the round table, other cast members also gathered around.

“I’ll start by reading your compatibility.”

What?

Joo Han and Eun Soo’s eyes wavered. They almost cried out asking why bother with such a useless thing.

“No, um, we’re more curious about business fortune or something……”

“Ah, are you already confident in your compatibility? Still, let’s take a look. I’ve been told I’m especially good at love-related tarot readings.”

Mi Rae smiled brightly and pointed to the cards.

“Each of you pick three cards and hand them to me.”

Mi Rae received the cards that Joo Han and Eun Soo hesitantly held out and arranged them according to some rules. After gathering up the remaining cards and setting them aside, she flipped over the two cards she had placed on top.

“First, these cards show how you currently think about each other……”

After checking the two images, Mi Rae tilted her head.

“Hmm, this is interesting.”