“It’s hard to see Tae Ha’s face these days.”

At his uncle’s words, Tae Ha smiled and replied.

“I haven’t seen your face except on TV for a long time either, uncle. Are you working hard on the bills?”

“Of course. How could someone living on the country’s salary be idle?”

The chandelier-lit banquet hall was filled with warm chatter among family members who hadn’t met in a long time.

“Tae Ha, I saw the hotel promotion this time, it looked good. I’m thinking of booking the Royal Suite next week.”

“It’s fully booked. You should tell me about these things in advance.”

“This kid, really has no consideration.”

His cousin sister sitting across lightly glared at Tae Ha while smiling.

“I heard Jung Woo is leaving the hotel too? You should help him.”

“What can I do if the president says no? Sorry.”

“By the way, is your company doing a capital increase this time? Mirae Bio, I mean. Is the financial situation not good?”

“We are, but I haven’t been able to pay attention to it lately. That’s something my mother is handling.”

Jung Woo smiled and glanced at his mother, but she was pretending not to know, perhaps feeling hurt.

“So is today’s New Year’s party also a celebration for Tae Ha’s inauguration?”

Chairman Kwon’s uncle, nearly ninety but still with a straight back thanks to thorough health management, opened his mouth.

“It’s a bit of both. When else would we all get to see each other’s faces like this? Shall we fill our glasses with an aperitif first?”

At Chairman Kwon’s signal, Seo Taek’s employee and Eun Seo, who were at the entrance, took out the pre-dinner wine from the rack. Then they moved around the chairs widely to avoid interference and headed towards the head of the table.

“Tae Ha, I heard a group of senators came from America today. They say there was someone famous for being handsome, how was he in person?”

“How was he? People are all the same.”

“Don’t be like that, tell us in detail. They say he was so handsome.”

“He has eyes, nose, mouth, legs, and…”

Tae Ha’s lips suddenly slowed. A familiar woman filling his vision.

Only after spreading the napkin on his thigh and raising his head did he realize. He hadn’t noticed that Eun Seo was today’s event server even when she was walking behind his chair.

“But why is the seating arrangement like this today? Young ones on that side, old ones on this side. Did you arrange it by age, elder brother? It’s bad enough being old, this is too much.”

“Even Jang the butler is sitting at the table today. He’s moved up in the world.”

But Tae Ha’s ears couldn’t properly hear any of the words.

Why on earth? Why is the woman who should be at home here?

His deeply sunken eyes trace a dark trajectory following Eun Seo’s movements.

“Well, it seems the wine is almost all poured, shall we make a toast?”

“What are we toasting to?”

At his uncle’s words, Chairman Kwon stood up.

“There’s a reason our family has all gathered today, our Tae Ha is turning thirty this year.”

Knowing what was about to be said, the corners of Butler Jang’s mouth rose in a perfect arc.

“So I’m thinking of marrying off Tae Ha this year.”

“What do you mean? Marry off Tae Ha?”

“Ha Eun, stand up.”

At Chairman Kwon’s instruction, Ha Eun tidied the hem of her long skirt and stood up beside her chair.

Ha Eun tensed up at the curious gazes of Kwon Tae Ha’s family directed at her.

“I have someone to introduce. This is Yoo Ha Eun, a talented girl who studied in America. I’m thinking of marrying our Tae Ha to this girl this year. When spring comes, we’ll pick a good day.”

Glug glug glug glug.

“Oh my! The wine is overflowing! Hey, is this your first time pouring wine today?”

Eun Seo, who had been absentmindedly holding the bottle to the last glass, quickly twisted the bottle, but due to her clumsy movement, the wine that flowed along the glass ended up soaking the mat.

As the flustered Eun Seo hurriedly looked for a napkin, Butler Jang, who had been sitting across, frowned and clicked his tongue, seemingly displeased that his words had been interrupted.

“I’m sorry.”

Eun Seo quickly wiped the wine that had flowed onto the table mat, then moved again to pour water. After making a mistake, a chill ran down her spine.

Tae Ha’s eyes persistently follow those busy steps. A terrible gaze that seems to devour even the afterimage.

“Tae Ha.”

Even when his son called, he didn’t get up, so Chairman Kwon called his name firmly.

“Tae Ha!”

Ha Eun’s nape turned bright red. Tae Ha’s eyes were directed at Eun Seo.

Song Eun Seo filling Jung Woo’s water glass. Tae Ha’s eyes burned coolly over those white hands.

Eun Seo approached with the water bottle and bowed slightly to Ha Eun, who was seated between Tae Ha and Jung Woo.

“Tae Ha?”

He still didn’t get up. Even though everyone’s gazes alternated between Tae Ha and Ha Eun, who were said to be getting married soon, there was not even a hint of agitation.

Ha Eun’s hands trembled slightly.

What should I do? I need to drive Song Eun Seo out of here right now.

After racking her brains, there was only one method. A way to drive her out of Tae Ha’s eyes

Ha Eun raised her chin high and smiled gently. Then, as Eun Seo passed by her side after Jung Woo, she used the hem of her long skirt as a shield and suddenly tripped her.

Thud.

Eun Seo’s right knee buckled and the jug in her hand swayed. In an instant, water poured uncontrollably onto Tae Ha, who was next to Ha Eun.

Tie, shirt, and even pants.

“Oh my!”

With Ha Eun’s scream, everyone’s gaze turned to that direction at once. The rolling jug and Tae Ha helplessly drenched in water.

“Are you okay?!”

“What should we do?!”

“You should be more careful, so clumsy from earlier.”

“Quickly bring a towel here!”

A mixture of sympathy, reproach, and tongue-clicking sounds abound.

The flustered Eun Seo tried to quickly wipe Tae Ha’s shirt with a napkin, but Tae Ha raised his hand to stop her.

“This is perfect timing. I was just starting to feel hot. It feels cool and nice.”

He roughly folded the napkin and put it on the table, then pushed his chair back and stood up. The rough sound of the floor being scraped echoed through the quiet banquet hall.

“I apologize for making you all gather because of me. But I won’t be getting married. I’ll take my leave first.”

From his furrowed brow that refused to smooth out, to his eyes casting deep shadows, to his long strides heading towards the door, to his sensitive fingers picking up his coat.

Not a single thing was out of sync with his mood.

Tae Ha picked up the coat hanging at the entrance and went outside just like that.

* * *

White breath shattered in the wind. Eun Seo walked towards home despite the cold weather.

After Tae Ha left, the once lively banquet hall became quiet as if it had never been that way.

The meal was awkward, and conversation ceased.

Jung Woo quietly told her to finish up and go home, and the kitchen, sensing the situation, pulled Eun Seo out of the banquet hall.

[Go quickly. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were inexperienced with this kind of thing. My thinking was short-sighted.]

Ruminating on Madam An’s worried self-reproach, Eun Seo walked up the hill alone. Perhaps because she had been standing for more than half a day, her arms and legs were tired.

As she was massaging her sore arms and about to open the gate of Dongtaek, honk! Along with a short horn sound, bright headlights illuminated the dark street.

Eun Seo, who was just about to open the gate, shielded her eyes with the back of her hand to secure her vision. A moment later, the driver’s door opened and a sleek black shoe touched the ground.

The tall shadow standing straight. It was Tae Ha, wearing neither coat nor jacket.

“Get in.”

Tae Ha, who immediately opened the passenger door, pointed to Eun Seo’s seat with a nod.

It was such a resolute gesture that he wouldn’t ask for her opinion, so Eun Seo just blinked and slowly walked to get into the passenger seat. Click, as soon as the seatbelt was fastened, the car started.

Eun Seo turned her eyes to the window where winter was cooling. The dazzling lights pouring onto every street were no longer dazzling.

No music, no words. He was definitely angry.

She couldn’t even ask where they were going because of his eyes, which were focused only on driving, gleaming with a cold, almost blue light.

Cutting across the city center, the place where he stopped the car was Namsan. A place where Seoul’s night view could be seen at a glance.

Tae Ha parked the car and left only the short words ‘Get out.’ before disappearing from the driver’s seat.

With the sound of the car door closing, Eun Seo came out from around the passenger seat.

Tae Ha was looking down at the city center with his hands in his pants pockets. Eun Seo carefully approached behind him.

“Excuse me.”

Eun Seo, who judged that ‘Excuse me’ was the best form of address for now, better than ‘CEO’ or ‘Mr. Kwon Tae Ha’, called Tae Ha faintly. Very carefully.

His broad shoulders seemed to sink with a sigh, then he made a path beside himself. His piercing gaze was sharp without any excess.

Because of this, Eun Seo’s crown, which was more than a head lower, was very hot.

“Was the money I gave you not enough?”

Not understanding the intention of his words, Eun Seo hesitated.

“I know the money my father is giving today is not small. But does that mean you can surprise people like this?”

Tae Ha’s Adam’s apple rippled roughly. As if he had no intention of listening to an answer, his continuous ground-out words pushed Eun Seo.

“Didn’t you at least think to call me first and ask?”

Eun Seo came to the conclusion that his anger now might be because she had abandoned the reviewer job and left.

A series of words leading from his money, his father’s money, to phone calls suggested that. He was angry as an employer.

“Just because I did this job today doesn’t mean I neglected the work you assigned me. I finished it all before coming.”

She made an excuse with such innocent eyes.

“It was your family home, and they said there was no one to help, so I went. It wasn’t because of the money. You’re paying me enough. I really finished all the work.”

Eun Seo spoke softly with her eyes fixed somewhere on the ground, unable to organize her gaze. However, Tae Ha did not soften at all.

How did he manage to hold back the urge to grab her hand and leave right then and there?

Worried that Chairman Kwon might notice, and that Eun Seo might go somewhere to avoid the chairman’s eyes, he had barely restrained himself from wanting to carry her out.

“Why do you make people so angry?”

“I didn’t mean to do it on purpose. It’s my fault for not thinking to contact you. I’m sorry.”

Not knowing anything. Not knowing anything at all.

“Do you think I’m like this because you didn’t do the work I assigned?”

“Are you angry because I spilled water? Because I ruined an important event?”

Unable to find a proper reason, Eun Seo looked at the still damp shirt and asked uncertainly.

Tae Ha’s skin, clinging to his white shirt, revealed angry muscles here and there whenever the cold wind blew.

“Is that all the answer you could come up with?”

“We should dry it quickly. You might catch a cold.”

Just as he was exasperated by the answer she had managed to find, now it’s about catching a cold. Tae Ha’s gaze looking at Eun Seo was cold.

“Okay, fine. If I’m angry because you spilled water.”

Pushing aside her worried gaze in one go, he asked.

“How should we dry it? I feel like I might get hot if I hug you, and if I get hot, the clothes might dry.”

“……”

“What do you think, want to be hugged?”

Tae Ha’s arms, which had been stuck in his pockets, spread out to both sides, cutting through the deep blue air.