“Well, my head got a bit complicated…”

With Gaeul’s answer, he chuckled as if knowing enough and suddenly raised his right hand.

His hand touched Gaeul’s cheek. It was still a sharp gaze, but the warmth of the touching hand was remarkably hot.

The large hand touching her cheek gently stroked Gaeul’s face. Inadvertently, her lower lip was bitten.

“We even kissed. What should we do?”

Skipping all the trivial matters and throwing the most embarrassing question first, that was him. The touch of the hand tickling her cheek as if waiting for an answer blocked all thoughts.

In the end, Gaeul pulled away from Gitaeh’s hand, stepped back, and opened her mouth.

“I’ll be careful from now on. There won’t be such a thing again.”

“Shall we consider it nonexistent?”

Since she drew the line by being careful, the conversation would naturally go that way.

“…Yes.”

Gaeul nodded her head.

Even though her heart had grown, she hesitated. It was so much that she couldn’t point it out. Before her heart grew even more, she had to cut it off. Holding the strap of her bag tightly, Gaeul, who had grown larger but still hesitated, deliberately avoided his gaze. But then, the men’s shoes approached again and stopped right in front of her.

“Yoon Gaeul.”

“…Yes?”
The hand that gently tickled her cheek now grabbed Gaeul’s chin and lifted it without hesitation. When their forced faces collided, Gaeul involuntarily took a step back. A few steps away, her pupils, which were now deeply sunken, trembled finely as they met the impression left on the bookshelf that touched her back.

Leaning against the wall, he whispered softly, “I have no intention of treating you like before.”

Startled, Gaeul raised her head to add something, but ended up opening her mouth.

Sometime during that, his gaze, which had sunk deep and only looked down with intense eyes, passed through Gaeul’s eyes and nose, delving into her lips.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Late at night, unable to find sleep, Gaeul eventually got up from bed and headed to the studio.

Just a moment, please give me some time to think!

How much?

When your thoughts are concluded… I’ll let you know.

I can’t wait for too long.

She was able to answer that way and leave his office today.

But what did she manage to escape from?

She just wanted to move away from his uncomfortable gaze without even knowing what it was. It felt like she might get into trouble again under that gaze.

Even if she tried to dismiss it as if it never happened, it couldn’t cleanly return to how it was before. You couldn’t make a kiss that had already happened into something that never happened.

Then, would their relationship now become awkward?

With more thoughts than usual, Gaeul’s steps, which were originally headed straight to the studio, roamed the garden a few times before finally heading to the studio.

Since she didn’t have any specific plans, she didn’t prepare to draw a picture by bringing an easel and canvas like she usually did.

She just aimlessly flipped through the canvases in the studio. To clear her mind, she decided to check the works she had done so far.

Gaeul’s steps, which had been proceeding without hesitation, stopped in front of a painting. There was an unfinished painting placed there.

“Oh, I completely forgot about this.”

A landscape painting depicting the botanical garden they had walked through hand in hand.

In the changed relationship, looking at this painting again felt strange.

As Gaeul looked down at the painting, she thought about Gitaeh again, and raised her head at the thought.

“To eliminate unnecessary thoughts, it’s still a drawing.”

Gaeul, who had no intention of drawing, changed her mind. She prepared to start the work by taking out the brush and palette one by one, putting on an apron.

Today, the goal is to complete this painting step by step.

Just as Gaeul was about to put on her apron.

Rrrr……. Rrrr…….

“Who could it be at this hour…?”

Gaeul, who had put down her arm intending to put on the apron, picked up her phone.

Seeing Yeonwoo’s message, Gaeul bit her lower lip and made a groaning sound.
I felt even more sorry for continually postponing our plans due to being unwell. Eventually, with a mind still unsettled, I had no choice but to send a reply.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yeonwoo, who I thought would invite me to have a meal nearby as usual, offered to come and pick me up himself. Politely declining, I suggested meeting near the gallery.

Is it okay if we meet near the gallery?

…Sure.

Disappointed, he didn’t insist, and I easily retreated. With a smile, I expressed my gratitude to him.

Today, there was no need to dress up as I usually did in the studio. I chose a light chiffon dress. Since I rarely had the opportunity to wear such clothes unless there was a promise like this, it made me feel considerably good.

As the cafe came into view, Gaeul quickened her pace. He, who was already waiting outside the car, waved his hand.

When Gaeul arrived, Yeonwoo greeted her with a smiling eyes.

“Miss Gaeul, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, Mr. Shin Yeonwoo.”

Yeonwoo, who had been staring at Gaeul, quickly turned his gaze and pointed to the car.

“We’re going a bit far. Is that okay with you?”

“Huh…? Weren’t we going to have a meal? Where are we going?”

Curiosity sparked in Gaeul’s mind.

After playing games and having fun in the arcade with Yeonwoo last time, the awkwardness and tension seemed to have disappeared. A bit of friendliness even crept in.

Encountering each other a few times, she realized he was an okay person. When they played games together in the arcade, she found it fun.

So today, Gaeul, among the days she faced Yeonwoo, anticipated the friendliest and brightest smile. Then, with a loud sound, Yeonwoo cleared his throat and spoke.

“Instead of having a meal today, I was thinking of going for delicious dessert… Gaeul, do you like cake?”

“Cake?”

Gaeul’s voice was full of bewilderment as she had no idea that he would call her to eat cake. Then, clearing his throat around his neck, Yeonwoo kindly added an explanation.

“Yes. I heard there’s a famous dessert cafe in Namyangju.”

The man who usually led without notice and rarely looked around had a cautious look this time. It felt like a large dog checking for mistakes and making eye contact. Amused by this unusual sight, Gaeul burst into a laughter.