Seo Ina had no idea in what state of mind she was eating her meal.

She couldn’t even tell if the food was going down her throat or her nostrils.

The Caesar salad, spicy cod roe pasta, and the visually stunning steak were undoubtedly delicious, but the unfamiliar emotions that Ina had been feeling since arriving in Samcheong-dong had robbed this gourmet of her appetite.

Even as the steak’s juices filled her mouth, all of Ina’s attention was focused on Lee Juwon. Recalling the sound of her heart pounding wildly like crazy after leaving the earring shop, Ina absentmindedly chewed the meat.

Juwon, who had been observing Ina closely for a while, poured her some water and asked,

“What’s wrong? Is it not to your liking?”

Only then did Ina startle and look at Juwon.

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you don’t like the steak. You don’t seem to be eating much.”

“Oh? No, it’s really delicious. I’m just eating slowly on purpose to savor the meat’s juices.”

With that, Ina quickly shoved a piece of meat into her mouth.

“I see. Then take your time and eat a lot.”

“Yeah. You should eat too.”

Ina nodded and replied.

And so, for the first time in her 29 years of life, Ina finished a meal without being able to appreciate the taste of the steak at all.

As Ina reached for the bill with a blank expression, Juwon extended his hand first and took it.

Coming to her senses, Ina quickly held out her hand to Juwon.

“I should pay for this. You already bought me the earrings.”

“No, it’s okay. You treated me to a movie, so I’ll get this.”

“Nah. Still, I should be the one paying for this.”

“Then you can buy me coffee. Right?”

Before Ina could even respond, Juwon strode over to the counter and paid the bill.

Ina followed Juwon out of the restaurant with a listless expression.

“I think you spent too much money today.”

When Ina spoke with an apologetic look, Juwon shook his head with a smile.

“No, I didn’t spend much at all. Let’s go grab some coffee.”

Juwon said as he opened the restaurant door.

* * *

After walking for a bit, the two entered a traditional Korean hanok-style cafe.

From the outside, it had a strong hanok vibe, but upon entering, the interior boasted a modern sensibility that caught the eye.

“What do you want to drink?”

In response to Ina’s question, Juwon replied, “Iced Americano.”

Ina ordered an iced Americano and a vanilla latte, then received a vibrating pager.

Shortly after settling into a window seat, the pager buzzed, and Juwon went to get the coffees.

Juwon placed the vanilla latte in front of Ina and sat down.

As Ina brought the cup to her mouth, she snuck a glance at Juwon.

Watching Juwon cross his legs and lift his coffee cup, Ina noticed his long legs.

She knew he was tall, but at this moment, his legs looked exceptionally long, and her gaze kept being drawn to them.

Lee Juhee was also quite tall for a middle school girl, and thinking back, both of Juhee’s parents were tall.

Seeing that, Ina thought to herself that the power of genetics really can’t be ignored.

‘Then if Juwon gets married and has a baby in the future, it’ll be a total long-legged baby.’

Lost in thought, Ina’s cheeks suddenly flushed red.

After uttering the word ‘marriage,’ she felt strange.

She would probably get married someday since she was of age, but the thought of Juwon getting married made her feel odd.

As Ina fidgeted with her fingers, unable to explain the strange feeling, Juwon looked at her intently and asked,

“Are you very tired?”

“Huh?”

Ina snapped out of her reverie and looked at Juwon.

“You’ve seemed a bit tired for a while now.”

“Oh? No, I’m not tired at all.”

But when Juwon stared at her with concerned eyes, Ina’s heart began to flutter again.

And as that unidentifiable emotion threatened to surface once more, Ina abruptly stood up from her seat.

Juwon looked at her with puzzled eyes, and Ina quickly spoke.

“I, I’m going to the restroom for a bit.”

Then, like a debtor being chased by creditors, she hurriedly rushed to the restroom.

Hastily opening the restroom door and entering, Ina stood in front of the sink and looked in the mirror.

Her cheeks, which had been flushed red all day without a moment’s rest, began to radiate heat once again.

Ina shook her head and tapped her cheeks with both hands.

“Hey. Seo Ina. What’s gotten into you today? Huh? Do you realize how weird you’re being today?”

She asked herself questions, but no clear answers came to mind.

At the same time,

Juwon was also lost in thought, fiddling with his coffee cup.

Today was the first time he had watched a movie alone with someone of the opposite sex who wasn’t his girlfriend.

It’s true that he had suggested going together after hearing that she always watches horror movies alone, but deep down, he had wanted to watch a movie with just Ina.

He didn’t know why, but he wanted to, and after the movie, he didn’t want to part ways right away.

Fortunately, Ina also liked Samcheong-dong, so they came together, and as they walked side by side on the streets of Samcheong-dong, he felt a strange sensation.

It wasn’t a date, but it felt like they were on a date.

Then, when a group of high school students who were fooling around staggered towards Ina, he instinctively pulled her close, and they ended up hugging, and at that moment, the sweet scent of her body made Juwon’s heart race.

He wanted to keep inhaling that honey-like fragrance, but he couldn’t hold her forever, so he reluctantly let Ina go.

After that, they ended up entering an earring shop, and as he watched Ina admiring the earrings with sparkling eyes, the corners of his mouth automatically curved upwards.

He thought to himself that all her facial features were so adorably arranged on this small face.

Then, when Juwon held up the earrings he had chosen against Ina’s ears, and she looked up at him with those big, bright eyes, his heart began to pound again.

Ina’s small, fair face seemed to sparkle as much as the glistening earrings.

Thump, thump.

Listening to the sound of his own heart that showed no signs of stopping, Juwon felt an unfamiliar emotion.

How should he interpret this unfamiliar emotion that had unknowingly seeped into him…?

As Juwon fiddled with his coffee cup, lost in thought, Ina returned to her seat.

Ina, with her cheeks slightly flushed, sat down and caught Juwon’s eye as she glanced at him.

Meeting Juwon’s deep, dark eyes, Ina made a startled expression like a Pomeranian, then quickly averted her gaze.

At that, Juwon couldn’t help but laugh.

He didn’t know why she was so surprised, but for a moment, she was so cute that he almost reached out to pat her head.

As if sensing his thoughts, Ina picked up her coffee cup with a reddened face, and her phone on the table vibrated.

And Juwon also saw the name ‘Kim Siwoo’ that appeared on the screen.

The smile on Juwon’s lips vanished in an instant, and Ina picked up her phone, glancing at Juwon.

“Wh, why did Siwoo call?”

Ina mumbled to herself, as if Juwon would be bothered by it, and became lost in thought for a moment.

Answering here felt awkward, but going out to answer seemed like it would make her relationship with Siwoo appear intimate.

And as soon as she had that thought, Ina was startled.

‘No, why does it matter how it looks in Juwon’s eyes? What’s wrong with me today?’

As Ina was reproaching herself for seeming out of focus since earlier, Juwon tapped the table.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

“Huh? Oh. Right, I should.”

Ina lightly bit her lip, thought ‘whatever,’ and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

−Oh. Ina. It’s me. Siwoo. I was about to hang up, but you answered.

“Oh? Uh… I saw it a bit late.”

−I see. Did you enjoy the movie?

“Yeah. It was really fun.”

−That’s great. I should definitely watch it too. Where are you now? Home?

“Huh? No, I’m still out.”

At those words, Juwon stared intently at Ina.

Startled by his gaze, Ina turned her eyes to her coffee cup.

−Oh… You’re still with that friend?

“Huh? Uh…”

Siwoo was silent for a moment, then his voice was heard again.

−Then I’ll have to make this quick. Did you ask Hyunju about getting dinner next week?

“Ah, yeah. I think we can meet on Tuesday.”

−Tuesday? Okay. Then get home safely… See you on Tuesday.

“Yeah. See you Tuesday.”

Ina hung up the phone and gently placed it on the table.

She glanced at Juwon, who was propping his chin up and gazing at her.

Ina flinched and spoke while fiddling with her cheek.

“Oh. This guy is Siwoo… a high school classmate. It’s nothing, really. He just called to ask if I enjoyed the movie.”

After saying that, Ina was flustered by the thought of why she was rambling on about something Juwon didn’t even ask.

Juwon removed his hand from his chin and said nonchalantly,

“I see.”

Why did that response from Juwon bother her so much? Ina couldn’t understand, so she picked up her remaining coffee and chugged it down.

After that, they may have had some more conversation, but Ina couldn’t recall a single thing they talked about. When it reached 9:30 PM, the two stood up and headed to the parking lot.

* * *

After about 30 minutes of driving, Juwon’s car stopped in front of the villa where Ina lived.

Exhausted from the unfamiliar emotions that had relentlessly assailed her all day, Ina quietly unbuckled her seatbelt.

Then she gently turned her head and looked at Juwon.

“Today… was fun. Thanks for hanging out with me all day. And thank you for the earrings.”

Instead of responding, Juwon gazed at Ina for a moment before speaking.

“Are you meeting that friend alone on Tuesday?”

“Huh?”

“When you were on the phone earlier, I heard you say you’d see each other on Tuesday.”

Ina blinked her eyes and answered in a loud voice without realizing it.

“Huh? No! We’re not meeting alone! I’m seeing Hyunju too, the three of us!”

After answering like that on impulse, the thought ‘but Juwon doesn’t even know who Hyunju is’ came to her, and Ina’s face turned bright red with the rush of embarrassment.

And seeing her like that, Juwon burst out laughing.

Actually, from the moment he saw the name ‘Kim Siwoo’ appear on Ina’s phone screen at the coffee shop, he had been feeling inexplicably unhappy.

But the sight of Ina being startled and shouting in a loud voice as if she were in an oratory contest was cute, and it also made him feel somewhat relieved.

Juwon looked at Ina, the corners of his mouth lifting.

“Really? You made plans to eat with a friend named Hyunju, the three of you?”

When Juwon asked in a playful voice, Ina nodded her head with an embarrassed expression.

“Yeah… The three of us decided to have a meal together.”

“I see. You three must be quite close then?”

“Oh? No. I hadn’t seen Siwoo since 11th grade until we met again last Saturday.”

At Ina’s words, Juwon’s brow furrowed.

“11th grade?”

“Yeah.”

Juwon seemed lost in thought for a moment, then glanced at his watch.

“Anyway, it’s late, so you should head in. You must be very tired.”

“Okay. You be careful on your way home too. Thanks for today.”

Ina waved her hand and got out of the car, entering the villa.

After Ina went inside, Juwon didn’t leave right away and became absorbed in his thoughts.

He couldn’t understand why the name ‘Kim Siwoo’ bothered him so much, but he had an unpleasant feeling.

As if he were facing an invisible enemy, Juwon let out a short sigh at the unsettling sensation, then finally started the car.