This must be why contracts are written when making agreements. Who knew it would take 5 minutes to go from the front door to the first floor lobby by elevator?

As seen in the video, Soo Young bent her arm for Woo Jin to hold. Visual impairment support workers say that visually impaired people feel more secure when the supporter bends their arm for them to hold.

However, Woo Jin either didn’t hear her or ignored her, and suddenly put his arm around her shoulders. This wasn’t a pose of accepting her guidance, but rather that of a man embracing a woman on a date.

Her heart, which had been pounding just imagining linking arms since yesterday, went wild as soon as she was in his arms.

She was supposed to be playing the role of a support worker guiding a visually impaired person, but how could she do that with her heart racing like this?

Even if it was for employee welfare, this was too burdensome. To hide her pounding heart, Soo Young deliberately twisted her body in his embrace and said,

“This makes it hard for me to walk. Take my arm instead.”

“I feel more comfortable holding you like this. Since you wanted to go out, you should let me do it my way.”

When Woo Jin spoke stubbornly, Soo Young frowned and muttered,

“Ah, this really does make it difficult to walk…”

Didn’t this man dislike physical contact? Is this how he satisfies his desires? Huh?

Looking up at him, who seemed to have no intention of letting go, Soo Young took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

However, thinking that this might be his first time holding someone to go outside, she assumed he didn’t know better and opened the front door.

Woo Jin, holding Soo Young and catching his breath, felt like his body was falling as soon as he took a step after hearing the door lock open.

He gradually tightened his arm around Soo Young’s shoulders, and his already slow pace became even slower.

Going for a walk seemed like a huge task, let alone just getting to the elevator, but he didn’t want to show it in front of her.

Even while waiting for the elevator, he had been relatively calm, but as soon as they got in, Soo Young felt a moment of unease as she sensed his heartbeat becoming so intense it transmitted to her body.

Is he having a panic attack or something? Am I going to have to catch him today?

Not fully understanding his situation and wondering if she, as a non-professional, had pushed too hard, Soo Young swallowed hard. Her heart also started racing, though for a different kind of tension than Woo Jin’s.

As soon as the elevator arrived at the first floor, his phone alarm went off, and Woo Jin fumbled to press the 10th floor button again before even stepping into the lobby.

As the elevator doors that had opened closed again, Soo Young felt more relieved than disappointed.

When they re-entered the house, exactly 8 minutes had passed. Woo Jin only let go of Soo Young when they entered the living room, then went straight to his room.

While it didn’t seem like much of a walk, Soo Young also sat down on the sofa and took a deep breath to calm her tense body. She had thought it wouldn’t be a big deal after just watching YouTube, but it wasn’t so simple.

This 5-minute walk, can we keep doing it? Have I dug my own grave? Her thoughts multiplied.

Meanwhile, Woo Jin had gone into his room and was catching his breath under his desk, the place he felt safest in the world. He wanted to get his nebulizer but couldn’t.

His decision to take a 5-minute walk with Soo Young had been purely impulsive. He had been upset when Na Eun said he was exactly the same as before.

He had become independent, was working as a writer, and earning money from royalties. To get this far, he had learned unfamiliar Braille, mastered typing, and typed until his wrists were numb.

His pride was hurt when Na Eun dismissed all these efforts with a single comment about not trying to go outside or accept help from a support worker.

Honestly, he had learned Braille out of pride when she implied he would live as an illiterate child for life.

They had fought a lot and hurt each other deeply, but it was always Na Eun who provided the impetus for him to challenge himself.

But when he actually went out with Soo Young, it felt different from when he had moved into this house.

He was terrified of unknown things touching him. The feeling of standing in an unseen black world was like standing on the edge of a cliff with nowhere to step.

Suddenly, he thought that he might have gripped Soo Young’s arm too tightly and hurt her. But she hadn’t complained at all. What was she thinking?

Did she think he was a coward?

After resting on the sofa for a while, Soo Young suddenly felt hungry and went to the kitchen to open the refrigerator. She finely chopped the rice, meat, and vegetables from the lunch box and made fried rice in a frying pan.

This amazing creativity. Being with Woo Jin seemed to be gradually upgrading her life skills.

Moreover, since the food in the lunch box was all homemade, it smelled good and tasted decent. Now if only Woo Jin would come out. He had seemed distressed earlier, so she wondered if he would actually come out.

After pacing back and forth in front of his door five or six times, she suddenly turned her attention to the piano. Should I try playing it? He might be drawn out by the soft piano sound. Or he might come out angry, saying it’s noisy…

She carefully sat in front of the piano, but didn’t have any pieces memorized. What could I play? Something to show off my skills…

Woo Jin, who had been hiding his face under the desk for a while, raised his head at the strange music sound that touched his eardrums. It seemed familiar, but were those really the right notes?

Soo Young, who had been swaying and immersed in “Silent Night, Holy Night” for a while, opened her eyes wide at the loud sound. Woo Jin had simultaneously pressed several low keys with his large hand.

“If you don’t know the notes, don’t play.”

“Huh? I do know the notes.”

“Is this what you call knowing?”

“Don’t you know what song this is? It’s Silent Night, Holy Night. It’s a famous song.”

“That’s exactly it. Why are you playing this famous song so strangely? If someone else heard it, they’d think you composed it.”

“Tch. Always exaggerating. If I had composed this, I would have gone to music school.”

When Soo Young grumbled, Woo Jin made an incredulous expression. What does this woman think of the standards of music schools in our country?

“Let’s eat. I made fried rice.”

She said, carefully closing the piano cover. However, Woo Jin turned towards his room and said,

“Not interested.”

“You’re making me eat alone again? Do you know my arms are shaking after holding you and going out earlier? And with these arms, I even cooked like a chef. Wow, what character.”

When she mentioned his character, Woo Jin’s neat eyebrows twisted like seagulls.

“You… you… that mouth of yours…!”

Woo Jin raised his hand as if wanting to pinch her mouth with his fingers, but soon gave up with a resigned look.

You live like this? Holding back what you want to say?

“If you don’t want to eat, at least sit in front of me. While I eat. I don’t like eating alone.”

She didn’t usually dislike eating alone. She always ate alone at the library. But maybe because she had told Woo Jin so many times that she disliked eating alone, she gradually started to dislike it.

They say words govern actions.

Woo Jin shook his head and followed her into the kitchen. Realizing that she had been stressed too, not just him, he strangely felt calmer.

The thought that just sitting across from her and eating together could give her strength somewhat restored his fallen self-esteem.

After eating and roughly cleaning up the house, Soo Young took out a notebook and pen from her bag. Then she deliberately walked heavily in front of Woo Jin’s door.

Even she didn’t understand why she always struggled to make her presence known instead of simply knocking, which would be easier.

She just felt that Woo Jin seemed to feel most secure when he was in his room, and she was afraid that knocking too often might destroy his sanctuary.

Whether he knew of her consideration or not, he soon opened the door abruptly and asked with a tired expression,

“What?”

“Let’s write a contract.”

“What kind of contract?”

“A long-term employment contract.”

“Write it with Lee Ji Hyun. I don’t know about that.”

As he was about to go back in, Soo Young lightly grabbed his arm and quickly let go, saying,

“No, we need to discuss and write this between us.”

“Why?”

“I think we need to clarify the concept of that 5-minute walk.”

“Why?”

“Well, honestly, how is just going down and up in the elevator a walk? A walk should typically involve going around outside…”

“It was my first time in the elevator in 7 years.”

He said dryly.

“What?”

“It’s the first time I’ve ridden it in my right mind since moving here.”

Though she didn’t understand what he meant by “right mind,” Soo Young asked in a surprised voice at the word “first.”

“Really, you hadn’t ridden it even once until now?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t that he had never ridden it. He must have, going to the hospital. But he always moved in a sleeping state, so he didn’t remember.

Suddenly, without warning, she grabbed Woo Jin’s hand and shook it up and down. Though he thought he should pull away, he remained still, captured by her warm temperature.

“Wow, wow! You did well, Woo Jin! Really well done!”

Woo Jin stuttered at the sudden praise.

“W-what did I do well?”

“You rode the elevator today after not being able to for so long! How brave of you!”

Brave? For riding the elevator after 7 years? Not a coward?

Woo Jin lowered his head towards her with his amber eyes wide open.

“Well done, well done. Our Woo Jin is really amazing.”

Soo Young repeatedly praised him, fiddling with his hand before coming to her senses and letting go. Then she said in a serious tone,

“But it’s a bit much to call that a walk, so I’d like to clarify the concept of our walk in the contract. We should also set a period for how long we’ll do this long-term contract.”

“How long do you want to do it?”

“Pardon?”

“How long do you want to stay? By my side.”

Soo Young was momentarily taken aback by his expression. Not how long do you want to work, but how long do you want to stay by his side?

When Soo Young fell silent, Woo Jin suddenly stepped back and opened his door wide.

“Come in and tell me. I’m a bit tired.”

“What?”

Although she had been in his room before, this was the first time she had been formally invited, so Soo Young couldn’t move a step from where she stood.

Regardless, Woo Jin turned indifferently and went into the room, sitting down at the desk chair. Watching him familiarly turn on the nebulizer and put it to his mouth, Soo Young carefully stepped into the room.

The whooshing sound echoed through the large, dark room. Soo Young hesitantly approached the desk and asked,

“Are you in pain?”

“No.”

He answered with his eyes closed, leaning back in the chair. His voice sounded muffled through the respirator.

“Then why are you doing that?”

“Just because.”

“Just because? Does it feel good?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you get very stressed from going outside?”

Soo Young asked, glancing at him cautiously.

“Yeah.”

“Did I set too unreasonable a condition?”

“Yeah.”

“Should we cancel it?”

“If you want.”

When she hesitated for a moment, Woo Jin inhaled the powder a few more times, then put down the nebulizer and said. His amber eyes sparkled even in the dim room.

Soo Young thought his eyes looked just like a fairy’s eyes.

“Do you want to cancel?”

At the fairy-like probing question, Soo Young wavered for a moment. But her cool reason screamed that she shouldn’t cancel. How could she break down the courage he had mustered? He couldn’t keep staying only inside the house, could he?

“I don’t want to.”

“Why do you want to go out with me so badly? You said Ji Hyun didn’t ask you to.”

“Just… I thought you might feel stuffy staying only at home…”

“I don’t feel stuffy.”

“Even dogs get depressed if they stay at home all the time, you know? Haven’t you seen that dog training show? They say you must take them for a walk once a day.”

“Am I a dog?”

The fairy-like eyes suddenly changed to those of a tiger. Soo Young flinched at the fierce gaze and mumbled,

“No, I mean, if even dogs are like that, what about humans? I don’t know for sure, but you might have a possibility of depression?”

She thought he was 100% depressed, but saying “You’re depressed” outright seemed rude, so she added the word “possibility.” Sure enough,

“I used to have it, but I’ve gotten much better.”

As expected, Soo Young said in a serious voice,

“I see. In exchange for you taking a 5-minute walk, I’ll do one thing you want me to do. During the long-term contract period. What do you want?”

As she spoke, Soo Young recalled lines often found in web novels, like “Your body.” What if this man wanted something like that too? Then I would…

As the thought that she should buy some new underwear crossed her mind, Soo Young unknowingly let out a silent sigh. Crazy, Kim Soo Young is crazy.

“Every night…”

As Woo Jin slowly opened his mouth, Soo Young’s eyes widened like saucers. No way… Really? Really? My… body? My body?

“Read me a book. Like that time.”

At Woo Jin’s words, Soo Young stared at him blankly for a while. The silent woman carefully opened her mouth.

“…Lying next to you?”

“What are you saying? Over the phone!”

When Woo Jin shouted in disgust, Soo Young stammered with a bright red face.

“T-that’s what I meant! Me lying down while on the phone!”

“You can lie down or not, that’s up to you!”

Though he showed disgust, Woo Jin tensed up at her words to the point where the hair on his entire body stood on end. Just what was going on in this woman’s mind…!

How is it that she’s more dirty-minded than me, a man?