To appear that way to others, hoping Eunsu would come to think the same, Juhan tried to deceive even himself.

To become numb to the fact that they were each other’s exes, as much as possible.

Since their relationship had once been shattered, every moment of rebuilding it was filled with tension.

A single wrong word, one action, any small piece – if misplaced, it felt like a tower of stones that could collapse at any moment.

In the end, they did manage to appear as they wanted to everyone, which was fortunate, but Juhan’s mood kept sinking.

‘We were better off as friends.’

Eunsu’s voice and expression from the day they broke up still vividly lingered in his mind.

‘If we had remained friends, I could have comforted you more.’

Even the words she spoke over the phone after they met again at his father’s funeral, which Eunsu didn’t remember because she was drunk, Juhan did.

Kiwoo, who had been silently observing Juhan, changed the subject.

“So, how’s the shop doing?”

“It’s not bad atmospherically. But…”

Juhan checked that Somin had gone further into the warehouse before adding,

“Honestly, there’s no profit. The expenses seem to outweigh.”

“You sound like you’re pouring water into a bottomless pit. What are you, Cinderella?”

“No, not Cinderella. More like a toad, covering the holes with its body.”

“Man…”

Kiwoo grimaced.

“I’ve been in the toad’s shoes a few times, and let me tell you, it’s hard to keep that up for long.”

Kiwoo had his fair share of failed ventures since his college days, when everyone else was job hunting. Only after two major failures did his film promotion company start from a rundown office and grow to own a building.

Kiwoo looked serious for a change.

“But the funny thing is, from what I see and hear, and even compared to others, there seems to be no reason why your shop shouldn’t be doing well. You know this better than I do.”

Considering Juhan’s background in business management and consulting in the U.S., Kiwoo made that remark. Juhan just shrugged.

“In my opinion, the only thing lacking here is promotion. In that sense, why don’t you try getting on TV?”

Juhan stiffened. Given Kiwoo’s vast network and knowledge, he wondered if Kiwoo already knew about Solhee’s offer to appear on TV.

But Kiwoo’s next words seemed unrelated.

“Why hold back your natural good looks? If I looked like you, I’d be flaunting my face everywhere. You’ve gotten even bigger since you started moving furniture…”

Juhan quietly breathed, staring at Kiwoo. Kiwoo, satisfied with his reaction, said,

“Yeah, just like that… Hey, don’t stare at me like that. Why are you seducing me?”

“I’m not. Don’t fall for it.”

“You’re such a tease.”

Seemingly aggrieved though he was the one who started it, Kiwoo clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, a bit of SNS or something would quickly get the word out. Or aim big from the start. How about appearing on a regular dating show or casually appearing as a celebrity friend? There are many ways. Want me to look into it?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“I know a lot of people in broadcasting.”

“I said no.”

As Juhan firmly declined, Kiwoo rolled his eyes but added,

“Anyway, if you need help, just say so. Don’t suffer alone.”

“Like today, just introducing good customers like you did is already a big help. Thanks.”

Juhan smiled faintly.

Whether he becomes Cinderella or a toad, he could still manage for now.

So, there was no need to cross the precarious line he was maintaining.

Absolutely not.

Even if it’s just pretend.

[Zokbangi] Eunsu’s expression turned serious when she received a sudden text from Solhee after a few days. She furrowed her brow in thought, pondering whether it was an insult or a challenge, then received another message.

[I’m coming to your place today for ‘jokbangi’ and soju. You should come too.]

Ah, she meant jokbal (pig’s feet) and golbaengi (whelk).

The misunderstanding was cleared, but Eunsu still found it ridiculous. The unilateral decision on the date, location, type of alcohol, and menu was unparalleled.

“Look at her, totally lacking in tact. Is she on the brink of extinction or what?”

Muttering to herself, Eunsu’s fingers nonetheless quickly typed a response.

[Thanks for the invite. I’ll definitely come.]

A few hours later, when she entered her home, the delicious smell hit her nose.

“Oh, you’re here.”

Solhee, who was opening a food bag that seemed to have just been delivered on the dining table, glanced back and greeted her. She had casually put on Eunsu’s pajamas.

“Hey… For a moment, I thought I time-traveled back to our college days. I thought this was our shared room, not my house.”

“The memories, right? I’m planning to stay over tonight.”

Eunsu shook her head in disbelief.

“Don’t you have work tomorrow? How can you plan to drink all night on a weekday?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m basically a slave to the broadcasting station with a 7-day workweek. Since I don’t have weekends, drinking on Friday or Monday makes no difference to me.”

“But it does to me, to me.”