Thud.

After having dinner with Jae Oh and arriving home, Chae Yoon entered the quiet house. She passed through the hallway, illuminated by indirect lighting, and made her way to the dressing room. After removing her makeup, she headed to the bathroom.

Feeling refreshed after her shower, she developed a craving for something cool to drink.
Chae Yoon went to the kitchen, carrying a can of beer, and sat down on the living room sofa.

Sinking into the soft sofa, she took a refreshing sip of beer, and a feeling of fatigue dissipating washed over her.

Looking back, today had been a day filled with various events. There was work with Manager Jung, lunch with Jae Oh, an assignment in the secretary’s office, and an evening reception disguised as a welcome party.

While a series of unexpected events one after another might have been draining for others, Chae Yoon didn’t feel particularly tired.
Feeling that peaceful sensation, as she blinked her eyes, the conversation she had with Jae Oh came to mind.

“When I see you, none of those things come to mind.”

Among them, the most surprising and puzzling statement floated through her mind. At that moment, the phone placed on the table vibrated.

“Little Mother.”

Recognizing the caller as Kyung Hee, Chae Yoon quickly answered the call.

“Hello, Little Mother.”

[Pause] “Yes, Chae Yoon. I’m sorry for calling late. Are you available to talk now?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”

Upon hearing Chae Yoon’s response, Kyung Hee exchanged a brief greeting and then got to the point.

“The reason I called is because I heard that Jae Oh has been reassigned.”

[Pause] “Oh, yes.”

“Hasn’t he finished organizing the paperwork yet?”

[Pause] “No, not yet.”

Knowing that Jae Oh was intentionally delaying things on his end, Kyung Hee pretended not to know and asked, “Why? Is there a problem?”

[Pause] “No, it’s not like that. We’ve just been busy with work, so we haven’t had a chance to focus on it.”
The corners of Kyung Hee’s mouth curled with a sly grin.

“He’s using this as an excuse, isn’t he?”

It was a response that left no room for persuasion.

However, Kyung Hee didn’t argue and instead brought up the fact she wanted to know.

“Oh? I was wondering if there were any feelings between you and Jae Oh.”

[Pause] “No, it’s not like that.”

“It’s okay. Be honest with me. Is there any progress?”

[Pause] “Really, there isn’t.”

The response was quite firm.

“Is that so? Then why did he go to the secretary’s office?”
[Pause] I told Grandfather that the job was difficult. That’s why I went to learn the job for a while.

Chae Yoon’s other responses were somewhat suspicious, but this one seemed plausible.

“It seems like the appointment was made by my father, and she still doesn’t know that Jae Oh is interested.”

Having roughly grasped the situation, Kyung Hee concluded the call.

[Pause] I see. Okay, take a rest.

With Kyung Hee’s calm voice, the call ended.
Recognizing that the call had ended, Chae Yoon tried to remove her phone from her ear, but once again, it vibrated for an extended period.

This time, the caller was Jae Oh.

“Yes.”

[Pause] Who were you talking to for so long?

“Oh, I was talking to my little mother. But we didn’t talk for that long.”

Jae Oh’s eyebrow twitched in response to Chae Yoon’s words.

“Who did you talk to?”

[Pause] My little mother.

“Why? Is there something you need to say to her?”

It was a strangely guarded tone.

Chae Yoon’s eyes widened slightly.
Talking to Kyung Hee isn’t really a strange thing, so why do I feel like something’s off?

With a puzzled reaction from Jae Oh, Chae Yoon blinked her large eyes slowly and replied.

“She said she was surprised to hear about Oppa’s transfer notice and contacted me. Is there a problem?”

[Pause] ……..

“Oppa?”

[Pause] Oh. No, there’s no problem.

He didn’t say anything, but there seemed to be something in the atmosphere, so Chae Yoon asked again.

“Are you sure there’s no problem?”

[Pause] Oh. Are you going to bed now?

Jae Oh changed the subject.
Chae Yoon couldn’t help but respond to his words and continued the conversation.

“Not right away, but I’ll sleep in a bit. How about you, Oppa?”

[Pause] I’m going to do some work and then sleep.

As expected, he must have been working.

“You’ve been working. Well, then, finish the call quickly and get back to work.”

[Pause] Huh? No, why, why hang up. Don’t hang up.

Chae Yoon, who was about to take the phone off her ear, paused at the voice that sounded quite desperate.

[Pause] Hello? What’s wrong? Did you hang up? So quickly like this?
She couldn’t help but smile at his muttered words, as if something big had happened.

“I didn’t hang up yet.”

[Pause] Oh, what? I thought you hung up.

Hearing the relieved sigh in his voice, her smile deepened.

Sitting on the sofa, Chae Yoon leaned back against the soft cushion and asked, “Do you have more to say to me?”

[Pause] I have a lot to say.

They had already had quite a conversation over dinner, but it seemed there was more to discuss.