Maybe that’s why.

Unintentionally, a sentence contrary to my intention slipped out.

Jae Ha, too, must not have expected me to say I disliked it, as his eyes widened in surprise. I raised my right hand to him.

“I don’t want to give you the spoon, but would you like to eat this instead?”

I waved a disposable glove smeared with sauce.

Then he reached out for the spoon holder placed behind me.

“That’s too much. I’ll get the spoon myself.”

Before he could pick up the spoon, I pushed the spoon holder further in with my other hand.

As the spoon holder was pushed further away, Jae Ha’s eyebrows twitched.

I had always been the one being teased, so I found his expression, which I was seeing for the first time, quite amusing.

‘So, this is why people tease?’

Jae Ha let out a small laugh, seeming amazed at the situation of being teased in return.

It seemed like it was about time for this chef to leave the office.

Thinking that this would be enough teasing, I looked at him and lowered the hand I had raised.

“That’s why I told you not to tease me. You know, I have a habit of returning what I receive?”

I burst into a pleasant laugh at Jae Ha’s seemingly aggrieved expression.

And then Jae Ha stared at me.

Just when I was about to step back, feeling embarrassed by his gaze which seemed to scrutinize me,

“What to do. I also believe in returning what I receive.”

Jae Ha’s large hand pulled my waist, preventing me from stepping back.

“Actually, I never even thought about something like this.”

“……Mr. Jae Ha? Wait a moment, I’ll give you the spoon.”

“I don’t think that’s needed anymore.”

‘What does that mean……?’

Jae Ha gently wrapped my other hand, which was aimlessly wandering in the air, with his empty hand.

As the atmosphere changed suddenly, my heart pounded and started to throb violently.

‘No, right? Surely, it’s not what I think, right?’

“It looked more delicious here.”

The harder I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, the tighter his hold on my hand became.

Before I could even manage to pull my hand away, his lips touched the tip of my fingers first.

“As expected, it’s delicious.”

Something warm and silent swept over my gloved hand in an instant.

That fleeting moment felt as though someone had stretched it out slowly.

Halfopening my eyes, my gaze met his, and I felt as though I would be sucked into Jae Ha’s pupils, which seemed even darker than usual today.

‘What is this man doing right now?’

Unable to hide my flustered feelings, I froze in place.

And when my gaze landed on the hand his lips had touched, my face heated up all at once.

“Are you crazy! What if the chef sees us?”

In surprise, I pushed him away.

Jae Ha, still chuckling mischievously, pointed his chin towards the empty kitchen.

“He seems to be still in the office.”

“Even so……”

Seeing my reaction, he curled up the corners of his lips as if he found it amusing.

“Alright. I won’t tease you anymore.”

And then, the chef, who seemed to have finished his urgent call, came out of the office.

“I was on the phone for a long time. Did you two have any issues?”

The chef looked somewhat puzzled when he noticed how close we were standing.

From the resumed demonstration to the actual cooking, the class passed in a blink.

After beautifully plating and tasting the dishes, the oneday class was over.

Jae Ha left his seat to answer a call that came in towards the end of the class.

“The seasoning is perfect, and both of you are good at cooking, aren’t you?”

“Really? It’s because the chef teaches us so well.”

The chef approached me as I was cleaning up and continued the conversation.

“Anchor Yoon, you seem naturally good at it. To be honest, I was surprised when Representative Seo said he was coming to learn.”

He sat down in the seat in front of me and continued to speak as if he was sharing a secret.

“Actually, my class reservations were already closed. But regardless of the cost, he came directly to the office, didn’t he?”

Come to think of it, Jae Ha once said that it was his first time not being able to solve a problem with money.

The chef’s classes were famous for closing as soon as they opened.

The memory of repeatedly failing to apply for regular classes brought a smile to my lips.

“The chef’s classes are famous for being difficult to apply for.”

“Haha. So at first, I thought it was the secretary. But what do you know? Representative Seo came directly to my office.”

‘Huh? This is a story I’m hearing for the first time.’

Intrigued by the ongoing conversation, I took a seat across from the chef.

“He said he really wanted to take the class. Haha. So I had no choice but to open additional classes.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard this story. That Jae Ha showed such passion for cooking.”

Honestly, I was surprised.

I didn’t know Jae Ha was that sincere about cooking.

“At first, he couldn’t even hold the knife properly, but now he could handle the ingredients even with his eyes closed.”

I nodded as I remembered Jae Ha skillfully handling the knife while preparing the beef doenjang stew.

Indeed, he looked natural even though he hadn’t learned for long.

“I was wondering why he was so hardworking, it seems like it was because he was going to marry such a beautiful anchor.”

‘That’s not quite the romantic wedding you’re imagining, Chef……’

“Oh, I see. I didn’t know.”

Feeling awkward to deny it, I gave a strained smile and got up from my seat.

As I passed by Chef Lee Jong Il’s desk to clean up, I noticed a wooden tray placed on it.

A familiar ring was set on the tray.

The moment my gaze landed on that ring, my pulse began to race.

“Chef, whose ring is this?”

“Oh, that ring, the student from the previous session left it.”

To my surprise. The ring I picked up when I got closer was strikingly similar to my wedding ring.

‘No……, this is exactly the same.’

My hand, holding the diamond ring that was intricately cut to the point that it was hard to believe it was a fake, trembled.

Moreover, this ring couldn’t possibly be a fake.

“It’s the same as the ring I have. It’s not a common design.”

Far from being common, it was a wedding ring that was one of a kind in the world.

“Really? That person also said the same thing.”

“……”

“How excited she was to soon become a new bride. She usually takes regular classes, but today she came with her fiancé.”

I couldn’t help but gasp.

There was a woman who naturally came to mind at the mention of a new bride.

Just as I was about to chuckle, I slowly turned my body to the chef’s gentle words.

“She just arrived.”

The closed door opened.

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