Upon hearing Chae Yoon’s voice, Hyun Min turned his head towards her.

“Oh? Miss Chae Yoon.”

Joy filled Chae Yoon’s face as she made eye contact with Hyun Min.

Having not expected to see Hyun Min here, Chae Yoon quickly moved to his side.

Witnessing this, Jae Oh’s expression turned uneasy.

Seeing her happily run to Hyun Min irritated him deeply.

[They say she helped a lot when he joined the company.]

While he knew they became close through mutual help, he wondered if it justified such a gleeful reaction.

‘Anyone would think they haven’t seen each other for years.’

Jae Oh’s once calm gaze quickly turned sour.

Jae Oh, who had only seen Hyun Min in photos, studied his real-life appearance as he approached Chae Yoon.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the U.S. now?”

Jae Oh hesitated for a moment.

‘The U.S.?’

He remembered not seeing him when he had brought sandwiches to Chae Yoon’s office.

While he might have missed him because he was too focused on Chae Yoon, he hadn’t expected him to be in the U.S., so he tuned in to their conversation.

“It’s a 3-day business trip to the headquarters. I arrived today.”

“Oh, I see.”

As Chae Yoon finished, Jae Oh stood beside her.

As Chae Yoon felt Jae Oh’s presence, she was about to introduce him when another voice called out.

“Chae Yoon.”

Upon hearing Eun Ha’s voice, Chae Yoon quickly turned.

“Sister!”

Seeing Eun Ha, joy radiated even more from Chae Yoon’s face.

Witnessing this, Jae Oh’s irritation intensified, but Chae Yoon, oblivious to his feelings, hurried over to Eun Ha.

“You’re here too, sister?”

“Yes, you too?”

“Yes.”

Eun Ha’s gaze shifted to Jae Oh standing behind Chae Yoon.

Recognizing where Eun Ha was looking, Chae Yoon led her towards Jae Oh.

“Brother, this is my closest friend, sister Eun Ha. And this gentleman here is Deputy Lim Hyun Min, Eun Ha’s boyfriend and my senior at work.”

At Chae Yoon’s introduction, specifically the mention of ‘Eun Ha’s boyfriend’, Jae Oh’s eyes widened, but he had to hide his surprise as Eun Ha and Hyun Min greeted him.

Once greetings were exchanged, Eun Ha asked Chae Yoon,

“Were you around for work?”

Momentarily, a shadow crossed Chae Yoon’s face.

She had told Eun Ha about Jae Oh’s request for a month’s time and her subsequent role as his secretary.

She had added back then that not much would change in a month, so now she nodded awkwardly.

“Hm? Yes.”

Eun Ha’s eyes narrowed at Chae Yoon’s evasive answer. After glancing between Chae Yoon’s forced smile and Jae Oh’s gaze, Eun Ha seemed to have a realization.

“You didn’t…”

Chae Yoon knew where Eun Ha was going without hearing the rest.

She must be shocked since she hadn’t expected any changes in a month.

Understanding Eun Ha’s feelings, Chae Yoon replied sheepishly,

“It turned out that way, sister.”

Upon Chae Yoon’s confirmation, Eun Ha’s eyes widened.

“You…!”

Just as Eun Ha was about to continue, Hyun Min intervened.

“How about we go inside to chat? Given the circumstances, it might be better to have dinner together. What do you all think?”

Chae Yoon was the only one to reply.

“For now, please go in with my sister.”

Since Chae Yoon hadn’t explained much about Eun Ha and Hyun Min to Jae Oh, a detailed explanation was needed.

So, after ushering Eun Ha and Hyun Min inside, Chae Yoon began explaining to Jae Oh.

“As I mentioned earlier, they are dating.”

“Really?”

Chae Yoon nodded as she continued,

“That picture you showed me… I took it when I was trying to set them up after Deputy Lim said he liked my sister…”

Her words trailed off.

She then realized she had never asked where he got that photo.

[Grandfather, I’m not in a relationship with Deputy Lim.] When I said that, Chae Yoon didn’t ask Jee Pil if Jae Oh had mentioned anything to her or if he had seen that photo.

No matter what Jee Pil had heard or seen, all I had to do was speak the truth.

And seeing Jee Pil respond without adding any comments, just acknowledging he understood, she believed he was aware of the entire situation.

Then, how did that photo come to Jee Pil and Jae Oh’s attention?

Had one of them had someone tailing me?

‘But why?’

There should be a motive. Yet, no matter how much she pondered, she couldn’t find a reason for either Jee Pil or Jae Oh to be trailing me.

Still, if she had to choose, Jee Pil, who seemed more attentive compared to Jae Oh, who showed no interest, was more likely.

However, Jee Pil was aware of his feelings for Jae Oh and was familiar with Eun Ha’s face.

So, he probably wouldn’t have tried to link me with Hyun Min. Why then was Eun Ha’s face missing from the photo that Jae Oh had?

Feeling uneasy, she intended to ask Jee Pil, but then Jae Oh suddenly proposed having breakfast together, even setting a dinner plan with an unexpected tone, making her completely forget the earlier matter.

Chae Yoon, recalling the discomfort she felt months ago, blinked silently.

Then, Jae Oh’s hand touched Chae Yoon’s cheek.

Feeling the warmth, Chae Yoon looked up at him in surprise.

“Why did you stop speaking?”

“Ah…”