“She should.”
When Cha Hyun remained silent as if he had made a huge mistake, Tae Hyuk also became annoyed and grumbled.

“What’s wrong with the aquarium?”
[Well, it’s not like she’ll curse you for bringing her here.] His words felt like he had been cursed, so Tae Hyuk frowned.

[But you must ask Moon Na Young first for the meal, choose what Moon Na Young wants to eat.]

“Understood.”
It was a relief for him if there was no need to check in advance.

[You don’t like pasta. But if Moon Na Young wants to eat it, go.] Startled.

Tae Hyuk’s facial muscles stiffened for a moment.

Cha Hyun had once taken him to a pasta restaurant, where he had cursed and questioned why anyone would eat such a thing.

“Surely, it can’t be pasta.”
There were so many dishes in the world.

He would be forced to eat that on his first date with Na Young of all things.

[Women like pasta. Even if they don’t, when they choose something safe, it’s pasta. And since I’m sure it’s not what you’d choose, it seems even more like pasta. Generally, you’re not lucky.] As if he was destined to eat pasta, Tae Hyuk spoke in a subdued voice.

“Then tell me about another pasta restaurant, not the one from last time.”
[Why? The atmosphere was nice there.] “I’m worried the owner will remember me!”
That day had to be perfect.

It was an important second chance, after all.

And Moon Na Young seemed to be looking hard for an excuse to reject him.

[I’ve never seen you work so hard and even ask for help since you were preparing for medical school in your third year of high school.] Cha Hyun’s voice had a laugh in it, as if it was amusing.

Studying for the college entrance exam would have been easier.

Moon Na Young was a conundrum among conundrums that he couldn’t easily solve.

But he had never once thought of a tragedy in his relationship with Na Young from the beginning to now.

It was not confidence, but faith.

The baseless faith that she would eventually accept his feelings and be with him.

He couldn’t honestly tell this to Cha Hyun.

Because it was obvious that he would be teased for believing in fate.

Sunday.

The streets of Seoul on a day off were packed with people who had come out to play.

Women pedestrians passing by the aquarium whispered to each other when they saw a tall man standing guard at the main entrance of the aquarium like a gatekeeper.

“That man was there an hour ago, and he’s still there. He must have been stood up.”
“Wow, even a guy like him can get stood up.”
“He’s very handsome, should we go talk to him?”
“No way. He must be in a terrible mood after being stood up. We could get into trouble.”
Tae Hyuk had heard the women saying he’d been stood up, but he pretended not to hear and stood stiffly.

He hadn’t been stood up; he’d just arrived a bit early.

And his mood was not bad; it was incredibly good.

Tae Hyuk checked the time on his wristwatch.

It was about time for Na Young to arrive.

The tension of meeting her formally after arranging a meeting was a rare experience for him, different from when he met her at the club or at the hospital.

Tae Hyuk was a bit worried that day, knowing his weakness for familiar, everyday relationships. He feared he might make a mistake.

He felt an urge to call Cha Hyun and grabbed his cell phone.

Click, clack.

He heard the cheerful sound of high heels approaching him.

“Professor.”
Upon hearing the familiar voice calling him, Tae Hyuk turned his head and looked behind.

His eyes were dazzled by the long, white legs extending from under the gently swaying silk skirt that resembled soft flower petals.

Her hair naturally cascading over her shoulders was elegant, and her carefully madeup face shone with beauty.

He had known she was beautiful from the first time he saw her, but he didn’t realize until this moment that her effort for this meeting could make her even more specially beautiful.

It made him feel oddly uneasy.

When he said nothing, Na Young called him again with a puzzled look.

“Professor?”
Tae Hyuk coughed lightly and opened his mouth.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you in a skirt.”
“Ah! It’s a dress my mom bought me. She always buys me clothes like this.”
Beautiful.

Those words never left his mouth, and Tae Hyuk said something else instead.

“Have you ever been to the aquarium?”
“No, it’s my first time.”
“Don’t you like fish?”
“I like sashimi.”
“……”
Seeing his lost expression, Na Young stifled a laugh.

It was refreshing and interesting to see this side of him, having only seen the arrogant and infallible professor at the hospital.

“Let’s go in.”
The two walked side by side into the aquarium.

Tae Hyuk had always been alone when he came to the aquarium. Each time, he had been through some hardship.

In a way, this place was his refuge.

But the aquarium felt different now that he was there with Na Young.

He had always been able to feel a perfect solitude in this place, as if he was alone in the world, but now it was not the case at all.

“Wow! The fish….”
“Do they look delicious?”
“They are beautiful!”
He felt good even when she glared at him.

Na Young asked, noticing that the gaze of Professor Choi Tae Hyuk, watching the fish in the aquarium, seemed more comfortable than when he was at the hospital.

“Do you like everything that’s not human?”
Tae Hyuk was about to answer yes, but then he realized the implication behind her question and his eyes narrowed.

“That means I’m a bad person who doesn’t get along with people.”
Na Young laughed, realizing he knew he wasn’t nice.

Na Young pointed at a shark in the aquarium.

“If I were one of the fish in a school, you would be a shark.”
Tae Hyuk crossed his arms.

“So, you’re on guard because you think I’ll eat you?”
But he, too, couldn’t deny Na Young’s words.

He couldn’t live forever as one of the school of fish that always swam together.

Because he had always been an outsider in his life.

“At first, that’s how it was. But now….”
When she ended her sentence without properly concluding it, leaving a pause, Tae Hyuk felt breathless, as if he were really underwater.

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