Friday arrived.

After work, So Eun headed to Gangnam, the meeting place.

The weather forecast said it would rain late in the afternoon, so she brought an umbrella just in case. As soon as she climbed the subway station stairs, the rain started to fall with a patter.

Just as she was about to open her umbrella, her phone rang. It was Ji Ye.

“Hello?”

-Hey, So Eun. Do you have an umbrella? It’s starting to rain now.

“Yes, I brought one.”

-Really? That’s good. Where are you now?

“I just got off the subway and am heading up.”

-Is that so? We’re here at the bar. Hurry up and come.

“Okay. Got it.”

So Eun hung up the phone, opened her umbrella, and headed to the meeting place.

Listening to the sound of rain hitting the umbrella, she walked for about 10 minutes until she saw the pub Ji Ye had mentioned.

Opening the door to the bar, the place was bustling with customers, typical for a Friday.

“So Eun! Over here.”

Ji Ye stood up abruptly from a table in the back and waved her hand.

So Eun put her folded umbrella in the umbrella stand and walked over to Ji Ye’s table.

The man sitting next to Ji Ye stood up when he saw So Eun.

“Hello. I’m Han Jun Ho, Ji Ye’s boyfriend.”

Jun Ho, who bowed in greeting, was a tall and handsome man with masculine features.

“Hello. I’m Ji So Eun, Ji Ye’s friend.”

So Eun also bowed in greeting.

“Sit here.”

Ji Ye pulled So Eun’s arm, urging her to sit down quickly.

“You’ll have beer, right?”

“Yes.”

Ji Ye pressed the bell and ordered one more glass of beer.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Ji Ye. She said you’ve been her best friend since middle school.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

So Eun nodded with a smile at Jun Ho’s words.

“Yeah, elder brother. She’s my best friend. We went to high school and college together, and now, well, we’re living together, so we’re practically like a married couple.”

As Ji Ye giggled and spoke, Jun Ho looked at her with a playful smile.

“Oh? That won’t do. Shouldn’t you be a married couple with me?”

At Jun Ho’s words, Ji Ye’s cheeks instantly turned red.

“Oh, really! Elder brother, what are you saying? It’s embarrassing.”

Ji Ye said, lightly hitting Jun Ho’s arm, but she didn’t seem to dislike it.

As So Eun watched Ji Ye looking happy with a smile, the waiter brought the beer.

“Shall we make a toast?”

As Jun Ho held out his glass, the three of them clinked their glasses together.

“Ah, right. So Eun. I told you I’d invite one of elder brother’s friends, right? He says he’s on his way now.”

“Oh, okay.”

So Eun honestly wasn’t very interested, but she nodded and brought the beer to her lips.

“You said he’s a close friend of elder brother’s, right?”

Ji Ye asked, and Jun Ho nodded and answered.

“Yes. I’ve known him since he was nine, so we’re extremely close.”

“Ah, So Eun. Did I not tell you? Elder brother works at a game company.”

As Ji Ye told So Eun, So Eun nodded.

“But doesn’t it sound a bit unfamiliar when you say game company?”

“Yeah, it does sound a bit unfamiliar.”

“I was also confused at first when he said he worked at a game company.”

At Ji Ye’s words, Jun Ho chuckled and said.

“Other people also ask what I do when I say I work at a game company.”

“That’s why I also thought at first, elder brother, do you play games at the company?”

Jun Ho picked up his beer glass and laughed.

“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. Many people play games during lunch breaks, and we often try out other companies’ games for comparison and analysis.”

“But how did you end up working at the same company as this friend?”

“Ah. After I joined the game company, he started showing interest too. Then after graduating from art school, he said he wanted to join too, so I suggested he try for the concept artist position. Well, he was so skilled and talented that he passed on the first try.”

“I see. So you do different jobs from elder brother?”

“That’s right. I’m in the modeling department, and he’s in the concept art department.”

“Wow. It must be so amazing to work at the same company with someone you’ve known since childhood.”

“Yeah. Well, sometimes it gets a bit tiresome being together for so long, but now he’s like my own brother.”

Just then, the bar door opened, and seeing the person coming in, Jun Ho suddenly raised his hand high.

“Hey! Tae Min! Over here. Here.”

At Jun Ho’s words, Ji Ye and So Eun’s heads turned simultaneously.

And the moment they saw Tae Min slowly walking towards them, So Eun’s eyes widened.

Tall stature, ash blonde hair color, large double-lidded eyes.

It was Tae Min.

How… could they meet again here?

As So Eun’s mouth slowly opened in surprise, Tae Min, who was walking over with a smile, also noticed So Eun. And he too stopped in front of the table with surprised eyes.

Then he opened his mouth and stared at So Eun.

‘How on earth did this happen? Am I dreaming right now?’

Tae Min blinked once and looked at So Eun again.

But seeing So Eun still clearly visible, he opened his mouth even wider.

‘Uh… this isn’t a dream?’

Tae Min took a step closer to So Eun and pinched his cheek hard.

Immediately, Tae Min’s left cheek turned red.

“Hey, man, what are you doing?”

When Jun Ho asked in a strange voice, Tae Min finally looked at Jun Ho with a dazed expression.

“What’s wrong, So Eun?”

Ji Ye also tilted her head and asked So Eun, who had a surprised expression.

“Huh? Oh. Well…”

As So Eun hesitated, Tae Min looked down at her with a blank face.

And with a dazed expression, he said.

“We… met again, didn’t we?”

As if the other two weren’t even there, Tae Min spoke in a trembling voice, looking only at So Eun.

As So Eun was at a loss for words, Jun Ho asked with a surprised expression.

“What? Do you two know each other?”

“Huh? Well, it’s not exactly that we know each other…”

Tae Min hesitated, unsure whether to speak or not, then sat down across from So Eun and quietly said.

“Actually, this is… the person I ended up drinking with two Fridays ago.”

At Tae Min’s words, Jun Ho’s eyes widened.

“What? Two Fridays ago… that Cinderella?”

At the word ‘Cinderella’, Tae Min’s face turned bright red, and Ji Ye looked at Tae Min with a puzzled expression.

So Eun also looked at Tae Min curiously, not knowing what ‘Cinderella’ meant.

“What? What on earth is this about? Drinking together?”

As Ji Ye asked with a bewildered face, So Eun briefly explained to the clueless Ji Ye how she had come to meet Tae Min two weeks ago.

After hearing the story, Ji Ye opened her mouth in surprise.

“What? Hey! You only told me about dumping that jerk Lee Jung Hyuk that day, you didn’t tell me about this!”

At Ji Ye’s words, Tae Min opened his mouth instead, glancing at So Eun.

“Well, that… She probably didn’t mention it because she thought we wouldn’t meet again.”

Ji Ye quietly stared at Tae Min’s face as he volunteered to speak on So Eun’s behalf.

It was surprising enough that So Eun had drunk with a man she had just met, but Tae Min’s appearance before her eyes was even more surprising.

Skin as white as So Eun’s, handsome features, and shining ash blonde hair color that suited Tae Min’s handsome face very well.

Startled by Ji Ye’s intense gaze, Tae Min suddenly spoke up.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Come to think of it, I was so surprised that I didn’t properly introduce myself. I’m Yoon Tae Min, who’s known Jun Ho since childhood. I’m 26 years old.”

Tae Min bowed politely and greeted Ji Ye.

“Ah. I’m Kim Ji Ye, Jun Ho’s girlfriend. And I’m So Eun’s best friend. Nice to meet you.”

A spark flashed in Ji Ye’s eyes as she greeted him with a smile.

To have a drink with someone you’ve just met, then meet again like this after two weeks…

Isn’t this totally fate?

Feeling like she was watching a drama from the front row, Ji Ye glanced at Tae Min and saw his eyes filled with excitement as he gazed at So Eun.

‘My, look at those eyes? This cutie seems to have completely fallen for our So Eun!’

As Ji Ye was staring intently at Tae Min, Jun Ho rang the bell to order one more glass of beer.

When Tae Min’s beer also arrived, the four of them made another toast.

“You said you’ve known elder brother since you were young, right?”

As So Eun showed signs of embarrassment under Tae Min’s steady gaze, Ji Ye quickly threw out a question.

“Ah. When I was nine, Jun Ho moved to our neighborhood. We met by chance at the playground, and he played well with me, so I always begged him to play. That’s how we became close.”

Then Jun Ho chuckled and said.

“When I first saw this kid, I was amazed at how pretty he was for a boy. His eyes were as big as marbles, his skin was fair, and he was incredibly pretty. If his hair had been long, I might have thought he was a girl.”

“Hey, elder brother. Why are you telling such embarrassing stories?”

Tae Min glared at Jun Ho, seeming conscious of So Eun.

Regardless, Jun Ho shrugged and said.

“But who would have known this guy would grow even taller than me?”

At Jun Ho’s words, Ji Ye nodded and said.

“That’s true. Elder brother isn’t short either, but how tall are you, Tae Min?”

“Oh, me? 186 cm.”

“Wow! That’s really tall. You must be super popular, being tall and handsome!”

Wondering if this guy was really single, Ji Ye asked with reasonable doubt.

“What? Ah, no, not at all.”

Tae Min waved his hands and looked embarrassed.