“What?”

Seeing Min Je’s eyebrows slowly twitch, Jun Won realized he had made a mistake. No matter how right a statement is, what use is it if the other person doesn’t want to hear it? A long and steady career is indeed the best.

“Come to think of it, today is the director’s birthday. Happy birthday.”

Min Je frowned once as he watched Jun Won speak smoothly as if his mouth had been oiled. That guy had been giving only verbal congratulations for 10 years now.

He had never particularly felt disappointed about that. For them, birthdays were days that didn’t feel necessary to celebrate.

But perhaps because he had received a gift from Ha Yeon, Jun Won’s attitude didn’t look very good. People, you know, when it’s just smooth talk, you can’t feel the sincerity!

“Thank you.”

When Min Je replied stiffly, silence naturally fell in the subtle atmosphere.

Rolling his eyes, Jun Won said with a good-natured smile.

“Then I’ll be going now. Keep up the good work.”

“Alright.”

As Min Je waved his hand, Jun Won quickly slipped out of the director’s office, sensing his opportunity.

As soon as he came out, the employees’ gazes immediately turned to him. The employee who had complained to him earlier approached and asked.

“Did you find out? Why on earth is the director acting like that?”

Jun Won stroked his chin with a mysterious expression and said.

“Does tying a ribbon on a tiger make it not a tiger? That’s not the case.”

Seeing the employees furrow their brows one by one at Jun Won muttering incomprehensible words, he clicked his tongue and continued.

“Just because Kang Min Je smiles and laughs, does that make him not Kang Min Je? That’s not the case. No matter what Kang Min Je does, he’s still Kang Min Je, so you should all understand that.”

Gasp, the sound of the employees inhaling seemed to echo through the space. What on earth had he experienced to say such things? Everyone looked back and forth between Jun Won and the director’s office door with trembling eyes.

No matter what Kang Min Je does, he’s still Kang Min Je….. We should work hard today too with proper posture. The employees who had steeled their resolve scattered in an orderly fashion.

Because of Yu Jin, who had become Jihoo’s captive after just one meeting, Ha Yeon’s phone was about to catch fire these days.

― Jihoo, don’t you miss auntie?

Ha Yeon was dumbfounded listening to Yu Jin’s voice on speakerphone. Since when did she start making such a nasally voice so well?

“…”

Jihoo also seemed unadapted to Yu Jin’s excessive friendliness, avoiding answering.

― Jihoo? Are you listening to me?

She’s trying hard. Ha Yeon clicked her tongue, tsk, watching Yu Jin’s tearful efforts.

“Yes, I’m listening.”

Jihoo must have been thinking the same thing. The fact that he eventually answered proves it.

― Shall we go bike riding on the weekend? Can you ride a bike, Jihoo?

“No, I can’t.”

― Oh my, that’s good. No, I don’t mean it’s good that you can’t ride a bike…

Ha Yeon exchanged troubled looks with Jihoo as she listened to Yu Jin’s incessant chatter. While that side of her was Yu Jin’s charm, her tension was particularly high when it came to Jihoo’s matters, so it took preparation to keep up with it.

― Then, let’s meet on the weekend.

“Okay, I’ll go with my elder sister.”

Hearing Jihoo’s words, Yu Jin raised her voice in shock.

― You’re still calling her elder sister? Jang Ha Yeon, you really have no conscience!

As the noisy sound continued afterward, Ha Yeon approached the phone in front of Jihoo and firmly pressed the end call button.

When the surprised Jihoo looked up with round eyes, Ha Yeon smiled brightly and said.

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

Jihoo couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter at Ha Yeon’s exaggerated expression.

Time passed and the weekend promised with Yu Jin arrived. Because Min Je had insisted on coming along, the three of them headed to the park where they were to meet Yu Jin.

Perhaps because the heat had subsided and clouds covered the sky, the park was bustling with families out for a picnic. People could be seen setting up tents or sitting on mats under every shady spot, spending time.

“Over here, over here!”

Yu Jin waved her hand vigorously upon spotting Ha Yeon. Ha Yeon approached with a slight smile at her appearance that stood out among the many people.

“The director said he wanted to come along too.”

As Ha Yeon pointed to Min Je, Yu Jin’s lips immediately relaxed.

“Nice to meet you again, you remember me, right?”

“How could I forget.”

Min Je answered with a smile. How could he forget when he had his first kiss with Ha Yeon thanks to Yu Jin.

After smiling satisfactorily at Min Je, Yu Jin’s gaze landed on Jihoo.

“Our Jihoo, have you been well? Didn’t you miss auntie?”

Ha Yeon cleared her throat, ahem, feeling a bit embarrassed as she watched Yu Jin grab Jihoo’s hand and hop up and down while speaking with a lisp.

Because Jihoo, who had no immunity to this sort of thing, didn’t react and just stood still, only the child’s arm in Yu Jin’s grasp swayed back and forth.

“I didn’t know there was a place that lent bicycles for free.”

Min Je smoothly intervened, rescuing Jihoo from Yu Jin’s hand.

“Ah yes, I found out because of my nephews and nieces. It seems they lend them for free in designated parks these days.”

Many people could be seen riding bicycles along the park’s walking paths, as it was possible to borrow them for free for an hour with just an ID.

“Do you know how to ride a bicycle?”

Yu Jin abruptly asked Min Je.

“Yes, I know how to ride.”

Then Yu Jin turned to Ha Yeon and asked.

“What about you?”

“I know how to ride, though it’s been a while.”

“That’s great.”

Yu Jin grinned, raising the corners of her mouth. Min Je and Ha Yeon, unable to grasp the meaning of that smile, looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

The reason for Yu Jin’s smile was revealed not long after.

It was when Min Je and Ha Yeon were putting protective gear on Jihoo after renting a four-wheeled bicycle for the child.

“I’m in charge of Jihoo today. So you two go for a comfortable ride on this. I won’t say anything even if you show up an hour later.”

Yu Jin handed the tandem bicycle she had brought over to Min Je, even giving him an eye smile.

Seeing Min Je’s eyebrows twitch, Yu Jin cheerfully added.

“I’ve already rented it, so you can’t back out.”

While others trembled and couldn’t even speak when Min Je frowned just a little, Yu Jin was truly no ordinary person.

She’s my friend, but I admire her. Ha Yeon marveled at Yu Jin’s shamelessness.

Then Jihoo waved his hand with a complicated expression and said.

“I’ll stay here and learn to ride a bike, so you can go.”

He didn’t seem to get along very well with Yu Jin, would it be okay? As Ha Yeon looked at Jihoo with a worried expression, Yu Jin pushed her back firmly.

“Are you going to waste this elder sister’s efforts?”

The sound of her speaking without moving her lips was eerie, like an echo from deep inside a cave. It felt as if there would certainly be a terrible retaliation waiting if one didn’t move according to her will.

“T-Then we’ll just go for one round.”

Ha Yeon smiled awkwardly and gestured to Min Je that they should go.

“Good, you thought well.”

Yu Jin smiled brightly as if nothing had happened. That fox. Ha Yeon unconsciously clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Jihoo, be careful not to get hurt.”

After cautioning Jihoo, Ha Yeon came out to the bicycle path that ran around the park with Min Je.

“Hmm, this wasn’t in the plan.”

Min Je said, stroking his chin with a puzzled expression. He looked unsure of how to take this unexpected time alone together.

“Somehow it feels like everyone around us is in cahoots, or is it just my imagination?”

Ha Yeon said with a laugh. She couldn’t help but laugh feeling that everyone around them was eager to bring her and Min Je together.

“Am I that unreliable?”

Min Je seriously pondered whether his romance seemed possible only with others stepping in to help, then snorted, hmph. Things were progressing well enough without help.

He who had been feeling annoyed soon changed his mind. Having allies all around meant in other words that Ha Yeon had no chance to look elsewhere.

‘That’s not so bad.’

He stretched his lips, regarding the people around them as a safety net of sorts to keep Ha Yeon from escaping from him.

“Well, help is there to be received.”

Ha Yeon looked puzzled as Min Je, who had seemed grumpy, suddenly changed his words completely.

“Then shall we enjoy the time we’ve been given?”

Min Je smiled softly and caressed Ha Yeon’s cheek once. Ha Yeon was momentarily captivated by the sight of his sharp eyes curving smoothly and seductively, then quickly came to her senses.

“Yes, well, okay.”

Ha Yeon hurriedly climbed onto the back seat of the tandem bicycle, pressing her flushed cheeks.

After Min Je and Ha Yeon left, Jihoo, who was left alone with Yu Jin, was very uncomfortable with Yu Jin’s continued excessive praise.

“Kyaa, Jihoo must be a total genius. How can you ride so well when you said it was your first time on a bike?”

The very purpose of the four-wheeled bicycle was to allow one to ride without falling. With two extra wheels, isn’t it natural to ride well? Instead of saying that, Jihoo sighed.

Yu Jin seemed like a nice person, but her voice was so loud that it quickly became tiring to be with her.

“Let’s leave your dad and elder sister to have fun together, and Jihoo can have a blast with auntie today.”

Right, that’s why he was left alone like this. To somehow connect Min Je and Ha Yeon. Even though it was something he had volunteered for, Jihoo’s heart grew more complicated as he listened to Yu Jin’s explanation.

As Jihoo rode the bicycle with an expressionless face, Yu Jin tilted her head.

“Is Jihoo always this quiet?”

He seemed to have chattered away well before, but the child was unusually taciturn today.

Ah, he must be shy. Yu Jin thought Jihoo was being shy because he was unfamiliar with her, so she rambled on even more.

“Where should we go next time? Do you like amusement parks?”

Jihoo, who had been staring up at Yu Jin like that, suddenly asked.

“Are you on the same side too?”

“Huh? The same side?”

Yu Jin’s eyes widened as the child who had been quiet suddenly mentioned sides.

“The side that’s trying to make dad and elder sister work out.”

Ah, what was I thinking. Having heard Jihoo’s explanation, Yu Jin smiled softly and stroked the child’s head.

“Of course, I’m on the same side.”

Then Jihoo rode his bicycle around in circles with a thoughtful expression.

Why on earth is he acting like that? Kids these days are different from the old days and mature early, they say. Is Jihoo like that too? Unable to understand the child’s mind at all, Yu Jin’s expression gradually hardened.

Jihoo thought hard as he pedaled the bicycle diligently.

‘Why are adults so complicated?’

Even with so many allies around, making Ha Yeon his mother seemed like a very difficult task.

If you like someone, can’t you just say you like them and get married? The child who didn’t know about adult romance thought that if you liked someone you got married, but that wasn’t the case, so he was troubled.

Moreover, it was quite a shock that there was still no sign of Ha Yeon becoming his mother even after sacrificing himself to be left alone with Yu Jin.

At first he rode excitedly because riding a bicycle was fun, but as his heart became less joyful, riding the bicycle also became less enjoyable. Furthermore, although the heat had subsided, it was still hot weather for bike riding.

Jihoo, who had been riding the bicycle diligently until his face turned bright red, suddenly felt indignant.

So he stopped the bicycle with a screech, rested his chin on his arms on the handlebars, and muttered.

“Is dad doing well?”

For the first time, doubt about his dad’s dating ability sprouted in the child’s heart.