Chae Yoon stared at Jae Oh, who was acting boldly while trying to appear nonchalant, with a hint of amusement. How could he maintain such a composed façade and act audacious, even though he wasn’t very skilled at deceiving people?

With a brazen expression and an impish demeanor, Jae Oh, who had brought her to this place through deception, continued speaking as Chae Yoon remained still.

“What are you waiting for? Come in quickly.”
In this situation, Chae Yoon, with her usual composure, gave a slight nod at Jae Oh’s relaxed expression, then shifted her feet.

Only after Chae Yoon took a seat in the chair he had offered did Jae Oh move to the seat in front of her.

Sitting across from each other, they both examined the menu placed in front of them.

Jae Oh’s gaze, as he perused the menu, eventually turned towards Chae Yoon.

Seeing her composed demeanor, he subtly inquired, “Would you like some wine?”
Normally, it would have been a question she would answer without much thought, but for some reason, Chae Yoon found Jae Oh’s question uncomfortable, so she shook her head.

“No, I’m fine.”

Jae Oh didn’t press further after Chae Yoon’s refusal. Instead, he changed the direction of the conversation.

“Do you drink well?”

“I don’t think I’m good at it.”

“What’s your tolerance?”

“I haven’t really drunk much, so I’m not sure.”

“It seems like people who get along well don’t like alcohol.”

As the conversation flowed naturally like water, Chae Yoon looked up at Jae Oh.
Sensing the approaching gaze, Jae Oh continued casually, “Do you have many close friends?”

Watching him throw any question to keep the conversation going, Chae Yoon recalled her past self.

[“Don’t you meet your friends, Oppa?”] [What do you do if you meet them?] [Don’t your friends wonder if you’re married, Oppa?]

To my small inquiries, he had replied like this.

[I have to work, why do you keep asking?]

(Note: The text you provided includes dialogue that refers to “Oppa,” which is a Korean term typically used by females to address older brothers or close male friends who are older. In this context, “Oppa” is not translated as a name or character but rather as a cultural reference.)
Recalling the cold and hostile reactions, Chae Yoon stared at Jae Oh, who was waiting for her response.

[Please tell me.] [I really need your data.]

Her gaze, which had been fixed on him, dropped down.

“…Not many.”

Her response came a beat late.

“How many is not many?”

“I’ve known one older sister since I was young, and besides her, a few high school friends and college friends, you know.”

“Do you often keep in touch with your friends?”

“It’s at a normal level, I guess.”
The answer was given diligently, but the speaking voice somehow sounded dry, and despite the conversation not being interrupted, Jae Oh didn’t seem to be engaging in a conversation with Chae Yoon.

A brief silence settled in.

Breaking the somewhat different, heavy atmosphere from before was none other than a restaurant staff member.

The incoming staff member took Chae Yoon and Jae Oh’s orders.

During this time, Jae Oh scrutinized Chae Yoon’s expression sharply and continued the conversation once again, taking a sip of water from the table.
“How close are you with your friends?”

“I’m pretty close to everyone except for my closest sister.”

“What about me?”

In response to Jae Oh’s question, Chae Yoon’s eyes, which had been mechanically answering, widened slightly.

Chae Yoon lifted her gaze, which had been somewhat lowered, to stare at Jae Oh.

Finally, when Chae Yoon met his gaze, Jae Oh began to say something he had never told anyone before.
“You probably already know, but I have this kind of personality, so I don’t have many friends.”

“…….?”

“The only ones I can call close are three people, but they’ve been close since childhood. If we had met when we were a little older, we probably wouldn’t have become friends.”

Listening to his story for the first time, Chae Yoon found herself asking, “Why?”

“Since middle school, I never really had the urge to make friends, and I didn’t want to. So, besides those three, I don’t remember any memorable faces.”
Chae Yoon easily realized that among the faces mentioned by Jae Heon, there was Si Hyun.

“Do you still not remember me?”

When she heard those words, Chae Yoon initially thought that Jae Heon simply couldn’t recall the woman for a moment but would remember her soon.

If he could call her so affectionately as “Jae Oh,” they must have been somewhat close.

However, now that they were having this conversation, she began to wonder if he really couldn’t remember her.
In reality, Jae Heon only remembered things he was genuinely interested in.

So, family gatherings were naturally forgotten, and personal commitments Jae Heon had made, let alone Ji Pil’s birthday, were consistently forgotten.

Perhaps it was these aspects that made him spend three years with me.

And it wasn’t just with me; it was like that with everyone, including his own family.