As soon as the man entered the publishing house, he seemed to quickly assess the surrounding situation. And the next action to take… has he decided it already? He approached Eunjo without hesitation, as if he had found someone he knew.

Thinking, “Since the food is here, he must be coming,” Eunjo looked around. There’s no one else here, right?

[Hello.]

…?

Receiving a somehow affectionate greeting, Eunjo looked around. There’s no one here but me?

[…Oh, hello.]

Eunjo gazed at the jewel-like eyes of the smiling blond handsome man.

[I seem to be a bit late.]

The man, glancing at the table, casually picked up a small sandwich and put it in his mouth in one bite. Then, he picked up a champagne glass placed on the nearby round table.

While still looking at Eunjo with a smile, the man who was leisurely savoring the food in his mouth emptied the glass he was holding and immediately picked up another.

[This is good champagne. Nice to meet you. I’m Brandon Cooper.]

The man bowed slightly. Instead of offering a handshake or a friendly cheek kiss, he seemed to be a bit more formal.

[Nice to meet you, I’m Yoon Ee.] [Indeed. I recognized you at a glance. You’re Yoon Eejo, right?]

Eunjo squinted. Where have I seen him before? Without realizing it, she looked at Jae-ha, who was reading a book from a distance.

…!

For a moment, when Jae-ha looked in Eunjo’s direction, she distinctly felt a sharp glint in his eyes.

[Oh, Kyle is greeting me because he knows I’m here.]

It seemed the blond man didn’t miss anything.

[Ah, so you know each other! This is my first time meeting you, though.] [That’s correct. I’m friends with Kyle, and this is my first time meeting Ms. Yoon Eejo. Nice to meet you again.]

This time, he reached out his hand.

…I see.

Looking at Eunjo with hands as large and manly as Jae-ha’s, she quickly smiled and shook his hand.

[You’re a special person to Kyle. Maybe that’s why you don’t seem as manly to me. If I was impolite, please forgive me.] [No, not at all! I don’t feel offended at all.]

She didn’t dislike the kind and affectionate attitude of the handsome man. Moreover, since he was a friend of Jae-ha, there was no reason to be particularly wary.

A natural and bright smile spread across Eunjo’s face. Suddenly, she realized that Jae-ha’s voice, which had been coming through the speaker, had stopped.

…?

She found Jae-ha, who had put the book he was holding on his knee and was looking in this direction. The expression on his face, visible from a distance, was oddly peculiar.

[I think we should stop the reading at this point.]

What? Why all of a sudden? It felt like she could sense the puzzlement of the people around her just by looking at the back of their heads.

A man who seemed like a student raised his hand.
[Author, I found the part about the title personally impressive. I would appreciate it if you could read that part directly. And if you have any other stories to share, even briefly, I would like to request that as well.]

For some reason, Jae-ha closed the book with a firm expression as if he had sealed his lips with a single seal. It seems he intends to stop the reading.

[First of all, please don’t call me ‘Author.’ This book will be my first and last. As you know, I am a businessperson. I wrote something that would be helpful, well, actually something that would be money for the publishing house ‘Bom.’ ‘Bom’ starting anew will continue to be a publishing house that prioritizes introducing Korean culture, just like before. Lastly, for those who have already read it, you might know, but that number represents the day I first met my beloved person.]

For some reason, his judgment seemed to have gone astray! Eunjo stared blankly as Jae-ha tapped the book with his long index finger.

Mostly arrogant and conceited Kwon Jae-ha, Kyle Alexis has returned!

[The additional story I will tell you right away is that my beloved woman, my best friend, has just met. Many of you may know him, Brandon Cooper.]

With Jae-ha’s long arm pointing in Eunjo’s direction, countless gazes that had been facing forward flew towards Eunjo and the blond man.

In contrast to the embarrassed Eunjo, who blushed, Brandon Cooper, unlike the typical Jae-ha, elegantly bowed at the waist like a medieval knight and then casually shook hands.

Pushing Jae-ha, who clearly looked angry, aside as if pushing him away, Park Sang-ah stood up from her seat.

With the microphone in hand, she smiled brightly. Naturally concluding the reading, she emphasized that she had put a lot of effort into preparing for the party and earnestly hoped everyone would enjoy it.

Beside the leisurely Brandon, Jae-ha was already next to the perplexed Eunjo with a troubled expression.

“Why did you stop the reading? You disappointed the people who were waiting…”

“Protecting my woman is more urgent than a trivial reading.”

Pulling Eunjo into his arms, Jae-ha repeatedly pressed his lips against her restrained hands and rosy cheeks.