A man wearing a luxury black suit worth hundreds sits elegantly with his legs crossed.

The common sight of him holding a coffee cup was like a pictorial, and the gazes of passing women were constantly directed towards him.

Sun Woo did not notice any of those gazes. He was used to it and indifferent, and he was also lost in his own thoughts, staring blankly out the window.

One week ago.

The number the woman had given him to repay his kindness turned out to be a fake number.

“Really, I can’t believe this.”

To repay his kindness?

And then give a fake number and run away?

The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable and infuriating it was. He roughly put down the cup that had almost reached his lips back on the saucer.

Just when he thought things would finally progress a bit, he was back to square one.

He didn’t know her name or number.

How was he supposed to find a woman on the run?

He had asked her to save the number, but in the name field was just “Thank you” and the phone number was fake.

Right, it’s my fault for not checking.

Pressing his forehead, Sun Woo was ruminating on that day’s events when his blind date arrived.

It was a slightly more efficient method than frantically searching for that woman.

Sun Woo stood up tall to greet her warmly. He forced his lips into a smile, trying his best to put on a bright expression.

Please let this be the last one.

“I’m Yoon Sun Woo.”

Please let my destined woman appear.

“I’m Han Ye Ri.”

Ye Ri shyly responded to Sun Woo’s extended handshake. For a moment, Sun Woo’s brow furrowed slightly, but Ye Ri didn’t notice.

He had hoped, but as expected.

Maybe a woman whose touch wouldn’t affect him would appear like fate. This was the twenty-fifth time waiting for that.

This blind date would soon be ruined too.

“Um, excuse me to the restroom for a moment.”

Sun Woo’s smile froze coldly as he turned away. A deep sigh escaped through his clenched teeth, cutting through the still air.

[This is the timeline separator]

Sun Woo’s expression was serious as he stood in front of the elevator, having thoroughly ruined the blind date.

Even when the elevator doors opened, Sun Woo was lost in thought, rubbing his chin, and didn’t seem to realize the doors had opened, failing to board the elevator.

The doors closed without picking up any passengers.

How should I search to make it known that I’ve found her well?

Tapping the toe of his shoe on the marble floor, as if trying to recall something.

Just as he was feeling at a loss, Sun Woo’s shoe stopped moving.

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

Suddenly he remembered the loan sharks who had caused a commotion in the bathroom.

Sun Woo took out his phone from his jacket pocket and made a call.

“This is Yoon Sun Woo. About the men who caused a disturbance in the bathroom a week ago. Did they leave any contact information?”

[Yes, Professor. There should be. I’ll look it up and contact you right away.]

Sun Woo quickly hung up and pressed the down button two or three times rapidly.

He’d have to go to the hospital directly.

Just as he was about to step out of the elevator. A woman came into view in front of the doors, and he quickly shoved his hands into his pockets lest they accidentally touch.

As he was about to sidestep the woman he had briefly made eye contact with, she suddenly turned and greeted him familiarly.

“Yoon Sun Woo!”

She almost grabbed his sleeve out of habit, but barely managed to clench her hand that had reached out into empty air.

Sun Woo turned around and looked at the woman quizzically.

“Joo Hye Ji?”

“Ah, you had afternoon appointments today, right?”

“Yeah.”

Sun Woo finally looked Hye Ji up and down.

She wore a flowy mint chiffon dress with long wavy hair cascading down, and her bright face that seemed to have taken a long time to prepare suddenly felt unfamiliar.

I almost didn’t recognize you, no, I didn’t recognize you.

Sun Woo started walking towards the parking lot again and greeted Hye Ji.

“I’m going. See you at the hospital.”

As Sun Woo turned away, Hye Ji hurriedly called out to stop him.

“Yoon Sun Woo, are you busy?”

“Why?”

“Want to grab a cup of coffee?”

[This is the timeline separator]

The two sat facing each other in the bustling cafe.

Hye Ji grasped the teacup filled with blue herbal tea with both hands and took a sip. The fragrant herb aroma filled her mouth.

After staring intently at Sun Woo, who was absentmindedly looking out the window across from her, Hye Ji spoke first.

“Isn’t the name of this herbal tea pretty?”

“Midnight Blue?”

“Yeah. It’s so fragrant, how should I put it.”

“It’s the only herbal tea the owner here blends himself, but it was discontinued for a while because he was away. Once you drink it, you can’t drink herbal tea from other cafes.”

Sun Woo slightly raised the corner of his mouth and took a sip of tea, as if savoring the aroma.

“Did you go on another blind date?”

“Yeah. Ruined it spectacularly.”

Why do I feel like smiling when he says he ruined it?

Hye Ji tried to hide her expression that almost broke into a smile by forcibly drinking the hot tea.

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“A woman I can touch.”

“Pfft.”

At his unexpected words, Hye Ji barely managed to cover her mouth with her palm to prevent the tea she had just sipped from spraying out.

“Ah, sorry.”

If it had spilled, he would have chased her out already.

“Could it be that your… preferences are a bit unique? Like, too much for an ordinary person to handle?”

“You’ve known me for 10 years and…”

“Should I know that just from knowing you for 10 years? And it’s been 13 years.”

Sun Woo looked at Hye Ji, whose face had turned inexplicably red, then reached into his pocket and squeezed a generous amount of hand sanitizer.

“You know my chronic condition.”

He raised his eyebrows as he rubbed his palms together.

“Ah. That.”

“Yeah, that.”

For a moment, she had forgotten. That he extremely dislikes other people’s hands touching him.

Even normally, he wore gloves or kept his hands in his pockets to avoid contact.

To others who didn’t know Sun Woo’s circumstances, it might seem like a man with looks, wealth, and even skill as a doctor was being arrogant.

Hye Ji looked down at her own hands touching the teacup. Suddenly feeling her hands were dirty, she clenched them tightly.

It wasn’t just others’ hands he couldn’t touch, but his own as well. Hye Ji’s gaze shifted again to his long, well-formed fingers.

So he’s looking for a woman who can touch those hands? Could that be me?

“How are you going to get married like that?”

“I’m trying to make an effort at least.”

“Can that be achieved just by effort?”

“Why not?”

As Sun Woo drank his tea without answering, Hye Ji brushed up her bangs as if frustrated and asked directly.

“What’s your reason for wanting to get married so badly?”

“The hospital.”

Seeing Hye Ji’s enthusiasm deflate instantly when she had been fired up to lecture him just moments ago, Sun Woo’s mouth inexplicably tasted bitter.

“Ah… The chairman made an ultimatum, huh.”

Right, even you think my situation is pretty pathetic, don’t you?

Unable to retort, Sun Woo hid his bitter expression and drank the herbal tea.

“You could make a clause about skinship.”

“This was the twenty-fifth blind date I’ve ruined as of today. You think I haven’t tried that?”

“They refused?”

“Have you ever seen me curse with my eyes?”

Hye Ji couldn’t hold back her laughter at Sun Woo’s words. After laughing for a while, she wiped away the tears that had leaked out with her index finger and continued.

“I guess… But the chairman knows too, right? That you can’t do skinship with bare hands.”

“I’m doing well as a doctor, and that’s not even an excuse in front of grandfather.”

“It’s not like you’ll live your married life wearing gloves…”

Sun Woo leaned back in his chair with a bitter smile at Hye Ji’s words.

“You know how sharp my grandfather’s eyes are. In his eyes, we need to look like a real couple. I may not be able to be an affectionate husband, but I want to at least try to make an effort.”

If he had to get married anyway, he wanted to do it as similarly as possible to others, even if he couldn’t do it as well. For that, he hoped to find a woman whose hand he could at least hold.

Is that too greedy?

With that woman, all of this might be possible.

Sun Woo’s brow furrowed, perhaps because of the woman who had been on his mind all day.

Hye Ji’s eyes widened as she listened quietly to his words.

“Are you saying you want to become a real couple?”

“It’s true that I’m rushing into marriage because of the hospital, but that doesn’t mean I want to just put on a show…”

Sun Woo trailed off, fiddling with his earlobe. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he casually tossed a question at Hye Ji.

“By the way, weren’t you going up?”

“Yeah. Ruined it spectacularly.”

“A blind date?”

Hye Ji raised her eyebrows in affirmation as she drank her tea without answering.

“So that’s why you’re dressed up.”

“Why, what’s wrong with how I’m dressed? Were you surprised by how pretty I look?”

Sun Woo, holding his teacup, looked Hye Ji up and down.

“Give me an objective opinion?”

“You want to see me curse with my eyes again?”

“You and me both.”

A smile spread across Sun Woo’s face, which had been expressionless until now.

Hye Ji stared at Sun Woo like that for a moment, chewing on her lips as if she wanted to say something.

Then she blurted out impulsively.

“Sun Woo, want to marry me for that marriage?”

With perfect timing, Sun Woo’s phone rang, overlapping with Hye Ji’s words.

As if it was a call he had been waiting for, Sun Woo held up his palm to Hye Ji’s face, saying “Just a moment.”

“Did you find it? Ah, no. I’ll go to the hospital now. Yes. I’ll see you later.”

Since it was a somewhat impulsive statement, Hye Ji was actually a bit anxious about what if he had heard.

Sun Woo asked as he indifferently shoved his phone into his suit jacket pocket.

“What did you say earlier?”

Judging by how casually he was acting, it seemed he hadn’t heard what she had said just now. Should she consider this fortunate?

“It’s nothing.”

He grabbed his wallet and car keys from the table without hesitation and stood up.

“Dr. Joo. I have to go. I’m heading to the hospital, I can give you a ride if you’re going the same way.”

When Hye Ji shook her head, Sun Woo nodded in understanding.

As Hye Ji watched his back as he turned away without lingering, she swallowed the herbal tea that tasted even more bitter today.

“Jerk, you could have asked one more time.”

[This is the timeline separator]

He entered the professor’s office holding the business card he had received on the way up.

He lay down lengthwise on the sofa, staring intently at the paper with the contact information.

“What should I ask?”

What’s that woman’s name? Do you know her contact information?

Or, do you know where she lives?

If they ask why I need it, what should I answer?

His mind became chaotic with the endless question marks popping up.

“As if they’d tell me.”

After making those kids like that, it would be fortunate just to avoid retaliation.

As he was lost in thought for a moment, rubbing his head, a knock on the door interrupted his idle musings.

Sun Woo raised his reclined body, pressing firmly on his brow bone.

“Yes.”

“Professor, you were here? You weren’t answering your phone, so I came to leave a memo.”

“I just came in a little while ago. Come in.”

His voice was laden with fatigue.

As Sun Woo gave permission, the head nurse opened the door and entered.

“A woman called, and she insisted that I relay the message to you.”

“Who was it?”

“She said her name was Ji Eun Jae.”

Sun Woo let out a small sigh.

“I don’t know anyone by that name.”

“I see. I’ll let her know that.”

The head nurse smiled and turned away.

As the door closed, Sun Woo leaned back on the sofa, mulling over the somehow familiar name two or three times in his head.

Ji Eun Jae? Where have I heard that name before?

Is it a patient’s name?

Ji Eun Jae, Ji Eun Jae.

Sun Woo’s body, which had been lounging on the sofa, suddenly sprang up like a live fish.

“Ji Eun Jae?”

Sun Woo, who had instantly opened the professor’s office door and gone out, shouted towards the head nurse who hadn’t gone far.

“Head nurse, wait a moment! What did you say the name was?”