“Then why? You liked this when you wrote it, didn’t you? You stopped in the middle, and then, because of the fan cafe uproar, you gathered your strength and continued writing. Don’t you remember?”

I don’t. I don’t remember!

Naeun closed her mouth at the sudden shouting. She could hear his heavy breathing through the phone.

His words made Naeun suddenly choked up.

It wasn’t just a simple book. It was the time and memories they had shared.

Because that time was precious, she took charge of the launch of the book, which was already out of print.

Why wouldn’t she want to be in charge of the launch of the new works that reminded her of herself?

had exploded in popularity at the time, but now, with the times changing and the generation changing, it was uncertain how well the work would sell.

But did this man not want to remember the time, the memories, or was it because he didn’t want to recall those moments with her? Why? Because she left? Because she didn’t contact him once?

“…Back then, you were struggling, and I was struggling too. That’s why we broke up. So now…”

We didn’t break up. You ran away from me. When I needed you the most…
Naeun’s heart thumped. She had often told herself in the United States,

“I didn’t run away. I broke up with Seol Woo-jin after a fight.”

“I struggled too! How did you treat me? Don’t you remember that?!”

As tears filled Naeun’s voice, Woo-jin responded with a deeper tone.

I remember. So stop forgetting me. Don’t think about uploading an old and boring book like , take charge of a new one. Foster new writers.

“I want to help you. To make you famous…”

I don’t want to be famous, and I’m already famous under a pen name. You don’t need to help. Don’t worry about me anymore. It’s over.

When the call ended abruptly, Naeun sat hesitantly in her chair, holding her knees with both arms.

Feeling like she might burst into tears if someone touched her, she bit her lower lip tightly and sat in front of the emergency exit stairs for a long time.

⭐⭐⭐

Arriving at Woo-jin’s house, Sooyoung subtly tensed at the familiar creaking and panting sounds she had heard before. Imagining tight back muscles, she clutched her phone, but the landlord, wearing a workout outfit from top to bottom, seemed uninterested in employee welfare as he ran on the treadmill.

As expected, a matter of life and death.

It hadn’t been long since he was discharged from the hospital, and she suddenly felt worried about him running like that. However, thinking he must be fit enough, she picked up her phone.

Plugging the lower phone speaker tightly so no sound would come out, as she was about to press the button, Woo-jin suddenly jumped off the treadmill, spreading his long legs on both sides and turning off the machine.

Just at that moment, the shutter clicked.

When her eyes, brighter than the shutter light, turned towards him, Sooyoung unknowingly hid her phone behind her back, stumbling.

“Again, running for life? Isn’t it tiring?”

“What did you do?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Did I capture it?”

“What? What are you saying? Aren’t you too confident? Why would I capture Seol Woo-jin…?”

Then, Woo-jin stepped down from the treadmill with his long legs and stood in front of her.

As their feet got close enough to touch, Sooyoung involuntarily leaned back from the imposing height his tall stature exuded.

“Why, why? What?”

“Delete it quickly.”

“I didn’t capture it!”

“Do I need to talk about Grandfather, the lawyer, again?”

Sooyoung swallowed hard and lifted her phone. Then, click!

“Hey!”

As Woo-jin tried to snatch her phone, his large hand brushed against her chest due to the wind from the missed grab.

“Eek! You pervert! Where are you touching!”

Sooyoung screamed, covering her chest. Woo-jin, startled, stepped back.

Where did I touch? It didn’t feel right. However, when viewed from a height…

Not to mention Woo-jin’s face, his entire neck seemed to have been scorched by fire.

“I didn’t touch it! It just brushed!”

“You touched it!”
In an attempt to hide the fact that she took a photo, Sooyoung raised her voice even more. Woojin, while spreading and closing his large hands, said, “This is touching, and I’m just…”

His gestures were too provocative, and Sooyoung gasped. This guy acts as if he can’t see me at all!

“W-What are you doing right now? What are you doing?”

Then, he quickly withdrew the hands he was fiddling with. Why am I doing this right now?

“Well, well, it’s not like that.”

“No, sexual offenders always say it wasn’t what they intended. Anyway, since Seol Woo-jin touched me, I’ll keep this photo. DEAL?”

“What did you take a picture of? What did you capture?”

“Oh, the focus wasn’t right, so it didn’t come out properly. Seol Woo-jin kept moving, so it’s all shaky. I can’t distinguish the eyes, nose, and mouth. I should just delete it.”

Sooyoung deliberately scratched the phone screen with her nails.

“Did you delete it?”

“Yes. I deleted it.”

“This… I’ll ask Seol Ji-hyun to confirm later!”