Tae Wook’s gaze followed Winter’s line of sight.

“Don’t tell me it’s whiskey?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“It’s not that it’s not allowed, but… it’ll be strong.”

Winter read the hesitation on Tae Wook’s face.

He must know that she’s weak when it comes to alcohol.

“That’s why I want to try drinking it even more.”

She wanted to completely forget her worries with strong alcohol.

– There’s Assemblyman Choi Min Wook’s book launch event tomorrow.

Winter needs to use every method to send Tae Wook there.

Perhaps he might meet the assemblyman’s daughter there.

An intentional meeting disguised as a coincidence.

Though Tae Wook is refusing now, wouldn’t his thoughts change if he actually meets her?

And if they meet several times after that…

“Did something happen at work?”

Tae Wook’s questioning voice cut through Winter’s thoughts.

“Huh? What do you mean something happened?”

“Suddenly wanting to drink, and your complexion seems a bit dark too.”

Tae Wook said, closely examining Winter’s face.

“It’d be stranger if something did happen at work. My job is just reading books all day.”

Winter deliberately grumbled.

If Tae Wook pressed her with suspicion, she felt she might end up confessing about Ki Bum coming to see her.

“I didn’t mean for you to read to the point of exhaustion.”

Tae Wook made an embarrassed expression.

To him, Winter’s grumbling sounded like she was tired from doing the homework he had given.

“Since it’s strong, try just a little bit for now.”

He took out an on-the-rocks glass, poured a very small amount of whiskey, and held it out to Winter.

Winter brought the glass to her lips and took a sip.

The moment it touched her tongue.

“Ugh, it’s bitter.”

Not only did her thoughts immediately come out as words, but her face also scrunched up involuntarily.

Her throat burned as if it was on fire.

As if there was an actual fire.

“I told you it would be strong. How about switching to wine even now?”

At Tae Wook’s words, Winter shook her head side to side.

“No. I want to drink it all the way through.”

“Well, if that’s what you want.”

Tae Wook gave a faint smile at Winter’s appearance and emptied his own glass.

“Were you ever close with the vice chairman, sir?”

Winter suddenly asked.

Tae Wook, who was tilting the whiskey bottle, paused for a moment and glanced at her.

“Well. I don’t remember well. I think I might have felt like he was a father figure until before I became a middle school student.”

Tae Wook filled his glass and lifted it.

He slowly rotated the glass in a circle, then stopped, and the amber liquid swirled before settling.

Just like the anger that swirled up at the mere thought of Ki Bum.

“Why do you suddenly ask that?”

“I was wondering if the vice chairman, as your father, might want your happiness.”

“Who? That person who’s my father?”

Tae Wook snorted.

Maybe it’s because of the helper incident today.

He felt a stronger aversion to Winter’s words than usual.

“Even Han secretary knows he’s someone who sells his son’s happiness to buy his own happiness.”

“That may be true, but…”

“I’d prefer if we didn’t talk about my father anymore.”

When Winter tried to say something more, Tae Wook cut her off.

Then he tilted his glass and emptied it in one gulp.

It was hard to tell if his fierce frown was due to the strong alcohol or because he was angry.

Winter felt uneasy, thinking she might have upset Tae Wook by bringing up unnecessary topics.

“Hoo…”

Tae Wook pushed his wet hair back with his fingers and let out a long breath.

After calming his emotions, he said to Winter.

“When you go down to Jeju Island this time, spend time with your family at the resort. I’ll let the resort know.”

“No, you don’t need to do that.”

Winter refused, even waving her hands.

“It’s not free. I want you to evaluate the facilities as you use them.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to know if the facilities are convenient for the elderly to use, and since we’re also operating a swimming pool and kids’ cafe, I’d like you to identify various good points and inconveniences, and later make a report.”

Winter’s face flushed red.

She had foolishly misunderstood that Tae Wook had prepared an event just for her.

Not knowing it was for work.

“Make sure to use the facilities to your heart’s content too, Han secretary.”

“I understand.”

Just as Winter answered Tae Wook, it happened.

Ding dong!

The doorbell sound rang through the quiet apartment interior.

“Who could it be at this late hour?”

Tae Wook turned his head towards the entrance, with an expression that showed he wasn’t pleased with a visitor interrupting his time alone with Winter.

“I’ll go check.”

As Winter tried to get up, Tae Wook gently pressed down on her shoulder.

“I’ll go.”

Tae Wook thought it might be the helper.

To find the cell phone she had dropped.

An ordinary person wouldn’t dare to come back.

But this was a bad person who had tried to deceive him right before his eyes, and in his own apartment at that.

She might be someone whose shamelessness exceeds the norm.

“I’m sure I warned her never to show her face to me again.”

Tae Wook opened the front door with a cold frown.

“Director Tae Wook!”

A husky voice called out as soon as the door opened.

The woman who greeted Tae Wook happily wasn’t the helper he had expected.

A tall, thin woman in her late 60s with no makeup, as if she had rushed to the apartment.

It was Mrs. Lee.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“Is it true that the young madam has returned?”

Mrs. Lee seemed not to hear Tae Wook’s surprised question.

She stood on her tiptoes, trying to peek over Tae Wook’s shoulder as he blocked the door.

She looked as if she was searching for any sign of Winter behind him.

“Please, come in first.”

Tae Wook stepped aside from the door.

Mrs. Lee then entered the apartment with almost running steps.

“Young madam!”

As soon as she opened the sliding door, Mrs. Lee called out to Winter.

Although the home bar was separated from the entrance, there was no way Winter couldn’t hear Mrs. Lee’s booming voice.

“Mrs. Lee!”

Winter came out to the living room, surprised.

Her face already showed a mix of surprise and joy at recognizing the voice.

“Oh my. Is this a dream or reality?”

Mrs. Lee threw the large bag she had brought onto the floor.

Then she grabbed Winter’s hands as she approached.

“I rushed over as soon as I heard the young madam had returned.”

Mrs. Lee spoke with reddening eyes, as if she might cry at any moment.

Due to living in Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces when she was young, her dialect would pop out from time to time.

“I’m really glad you came. You made the right decision. After all, isn’t the relationship between our Director Tae Wook and the young madam no ordinary one?”

Mrs. Lee had liked Winter excessively in the past.

She even cried her heart out in disappointment upon hearing the news of their divorce.

She had hoped Tae Wook would continue to come to the apartment, but he cut off his visits completely, saying he didn’t want to come to a place without Winter.

“Have you been well all this time?”

Winter also asked about Mrs. Lee’s well-being with a choked voice.

“For an old person, every day’s the same. What could be different?”

“I’ll take that to mean you’ve been well. And Mrs. Lee, you haven’t aged at all. You’re exactly the same as three years ago.”

“Oh my, how our young madam speaks so beautifully.”

Mrs. Lee’s mouth widened in a smile, pleased by Winter’s words.

“But what brings you here at this late hour?”

Tae Wook asked with an expression that seemed to say, “Surely you didn’t come for work, did you?”

“What do you mean, what brings me here? What else would I come here for? To work, of course.”

Mrs. Lee spoke as if it were obvious.

“That old Mr. Song must be getting senile, asking if I’d come work at the apartment without mentioning a word about the young madam.”

Mrs. Lee let go of Winter’s hands and started to ramble on about things she wasn’t asked.

“I refused, thinking what would I do in a house without the madam. If that man had mentioned the madam earlier, I would have come running in no time. Isn’t that right?”

Winter stared at Mrs. Lee with a bewildered look.

She had forgotten. The one and only flaw Mrs. Lee had.

That was her talkative nature.

“Please don’t stand like this, have a seat.”

Winter gestured towards the sofa. Only by interrupting like this could she hope to stop Mrs. Lee’s chatter.

“I’ll bring something to drink.”

“Oh my, there’s no need to go to the trouble.”

Although Mrs. Lee declined, Winter had already rushed to the kitchen.

“Did Mr. Song not say anything else?”

Tae Wook asked Mrs. Lee with a hardened expression.

“You mean about the vice chairman pressuring the helper?”

“Please don’t mention that to her.”

“I may not look it, but I’m quite perceptive.”

Mrs. Lee lowered her voice as much as possible, looking towards the kitchen where Winter had gone.

She knew well that Ki Bum hated Winter.

And she had noticed that it was something he had done to try to keep an eye on Winter.

“It’s apple juice. I was worried there might not be any, but fortunately there was.”

Winter quickly came out with a glass of apple juice.

“You even remember that this is my favorite… thank you, young madam.”

Mrs. Lee emptied the glass of juice in one gulp, as if her throat had been parched from rushing to the apartment.

“It’s too late today, so please go back and come again from tomorrow.”

Tae Wook spoke as soon as Mrs. Lee put down her glass, wanting to send her back quickly.

Though he needed Mrs. Lee’s help, now wasn’t the time.

He wanted to finish the remaining alcohol with Winter.

Right now, Mrs. Lee felt like an intruder disrupting their intimate time together.

“I’ll call you a taxi.”

“Go back? Don’t you see that bag over there?”

Mrs. Lee pointed with her gaze to the large Boston bag she had dropped in front of the sliding door.

“I came with my luggage all packed.”

At Mrs. Lee’s words, Tae Wook and Winter exchanged bewildered looks, neither first nor second.

It was a completely unexpected turn of events.

“I can use that guest room over there, right?”

The end of Mrs. Lee’s finger was pointing at the guest room that Winter was using.

“You can’t!”

“You can’t!”

Tae Wook and Winter raised their voices in surprise at the same time.