“Oh, Director! Doesn’t this person look extremely similar to Nam Yoo Jin? I was so amazed that I…”

The arm that seemed like it would never let go suddenly fell away with a crisp motion from the man behind.

The expression of the drunk person, who had been smiling unpleasantly with unfocused eyes, instantly hardened.

The man exuding a vague sense of displeasure spoke impassively while looking at the intoxicated person.

“What do you think you’re grabbing?”

“Huh? No. I just wanted to talk for a bit, but she ran away.”

“In this day and age, if you grab someone who’s trying to run away, you’ll be dragged to the police station. You should know that.”

Yoo In, who had inadvertently gotten caught in the middle, couldn’t hide her bewilderment at the two people continuing their conversation naturally.

The sudden appearance of the man out of nowhere was baffling enough, but what was this shocking coincidence of him seeming to be acquainted with the drunk?

While Yoo In, who had awkwardly ended up between the two, was still trying to gather her wits, the man’s gaze fell on her bright red wrist that was hanging in the air, and he frowned slightly.

Soon, a sharp baritone flowed from his smooth lips.

“The director was looking for you inside. You should go.”

“What? Right now? Ah, then I’ll just go to the bathroom first-”

“No. He said to bring you immediately. He seemed quite drunk, so it would be better to go quickly.”

“Oh, I see. Alright then…”

The face still flushed with alcohol couldn’t help but answer in the face of such stern command.

Before leaving, the tall man glanced at Yoo In who was stuck to him and said, “I’m sorry,” then disappeared with staggering steps.

It was only when the echoing footsteps in the hallway faded away that a sigh like a lament escaped from Yoo In’s throat, which had been surrounded by tension.

Thanks to the man firmly supporting her from behind, Yoo In barely managed to keep her balance as her body swayed, suddenly drained of strength.

“Nam Yoo In. Are you alright?”

“…”

“Nam Yoo In?”

“…That’s informal speech.”

As she belatedly grumbled, a smile blossomed slightly on the man’s expression that had been stiff along with her.

“Nam Yoo In seems to be in trouble every time I see her. I wonder why.”

Yoo In wanted to ask the faintly smiling man in return.

Why he always appeared out of nowhere and resolved things whenever something like this happened to her. Why he suddenly showed up and stirred up all the memories she had buried deep in the recesses of her mind.

But when her mouth, dried up from tension, failed to answer in time, the man gazed steadily at Yoo In with a faint smile, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

His dark eyes, which slowly caressed her face, traveled down her thin shoulders and arms to her wrist.

“How’s your wrist? It looks quite swollen.”

“…It’s fine.”

“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”

“It’s not that serious.”

“Really?”

The man led the conversation so familiarly, as if they had just met and parted yesterday, that Yoo In found herself easily caught up in answering.

Not only that, but the large hand enveloping her to keep her from falling, and the warm body heat transmitted through her back felt so natural that there was no room to feel any discomfort.

Perhaps that’s why. Yoo In felt her shocked mind and body gradually calming down. And very strangely, she realized she was drawing comfort from this man.

Realizing this uncomfortable fact, Yoo In started to squirm in his arms, which she was practically leaning into.

“Yes. So now, please let go of this.”

But instead of loosening his grip on her shoulders, the man tightened it even more and leaned his head towards her.

“Are you really okay? Your face is completely pale.”

Yoo In nodded slightly. Despite her answer, the man frowned as if unsatisfied and drew even closer, causing Yoo In to back away as much as she could, but that was still within his arms.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to move, Yoo In was being examined by the man when he suddenly made an unexpected proposal.

“Let’s go together for a moment.”

“What? Where, now?”

As if he hadn’t intended to hear an answer, the man ignored her and pushed Yoo In from behind as he walked.

Even though her sneakers were dragging on the floor with a scraping sound, the man continued forward without concern, and after a short distance, he slid open a door that was a different color from the regular rooms.

What appeared was not a dining space, but a room that looked like a well-decorated waiting room, and Yoo In had to enter regardless of her own will.

“No, wait! Where is this… what is this place!”

“Sit down.”

He sat Yoo In down on a chair he pulled out haphazardly and pressed down on her shoulders to keep her from getting up.

“Nam Yoo In’s face looks like it’s about to collapse at any moment, so sit down and calm yourself for a bit.”

“I can take care of that myself. There’s no need for you to go this far.”

“What are you saying? I rescued you, so I have to take responsibility to the end.”

The man, who was bending over and pressing down on her shoulders, leaned in close with his clean-cut face just like before, blocking Yoo In’s way.

Seeing his straight eyebrows twitching upwards as if he had no intention of backing down, Yoo In finally relaxed the body she had half-raised and leaned back against the chair.

It was true that she didn’t have the strength to walk properly because she had been so shocked and tense.

Although it was quite bothersome to be alone in a space with this man she had unexpectedly encountered again, it seemed it would be okay for a little while. She had developed a strange belief that he wasn’t someone who would harm her like that person from earlier.

And when she briefly imagined returning to her sister in this state, she shuddered at the thought of her sister forgetting who she was in her excitement and causing a commotion, saying she would catch the bastard who did this to her younger sister.

“Do you need anything?”

The man asked indifferently while fiddling with his mobile phone.

“No. I can stay here alone, so you can go back.”

“Who did you come here with?”

A slender voice tinged with dissatisfaction was met with an irrelevant question.

Yoo In, who had been rolling her eyes weakly, hesitated to answer, but seeing that his impassive face seemed to have no particular meaning, she opened her mouth honestly.

“…My sister.”

Then the man, who had been looking at the small screen, looked down at Yoo In with unfathomably dark eyes and said,

“Just the two of you?”

“Yes.”

“Have you finished your meal?”

“Yes.”

“Then are you going home now?”

“No… But why do you keep interrogating me like this?”

Yoo In, who had been answering diligently without realizing it, belatedly noticed and expressed slight annoyance.

At that, the man, who seemed to have finished his business and carelessly tossed the mobile phone he was holding onto the table, smiled slyly while narrowing his slender eyes.

“Then why do you keep answering? It makes me want to ask more.”

“Is that my fault?”

“Then is it my fault?”

“You could just not ask.”

“If you don’t like it, Nam Yoo In could just not answer.”

What was the point of this? Yoo In snorted and gave up, finding the man who was acting like an elementary school student ridiculous.

Apart from the trust that had formed, dealing with this willful man who not only did as he pleased but also didn’t communicate properly was only to her disadvantage.

As she looked down at her knees, hoping her weakened legs would return to normal quickly, the man, whose smile wouldn’t leave the corners of his mouth as if it was so amusing, suddenly asked,

“Doesn’t Nam Yoo In have anything she’s curious about? I’ll answer everything.”

“No.”

“Hmm, why not? We’ve already met three times.”

When she just rolled her eyes to look at him in response to the words that sounded disappointed despite the cool voice, contrary to how it sounded, the gentle curve of his lips didn’t seem particularly upset or displeased.

He was such a strange and bizarre man that it was impossible to pin down.

Unable to tell which of the two was his true self, Yoo In decided to leave even that as a question mark.

Like the existence of that man which had occasionally tried to awaken from where she had buried it deep during the passing of spring.

Unfortunately, although they had met once more today as if by chance, this would surely be the end, so she wanted to remain as nothing to each other, not knowing his name or where he lived.

Whether he knew Yoo In’s feelings or not, the man who had been looking at her small head turned away with playful laughter, removed his hand from her shoulder, perched slightly on the table, and spoke in a low voice.

“Have you been well all this time?”

“…Yes.”

“What have you been up to?”

“Just, going to school…”

“University? Where?”

“Sunhyun University.”

By the time she said that, Yoo In realized how foolish she was. She had diligently answered his questions again.

Ah. As she let out a single sound and rolled her uneasy eyes back and forth, the man laughed out loud as if he found it hilarious, his pitch-black eyes sparkling brightly.

Yoo In turned her head sharply to hide her face, which had turned red with embarrassment, as she heard his pleasant low laughter.

“Are you angry?”

“No.”

“Then let me see your face.”

“Why? I don’t want to.”

The voice firmly refusing was the clearest of all the words she had spoken so far.

After that, the man didn’t respond, and the room became so quiet that even breathing was barely audible.

As they stayed like that without a sound, the man’s long fingers suddenly approached and gently grasped the tip of Yoo In’s chin, pulling her towards him.

“You don’t want to.”

“Ah, really-”

Yoo In, who was about to get angry and shake off the unexpected skinship, hesitated for a moment.

The bright light illuminating just above the man’s head made her eyes dazzle, and for an instant, she couldn’t see anything in front of her.

As her vision gradually recovered, the man’s neat vest and tie came into view, and his face wearing a languid smile became clear.

The question of why he was smiling disappeared in an instant, and his harmonious features, like a work of art carefully crafted over a long time, filled her eyes.

Under the lazily lowered eyelids, obsidian-like eyes quietly shining seemed to exude an inexplicable force that made it impossible to avoid.

As if entranced, Yoo In only blinked for a few seconds, and a cold touch lightly brushed her heated cheeks.

“Yoo In, you have a fever.”

The low voice, which had become slightly husky as it deepened, clung moistly to her ear.

Startled by the unfamiliar sense of dissonance different from his usual flat tone, Yoo In was considerably flustered.

It was the same situation as that time. Just like that day under the streetlight at dawn, when she had completely fallen for his smile that bloomed incongruously.

“Why are you touching other people’s faces?”

Speaking sharply with a flash of crisis awareness, she roughly pushed his hand away, and the man easily let go.

After glaring at the man once in displeasure and turning her head away, Yoo In bit her lip tightly, unable to shake off the anxiety seeping up from the bottom.

She couldn’t erase the feeling that when she was with this man, the straight line that had only been extending steadily was gradually, gradually continuing to deviate.

For Yoo In, this was a very fatal and unfavorable omen.

“Looks like you’re a bit better now.”

“I’ve been fine all along.”

Despite her curt words, a faint hint of laughter continued to linger around the man’s eyes.

“Check your wrist tomorrow and go to the hospital if needed.”

“This much doesn’t require a hospital visit.”

“Don’t be so sure. You’re not a doctor, Nam Yoo In.”

His previously casual tone suddenly sounded stern, but Yoo In didn’t look at him.

The man, who had been staring at her small display of dissatisfaction, said with a silent chuckle,

“Let’s go now. Your sister must be waiting.”

At these welcome words, Yoo In got up silently, quickly walked out of the waiting room-like space, and somewhat roughly opened the door to enter the corridor.

The man who followed Yoo In out remained quiet throughout their walk down the corridor.

As Yoo In hurried her steps, unable to tell how much time had passed since she had left her phone behind, the man who had been quietly following her slightly ahead spoke up.

“Nam Yoo In. Aren’t you going to say thank you again today?”

“…”

“You really aren’t saying it.”

“…Thank you.”

Even as he received the hastily offered greeting without proper eye contact, the man smiled broadly, creasing his graceful eye corners.

“But now it can’t be repaid just with words, what should we do?”

“What?”

Yoo In made a perplexed face towards the man whose very existence was baffling, and who kept saying things that constantly irritated her like a hangnail between her nails.

Lightly laughing off her reaction, he took something out of his jacket’s inner pocket and placed it in Yoo In’s hand.

“If you’re really grateful, give me a call.”

“There’s no need to go that far…”

Yoo In, who didn’t even finish her sentence properly, frowned slightly and looked at the small piece of light blue paper in her palm.

And soon, her large eyes widened as if they would pop out.

Seeing Yoo In staring intently at the small, crisp paper in great surprise, the man smiled, squinting his eyes, and then patted her stiff shoulders as if to embrace them.

“Make sure you do. I have something to say to Yoo In as well.”

“…”

“I’m going now. See you next time.”

Yoo In couldn’t look at the man walking away with steady steps. Because of the small business card he had given her.

The stiff blue paper that she couldn’t take her eyes off since earlier had the company name written in elegant cursive.

And that company name was a place Yoo In knew all too well.

Illang Entertainment Executive Director Do Ki Yeon.

Illang Entertainment was the agency of Yoo In’s sister, Nam Yoo Jin.