Entering the convenience store on the first floor of the building across from the hospital’s funeral hall, Seo Hee first picked up a shopping basket.

She gathered various items into the basket, including fatigue relief medicine for her elder sister and senior, as well as things they might have forgotten to bring in the rush.

As she placed items one by one into the basket as they came to mind, it soon became full. Just as she was about to head to the checkout counter, thinking she had gathered everything needed, her gaze landed on something passing by and she paused for a moment.

Inside a small warmer, honeyed water was neatly lined up amidst an array of warm beverages like coffee, soymilk, and citron tea.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this honeyed water.

Seo Hee let out a bland smile, wondering why her eyes were suddenly drawn to the honeyed water, and opened the warmer to grab a bottle.

The pleasant warmth spreading in her hand suddenly reminded her of Kang Mo. When Seo Hee’s father had passed away, Kang Mo happened to be passing by the funeral hall and discreetly handed her a lukewarm bottle of honeyed water. She couldn’t forget how sweet that honeyed water tasted when she had a bitter taste in her mouth.

A faint smile naturally formed at the distant memory lingering in the corner of her mind.

The honeyed water in her hand now was much warmer than that day, but to Seo Hee, it seemed there would never be honeyed water warmer than the one from that day, which carried a faint warmth.

Somehow craving that flavor, Seo Hee erased the smile that had played on her lips and firmly placed the honeyed water in her basket before heading to the checkout counter. Right then, the convenience store doorbell chimed and someone strode in.

“Oh?”

A single word of puzzlement escaped her mouth. Unlike the startled Seo Hee at the unexpected encounter, Kang Mo’s approaching footsteps showed no hesitation.

“Kang Mo, you… how did you…”

“I saw you while passing by.”

“Ha, what business would you have passing by here?”

Kang Mo chuckled seeing Seo Hee tilt her head. He swiftly took the basket from her hand, placed it on the checkout counter, and said to the cashier,

“A bag too, please.”

Receiving the bag from the cashier, Kang Mo carefully placed the purchased items into the plastic bag.

“Kang Mo, I’ll do it.”

“It’s fine. Why would you do this when I’m here?”

Seo Hee’s eyes met those of the female cashier busily scanning barcodes. Feeling her face heat up for no reason, Seo Hee tugged at Kang Mo’s sleeve.

Whether Seo Hee did that or not, Kang Mo diligently packed the items and opened his mischievous mouth again.

“Are you okay? Not tired? Did you buy fatigue relief medicine for yourself too?”

“What have I done to be tired? I’m fine.”

“Still, buy some for yourself too. Hurry and get it.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“Alright, then. I’ll get it myself.”

Groaning, Seo Hee turned around pretending to be defeated. She brought an additional item each for herself and Kang Mo, placing them on the checkout counter and glancing at him.

Opening her wallet to take out a card, Seo Hee looked at the cashier saying “That will be…” then glared at Kang Mo again upon seeing the card in the cashier’s hand.

Kang Mo merely raised an eyebrow as if asking what the problem was and nonchalantly took the card from the cashier, inserting it into his wallet.

As soon as they left the convenience store, sullen words came from Seo Hee.

“Why did you pay for this?”

“Who cares who pays? It’s not much anyway.”

“Still…”

“Still what? I earn money to spend it on my woman. You must be tired already, stop worrying about every little thing.”

Seo Hee’s mouth, which had unconsciously dropped open, soon closed tightly. Kang Mo was always the best at rendering her speechless.

Just then, Kang Mo, who had discovered something in the convenience store bag, asked with a chuckle,

“What’s with the honeyed water? It doesn’t seem like you drank enough wine to need to soothe your stomach.”

“Ah, that…”

Seo Hee felt startled, remembering that she had just been thinking of Kang Mo’s image from long ago while looking at the honeyed water. Could Kang Mo possibly still remember the honeyed water he had given her in middle school?

Thinking there was no way, she casually made an excuse.

“I really like honeyed water.”

The corner of Kang Mo’s mouth twitched.

“Since when?”

“Huh? Ah… just for a long time.”

“Hmm, is that so? I see. So you’ve always liked honeyed water.”

“I said so. Especially the honeyed water sold in convenience store warmers, the subtle sweetness is the best.”

“Aha.”

Seo Hee was curious why Kang Mo suddenly burst into laughter after his playful exclamation, but feeling it wouldn’t benefit her to ask, she quickly changed the subject.

“But why did you come here instead of resting at home? At this late hour.”

“Why would I come to a house in mourning? To pay my respects, of course.”

“You?”

“Yes. It’s your acquaintance. A very close one at that. Shouldn’t I, your boyfriend, naturally come to pay my respects?”

Seo Hee was stunned by his reply, as casual as if asking why she would question the obvious.

“But I haven’t even introduced you yet…”

“Good timing then. Let’s do the introduction now.”

“Ha, at a house in mourning of all places? This isn’t really…”

Come to think of it, Kang Mo’s clothes had changed. Earlier, he was wearing a white dress shirt with a navy-colored suit, but now his shirt, suit, and even shoes were all black.

“Don’t tell me, you went back to change clothes to come here?”

“Of course, one should dress properly when visiting a house in mourning.”

Earlier, even when Seo Hee said they should go separately, Kang Mo insisted on taking a taxi to drop her off here before leaving. He must have done that to confirm the location.

Seo Hee’s head automatically shook side to side, amazed by his preparedness. By now, preparations to receive mourners were likely all complete.

Now that he had gone so far as to dress appropriately and come here, Seo Hee couldn’t just send Kang Mo back. Half-resigned, she matched her steps with Kang Mo who was pulling her hand.

As expected, upon seeing Kang Mo, Seo Hee’s senior and elder sister didn’t hide their intrigued expressions, forgetting they were in mourning. They seemed curious about many things, but given the situation, they couldn’t have a long conversation and ended the condolence visit with a promise for next time.

Seo Hee sighed in relief when she finally forced Kang Mo, who wanted to stay with her all night, into a taxi.

Early the next morning, Seo Hee returned to her apartment and laughed at the sight of a pair of men’s dress shoes in the entryway.

Ha. Kang Mo, what am I to do with a guy who doesn’t even know this much?

As soon as she opened the inner door and entered, Kang Mo’s voice came from the kitchen.

“You’re back now? You must be tired.”

Drawn by the voice that was a tone higher than usual, Seo Hee weakly walked to the kitchen with a small bag dangling from one hand.

Surprisingly, Kang Mo was putting diagonally cut green onions into a pot on the induction stove while wearing a short, dark gray apron around his waist.

It was surprising to run into him at an unexpected time, but it was even more surprising to see him in such an unfamiliar state. Who knew Kang Mo had this domestic side to him?

Seo Hee was unintentionally captivated by the sight, thinking the look suited him very well, before belatedly coming to her senses.

“You, what are you doing here in the morning? Don’t tell me you slept here last night?”

“No, of course I went to my apartment to sleep. This is your space now, do you think I would sleep here without your permission?”

Seo Hee nodded her head at his rather satisfactory words, one corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

“Then, what are you doing here at this hour without going to work? Right now.”

“I thought you’d be tired when you got back in the morning and would doze off without eating, so I’m making you a meal.”

“Ha, is that what’s important right now?”

“Of course. Then what’s important?”

Unlike Seo Hee’s impatience, Kang Mo was completely calm.

Sighing shortly in frustration, Seo Hee’s gaze passed over the brightly lit living room and landed on the silent clock on the wall.

“It’s already past nine. Is today your day off?”

“No, I’m going to work after making you a meal.”

“Kang Mo, are you doing this even though it’s not your day off? I’m not some little kid who can’t even manage to eat.”

“Seeing you nag, it doesn’t seem like you’re completely lacking energy. I guess it’s okay for you to eat and rest. Sit down quickly. The soup is ready.”

“I’m asking if you’re not going to work, are you going to keep making people worry about you?”

Kang Mo glanced back, the corners of his mouth curving up pleasantly.

“Does it worry you when I do this?”

“Of course it does when someone who needs to go to work is doing this, shouldn’t you at least go to work on time? The tart you bought yesterday is still there untouched. I can just eat that, why are you going through the trouble from the morning? Even past your work start time at that.”

Kang Mo, who had placed the soup he ladled into a bowl on the table, grinned.

Seo Hee suppressed the urge to pinch and twist Kang Mo’s nose as he smiled without knowing her burning heart, and continued her bitter words.

“Stop and go quickly. I’ll take care of eating, okay? The basics for an office worker are diligence and sincerity. And being punctual is fundamentally included in that. Right?”

Kang Mo quietly placed the apron he untied on the kitchen countertop, put his portion of the soup he prepared on the table, and strode over to Seo Hee.

Seeing Seo Hee flinch and pull her upper body back as he suddenly approached, Kang Mo chuckled, pulled out a chair for her to sit, and drawled,

“Why, were you expecting something? Do you think I only ever have those kinds of thoughts?”

“What. Who said what?”

“Then why did you get scared and flinch prematurely?”

“When did I…”

Seo Hee feigned ignorance and glanced at Kang Mo sitting across the table. Feeling inexplicably hot, she took off her suit jacket and placed it on the chair next to her, sensing his gaze on her. As expected, Kang Mo was intently staring at her with his arms propped on the table.

“What?”

“You’re right.”

“Out of the blue… about what?”

“That I only have those thoughts when I see you. To be more honest, my mind goes blank. My body reacts, so I can’t help but think that way.”

A groan unconsciously escaped her.

“Please, can’t you keep those words to yourself? Do you have to say them out loud and make me feel awkward?”

“What’s there to be awkward about? That’s the truth. You should know what you need to know too. Ah, my girlfriend is dying to hug me as soon as she sees me. No different from a dog in heat. Keep that in mind and stay on guard. Think a lot, agonize intensely. And on the day your heart aligns with mine, just give me the signal.”

“Ha…”

“I clearly said it. I won’t do it forcefully or coercively. In my head, I’ve already done everything proper and improper a hundred, a thousand times, but I’m holding back. I said I’d hold back even if it kills me until your heart is ready.”

“…”

“So don’t get so tense every time I approach you. No matter how much my thoughts extend in that direction, I’m not inconsiderate enough to cling to my girlfriend who spent all night at a funeral home and came back with a heavy heart.”

From a certain point, Kang Mo intently stared at Seo Hee’s face, flushed red like a ripe apple, as she couldn’t even meet his eyes and kept her gaze lowered.