Tae-jun’s voice filled the car with a heavy tone.

“So-eun.”

“…”

“I understand you feel empty and want to fill that void quickly, but there’s no need to rush into meeting someone. The joy of work can actually be more helpful. Work doesn’t betray you.”

“Work does betray.”

Again, So-eun muttered under her breath. Tae-jun glanced at her with narrowed eyes and started the car again.

“Postpone the blind date. Tomorrow won’t work.”

“The person says tomorrow is the only time they have.”

“Then you can’t go on the date.”

He knew she’d say that. So predictable.

So-eun quietly sent a text message.

A moment later, Tae-jun asked.

“Did you send the message?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He didn’t seem to care whether she was disappointed or not.

They were nearing So-eun’s destination.

Just when he thought he could drop her off without worries, So-eun suddenly stretched her lips long. She looked so pretty that he wanted to laugh along, but somehow, he felt a bad premonition.

“Why are you laughing?”

“The person says they’re also available this Saturday.”

Tae-jun’s eyes hardened again.

“Cancel it. Sounds like a weird person.”

“What’s weird about it?”

“Didn’t they say they only had time tomorrow?”

“…”

“Don’t you find it strange they changed their mind so quickly once you said no?”

“Not really.”

“They’re saying they have time now when they didn’t before.”

“You’re going to get used again, aren’t you?”

“I don’t think of it as being used.”

So-eun, it turns out, was quite good at talking back.

“People being used never think they’re being used.”

“…”

“That’s how you end up giving everything away, even your liver and gallbladder.”

Tae-jun tried to give a stern warning.

Just a figure of speech.

Poof!

So-eun, who had been looking at Tae-jun with a deadly serious face, suddenly burst into laughter.

Hahaha.

…Why are you laughing…?

Hahahahaha.

…Why?

She didn’t stop laughing.

What could have been so funny in his advice? Tae-jun looked baffled.

The woman who used to nervously respond to even the smallest question was now retorting fiercely and laughing as if she’d forgotten his existence. He couldn’t understand why.

It was the first time he had heard such hearty laughter from her.

“Hey, snap out of it. So-eun.”

Hahaha.

“So-eun.”

“Ah, my stomach hurts…”

Her laughter only subsided after Tae-jun called out her full name.

“Thank you, Director Kim. I laughed because of you.”

Why laugh, why? I was just giving advice.

“I feel like I got slapped. It really woke me up.”

“…”

“I’ll live properly now.”

So-eun, catching her breath and speaking each word deliberately, was very different from the So-eun he knew.

After settling her laughter and leaving only a small smile on her face, she looked both witchy and angelic. Provocative, pure, and pretty, Tae-jun couldn’t say anything rashly.
“Thank you for everything. It’s amazing that I got to share my secret with someone like you, Director Kim.”

“…….”

“Thank you for the ride!”

While Tae-jun was lost in thought, So-eun cheerfully said her goodbyes, opened the door, and suddenly left.

The emptiness she left behind was so tangible that Tae-jun felt as if he had been rejected. No, it was more like he had been punched.

The sound of her refreshing laughter and the bright smile she showed at the end left Tae-jun motionless for a long time.

Hee-wook, who had seen Tae-jun hugging So-eun in front of the hotel, didn’t say a word. He couldn’t even pretend to know what was going on. The contract with Tae-jun had been terminated, but the confidentiality agreement Hee-wook had signed was still in effect. If Hee-wook spoke out of turn, he could face legal problems. Besides, Hee-wook himself hadn’t told Tae-jun about his girlfriend at K Electronics Service, so it was better for him to stay hidden for now.

‘Tae-jun must have had business at the hotel.’

Tae-jun had come to the hotel for some business and happened to run into So-eun, an employee of his company. So-eun, shocked by the breakup, must have stumbled and been caught by Tae-jun. Tae-jun, knowing nothing, supported her.

A man like Tae-jun wouldn’t consider someone like AS technician So-eun special.

So-eun would probably not forget him for a long time and live alone. She’s such a naive girl.

He knew the future well enough, but couldn’t understand why he felt so unsettled.

‘Well, it’s over now.’

Hee-wook had Hyun-ji anyway.

Hee-wook returned to the office with a relieved heart, having resolved a long-standing issue.

The office was mostly empty as it was dinner time. Hyun-ji was working in her office.

“Hyun-ji, I finally broke up!”

Hyun-ji, who was writing a brief for a case she was handling, stopped typing and smiled faintly.

Hee-wook sat on her desk and grabbed her hand eagerly.

“To celebrate, I booked a hotel. You’ve been waiting too, right?”

“What are you talking about, oppa? That’s not right.”

“……Eh?”

“I’m so disappointed. You just broke up with So-eun and you’re already going to a hotel. And on a weekday, too. Can’t you see I’m working?”

However, Hyun-ji’s reaction was different from what he expected.

“Did you do this when you were meeting So-eun? Is sleeping with me your goal?”

Hee-wook was speechless.

It’s your fault I broke up with So-eun sooner.

“It wasn’t my idea first. You said it. If I break up with So-eun, then…….”

“Still, oppa, there’s an order to these things.”

“…….”

“I don’t like ambiguity. Get married first.”

Hyun-ji poured cold water on Hee-wook’s heated body.

“I want a proposal. I hope you prepare properly, oppa.”