“Really?”

Hyunju’s face lit up and she quickly asked Siwoo.

“Siwoo. Would it make you uncomfortable if I asked Juwon to come?”

“Huh? No. Isn’t he Ina’s friend? It’s okay.”

However, Hyunju failed to notice the subtle change in Siwoo’s expression as he answered.

“Then it’s okay to call him? Let’s just see him briefly and then we’ll leave too.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Hey. Did you hear that? She said for Juwon to come quickly.”

Without even needing to be told to come, Juwon, who had been listening to the conversation between the three over the phone, spoke first.

−Then I’ll head out right away, so send me the address.

“Huh? Oh… Okay.”

Ina answered absentmindedly and even after hanging up, she remained dazed. Hyunju quickly took Ina’s phone and sent the store address through a message.

Then, as if something was exciting, she put down the phone with a slight smile on her lips.

‘Wow. We get to see Lee Juwon sooner than expected? Just how amazing is he that he’s completely captivated our Ina?’

Hyunju brought the soju glass to her mouth, trying to suppress her increasingly excited mood.

“But why is your friend suddenly coming?”

Siwoo asked while pouring water into Ina’s glass.

“Oh? Well… He said he’ll take me home.”

As Ina hesitantly spoke, Siwoo’s eyes sharpened.

“He’s coming to take you home?”

“…Yeah.”

Siwoo gazed at Ina with an unreadable expression.

Seeing Siwoo’s expression, Hyunju clicked her tongue inwardly.

‘Well, I’m excited to see Lee Juwon, but Siwoo has to face his rival, huh? Tsk tsk.’

“You must be very close friends. For him to insist on taking you home even though we’re here.”

Smiling, Siwoo emphasized the word ‘we’ as he asked.

“Huh? No, it’s not like that. He just thought I seemed drunk…”

After saying it, Ina also felt strange.

Why would he come to pick her up just because she’s drunk when he’s not even her boyfriend?

As Ina pondered what Juwon’s intentions could be, her eyes suddenly widened.

‘No way… Could it be.’

Ina’s face, already flushed from the alcohol, turned even redder as she thought about it.

Seeing Ina’s expression, the smile disappeared from Siwoo’s mouth and his lips closed firmly.

Hyunju, watching the contrasting expressions of the two, silently brought the soju glass to her mouth.

And after some more time passed, the store door opened and someone entered.

It was Juwon.

As soon as he entered, Juwon quickly scanned the store and upon spotting Ina, he strode over.

As Juwon got closer and closer, Hyunju’s eyes shook as if there was an earthquake.

Finally, when Juwon stopped in front of the three, the soju Hyunju hadn’t quite swallowed trickled down.

“Hyunju.”

A startled Siwoo quickly took out a napkin and handed it to Hyunju.

“Ah. Sorry, sorry.”

Hyunju quickly wiped her mouth and looked up at Juwon in front of her.

In a dark grey suit with a necktie, his tall and sculptured appearance made her mouth fall open involuntarily.

‘Wo…ow.’

An impact hit her as if she had been struck hard on the head with a giant hammer.

“Ah. Juwon. Oh, you’re here?”

Now that Juwon was actually in front of her, Ina couldn’t even make proper eye contact and spoke in an awkward voice.

Juwon’s expression as he looked down at Ina was not very good.

Looking at Ina with a face that made it hard to distinguish if it was a human face or a persimmon, Juwon soon changed his expression and glanced at Hyunju and Siwoo.

Then he slightly bowed his head to the two in greeting.

“Hello. I’m Lee Juwon, Ina’s friend.”

“Ah. Hello. Please have a seat first.”

Hyunju, who had been spacing out, quickly came to her senses and offered Juwon a chair.

After Juwon sat down next to Ina, Hyunju promptly held out her hand and said,

“I’m Park Hyunju, Ina’s BFF.”

After shaking hands with Hyunju, Juwon looked at Siwoo next to her.

Siwoo gazed at Juwon with a cold look he had never shown before, and Juwon also stared at Siwoo with a sharp gaze like a knife.

In the silence, the gazes exchanged between the two men seemed to emit fierce lasers.

Hyunju gulped, feeling as if she was seeing two male lions confronting each other over prey in the wild.

“Hello. I’m Kim Siwoo, Ina’s high school classmate.”

Siwoo broke the suffocating silence first, holding out his hand.

Juwon silently reached out and accepted the handshake.

“Hello. I’m not a classmate, but I’ve known Ina since middle school 3rd grade.”

Emphasizing ‘middle school 3rd grade’, Juwon looked straight at Siwoo as he spoke.

As Siwoo let go of his hand with a polite smile, Juwon also gave the same smile.

However, both men were only smiling with their mouths, and there was no warmth at all in the gazes they exchanged.

Even in this situation as barren as the Siberian plains, Hyunju kept glancing at Juwon. And she slightly opened her mouth, inwardly exclaiming over and over.

‘Wow, really… He’s insanely handsome. Seo Ina totally hit the jackpot. Hit the jackpot.’

Looking at Juwon’s face that seemed out of this world, Hyunju’s throat bobbed.

To the right was the fresh pretty boy Kim Siwoo, and in front was the sculptured handsome man Lee Juwon.

Although both men had nothing to do with Hyunju, she felt like she was having the biggest eye candy of her 29 years of life today.

Unlike the excited Hyunju, Ina, who had felt the deadly atmosphere between the two men for a while, reached out for the soju glass as if she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Just as she was about to lift the glass, Juwon reached out and grabbed Ina’s hand.

At that sight, Hyunju and Siwoo’s eyes widened at the same time.

Next to Hyunju, who was astonished, Siwoo stared at Juwon’s hand overlapping Ina’s with a stiff gaze.

“You’re very drunk. Stop drinking.”

At Juwon’s low voice, Ina blinked and quietly nodded.

“Okay… I got it.”

Then Juwon gently removed Ina’s hand from the soju glass.

However, even after removing it, Juwon’s hand remained on top of Ina’s.

Seeing that, Hyunju’s mouth became round and strength entered Siwoo’s eyes.

“Are you two going to drink more? I think we should get going now.”

Juwon said, removing his hand from the back of Ina’s hand.

“Oh. Is that so? That’s too bad. It’s the first time meeting today, so it would be nice to have a drink together…”

Hyunju spoke with a face full of disappointment.

“Let’s meet again next time. I’ll treat you then.”

“Oh my? Really?”

“Yes. Let’s meet again soon.”

Juwon answered and took Ina’s jacket that was draped over the back of the chair.

“Oh? I’ll do it.”

As Ina reached out, Juwon unfolded Ina’s jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

“It’s a bit chilly outside, so wear it.”

He spoke as if casually, but Hyunju’s mouth corners lifted at Juwon’s caring gaze. Then Siwoo got up from his chair and said,

“You don’t have to come next time. I can take Ina home if she’s drunk.”

At those words, Hyunju’s lifting mouth corners paused.

And she looked at Siwoo with surprised eyes, but Siwoo’s gaze toward Juwon was cool.

Thump thump thump.

Hyunju gulped, feeling as if someone was beating a war drum.

‘Wow. Kim Siwoo is a real man! A man! Totally manly!’

Ina must have been surprised too, as she stopped putting on her jacket and looked at Siwoo with wide eyes.

Only Juwon stared at Siwoo with a cold expression before opening his mouth.

“Next time too, I will take her home.”

His voice was firm as if refusing any further argument.

At that voice that cut like a knife, strength entered Siwoo’s eyes.

As the rushing tension made Hyunju’s nostrils flare, Ina abruptly stood up and said,

“Ye- yeah. Siwoo. I appreciate it, but I’ll go with Juwon today.”

At those words, Juwon and Siwoo both looked at Ina at the same time.

Only Hyunju watched the three in spectator mode.

‘Wow, this is really… Better than a morning drama.’

Hyunju’s eyes sparkled, thinking it would be perfect if she had popcorn.

Unlike Hyunju, Siwoo bit the inside of his lip with a stiff face and reluctantly nodded.

“Okay, then… Get home safe.”

As Ina finished putting on her jacket, Juwon picked up Ina’s handbag for her.

“Oh? Oh. Thanks.”

Ina took the handbag and said goodbye to Siwoo and Hyunju.

“Then… I’ll get going first.”

“Okay. Go straight home and sleep. Juwon, let’s meet again soon.”

As Hyunju said goodbye, Juwon gave a light nod.

“Yes. Let’s meet again next time. We’ll get going first.”

“Ina. Get home safe and text me when you arrive. I’ll be worried.”

At Siwoo’s words, Juwon turned his gaze to look at Siwoo.

Siwoo also stared intently at Juwon.

As another laser show was about to begin, Ina quickly grabbed Juwon’s arm.

“Le- let’s go quickly.”

At Ina’s words, Juwon said ‘then, goodbye’ to Siwoo and placed his hand on Ina’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

As the two took steps, Siwoo stared piercingly at Juwon’s hand on Ina’s shoulder.

That gaze seemed to emit another sharp aura.

As the door opened and the two went out of the store, Siwoo bit his lip and sat down.

And Hyunju let out a big breath she had been holding and quickly brought the water cup to her mouth.

She felt like her lifespan had shortened by several years during the twenty minutes Juwon was there.

Until the moment he left, Juwon provoked Siwoo, and Siwoo showed a gaze as if he had met his natural enemy. Both of them were too surprising for Hyunju.

As Hyunju lifted the water cup again from the continued thirst, Siwoo asked in a low voice,

“Hyunju. There’s something I’m curious about, can you answer me?”

In Siwoo’s eyes as he asked like that, a strong will to get an answer was burning fiercely. At that intense gaze, Hyunju obediently nodded in agreement.

* * *

Juwon’s car entered the neighborhood where Ina lived.

Before going into the villa, Juwon parked the car in front of a convenience store and went inside, telling her to wait a moment. After Juwon went in, Ina, who had been shrinking her body with an unknown tension, let out a short sigh.

Even though her eyes were blinking drowsily from being drunk, she remembered how Juwon and Siwoo looked at each other with sharp gazes at the bar.

They must have met for the first time today, so why did they look at each other with such cool eyes?

Ina thought that maybe she shouldn’t have asked Juwon to come because of the unexpected cold atmosphere.

When she remembered Juwon looking at Siwoo with a provocative gaze, placing his hand on her shoulder as they turned to leave, she suddenly felt a throbbing headache.

Just what is Juwon thinking? Really, why…

As Ina held her forehead and closed her eyes, Juwon came out of the convenience store.

Juwon got back in the car and placed a white bag on Ina’s lap.

“Drink it and sleep when you get home.”

The bag contained a hangover remedy and a few bottles of refreshing drinks.

“Ah… Thanks.”

Ina fiddled with the bag and spoke in a small voice.