“Is your bag some kind of DoraXmon bag? Things keep coming out of it.”

“It’s for our Arin, so of course oppa has to prepare it.”

Arin always brushed off Yuhyn’s words playfully, but she felt uncomfortable whenever he explicitly showed his feelings.

Arin knew why Yuhyn was carrying heavy sparkling water around and rejecting confessions from other women; it was all because of his love for her.

Arin recalled a conversation she had with Jiyun not long ago.

“[Oppa seems to be seriously thinking about you.]”

“[Jiyun… I don’t deserve it.]”

At Arin’s words, Jiyun firmly held her hands and said reassuringly.

“[Arin, if you’re hesitating because of your past, don’t think like that. I don’t want you to hesitate because of the pain of having been married and losing a child. What’s most important is your heart. Honestly, I would welcome you as my sister-in-law. So would our mom.]”

“[…Jiyun.]”

“[So, if you have feelings for oppa as a man, don’t hesitate because of your past. If you can’t like oppa as a man, we can’t force you.]”

Remembering Jiyun’s words, Arin looked at Yuhyn.

Of course, Yuhyn was a good person, and being with him made her heart comfortable.

Yuhyn would be a good husband and certainly a good father.

But to Arin, Yuhyn was just that. A kind oppa, nothing more, nothing less.

Arin’s heart didn’t hurt at all thinking of Yuhyn with another woman. In fact, she felt nothing when she met Yuhyn’s ex-girlfriend by chance due to work.

The chances of Seo Yuhyn becoming a man to Choi Arin were close to zero.

‘How can I make oppa give up his feelings? We work together, so it can’t be awkward…’

Yuhyn and she were business partners. No one spent more time with Arin than Yuhyn.

That’s why Arin found it even more difficult to find a way to discourage Yuhyn’s feelings.

“What are you thinking about?”

Yuhyn broke Arin’s train of thought.

“Oh? Ah, no. Just thinking about the shoot earlier.”

“You did well. Arin looked the prettiest.”

“……Ah.”

Arin, once again faced with Yuhyn’s affection, changed the topic.

“Let’s go to the meeting together.”

“I can go alone.”

At Arin’s words, Yuhyn, who had been smiling, suddenly looked serious.

“We should go since it’s not in Jeju but in Seoul. Mr. Min, the executive, will be there too, right?”

“…….”

“We should at least go to say thank you since we won’t see him again.”

“……Arin.”

“Oppa.”

Min Hayeon was the elder sister of Min Yujin, who was known to be the remarriage partner of Arin’s ex-husband Jaehyuk, and also Yuhyn’s girlfriend during his studies in France.

Yuhyn disliked the idea of Arin being reminded of Jaehyuk when seeing Hayeon.

Yuhyn and Hayeon met in France and dreamed of becoming patissiers together. On a day close to graduation, Hayeon suddenly broke up with him and left for Korea, abruptly ending their relationship.

At the time he met Hayeon, Yuhyn was unaware that she was the eldest daughter of the chairman of the renowned LW Group in South Korea, a major player in the food and dessert industry.

Yuhyn was oblivious to Korean affairs due to his long stay in France, and Hayeon was very modest and simple.

The reunion with Hayeon happened half a year ago.

For the past two years, LW Group had been proposing a limited-time collaboration. The idea of a large corporation reaching out first to a small, somewhat famous store on SNS was suspicious.

Moreover, even if it was sincere, neither Arin nor Yuhyn were eager to join hands with a large corporation, so they declined the offer.
“But even after being rejected, they kept contacting us. I really wondered why.”

But then, the team leader in charge of the project at LW Group came to Jeju Island, and eventually, Arin and Yuhyn accepted their proposal.

Despite doubts about why they kept proposing a collaboration with a small shop in Jeju Island, the team leader gave a formal response, saying they just ‘wanted to introduce delicious desserts to more people.’ However, Yuhyn found out the reason at the first meeting, which he attended with a lot of suspicion.

“[Yuhyn… it’s been a long time… Have you been well?]”

The real person actively proposing the collaboration was Hayeon.

Hayeon had only come to the forefront this year, and Yuhyn hadn’t known she was with LW Group.

If he had known, Yuhyn would have regretted accepting the proposal, realizing that Hayeon still had lingering feelings and regrets for him.

Yuhyn had imagined reuniting with Hayeon, who left without a word.

What would he feel if he met Hayeon again?

Would he be swayed again by her, who he loved desperately but who also gave him an indelible scar?

But when Yuhyn actually faced Hayeon, he felt nothing.

Surprisingly, he was completely unaffected by the woman he had once loved and hated so deeply.

Yuhyn realized that the place in his heart for Hayeon, whom he had loved madly, was now gone.

There were no remnants of romantic memories. Instead, Yuhyn realized that his attention was entirely on Arin, who was standing beside him, watching Hayeon.

‘I must love Arin much more than I thought.’