In response to Seung Woo’s greeting, Tae Min quietly extended his hand and grasped Seung Woo’s hand.

“Yes. Hello. I am Yoon Tae Min.”

As the two shook hands, So Eun came and stood beside Seung Woo.

When Jun Ho greeted So Eun with his eyes, So Eun also bowed her head and returned the eye greeting.

And when her eyes met Tae Min’s, she also greeted him with her eyes.

Tae Min asked So Eun with a faint smile.

“So Eun, were you eating somewhere around here?”

“Ah, yes. I was having a meal in Gangnam.”

“Ah. I see.”

Tae Min’s voice sounded somehow bitter as he answered.

“I was going to take the bus, but Seung Woo elder brother said he would drop me off on his way, so I got a ride.”

At Ji Ye’s words, Tae Min looked back and forth between Seung Woo and So Eun and asked.

“Ah, if it’s on the way… Are you two going somewhere separately?”

At Tae Min’s question, Seung Woo stared at Tae Min for a moment, then smiled and said.

“Yes. So Eun and I are going to have a coffee together.”

“Ah, I see.”

Seung Woo’s familiar use of ‘So Eun’ made one corner of Tae Min’s heart ache.

And somehow, So Eun’s mood seemed to become even more bitter at Tae Min’s expression, which looked more bitter than before.

“Well then, we’ll be going now. Let’s have a drink together next time when we have a chance.”

Jun Ho nodded and replied to Seung Woo’s words, who was smiling brightly as he said goodbye.

“Yes. Let’s do that. Take care on your way home.”

Seung Woo gave another eye greeting and then returned to the passenger seat to open the door for So Eun.

So Eun bowed her head to Jun Ho and Tae Min and said goodbye.

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

As So Eun turned to get back in the car, Tae Min called out, “So Eun.”

At that voice, Seung Woo and So Eun turned around simultaneously.

When So Eun turned around, Tae Min smiled and said.

“Take care on your way home, and let’s see each other next week.”

“Ah, yes.”

So Eun nodded and got into the passenger seat, and shortly after, Seung Woo’s car departed.

After the car left, Ji Ye immediately looked at Tae Min and asked.

“Did Tae Min go to work too? I thought only Jun Ho elder brother went to work.”

“Ah, yes. I had to urgently modify some design drafts.”

“Ah, I see.”

Jun Ho, who had been looking at where Seung Woo’s car had disappeared, casually asked Ji Ye.

“By the way, how old is that elder brother from the neighborhood?”

“Ah. He’s the same age as you. But why do you ask?”

“Just wondering, but he’s tall and extremely handsome, isn’t he?”

Jun Ho spoke, one-third out of some inexplicable jealousy, and two-thirds representing Tae Min’s feelings, who had been wearing a bitter expression since earlier. Ji Ye chuckled and replied.

“Well, that elder brother was quite popular back in the day. He was also extremely good at studying.”

“Ah… So he was like the epitome of a perfect son?”

As he spoke, Jun Ho felt like his gall was slightly tickled for some reason.

Reading Jun Ho’s expression, Ji Ye laughed and linked her arm with his.

“What’s wrong? Are you actually jealous now? There’s nothing to be jealous about. In my eyes, you’re the coolest, you know.”

As Ji Ye clung to him and spoke in an affectionate voice, Jun Ho laughed and said.

“No, why would I be jealous? It’s just, well, he seems like an impressive person.”

“You’re working at the most successful game company yourself, come on.”

Jun Ho chuckled and asked.

“So, what does that person do for a living?”

“He’s a dentist. He’s starting work at a dental clinic here in Gangnam from next week.”

At Ji Ye’s words, Jun Ho’s eyes widened.

“A dentist? Wow… He really is a perfect son, isn’t he?”

As he said this, he glanced at Tae Min and saw that his expression had slightly hardened.

‘Right. If I’m feeling a bit envious, how much worse must it be for you, man.’

Jun Ho gazed at Tae Min with sympathetic eyes.

* * *

During the car ride, So Eun couldn’t shake off the thought of Tae Min’s bitter expression.

She didn’t know why it bothered her, but that expression kept coming to mind.

‘Why did he make that face? Did he feel hurt about something?’

As she was thinking this, So Eun suddenly startled herself.

‘No, why am I suddenly concerned about what expression Tae Min made?’

It felt strange and somehow embarrassing to be thinking like this, as if there was something between Tae Min and herself.

Feeling awkward, she brushed her hair back and looked out the car window. Seung Woo glanced at So Eun doing this.

And as Seung Woo turned his gaze back to the front, the situation from earlier flashed through his mind.

When he had parked the car in front of the gray building, the tall man with blonde hair standing in front.

A man with an overwhelming height and appearance, as eye-catching as his hair color.

When that man first gazed at So Eun in the passenger seat, and then turned his gaze to look at Seung Woo, although it was just a brief moment, Seung Woo could feel it.

The look in his eyes of a male wary of a strange intruder.

Which meant that man had romantic feelings for So Eun…

Seung Woo’s assumption turned into certainty when he got out of the car and greeted Tae Min, feeling the subtly forceful handshake.

And when Tae Min called out to So Eun as she was turning to get back in the car, Seung Woo could feel it once again.

The gentle smile on his lips and the affectionate look in his eyes towards So Eun.

Recalling that look, Seung Woo’s hands unconsciously tightened on the steering wheel.

Feeling his mood suddenly sink, Seung Woo let out a short sigh inwardly.

Shortly after, the two arrived at the coffee shop and ordered two cool Americanos.

So Eun took a sip of her coffee and set it down, and Seung Woo gazed at her intently before speaking.

“By the way, that person from earlier, the one who works at the same company as Ji Ye’s boyfriend.”

“Ah, Tae Min?”

“Yes. Are you also acquainted with him?”

“Ah, not really. He just happened to be there when I was introduced to Ji Ye’s boyfriend.”

So Eun felt it unnecessary to mention the day she first met Tae Min, so she kept her explanation brief.

“Ah, I see.”

Seung Woo nodded and fell into thought.

The fact that Ji Ye had invited another man to introduce her boyfriend meant that she probably wanted to connect that man with So Eun…

That man must have taken an instant liking to So Eun at that meeting arranged by Ji Ye.

Just recalling the look in that man’s eyes when he gazed at Seung Woo earlier was enough to gauge the extent of that attraction.

This made Seung Woo’s face tighten, feeling as if he were chewing on something bitter.

* * *

After leaving the coffee shop, Seung Woo drove So Eun home and once again secured a promise to go eat tuna sashimi next week before heading home.

After about 30 minutes of driving, Seung Woo’s car entered an apartment complex in Yangjae-dong.

After parking, he went up to his home and found his mother, Young Sook, drinking tea in the living room.

“You’re home already?”

Young Sook said, rising from the sofa.

“Yes. I had lunch with So Eun and dropped her off at home.”

“Good. You should rest well this afternoon since you start your first day of work tomorrow.”

“Yes. I’ll change my clothes and be right out.”

When Seung Woo came out after changing into comfortable clothes and washing his hands, Young Sook had brought out a cup of tea for him too.

As Seung Woo sat on the sofa holding the warm mug, he noticed some albums on the table.

“What are all these?”

In response to Seung Woo’s question, Young Sook smiled and handed him one of the albums.

“I found a box with albums while organizing the remaining stuff. I lost track of time looking at the photos.”

“Is that so?”

Seung Woo smiled and opened the album.

“There are also photos taken with So Eun’s family here. Seeing those photos really brought back old memories.”

“Really?”

Seung Woo smiled and started flipping through the album page by page.

There were photos of Seung Woo’s family, and from the middle, So Eun’s family started to appear as well.

Young Hyun Jun and So Eun playing in the yard of So Eun’s house, Seung Woo playing with a robot with Hyun Jun in the room, Seung Woo, Hyun Jun, and So Eun sitting side by side on a bench next to the neighborhood supermarket eating ice cream in midsummer.

There were quite a lot of photos, which Seung Woo thought was probably due to his mother’s newfound hobby of taking pictures at that time.

Among them was also a photo of the two families visiting the zoo near their home on Children’s Day.

There was also a photo of Seung Woo’s father giving young Hyun Jun a piggyback ride, and looking at that photo made Seung Woo’s nose tingle for some reason.

It was because of the longing for his father, who had passed away, and the thought of poor young Hyun Jun who had never experienced a piggyback ride from his dad.

But putting aside the sad emotions for a moment, Seung Woo immersed himself in memories as he continued looking at the photos.

Looking at the photos, he could see how closely the two families had lived together during that short period of two years. He thought that if they hadn’t decided to immigrate to America, the two families would have remained close neighbors for a long time. As Seung Woo continued looking at the photos for a while, he realized that at some point, his eyes were lingering only on So Eun’s image.

So Eun looking somewhere, So Eun smiling shyly, So Eun hugging her younger brother Hyun Jun and smiling brightly, and so on.

Even in group photos, Seung Woo’s gaze was drawn particularly to So Eun.

So Eun was really fair-skinned and pretty when she was young.

This photo of her sitting on the yard chair and smiling brightly is especially pretty.

So Eun was much prettier than I remembered.

Seung Woo wore a gentle smile each time his gaze fell on So Eun’s image as he turned the pages one by one.