Yuin, clueless about why her friend looked like that, briefly watched Ji-Han eating stubbornly before turning her gaze out the window.

She wanted to leave the stifling and stuffy atmosphere of the restaurant quickly.

Fortunately, her friends finished eating swiftly. After a brief discussion, the trio decided to leave the university area and entered a popular franchise café they seldom visited.

While Ji-Han was away getting coffee, Jaehee whispered.

“Are you going to talk about the director today?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Just so I can be prepared.”

“Prepared? For what?”

Before she could hear more, Jaehee leaned back and sat up straight as Ji-Han approached with a tray of coffee.

Throughout the meal and the walk to the café, Ji-Han had been quietly reserved. He now tossed a statement on the table as he sat down.

“Stop whispering and talk to me, Nam Yuin.”

It was bound to come. Although it might be a trivial matter, why was I so nervous?

“Um… Ji-Han.”

Yuin called him softly. His attentive brown eyes immediately focused on her.

Ji-Han seemed heavy and subdued today. That dark weight seemed to cross over to the other side of the table, pressing down heavily on Yuin’s heart.

Holding back the suffocating feeling in her chest, Yuin glanced at Jaehee.

Jaehee’s cat-like eyes closed and opened, signaling Yuin to just go ahead and say it.

“Well…”

The hesitant story that began was almost identical to what she had told Jaehee.

The first meeting, several coincidences, and the fact that they had gotten quite close.

After revealing everything, Ji-Han asked Yuin only one thing.

“Why… didn’t you tell me earlier?”

His face looked hurt and hollow.

“No, it’s my fault. I knew something was off with you. Even if you denied it, I should have kept asking. I should have… I’m such a fool. Why didn’t I ask… why?”

Unable to add more words to Ji-Han’s apparent shock, which was different from Jaehee’s calm acceptance, Yuin fell silent.

Whether his shock was due to the lie or the unfamiliar prospect of Yuin possibly starting a relationship, she couldn’t tell.

His murmurs just painfully poked at a corner of her heart.

The inexplicable pain lingered even after returning home and continued through her late-night call with Gyeon.

[Dash]You did well.

When Yuin shared that she had told everything to her friends, Gyeon’s response was a neat compliment of ‘well done.’

[Dash]The pretty one only does pretty things.

Yuin’s response to his words was to hang up quickly, her face burning hot. The heat spread from her ears to her cheeks, and she couldn’t shake off the lingering warmth, even after the call ended.
With the additional words that followed, Yuin felt goosebumps all the way to her scalp. “Ew,” Yuin groaned, and Gyeon chuckled softly on the other end of the phone.

Simultaneously, a bustle of noise came from the other side, causing Yuin, who had been shivering, to open her eyes wide.

“Shouldn’t you be hanging up? I think your friend said something.”

[Dash]Don’t mind him, he’s just talking nonsense because he’s drunk.

Then, another faint voice came through, not sounding drunk at all. Yuin’s head tilted as she lay in bed.

Gyeon, having a drink at a bar with a friend, had been on the phone with Yuin for over 10 minutes. Right next to his friend.

Feeling awkward about it, Yuin had tried to end the call several times, only to be persuaded each time to stay on. She had been interrogated about who she met today, what her lunch was, and what they talked about.

[Dash]Since you did well, I should give you a gift.

“What kind of gift? Then it’ll seem like I told you all this just to get a gift from you. It’s not like that.”

[Dash]Doesn’t matter. You can accept anything I give you.

Gyeon’s usually concise voice carried a rhythm, hinting he had drunk quite a bit.

Each time Yuin discovered this relaxed side of Gyeon, it reminded her of treasure hunting during school picnics.

Hard to find but rewarding and mysterious once discovered, like a gift.

[Dash]Yuin.

“Yes?”

Sometimes he’d call her ‘Yuin-ssi,’ and other times, ‘Yuin-ah,’ mixing it up as he pleased, which made Yuin chuckle.

[Dash]Did that friend not say anything else?

“Um…….”

The smile that had formed faded quickly.

Gyeon sometimes threw such inscrutable questions, and this was one of those moments.

Such questions were usually as inconsequential as the bottom crust of a pizza. When Yuin asked why he was curious, he’d respond with a nonchalant ‘just because.’

Pushing aside the pointless question, Yuin pondered whether to honestly reveal the lingering pain or to self-edit it.

“No, nothing special.”

[Dash]Really? Are you sure?

“Yes.”

[Dash]Hmm. Alright, then.

The choice was instinctive and without reason, just as Gyeon had said.

Gyeon seemed to doubt her answer. He clearly didn’t believe it and implied it wasn’t a question expecting any specific answer.

Eventually, Yuin’s restrained curiosity burst out.

“Why are you curious about my friend’s reaction?”

[Dash]Me? No way. What I’m really curious about is Nam Yuin. I’ve been waiting patiently, haven’t forgotten about you, have you?

His teasing low voice laughed.

Forget? Not for a moment. The problem was thinking about it too much. Yuin was agonizing over it, and the man, unaware of her turmoil, only seemed to make flippant remarks.

“……I’m going to sleep.”

[Dash]Already?

“Yes. Drink moderately and get home safely.”

Her brusque concern was received with a pleasant laugh from the man.

His soft, low laughter was enough to lift the corners of Yuin’s mouth, which had sunk into her blanket. The gentle sound was sufficient to make her smile again, even as she was buried under her covers.