“Why are you curious about that?”

“I can be curious. Why are you being so serious?”

Ji Ho’s expression was cold as he looked at Ji Eun.

He was worried that she might have made Yi Soo uncomfortable while he was gone.

“Oh, I’m curious about that too.”

The friends next to them chimed in, showing interest as if they had been waiting for Ji Eun’s words.

“We met at our school’s ski club.”

Yi Soo decided to answer the questions directed at her without avoiding them.

It’s not like she would meet these people again anyway, so she could give them that much.

“Wow. So you’re a campus couple. Ji Ho must be really popular at school, right?”

“Yes. He’s incredibly popular.”

“It must be nice to see each other at school every day.”

“Yes.”

“How long have you been dating?”

“It’s been about three months.”

“Does Ji Ho treat you well? He’s not the type to take care of someone.”

Yi Soo glanced at Ji Ho and smiled slightly.

She wondered what he was usually like for everyone who knew Ji Ho to say the same thing.

“He treats me extremely well.”

Ji Ho chuckled silently at Yi Soo’s answer.

“So he’s different with his girlfriend. I can’t imagine it.”

“Oh my, I need to reevaluate Ji Ho.”

Once she started answering, the questions kept coming endlessly.

Ji Ho looked at Yi Soo as if he was curious too, nodding and smiling as he heard her answers.

“Then, who confessed first?”

The female junior who had greeted Ji Ho as “elder brother” earlier blinked her eyes, waiting for an answer.

Yi Soo thought maybe if she said she confessed first, it might lessen that jealous look in her eyes a bit.

Thinking it wouldn’t be difficult to say that, just as Yi Soo’s lips were about to part.

“I pursued her first.”

Ji Ho, who had been silent until now, spoke for the first time.

There was a moment of silence as if they had heard something unbelievable.

“R-really? You pursued that lady, elder brother?”

The junior from earlier asked with wide eyes.

“Yes. I asked her to like me.”

“Wow…”

Ji Ho smiled tenderly as he looked at Yi Soo.

His eyes were filled with affection.

‘You didn’t have to go that far.’

Yi Soo blushed at Ji Ho’s public confession.

Fortunately, all questions stopped after that, but various reactions were whispered.

“Still, it’s such a waste for elder brother.”

“I’m so envious of that woman.”

“To think Ji Ho would pursue someone, I’ve lived to see it all.”

How nice would it be if we could close our ears when we don’t want to hear, like closing our eyes when we don’t want to see.

That’s exactly what Yi Soo wanted to do right now…

To them who had come expecting to meet Ji Ho today, Yi Soo was a complete intruder.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had poured not just cold water, but ice water on them.

Jealousy and envy poured out all at once.

Grasping her scattered thoughts, Yi Soo put food in her mouth.

Ji Ho moved the food Yi Soo liked to her plate.

“What do you want to drink? Or should I get you something else?”

“No, this is enough.”

‘Please don’t go anywhere and just stay by my side.’

Yi Soo looked at Ji Ho with desperate eyes.

That was all she wanted right now.

Ji Ho gently stroked Yi Soo’s back.

It felt like praise for enduring all the attention well at once.

Compared to just a few months ago, this was a great improvement for Yi Soo.

As dinner was almost over.

Suddenly, there was a commotion of people murmuring near the entrance.

At that moment, Ji Eun, who had been looking towards the entrance as if waiting, raised her hand excitedly.

“Han Na! Over here!”

Amidst the surprised reactions from here and there, Yi Soo, who had her back to the entrance, slowly turned her head.

But as her head was halfway turned, Yi Soo saw Ji Ho hesitate with a surprised look.

**

Lee Han Na.

Model and actress.

She rose to become the icon of the nation’s first love with a romance movie that attracted ten million viewers.

The aura Han Na exuded was so great that it seemed even the surrounding air changed as she got closer.

Then, it stopped. Right behind Ji Ho.

Everyone’s attention in the studio focused on Han Na.

Silence fell over the wide space as if not to miss a single sound coming from Han Na’s lips.

Through the glass window in front of Yi Soo, she could clearly see Han Na looking down at Ji Ho.

As she slightly frowned at the strong scent of perfume that filled her nostrils, Ji Eun spoke in a bright voice.

“Han Na, sit here.”

“Oh, okay.”

The people at the table slowly rose from their seats, overwhelmed by Han Na’s aura.

Han Na thanked them in a gentle voice and sat down next to Ji Eun.

A woman so beautiful that it was hard to take your eyes off her once you saw her appeared before them.

‘Wow…’

A faint exclamation involuntarily escaped Yi Soo’s lips.

Her face was so pretty, as if a separate spotlight was shining on her alone.

She truly understood what dazzling beauty meant.

Seated, Han Na kept her eyes fixed on Ji Ho as if waiting for something.

Feeling that gaze, Yi Soo glanced at Ji Ho, but he just continued eating his remaining dessert with an indifferent face.

Han Na folded her arms across her chest and muttered.

“Haa… He still won’t look at me until the end.”

After letting out a slightly incredulous laugh, Han Na smiled brightly towards Ji Ho and opened her mouth.

“Ji Ho, hello.”

Surprised by Han Na’s greeting, Yi Soo turned to look at Ji Ho.

‘Ji Ho knew Lee Han Na?’

Although it was a very brief moment, she felt a strange current flowing between the two.

Han Na’s one-sided gaze and Ji Ho’s indifferent avoidance were in contrast.

“Oh.”

Ji Ho answered briefly in a dry voice.

Although he didn’t show it, Ji Ho was also uncomfortable and surprised to face Han Na with Yi Soo.

Ji Ho hadn’t thought at all that Han Na would come to this place.

He thought he wouldn’t see her again after their chance encounter in Paris.

He was on edge, worried that something might upset Yi Soo.

Ji Ho put down his fork on the empty dessert plate and raised his head.

“We meet again in less than a week.”

Han Na brought up their encounter in Paris, conscious of the woman who seemed to be Ji Ho’s companion.

“When did you two meet?”

Ji Eun next to them showed curiosity.

“Yes. I went to Paris for a photo shoot and ran into him by chance at the hotel.”

“Oh my, really? Wow, it’s like a movie!”

Ji Eun clapped her hands excitedly.

Han Na raised one corner of her mouth and smiled leisurely.

“What do you mean like a movie.”

Ji Ho chuckled and muttered as if it was ridiculous.

Noticing that Han Na’s gaze was constantly directed at one place, Ji Ho gently wrapped his arm around Yi Soo’s shoulders.

“I think I mentioned it briefly that day too… Say hello. This is my girlfriend.”

Ji Ho didn’t like this situation at all either, but he thought this was the only way to make Yi Soo understand who was confused.

If he stated it boldly, there would be no misunderstanding.

“Oh? Ah… I see.”

Han Na looked bewildered as she slightly bowed her head saying, “Hello.”

She stared intently at Yi Soo’s face as she returned the greeting.

She knew they were together since they were sitting side by side, but she thought it was just a casual partner.

Han Na felt like she couldn’t breathe when she heard Ji Ho call her his girlfriend.

Even in Paris when Han Na asked for his number, Ji Ho had flatly refused and mentioned his girlfriend.

“I don’t want to make my girlfriend worry.”

‘Was this woman the girlfriend he mentioned then?’

Han Na had thought it was just an excuse Ji Ho made up because he didn’t want to give her his number.

So the girlfriend he mentioned was real.

Ji Ho looked at Yi Soo tenderly and didn’t forget to introduce Han Na.

“You probably know her without me saying anything, right? She’s very famous after all.”

Yi Soo was still confused but nodded at Ji Ho’s words.

Han Na looked over Yi Soo and Ji Ho in turn.

Love overflowed in Ji Ho’s eyes as he looked at his girlfriend.

‘Did he ever look at me like that?’

Han Na recalled past memories.

Until a year ago, Ji Ho was Han Na’s boyfriend.

At least until Han Na’s dating rumors with another man broke out.

Last summer, Han Na was cast in a film by a director known as a hit-maker, beating odds of thousands to one in the audition.

With the top star Cha Do Jin as her co-star at the time, Han Na thought this film role was a golden opportunity to rise to stardom in one go.

Han Na devoted herself to filming more than anyone else, and that’s when dating rumors with Cha Do Jin broke out.

Han Na, who received all the public attention with the title of Cha Do Jin’s woman, unilaterally cut off contact with Ji Ho without even notifying him of the breakup.

It was the worst kind of breakup, called a “submarine breakup.”

But the more she met Cha Do Jin, the more negative points kept catching her eye.

His family background wasn’t great, and sometimes his unbearably ignorant behavior made her affection drop sharply.

They broke up in less than a few months, and it was the same with other men she dated.

Everything was compared to Ji Ho.

Han Na realized there was no man as good as Ji Ho in terms of family background, looks, and intelligence.

When she thought that Ji Ho was the only one suitable for her, she regretted breaking up with him belatedly.

She wanted to get him back, but Ji Ho coldly turned away.

Just as Ji Ho had been indifferent to Han Na while they were dating, he left without any lingering feelings when they broke up.

Han Na was the one who did wrong, but strangely, she felt abandoned by Ji Ho.

She felt hurt, wondering if that was all his feelings for her amounted to.

No matter how wrong she was, she thought he might take her back at least once if she went back and asked for forgiveness.

That expectation was miserably shattered, and after that, she couldn’t even meet Ji Ho.

While dating Ji Ho, Han Na often felt like she was in a one-sided love.

Ji Ho said he wasn’t originally the type to take care of others, so she shouldn’t expect that from him.

That’s why her heart wavered when Cha Do Jin treated her a little more kindly.

Even so, she shouldn’t have broken up with Ji Ho.

After that, Han Na publicly hinted that she couldn’t forget her first love, trying to attract Ji Ho’s attention.

She also developed expectations that Ji Ho’s feelings might have softened a bit since a lot of time had passed, and now she had become a top star unlike before.

She needed to meet Ji Ho to confirm this, but there was no way to reach him.

His number had changed, and even when they met by chance in Paris, she couldn’t bring it up right away.

So she asked Ji Eun to contact her immediately if she ever met Ji Ho anywhere.

‘How long have I waited for a day like this…’

Han Na swallowed a bitter laugh, finding it ridiculous to be introduced to Ji Ho’s girlfriend here.

Like the actress she was, Han Na concealed her bitter expression and looked at Yi Soo again.

‘Is this woman also having a lonely relationship like I did back then?’

“Ji Ho used to be bad at taking care of his girlfriend before, is he not like that these days… How is it? I was often hurt because of that.”

Han Na looked at Yi Soo with an interested expression.

“Pardon?”

Yi Soo asked back.

‘Is she saying…’

As Yi Soo stared blankly at Han Na, speechless, Ji Ho answered instead.

“It’s not your business, but… I found that I changed when I met someone I really like. I’m taking the best care of her. Does that answer your question?”

Ji Ho didn’t want to tell Yi Soo unnecessarily, but since the situation had come to this, he had no choice but to do his best to not hurt her feelings.