Tears streamed down Seo Hee’s face as she recalled her difficult past. Whenever such memories resurfaced, she had always tried to shake them off, but why was she wandering through the past again?

Seo Hee despaired as she recalled the young face of Joo Yeon, who was still a high school student, vividly etched in her mind.

She couldn’t erase the thought that she shouldn’t be by Kang Mo’s side. Could she, who might have been an accomplice, who still couldn’t rid herself of guilt, be worthy of receiving Kang Mo’s love? She shook her head involuntarily.

How steadfast could Kang Mo’s heart be, now that he was revealing the innocent feelings he had cherished since childhood? Could it just be a thirst arising from a longing for something he couldn’t easily have?

Had she thoughtlessly gone along with it without realizing that? As time passed and his thirst was quenched little by little, wouldn’t that yearning gradually fade away? Several times a day, contradictory thoughts tangled in a mess.

Seo Hee didn’t want to see Kang Mo lose interest and regret it later, more than the pain she would receive. She also didn’t want to see him feeling sorry for her.

She wanted to see Kang Mo, who had suffered so much, live happily, including the share of his late elder sister who had lived a short life. She hoped that her many memories with Kang Mo wouldn’t fade into a fleeting affection.

Above all, the self-reproach that the root of Kang Mo’s successive misfortunes might have stemmed from her made her hesitate to follow her heart’s senseless draw to him.

If Joo Yeon hadn’t passed away so tragically, Kang Mo’s mother wouldn’t have fallen ill, and she wouldn’t have left to be by her daughter’s side.

The image of Kang Mo, who had suffered and wandered for a while due to the successive misfortunes, was still vivid in her memory. Could she smile and be happy by his side while carrying this heavy guilt for a lifetime, endlessly blaming her reckless self that day and constantly reminding him of Joo Yeon?

A deep sigh escaped her, filled with a suffocating feeling.

Seung Ho, who entered the office, tilted his head at the sight of Kang Mo sitting in his seat with a gentle smile.

Putting aside the perplexity of frequently witnessing that rare smile lately, it was hard to believe this was the same person who, until just before, had a face as hard as a stone that wouldn’t allow even a needle to pass through, and who didn’t hesitate to scold the executives during the meeting.

Seung Ho clicked his tongue at Kang Mo’s ability to create a completely different atmosphere in a short time, and quietly opened his mouth.

“Excuse me, Executive Kang, the Chairman said he wants to have lunch with you today.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kang Mo’s brows furrowed tightly.

“There was no such talk.”

“The message just came through the secretarial office.”

“I have a prior engagement. Schedule it for another day.”

Seung Ho, his secretary, was startled and asked if there was a prior engagement he had missed.

“A prior engagement, what kind of…”

“It was just made. Seo Hee will be coming to the company soon. When she arrives, bring her here without a word. Please make a reservation for two at a restaurant that serves good Korean course meals for lunch. You should eat comfortably for a change.”

“Well, as for me, I always eat comfortably without you having to worry.”

“Then that’s fortunate.”

Kang Mo, who briefly glanced at Seung Ho who was still standing there as if he had more business left, asked in a dry voice.

“Why, do you have more to say?”

“No, sir. It’s just that I’m not sure what to tell the Chairman. I had already informed him that there was no prior engagement. I apologize for relaying the message without asking you first.”

Kang Mo, who was tapping the desk with his hand, threw a glance at Seung Ho. Then, he wet his lips with his tongue and lifted one corner of his mouth at an angle.

“Tell him if he wants to see his grandchild even a day sooner, he should cooperate.”

Kang Mo laughed as he saw Seung Ho’s eyebrows rise.

Kang Mo, who was deeply sunk into the swivel chair, spun it around. A clear blue sky and, strangely enough, a heart-shaped cloud fully entered his view.

His thoughts inevitably turned to Baek Seo Hee. She would surely exclaim, “Wow, oh my gosh,” with her eyes sparkling.

He wished she would come quickly. Thinking that the cloud might scatter in the wind, Kang Mo did something he would never normally do.

He took a picture to capture evidence, in case his eyes were making the cloud look like that shape. In his phone gallery, which was full of building and construction progress photos and utterly dreary, a single fluffy cloud photo was added, looking rather embarrassing.

Should he send her the picture? Would she come a little faster then? As he absently stared at the cloud again with these silly thoughts, Seo Hee’s flushed face from the morning suddenly bloomed between the white clouds.

As soon as they finished breakfast, Kang Mo, pushed by Seo Hee, headed to the bathroom. He quickly finished showering and came out to the living room, not even thinking of blow-drying his wet hair, just rubbing it with a towel. Seo Hee, who was cleaning up the kitchen, glanced back and hastily turned her head away.

Somehow knowing the reason, he purposely approached slowly. As expected, the tips of Seo Hee’s ears, busily washing dishes, were emitting a pretty red color like a ripe apple on the kitchen island.

Kang Mo, who swallowed his laughter, spoke in a subtle voice.

“You worked hard. It’s tiring, right? I told you we should do it together.”

“Tiring, my foot. There are only a few dishes, why do it together? It’s bothersome.”

She mumbled without even turning her head toward him.

Kang Mo opened a bottle of water he took from the refrigerator. In the meantime, Seo Hee seemed to have finished washing the dishes and was staring intently at her trying to put them away, drinking half of the 500ml water in one gulp. Even the cool water running down his throat couldn’t quench his burning insides.

“Baek Seo Hee, aren’t you going to look at me?”

“Why so suddenly? Aren’t you going to get ready for work?”

Seeing Seo Hee wiping and wiping the already dry sink with a dry cloth, laughter kept escaping.

“Why aren’t you looking at me? No, you can’t look at me, can you?”

Seo Hee, who seemed to want to wring his neck, bit her lip and let out a soft sigh, tightly gripping the dry cloth in one hand.

“Put on some proper clothes and then talk.”

Kang Mo, who was pressing close to the sink where Seo Hee was standing, leaned his buttocks halfway on the marble countertop and shrugged his shoulders with a glib expression.

“I am wearing them. Pants. I usually walk around naked after washing. I put on pants in case you faint. Why, does it make you uncomfortable to see?”

Seo Hee, who was just moving her lips without turning her gaze toward him, closed her eyes tightly and nodded.

“Yeah. It’s uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. So, while we’re living together here, always dress properly. If you don’t, I’ll kick you out, whether it’s your house or not.”

Her face was burning red as she made unthreatening threats without even glancing his way, and it was so cute that it strained his heart.

It wasn’t the first time Seo Hee had seen his body. A few years ago, when he had an accident due to Kim Chang Joo’s scheme, he had entrusted his injured body to Seo Hee.

At that time, she had seen even more than this, but despite the passage of several years, her behavior was the same, and it was so cute that he wanted to hug her right away.

However, Kang Mo gritted his back teeth and suppressed his impure desire. He didn’t reach out his hand for fear of causing a major incident if he hugged her right away, not knowing how hard he was gripping the marble countertop.

Kang Mo barely suppressed his overflowing desire and energy, pretending to be nonchalant as he opened his mouth.

“It’s hard with just my upper body bare, so if you give me one kiss, I’ll consider it.”

It seemed like a gasp escaped from Seo Hee’s mouth, and then something brushed his cheek in an instant and disappeared from his sight like a shot. The sweet lingering scent of her wafted around his nose.

What the, what’s so fast?

“Baek Seo Hee! Am I an elementary schooler? What’s with the cheek kiss? Cheek kiss!”

Her voice, which had disappeared from his sight, echoed through the living room like an echo and was heard in the kitchen.

“You said to kiss, but you didn’t specify where. Have a good day at work, Kang Mo. I’ll skip seeing you off today. Sorry.”

Although he was very disappointed with the cheek kiss exchanged for a goodbye kiss, he still attached meaning to it being the first physical affection Seo Hee gave him. Although it was involuntary, she could have run away without kissing, but she did it and ran off, so he was grateful for even this.

At that moment, Kang Mo thought life was fun. He didn’t know how many years it had been since he had felt this emotion.

Kang Mo erased Seo Hee’s face drawn between the clouds and turned the chair back around to face the table. There was a pile of work that needed to be dealt with immediately. It was obvious that his concentration would be disrupted as soon as Seo Hee arrived, so it seemed he had to finish his work as quickly as possible.

Arriving at the lobby of Kang Mo’s company, Seo Hee couldn’t help but be amazed at the modern and sensible interior and the nature-friendly outdoor garden.

The bright autumn sun fiercely shone down on the lush trees neatly lined up in the outdoor garden, and its light poured into the lobby as if flooding in.

The sofas placed in front of the lobby were also unconventional design sofas, further enhancing the sensible atmosphere of the lobby, and the luxurious large flower pots placed here and there at appropriate intervals also played their part.

Fascinated by the stylish space that made it unnecessary to seek out a well-created park or walking trail, Seo Hee was lost in thought, unaware of someone approaching her side.

“Ahem.”

“……”

“Hello.”

Seo Hee’s shoulders flinched at the sudden presence, startled.