“Then Manager, I’ll be going now. I think if the Director sees me with you, he’ll be grumpy again.”
Bora winked cutely and turned away, strutting off.

Left alone, Si Hyun chuckled.

[She was pretty in a school uniform, and she’s still pretty wearing her employee badge.] Wait, was that about Bora?

She felt embarrassed having seriously contemplated those words as if they were about her. After all, there was no way Tae Ha saw her in that way.

Pretending she had lost memory, or forgetting about it, was such a great move.

Knowing now that Bora was the protagonist of those words, Tae Ha’s words made complete sense. When was Bora not beautiful? She probably would be until the day she went to her grave.

[Which team does Lee Bun Hong belong to?] She thought she understood why Tae Ha got so angry out of the blue. Wasn’t it because he found Bora talking and laughing with other people irksome?

‘Yun Tae Ha, he’s seriously jealous, isn’t he?’
Si Hyun tsked in her mind.

Tae Ha calling her ‘Lee Bun Hong’ was probably Bora’s nickname from high school. She seemed to remember that Bora liked pink.

“Anyway, it’s a relief, it’s not me….”
She abruptly halted midsentence, a sudden wave of emotion making her close her mouth.

No, she didn’t feel relieved at all. She felt disappointed. That it wasn’t her.

In that moment, Si Hyun realized.

From the moment she heard those words last night, she’d been rocked by Tae Ha to the point that she’d forgotten about her unfaithful fiancé.

…..that she’d been shaken by Tae Ha.

((()))

Si Hyun was engulfed in selfloathing.

Not just anyone, but Tae Ha and Bora, the two people she cherished the most. It was pathetic that she felt this void as if she was left out between the two of them.

‘Why do you say it so seriously, looking straight into my eyes, making me misunderstand.’
Even though she tried to resent Tae Ha, it wasn’t convincing. When was Yun Tae Ha not serious? He’d always been like that since he was young.

It wasn’t Tae Ha’s fault. The one who misunderstood and was shaken was herself.

Si Hyun stayed holed up in her office all day to avoid Tae Ha. Luckily, Tae Ha did not show up in the OneApp team office that day.

“The more I thought about it, the more absurd I found myself for seriously pondering whether that was a confession. It wasn’t something to worry about.

If Tae Ha had really confessed to me, was I considering accepting it? A boy I’ve always treated like a younger brother, even more than a real brother?

After reprimanding herself all day, Si Hyun was utterly exhausted.

‘I’m lucky it wasn’t me. I just need to be more sensible from now on.’
She stopped beating herself up at that point and set out for home. As she trudged out of the office building, someone blocked her way.

It was Woo Jin.

“Si Hyun.”
As soon as she saw his face, irritation surged within her and Si Hyun hardened her expression.

“You said you needed time to think. Did you already forget what you said yesterday?”
“I felt like I would go crazy if I just sat there and waited.”
As he said, Woo Jin looked somewhat distraught. Si Hyun sighed, grabbed his arm, and pulled him along.

“We’re in front of the office. Let’s go somewhere else to talk.”
She only let go of Woo Jin’s arm when they reached a small park near the office. As soon as she did, he began to talk nonstop like a woundup toy.

“I understand if you feel betrayed, but we weren’t even close enough to be seriously concerned or anything. The most we ever did was have a few meals together.”
Si Hyun muttered to herself.

‘Sure, the expensive meals you never had with me. No wonder Tae Ha threw away bags of rice cakes in the trash.’
Perhaps sensing her lukewarm response, Woo Jin began to appeal to her emotions.

“Everyone gets shaken up at least once in their life. There will be a time when you will feel the same way too. Don’t you think you might ever feel like that?”
If she’d heard that yesterday, she would have fired back with ‘who are you accusing?’ and ‘that won’t happen to me’. But now, she couldn’t say those words.

“See? Even you can’t guarantee it.”
Realizing this, Woo Jin gripped Si Hyun’s hand as if clinging onto her.

“If there ever comes a time when you’re shaken, I’ll be there to hold you. So, please, just this once, can’t you do the same for me? Please, Si Hyun.”
While it was annoying, it also seemed somewhat plausible.

“We’re not the type of couple to break up over something like this. We’re too busy preparing for marriage to waste time on such trivial matters. Okay?”

Doggedly pursued by Woo Jin, Si Hyun could only respond like this in the end.

“Give me some time. I will contact you, so please, don’t come looking for me.”

((()))

Tae Ha was stunned all day.

[Mom. Did I meet you last night?] Did you forget about my confession last night, when I confessed with such feelings?

He couldn’t remember exactly when he started to harbor these feelings. At some point, he just couldn’t imagine any woman other than Kang Si Hyun.