When she said she was leaving at 4 o’clock, I felt somewhat regretful. I only thought I was regretful, but the nonsensical words “Are you leaving?” flowed out of my mouth.

She must have thought it was strange… So I made an excuse about coffee. Since when did I drink coffee? I don’t even drink coffee because of insomnia…

I wondered if there was coffee at home, but fortunately, it seems Seol Ji Hyun had bought some for himself to drink. She even added ice cubes and served the coffee in front of him.

If Seol Ji Hyun saw me sitting here like this with her, having coffee in front of me, he would probably tease me for the rest of my life.

She says she wants to become a writer. It was unexpected. Does she write well? But listening to what she said after, it seems like being a writer is just an excuse and she’s just aimless. She said she was an academy instructor, but that’s not very credible either…

She seems scattered herself, how can she teach others?

And then she tells me to pose in front of the mirror in my room. Never mind the mirror, but what’s with the posing?

There was a brief slurping sound, then she cleared her throat and continued speaking.

“Then, do you just feel your movements by feel?”

I have no idea what she’s talking about. What movements?

“What movements are you doing in the room?”

At Woo Jin’s cold words, Soo Young slightly turned her head and raised the corners of her eyes.

“Cool movements. Even if you can’t see, shouldn’t it look cool?”

“Why?”

“So the photos turn out well.”

“Photos?”

When was the last time I took photos, Woo Jin sighed lightly and tried to wrap up the conversation that was going in circles like a hamster wheel.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Aren’t you a model? Just looking at you, tall and skinny and not eating much, you seem like a model…”

At the unexpected words, Woo Jin fixed his gaze on her. What on earth is this woman saying to a man who can’t even see…

“…Are you making fun of me?”

Seeing his eyes turn cold, Soo Young quickly changed her expression. She wasn’t making fun of him.

“Aren’t you a model?”

“How could I be a model? I don’t even know where the camera is.”

“This person doesn’t know anything. Models don’t actually look at the camera. They just look into space, look at the product, strike cool poses as they like, and the director just shoots. Standing straight and looking at the camera is what ordinary people do.”

“…You’re noisy. Just go.”

As Woo Jin got up from his seat, Soo Young grumbled.

“Tch, look at him getting up quickly after finishing his drink. I’m not even halfway done…”

At that, he hesitated as he was getting up.

“What were you doing that you still haven’t finished? While I finished mine?”

“Tea time is supposed to be about savoring the tea as you drink it. Not gulping it down like Seol Woo Jin is drinking rice water. Tea time isn’t for drinking tea, it’s for chatting.”

At the continued chattering, Woo Jin couldn’t fully stand up, nor could he sit back down. He stood awkwardly with his tall frame slightly bent.

Finding that pose somewhat cute, Soo Young smiled and deliberately pushed her chair back with a scraping sound as she stood up.

“It’s late, so I’ll get going. Go inside and get to work.”

Ha… Listening to the impertinent woman’s voice until the end, Woo Jin’s expression became exasperated.

Gatherings with college friends were always enjoyable. Among the four, two were teachers, one was a full-time housewife, and one was unemployed. Of course, the unemployed one was Soo Young.

So Ra, who had married early to her high school sweetheart, always emphasized that she too was unemployed like Soo Young, but anyone could see that she was the most relaxed and happy-looking among the friends.

Even the friends who had insisted that women should achieve self-realization would fall into the delusion of wondering if marrying a man who earns well and becoming a full-time housewife might be an easier life when they saw her happy face.

“How’s the job search going?”

Mi Jin, one of the teacher friends, asked looking at Soo Young.

Though her home was in Seoul, she had taken the teacher certification exam in the slightly less competitive Incheon area to avoid the fierce competition in Seoul. As a result, her long commute had made her face look noticeably more haggard than before.

“I’m trying, but it’s not going well. Getting into a company is so hard. Honestly, I’m not even sure what kind of company would suit me.”

Soo Young said as she slurped her strawberry banana juice.

“If you can’t get a job, don’t waste time and just go to graduate school. Professor Shin Hyun Sook told you to come to grad school back then, remember?”

“Was that because she liked me, or because she needed someone to do the grunt work for her thesis?”

The friends silently nodded in agreement with Soo Young’s words.

“Oh right! Didn’t you say you were doing part-time work?”

So Ra recalled something they had talked about on the phone and asked with a curious expression. Soo Young nodded.

“Yeah.”

“What kind of part-time job?”

After a brief pause at Mi Jin’s question, Soo Young answered.

“Helper.”

“Helper? A household helper?”

Somehow it seemed a bit off for someone so young to already be doing household helper work, so Soo Young quickly made something up.

“It’s like a private tutor. Taking care of a kid who doesn’t listen…”

At that, the friends all nodded as if they understood.

“Oh, you’re tutoring? Do they call tutors helpers these days? Elementary? Middle school?”

At the teacher friend’s words, Soo Young replied with a gloomy expression.

“A repeat student?”

“Wow, then the pay must be really good? Are you teaching for the college entrance exam? The language section?”

“Just a bit of everything…”

She wanted to say character education but held back.

“That’s great. Hey, that’s better than getting some random job. One kid is manageable. Middle schoolers are really tough. One is fine, but when they’re in a group, they all go crazy together. It’s uncontrollable.”

As Mi Jin sighed, Ye Won, who worked at a high school in Seoul, said with a laugh.

“At least middle schoolers are cute in their own way. High schoolers act like they’ve lived their whole lives already. They keep telling me I don’t know about life. Isn’t that funny? Does the repeat student you’re teaching listen well? They should be a bit more mature since they’ve graduated high school, right?”

At Ye Won’s question, Soo Young shot back as if she had been waiting for it.

“Not mature at all. Getting him to eat just once is really…”

“What? You have to feed him too? Is there something wrong with his body?”

Flustered by the direct question, Soo Young stammered for a moment before quickly making something up.

“Huh? No, that’s not it. His dad sometimes asks me to eat with them, but the kid doesn’t want to eat.”

“He must be on a diet. Kids these days diet so much. I mean, he’s about to take the college entrance exam tomorrow or the day after, is this the time to worry about his figure? Shouldn’t he be focusing on studying? Instead of trying to raise his grade by even one level, he’s trying to lose even one more kilo, can you believe it.”

The friends seemed to naturally assume that the student Soo Young was teaching was a girl. She decided not to clarify that it was a boy, as that would require further explanation.

So Ra shook her head as if disagreeing with Ye Won’s dismissive words.

“But that’s not their fault, is it? It’s because the media keeps conveying the wrong information these days. Look at the idols on TV. They’re all abnormally thin. Seeing those kids all the time makes even average kids think they need to look like that too. Is that repeat student you’re teaching thin too?”

At So Ra’s words, Soo Young quickly agreed.

“He’s extremely slim.”

But that collarbone and chest… Remembering his chest that she had glimpsed through the V-neck, Soo Young’s face turned red. She suddenly had the thought that she wanted to touch it to see if it was as firm in reality as it looked.

Gah! I’m crazy! What… Am I really that starved?

“Oh right!”

So Ra suddenly clapped her hands and placed three shopping bags on the table.

“These are gifts.”

“What is it?”

Mi Jin asked as she opened a shopping bag and peered at the contents. Soo Young also pulled a bag towards herself and took out what was inside. It was a delicate light green plant.

“I thought of you guys and bought one for each. This is really cool. If you stroke it with your hand, it releases a fragrance.”

So Ra said with a bright smile. Thinking that the gift was just like her, the friends each gently stroked the plant in front of them. Sure enough, a fragrant scent wafted out.

“It’s true. How interesting.”

“Right? Doesn’t it seem like it’s expressing gratitude for being loved when you touch it?”

If you touch it, it gives off a fragrance… If you touch it…

Soo Young suddenly thought it would be nice to give this to that homeowner who strongly disliked both touching others and being touched by others. For character education.

Quietly taking off her shoes and changing into slippers, she carefully entered the kitchen first, trying not to make noise with the shopping bag.

As expected, a clean kitchen. This person must have skipped breakfast too. Does he oversleep like me? But if he hasn’t eaten anything until now, he must be really hungry…

Well, to maintain that figure… But didn’t he say his job wasn’t modeling? What did he say his job was? She couldn’t remember. It seemed like he might not have mentioned it.

Could it be, unemployed like me? But living in such a nice house? Even though we’re both unemployed, our situations are so different that she felt a bit jealous.

If that’s the case, there’s only one conclusion. He was born with a silver spoon.

Thinking that he might be from a wealthy family, she suddenly understood his bad temper and arrogance.

Born with a silver spoon, he probably never had to earn money, and if he was coddled by those around him because of his disability, it’s only natural that he grew up to be overbearing.

Just look at that person called the representative, putting up with all his temper. It would be stranger if he had manners. If he were my son, I’d just…!

As she was mentally hurling all sorts of insults, she stopped abruptly as she entered the living room. For some reason, he was lying asleep on the living room sofa.

She had thought the sofa was large to match the spacious living room, but with him lying on it, it somehow didn’t look as big.

‘Oh no, if he’s sleeping here like this, how am I supposed to clean? Should I start with the kitchen? Ah, the homeowner is not being helpful, not helpful at all,’ she thought, but her feet were moving towards him one step at a time.

Why are you going! Don’t go!

Experiencing the strange phenomenon of her head and feet acting separately, she approached the sofa and his handsome face came clearly into view. Even wearing that V-neck sweater from the other day…

Oh my, collarbone… chest… Did God hear my thoughts about wanting to touch it yesterday? Is this a blessing?

However, feeling that he would jump up and shout “What are you doing!” if even her fingertip brushed him, she decided to be satisfied with just looking.

Her eyes, scanning him slowly from head to toe, sparkled with a glossy sheen.

Is his brown hair dyed? But isn’t it strange that his eyebrows are brown too? Is it some kind of pigment deficiency?

Ah! Is he mixed-race?

I thought the exercise equipment was just for show, but it seems he does work out. That’s why his chest is like that. I wonder if his arms are muscular too. Looking at his hands, they seem like they might be smooth.

His hands are big, and his feet are huge too. They look like they could be twice the size of hers. Does he never go outside? It’s a shame those feet ended up with the wrong owner and can’t see the light of day.

It was a bit disappointing not being able to see those amber eyes since his eyes were closed. His lips look so glossy and pretty when closed, but they dry up everything around them when they open.

That’s right. Him sleeping like this is better for world peace too…

“Aren’t you going to work?”

“Ahhh!”

As a voice suddenly came from those glossy lips she had been admiring intently, Soo Young was so startled she stepped back, covering her mouth with both hands.

His thin eyelids slowly rose, revealing his large amber eyes that first looked at the ceiling before moving to her.

“Ah, why did you pretend to be asleep!”

Like a thief crying ‘stop thief’, Soo Young burst out, and Woo Jin calmly replied with his eyes fixed on her.

“Because you were looking.”

“What?”

“I stayed still for employee welfare since you were looking while panting.”

“N-no… When did I… huff… huff… pant… huh…”

Though she stammered, she wasn’t sure. Did she really pant? If she really did, there would be no greater embarrassment. So she quickly blamed him.

“Aren’t you too confident about your face?”

“Do you know what I hear most often when I meet relatives? ‘If only his eyes were fine with that face…’, ‘If only his eyes were fine with that height…’, ‘If only his eyes were fine with that brain…'”

As he rattled on about how great he was without moving an inch from where he lay, his face didn’t look particularly sad or pitiful.

But to Soo Young, it looked as if those amber eyes were shedding tears.

Is it an optical illusion because of the sunlight?

“But why are you sleeping here? Why not in your room?”

“It’s my house, I can sleep wherever I want.”

Honestly, it wasn’t a good idea. He had just come out to the sofa because he thought it was about time for her to arrive. In case she came to call him to his room again, which would be annoying.

But perhaps because he couldn’t sleep at night, he had dozed off. He had woken up slightly at the sound of the door lock opening, but he was curious about what she would do first when she entered the house, so he kept his ears perked up.

He thought she would either wake him up when she saw him sleeping, or go back to the kitchen, but the regular sound of breathing didn’t disappear from beside him.

Even without seeing with his eyes, he could tell she was looking down at him. But this woman, who he thought would just look for a moment, didn’t leave his side. Her breathing even seemed to become rougher…

What kind of improper thoughts is she having while looking at me!

Seeing her retreat in shock at his words asking if she wasn’t going to work, it seems his guess was right. Does this woman have no sense of shame?

It was clear she didn’t have a boyfriend. If she did and still acted this way, it would say a lot about her character. But, does she really have one? A boyfriend? Curiosity clashed with the thought of why it mattered.

Woo Jin’s eyebrows furrowed involuntarily at the strange thoughts that kept chasing each other.

For her part, Soo Young glared at him with eyes narrowed to slits at his remark about sleeping wherever he wanted since it was his house.

How could he speak so unpleasantly? This wasn’t because of his disability. It was innate. Soo Young pouted but spoke in a bright voice.

“Get up. I have something to show you.”

“I can’t see.”

“Just listen for a bit. Stop making such a fuss about not being able to see.”

Listening to the sound of her scurrying towards the kitchen, Woo Jin slowly sat up on the sofa.

When did I make a fuss, that…!

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of anticipation about what she wanted to show him.