“Okay, I’m a mister. By any chance, is Bomi at home now?”

“Our sister is busy these days; she almost eats and sleeps in her studio.”

“Studio?”

“Yes, her studio is over there.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

“By the way, can I have one of those flowers too?”

“Pick one you like.”

Despite asking for just one, the girl snatched five flowers.

Jinhan couldn’t believe how similar this scene was to Bomi, giving him chills.

Without hesitation, he went to the location Bomi’s sister had mentioned.

When he reached the second floor of a building covered with vines, he saw a small acrylic sign that read ‘Bomi Lounge.’

Jinhan knocked on the closed door.

“Is anyone there?”

Receiving no response, as he was about to knock again, a man came out.

Wearing a hoodie, he looked like Bomi’s peer.

With a handsome appearance and a delicate physique, the man was quite charming.

As someone in the entertainment industry, Jinhan guessed he would be quite popular among women.

From this point, his thoughts began to tangle.

Why was there such a guy in someone else’s private studio?

Especially in his current appearance, holding a bouquet, Jinhan looked like he had come to confess, which made him feel awkward.

“Who are you?”
The man asked, as if a stranger had come to his house, with a guarded attitude.

Jinhan, feeling uncomfortable, responded with a stern tone.

“I came to meet Bomi.”

In this brief moment, countless thoughts crossed his mind.

What relationship did this guy have with Bomi, and why should he be here…?

All unnecessary, Jinhan just felt bad.

Suppressing the desire to grab him by the collar, he pretended to be calm.

But the response he received was, “Bomi is busy…”

This punk was short-spoken?

Jinhan’s expression, which had already turned sour, solidified.

The guy spoke informally, grabbing the end of his words somewhere.

“Isn’t this Bomi’s studio?”

Jinhan, as a gentleman, didn’t lose his manners until the end.

Anyway, he had three more dates left with Bomi, who he had faced off against.

“What did you misunderstand to come here…”

“Jinhan Oppa!”

The man, about to respond with an unwilling expression, was interrupted by a clattering voice from behind.

Jinhan’s face, which had been hardening, relaxed at that moment.

“Bomi!”

Right on cue, Bomi came out.

Her appearance in a long t-shirt and leggings suited her short hair well.

“How did you find out about this place?”

“My younger brother told me. I went to your house.”

“Really?”

“First, take this.”

“Wow! I’ve never received such a big bouquet before.”

The man in the hoodie leaned against the door, pounding his fist.

He simply observed Jinhan and Bomi, not intending to step aside.

“Oppa, the studio is a mess, but can you come in for a moment?”

“Really?”

When Jinhan was about to enter the studio, the man intruded and asked Bomi about her work situation.

“Did you finish what you were doing earlier?”

His eyes showed a lot of dissatisfaction with this situation.

His unpleasant expression, like someone who swallowed disliked food, clearly showed his resentment.

Seeing Bomi’s discomfort, Jinhan decided to intervene.

“Is there something wrong with him?”

Ignoring the man, Jinhan and Bomi entered the studio, leaving him momentarily stunned.

This place was a shared studio, decorated like a cafe.

Embarrassed, Jinhan, who thought it was Bomi’s private studio, was taken aback.

“Is this a shared space with others?”

“Yes, to save on rent.”

Jinhan sat on the chair Bomi offered.

The desk shaped like ‘ㄷ’ was occupied by three computers, including a laptop, PC, and tablet. Sketches personally drawn by Bomi were piled up everywhere.

“What about that guy earlier?”

“Oh! We’re working together on a project with that senior.”

“What kind of work?”

“It’s from A Electronics. It’s something like this.”

Bomi showed the graphic images she was working on.

Even at a glance, it showcased an impressive skill.

“You’re busy with work; why did you come to the hospital?”

“I took a day off instead of the weekend.”

“You didn’t have to…”

“But I wanted to.”

“Don’t make assumptions.”

Bomi seemed extremely busy.

Seeing this, Jinhan understood why it was difficult to meet her.
The two exchanged casual greetings.

Then, Jinhan noticed something conspicuous and gestured towards it with his chin.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a folding bed. I sleep here when I’m busy.”

“When will your current task be finished?”

“If I send the final work by the end of this week and get confirmation, it’ll be done.”

Jinhan thought he could go on a date with Bomi today.

Expecting much, Jinhan, sensing an awkward atmosphere, tactfully got up.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“You seem busy, so I should.”

“Let’s have a meal before you go.”

“We’ll have three more dates together.”

“Ah!”

“What we did at the hospital last time can’t be considered a date.”

“Honestly, that’s true.”

“Eating together during a date is important. I don’t want to end it with just a casual meal.”

It seemed like Bomi didn’t understand Jinhan’s intentions.

For a moment, she opened her eyes wide, then covered her mouth with her hand.

“Did you come to date me today?”

“Then, what is this flower for?”

Three more dates were still ahead.

In today’s world, if two people agreed, they could spend the night together even on their first meeting.

In that sense, three meetings were by no means a small number.

During that time, history could unfold at any moment.

“If that was the case, you should have contacted me earlier. I would have dressed up, at least.”

Even at this moment, there were uncomfortable glances watching over the partition, making Jinhan uneasy. Although disappointing now, it seemed better to anticipate the next meeting.

“You’re working, right? Keep working, even if it’s busy.”

“Are you really going like this?”

“I can’t date if it interferes with your work.”

Jinhan saying this first was a kind of consideration.

It was to let Bomi concentrate on her work.

Of course, the intense frustration from the base of his neck lingered with Jinhan.

“I’ll go.”

“Thanks for the flowers.”

Bomi escorted Jinhan to the door as he left.

Before going down the stairs, he reached out and gently stroked Bomi’s head.

“Take care.”

He pretended to be fine as he left, but it wasn’t okay. As soon as he got in the car, a sense of frustration welled up in his throat.

The gaze of the guy who had been following him to the end, that sunbae, lingered in his mind.

In the end, he couldn’t even have a date and came out like this. His head was spinning with disappointment.

It was when Jinhan, looking forward to the next meeting, turned around.

Bomi watched his car leave, tears welling up in her eyes.

Behind her, the sunbae walked up.

Watching Jinhan’s departing car, he clicked his tongue.

“What kind of person is he?”

“You don’t need to know, sunbae.”

The man in the hoodie and the sunbae had graduated together after being discharged from the military and returning to school in the same year.

His name was Kwon Iyoung.

The two, who had been close since college, happened to share a studio recently.

A project that came to Iyoung a while ago turned out to be significant, and Bomi had been involved in its progress.

“Why does a crazy person like him come to someone else’s studio dressed like that?”

“Don’t call him crazy! Don’t speak recklessly.”

“What’s with the flowers? So tacky.”

“They’re just beautiful; you’re being unnecessarily old-fashioned.”

Iyoung seemed quite dissatisfied.
Sitting down next to the flower bouquet, Eun-hoon subtly teased Bomi.

“Did you move up your day off just to meet that person recently?”