Their lips met. Her shoulders trembled at the warm, almost hot sensation. The trembling shoulders were calmed by his touch.

The kiss, like child’s play, was brief. Having ignited him who had been desperately restraining himself, it was solely up to her to handle the consequences.

He surged forward, delving in. Not being their first time, he was skilled. He acted as if everything about her had always belonged to him.

If she tried to escape, he would catch her; once caught, he wouldn’t let go. Even the flow of saliva didn’t stop him.

“Ha.”

Only the sound of ragged breathing could be heard. Though their lips had parted, he was still in front of Hae Jin. The rapid breathing began to subside. It was then that his leisurely gaze changed.

“Have you caught your breath?”

The calm look in his eyes couldn’t hide the concealed desire. Perhaps he didn’t intend to hide it at all.

She couldn’t nod. If she did, he might unleash that unhidden instinct right away.

But could she avoid it even if she didn’t?

As they gazed solely at each other, he pressed his lips to hers again. She liked how he was acting a bit more boldly than before.

All his senses were directed towards her, and all her emotions were directed towards him.

This moment of blending with him was happiness.

**

She couldn’t remember how they got home. When they came outside, he was standing in front, and as they entered the house, he held her hand, fingers intertwined.

The walk to the house at the end of the corridor felt short, and they were reluctant to part upon arriving home.

With home as the final destination, they both felt a tickling sensation of affection towards each other.

“I’ll be going now.”

Hae Jin found it difficult to speak. Seeing him full of regret made her smile.

“What if I ask you to come in.”

A man consumed by desire showed no hesitation or restraint in the face of emotions. For him, there was only moving forward.

“That would be too fast.”

It wasn’t like Tae Hong to ask something he already knew, but she liked it all.

It was good, yes. In a word, it was good. The time spent with him was good, and the space shared with him was good.

Even the annoying flickering of the sensor light in the corridor made her smile now.

“We’re just starting, aren’t we?”

Acknowledging this while still feeling regretful, he turned to leave. Had she ever stared at his retreating back like this before?

When he was in front of her, he always felt like a wall. Now, watching him walk away, why did she want to see him again? A tender emotion rose from somewhere in the depths of her unfathomable heart.

His figure disappeared into the elevator.

She missed him. She missed him already.

**

She woke up briefly in the early morning. The sound of footsteps in the old corridor-style officetel was familiar. This time too, she woke to the sound of nearby movement, unsure if it was from another apartment.

After expressing her feelings to him, sleep didn’t come easily. Tossing and turning, it was dawn before she fell into a fitful sleep.

Once awake, sleep eluded her again. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. The light fixture looked like Tae Hong’s face.

This seemed problematic.

He had said he was anxious. He said he had no certainty, and that he hadn’t given her any certainty either. Still, she had said she liked him.

The words he had spoken flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope. The more she dwelled on each one, the more her heart ached.

Would it have been alright if she had moved a little faster? Would things have been different if she had been quicker? Would he not have felt anxious then?

She had believed his words that he would wait. She believed wholeheartedly while blaming the surrounding circumstances. Jun Tae and her parents were heavy weights that had slowed Hae Jin down whenever she tried to speed things up.

But wasn’t it time to put down some of that heavy weight?

Couldn’t she loosen up a bit on waiting for her parents who had cut off contact, and on finding a suitable match for Tae Hong?

She didn’t want to plant any more anxiety in him who had made her feel happiness.

She wanted to make that man happy, who was becoming increasingly desirable.

Hae Jin got up, no longer chasing the sleep that wouldn’t come. She remembered his words from the night before, saying he would come earlier than usual.

She felt excited throughout her preparations. She had never thought of the way to work as a path of flowers, but the path with him was surely a fully bloomed flower path.

Hae Jin, who had decided to go down early and wait, hurriedly opened the front door.

But thud, the door hit something placed in front.

“I’m not expecting any packages.”

She hadn’t ordered anything separately for a while due to being busy. She opened the door slightly and peered at the object through the gap.

It was two containers wrapped in a cloth. For a moment, her heart raced. They were side dish containers.

Hae Jin quickly brought the items inside. Heat could be felt from the cloth wrap, as if the side dishes had just been made.

“Could it be…”

She slowly unwrapped the cloth placed on the table. Her guess was right. It was a lunchbox of side dishes. She covered her gaping mouth.

There was only one person who could have left this. Her parents, who had cut off contact.

“M-mom.”

Hae Jin opened the front door again and ran down to the first floor like a madwoman. But her mother was nowhere to be seen.

Could it be that when she woke up to the sound earlier, it was her mother coming then?

She wondered if there might be CCTV, but they wouldn’t let her check for a reason like this.

Maybe she should file a missing person report. Then maybe she could at least check the CCTV footage.

She went back up in a daze. The steam rising from the side dishes had dissipated in the air. Hae Jin’s elated mood had also evaporated.

She sat blankly for a while before coming to her senses. At least her parents were alive. The fact that they had made side dishes and brought them here might be a sign that they were doing well.

As she was about to unwrap the cloth and organize the containers, a piece of paper fell onto the table.

Thud, a tear fell on the letters, smearing the ink. Thud, another drop fell on top of the fallen tear.

It was her mother’s handwriting. Even this was welcome. It was a signal of her parents’ existence.

She looked at it for a long time. And thought for a long time. Why couldn’t they have left a phone number?

Although she felt hurt, the last words promising to contact her soon floated above the teardrops.

It was the beginning of waiting again.

The tears had made a mess of the writing.

Really, everything was a mess.

**

With the brightening sunlight came a call from Tae Hong. He said he would be a little late, so she shouldn’t come out early to wait.

It was rather fortunate. She gained time to hide the traces of her tears.

Her skin felt tight from the drying tears. Her heart was constricted, and her mind was anxious. Just last night, she had thought it might be okay to loosen up a bit.

But why, just when she had decided to fully accept Tae Hong’s heart, was she being tightened up again?

Tae Hong said he had arrived and asked her to come down.

Hae Jin checked her face in the mirror. Her eyelids were a bit puffy. If she applied some makeup, even the observant Tae Hong wouldn’t notice.

She opened the front door. She looked at the spot where the side dish containers had been placed. And she made a resolution.

That there would be no more backtracking.

She decided to think of it as a good thing. She decided to let go of the anxiety that had been so great she couldn’t even know if her parents were alive or dead.

She wouldn’t even pray to meet them in her dreams for a while.

She chose to believe that they were doing well enough to make side dishes for their daughter by hand. So she decided not to let this loosen her relationship with Tae Hong.

Her determination not to make him anxious remained unchanged.

**

The idea that the way to work was a flower path was temporarily on hold. No matter how much she tried to collect herself, her mother’s handwriting floating in her mind wouldn’t easily disappear.

She didn’t want to convey her heavy heart to him. She tried hard to hide her feelings completely.

It was the first day after confirming their feelings. Day 1, as others would call it. She wanted to start with the excitement that others talk about.

He was the same as any other day, but the atmosphere was slightly different. He suddenly leaned towards Hae Jin sitting in the passenger seat.

He naturally pulled out her seatbelt. Click, as the belt locked, her heart also locked onto him.

Just as she thought they were about to leave, he said, “Hand,” and put his arm on the console box. Hae Jin instinctively placed her hand on his upturned palm.

His thick fingers intertwined between her fingers. When they were completely entwined, he gripped her hand firmly in one motion.

He didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go throughout the drive. There was no need for a separate lock. Only after starting did he ask.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes.”

The shy answer was optional.

“I couldn’t sleep well.”

She who usually answered well anywhere, was now acting like a mute with honey in her mouth.

“I couldn’t sleep thinking about Hae Jin.”

Although she knew it, now he showed neither hiding nor hesitation. Looking at him, she had this thought.

It felt like a small door had appeared in the wall. That door was an emergency exit that only she could pass through.

It might not be a flower path, but it was certainly a shortcut.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the company too early.

It was the only space where they could be together, but soon they would have to move to the office where the team members were. After arriving at the parking lot, the two didn’t get out.

Was he feeling as reluctant as she was?

She couldn’t help but glance at him. If she got out first, it might seem heartless, but if she waited for him, it might seem like she was being too considerate.

Not knowing what to do, she quietly waited for him. After turning off the engine, he pondered something for a while and finally turned to Hae Jin.

After the mute-with-honey answer, the entire drive had been filled with work-related talk. There was much to confirm and much to get confirmed, so it was familiar.

But now that all the official matters were over and they had completely arrived at the parking lot, he returned to personal matters.

“I felt unfair that only I couldn’t sleep, but it seems you didn’t sleep well either.”

His hand caressed Hae Jin’s cheek. His thumb stroked the place where tears had fallen.

It felt like he was treating a wounded spot.

“It was a lie that I slept well.”

His gaze, applying emotional ointment and gently blowing on it, was the perfect remedy.

“I didn’t sleep well.”

Thinking of you, Hae Jin added the last part a little later and softly.

The hand caressing her cheek stopped. And the index finger that had been on the tear stain slowly traced her facial line upwards.

It reached the corner of her eye. As he stroked that end, he thoroughly examined Hae Jin’s face.

“You couldn’t sleep because of me.”

He pressed his index finger slightly, then released it. Then he tapped Hae Jin’s nose tip with his index finger.

“But who made you cry?”

Hae Jin’s pupils trembled. Had he seen through her attempt to hide it?

Seeing Hae Jin’s shaken appearance, his face hardened. It was a face increasingly filled with certainty.

“Who made you cry?”