I hung up right away, didn’t I?

“Hoo, hoo……”

Winter’s breathing became rough like someone caught doing something wrong, and her heart was pounding.

It was when she was about to bring her hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

“Oh no!”

The cell phone screen lit up brightly and a ringtone was heard.

It was a call from Tae Wook.

Winter hesitated, unsure whether to answer the phone or not.

“I don’t know.”

With a feeling of giving up, she pressed the call button and carefully brought the phone to her ear.

[Secretary Han?]

Judging by the vividness of Tae Wook’s voice, it didn’t seem like he had just woken up.

[Did something happen? You’re not sick, are you?]

At the sound of his worried question, Winter’s throat choked up.

She wanted to say she was sorry, but the words wouldn’t come out as if her mouth was glued shut.

[Secretary Han? Are you listening?]

“…… I heard from Senior Eun Young.”

The words that flowed out of her mouth after a long time were not what Winter had intended to say.

[Director Bang? What did Director Bang say to Secretary Han?]

“About the training center construction.”

[Ah…… that construction?]

His surprised voice seemed quite flustered.

[I thought Director Bang would keep quiet about it. I guess I trusted people too much.]

“Thank you.”

Although she couldn’t convey her apologies, she wanted to express her gratitude.

[I don’t think it’s something worth thanking Secretary Han for……]

Listening to Tae Wook’s embarrassed words, Winter smiled.

Right now, Tae Wook would be making an awkward expression while rubbing his eyebrow with his finger, right?

Knowing his habit, she could picture his appearance in front of her eyes.

[Have you been staying up until now to say that?]

“Ah, no. It’s because of the rain.”

An unexpected thought popped out of nowhere.

[It’s raining a lot in Seoul too.]

“……”

She was worried he might laugh at her sudden remark.

When Tae Wook naturally responded to Winter’s words, the corners of her mouth automatically stretched upwards.

Her heart felt warm and even ticklish.

[Were you watching the rain?]

“Yes. I was looking at the rain… and drinking coffee from the vending machine at the noodle shop.”

[Milk coffee?]

“Yes.”

[I’m envious. I also thought of coffee and went to the kitchen. I was about to turn on the coffee machine but came back because it was bothersome.]

Winter could understand Tae Wook’s lazy feeling.

There was an expensive coffee machine in the kitchen, but it was something that was rarely touched because it was troublesome to use.

“When I come back to Seoul, I’ll make coffee for you.”

[I was worried you wouldn’t say that.]

Tae Wook seemed pleased with Winter’s words.

She also felt happy along with him.

The sound of rain was getting stronger.

She could feel her cardigan getting damp from the rain coming with the wind.

[Are you feeling better now?]

“Yes. I’ve fully recovered.”

[That’s a relief. But didn’t you say you were outside? The sea breeze must be cold.]

Tae Wook sounded like someone watching Winter from beside her.

“Now that you mention it, it is cold.”

The coffee in the paper cup had lost its warmth and cooled down.

[What if you get sick again? Go inside quickly.]

“Okay. I will. You should sleep too, sir.”

[…… I’m not sure if I can sleep.]

“Has your insomnia started again?”

Winter was surprised and asked when Tae Wook casually dropped those words.

[It’s not insomnia, so don’t worry.]

“Then why……”

[There’s just something. The call is getting long. I’ll hang up.]

Tae Wook hung up hurriedly without giving a reason.

“What should I do.”

Winter put her cell phone down on the table and cupped her cheeks with her palms.

Her cheeks were hot as if they were on fire.

Her chest was swelling up and wouldn’t calm down.

Why was she smiling like this?

She felt like she had become a fool.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

She couldn’t leave her seat for a long time, facing the cold wind.

[This is the timeline separator]

Tae Wook, who had been in the study until now after work, opened the door and came out.

As he was passing through the living room, he stopped and scanned the room with his eyes.

“It feels like an empty house when there’s no one here.”

It wasn’t as if Winter was always out in the living room.

Yet, with her gone to Jeju, the house, especially the spacious living room, seemed empty.

“It must be more comfortable and better at home than here.”

His muttering voice sounded lonely.

He had been staying here continuously for 3 years since his divorce.

Sleeping and waking up.

Eating, listening to music, and sometimes having a drink – everything was done alone.

And those actions were so routine that he didn’t even realize they were solitary activities.

But now…

He didn’t know why he felt so lonely, as if he had been left alone in the apartment.

“It must be because of the rain.”

Tae Wook shrugged his shoulders and headed to the kitchen.

Hearing the sound of rain made him desperately crave coffee.

He took out a container of coffee beans from the cupboard, but for some reason, put it back in.

Then he opened all the cabinets and drawers, searching for something.

“It should be somewhere……”

When he couldn’t find what he was looking for in the kitchen, he went to check the pantry.

“Did I throw it away because it was too old?”

A look of disappointment appeared and disappeared on Tae Wook’s face.

What he was looking for was instant coffee mix.

As if he had become addicted, he kept thinking about it since Winter had made it for him.

He remembered that Winter used to occasionally drink instant coffee mix at the apartment before.

He hoped that maybe she had bought some when she came to Seoul.

Or he thought he might find some instant coffee mix that might be several years past its expiration date.

But.

Such luck didn’t suit him.

“I guess it can’t be helped.”

He took out a bottle of wine from the wine cellar, poured it into a glass, and returned to the study.

Just as he opened the door to enter, his cell phone rang briefly before cutting off.

“Who could it be? At this hour?”

Tae Wook went to the desk and looked down at the still brightly lit cell phone screen.

There was a missed call notification, and Winter’s name was listed as the caller.

“Did something happen?”

Tae Wook immediately called Winter back.

The connection tone kept ringing, but she didn’t answer.

He furrowed his brow with anxious eyes.

Was she sick?

Did an accident happen?

In that short time, all sorts of ominous thoughts crossed his mind.

After a long while, Winter answered the phone.

“Secretary Han?”

Tae Wook called out to Winter as soon as the call connected.

But for some reason, he couldn’t hear any sound from her.

Could it be…

“Did something happen? You’re not sick, are you? Secretary Han? Are you listening?”

He asked urgently, worried.

Why was she so silent, it was making him anxious.

[I heard from Senior Eun Young.]

After a long time, Winter’s voice was heard.

And the moment he heard her words, he felt a sense of relief.

It was because he had been tense with worry that something might have happened to Winter.

Tae Wook seemed to not understand the world of women very well after all.

He had asked her to keep it a secret several times…

He hadn’t expected it to be conveyed to Winter so quickly.

He realized that the relationship between Director Bang and Winter was built on a more solid trust than he had thought.

A few more words were exchanged between Tae Wook and Winter.

[…… It’s because of the rain.]

His gaze was drawn to the window as if pulled by something.

Large raindrops were hitting the window and flowing down in streams.

“It’s raining a lot in Seoul too.”

Seoul and Jeju Island.

A distance of over 700km apart.

On this night, the fact that they were looking at the rain together gave him a strange thrill.

It wasn’t rain, but snow, but that day was like this too.

Suddenly caught in heavy snowfall, unable to go anywhere, Tae Wook and Winter watched the falling white snow together in the car.

It seemed like for the first time, the two of them opened their hearts and had many conversations.

And then…

−Can I kiss you?

Tae Wook asked.

Snow falling like the sky had opened up.

Inside the quiet car.

At that moment, perhaps they wanted to share something deeper than conversation.

Winter closed her eyes gently, signaling permission.

Tae Wook’s lips met Winter’s.

Lips that barely touched at first fully overlapped.

The kiss grew deeper and more intense.

At that moment, Tae Wook realized.

That a different feeling for Winter had arisen in that instant.

Was it because he recalled that day which didn’t end with just a kiss?

His body started to heat up as if on fire.

He couldn’t concentrate on the call with Winter. He felt he should end the call soon.

“Didn’t you say you were outside? The sea breeze must be cold.”

[Now that you mention it, it is cold.]

“What if you get sick again? Go inside quickly.”

[Okay. I will. You should sleep too, sir.]

Would he really be able to sleep?

It seemed like it would be a night where he couldn’t easily fall asleep.

“I’m not sure if I can sleep.”

The thought escaped his lips before he knew it.

[Has your insomnia started again?]

Tae Wook’s face heated up at her surprised question.

What would Winter think if she knew the reason?

“It’s not insomnia, so don’t worry.”

[Then why……]

“There’s just something. The call is getting long. I’ll hang up.”

Tae Wook hurriedly hung up and flung open the window.

Rain pouring down as if the sky had burst open.

Cold raindrops carried by the wind sprayed on his face and clothes.

He stretched his hand out the window.

The rain hitting the back of his hand was cold as ice.

However, it was not enough to cool the heat that had overtaken his body.

“I don’t want to sleep tonight.”

He smiled wryly as he stared into the pitch-black night.

Tonight, it seemed he would need wine not to sleep, but to stay awake.

He brought the wine glass he was holding to his lips and emptied it in one gulp.