Due to Ji Woo’s coercion, Sori ended up coming to her own house with Ji Woo.

On the way, the porridge that manager Chan Seok bought was so plentiful that the two of them had to share it.

“I’m fine, Jiwoo. You should go home now.”
“I was going to sleep over here today?”
“What?”
“Do you not like it?”
Sori, a bit flustered while changing into her outdoor clothes, responded.

“I’m okay with it. But, aren’t you busy with your schedule lately, Jiwoo? Aren’t you tired?”
“What’s with that? It’s not like it’s a good thing. Are you trying to make me feel upset?”
“No, it’s just you’re busy and I’m a resident who could be called by the hospital at any time.”
“Not today. Seriously, don’t be like a brother or father always talking about the hospital, hospital.”
Jiwoo gave a sidelong glance and flopped onto Sori’s bed.

“It’s been a while since I entered your room.”
“Really?”
Sori’s room still had the strong scent of a student, feeling close to a study room. Compared to Jiwoo’s room, it was a shabby, ordinary room.

“I like it being the same as before. It reminds me of our childhood.”
“It’s too similar, though. Do you want some comfortable clothes? Your clothes look really uncomfortable.”
“Oh, give me some pajamas.”
“Here, is this okay?”
“You still wear these?”
It was a pair of pajamas with a teddy bear face all over a pink background. A tenyearold pair of pajamas.

“They’re fine. They’re clean.”
“Well, there are lots of pretty and bright pajamas, you know?”
“At home, anything is fine.”
That was the kind of girl Sori was.

She never carelessly threw anything away, and she didn’t rashly buy anything just because it was nice.

Once she gave her affection to someone, she gave them her heart for a long time.

“You are so consistent.”
Despite always nagging, Jiwoo liked this about Sori.

The entertainment industry, where the atmosphere changes every day, is a place overflowing with people whose complexions change overnight due to popularity.

That’s why Sori was such a good friend.

“Yoo Sori, but do you have any concerns?”
“Concerns?”
Sori blushed for a moment. She wondered if it was because of his quick perception or because of my awkward behaviour.

“You can tell me anything. Anything.”
Sori sat side by side with Jiwoo at the end of the bed. Today, for some reason, looking at Jiwoo’s face was more difficult than usual.

“Jiwoo, actually, I have something to tell you…….”
It was the moment she gathered the courage to turn and look at Jiwoo.

“Huh? This thing……”
“Huh?”
Following where Jiwoo was looking, it was a necklace around Sori’s neck.

Sori, who gasped and held her breath, clenched the ring hanging from the necklace.

“Where did you get this?”
“This?”
Jiwoo’s face hardened.

Sori, who had been sweating coldly for a moment, released the ring she had been holding.

“Why is this here? Jiwoo, is this yours by any chance?”
She asked in case Hyunwoo had given Jiwoo’s to her.

“No……. it’s my mother’s.”
Ah……

Even though Sori’s guess was roughly correct, she felt her heart sink for a moment.

“To be precise, mom gave one to both brother and me. Just before mom passed away.”
“I see…”
Why would you give something so precious to me?

“…Jiwoo, this is what happened.”
Would I lose my best friend because of this? Sori’s voice trembled with sudden anxiety.

Where should I start explaining this? Should I start from my hospital visit?

“Jiwoo, actually at the hospital…”
“When did this start?”
“Huh?”
“When did it start with my brother?”
“Oh, that… so, when was it…”
What should I say about when it started?

Flustered, Sori tried to rack her brains, but the answer didn’t come easily.

Lost in thought, Jiwoo hugged Sori, whose throat was dry from worry. Startled, Sori just blinked her eyes.

“Seo Hyun Woo wasn’t a complete idiot, after all.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Never mind, it’s okay. Even if you, Sori, don’t say anything, I know everything.”
What on earth is she talking about…?

Still startled, Sori swayed in Jiwoo’s arms, who was shaking her by her neck.

“I like it. I like it unconditionally.”
“But, Jiwoo.”
“Getting married to brother and you!”
Jiwoo seemed to confirm their marriage by looking at the necklace.

Sori wanted to tell Jiwoo about the secret behind this marriage, but seeing Jiwoo’s flushed face made her lose her words.

Fueled by her own imagination, an excited Jiwoo said,

“Do I have to call you my new sister now?”
“No. What do you mean by new sister?”
It seemed like anything she said now would fall on deaf ears.

Before she could even confess about the marriage, she was accepted.

Now that Jiwoo was so happy, Sori felt sorry to say it was a marriage with a time limit.

It wasn’t lying, it was just a temporary postponement… It could even turn out to be real.

With that thought, Sori decided to look forward to the next time.

Anyway, it seemed like she wouldn’t lose her best friend because of her marriage with him.

It was somewhat a relief that one of her worries seemed to be resolved.

The next morning.

Sori, who had turned off her phone due to Jiwoo’s excitement last night, suddenly opened her eyes in the early morning.

Jiwoo was sleeping next to her with a tired face. They seemed to have fallen asleep after chatting all night.

Sori cautiously got up and turned on her phone first. It seemed unusually slow until the logo appeared.

Several messages appeared in a row on the phone that had just been turned on.

[Nurse: Ms. Yu, patient Choi Min Wook has woken up!] [Nurse: I was going to not contact you on your day off, but he asked me to message you. Don’t worry and get some rest.]

The news of the patient waking up after a tracheotomy brought a spark of light into Sori’s eyes. She was immensely relieved, as the delay in consciousness recovery had been a real concern.

However, there was no communication from Hyun Woo.

No missed calls, no messages, nothing at all.

Rather than feeling neglected, she was worried. She wondered what he might think of her pathetic self.

It wasn’t a time for selfblame. Checking the time, it was 6 a.m.

Perhaps it was because of the unnecessary fluid replacement from the day before, she felt unusually light.

Leaving Ji Woo sleeping, Sori quickly got ready to go to work.

Just as she was leaving the apartment, her phone vibrated.

It was a message from Hyun Woo.

[Professor Seo Hyun Woo: You can come out in the afternoon after you recover your condition.]

Shouldn’t she have not checked?

A short vibration followed again.

[Professor Seo Hyun Woo: Come out in the afternoon. I’ll let the head of the department know.]

Ah, what should she do. She had already left the house.

Since the notification had disappeared, he would know that she checked it.

As she stood at the entrance of the apartment complex, hesitating, the phone suddenly rang.

[Professor Seo Hyun Woo]

It seemed like he had called because she had only checked the messages and didn’t respond. Sori had no choice but to answer the call.

“Hello?”
You slept with Ji Woo.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Send Ji Woo to school after breakfast and come out.
It seemed Ji Woo had woken up and informed him that she had left.

“Yes.”
Do you like your hospital job that much?
“….”
She couldn’t answer, feeling as if it was a sarcastic comment about her own patheticness.

Hopefully your mind doesn’t change, because you’re not used to it yet.
Whether it was a monologue or a threat.

He was someone whose dry voice could make Sori flinch.

Would he know that her heart fluttered even at that voice?

Why aren’t you answering?
“Yes. I will do my best in everything.”
Sori pressed the elevator button to go back up to her apartment.

His voice, so strikingly different from yesterday, made her heart ache.

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