7 years ago.

That day when I stepped back into Do Hyun’s house to find the phone I had left behind.

Something happened that could change the relationship with Do Hyun. In a drunken, sleepy state, Do Hyun kissed Joo.

Joo, whose first kiss was stolen without a chance to react, ran straight home.

For several sleepless nights after that day, Joo’s daily life completely fell apart.

She couldn’t even remember how her favorite liberal arts class started or ended, which says it all.

Joo, who was in the library to fill time until her next class, came outside.

Out of habit, Joo took out her phone from her pocket and opened the message inbox.

When had the messages piled up?

Joo quickly checked the messages. But disappointment spread across her face as it wasn’t the contact she was waiting for.

‘He kissed me, but not a single message from him.’

Only Joo, who had been kissed out of nowhere, was fretting.

She felt wronged. Suddenly, anger also welled up.

He intruded into her ordinary life, yet this man hadn’t contacted her once.

If he did such a thing, shouldn’t he at least say it was a mistake, or apologize, or say something out of courtesy?

Just thinking about Nam Do Hyun made her heart feel like it was opening, thudding loudly.

“You should walk while looking ahead.”

At the sudden voice from in front, Joo lifted her head with a start.

Do Hyun, dressed in a navy suit, was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Nam Do Hyun carefully climbed the stairs to stand in front of Joo, who had stopped abruptly in her tracks.

Despite being below Joo, his gaze was lifted upwards.

“Did you get home safely that day?”

Perhaps because she never imagined meeting him directly, her mind went blank.

Joo, who had been in a daze, belatedly answered.

“Yes. I got home safely. What about you, elder brother?”

“It’s my house, so what’s there to say about getting home safely or not?”

“Ah, right?”

Did he come to see me?

Will he confess that he regrets what happened then, that it was because of the alcohol?

“Are you going to a lecture?”

“Yes. My class starts soon.”

“I see. Go on then.”

That’s it? This is the end?

Question marks endlessly popped up in Joo’s mind.

For days and nights, her thoughts had been filled with the kiss with Nam Do Hyun, but the person involved was acting as if nothing had happened.

Flustered, Joo grabbed Nam Do Hyun’s collar as he was about to pass by her.

“Elder brother, about that day…”

Do Hyun, who was about to climb the stairs, stood next to Joo.

“That day? You mean the day we drank?”

“Yes. I went back to your house after all the seniors left.”

“You did?”

“Don’t you… remember?”

“I think I fell asleep on the couch because I was tired then. Why did you come back?”

He had even called her name.

But Nam Do Hyun couldn’t even find a piece of that scene.

It meant that meeting Do Hyun today was not fate, but a coincidence.

“Oppa.”

Just as her trembling lips parted, a voice cut in from the bottom of the stairs.

Bae Ji Eun, hugging thick textbooks, came up the stairs.

Flashing a bright smile, Ji Eun linked her arm with Do Hyun’s.

“Did you really come to school just to buy me lunch?”

Bae Ji Eun was a senior in the Business Administration department and had a close friendship with Nam Do Hyun.

Though a year younger than Do Hyun, who was a returning student, they got along like close friends.

“You said I should treat you since I missed the last gathering.”

“You treated all the student council members, it would be totally disappointing if you didn’t treat me too.”

With the two of them in front of her, Joo felt like she was the only one left out.

As Joo stood there, feeling as insignificant as air, Nam Do Hyun spoke to her.

“Do you want to come along?”

“What? Me too?”

Hesitating, Joo shook her head slightly.

“I have to go to class.”

“Ah. That’s right. See you next time, then.”

If it weren’t for the class, would she have squeezed between Ji Eun and Do Hyun?

No. She would have made up some excuse to get out of there anyway.

The feeling of being an island far from the mainland was enough as it was.

Ji Eun placed her hand on Do Hyun’s arm as they climbed the library stairs.

“Let me just return this book and then let’s go eat. Can I have what I want today?”

“Aren’t you just going to eat at that pasta place in front of the school again?”

“We’re eating meat today, okay? You said you’d treat me, so pasta won’t do.”

Even though their voices faded and became hard to hear, Joo couldn’t move as if someone was holding her in place.

As Joo forced herself to take a step down the stairs, a friend passing by approached her.

Stomping her feet in excitement, she caused a commotion after seeing Do Hyun and Ji Eun entering the library.

“Hey, hey. That’s senior Do Hyun and senior Ji Eun, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. So they really are dating.”

Her hazy mind was jolted as if struck by lightning.

“They’re dating? Senior Do Hyun and senior Ji Eun?”

“You’re in the student council. Didn’t you know?”

“…No. I had no idea.”

“Even the teaching assistants know. You’re probably the only one in our department who didn’t know.”

She thought they were just friends, but they were already a couple.

That’s why he didn’t mention the kiss, even if it was a mistake.

Staring blankly into space, Joo touched her lips with her fingertips.

It was no different from an accidental contact. Like a hit-and-run where the culprit pretends not to know.

It was unfair, but she couldn’t ask him to take responsibility either.

If only she closed her eyes, if only she pretended not to know, it could become as if nothing had happened.

So she completely erased it from her mind. That day, Nam Do Hyun.

***

“How is it that nothing has changed? I’m so glad to see you. Right?”

“…Yes.”

Ji Eun, who was once the reason Joo asked about the kiss with Do Hyun, was standing in front of Joo, smiling.

Perhaps happy to see Joo after 7 years, Ji Eun hugged Joo several times before letting go.

Patting Joo’s back, Ji Eun belatedly asked how she had been.

“How have you been? Has oppa been giving you a hard time?”

“No. Senior treats me well.”

“If oppa ever gives you a hard time, tell me. I’ll give him a good scolding.”

Ji Eun showed her clenched fist and put her arm around Joo’s shoulders.

Ji Eun was so affectionate towards Joo that the 7-year gap didn’t seem to exist.

Though Ji Eun’s sudden appearance was awkward, seeing her cheerful demeanor made Joo push those feelings aside.

“Were you two going somewhere?”

“We were about to go have lunch with Joo.”

“I came to have lunch too. Perfect timing. Where are you going?”

Ji Eun was trying to join the plans quite naturally.

But Do Hyun, glancing at Joo standing beside him, cut it off immediately.

“I’ll contact you later, so let’s eat together next time.”

“Can’t we just eat together? I waited here for 30 minutes.”

Having returned from England after 4 years, she had forgotten about the Korean weather.

So Ji Eun was wearing only a thin sweater, not realizing how cold Seoul’s early winter could be.

Seeing Ji Eun shivering occasionally and rubbing her hands, Joo’s heart softened.

In the end, Joo, who had been watching the two argue, had to give permission instead.

Joo gently tugged on Do Hyun’s arm.

“I’m okay with eating with senior Ji Eun. Let’s go together, elder brother.”

“Are you sure it’s okay to eat together?”

When Joo nodded, Ji Eun excitedly took the lead without even knowing the destination.

“Let’s go right now! I’m not dying of hunger, I’m dying of cold.”

“Do you even know where we’re going as you lead the way?”

“Of course I don’t.”

Ji Eun stopped in her tracks and quickly stood next to Do Hyun.

It was truly a strange sight. With Do Hyun in the center, his current wife on the left, and his ex-girlfriend on the right.

In this far from normal relationship, Joo felt like she might get indigestion even before eating.

The three of them entered a private room that Do Hyun had reserved in advance at a sushi restaurant not far from the company.

In the warm interior, Ji Eun moistened her throat with water, looking like she could finally survive.

Putting down her water glass, Ji Eun asked Joo sitting across from her.

“Joo, did you change your phone number?”

“Yes. I changed my number after graduating from university.”

As soon as she graduated from university, Joo had to change her phone number several times due to harassment from debt collectors.

Every time her contact information changed, she couldn’t contact her acquaintances, naturally drifting apart from people around her.

“So that’s why it said the number doesn’t exist.”

“Did you try to call me?”

“Yes. I wanted to congratulate you on your marriage. It’s late, but congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thank you.”

With a knock, the sliding door opened and the prepared food was set on the table.

Ji Eun put a piece of glossy white sushi in her mouth and immediately gave a thumbs up.

“The best. Maybe it tastes even better because it’s free.”

“Eat slowly. Don’t try to get medicine money if you get indigestion.”

“You caught me. I was planning to squeeze some medicine money out of you.”

Though it was just his usual dry concern, Joo felt hurt by it again.

As she was quietly filling her stomach with sushi, Do Hyun took a thick salmon sushi from the black plate.

Then he filled it with the shrimp sushi that was on his own plate.

Joo lifted her gaze from her plate to look at Do Hyun.

“I didn’t know the set menu included salmon sushi.”

They had never eaten sushi together before.

Therefore, Do Hyun shouldn’t have known that Joo couldn’t eat salmon sushi.

‘How did he know I can’t eat salmon sushi?’

Before Joo could ask, Ji Eun spoke up excitedly.

“I’m curious about something. When you two were dating, who confessed first?”

“I did.”

“I did first…”

At the different answers that came out simultaneously, Ji Eun blinked rapidly.

“What’s this? How long have you been together to forget that already?”

“I confessed to senior first.”

Fearing their words might overlap again, Joo quickly answered.

However, as if it wasn’t the answer she wanted, the suspicious gaze towards Joo didn’t disappear.

“But Joo. You’ve been married for over a year, do you still call him ‘senior’?”