“……What?”

Eun Soo tried to ask casually. But inside, all sorts of thoughts were running through her mind.

Was it true that they looked amazingly good together? But what if it’s obvious we’re not a couple, that our compatibility is a disaster? What should I do then?

“Should I say it’s the kind of cards that people who are flirting before dating would draw, rather than those in long-term relationships? Based on attraction mixed with uncertainty and difficulty…”

Joo Han’s eyes narrowed slightly before returning to normal. Without either of them needing to make excuses, Mi Rae offered her own interpretation.

“Elder brother and elder sister must still feel butterflies like when they first started dating! Oh my, how cheesy. It’s just like Hyun and me.”

Is that an insult or a compliment? What is it?

Joo Han and Eun Soo felt confused in many ways but also secretly relieved.

“This card tells us about the personalities of you two……”

Mi Rae flipped over two cards from the second row and continued smoothly.

“Your personalities are actually different, which makes you a good match. They say you have good synergy. Especially what could be considered Eun Soo elder sister’s flaws aren’t really issues for Joo Han elder brother. It feels like he either genuinely doesn’t mind them, or even if he does notice, he’s willing to overlook them.”

Eun Soo almost nodded unconsciously but tensed her neck and just stared blankly at the innocent cards. It might sound vague to others, but she felt like she understood what it meant.

“But Eun Soo elder sister is more doubtful on the other hand. She overthinks things. For Joo Han elder brother, it’s simply because it’s you, because he likes you, but it doesn’t work that way for elder sister. Like a personality that says ‘I understand the feeling but I can’t fully accept it 100%’?”

“Haha.”

Joo Han let out a low laugh. Recognizing it as a laugh of agreement, Eun Soo glanced at him sideways.

“Elder sister especially seems to dislike showing her weak side. She doesn’t lean on others. From elder sister’s perspective it’s natural, but the other person might feel hurt.”

“Can you see all that from the cards? That’s amazing.”

Encouraged by Joo Han’s interjection, Mi Rae flipped over the cards in the last row.

“Now I’ll look at your future relationship. Hmm… There may be some difficult times ahead, but if you overcome them, the interpretation is that you’ll become even stronger. This image symbolizes hardship but also transformation and overcoming.”

If we overcome it, but that premise is already impossible.

Well, it would be strange if it were 100% accurate. Eun Soo just smiled.

“Lastly, please each draw one more card from here.”

Mi Rae lightly shuffled the cards she had set aside and held them out. Eun Soo and Joo Han each drew a card and placed it in front of themselves.

“When you draw this as an advice card, it means ‘don’t be afraid’. Whatever it is elder sister is worried about, it will be okay.”

After telling Eun Soo, Mi Rae turned to Joo Han.

“Elder brother, you drew a really good card. It’s a very strong positive card.”

Pointing to the golden sun in the card, Mi Rae said,

“Your wishes will come true.”

“Hey. Nice picture, huh?”

Sol Hee blocked Joo Han and Eun Soo’s path as they were heading to the car after finishing the shoot. Joo Han, who was rummaging around for his car keys, waved his hand dismissively.

“What kind of end-of-the-millennium gangster line is that? Move aside so we can go home.”

“Go home?”

Sol Hee’s eyes widened as if she’d heard something completely absurd. This surprised both Joo Han and Eun Soo as well.

“Wasn’t the shoot over? We even said goodbye and everything just now.”

“The group shoot is over, yes.”

Sol Hee approached with a meaningful expression. Bringing her delicately clasped hands close to her mouth, she added in a low voice,

“If you were a real couple, wouldn’t it be too much of a shame to just part ways here? It seems such a waste to just go home after dressing up so nicely. You must have been thrilled all day seeing each other’s new styles, so now it’s time to properly…”

“Hey, why are you printing out the script with your mouth here? Go write somewhere else, writer-nim.”

Eun Soo cut her off immediately. In truth, as soon as they called cut, she wanted to change clothes right away, but with Mi Rae and Hyun smiling brightly and saying the outfits were gifts so they could just wear them home, she couldn’t immediately go to the changing room, so she just came out like this.

“How about going somewhere nice and getting some more shots? You should try to immerse yourselves a bit more. If it were real, would you really just clock out and go straight home?”

“Yep.”

Joo Han pushed back his hair with indifferent eyes.

“If it were real, we’d leave even faster. We might even go to a nearby hotel because we couldn’t wait to get home.”

That’s true. Clothes that make your heart race when you put them on tend to make it race even more when taking them off… No, that’s not it!

Eun Soo, who almost nodded naturally, secretly startled herself. Sol Hee clapped her hands without batting an eye.

“A hotel is fine. I won’t follow you to the room, I’ll just cut right when you two check in. How about it?”

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go home.”

“Hey, you think you’re the only ones who want to go home?”

Sol Hee’s gaze shifted to over Joo Han’s shoulder. Joo Han turned around reflexively and flinched when he made eye contact with PD Park, who was looking this way with pleading eyes.

“PD Park is the one who desperately wants to go home as an office worker. But he needs to produce results to go home with peace of mind, right? Right now all the other teams have gone for additional shoots, you know? Mi Rae’s team is going to a club, Mi Su’s team is going to the Han River, and Jena’s team is going to a wine bar, you know? But here it looks like you just want to go home, wash your feet and sleep, you know? How can he let you go?”

This broadcasting company guy again…!

Eun Soo, who was about to say that no matter how much emotion they try to sell, it can’t buy her going home time, closed her mouth. The moment she saw PD Park standing there with a pitiful expression that said he couldn’t let go of this camera yet, she lost her will to fight.

Joo Han seemed to feel the same way, unable to call for a designated driver.

Eun Soo, gritting her molars tightly, quietly said one thing to Sol Hee.

“Fine. We’ll go, so hand over the corporate card.”

At a relatively quiet rooftop bar of a hotel on a weekday night, the gazes of some customers occasionally turned to the backs of Joo Han and Eun Soo, sitting side by side in a long window seat.

It was partly because of PD Park’s camera filming unobtrusively like a potted plant in one corner of the bar, and partly because of their fashion that seemed perfectly suited for such a place, as if they had known they would come here.

Of course, the visuals that perfectly pulled off the look were the main point drawing attention.

How many drinks was this now? After taking a sip of the cocktail whose name she had already forgotten, Eun Soo asked,

“What did you give Mi Rae earlier?”

She had seen Joo Han hand something to Mi Rae when the shoot was wrapping up. She also saw Mi Rae burst into laughter, but in the chaotic situation, she hadn’t been able to ask properly.

Joo Han meaninglessly tapped his whiskey glass with only round ice remaining.

“A gratuity.”

“A gratuity? Ah, for the tarot reading?”

“I heard somewhere that it’s invalid if you don’t give a gratuity.”

Your wishes will come true. Those words were weighing heavily in the center of his mind. After handing the gratuity to Mi Rae, he felt somewhat lighter. It wasn’t that he 100% believed in such sayings, but rather that his desire for it to come true, even by chance, was that strong.

“What did you give? It wasn’t money, right?”

“A meal voucher.”

“What… Oh, maybe the one you received earlier?”

Joo Han nodded. After everyone had their tarot readings earlier, at the staff’s request, they played a few games with various prizes, and that’s when he received the voucher for a meal for two at a French restaurant.

“You did well. Gratuities are important.”

It’s not like we would have gone to eat with that anyway. Eun Soo coolly accepted it.

“Speaking of which… about that tarot reading earlier.”

Joo Han, who was sitting comfortably with his feet on the floor despite the high chair due to his long legs, turned halfway towards Eun Soo.

“When you drew your card, she said not to be afraid. Is there something you’re worried about… or afraid of these days?”

You’re asking because you don’t know? I’m so worried about whether this show can really end perfectly that I wake up once in a while even while sleeping, what do you think?

The dim lighting and moderate intoxication masked the fierce answer in Eun Soo’s eyes. To others, it just looked like a languid gaze.

“There is. Something scary. It’s…”

Eun Soo, who had been resting her head on one arm propped on the bar, adjusted her posture. Leaning slightly towards Joo Han as if telling a tremendous secret, she added,

“Money.”

You’re so jaded, so jaded. Joo Han, with such eyes, let out a chuckle. Eun Soo followed suit, smiling with her eyes crinkling. Seeing this, a slightly perplexed look flashed across Joo Han’s eyes and disappeared.

‘I think she’s drunk,’

Although they had entered the hotel, checking in was out of the question, so they boldly ordered expensive drinks with the corporate card they had taken, and ended up having quite a few.

From cocktails to whiskey, the alcohol content was higher than expected, and they had also had quite a bit of champagne earlier at the party.

“I’ll ask you something too. They said all your wishes would come true, right? What is it that you wish for?”

Joo Han silently looked into Eun Soo’s eyes.

Watching this scene through the camera, an urgent cry echoed in PD Park’s mind.

‘Now’s the time! Kiss! Kiss, I say!’

This was definitely the kind of atmosphere that should lead to a kiss scene!

The current background, lighting, the two people sitting facing each other, everything flowing in the frame was beautiful enough to be a shame to waste.

Joo Han raised one hand.

Betraying PD Park’s desperate expectations, that hand, instead of cupping Eun Soo’s cheek or wrapping around her neck to pull her close, grabbed Eun Soo’s glass in front of her.

After drinking all the remaining alcohol, the corners of Joo Han’s mouth turned up slightly.

“I’m not telling. It might jinx it.”

A while later, Joo Han and Eun Soo entered Joo Han’s house side by side.

Eun Soo’s steps showed signs of intoxication, and it seemed a bit inappropriate to let her go home alone, so they came together. He planned to take her home after PD Park left.

“I need water……”

With the cameras and microphones gone, Eun Soo scrunched up her face freely and followed Joo Han, rubbing her solar plexus area with one hand. Joo Han, who had gone ahead into the kitchen, took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator, opened the cap, and handed it to Eun Soo.

“Drink this and sit on the sofa for a moment. I’ll just change clothes and come out.”

“Okay.”

Joo Han went into the room and closed the door. Seeing the bed, he felt an urge to just lie down, but painfully ignored it and headed towards the closet.

Today had been too long. While the shoot at felt like a familiar place with just a touch of unfamiliarity from the cameras, today, from the location to the situation, nothing had been predictable, leaving both body and mind tired.

“Ah shit, this really……”

While the shirt was easy enough to unbutton and take off, the pants that had been difficult to put on were even more difficult to take off. After barely peeling the stiff piece of cloth off his legs, he changed into a loose short-sleeved shirt and training pants that he often wore at home, finally finding some stability.

‘Should I just let her go? Do I have hangover medicine at home? She should eat something like that before sleeping to avoid suffering tomorrow……’

Thinking this, Joo Han came out of the room and paused. Eun Soo, who he thought would be in the living room, was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s this, don’t tell me she left on her own……”