Chaewon re-entered the dressing room and stood in front of the mirror.

Usually unflappable, she was exceptionally flustered, struggling to breathe properly.

‘But why so red? It makes me curious.’

She couldn’t bring herself to ask why he was curious, or what he intended to do about it, too stiffened from the shock and his proximity.

Their dry bellies had slightly touched before separating.

While she was frozen, he had picked up his clothes from behind and created some distance.

‘Aren’t you going to change?’

He began to slip his arms into his clothes, but Chaewon, still finding it hard to decide where to look, had retreated to the dressing room.

She was usually the type to confront issues head-on, but somehow, she always missed the timing with Choi Yoo-Gun.

It seemed like she was easily figured out by him, often malfunctioning in his presence.

“Be careful, Chaewon. This man might be an expert in love with incredible skills.”

Her usually steadfast heart kept fluttering, a sign he was no ordinary opponent.

It’s just a fake relationship.

It’s not real, just a pretend romance, so don’t get swayed.

Chaewon warned herself several times before stepping out again.

Choi Yoo-Gun, now in a plain black T-shirt, was perched at the end of the table, drinking the remaining beverage.

Though she hadn’t dined at this table yet, due to the pending arrival of custom chairs, it wasn’t meant to be used as his photo shoot prop.

“Excuse me, Choi Yoo-Gun.”

He turned his head indifferently upon finishing his drink.

“Please sit on the sofa! You said you might fall asleep there. Let’s quickly take our photo.”

Chaewon quickly retracted her finger, pointing towards the sofa, remembering his earlier comment.

With the late hour, she needed to hurriedly finish the photoshoot and send him off.

Setting the timer on her phone, she extended her arm.

Click.

“I think that’s enough. You should go and rest now.”

“Let’s take it again.”

Unlike his usual non-interference, Choi Yoo-Gun surprisingly objected.

“Huh?”

“If my grandmother sees it, she’ll immediately know it’s not a couple’s photo. It’s worse than not taking one.”

Chaewon, who would have usually taken the lead, had been preoccupied with finishing the ‘assignment’ and ended up with a passport-photo-like expression.

Acknowledging the need for a retake, she nodded.

“Okay, let’s take it again. More affectionately.”

She pressed the camera’s button, leaning her head on Choi Yoo-Gun’s shoulder.

But it was another NG.

Chaewon’s sudden move made Choi Yoo-Gun turn his head, resulting in an awkward photo.

Chaewon, realizing their effort wasn’t working, stepped back to face him.

“I’ll lean affectionately on your shoulder. You should just…”

As they sat side by side, Choi Yoo-Gun wrapped his long arm around her shoulder.

“Let’s do that.”

His hand over her ear gently laid her head on his shoulder.

Involuntarily leaning against him, Chaewon managed to change her expression right after he pressed the camera button.

His warm hand on her ear stayed in her consciousness.

Standing upright, Chaewon smiled relievedly.

“Thanks for the effort. Go and rest now.”

Goodnight.

Let’s not see each other tomorrow.

After a quicker goodbye than usual, Chaewon exhaled deeply as soon as the front door closed.

“Ah… Why is this so hard?”
All she had to do was act like a couple and take one photo, yet Chaewon found herself tensing up more than necessary.

She was somewhat relieved she wouldn’t have to face him tomorrow.

Turning around, Chaewon’s eyes fell on the two beverage cans left on the table.

Studying the closely placed cans, she quickly picked them up and placed them in the recycling bag.

Deciding to sleep without another thought, she lay down on the bed.

But she tossed and turned for a long time.

The last time she checked, it was 3 AM, just before she finally fell asleep.

“No matter how I think about it, Noh Jaemin seems like a really bad guy,” Min Seong grumbled, sitting skewed on the patient’s chair, stroking his chin.

Chaewon, unwrapping a chocolate bar Min Seong had brought, replied, “If we’re talking about bad looks, our Moon Min Seong can’t be excluded.”

Chaewon smiled awkwardly under his sharp gaze.

“It’s a compliment. You have a charm of contradiction. Bad-looking but a really nice guy.”

“Of course, what kind of person gives up their weekend, huh? To help a friend and even perform in that weird act.”

Chaewon bit into the chocolate bar, nodding approvingly at the taste.

“Your acting was quite impressive, especially that part where you pretended to be startled and apologized!”

Min Seong, shrugging it off, crossed his legs.

“Ah, I put quite an effort into that scene. Do you know how tough that was? Pretending to ask for your number while being secretly enamored with you, Kim Chaewon. Honestly, that was quite a challenging act.”

Chaewon forced a smile, chewing on the chocolate bar.