Seol Ah woke up with a sleepy face and looked around.

Next to her, where Hyun Sook should be lying, she wasn’t there, having gone out early in the morning. Hyun Sook’s words from last night as they went to bed, saying that she was going out early to help with the VIP gardening party tomorrow, vaguely came to mind.

A gardening party on such a cold day…

“Ah, it’s cold, so cold.”

She lay down as if collapsing and pulled the blanket over herself again. Until yesterday, the cold was tolerable, but the temperature had dropped sharply overnight.

If she turned on the boiler and raised the indoor temperature, it would warm up quickly, but instead of pressing the power button, Seol Ah searched for and put on sleeping socks.

It seemed a waste to turn on the boiler when she was alone. The blanket warmed by her body heat was cozy and snug.

Seol Ah, who was awake but didn’t want to come out, wiggled her feet while staring at the ceiling.

She had planned to graduate and prepare for the teacher certification exam this winter. People said they prepare right after graduation, but she thought 26 was quite late.

However, when her classmates and teaching assistant heard about her resolution, they all dissuaded her.

“If you pass the exam, your current freedom will end. Of course, teaching isn’t bad, but before that, have many other experiences.”

It was easy for people who didn’t know her situation to say. Seol Ah needed a stable job as soon as possible.

To focus on studying for the exam, she had to stop all her part-time jobs, so she took leaves of absence and returned to school repeatedly to save money. Her financial situation was never comfortable every year, but Seol Ah was still grateful.

She didn’t know how fortunate it was to only worry about living expenses, not tuition. On the day Seol Ah got her university acceptance letter, Hyun Sook received a call from an unfamiliar number.

It was a scholarship foundation with a name she had never heard before.

She didn’t know how they found out, but the foundation informed Seol Ah, who was in a difficult situation, that they would give her a scholarship.

Upon hearing the news, Seol Ah was puzzled.

It was quite suspicious to get a call from a scholarship foundation she had never applied to, but given her situation of having to pay tuition right away, she couldn’t be picky.

Without hesitation, Seol Ah signed the application form sent by the foundation that the selected scholarship recipient had to agree to.

It was only much later that she learned the Whale Scholarship Foundation actually selects scholars mainly among students specializing in life sciences.

“I should get up now.”

Seol Ah, who couldn’t fidget under the covers any longer, sat up sluggishly. Today was the day she was supposed to meet Ha Jun.

From the day Seol Ah left Seung Ho’s house with Hyun Sook, Ha Jun had been contacting her steadily. He gave her an armful of new workbooks and secretly visited with lots of snacks.

Each time, Seol Ah told Ha Jun many times that it was okay and not to come anymore, but it was thanks to his care that she was able to endure the difficult and lonely life of a high school senior in an unfamiliar place.

And sometimes, very rarely, Seol Ah wanted to ask Ha Jun.

How is Shin Seung Ho doing?

But she couldn’t even say it. She could guess without hearing it. Shin Seung Ho would be eating well, sleeping well, and doing well, as he had always done.

It was proof that he, who would go wild and get angry whenever she wasn’t where she was supposed to be, didn’t inquire about Seol Ah at all.

Still, Seol Ah occasionally thought of Seung Ho’s face. Each time, the lady’s contemptuous gaze, calling her cheap, overlapped.

Seol Ah was distressed by the humiliation she experienced for the first time. One day, when Seung Ho’s face and the lady’s voice, which alternated and overlapped, came to mind at the same time, she finally decided to forget what had happened there.

“Seol Ah, over here!”

Ha Jun spotted Seol Ah and raised his hand high, waving it greatly. She had never been late for an appointment, but Ha Jun always came earlier and waited. It had been a long time since they met.

Before being discharged from the military and returning to school, Ha Jun went on a trip to Europe. Rather than him wanting to go, it was a trip his rich friends had unilaterally dragged him on.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here too.”

“What do you want to drink?”

“I’ll have coffee.”

At Seol Ah’s answer after looking at the menu, Ha Jun’s eyes narrowed.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Didn’t you like pink lemonade?”

Seol Ah readily nodded.

“That’s true, but I should try something different sometimes.”

Ha Jun, who went to order, soon returned with the drinks. On the tray were two cups of hot Americano and one cup of pink lemonade, a total of three drinks.

“Lemonade?”

In response to her questioning gaze, Ha Jun spoke bluntly.

“You like it. You drink it all.”

“I said I wanted coffee.”

“It’s just, when I see that, it reminds me of you, so I order it without realizing it.”

Ha Jun picked up his cup of coffee and slightly avoided Seol Ah’s gaze. Seeing the shimmering pink drink, Seol Ah chuckled.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Ha Jun glanced at the paper bag placed at his feet. It was a gift he had collected whenever he thought of Seol Ah in Europe. Unlike his friends abroad, Ha Jun spent a lot of time in Korea whenever he had the chance.

His friends, who said he didn’t know how to see the wide world, forcibly dragged him out of the country, as he still had no intention of going out.

Ha Jun seemed to have often gone abroad when he was young too. But at some point, he lost interest in traveling. To be precise, it was when he was eighteen and started spending more time with Seol Ah and Mi Ri, but…

Among his friends who were excitedly traveling, Ha Jun, who was visiting countries and sightseeing cities indifferently, found his own source of interest.

It started with buying small items symbolizing each country to give to Seol Ah, who had never been on a trip before.

And it gradually grew in volume and variety. If his friends hadn’t stopped him, calling him crazy, he would have carried porcelain dolls and such several times.

And the last place he visited before returning home was…

“How was your trip?”

At Seol Ah’s question, Ha Jun finally broke out of his thoughts.

“It was just okay.”

Chalcang. The sound of him putting down the cup was as indifferent as his answer.

“You went around Europe and it was just okay, isn’t that too half-hearted an answer?”

“It’s the truth, though.”

Shrugging his shoulders, he quietly gazed at Seol Ah, who was looking at him with fresh eyes.

“What country was it before you returned home?”

“…England, London.”

“Ah…”

The small sigh that followed Ha Jun’s answer didn’t ask any further questions about the trip.

London, where Seung Ho was. Ha Jun also didn’t tell Seol Ah how London was.

He sometimes remembered Seung Ho, whom he last saw in front of Cheongmyeong High School. His characteristic leisurely and relaxed atmosphere, contrasted with his endlessly sinking eyes, created a very strange feeling.

For Ha Jun, who had glimpsed a sense of loss on his arrogant face that seemed like it would reign over others until the end, it was difficult to think that Seol Ah was nothing to Seung Ho.

So he naturally thought Seung Ho would look for her. He thought he would give up studying abroad and enter a university in Korea. But it was a misconception.

Seung Ho finished his preparations perfectly according to the set schedule and immediately left for England. It was a futile ending.

“By the way…”

Ha Jun slightly leaned forward and changed the subject.

“Seol Ah, do you have anyone you like?”

“What?”

Seol Ah’s cheeks flushed red at the sudden question.

“You’re on leave, but you often get calls from your classmates.”

Especially those rotten bastards…

Ha Jun grumbled inwardly but didn’t show it outwardly. Although Seol Ah never said it, it was a fact that could be known without seeing that she was popular in her department as well.

“No, I don’t.”

“Really?”

His heart was relieved by Seol Ah’s casual words. He always needed to hear it directly from her to be reassured. Ha Jun, whose expression had noticeably brightened after drinking a sip of pink lemonade, gazed at Seol Ah.

“What about you then?”

“About what?”

“Do you have a girl you like?”

At the innocent question, Ha Jun’s insides burned as he gulped down the hot coffee at once.

‘There are many girls who like me.’

Attending a prestigious university, Ha Jun was quite popular both in his department and at school. If he told the truth, Seol Ah would sincerely congratulate him and cheer him on to do well. Just the thought was terrible.

Should I just say it…?

Looking at her gentle face, the urge to confess suddenly rose.

Although he was used to hiding his feelings in front of Seol Ah, for some reason, an extreme thought dominated his mind that if not now, he would never be able to say these words again. Ha Jun took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Seol Ah, I…”

Just then, Seol Ah’s cell phone on the table rang. Checking the phone screen, Seol Ah stopped Ha Jun’s words.

“Wait a minute, Ha Jun, sorry.”

She seemed quite serious as she talked to the teaching assistant she was close with at school.

After finishing the call, Seol Ah showed a perplexed look.

“What should I do? I think I need to go to school now.”

“School? It’s vacation now.”

“Yeah. The department TA told me to come for a bit. I think it’s because of an internship.”

As if she was really told to come quickly, Seol Ah hurriedly cleaned up, gave a hasty goodbye, and disappeared.

Ha Jun blankly looked at the paper bag he couldn’t give her.

“You should look into internships carefully…”

He felt uneasy for no reason.

Seol Ah opened the department office door, catching her breath.

“Unnie!”

“Seol Ah, you’re here?”

Unlike her words that it was urgent and to come as soon as possible, the teaching assistant Su Young greeted Seol Ah with a relaxed face.

“What’s this about an internship?”

“Ah, that…”

Su Young pushed up her glasses and handed the documents on the desk to Seol Ah.

“You know the Whale Scholarship Foundation, right?”

“Whale…?”

Seol Ah furrowed her brows at the strange sense of déjà vu.

“Yes, the foundation that nurtures life science talents. Strangely, a position opened up there. And the intern qualifications fit you perfectly.”

As she listened to her explanation, Seol Ah quickly scanned the documents.

“The compensation is good, you’re fully qualified, and the work environment is great. So I want you, Seol Ah, to do it.”

It was clearly a good opportunity, but strangely, she didn’t feel like it.

Seol Ah smiled faintly.

“I want to, but I don’t know if I can.”

“You can.”

At Su Young’s confident voice, Seol Ah raised her head.

“Actually, a person, no, a high-ranking individual from the Whale Foundation is here.”

“…Pardon?”

Following Su Young’s meaningful gaze with a smile on her lips, Seol Ah’s eyes moved anxiously toward the wall she hadn’t seen while rushing in.

Why hadn’t she seen him?

A man exuding an overwhelming presence was leaning at an angle against the white wall. His pitch-black eyes, as deep as the night, his beautiful face, which was the height of arrogance, indifferently gazed at Seol Ah.

“…It’s been a while.”