“The heater is too weak, isn’t it? Brr, it’s cold.”

During lunchtime, Yeon Woo was in the empty conference room, taking out her picked-up salad, muttering to herself.

Her initially chosen seat, at the end right under the heater, would have been warm.

She began eating her salad, seated in her current spot, replete with various drawbacks.

Being close to him meant danger too.

Her gaze inadvertently kept drifting to Jun Hwi’s side profile, the biggest issue.

Yeon Woo would instinctively hand him highlighters or indexing tapes before he even asked, clearly understanding his needs.

Any observer would’ve suspected they were unnecessarily in sync.

‘Where did the person, who resolved to draw a strict line, go?’

‘It’s okay. Just need to be extra careful from now.’

Strengthening her crumbling resolve, Yeon Woo nibbled on her salad.

While eating, she checked her phone for missed messages, and a name caught her eye: [Yoon Ji Woo].

A name she didn’t even feel comfortable calling a friend.

“······.”

Her appetite disappeared. Yeon Woo put down her fork and slowly clicked on the message.

[Hey] [Han Bin oppa asked me to give you something] [Why should I do it when we’re in the same company? Makes it awkward to be in the middle] [Anyway, contact me after work tonight]

What nonsense. Yeon Woo was the one who felt awkward.

In fact, Han Bin had messaged her to meet briefly after work to give her plum syrup his aunt made.

Initially, it seemed trivial. A brief meeting after work should be fine, right?

But then.

‘I don’t trust Kim Yeon Woo, but someone else.’

Jun Hwi’s words about Han Bin kept echoing in her mind.

Of course, she didn’t intend to suspect Han Bin as the prankster without evidence.

However, now that she had officially joined the situation room, small actions needed caution too.

She had to become thoroughly Jun Hwi’s person. That thought made the decision easy.

‘The world is so dirty and dangerous. Trusting people too much isn’t good.’

Han Bin had once said that. Should Han Bin also be included in those not to trust too much?

Anyway, it was time to be extremely cautious.

[Sorry. Just send it by courier]

While sending a rejection message to Yoon Ji Woo, Jun Hwi entered the conference room briskly.

Feeling guilty as if conspiring with Han Bin, Yeon Woo quickly put down her phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Me? Just having lunch.”

“You seem like you’re hiding something.”

“What would I hide?”

Pretending to be calm, Yeon Woo stuffed her mouth full of salad. Then, something heavy softly landed on her shoulder.

“It’s covering you.”

The black knit cardigan on Yeon Woo’s shoulder was soft yet heavy and thick, carrying a cozy scent of fabric products she once smelled in his dressing room.

“You kept saying you were cold. We’ll add more heaters in the afternoon.”
It was evident to anyone that the owner of this cardigan was a man. The cardigan, tailored for Jun Hwi’s broad shoulders, engulfed and concealed Yeon Woo’s slender frame with room to spare.

“Am I supposed to wear this?”

“Don’t you like the design? Should I give you a suit jacket instead?”

‘That would stand out even more!’

Her actions were quicker than her response. Yeon Woo stood up briskly to take off the cardigan that was draped over her, intending to return it to Jun Hwi before anyone saw.

But just at that moment, the door opened and other lawyers entered the situation room.

Yeon Woo had no choice but to sit back down, still wearing the cardigan.

“Oh, Deputy Manager, you were having lunch.”

“Sorry, we must have come back too early from lunch.”

“It’s okay! I’ll finish quickly.”

“Take your time. There’s still plenty of time left.”

Yeon Woo hunched over as much as possible to hide the conspicuously male cardigan. Fortunately, people didn’t seem interested in others’ clothing.

Suddenly returning the coat to Jun Hwi would have created the perfect scene for attracting attention.

In the end, Yeon Woo, choosing to sit still covered in the garment, stole a quick glance at Jun Hwi, who was focused on his monitor.

It seemed not only Yeon Woo needed to clearly draw the line.

For a while, Yeon Woo remained trapped in his cardigan, his lingering scent soaking into her.

[Sis! Sis!] [You joined the situation room, right? Wow.]

News travels fast.

It seemed the news of Yeon Woo’s joining the special situation room had already spread to secretaries on other floors. Yeon Woo clicked on the flashing messenger and quietly typed a response.

[Yes, that happened] [Kwon Lawyer in the situation room means the sister outside has peace of mind, huh ㅠㅠ Why drag you in there?]

Indeed. It would be more comfortable being separate from him.

The experience of spending days in the same space, attached to a man she liked, was a bit different than expected.

[It’s more manageable than I thought. There are pros and cons ㅎㅎ] [Really? There are… pros…?]