Han Jun Ho, who was watching Yoon Tae Min feeling embarrassed, pretended to be upset and said.

“What? You were a fan of our Ji Ye? Then am I being treated like a squid now?”

“Oh, where in the world is there such a handsome squid? Of course, to my eyes, elder brother is the most handsome.”

Kim Ji Ye clung to Jun Ho’s arm while making a cute nasal voice.

Jun Ho looked at Ji Ye adoringly, his eyes full of hearts.

Yoon Tae Min, who had been watching the two flirting, carefully spoke to Ji So Eun, who had been quiet for a while.

“Um, so… since we’ve met again like this, can I ask you something I’m curious about?”

Ji So Eun blinked at Tae Min’s voice, which was full of curiosity in his eyes.

“Yes?”

What could he be curious about?

Then Ji Ye, who was sitting next to her, raised the corner of her mouth as if finding it interesting and asked Tae Min.

“Why? Tae Min, is there something you’re curious about our So Eun? What is it?”

“Ah, well…”

Tae Min seemed to hesitate for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Where you live, what you do for work, just basic things like that.”

“Ah, of course our So Eun will tell you those basic things. Right?”

As Ji Ye looked at So Eun while speaking, So Eun, who had been fiddling with her beer glass, looked at Tae Min.

Looking at those eyes full of desire to hear an answer, So Eun slowly opened her mouth.

“I live in Oksu-dong with Ji Ye. I work in the finance and accounting team.”

“Ah. So you live in Oksu-dong. That’s close to our neighborhood.”

“Where do you live, Tae Min?”

To Ji Ye’s question, Tae Min answered that he lived in Nonhyeon-dong.

Ji Ye nodded, then asked with a mischievous face.

“And? Is there anything else you’re curious about our So Eun?”

“Ah, there’s a lot… but I want to get to know her slowly.”

Tae Min said while looking at So Eun with deep, profound eyes.

Somehow embarrassed by Tae Min’s profound gaze, So Eun turned her attention to her beer glass.

“Oh ho. You have a lot you’re curious about?”

Ji Ye looked at Tae Min while wiggling her eyebrows.

Han Jun Ho stared at Tae Min for a moment, then picked up his beer glass.

“Well. We have plenty of time, so let’s talk slowly while drinking beer. Us.”

At Jun Ho’s words, the four of them picked up their beer glasses.

The four of them slowly drank beer while talking about various things.

During the three-hour drinking session, Tae Min’s gaze kept turning towards So Eun.

He would glance at her secretly, and at times, he would stare at her intently.

And if their eyes happened to meet, he would startle and quickly avert his gaze as if running away.

At first, So Eun found Tae Min’s gaze burdensome, but as time passed, she felt like laughing at his behavior.

As they talked, it was already past 11 PM.

Jun Ho, looking at the clock, picked up the bill and said.

“It’s late, shall we get going?”

“Yes. You said you have to go to work tomorrow, right elder brother?”

Jun Ho nodded at Ji Ye’s words and said.

“Yes. Tae Min has to go to work too.”

“It must be tough for both of you, not being able to rest even on weekends.”

“Can’t be helped since the game release is near. Well.”

As Jun Ho and Ji Ye walked towards the counter first, So Eun and Tae Min followed behind.

“Um… So Eun.”

Tae Min carefully called out to So Eun as they were walking.

As So Eun looked at him, Tae Min moistened his lips once with his tongue and then opened his mouth.

“Can I have your number?”

As soon as he blurted it out, Tae Min’s heart started pounding.

But seeing So Eun’s hesitant expression, Tae Min continued.

“Just… we’ve met again like this, so it must be fate. Let’s meet occasionally for meals and drinks. If meeting just the two of us is burdensome, I’m fine with meeting as four like today.”

So Eun quietly looked up at Tae Min, who was speaking with a trembling voice and blushing cheeks.

Looking at Tae Min’s black eyes, which were filled with trembling and excitement, So Eun held out her hand after a moment.

“Okay. Give me your phone.”

At So Eun’s words, Tae Min’s eyes widened.

And then he quickly handed his phone to So Eun.

So Eun took the phone, entered her number, and made a call.

After confirming that her phone rang, she handed the phone back to Tae Min.

Tae Min, with a flushed face, quickly took the phone and entered a name.

He started to type ‘So Eun’, but changed his mind and wrote ‘Cinderella’ instead.

Because right now, he felt like he had found his lost Cinderella.

And unconsciously, as Tae Min was about to put a heart emoticon next to ‘Cinderella’, he paused and looked at So Eun.

When their eyes met, Tae Min gave an awkward smile and entered a star instead of a heart.

Thinking it was still too early to put a heart.

In contrast, So Eun simply entered ‘Yoon Tae Min’ without any embellishment and walked over to Ji Ye.

Tae Min, following right behind her, was grinning for some reason as he looked at So Eun’s contact entered as ‘Cinderella★’.

After Jun Ho finished paying, they were about to leave the bar when they saw it was raining heavily outside.

“Wow. It’s raining so much? It wasn’t this bad earlier.”

Tae Min said with a surprised face as he looked outside.

“Yeah. It’s pouring like a downpour? The parking lot is a bit far, so we have to walk… Let’s go out first. The designated driver said he’ll be here soon.”

Jun Ho said as he picked up a large umbrella and took Ji Ye’s hand.

Soon, So Eun and Tae Min also took out their umbrellas.

“Huh? So Eun. Isn’t your umbrella too small? You’ll get all wet.”

Ji Ye said in a worried voice as she saw So Eun’s tiny umbrella.

“Hm? No. It’s fine.”

But Tae Min also looked at So Eun’s umbrella with a worried expression and carefully said.

“So Eun, it’s raining too much, so just use my umbrella and let’s go together.”

Tae Min said as he opened his large umbrella.

“Yeah. So Eun. Just share with Tae Min. You’ll get all wet if you use yours. Let’s hurry and go under. Okay?”

Ji Ye winked and slipped under Jun Ho’s umbrella.

So Eun hesitated, but seeing the pouring rain, she had no choice but to go under Tae Min’s umbrella.

And as they followed the Ji Ye couple out, as soon as they took a step outside, the fierce raindrops began to strike the umbrella vehemently.

Listening to the rain sound like drumbeats, So Eun walked, matching her pace with Tae Min.

As they walked silently, So Eun could see that Tae Min’s hand holding the umbrella handle was full of strength.

Glancing up at Tae Min, she could see he was visibly tense.

And because he had tilted the umbrella more towards So Eun’s side, his left shoulder was getting wet.

Seeing this, So Eun immediately reached up and lightly grasped the umbrella handle.

Startled, Tae Min turned his head to look down at So Eun.

“Your shoulder is getting wet, Tae Min.”

Saying this, So Eun tilted the umbrella more towards Tae Min’s side.

Tae Min shook his head and said.

“Ah. I’m fine. You shouldn’t get wet, So Eun.”

As Tae Min tilted the umbrella back towards So Eun’s side, So Eun suddenly grabbed Tae Min’s hand holding the umbrella.

At this, Tae Min looked at So Eun with startled eyes, as if he had been electrocuted.

“You shouldn’t get wet either, Tae Min.”

So Eun said quietly as she directed the umbrella back to the center.

“Let’s just go like this.”

At So Eun’s words, Tae Min blinked, his face flushing.

“…Okay.”

Tae Min quickly turned his head after answering, and his heart began to beat wildly.

Feeling his heart pounding as intensely as the sound of the pouring rain, Tae Min bit his lip.

Thinking, I must really be in trouble.

When they arrived at the car, Jun Ho sat in the passenger seat, and Ji Ye, So Eun, and Tae Min sat side by side in the back seat.

Soon after, the designated driver arrived and the car set off.

As they drove listening to the quiet radio, Tae Min was bothered by the sound of his own heart that kept jumping.

Worried that the sound might be heard by So Eun sitting right next to him, he deliberately leaned his body towards the door as much as possible and turned his head.

But there was nothing he could do about his flushed cheeks.

Ji Ye, sitting at the far end, glanced at Tae Min like that and smiled knowingly.

* * *

A while later, Jun Ho’s car stopped in front of the villa where Ji Ye and So Eun lived.

“Then, get in safely. I’ll call you when I finish work tomorrow.”

Jun Ho said to Ji Ye and then turned his head to greet So Eun as well.

“So Eun, get in safely too. It was nice to see you today.”

“Yes. It was nice to see you too. Get home safely.”

As So Eun bowed her head to Jun Ho, Tae Min looked at So Eun with a regretful face.

“So Eun, get in safely. Let’s see each other again soon.”

Ji Ye looked at Tae Min, who was greeting So Eun with a face full of regret, as if he was cute.

Looking at that undisguised gloomy expression, Ji Ye smiled and said.

“Tae Min, we’re planning to have chicken and beer by the Han River after elder brother gets off work tomorrow, do you want to come along?”

“What?”

Tae Min asked back and immediately looked at So Eun.

And with his eyes shining, he asked So Eun.

“Are you going too, So Eun?”

“What?”

This time, So Eun asked Tae Min back at the sudden question.

“So Eun. Didn’t you say you don’t have plans tomorrow? Let’s go together. Okay?”

Ji Ye said as she linked arms with So Eun.

“Huh? Well…”

“So Eun, let’s go together. Okay?”

Tae Min, who had been gloomy until just now, said to So Eun with sparkling eyes.